Chapter 986: Making up for the situation before it is too late
Asan, Hanseatic Naval Air Base, Goa.
The sky is clear and cloudless, which is perfect weather for flying!
Everyone was standing next to the runway, looking up at the sky, looking forward to it.
"Why haven't you come yet?" Sunil looked at his watch impatiently: "Didn't you agree to fly here at ten o'clock in the morning?"
"Yes, we agreed on ten o'clock, but since they flew over from far away France and needed to refuel midway, the time would definitely not be that accurate." said Block, a representative of Dassault on the side.
“It’s a pity that we have to land to refuel midway.” Sunil complained again.
"If you want to practice long-distance transitions, you can have your pilots fly the next batch of four fighter jets when they are delivered, and use mid-air refueling to fly over these 7,000 kilometers without interruption. Voyage," Bullock continued.
Sunil nodded: "Yes, the next batch of planes must be flown by us!"
It is a total of 7,000 kilometers from France to Assan, and the maximum range of the Rafale fighter jet is less than 4,000 kilometers after using three auxiliary fuel tanks. Therefore, it must either land somewhere to refuel midway, or refuel in the air. It's all a waste of time.
It was agreed to be ten o'clock, but in fact, it was only at half past ten that the pilot's call came over the radio.
“Pheasant calls base, we have seen Rafale fighter jets!”
Two MiG-29Ks took off from the base and headed to the border area to meet them. When Rafale flew across the border, they finally met them.
The three Rafale fighter jets look very small. The aircraft with a delta-wing layout are like spears, with a sense of refinement. The cockpits glow yellow under the sunlight.
Two MiG-29K fighters flew beside them. The two fighters were equally beautiful, with slatted wings, integrated wing bodies, and a smooth transition. However, the black smoke drawn from the tail of the MiG-29K made them look like ancient steam. It looks like a motorcycle and seems to be behind an era.
The five fighter planes continued flying in the sky for another half an hour, and finally arrived at the aviation base.
At the base, everyone was eagerly waiting. When a roar came from the sky, they finally became excited.
I'm coming!
“Yes, it’s so beautiful!” Sunil put his dissatisfaction behind him and looked up at the three fighter planes.
Because they were flying around, the three Rafale fighter jets all carried three extra-large auxiliary fuel tanks, like three huge bombs. Their length exceeded the wide wing roots of the delta wing, with their heads exposed in the front and their tails exposed. Tail.
The Rafale fighter has only 4.5 tons of fuel inside the aircraft, so even if it is flying normally, it must carry an auxiliary fuel tank.
However, during normal flight, usually only two 1250-liter auxiliary fuel tanks are carried, so that supersonic cruising can continue, and the effect is very good.
But if it is a transitional flight, like the one in front of you, you have to hang three 2000-liter auxiliary fuel tanks. The resistance of these auxiliary fuel tanks is very high, which makes the aircraft lose its most proud supersonic cruise capability, and it can only come slowly. .
Three auxiliary fuel tanks, that is more than five tons of fuel, and the external fuel is more than what is carried. This is also a feature of the European fighter. When the engine is not powerful, the internal fuel load coefficient is reduced to obtain good air combat capabilities.
Comparing it to the Su-27, it never has an auxiliary fuel tank, and it does not even need to fill its own body fuel tank. After all, the internal fuel tank is 9.7 tons.
Now, three Rafale fighter jets flew to the aviation base and then divided into two groups.
Two of them continued to circle the airport in the sky, forming a two-plane formation. The first fighter aimed at the center line of the runway and began to land.
The fighter plane landed very smoothly. Although it had three extra-large auxiliary fuel tanks, there was no friction between the auxiliary fuel tanks and the runway. It landed steadily on the runway, and the wheels rubbed against the runway, making a squeaking sound. , the pilot quickly hit the brakes, and the entire landing distance of the fighter plane did not exceed 500 meters!
Then, the other two planes also aimed at the runway. Seeing the two planes coming together, Sunil was a little surprised: "Are they going to land together?"
“Yes, our two fighter planes can land together in formation when necessary.”
Generally speaking, when fighter jets take off, in order to speed up the flight, they will choose to take off in a two-plane formation. The two planes are separated by a certain distance. Even if an accident occurs to one of them, it will not affect the other one.
However, landing is different. After all, the danger during landing is too great. In order to avoid danger, ordinary pilots will choose to land alone. If several planes come back at the same time, they will wait in the sky.
The current two-plane formation landing can greatly increase the landing speed and shorten the pilot's waiting time in the air, which is of positive significance.
However, it is not easy to land in formation. If you are not careful, the two planes may collide with each other.
This reflects the pilot's superb flying skills and the aircraft's sensitive operation.
The two fighter planes, like the one just now, were getting closer and closer, with a small elevation angle, and fell steadily. When the tires of the two planes touched the ground, everyone's hearts were raised. Only then did I finally let go.
They all landed!
“Tug the plane to the tarmac, I want to give a speech!” Sunil was very happy.
They have already designed the scene: three fighter planes are arranged in a triangle, with their noses facing the podium, and Sunil is speaking on it, showing off his new aircraft.
Now, the Asan Navy is facing a loud voice of doubt, and they must show their best side and stop those who complain.
However, just as the three planes were being towed to the tarmac, Sunil suddenly changed his mind.
“Can these aircraft be put on our aircraft carrier?”
As soon as these words came out, everyone present looked at each other.
