( KWIC China Zhuhai Dec.3 ) Saturn/Lyulka Company exhibited the original model of the AL-31FP thrust vector control engine( TVC).The AL31FP is the high-performance engine that is equipped with the vector technology on the basis of the AL31F turbofan engine. In the future, the AL31FP engines will be installed in the SU30KMI fighter bombers of the Indian air force.
According to the senior designers of the Saturn/Lyulka Company, the AL31FP is the best shortcut to the upgrading of the Chinese SU27SK's power system. As China will install the AL31FP engines in as many as 200 SU27 planes, these engines find in China their biggest market in the world. Therefore, Saturn/Lyulka Company is trying hard to promote these engines to China. The same source also indicates that Saturn/Lyulka Company does not see any trouble in selling the AL31FP engines to China because the AL31F engines have already been sold to China together with the SU27SKs and the AL31FP engines are simply the AL31Fs equipped with the TVC technology without any structural changes in the engines themselves. Besides, Russia has possessed the AL37FU TVC engine system that is more advanced than the AL31FP. Of course, the same source stresses that the exhibition of the AL31FP in China doesn't mean that China would use this system soon. Saturn/Lyulka Company is only a designing institute. The specific export issues still require the approval of the Russian department concerned for the control of weapon export. For this reason, this exhibition of the AL31FP was mainly intended to introduce this engine system in a big way for the exploration of the future potential market.
The above indications show that Russia pays much attention to China's planned upgrading of 200 SU27s within the next ten years. In the meantime, Russia is trying hard to lobby China to use the SU30MK fighter bombers. According to the source of the Russian air force, there has been an important breakthrough in the export of the SU30MKs and it won't be a long time before they will appear in the sky over China.
The above indications also demonstrate that Russia will relax the restrictions on the export of such advanced engine technology as the AL31FP in order to partially dispel the resent that China bears for the discriminatory attitude Russia has shown toward the export of the similar technology to China and India. With its ever improving relationships with the Western European countries, China has seen an increasing number of exchanges in the military technology with these countries, especially France. France is now negotiating with China the export of the French-made M53-P2 turbofan engines, which may be used as the power systems for the Chinese-made JH7 fighter bombers. The M53-P2 turbofan engines are also used in the French fighter planes of the Mirage 2000 series. Obviously, Russia has come to realize the future possible appearance of its competitors on the Chinese market.
The AL31FP TVC engine can thrust up and down at the angle of pitch of +/-15. Its TVC nozzle can very easily fit into the AL31F engine used in the Chinese-made SU27SK.
The interval for an overhaul of the AL31FP is said to be 700 hours. The service life of the TVC nozzle is 250 hours. The afterburning of such a single engine reaches 126 kN.
If China eventually obtains the SU30MKs and upgrades the SU27SKs with the AL31FP technology, China can achieve better mobility from these planes for a small investment. It is reported that the aerial combat mobility of the SU27 series planes equipped with the AL31FP engines is ten times as much as that of the current SU27/AL31F planes. Especially for the short distance air battles, the AL31FP TVC engines enable the planes to reduce their speed immediately so as to change the unfavorable flight manner or to abruptly switch the directions.( A.Pinkov )
