Chapter 863: I can’t wait any longer, so let’s fly to the sky!
“We in Great Britain need to maintain world peace, and we want to send the most powerful naval formation to cruise in the Gulf of Siam!” Another clown came out.
They seemed to have forgotten that when they went for a cruise in Anxi Bay with great interest, they did not dare to go in at all when they arrived at the door. They waited for the **** of the American warship before they dared to go in. In just a few months, they had already forgotten about this matter. Everything was clean, and now they seemed to have returned to the era of the most powerful empire on which the sun never set.
Faced with this kind of statement, even Rakul didn't take it seriously and just laughed it off: "Huh, what do they have in the navy? They only have the old Sea Harrier carrier-based aircraft. If they dare to come over, our stealth opportunities will be lost. They knew the victory in '82 was just a coincidence!"
The blatant threat did not receive any response. This was definitely an insult to the empire on which the sun never set. So, one day later, they said harshly again: "Our Invincible aircraft carrier will be on the road again!"
Still no one is paying attention, there are so many clowns in this world!
However, Zhang Zhong has become interested. Recently, in order to keep a low profile, he cannot report the Kra Canal project extensively. Now that the British have jumped out of the project this time, he might as well make a fuss about it.
So, a new episode of Zhang Zhongshuo’s program begins.
“Dear viewers in front of the TV, our program this time is called Zhang Zhong Talks about the Sun Never Sets on the Aircraft Carrier Formation. We once again invited Mr. George to introduce to us the combat effectiveness of the British Navy’s main aircraft carrier formation.”
George was very excited. The extra money was here again. All he had to do was memorize the content of the speech. If he couldn't memorize it, he could do it a few more times. If he performed well on the spot, he would get extra rewards.
"Hello everyone, as a former aircraft carrier designer, I would like to introduce to you the design experience of the Invincible class. In that special era, Congress was eager to eliminate the British Navy, and the Navy's aircraft carriers were decommissioned one after another. , the Invincible-class can be built under the banner of anti-submarine warfare. It is essentially the same as the Kiev-class aircraft carrier. They are both anti-submarine aircraft carriers. The Sea Harrier fighters carried on it are simply unable to undertake the mission of fighting for air supremacy. The Sea King early warning helicopter also has very little air control capabilities. Overall, the strength of the British Navy's aircraft carrier formation is not higher than that of Siam."
"Really? This makes me very curious. After all, Siam has only one aircraft carrier with a displacement of 10,000 tons, while Britain has three aircraft carriers with a displacement of 20,000 tons. This combat power does not mean that Siam has an advantage."
"Because the performance of the Invincible class is too backward, the British Navy is constantly making improvements to improve its performance. For example, in 1989, the Invincible underwent a 27-month modernization modification. The elevation angle of the ski jump runway reached 12 degrees. The number of fighter jets increased to 21. In 1998, the Seadart missile launcher on the bow open deck was removed, increasing the deck area by 7% to support the latest Sea Harrier GR7 fighter jet. Invincible has just recently completed its refit, and Ark Royal and Excellence are still in the dock. Therefore, if the British Navy wants to dispatch now, only one Invincible can be used."
If a country wants to have uninterrupted aircraft carrier combat capabilities, only one aircraft carrier is definitely not enough, because the aircraft carrier may face factors such as entering the dock for repairs, the crew returning from sea to rest, etc. Only three or more aircraft carriers can guarantee uninterrupted operations. Combat capabilities: one is in the dock, the crew of one is resting, and the other remains capable of dispatching at any time.
Now, the British are aggressively claiming that they will send out all aircraft carriers. However, this news has exposed the British's underwear in front of the whole world: they do not have such capabilities at all!
“If there is only one aircraft carrier, it would be really confusing. After all, the fighter jets carried on the Invincible aircraft carrier are too backward.”
"Yes, they are now using the most advanced Sea Harrier GR7, which uses the advanced Blue Vixen radar. This is the most advanced pulse Doppler radar currently available in the UK, so that the Sea Harrier no longer uses Sidewinder. As the main weapon, it can also guide AIM-120 active radar air-to-air missiles and Seahawk air-to-ground/air-to-ship missiles, giving the Sea Harrier real beyond visual range and ground attack capabilities. At the same time, it is equipped with a high-thrust engine, which increases As for the wing pylon, it can be said that the Sea Harrier has finally matured when it developed to the Sea Harrier GR7. However, no matter how it develops, it is still a subsonic fighter, and there is a huge generation gap with the J-31A. .”
