Saturn AL-31F

Twin-shaft afterburning turbofan developed by the Lyulka bureau (now part of UEC-Saturn) for the Sukhoi Su-27 and its derivatives, and license-built in China as a stopgap for early J-10 and J-11 production before indigenous WS-10 engines matured. Manufacturer and state-sourced figures below carry limited independent verification.

In service since 1985

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-08-10

123

kN thrust

1,520

8.23

T/W

Several performance figures for Russia-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Russian state channel

Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.

Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

In service since 1985. Status: active · ~4,500 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Overview

More than 4,500 AL-31F-family engines have reportedly been produced since 1981, powering the Su-27, Su-30, Su-33, Su-34 and, via the AL-31FN export variant, China's J-10. Thrust-vectoring derivatives (AL-31FP) power the Su-30MKI/SM family, and the AL-31FM1 upgrade equips the Su-34. Treat all figures as Russian manufacturer/state claims given the Russia origin caveat applied sitewide.

Powers these platforms

Systems in the WeaponSpecs database that list the Saturn AL-31F as their engine.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Thrust-to-weight Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up. On a standalone engine record, this is the engine's own thrust divided by its dry weight, the standard figure of merit for jet engines.	8.23 Stronger than 61% of engines

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.	1,520 kg

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).	123 kN Stronger than 55% of engines
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Afterburning turbofan

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	4,500

Specifications compiled from public UEC-Saturn and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-08-10.

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