"The Y-20 transport aircraft of the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will eventually be mounted with China's independently-developed engines," Chen Maozhang, expert of Chinese aero engines and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in a recent interview.
"The research and manufacture project is currently going very well," Chen added. Chinese engineers and technicians are expected to develop and manufacture a new generation of "Taihang" engines.
In Chen Maozhang's viewpoint, "Taihang" bears landmark significance because it not only marks the transformation of Chinese aero-engine research and development from the turbojet engine to the turbofan engine, but also realizes the progress of Chinese aero-engine from medium thrust to high thrust. With the "Taihang" engines, the engine research and manufacture in related fields will move forward on this basis.
"Taihang" engines are the power units of Chinese military aircraft. The improved "Taihang" engines will be used to drive other major combat equipment of the Navy and the Air Force of the PLA. In the future, the improved thrust-augmented model with high by-pass ratio will be fitted to bombers while the non-thrust model with high by-pass ratio will be used for massive transport aircraft like Y-20 and others.