Chapter 874 Gas turbine-driven, boiler-fired catapult aircraft
The Rafale fighter jet is the pride of Dassault, a twin-engine medium-sized aircraft.
Either it has two engines or it is a heavy fighter. It also depends on the size of the aircraft, takeoff weight, etc., and various factors are taken into consideration. The Rafale fighter jet uses two M88 engines, with an afterburner thrust of 75 kilonewtons. The two engines combined are only 150 kilonewtons, which is similar to the thrust of the single-engine J-31A. It has an empty weight of ten tons and is an authentic mid-sized aircraft.
In the past, the Navy and Air Force fighter jets developed by Dassault were separate. For example, the Air Force used the Mirage 2000 and the Navy used the Super Etendard. With the Rafale, they were finally unified. The Navy used the specialized Rafale M. Compared with the Air Force model, Due to the need to strengthen the landing gear and airframe, the empty weight increased by more than half a ton.
There are many benefits to being able to unify the aircraft model. Therefore, the French believe that they have done nothing wrong in developing Rafale fighter jets. Of course, the cost is that the Mirage 4000 is completely abandoned. Of course, with France’s land area and combat Judging from the demand, there seems to be no need for heavy-duty machines.
Now, looking at the Rafale fighter jet in front of him, the people following Qin Tao were very interested and spontaneously formed a circle. Some looked at the nose of the aircraft, some looked at the fuselage, and some looked at the landing gear.
The Rafale fighter jets have a canard layout and can be mounted on aircraft carriers. The domestic J-20 also has a canard layout and should still be able to board aircraft carriers! The carrier-based version of the J-20 is under development, and they are full of expectations.
In the eyes of the French, they thought that Easterners were interested in this fighter aircraft, and they were very proud for a while.
"In fact, for aircraft carriers, medium-sized aircraft have the best cost-effectiveness ratio, can carry a large number of aircraft, have strong combat capabilities, and have excellent multi-mission capabilities. Your 001 aircraft carrier is equipped with the heavy-duty J-15, which can only carry twenty or thirty If equipped with medium-sized Rafale fighter jets, it can carry more than 50 aircraft," Kedina said.
"Yes, for medium-sized countries, it is enough to carry medium-sized aircraft carriers, but for big countries, they still have to carry heavy-duty fighter jets. In terms of the number and weight of weapons they can carry, heavy-duty fighter jets have inherent advantages, such as anti-ship, Heavy fighter jets can carry two two- to three-ton supersonic anti-ship missiles, but medium-sized fighter jets probably don’t have this capability, right?”
Heavy supersonic anti-ship missile? The French don't consider it because they don't have any. They only have Exocet, which can be mounted on either Super Ensign or Rafale, so there is no need to worry about it.
However, the Easterners are different. They have a variety of anti-ship missiles at hand and do not care about small aircraft at all.
The French are a little embarrassed.
“Are your Rafale fighter jets for sale?” Qin Tao asked with concern.
“Yes, our fighter planes are not only for personal use, they can also be sold. Do you need them?”
Qin Tao shook his head: "Our aircraft carriers include the heavy-duty J-15 and the medium-sized J-31A. There is no need to purchase outsourced fighters. Looking at the world, there are not many countries that need fighters like yours. However, Ah San is the only one, have you considered it?"
Mr. Qin actually gave me advice? Phillip felt a little grateful in his heart. He thought that Mr. Qin would only come here to find faults, but now he was actually helping them find solutions.
“Yes, we are planning to export fighter aircraft to Asan. However, Asan has already purchased a batch of MiG-29Ks, and they have no need for carrier-based aircraft for the time being.”
Asan’s MiG-29K was paired with the Super Sun King. Later, the Super Sun King was scrapped and was used on the aircraft carrier they built themselves. There was no need to purchase new fighters at all.
“The MiG-29K is too backward. If you sell Rafale fighter jets, they will definitely consider it.” Qin Tao said, “You can also make a fortune in this way. By the way, have you ever sold aircraft carriers to them?”
“Mr. Qin, are you saying that we can still sell aircraft carriers to Asan?”
"Yes, look at it. Ah San has not been making good progress on the aircraft carrier project. Their Super Sun King was damaged. It is said that they encountered many problems when launching the aircraft carrier they built themselves. Now they are in a dilemma. It is best to outsource it. Appropriate. In fact, our Mingzhou Group is their best choice. However, due to various reasons, they will not come to our Mingzhou Group to purchase aircraft carriers. Therefore, this business must fall into the hands of others. It’s better in your hands than in the hands of the British.”
Dickena was excited: "Mr. Qin, you are right, but we have been in contact before, and Asan did not approve of our design. They insisted on self-research."
