For a newly built warship, there will be many firsts, and for an aircraft carrier, there will also be many unique firsts. The first landing of a carrier-based aircraft is The most memorable.
Although helicopters have already landed on it, in the eyes of real carrier aviation, helicopters are nothing at all. Only the landing of carrier-based fixed-wing fighter jets is the first real landing of a carrier-based aircraft.
On this day, the test of ship-based equipment turned to the inspection of the ship landing auxiliary system. Everyone was very excited and they were waiting for the arrival of the carrier-based aircraft.
However, Delano and others left, returned to the Wasteland Village base to fly fighter planes and then landed here. It must be done tomorrow. After all, this was a temporary decision and the time was too tight.
Although the deck is wide, it is divided into many parts. The bow and the front half of the angled deck are used for taking off fighter planes. The right and left parts of the deck are used for parking areas for carrier-based aircraft. The area for carrier-based aircraft to land is actually very small, only behind the marked part of the angled deck.
"Currently, we have been able to use the radar equipment on the aircraft carrier to guide the carrier-based aircraft, allowing the carrier-based aircraft to approach a position two or three kilometers away from the aircraft carrier deck. But then, the accuracy is not enough to meet the needs, and the pilot has to observe Fresnel I'll help you lower the mirror." Wang Wei stood next to the Fresnel light box and said to Qin Tao: "We have calculated that in this final stage, the pilot will have to perform two to three hundred operations based on experience to correct the aircraft's status. This is very important to Qin Tao. The pilots have made very high demands. Mr. Qin, can we use technical means to reduce the difficulty of pilots landing on the ship?"
Qin Tao smiled: "If Delano were here, he would definitely say it was a beautiful idea. Carrier-based aircraft pilots are originally dancers on the tip of a knife. Landing depends entirely on technology. If everything is handed over to electronic products, then we Aren’t our pilots the same as those land-based fighter pilots?”
"Yes, so I have to say it while Delano is away." Wang Wei said: "We have highly skilled pilots, but we still hope to have technical means to help us solve some problems."
Qin Tao nodded: "Currently, we are developing drone landing technology. This technology does not require human control and is all solved by technical means. When the drone landing technology matures, manned fighter jets will automatically land on the ship. The technology will be transplanted accordingly, so you don’t have to worry, just wait patiently.”
Relevant technologies are of course under development, but we can’t rush. Americans have magic carpets, so of course we must also have advanced technologies.
“Really? That’s great. I wonder what the specific technology is?”
"First of all, we need to optimize the technology of our fighter aircraft. When we land, in order to control the aircraft's route, we need to precisely control the lift. For example, our fighter aircraft is equipped with a special thumb wheel on the throttle lever. Adjust the engine thrust more accurately, but with the development of technology, we can use the onboard computer to precisely control the **** and ailerons of the aircraft to make precise adjustments, which is faster than adjusting the engine or pitch attitude. Wait until later. If our carrier-based aircraft enters the era of vector thrust, control will be easier."
The landing procedure for UAVs is very simple, because UAVs are small in tonnage and can easily adjust their attitude. Manned combat aircraft often weigh 20 to 30 tons, have large masses and large inertia, and are difficult to adjust. Among all carrier-based aircraft, the Tomcat The fighter plane is the most obvious. Every time it lands on the ship, it shakes left and right because it cannot be adjusted accurately. If the attitude is slightly changed, the plane will adjust at a large angle.
To accurately control existing fighters, the technology must be upgraded. When the J-20 is launched on the ship in the future, if the thrust vector technology is mature, it will be easier.
"Under the premise of accurately controlling the aircraft, we can use special high-precision radar to observe various parameters of the aircraft when it lands, and control the error within 0.01 meters. If the radar is not enough, we can also use laser to solve the problem, and then Various data are displayed on the fighter plane's head-up display, which allows the plane to land more accurately. Most operations are controlled by the computer. The number of times the pilot controls the plane during landing is reduced from the previous two to three hundred times. Twenty or thirty times.”
