Russian RD-93 Engine To Power China’s New J-31 Fighter Jet

China’s soon-to-be debuted J-31 fighter aircraft will be powered by the Russian-made RD-93 engine.

Rosoboronexport’s Air Force Equipment Export Department Head Sergey Kornev, "J-31 with the Russian engine RD-93 is considered to be an export program, able to compete with the American F-35 fifth generation aircraft on the regional markets."

"The program is ambitious, but very real, especially considering the high cost of F-35 and some problems with its development," Kornev added.

According to Ria Novosti, Sergey Kornev, head of the Russian delegation at China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, said that two fifth generation fighters are being developed in China, the J-20 and J-31, which demonstrates the high potential of Chinese science and aviation industry.

China will present the J-31 stealth fighter at the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition on November 11, 2014 in Zhuhai and conduct a demonstration flight.

According to Nanfang Daily, the J-31 stealth fighter is very likely to be put into mass production within five years, and has a big chance of being a carrier-borne type. It has been just two years since the successful maiden flight of the J-31 in 2012. As a fighter under test, the J-31 is now in the primary stage of performance development.

Russian RD-93 engines are a variant of the RD-33 engines, initially developed to power MiG-29 fighters. The RD-93 was developed by Russia’s Klimov design bureau specifically for the FC-1 fighter, known in Pakistan as the JF-17 Thunder, according to Ria Novosti.