"That's because the plan you provided them didn't impress them." Now that he's here, Qin Tao simply continues to cheat: "Think about it, if the aircraft carrier you sell uses a gas turbine and has a catapult, will they? Will they be tempted? As long as they approve your plan, they will definitely purchase Rafale fighter jets from you as carrier-based aircraft. In this case, the order will be at least five billion US dollars, or even tens of billions of US dollars!"
Gas turbine with catapult?
The topic returned to the time when we first met. Duquesne said: "Mr. Qin, is the plan you mentioned to burn the boiler alone and use the steam catapult mature?"
"Of course it is mature. Think about it, whether it is nuclear power or conventional power, burning the boiler requires not only the steam turbine, but also the catapult. After a wave of ejection, the speed of the ship decreases. Do you still have to save your energy before you can continue? Next ejection?”
This is the disadvantage of steam ejection. Before ejection, the aircraft carrier will accelerate to thirty knots. With the ejection, a large amount of steam will be consumed, the boiler pressure will drop, and the speed will slowly decrease. When it reaches more than ten knots, the ejection will no longer be able to continue. , and have to wait for the boiler to continue heating hot water.
As for electromagnetic ejection, the same is true. The power consumed by electromagnetic ejection is drawn from the power system. To eject, the speed must also be reduced.
It's better to do their own thing and specialize in burning boilers and catapults.
“But, if this boiler only has an ejector, wouldn’t it be a waste?”
"How can it be called a waste? When it is not in use, you can also bring a steam turbine. A special steam turbine component can be added to drive the generator and provide power to the entire ship." Qin Tao said seriously: "Switch to the catapult when needed. , Doesn’t any of our warships have a dedicated generator section? This can be regarded as a backup generator. When ejection is needed, the diesel generator will be turned on to take over."
In this way, the complexity of the power system is greatly increased, but since it is to trick Asan anyway, Qin Tao will of course have to make nonsense.
"Next, let's go take a look at the power cabin of the Charles de Gaulle and study how to change it to conventional power." Qin Tao said: "Mr. Cadina, please lead the way."
This is also the purpose of everyone coming here. Until now, no one in the East has seen the power cabin of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Forget about the American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Go aboard the Charles de Gaulle and have a look. It can also provide information for our own future development. Make foreshadowing.
Power cabin? That is a very highly confidential place on the Charles de Gaulle. Do we want these people in front of us to go in and take a look?
Kedina hesitated.
"I heard that you only used two nuclear reactors, occupying five cabins. As a result, even if you want to put down more nuclear reactors, there is not enough space." Qin Tao continued: "If this is true, then our Mingzhou Group We can help provide more advanced nuclear reactors, even if customers want nuclear power, we can satisfy them."
In fact, the French are not weak in the research and development of nuclear reactors. Their Triumph-class nuclear submarine uses a nuclear reactor with a thermal power of 150 megawatts, which is said to be quite large. After all, the East did not use this level of nuclear reactor until 095. .
However, after all, this is used by nuclear submarines. It is too small when placed on an aircraft carrier. Insufficient power causes the Charles de Gaulle's speed to be low, but there is nothing we can do about it. After all, it is not cost-effective to develop a new nuclear reactor just for one or two ships. , otherwise the construction cost of the Charles de Gaulle will soar.
"Of course not, the nuclear reactor used on our Charles de Gaulle is also very advanced." Duquesne said: "Those are all slanders, okay, let's go down and take a look."
The most important thing on the aircraft carrier is the ship island. There are many secrets there. The French Navy’s requirement is that you cannot go to the ship island, and there is no absolute prohibition on going to the power compartment.
So, a large group of people went to the power cabin and could see everything about the aircraft carrier along the way. After all, they were in the middle of the deck now, and the power cabin was at the rear of the aircraft carrier. They had to pass through all the decks, and there were a lot of things they could see. .
Everyone enjoyed walking and watching. When they came to the power cabin, Cadina said: "Everyone, the power cabin is not large, so it can't accommodate too many people. I can only follow five people in."
“In this case, I won’t go in.” After Qin Tao finished speaking, he looked at the people behind him and asked them to follow him in.
“You are all the best technical personnel of our Mingzhou Group. See if this place is suitable for conversion into gas turbines. After all, this is related to France’s second aircraft carrier and subsequent export-oriented aircraft carriers.” Qin Tao said.
A few people nodded and followed Cadina in.
Phillip also went in, and the person in charge who stayed outside was old Henry. He had received Qin Tao before, and this time he accompanied Qin Tao again. Originally, he was not allowed to be the protagonist, but now he can only Chatting with Qin Tao.
“Mr. Qin, you are developing so fast. At the beginning, you were just an ordinary local shipyard, but now it has become a multinational enterprise.” Old Henry said with emotion.
