13 July 2011

China’s Jet Engine Future

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Jet Engine Future,” The Diplomat, 13 July 2011.

Following is a guest entry from Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson, co-founders oChina Sign Post.

China’s military jet engine capability is increasing at a rapid pace, with implications not only for China’s independent military capabilities, but also for the global defence industry. Yet China also faces major impediments in achieving its strategic aim of establishing itself as an independent manufacturer in one of aerospace’s most complex engineering technologies: high-performance turbofan engines. Our recent paper, Jet Engine Development in China, found that China’s progress is uneven but that the resources being devoted to the task will likely result in significant strides that will have profound strategic implications. … … …

This is an edited and abridged version of a longer analysis. For the full version, see Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Jet Engine Development in China: Indigenous high-performance turbofans are a final step toward fully independent fighter production,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 39 (26 June 2011).