A comparison of two aircraft appeared on the screen, one was the Sea Harrier and the other was the J-31A. The Sea Harrier looked like a clown no matter how it looked, and it was really incomparable with the J-31A.
"If the aircraft carrier formations of both sides meet in the Gulf of Siam, the Siamese Navy only needs five J-31As to destroy their entire formation. And they have not even discovered the Siamese Navy's fighter planes, let alone the Siamese Navy. The Luo Kingdom’s land base also has a number of fighter jets, with a total of twenty fighter jets. These fighter jets are enough to meet a US Nimitz aircraft carrier formation, and the British ones are simply not qualified.”
Looking at the analysis on the TV, Benjamin's face turned dark.
"Humph, this George is so disgusting, he actually humiliated us like this!" Benjamin said angrily: "The Invincible class is just a transition. Now, our Queen class has started construction, and we have advanced aircraft carriers to use!"
After a lot of wrangling, the Queen class finally started construction. After all, they couldn't wait any longer. Looking at Dongfang's aircraft carrier being launched, could they delay it any longer?
But now, they have just started construction and are still far away from being put into service. This also includes their Type 45 destroyers. If they have all these warships, why can't they even deal with Siam?
“Siam still relies on the power of stealth aircraft. If they don’t have stealth aircraft, they are not our opponent at all.” Boyce said: “The most important thing for us at the moment is to have stealth aircraft.”
“Yes, we are going to have stealth aircraft. Haven’t we already reached an agreement with the United States?”
Dongfang has used the global joint fighter method and successfully raised enough funds to complete the research and development of stealth aircraft. The United States has also united a large number of allies on the JSF project. The United Kingdom is their die-hard ally, so on this project Occupying an important proportion, this kind of aircraft will be the first to be equipped in the future.
"Yes, we have reached an agreement with the United States, but the United States has acted too slowly. So far, it is still hesitant on two projects and has not made a final decision." Boyce said: "The distance is still far away. It is still far away from being put into service, and there are also many problems encountered in many subsystems of the aircraft carrier, such as the electromagnetic catapult."
“What happened to the electromagnetic catapult?”
“According to American research, they have encountered a large number of problems with electromagnetic catapults, and it will take a long time to solve these problems.”
"how long?"
“Five to ten years.”
"so long?"
“Yes, we must be prepared. What should we do if we wait until our aircraft carrier is launched and outfitted, and finally find that there is no electromagnetic catapult?”
“Can I replace the steam catapult?”
"Of course not. Our aircraft carrier uses a gas turbine. There is no boiler for burning steam, no corresponding pipelines are laid, and no space is left for the steam catapult."
“Then what should we do?”
"While the construction of the sections has just begun and the upper deck has not yet been built, we can change the bow to a jump deck. When the electromagnetic catapult matures in the future, it will not be too late for us to change it."
When the two of them talked about this, the TV set also talked about it appropriately.
“In other words, the existing Invincible class cannot support any actions of the British at all, unless the new Queen class is put into service, paired with the Type 45 destroyer?”
"Yes, that's true." George nodded: "However, we found that the British aircraft carrier encountered many problems."
“For example?”
"They have set this aircraft carrier up for catapult takeoff and arrested landing, but currently, they do not have the strength to research this technology and can only purchase it from the United States. The latest news we have received is that the United States is developing this equipment. An accident occurred during the war. It is difficult to complete the research and development of this kind of equipment in a short time. It is expected to take five to ten years. By this time, the Queen Class has already been built."
“In other words, even if they are built, they will not be able to use it because they don’t have a catapult?”
"That's right, aircraft carriers with direct access to the deck cannot be used without catapults. They still use crappy gas turbines and cannot be converted to steam catapults. Therefore, they can either directly use vertical take-off and landing fighter jets to take off vertically and land vertically, or they can Install a jump deck on the bow of the ship for temporary use. I think the latter should be their best choice."
"Damn, they got everything right!" Benjamin was very annoyed: "They said we would use the jump deck, but we didn't! We have to organize a domestic research and development unit to develop relevant catapult technology! Orientals can develop Come out, we can do it too!”
Boyce frowned, can we? Even if it works, do we have money?
However, Easterners are indeed disgusting. If everything they say is correct, it would be really a shameful thing.