"Yeah, we didn't expect to develop so fast. This is the result of the hard work of every employee in our shipyard. So this time, I brought them here to let them know how we started in the first place. Keep up the good work.”
Although this aircraft carrier is difficult to build and has a small displacement, France has decades of operational experience after all, and many of its arrangements are the accumulation of experience. It is not easy to board a Western aircraft carrier. They just feel that their two eyes are not enough. .
“I heard that the British are also planning to develop aircraft carriers. Why haven’t you joined forces? In Europe, it should be very common to reduce costs through joint methods, right?”
"Well, we want to join forces and are making efforts in this area." Old Henry said: "But, as you know, we have suffered setbacks in many projects. We agreed on joint research and development, but eventually we had to go our separate ways. "
The last shipbuilding plan was the European frigate. More than a dozen countries joined in and wanted to share the research and development costs. However, after years of quarreling, it never came to fruition. The British withdrew from the plan and built their own Type 45 destroyers. France and several other countries Countries jointly built their frigates.
As for fighter aircraft, it was Eurofighter, and Dassault was eventually excluded. They were very annoyed that these countries did not listen to them!
Now, if they want to build an aircraft carrier, even if they want to jointly develop it, they have to consider it. Can this be done?
"Aircraft carriers are different from others." Qin Tao said: "With only the two of you countries united, the needs can be easily unified. Moreover, the British plan to purchase F32, which is unreliable. After all, this aircraft is still under development. Your Rafale fighter jets are real, wouldn’t it be better if you sell another batch of Rafale fighter jets?”
Old Henry nodded: "Yes, Mr. Qin, we also have this plan. However, if we unite with the British, then our aircraft carrier displacement will have to be expanded to 60,000 to 70,000 tons. In this way, our Brest shipbuilding The factory won’t be able to manufacture it.”
"If you can't manufacture it, then expand the shipyard. Things are dead, but people are alive." Qin Tao said: "You will definitely need aircraft carriers with larger displacement in the future. Wouldn't it be better to take this opportunity to upgrade your shipyard? ?”
Since he was idle and bored anyway, Qin Tao continued to fool the other party. This second Richelieu had never appeared in his time and space. Now that the French were stimulated, he didn't know if they would tinker with it. He might as well just fool him. Some of them.
If the French and British cooperate, it will definitely delay time and delay both of them.
The British want to purchase American fighter jets, the French want to sell Rafale, the British want to land vertically, and the French want to use arresting cables. The two sides will also argue endlessly about displacement. In the end, they have to go their separate ways, but in terms of time, there will be a delay of five to Ten years is no problem.
Especially the United Kingdom, which has begun building the Queen-class aircraft carrier. At this time, France has issued a sincere invitation to temporarily suspend the construction of the Queen-class aircraft carrier. That is what Qin Tao hopes to see most.
“Expand the dock?”
"Yes, you are a state-owned shipyard, and the navy's orders will definitely fall with you!" Qin Tao said, "Taking this opportunity, your shipyard can also usher in a new development opportunity."
At this time, the people who had gone to the nuclear power cabin had already come out. Kaidina showed them around and came out without revealing too many secrets.
“What do you think? Mr. Yang, can our gas turbine be installed here?” Qin Tao asked Yang Dawei.
Yang Dawei nodded: "It should be no problem. Even the boiler can be put down, as long as a suitable flue is set up above it."
Flue?
Kedina suddenly reacted, "Oh no, it was in vain!"
The reason just mentioned is a simple transformation to turn the Charles de Gaulle into conventional power, which can be used for personal use or export. But now, if you want to turn nuclear power into conventional power, it is not enough to install the engine, and you must have an intake and exhaust. De Gaulle The island of the USS aircraft carrier is at the front. If the flue is installed, the island will have to be moved to the back. This is a big project!
After all, the ship island is not independent. It requires various pipes and connections below. It will also affect the dispatch of carrier-based aircraft and the layout of elevators. Once this changes, there will be a lot of work to be done.
"Mr. Qin, you just saw that our ship island is in the front. If we change it to the back, it may be inconvenient." Kaidina said.
"Then two islands." Qin Tao's answer was also very simple: "The front island is equipped with a conventional navigation bridge, the rear island is equipped with a chimney, and then the aviation bridge is transplanted. It is easier at the rear. Observing the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft, the dual-ship island model is also the mainstream. Your aircraft carrier will be more scientific and efficient if it is arranged like this."
Two ship islands?
This is really a solution to the problem. In recent years, the layout of double ship islands has been really popular. Designers from all over the world want to give it a try, so why not try it themselves?
