Chapter 1060: What the Orientals have, we must have too!
The J-20 does not need to fold its wings when boarding a ship, because its wingspan is not very large, and it has a canard layout that can be arranged head to tail. However, other aircraft do not have this advantage, especially the G-11 in front of us. The wingspan of this kind of aircraft is more than 14 meters. If the wings cannot be folded, it will take up too much space.
Now, the wings fold fully automatically. After folding, the width is reduced to 8 meters.
This way, the deck operation was greatly facilitated. Everyone was speechless when they saw the wings folding automatically.
“Can fuel be stored on the outer edge of the wing?”
There are many restrictions on folding. It is necessary to consider the impact on stealth and whether fuel can be stored on the outer edge after folding. If it cannot be stored, the aircraft's range will be greatly affected.
"No." Zhang Wanhe said: "The outer edge is the aerodynamic steering surface. We have no intention of using it to store fuel, but our collective space is enough. Even if we only use internal fuel, we can have more than four thousand people." Kilometers of range, and our drones can also automatically refuel in the air. Since there is no need to consider the limitations of the human body, our aircraft have almost unlimited endurance, even if it can fly in the sky for thirty hours. "
Everyone nodded, now the aerial refueling technology has matured, and this technology can be used to increase the range of the aircraft, but the aircraft can be refueled, what about people? Even if the pilot brought food, it would not only be food and drink, but also diarrhea.
In the small fighter cabin, long-distance flying is not a pleasant experience, and you even have to wear diapers. Drones do not have such worries. As long as there is fuel, they can keep flying.
Everyone was very satisfied with this aircraft, especially Delano who saw it for the first time and was filled with emotion.
However, he quickly thought of a reason to comfort himself: So what if it is a drone, during combat, doesn't it still require the command of a two-seat fighter? Talent is the only factor that determines the outcome of a war!
Thinking of this, Delano became excited again.
After a demonstration on the parking lot, the drone moved to the take-off point under the control of Zhang Wanhe. Everyone stood under the ship island and watched the drone take off from a safe distance.
It is no different from a manned fighter jet. The flame shield is raised, and the yellow vest makes physical gestures. The drone is ejected suddenly. No tail flame can be seen at the tail. The drone takes off lightly, as if it is nothing. He had no strength, but after leaving the deck, he pulled up easily.
Fly away now?
Delano watched the plane leave and suddenly felt a sense of reluctance.
“Okay, the experiment was a complete success, let’s go celebrate!”
In the sky, a satellite passed by.
It just happened to pass by here. After all, after an aircraft carrier maneuvers at sea, it is difficult for satellites in the sky to detect it immediately. But at this time, after the satellite passed by, it also took photos. Although it did not adjust the focus much, the picture It was slightly blurry, but I still managed to take a photo of the weird-looking guy taking off from the deck of the aircraft carrier.
After the photos were sent to the rear, the intelligence officers immediately paid attention, and soon the technically processed photos were sent to their superiors.
"Everyone, let's see what surprises us this time." Swift's tone was teasing, and she took the photo, and then her expression changed.
“This was taken from an Oriental aircraft carrier?”
“Yes, it was a picture taken by a passing satellite.”
"This, isn't this our B2?" Swift said: "How could this aircraft appear on the Eastern aircraft carrier?"
“No, this is not a B2. It is more concise in appearance than our B2, and it is also much smaller in size. This is an Eastern copycat of our B2 and then used it on an aircraft carrier!”
The United States was the first to develop stealth attack aircraft in the world, and it was also the first to develop stealth bombers. They had thoroughly mastered the flying-wing layout, and of course all subsequent followers copied them!
A small B2 appeared on the deck of Dongfang's aircraft carrier. How could they not be surprised!
“Put aside whether you copy our aircraft, everyone, you have clearly seen the layout of this aircraft, it has no cockpit!”
“Isn’t it the one in front?” Swift pointed at the dark thing in front and said. The satellite shot was a bird’s eye view. From a high position, some of the structures seen were not clear.
“No, no, that’s not the cockpit. Our technicians have already analyzed it. It’s the air inlet. This aircraft has no cockpit!”
Without a cockpit, it’s a drone!
With the development of technology, it has become very common for drones to be mounted on ships. However, generally drones are used for reconnaissance operations, among which the Yankee Global Hawk is the representative. However, the Easterners made a bad start. , first they developed an integrated surveillance and combat drone, allowing the drone to participate in frontline attacks. But now, something even more speechless happened. Dongfang actually developed a stealth drone with a similar B2 aerodynamic layout!
What is this plane used for? Relying on its good stealth, it must be carrying out bombing missions, and it is still a drone. Even if there is an accident, no one will be in danger.
"Impossible, impossible, the technology in the East is not that advanced, and we don't even have unmanned bombers!" Swift began to shake his head again: "Isn't their technology developing too fast?"
