Looking at the beautiful-looking fighter plane, Qin Tao's eyes were full of expectation. When he just went to sea, he discussed this electronic fighter plane with everyone, but he didn't expect to see it now!
All pods are just cylinders, with sharp points at the front and rear. They do not have turbine generators like those in American electronic warfare pods. It seems that the power supply of the J-15 is still sufficient, or it may have been replaced with one with greater power generation capacity. dynamo.
As for the difference in other parts, this electronic fighter does not have an ISRT installed in front of the cockpit windshield. The bulge there cannot be seen. This kind of fighter does not perform air combat missions, so there should be no need to install it. It is also possible It was this position that was replaced by other electronic warfare equipment.
While everyone was watching, the electronic warfare aircraft landed steadily on the aircraft carrier, hooked the blocking cable, slid forward and then stopped. It was a skillful move and a success.
"See? I said no problem." Delano said on the radio from the landing officer's position, and then strode over.
The electronic warfare aircraft was also towed to the parking area next to the ship island. Everyone came down from the ship island and watched together.
“This electronic warfare aircraft looks like it can also carry air-to-air missiles.” Someone couldn’t help but said after seeing the pylons under the wings.
“Of course, the mission of electronic warfare aircraft is to attack the enemy’s radar. Once discovered, they can use the anti-radiation missiles they carry. Our electronic warfare aircraft are not only soft-kill, but can also become hard-kill at any time.”
“Yeah, what’s the use of not being able to fight? Just take action when it’s time to take action.”
While everyone was talking, two pilots came down.
“Report, we are ordered to come and test!”
Wang Wei returned the favor: "Welcome to the 002 aircraft carrier. We will train together in the coming days. I hope this electronic warfare aircraft will allow us to perform combat missions more reliably."
"yes!"
“You guys have been flying for a few hours, you must be very tired, right? Go in and have something to eat first, and then go to rest.”
"Report, when the aircraft was tested halfway, there were some minor problems. The nose radome needed to be removed. Let's make a simple adjustment." said the electronic warfare officer in the rear cabin.
“Okay, we can do this small operation on the deck.”
The blue vests got busy.
The nose of the Su-27 series aircraft is very large. During maintenance, it is necessary to use professional tools to fix it on both sides, twist the screw, slowly support the radome, and flip it upward about 60 degrees, so that it can Get inside and make repairs.
The ground crew were all very familiar with it and put up the radome with ease. However, when the radar equipment inside was revealed, they were all surprised.
“Not a flat slot antenna!”
“These small modules are almost the same as our ship-borne phased array radar!”
“This aircraft has been replaced with an active phased array radar!”
Everyone is very surprised. You know, this kind of active phased array radar technology is quite advanced. At present, it is only available on early warning aircraft in China. Now it has been transitioned to fighter jets?
Xiang Jing also came over to join in the fun. When she saw the radar antenna inside, she was also curious: "It's actually a liquid-cooled radar? How did you arrange the cooling method?"
"There is a slight problem with the cooling." The electronic warfare officer said: "There are bubbles inside the coolant, which reduces the cooling efficiency, so it needs to be exhausted."
Xiang Jing opened her eyes wide and watched the electronic warfare officer put his hand into the radar equipment compartment. She was even more surprised: "The cooling system is integrated into the radar? How is this done?"
For phased array radars, liquid cooling is the best choice, which allows the radar to obtain the best cooling effect at all times and achieve full power output. However, for fighter aircraft, this means adding additional radiators.
The noses of the Su-27 series are very large, and the aperture of the radar antenna can reach about 1 meter. In this way, more T/R components can be deployed, and the heat dissipation requirements are greater. Otherwise, the radar will not be able to work properly. .
A radar of this level can only be liquid-cooled, but this type of fighter aircraft did not have an additional cooling system before. If this problem is not solved, it will not work.
When the Americans improved the existing F-16 fighter jets, they encountered this problem: the F-16's power generation capacity and cooling capacity were unable to support the advanced AESA, so they had to settle for the next best thing and use BAR. Dongfang has developed an air-cooled airborne phased array radar to retrofit light fighters, but heavy-duty aircraft still have to use liquid cooling. How to solve this problem?
“Yes, the antenna assembly uses liquid cooling, but the liquid cooling system has been integrated into the radar. During the internal circulation of the radar, the external air cooling dissipates heat to the liquid cooling system.”
This is equivalent to a double cycle. The liquid cooling is only responsible for the heat dissipation of the radar antenna. It is small in size and compact in structure. Then the heat brought out by the liquid cooling is dissipated by the air cooling. Anyway, at high altitudes, cold air is everywhere, and the heat dissipation power is still the same. Very sufficient.
This method can be regarded as the first of its kind in the East.
“The performance of this radar must be very powerful.” Everyone was very envious.
"Of course, our previous radar could have a search range of more than two hundred kilometers. Now that we have replaced this radar, it has to be doubled. The search range of four hundred kilometers is worthy of this kind of phase control. Array radar.”