The Invincible-class aircraft carriers are worthless. The Queen-class aircraft carriers must continue on the wrong path resolutely, so that they will not be able to serve in ten or twenty years!
Across the ocean, the Boeing factory in St. Louis.
"What you are seeing now is our 373 configuration X-32B. Compared with the previous ones, the biggest feature of this aircraft is that the wings have been significantly modified, from a tailless delta wing to a normal structure. We We know that the Navy is not keen on the tailless delta wing structure, so our modification will definitely satisfy the Navy."
The biggest problem now is that the Air Force is already satisfied with the X-32, but the Navy has concerns, so they must modify it to meet the needs of the Navy. As long as the Navy is also satisfied, they will be sure to win.
Although their X-32 took the lead at the beginning, Lockheed is now making rapid progress, and they have an increasingly urgent feeling. If they cannot satisfy the Navy quickly, they may lose the bid.
“Yeah, we’ve never liked tailless deltas,” Swift said, puffing on his cigar.
At this time, looking at the plane in front of him, he was really satisfied.
They used to pursue advancement and then were embarrassed. Now, they prefer to be law-abiding.
The previous X-32 only had one large delta wing and two inclined vertical tails. Is this control method feasible? No one knows, but now, the layout has finally been changed back to the regular layout, a horizontal tail has been added, and the wings have become flat and normal. They are very satisfied.
Of course, the big mouth on the nose of the aircraft still leaves people speechless. It’s so ugly.
The image of flying toads all over the deck appeared in Swift's mind. He shook his head and put this image to the back of his mind.
“Our Model 373 is not in its final form. We will launch an improved Model 374 in the future. For now, please enjoy the wonderful performance of our aircraft,” said Hudson.
The huge jaw of the flying toad began to move slowly, which made Swift curious again: "What is this for?"
"The retractable shroud, due to our engine layout problems, cannot use the S-shaped air inlet to block the engine fan blades, so we use this movable retractable shroud to protect the engine fan blades under normal circumstances and reduce the The radar reflection area is opened during vertical takeoff and landing, which can increase the air intake, thus increasing the takeoff thrust, and also prevents hot air from entering the engine and causing a decrease in thrust."
This flying toad is ugly enough, but with this retractable cover, it becomes even more ugly, as if the toad's jaw has fallen off.
However, good looks are secondary, and practicality is first.
"We know that Lockheed uses a lift engine. The biggest disadvantage of that method is that it increases the dead weight of the structure. They need a special lift fan, a special drive shaft, and a lot of control devices. Our design only requires an extra vector nozzle from the belly, and the Marine Corps operates a large number of Sea Harriers, which is also very suitable for this kind of aircraft."
It is true that the structure is heavy. After all, there are a lot of extra things. However, the mid-engine solution of the X-32 is actually not very good. It needs to place the engine in the center, and the huge space at the rear is wasted. , causing it to be bulky and look bloated.
The jet in the middle of the fuselage is also slowly opening, and with the roar of the engine, the test begins again.
In front of everyone's eyes, the plane picked up green onions and gently left the ground. It was more stable than before. It continued to rise to a height of twenty meters, hovered, then changed its flight state, flew forward and level, and flew over the airport. After a few laps, it finally switched to the hovering state again and slowly landed.
"Yes, very good!" Swift nodded: "The performance of your aircraft has been a complete success. Vertical take-off and landing is the most difficult. The rest of the conventional layout will be easier, right?"
"Of course, we have to do the most difficult thing. Lockheed is still researching lift fans, and their vertical take-off and landing model will take a long time to appear."
"Our X-32 is not only technologically advanced, but also has very reliable logistics and maintenance capabilities. Our aircraft are designed using various methods to reduce maintenance costs. We also have a dedicated JDIS joint information distribution system. and a variety of commercial software and hardware, which not only significantly reduces maintenance costs, but also saves manpower and time. Relying on the experience accumulated in the civil aviation system, we can provide parts to anywhere in the United States within 24 hours, and parts within 48 hours. It can be transported to any corner of the world.”
What was the war about? It's about logistics. Without logistics capabilities, once the aircraft is damaged, it will completely lose its combat effectiveness.
“Can this aircraft be adapted to the ejection and landing of our aircraft carrier?” Swift was concerned about other issues.
After all, vertical takeoff and landing is a function that the Marine Corps wants. What they want is carrier-based. Their request is to reduce the landing speed, so Boeing changed the tailless delta wing to a normal structure. Now, they have Doubts about landing gear.