"Because they have the best computers." Another voice said coldly: "We should have restricted their progress in computers a long time ago. Now, their computer technology is developing very fast, although it is still circulating in the international market. It is Loongson 4, but it is said that within them, Loongson 6 has already come out, and the technology used is quite advanced, surpassing ours by a long way. Our Intel company is really a waste. It is obviously a strong player in this field, but now it is They were pressing me down and beating me!”
UAVs require advanced computer systems. In this regard, no one can compare with Dongfang!
“Get the people from Northrop Grumman.” Swift said: “We must have what the Easterners have!”
The trend of mergers of military industry companies in the United States continues. Northrop and Grumman are both huge military industry giants. After their merger, they have strong R&D and production capabilities. Under the current circumstances, they can only Put your hope on them.
“They are already on the way. In the past few years, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has prepared for rainy days and started researching unmanned combat aircraft. It seems to be a far-sighted plan. Unfortunately, our research and development progress is too slow.”
In 2000, Boeing and Northrop each received a grant of two million US dollars and began to study unmanned combat aircraft, including many aspects, such as salt and moisture resistance at sea, the landing and operation of aircraft carrier decks, Integration with command systems, electromagnetic compatibility, etc.
The plan proposed by Northrop Company is the X-47.
Now, the person in charge of this plan, Swibull, came in a hurry with the plan. After entering the conference room, he introduced it.
"Our X-47 is a very mature aircraft. It rolled off the assembly line in 2001. It successfully made its first flight last year and is now being run-in on the aircraft carrier." Swibull opened the slide, An airplane in the shape of a spearhead appeared on the projection screen.
The leading edge is sharper than the trailing edge. It is a special rhombus shape and looks very unique.
"This is our X-47. It is a pure flying wing design aircraft without a vertical tail. It is made entirely of composite materials. It uses a JT-15D turbofan engine with a thrust of 14.2 kN. The cabin can Carrying a 225 kilogram bomb, this is the most advanced ship-based drone in the world!"
Hearing his words, everyone present couldn't help but shake their heads. These arms dealers are not good at anything else but bragging.
The take-off weight of this small aircraft is only 2.2 tons. Although it has a bomb bay, no bomb-dropping experiments have been carried out. Moreover, it has no landing hook or mooring hook. When tested on the deck, a slight strong wind blew it to the left. It shakes to the right and makes ping-pong noises. It is not a qualified aircraft at all. At most, it can only be a verification aircraft for testing.
Swibull took it, glanced at it, and then raised his voice a bit: "What is this? A product of Boeing? No, this is absolutely impossible. Judging from the proportions of the deck, this should have a normal shipboard The size of the aircraft! The drone cannot be built so big, otherwise it will not be able to take off and land on the aircraft carrier by its own power, and it will not be able to withstand the impact of the ship's hook! This must be their bragging!"
Swibull subconsciously thought it was a product of competitor Boeing.
The size of the drone cannot be too big, otherwise it will have an impact on many other needs. They built such a small drone so that it can land on the aircraft carrier without a landing hook. If it is too big, it will not work at all, and it will not work. Withstanding the impact of the blocking cable, it fell apart when landing!
Now, Swibull is not denigrating competitors, but feels it is impossible.
"This is an Oriental aircraft. They have officially begun testing this carrier-based drone on an aircraft carrier." Swift said: "We made a simple estimate and found that the take-off weight of this drone is It is about twenty tons, can carry about two tons of ammunition, and has a long flight distance. Can we have this kind of technology in our country?"
B2 is the masterpiece of Northrop Company. It is the world's first flying-wing bomber. Their research on flying wings is the best. Now, if they are asked to study this kind of aircraft, they are familiar with it. As for rival Boeing?
Thinking of the repeated failures of Boeing's Flying Toad, the Navy lost confidence in Boeing and would not be able to hand over such a project to Boeing again.
They are just like the generals who are out of control.
“Orientals?” Swibull opened his eyes wide in surprise, that’s impossible! Aren’t the Eastern drones just copies of our Global Hawk? Because they couldn't make that kind of long wing, they also made an upper and lower two-layer wing with a shoulder pole structure. When did the Orientals start to develop this kind of flying wing layout?
You must know that the technical difficulty of an aircraft with this layout is very high, and it puts forward very high requirements for flight control. They, Northrop Company, feel that only they can build it, and others simply don’t have this ability!
"That's right, it's the Easterners. They have developed this kind of advanced carrier-based drones, which poses a great threat to us. Therefore, our navy must have similar drones, and they must not be like yours. We want this kind of toy to be a truly large-scale drone with combat capabilities!”
Swibull's expression changed, and he was very dissatisfied with the navy's difficult requirements, but he still endured it.
The B2 produced by their company has been repeatedly criticized by the military due to its high cost, and apart from the B2, they have no other aircraft projects. Grumman was even defeated. The project now required by the Navy is their new They can only accept the hope.