“Wouldn’t this be able to replace our early warning aircraft?”
After the guy finished speaking, he remembered that Xiang Jing was still beside him and quickly shut up.
"Thanks to the relatively large antenna area, we have about two thousand X-band T/R components on this array, each with a power of ten watts. The peak power is twenty kilowatts. However, due to power constraints, it generally cannot be output like this. Normally the average The power is about six kilowatts. As for the search distance, it depends on what kind of target it is. Large targets like bombers do have a detection distance of 400 kilometers, but they are still incomparable with early warning aircraft. After all, our digital processing and other systems are It is not as good as an early warning aircraft and does not have omnidirectional capabilities." The electronic warfare officer was very modest: "Our fighters first use this kind of radar for the needs of electronic warfare."
Electronic warfare aircraft need advanced phased array radars that can be more flexible during combat, so they have become the first users to trial installation.
“Of course, this kind of radar can be installed on our fighter planes, and we have to thank the Mingzhou Group. Our radar is an upgraded product of their foreign trade high-end aircraft radar.”
The big guys looked at Qin Tao again.
“Yes, our Mingzhou Group develops technology for the development of the motherland.” Qin Tao is very modest.
The arrival of electronic warfare aircraft has given everyone more confidence, and almost all types of aircraft are available.
Four planes were placed on the deck, which looked very spectacular.
Even from outer space, it can be seen clearly.
"The Orientals not only have catapult aircraft carriers, but also a variety of carrier-based aircraft." Swift looked at the satellite photos with a serious face: "Two carrier-based fighter jets, a carrier-based early warning aircraft, and a carrier-based aircraft Carrying electronic warfare aircraft, the original 001 aircraft carrier, we could still laugh at them because it was a semi-finished product, but this 002 aircraft carrier is exactly the same as our aircraft carrier."
"Yes, their military power has developed rapidly, far beyond our imagination. This electronic warfare plane has also appeared. It seems that the next EP-3 cannot continue to get closer. When this aircraft carrier is put into service, cooperate with If we put on their Aegis battleships, their aircraft carrier fleet will be the same as ours."
"No, it's stronger than ours. They use electromagnetic ejection and electromagnetic interception. We have observed that the J-15 fighter plane once landed with four anti-ship missiles, four medium-range missiles and two combat missiles. The weight of this kind of fighter is inherently large, and the landing weight must be more than 25 tons!"
"What about our electromagnetic catapult device? When will it be developed? Our Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has long been outdated. We should also have a modern aircraft carrier. When can our CVN-21 start construction?"
In 1975, when the first three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers were built, from CVN-68 to CVN-70, the U.S. Navy began to study the next generation of aircraft carriers. At that time, they studied many options, including small , medium-sized and large aircraft carriers, including CTOL that traditionally uses catapults/interception ropes, STOL that uses ski-jump short take-off/interception rope landing, and S/VTOL that uses ski-jump take-off/vertical landing, each of which has There are many layouts, with more than fifty design options in total.
There was a sense that they were going crazy in these plans, and it was not until 1996 that they finally decided: the new generation aircraft carrier is still a large-deck catapult aircraft carrier with a nuclear power propulsion system, with a full load displacement of 10 10,000-ton class, the aircraft wing has expanded to 75 aircraft, and has a more powerful dispatch capability.
This plan was eventually named the CVN-21 future aircraft carrier plan, where the "21" of course refers to the 21st century.
It was originally planned to be put into service in the 21st century. Who would have thought that construction has not started yet, and it is far away from being put into service! They have only allocated more than three to four billion US dollars for preliminary research and development.
During the research and development, they discovered that the electromagnetic ejection and electromagnetic arresting technologies required by this aircraft carrier had become the biggest obstacle.
“Both Northrop Grumman and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems are developing prototypes of electromagnetic catapults. Among them, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems’ prototype is being developed faster and has already begun construction in Lakehurst.”
"Really? Then let's go and take a look." Swift said: "If Northrop Grumman doesn't work hard, then we will directly give the order to General Atomics. We can't wait too long!"
The United States has strong scientific research capabilities. When the East needs to concentrate the entire country's efforts to develop a weapon, the United States can find several suppliers to do it together, and then choose the one with the lowest price. This is the biggest gap between the two sides. The United States is very interested in this method. Satisfied, I feel that only by bidding can I select the best one. But now, their model has led to serious internal friction. They cannot pool all their funds to support one, and they have to spend a lot of money and time in comparisons.
The Americans are not late in developing electromagnetic catapults. As early as 1945, they built an electromagnetic catapult on a lower-level aircraft, which accelerated the then four-ton fighter aircraft to 180 kilometers per hour. However, However, it used a length of 178 meters and required a lot of electricity. It was far from the hydraulic catapults at the time, not to mention the later steam catapults.
