ENGINE TECHNOLOGY PUTS CHINA IN GLOBAL TOP FLIGHT

Development of thrust vector control provides improved combat capability. Zhao Lei reports.

China has mastered a field of cutting-edge aviation technology that is currently dominated by the United States and Russia, which is expected to give the nation's fighter jets better combat capability.

The technology, known as thrust vector control, involves a movable thrust nozzle that enables a fixed-wing plane to change the direction of its engine exhaust. This allows the pilot to raise the aircraft's nose cone vertically while maintaining forward momentum so the plane effectively "sits" on its own tail in an aerodynamic stall caused by low speed and a high angle of attack.