Wang Wei nodded: "Mr. Qin, we are full of expectations for this technology. It is difficult for naval carrier-based aircraft to land, especially at night. We hope that with the help of advanced systems, everyone can land at night, thus improving our combat effectiveness." .”
Even in the U.S. Navy, not all pilots have the ability to land on ships at night, so their large fleet attacks are usually launched in the middle of the night, and it will be dawn when they return. As for Ah San, the one who keeps saying that he has dozens of aircraft The Navy, which has more than 20 years of experience in operating aircraft carriers, has never seen reports of carrier-based aircraft taking off and landing at night.
At this moment, an officer wearing a helmet next to the Fresnel-assisted landing light box shouted: "Report, we just received news from the bridge, let us be prepared. In five hours, the carrier-based aircraft will conduct First landing."
Five hours?
Wang Wei's expression changed. He walked over, picked up another pair of headphones and microphone, and shouted into the room.
“Call the bridge, I am the captain of the carrier-based air wing. Do you want to land on the ship in the evening?”
"Yes, Wild Dog is currently taking a special flight back to the base. The round trip takes about five hours. The base is preparing the plane according to his requirements, which should be able to meet the time requirement."
“Isn’t this a bit rushed?”
"Wild Dog said that if war comes, we will not choose the time when we are ready. Of course, it still depends on our preparations. If we are not ready, even if he flies over, we cannot let him land. Okay Land at a nearby land airport first.”
“We should be able to complete all the tests.”
Five hours later, at around 4 p.m., the atmosphere on the aircraft carrier was tense.
The first drone ejection was carried out in the morning, and the carrier-based aircraft was about to land in the afternoon. Although it was a bit hasty, everyone was ready in a short time.
There was no one else visible on the deck, only a group of green vests were busy.
On the ship island, calls kept ringing.
“Attention wild dogs, the distance is fifty kilometers.”
“Wild Dog received it, the aircraft carrier has been visually sighted.”
This guy's eyesight is really good, I didn't tell you!
There are no flashing light spots on the aircraft carrier's radar screen. This is of course because it is a stealth aircraft flying over. However, through the data link, the aircraft carrier can still accurately grasp the position of the carrier-based aircraft and other conditions, making it easier to make various overall arrangements. .
“Turn to headwind, sail at full speed, and prepare to receive our carrier-based aircraft!” Zhang Zhen gave the order.
This is not the first time to sail at full speed, and there is no longer the same impulse as before. Only the strong sea wind blows over the aircraft carrier, and the flags hanging on the islands of the ship flutter in the wind.
Light blue smoke was rising from the chimney, and the aircraft carrier was accelerating, accelerating.
“Wild Dog requested to fly around the aircraft carrier three times to determine a suitable glide path.”
“Received, you can fly around three times.”
Qin Tao raised his head and looked at the sky, trying to see the traces of the fighter plane. However, he watched for a long time and did not see the plane. Sure enough, he had a specialization in the art, and he really couldn't do this by himself.
In the sky, the J-32 fighter jets in gray low-visibility paint are flying around the aircraft carrier. Although Dongfang has trained a large number of pilots, the one with the most experience is naturally Delano, whose total landing The number of times is more than twice that of Wang Wei, the pilot student with the most landings.
Delano was born to fly and had innate intuition. After flying three times, Delano finally felt it.
“Wild dog call, request to fly over the aircraft carrier deck!”
“Wild dog calls, please open the landing gear!”
After the landing gear was released, a bright spot finally appeared on the aircraft carrier's radar screen. At this time, the stealth aircraft no longer had stealth capabilities.
In fact, if you use the target location information transmitted by the J-32 data link and then hit all the beams of the phased array radar, you can definitely find the fighter jet, but it is not necessary. This is almost equivalent to cheating. The stealth of the J-32 has been perfectly verified in front of a radar.
