China’s Aero Engine Corporation has achieved a significant milestone by successfully igniting its turbofan drone engine for the first time. The engine took the company less than eight months from the initial design to the successful ignition.
The news of the successful test comes just over a month after China’s larget airshow, Zhuhai introduced its first ever drone zone, pointing at a significant shift in focus for the Chinese military and the state of warfare as a whole.
China’s 1,322lb-thrust drone engine
On December 27, 2024, the ignition test took place at the Tianfu Light Power test site. The engine is designed to produce 1,322lbs of thrust allowing for a maximum altitude of 49,200 feet and hits a top speed of 0.8 Mach or 613mph.
The engine is designed to be used with UAVs in the 1.5 to 4 ton weight class. The engine set to be finalized for commercialization in 2026, with the first of many test flights set to take place in June 2025.
The Tianfu Light Power test site also held the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Low-Altitude Economic Industry Cluster Construction Conference where three new products were launched.
- A 600kgf class turbofan engine,
- a 60kW hybrid power system, and
- a 100kgf class turbofan engine.
At the event, a cooperation framework for six engines was also signed.
What drones would use the new engine?
AECC has not announced any UAVs the engine will be used in, but based on the specifications almost certainly only be used to power military drones used for long range surveillance and munitions carrying operations.
An example of a Chinese drone that fits within the listed specs is the Chengdu WZ-10, known as the Wing Loong-10 internationally. A 2.3 ton military drone with a payload capacity of just under 2,000 lbs and a cruising speed of 390mph.
The WZ-10 currently has two configurations, an ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) variant, and a combat version which can be equipped with an array of missiles and bombs.
Image via AECC
