The first turbofan engine developed independently by Chinese scientists has been given the greenlight to be installed in fighter planes, according to sources from the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) II, one of the country's two leading aviation conglomerates.

The 140 experts who assessed the engine in central China's Hunan Province Sunday all found its performance stable and its design up to the standard.

The new engine follows worldwide trends in the industry's development and will increase China's defense capacity once it is mass produced, according to an AVIC II official.

The designing of China's own turbofan engine began in 1991 and over the past decade the prototype has undergone several flight tests in cooperation with several research institutions and aviation corporations.

( April 2, 2002)