"I saw it!" At this time, Qin Tao stood in the protruding porthole on the island, and finally saw the J-32 aircraft flying from behind and gradually falling for the first time. He originally wanted to visit the deck. But it was not allowed. After all, it was too dangerous on the deck. This was the first time to land on the ship. No one knew what accident would happen.
He can only stand here and watch, which also affects the normal work of others, but this is the best position and he doesn't want to miss it.
"Before actually landing on the ship, the pilot must operate the fighter plane to descend according to the normal glide line, and only fly over the deck in the final stage. After flying several times in this way, he can accumulate enough experience to prepare for the final landing. ." Makarov said from the side: "Back then, the Tbilisi we built, which is now the Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the MiG-29K and the Su-27K were all done before landing. We had conducted several ship landing test flights, and at that time, only ten days had passed since the end of the mooring experiment.”
Many times, Makarov still likes to recall the past, and now he recalls the passionate era.
The Tbilisi aircraft carrier at that time was the first large-scale angled deck aircraft carrier. Previously, Lao Maozi was just a monster with a half flight deck and a half cruiser. Lao Maozi had never built a Western-type aircraft carrier. At the same time, Lao Maozi There is also no experience in blocking landings of carrier-based aircraft. MiG-29K and Su-27K are both in the research and development stage. Therefore, whether it is an aircraft carrier or a carrier-based aircraft, it is the first time and there are huge technical risks.
However, Lao Maozi’s operating experience once again explains what Lao Maozi is.
On October 21, 1989, the Tbilisi completed the mooring test and began sea trials. On November 1, the MiG-29K and Su-27K began the landing test, which was about ten days after the first sea trial. !
Now, Dongfang's 002 aircraft carrier is about the same time, and it has started testing carrier-based aircraft in ten days. However, Dongfang already has a 001, and it already has skilled carrier-based aircraft landing pilots, and Lao Maozi, then But this is the first time for a big girl to get on the sedan chair!
The risk that Lao Maozi takes is huge, but in Lao Maozi's eyes, he never knows what risk is.
On November 1, at 13:46, Pugachev piloted the Su-27K and completed the landing first, which became a milestone moment for the Lao Maozi aircraft carrier. Of course, Lao Maozi was not called an aircraft carrier at the time, that is, it was a heavy-duty aircraft-carrying cruiser. historical moment.
Then, at 15:11, Aubakirov also landed with a MiG-29K carrier-based aircraft.
The competition between the Mikoyan Design Bureau and the Sukhoi Design Bureau was quite fierce. Under the circumstances, the Su-27K was the first to land, and the MiG-29K had to be the first to take off. At 16 o'clock At 48 minutes, Aubakirov piloted a MiG-29K and successfully took off from the "Tbilisi" aircraft carrier, becoming the first carrier-based aircraft to take off from an aircraft carrier.
When they were all finished, the Su-25UBT carrier-based trainer aircraft also landed at 17:17, but they did not take off again. The two aircraft did not fly away until the next day. The three fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft were all a complete success. However, after their superiors heard the news, they were shocked by their boldness and conducted an investigation. The test flights were not continued until the 10th.
Thinking of that era, Makarov's heart was filled with emotion. Just when he was still recalling the past, a huge roar came.
Delano is very brave and is nicknamed Mad Dog, but this does not mean that he is reckless. For the first time he flew, he would never take the risk of landing. He continued to fly forward more than one meter above the deck. It flew away from the entire deck, the engine sprayed red air, and the huge roar echoed in the aircraft carrier's island. Everyone opened their eyes wide and watched this big guy take off into the sky.
“It’s so beautiful!” someone exclaimed.
“Wild Dog, the landing process went smoothly without any problems. I suggest you simulate a second go-around and get a feel for it.” Wang Wei’s voice came from the radio.
Wang Wei is not on the ship island. He is behind the Fresnel light box, in the position of the landing guide. From this position, he can better observe the entire landing process.
