The F-22 fighter jet in the United States is considered the best-performing fighter jet in the world, with only 187 units produced. Equipped with the F119 engine developed by Pratt & Whitney, the F-22 fighter jet can reach a top speed of 2.2 Mach, and even achieve a supersonic cruising speed of 1.5 Mach without using afterburners.
The F119 engine boasts a military thrust of 105 kilonewtons and an afterburning thrust of 155 kilonewtons, with a turbine inlet temperature of 9733 Kelvin. The thrust-to-weight ratio can even reach 10, making it one of the most powerful engines in the world.
However, recently, many voices questioning the F-22 have emerged on Chinese websites, alleging that the U.S. data is falsified and that the thrust-to-weight ratio of the F-22’s engine is significantly lower than reported, suggesting that China has been deceived for thirty years.
Today in mainland China, various reports have appeared on websites such as “NetEase,” “Sohu,” and “Observer.” The titles are mostly the same, claiming “F-22 engine’s thrust-to-weight ratio data is falsified, we have been deceived for thirty years.” It is stated that both the F119 engine used in the F-22 and the F135 engine used in another fifth-generation fighter, F-35, do not have the high thrust-to-weight ratios previously reported. The accuracy of the information on platforms like Wikipedia has even been questioned: for the F-22 with the F-119 engine, the military thrust is only 5.2, and when the afterburner is engaged, the thrust-to-weight ratio is only 7.95.
First, let’s introduce a concept: the engine can be regarded as the heart of the entire fighter jet. The better the engine, the more powerful the fighter jet. This not only means faster speeds but also the ability to carry more weapons and generate more electricity. The power needed for a fighter jet’s electronics comes from the engine, and this power can be used to equip better radars, and in the future, even electromagnetic guns and laser weapons.
One crucial measure of engine performance is the thrust-to-weight ratio. Simply put, it is the thrust divided by the weight. A thrust-to-weight ratio of 5 means that for every pound of the engine’s weight, it can produce 5 pounds of thrust, indicating that a higher thrust-to-weight ratio is better.
Generally, there are two thrust-to-weight ratios. One is called military thrust-to-weight ratio or intermediate thrust-to-weight ratio, which is the ratio when the engine is not using the afterburner. Military fighter aircraft have a special device called an afterburner that injects fuel into the high-pressure, high-temperature air coming out of the engine’s rear, causing it to burn, generating additional power to propel the fighter jet faster. Although the afterburner can provide more power, it consumes a significant amount of fuel and is only used in specific circumstances.
Taking the U.S. F119 engine as an example, the military thrust-to-weight ratio is between 8 and 8.5, and when the afterburner is engaged, the maximum thrust-to-weight ratio can exceed 10.
For engines from other countries, a military thrust-to-weight ratio of 5 is considered good, and a post-combustion thrust-to-weight ratio of 8 is considered very good.
For example, Russia’s AL-31 engine has a military thrust-to-weight ratio of 4.77 and a post-combustion thrust-to-weight ratio of 7.8. The French “Rafale” fighter jet uses the domestically produced M88 engine by SNECMA, which, after several improvements, can achieve a military thrust-to-weight ratio of 5.68 and a post-combustion thrust-to-weight ratio of 8 to 8.5.
In comparison, both Russian and French engines are somewhat behind the United States.
However, in the eyes of some critics, particularly in China, the reporting on platforms such as Sohu and NetEase has questioned the accuracy of the F-22’s F119 engine’s thrust-to-weight ratio, claiming it to be only 7, and even lower for the F-35 with the F135 engine, causing quite a stir.
Let’s take a look at the calculations. For the F-35B variant using the F135-PW-600 engine with a weight of 7260 pounds and the F-35C variant using the F135-PW-400 engine with a weight of 6422 pounds, based on publicly available data, the maximum thrust of the F135 engine is 185,000 pounds, resulting in a calculated thrust-to-weight ratio of 5.6 to 6.35.
Many critics have concluded that the U.S. engines are falsely claimed to be advanced, suggesting that China’s engines have far surpassed the U.S., taking the lead as the world’s best.
However, the truth behind these claims is disputed. The thrust-to-weight ratio depends on two parameters: thrust and weight, and some Chinese netizens have reportedly misinterpreted the weight. Recent analyses by overseas enthusiasts, including a report from a netizen named “huangzhuoshi,” have shed light on the inaccuracies in the calculations.
In simple terms, the critics have confused the weights of U.S. engines. They referred to a report by Rand Corporation from over a decade ago, which sourced data from the U.S. Air Force’s official engine transport guide. The transport weight of the F119 engine was listed as 5000 pounds, and the F135 engine’s transport weight was reported as 6422 pounds, reaching 7260 pounds with the lift fan version. While these numbers are correct, this accounts for the transport weight, which includes the weight of the engine and the entire packaging. U.S. engines require special transport boards known as “skids” in which they are loaded, adding over a thousand pounds to the weight.
Consequently, when Rand Corporation calculated the F119 engine’s thrust-to-weight ratio, they mistakenly used the packaging weight rather than the engine’s actual weight, leading to wildly inaccurate figures.
So, what is the actual weight of the U.S. engines? The F119 engine weighs around 4000 to 4100 pounds, while the F135 engine, despite being lighter, with a weight of only 3700 pounds, has a higher thrust. The F135 engine’s maximum afterburning thrust can reach an astonishing 43,000 pounds, resulting in a calculated thrust-to-weight ratio of 11.6, making it the undisputed champion among commercial aviation engines worldwide.
Some may question how the weight of the F135 engine is known to be 3700 pounds instead of 7000 pounds. A basic horizontal comparison of the dimensions and weights of engines from different countries can help clarify this.
Comparing the F135 engine’s size to others, it becomes evident that the U.S. engine is slightly larger. With a length of 220 feet and an outer diameter of 1.16 meters, the F135 engine size differs from engines like Russia’s AL-31F (length 4.95 meters, outer diameter 1.28 meters). The Chinese WS-10 engine, developed based on Russia’s AL-31, has comparable dimensions, with slight variations.
In summary, the weight of the U.S., China, and Russia engines is at a similar scale, with the U.S. engines slightly lighter. Logically and based on common sense, it is improbable that the weight of U.S. F135 and F119 engines would reach 6000 or even 7000 pounds, especially when considering engines of similar sizes that differ by a small margin.
The data referenced by many critics from Rand Corporation does not represent the actual engine weight but includes the weight of the transport components. Based on this, calculating the thrust-to-weight ratio would lead to misleading conclusions.
Thus, logically and reasonably, it can be inferred that the dry weight of the U.S. F135 engine is approximately 3700 pounds, lighter than China’s WS-10 by 300 pounds. Despite the vast differences in reported thrust-to-weight ratios, the F135 engine’s exceptional performance, with a maximum thrust of 18 tons and a thrust-to-weight ratio exceeding 11, solidifies it as the world’s strongest engine. In contrast, China’s WS-10 currently has a thrust-to-weight ratio of approximately 7, highlighting the significant gap in the aviation engine industry between China and the U.S., which cannot be bridged by mere claims.
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