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In the years when it was still safe for western defence correspondents to freely attend the PRC's largest defence expo, Air Show China, the joke was always that there would be a game of hide-and-seek about news that would only come out after the show. It appears that in 2023, the PRC's Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has stuck to the script.
During the week that the world's aerospace community gathered at the Paris Air Show, no one in the Chinese delegation had any news at all about their most advanced and speculated about combat aircraft programme, the 5-th generation Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter. The only indication that something might be afoot was the subscale model of J-20 on AVIC's stand in the exhibition hall, one of many models the company showed off at its booth. However, on June 28, four days after the Paris show ended, video emerged of the J-20 making its first public flight equipped with a pair of Xi'an-built Woshan-15 engines. While not the first time the WS-15 has been equipped on the jet, it appears to have flown with one WS-15 and one older design in 2022, typical of flight testing for a new engine, the flight with two WS15s is a sign of maturity and confidence that, after years of delays, a homegrown, advanced fighter jet engine is ready for prime time.
Finally bringing the WS-15 to successful operational status is a major milestone for Chinese aerospace. That the PLAAF now have an engine that delivers the range/payload performance that the J-20 was designed for from the beginning makes the fighter jet more of a concern for the US Navy and other US partner nations in the Pacific that could potentially encounter it in combat. The system should provide a significant boost in performance over the previous engines used by the J-20, the Russian Salyut / Lyulka AL-31FN and the successive WS-10 variants built by the Shenyang Liming Aircraft Engine Company.
A long developmental goal
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2023-Ausgabe von African Pilot.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2023-Ausgabe von African Pilot.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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![An aviation photographer's experience at the Presidential inauguration](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/17210/1751298/f682pkvvJ1720095345018/AN-AVIATION-PHOTOGRAPHERS-EXPERIENCE-AT-THE-PRESIDENTIAL-INAUGURATION.jpg)
An aviation photographer's experience at the Presidential inauguration
Witnessing the helicopter formation for the Presidential Inauguration in Pretoria on 18 June 2024 was an incredibly unique and exhilarating experience, an opportunity that does not come around very often.
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Jabiru South Africa
Ask the aviation industry about Jabiru aircraft and you will find that they have an excellent reputation.
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EAA Chapter 322 Young Eagles 2024
The Experimental Aviation association (EAA) has a long history of engendering the passion for flying amongst its members as well as the youth of the world. EAA is a worldwide organisation with its most well-known event being the annual gathering in Oshkosh for a week of aviation as the largest aviation event in the world at the end of July each year.
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Bat Hawk Aircraft
Based in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, Micro Aviation SA (SACAA M-628) is the manufacturer of the most affordable Rotax 912 ULS powered light sport aircraft in the world.
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FK 9 Mk vi - RAPTOR
The FK9 Mk VI has just landed in South Africa.
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Sun City plans for sustainable solar energy
Sun City is going to great heights in its bid to one day take the resort completely off the grid. With all available space on the roof of Sun Central now covered by solar panels, the resort lifted its sights to the roof at The Palace and the Sun City hotel.
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Belgium chposes Airbus H145M for Armed Forces and Federal Police
The Kingdom of Belgium will procure 15 multi-role H145M helicopters for the army and two helicopters plus three options for the Federal Police. The contract was signed between the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), on behalf of Belgium and Airbus Helicopters.
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Maputo airshow 2024 What a treat!
On Sunday 16 June Christine and I returned from attending the Maputo airshow and what a fantastic experience this was not only for estimated 15 000 spectators, but also the members of the media present. As always Brian Emmenis and his team were on top form with a great selection of music. The grand finale with the Puma Energy Flying Lions T6 Harvards was simply beautiful and I saw several spectators with tears in their eyes as they expressed their happiness for the airshow.
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Single-pilot operations and lemon juice
Psychology researchers have found that some of the dumbest criminals and the cockiest pilots may have something in common: a hazardous cognitive bias, the Dunning–Kruger effect that hinders self-perception, clouds judgment and leads individuals to overestimate their ability. However, new psychological discoveries may provide a cure.
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ExecuJet MRO Services! South Africa Set to Achieve New Record for Airframe Heavy Checks
JOHANNESBURG - ExecuJet MRO Services South Africa, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, is poised to set a new record this year for airframe heavy maintenance checks. The company's previous annual record was seven, but this year it will complete at least 11 thanks to additional work on Dassault Falcon aircraft.