"Yes, if the Navy wants to have a similar UAV, we will start developing it immediately!" Swibull said: "We are calling this prototype X-47A, and the large UAV developed for the Navy is called X -47B, but if the Navy wants to move forward with this project, it will need to allocate funds to us, and we cannot raise funds ourselves.”
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency only allocated two million U.S. dollars to them, which has been used up long ago. They will still raise their own funds to promote the development of the project. As for building such a two-ton toy, on the one hand, it is a technical issue; It’s also a funding issue. If we don’t have that much money, how can we engage in related projects?
They can do research and development, but they need money!
"We will submit the relevant procedures as soon as possible." Swift said: "You also have to develop it as soon as possible. The Navy can't wait. Now all the Navy's related projects are outdated. We must once again catch up with Eastern talents in some fields. OK! Come up with the prototype within one year and equip the navy within three years!"
The navy is eager.
"Okay, as long as the allocation is sufficient, we will ensure that we complete the task." Swibull assured, patting his chest.
When he left the Navy conference room, the assistant who followed him said: "Mr. Swibull, we don't have relevant R&D reserves at all now. How can we complete the project in such a short time?"
The assistant was very anxious.
"We just need to make a high imitation of it." Swibull held the photo the Navy gave him in his hand.
High imitation?
The assistant was stunned: "However, many people are opposed to imitation. In the original JSF bidding, plans similar to Dongfang's vertical take-off and landing fighter were first eliminated."
"That was before. In the past few years, JSF has not been going well. Everyone understands that Dongfang's solution is the most mature and suitable. Since it is the best, why should we bypass Dongfang's technical route?" Swibull said: "Many people tend to let Lockheed continue to develop the X-35. After all, the F-32 has more and more problems and there is no hope. We don't have to go around in circles and just go the Eastern route. That’s it.”
In this way, Northrop Grumman's X-47B project began. From the design stage, this project was exactly the same as the Eastern Attack-11.
After they copied the shape, they realized how correct this shape was. It was better than the shape of their B2, simple and efficient, and more suitable for control than their X-47A's shuttle head solution. It was simply the best. Perfect layout.
Even the next generation of stealth bombers can use this shape!
You have to take a detour by yourself, and you need to directly plagiarize the mature plan of the East. It is really fragrant!
East.
After taking a rest, Delano once again sat in the cockpit of the J-20. He needed to fly multiple aircraft carrier takeoffs and landings to determine the most suitable takeoff and landing routes. At the same time, he summarized a lot of flight experience and passed it on to others.
This process is boring, and only people like Delano will enjoy it endlessly. After Qin Tao and Wu Shengli watched the take-off on the aircraft carrier island, it was considered the end of their trip with the aircraft carrier formation.
It’s time to go back next.
Where to sit when we go back?
Of course it is a carrier-based transport aircraft!
An aircraft with the same appearance as the KJ-600 early warning aircraft appeared on the deck. This aircraft was just a large plate without an early warning aircraft on the top. Everything else was the same, even the vertical tail at the back was four-piece.
The airframe platform of a carrier-based fixed-wing early warning aircraft must be newly built, but after it is built, it would be a waste if it is only used as an early warning aircraft. This airframe platform has a great effect. If it is equipped with an anti-submarine device, it can It is a fixed-wing carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft with nothing installed. It can also be used as a carrier-based fixed-wing transport aircraft. This kind of aircraft is much more efficient than a helicopter.
Of course, it is incomparable to that kind of land-based large transport aircraft.
Qin Tao, Wu Shengli and others walked up from the tail of the plane.
As a transport aircraft, its tail has been changed into a hatch for unloading. Forklifts can drive up and fork out standard pallets. The loading and unloading efficiency is very high, much better than that of helicopters.
Now, because people need to be transported, seats are installed inside. They are the kind of seats that can be folded. Fortunately, they are not small pandas, so they are relatively comfortable to ride. It has a large backrest and a headrest, which is a must for ejection takeoff. However, due to the small internal space of the aircraft, only about twenty seats can be arranged.
The surrounding bulkheads have no interior panels, and various pipes are exposed, giving it an industrial aesthetic. There are two red leather-wrapped sponges on the top of the head to prevent tall people from bumping their heads.
A few minutes later, the plane reached the ejection position. As ordinary people, everyone also felt the charm of an ejection takeoff, whoosh whoosh! The stimulation comes to the ground. If you don't have some concentration, your crotch may get wet.
“Dad, are we going back now?”
“Yes, you still want to stay on the aircraft carrier for half a year?”
“Now that I think about it, there seems to be nothing to do when I go back.”
“Why don’t you have nothing to do? Let’s go to the shipyard in Qiongzhou to see if we can improve the construction progress.”
(End of this chapter)