In the 1980s, they began to restart the electromagnetic catapult project. At that time, they commissioned Kaman Electromagnetic Company to build a set of experimental principle prototypes. At that time, Kaman Company was already manufacturing electromagnetic-driven electromagnetic roller coasters and electromagnetic-driven ultra-high-speed roller coasters. Elevators, etc., this company's technical solutions are mature and reliable, focusing on practicality. For example, when conducting research and development for the US Navy, they never used any high-end superconductors, but only used conventional permanent magnets and copper windings.
In 1992, they built a set of scaled prototypes to verify various technologies.
But by 1999, the U.S. Naval Warfare Center gave up on the little-known Kaman Company, and signed research and development contracts with the two major military industry giants at the time: Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, entrusting them with They also allocated US$61.77 million each to develop a prototype of an electromagnetic catapult.
If they had continued to use Kaman Company, maybe the electromagnetic device would have come out. However, over the past few decades, the American military industry giants have long developed into deformed monsters. Their meat belongs to them, and no other company can even think of eating it. In order to eat more meat, they will also encourage war, so that they can easily buy arms.
General Atomics has set up an electromagnetic systems company specifically to engage in this kind of design. It has spent US$61.77 million, and there must be some results.
Now, it’s time to test their results.
McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Base, New Jersey.
This place is located in the forest and is very hidden. Although it is not Area 51, it is also the most important test base of the US Navy.
This base has three main runways and complete facilities. It has now become the U.S. Navy’s land catapult experimental center. When Swift came here, the General Atomics prototype had already been installed.
Looking at the tiny seams in the stainless steel prototype, Swift was very happy: "Our technology in the United States is the most advanced, and our next aircraft carrier needs to be an electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier! What the Easterners can do, we can It can be done too!”
"Yes, we have confidence in this electromagnetic catapult." Project leader George Sulich said: "The full-scale electromagnetic catapult system we built will be a thousand tons lighter than the steam catapult, and it can also fit the original Where the C-13 catapult is installed, the efficiency of our system is as high as 70 percent, while the previous steam catapult was only 6 percent!"
Swift nodded repeatedly: "Can you eject the fighter jet now so we can see?"
"Not yet. Let me introduce to you our electromagnetic catapult. It is divided into six major systems, the most important of which is the launch device. Below this is our most advanced linear induction motor. Its peak power exceeds 1 Hundreds of megawatts!”
Listening to his endless introduction, Swift was very impatient: "I want to know, can it run now?"
"I'm sorry, we have just installed it. Let me continue to introduce it to you. The structure of this system is very simple. Below is a simple mobile shuttle cabin, which can drive the fighter forward..."
"Then it's just a sample now?" Swift said dissatisfied: "If you can show it in front of me, this thing can move, even if it moves with a catapult car, I can give the order directly to you , our navy has no time to wait, we must complete project research and development as soon as possible!"
Hearing what he said, Sulic gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, we can give it a try. How about we test it with no load first?"
The technicians on the side were anxious and wanted to say something, but Sulich stopped him: "Tello, go get ready. We will perform a no-load test for the leaders."
The catapult is only over a hundred meters long and occupies a small space in the base. Next to the catapult is an operation room. There is a transformer outside the operation room, and the surging power can be transmitted directly.
“Attention, prepare to store energy!”
The transformer suddenly buzzed and began to work, and there was vibration under the feet.
"We have a special flywheel energy storage device under our feet. We wait until it is ejected and then release it quickly." Sulich introduced: "The development of this device was very difficult, but we still conquered it."
“Energy storage is over!”
"let's start!"
Whoosh!
With a soft sound, the ejection shuttle flew out at once.
"This is the power of electromagnetism." Sulich said: "It is equivalent to a maglev train..."
“Good, can you eject a car next?”
It’s just no load, what’s the point? The performance of this catapult can only be demonstrated by attaching a small car. Even if it is not dozens of tons like a fighter jet, it must at least have a load.
Sulich rolled his eyes: "I'm sorry, we don't have a test car here yet."
“Then put that Hummer we’re driving on.”
Sulich rolled his eyes: "The Humvee is a low-speed vehicle and may not be able to adapt to the speed of the catapult."
“Then my Ford sedan.”
Sulich had nothing to say at this time. The weight of the Ford sedan is only half of the Hummer, so it should be able to get by. He gritted his teeth and said: "Okay."
The Ford sedan was hung on the ejection shuttle. Swift was very happy and lit up a cigar, smoking and waiting. However, after waiting for more than an hour, Sully, who was sweating profusely, finally came over: " Report, we can try to eject."
“Okay, eject quickly, if my Ford car can fly out, then your company will be the contractor!”
“Ejection begins!”
Whoosh!
The Ford sedan flew out, and just when everyone was about to cheer, the transformer behind him suddenly buzzed and then snapped. The "tentacles" on the transformer fell off.
The gate is down!