"Gong Yang has come to the conclusion that your aircraft carrier can be equipped with our gas turbines and boilers." Qin Tao said: "We also welcome you to purchase our equipment. Please rest assured that we will definitely quote you the lowest price." , only half the price quoted by the UK.”
There is really nothing secretive about naval gas turbines. Any customer can sell them if they want to buy them. Anyway, they just sell the ones that are just for use. They can’t disassemble them for surveying, mapping and development. This can also make Dongfang more proud: you see. ? Our strength is so strong! Even the French man-made aircraft carrier has to purchase our engines!
"Your current Charles de Gaulle only has a power output of 76,200 horsepower, which is 56 megawatts when converted, and our two gas turbines can provide a power output of 80 megawatts. This will soon catch up with the Clemenceau class and push the aircraft carrier to A speed of thirty knots is possible." Qin Tao continued.
The Clemenceau class burns a boiler, with a power output of 126,000 horsepower, which is about 92 megawatts. However, part of this power is used to push the catapult, and the actual output to the propeller is about 80 megawatts. , now provide them with two gas turbines, with a power output of 80 megawatts, the aircraft carrier should be able to reach 30 knots, and it will definitely not be laughed at.
“Mr. Qin, can you provide us with a prototype?” Kaidina asked.
"Sorry, we don't have a prototype. If you want to see it, you can go to Dongfang. Our 075 under construction uses this kind of gas turbine. It also has a displacement of 40,000 tons, which is similar to yours. In terms of marine power, we It has reached the most advanced level in the world.”
This is not a lie. After all, the LM2500 in the United States is less than 30 megawatts, and the 40-megawatt gas turbine in the United Kingdom is still under development. Currently, only Eastern products have been put into use around the world.
"good."
After looking at the power system, it was already dark outside. This day's inspection was concluded successfully.
In the city of Brest, in a hotel, a banquet was held in a lively manner.
"Mr. Qin, we are very interested in your proposal to build an aircraft carrier jointly with the United Kingdom." Cadina held a wine glass and discussed with Qin Tao: "Tell me, how likely is it that the British will suspend the current construction? , cooperate with us?”
“As long as you work hard, it will be 100%.”
Hearing Qin Tao’s words, Decena opened his eyes wide: “One hundred percent?”
"Yes, 100%. We know that the British have been building vertical take-off and landing aircraft carriers. The 20,000-ton Invincible class cannot do anything about it, but it is obviously stupid to continue to do this with a 60,000-ton aircraft carrier." Qin Tao said: "Even if we continue to engage in ski-jump takeoffs, we have to arrest the landing. This can save a lot of structural weight of the aircraft and there will be more types of aircraft to choose from. As long as you persuade them to use the arrester landing, you can sell the Rafale to them. .”
Vertical landing requires a specialized aircraft. Even if the F-32 uses the Sea Harrier method, it must have rotating nozzles and wings to control the airflow. This will increase the structural weight and is incomparable with conventional aircraft.
“Yes, they have to use conventional landing methods!” Cadina nodded: “Our Rafale fighter jets are their best choice!”
"Don't mention the Rafale. Just introduce the pros and cons of various take-off and landing methods. Anyway, just modify the deck. Even if the British have started construction of the aircraft carrier, they have not yet built the deck. There is still time to modify it. As long as they modify it , naturally they will not choose the F-32, because this kind of fighter is still far away from being put into service. When the time comes, they can only purchase your Rafale emergency first, and they cannot continue to use the backward Sea Harrier."
Hearing Kedina nod his head repeatedly, asking Mr. Qin to come over, it is indeed beneficial!
Actually, there were a lot of objections to their operation. Some people looked at the East with colored glasses and felt that the power of the East would pose a threat to them. Why did they actually invite people from the East to see the aircraft carrier? Isn’t this giving in?
However, if they want to build a second conventional aircraft carrier, they need to find experience from the East. After all, over the years, only the East has been building aircraft carriers one after another, and the construction cost is still very low. They want to see if they can help to myself.
Now it is indeed true. The arrival of the Easterners has brought them a lot of benefits. They have found the direction for the improvement of the No. 2 ship, and they can also get benefits from the British. Even if it is just a stumbling block for the British, it is worth it. .
Whoever asked the British to build an aircraft carrier larger than the French one certainly had an imbalance in their hearts!
"Your No. 2 ship can be an improved version of the conventional power of the current Charles de Gaulle, or it can be expanded to a displacement of 70,000 tons, which is larger than the British Queen class." Qin Tao followed suit and continued: "But you also If you don’t have experience in the design of large aircraft carriers, the best thing to do is to look for experience from the British. If you use the excuse of modifying aircraft carriers for them, you can get access to their aircraft carrier technology. Although you don’t care, since you have this opportunity, of course you must seize it. .”
(End of this chapter)