After all, under the nose of the X-32's air inlet, the front main landing gear is just under the mouth of this air inlet. The way the air is intake into the belly of the aircraft is considered unsuitable for ejection take-off, as is the case with Dongfang's J-10 The reason is that there is no possibility of boarding the ship.
The X-32 is not just a problem with the front landing gear. The main landing gear at the back does not form a small splayed landing gear on the belly, but is on the wing. Since it is an upper monoplane structure, the landing gear is The action barrel is very long, longer than that of the J-7 and J-8.
This certainly makes it difficult for the pilot to hold the big top when landing, but is the slender landing gear strong enough?
"Of course there is no problem. We have already completed the strength test during the design. When our 374 configuration comes out, we can take it to the Navy's training base for testing." Hudson said.
They pinned their hopes on the Type 374, which reflects the strength of Boeing's research and development and continuous modifications, but on the other hand, it also shows that they did not consider it well in the initial design stage, and this will also cause more worrying problems. Thing: Just because the first test is good, it doesn’t mean that the later ones are better. Who knows whether this kind of modification will get better with more modifications, or will make it worse?
"Well, we can't wait any longer." Swift said: "If this aircraft can meet the needs of our navy, and the progress is so advanced, our navy is willing to support the X-32!"
They really can't wait any longer. The navy must have advanced and powerful fourth-generation stealth aircraft, otherwise it will not be able to dominate the sea in the future!
All of us at Boeing are delighted.
"But, I have a request." Swift said: "Within half a year, we will put this aircraft on the aircraft carrier, even if it is just for testing!"
The Flying Toad has received support from the Navy!
When they got the news, everyone at Lockheed was dumbfounded.
how so?
Obviously the Flying Toad has many flaws!
“Shameless, Boeing is so shameless, they must have bribed the Navy!” Stanley said angrily: “Our Lockheed project is the best.”
“That’s right, how could that ugly flying toad be chosen by the navy? A good plane must first be a beautiful plane!”
Everyone is unwilling to do so, but the fact is the fact.
“We have to go to the Pentagon and explain to them the advancement of our aircraft!”
After Daniel said this, he stood up and really wanted to go.
"Go to the Pentagon? What can you say?" Karl's face was cold: "Are you sure that we can send our aircraft to the deck of the aircraft carrier within half a year?"
“How is it possible? Research and development takes time.”
"Yes, time. The biggest problem is time. The Navy is so stimulated that it wants to have an advanced fourth-generation stealth carrier-based aircraft immediately. How far is it from our X-35 to be on the ship? One year, two years, Five years? As long as we can’t get the aircraft on board within half a year, the Navy won’t choose us.”
Karl already knew the inside story. The Navy chose Boeing’s plan not because their Lockheed plan was similar to that of the Easterners, but because of their progress.
Progress is a very mysterious thing. An accident may cause the progress to be greatly delayed.
Now, they are defeated by progress.
“I don’t believe that Boeing can put the flying toad on the aircraft carrier within half a year.” Stanley said.
“That’s right, definitely not!” Daniel nodded.
"So, even if the military chooses the X-32, we should not be discouraged and continue to develop our fighters." Karl said: "When the navy discovers that the X-32 is not suitable for shipboard use, it may choose us again. That's it. Just like General Electric failed back then.”
In the bidding for third-generation aircraft engines, Pratt & Whitney's F100 engine won the recognition of the military with its advanced performance indicators. However, General Electric did not lose heart after the failure and continued to develop it. A few years later, when the military discovered the F100 When there were huge reliability problems, they turned around and purchased General Electric's F110 engine. From then on, in the engine field, the two had their own merits.
Lockheed does not care about this failure. They are determined and there will be a turnaround in the future.
“But where will the funds come from?”
The development of fighter jets costs money, and fourth-generation aircraft cost even more money. The research and development of their vertical take-off and landing fighter jets is the most expensive of all.
"Funding? We just need to raise the price of the F22 fighter jet." Karl said.
Even if Lockheed loses the JSF project, it is still the leader in military aircraft research and development, because they have begun to produce fourth-generation heavy-duty stealth aircraft for the Air Force! This fighter is of great significance to the Air Force. It is currently the only project that can overwhelm Dongfang’s fourth-generation stealth fighter. When purchasing, the Air Force can’t say anything if it spends more money.
(End of this chapter)