Taiwan Plans Re-engineering J85 Turbojet Engines for Long-range Missiles

The Taiwanese Air Force in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences is studying on how to reverse engineer the General Electric J85 small single-shaft turbojet engines from its decommissioned F-5E/F fighters to reuse them in missiles.

Due to the strong engine thrust, it can provide a speed of Mach 1.6 and transfer to the missile. It is believed to be required for long-range cruise missiles or a type of flare, United Daily News reported Tuesday.

Taiwan has a total production of 242 single-seater 5E aircraft and 66 two-seater F-5F fighters, accounting for about 1/4 of global production under the United States and Taiwanese F-5E cooperation production plan produced by the China Aviation Industry Development Center under the authorization of Northrop Grumman.

The Republic of China's active F-5E/F fighters are currently concentrated in the Taitung 737 Wing. Previously, a large number of identical aircraft have been decommissioned, but the engine is intact and can provide research and exploration. The J85-GE-21C engine used in the F-5E/F is a high airflow afterburner version. It is still the active equipment of the Northrop Grumman F-5E/F Tiger II, the news daily reported.

The J85-GE-21C engine is manufactured by General Electric and belongs to the axial flow turbojet engine. It has a 9-stage axial flow intake compressor with a compression ratio of 8:1, a ring-type combustion chamber, and a secondary coaxial speed. Turbine, which was developed specifically for the F-5E/F fighter to enhance engine thrust, increased the speed of the aircraft to Mach 1.6 and added "manipulating flaps" to increase the turning rate (reducing the turning radius) to enhance air combat capability.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences currently has a 600-kilometer-long male E-boat missile deployment. The medium-range missile, which is known as the "Yunfeng" with a range of 1,200 kilometers, will be mass-produced this year, but the master plan "Yang Yang Project" continues. By 2020, there will still be unexplored models of medium-range missiles under development.