It was already 4:30 in the afternoon, the sky was still bright, and it was a good weather for flying.
"Wild dog received." After Delano operated the fighter plane to leave the sky above the aircraft carrier, he made another three turns and aimed at the rear of the aircraft carrier, just like the first time. This time when he landed, his tires were lower, almost on the aircraft carrier. Twenty centimeters above the deck! The fighter planes almost clung to the deck and roared away.
"Perfect!" Wang Wei was very happy: "Wild Dog, if you are sure, you can land the ship for the third time."
“Wild Dog, please put up the blocking rope, I’m about to land!”
The previous hydraulic arresting cables used spring blades to support the arresting cables so that they could be easily hooked by the landing hook. During this process, there was a certain chance that the tire would press on the spring blades, but it didn't matter. Then it will be flattened, and when it leaves, the spring leaf will bounce up again, and one of the four blocking ropes can always be hooked, and only the unluckiest one will have to go around.
After each carrier-based aircraft lands, the green vests also need to reset the blocking cable. If any of the springs are broken, they also need to be reset to restore the blocking cable to its original shape before the next landing operation can be carried out.
In the era of electromagnetic arresting cables, the arresting cable no longer needs spring blades to support it and leave the deck surface. The pulleys on both sides of it can be raised and lowered. It can be raised when needed and lowered when not needed, which greatly facilitates use.
In the sky, the J-32 flew to the stern of the ship again. After two landings, Delano was already full of confidence. He operated the fighter plane and carefully started the first real landing.
The landing hook at the tail has been extended, and the landing gear has been released long ago. The J-32 aircraft continues to approach the aircraft carrier along the correct glide line. In Delano's eyes, the color of the light from the Fresnel light box is just like that. Nothing has changed.
Get closer, keep getting closer!
If it is the pilot who is landing on the ship for the first time, the psychological pressure will be great. When it is far away, the aircraft carrier is like a leaf in the sea, getting bigger and bigger as it gets closer. However, the speed of the fighter plane is still very fast, and it is impossible to miss it. A thousand miles away, as long as there is a slight deviation, either the landing will fail, or the aircraft will be destroyed and everyone will be killed.
If your psychological quality is slightly poor, there will be huge fear in your heart. You can refer to "Top Gun". The Lone Ranger's companion was frightened and was unable to land on the ship. The Lone Ranger flew beside him to guide him and allowed him to land.
Of course, these psychological pressures do not exist for Delano. He is a mad dog and has always been the most courageous. At this time, looking at the approaching aircraft carrier deck, he could only be excited.
Lower, keep lowering! Wang Wei's guiding voice came from the earphones from time to time, and the J-32 fighter jet bravely crashed into the aircraft carrier deck.
咣!
The main landing gear successfully contacted the aircraft carrier deck. Under the huge friction force, two black rubber marks were left. This is an important sign: the deck of the 002 aircraft carrier finally withstood the landing impact of a carrier-based aircraft for the first time!
The J-32 continued to rush forward, advancing on the angled deck at a speed of two to three hundred kilometers per hour. The landing hook at the tail slid against the deck and hooked the first blocking rope. When seeing this situation At that moment, Wang Wei's eyelids began to twitch.
Fortunately, Drano was the first one to come down, and he was very skilled. If it had been anyone else, something would have probably happened.
Large aircraft carriers have four arresting ropes. Generally speaking, hooking the second and third ropes is the most appropriate choice. If you hook the first rope, you may only be awarded 1 point out of 5 points for landing, because this This means that if the pilot descends too early when flying the aircraft, if there is a slight accident, he may crash into the stern of the ship.
The experienced Delano would never make this kind of mistake. Now that he has hooked the first one, it means that the Fresnel light box needs to be fine-tuned!
The J-32 aircraft continued to move forward, pulling the blocking cable, causing the conical wheel inside to rotate at high speed, and the turbine generators on both sides also rotated rapidly. The surging power surged towards the energy storage device of the electromagnetic catapult in front.