"I heard that your aircraft carrier is still in the outfitting stage. It has no Fresnel assist mirrors, no arresting cables, and it is temporarily not capable of continuing sailing. Our aircraft cannot land on it," Bullock said.
Aren't you kidding? In this case, how can we land our plane? Rafale M is not a vertical take-off and landing fighter!
“Can it be hoisted up?” Sunil said: “Behind me is the jump deck. There are three fighter planes on the jump deck. This scene will definitely be more impactful.”
Hang up?
Block frowned.
For carrier-based aircraft that can fly normally, it is absolutely an insult to let them use a hoist to get onto a warship! Everyone in the world knows that Asan's aircraft carrier has just been launched, has not yet completed outfitting, and does not have the ability to operate carrier-based aircraft.
If their Rafale fighter jets went up, how did they get up? It will definitely be criticized, and the Rafale fighter's signboard may be damaged.
However, as an excellent sales representative, he also knows that Party A’s father’s request cannot be rejected directly.
what to do?
"Your Excellency Sunil, it's getting late. It's time to hold the acceptance ceremony. If you plan to hold the ceremony on the aircraft carrier deck, you will have to use a crane. There is still a long distance from here to the outfitting dock. I’m afraid the crane won’t be able to lift it over either.”
"We don't need a crane, we have helicopters." Sunil said: "We have used Mi-26s to lift several MiG-29Ks. There should be no problem in lifting this Rafale fighter."
M-26! The world's largest helicopter has a lifting capacity of twenty tons. Needless to say, MiG-29K and Su-27 can lift it. The empty weight of Rafale fighter is only about ten tons, so there must be no problem.
“Are you sure?” Bullock asked.
“Yes, we need to hold this reception ceremony on the aircraft carrier so that we can show the power of our Asan Navy!” Sunil was sure.
“Well, if the fighter aircraft is damaged during the lifting process, repairs will still cost money.”
“It doesn’t matter, we have experience.”
experience?
Bullock watched some Asan ground crews tie up the Rafale fighter jets with straps, and then hung a rope in the center. He almost fainted. These guys are not ordinary courageous, and they are not afraid of something happening in the center during the lifting process. Make the plane hoisted horizontally become vertical?
Anyway, we made it clear in advance that we will not be responsible for any accidents during the lifting process, and repairs will cost money. If they want to do such acrobatics, let them do it.
The Mi-26 helicopter roared loudly, easily pulled onions on the dry land, and hoisted the Rafale fighter jets. At this scene, even the pilots of the Rafale fighter jets who flew over and were too tired to open their eyes widened their eyes.
Helicopter, lift fighter jet!
They have never seen it in the West. After all, the largest helicopter in the West, the CH-47, has a maximum take-off weight of only about 20 tons and a lifting capacity of only about 10 tons. They dare not use this helicopter to lift fighter jets. When he got up, the helicopter crashed, destroying the plane below, killing two people.
The Rafale fighter itself had never thought that it could actually take off in this way, and it flew very far until its wheels came into contact with the aircraft carrier deck.
If it could speak for itself, it would definitely say: So **** thrilling! I actually did a double fly!
However, only one was hoisted, and it was almost twelve o'clock. Sunil did not wait for the three to be hoisted together, so he used this one as the background.
Behind the beautiful jump deck, a Rafale fighter jet spreads its wings and is about to fly. In front of it, there is a row of pilots wearing beautiful flight suits and domineering flight helmets. Their legs are half a step across, and their hands are behind their backs. , mighty and majestic.
In front of them, there was a low rostrum, which was actually a small platform with the height of a small bench. Sunil stood on it with excitement on his face.
Sunil didn’t read the script and was completely improvising.
"This fighter jet can perform supersonic cruise. Currently, only the F22 fighter jet can do this. This allows our fighter jet to reach the airspace it needs to reach faster. It also has a variety of advanced weapons and equipment, allowing us to crush our opponents. Advantages, especially the Meteor missile with a range of more than 100 kilometers under development in Europe. This missile will also be mounted on our powerful Rafale fighter jets in the future, giving it the ability to fire before the enemy!"
Sunil was eloquent and gushing, praising this fighter jet. "Now, I announce that the Rafale fighter jets have officially joined our Asan Naval Aviation and become our most powerful combat machine!"
There was a burst of applause below, and the speech finally came to an end.
Sunil walked down with satisfaction: "Mr. Bullock, we have prepared a banquet to welcome you!"
“Where’s the plane?” Bullock asked worriedly.
“Next, our reporters still need to take some photos. After the shooting is completed, the plane will be hoisted back again.”
Block looked back with some worry, fearing that these Asans might come up with some new tricks and damage the plane.
“Then you must be careful.”
“Don’t worry, we have decades of experience in operating aircraft carriers, and there will definitely be no accidents.”
The two left, and the remaining people were still busy. Someone took a camera and took pictures for a while, and then said: "We need to change the place. Can we put it next to the ship island?"
“Of course no problem!”
A tractor drove up on the deck, and with a chugging sound, the aircraft was easily towed to the island by the tractor. Just as it was passing the elevator on the side of the island, suddenly, the technicians staying at the scene shouted loudly. :"stop!"
“No, we have to move it to the front of the ship island!” the cameraman shouted.
“No, drag the plane to the elevator first!” The technician’s face was serious.
If a conflict occurs, you must listen to the technical staff first.
The tractor operator skillfully turned the steering wheel, moved forward and backward, and in a few moments, easily pushed the aircraft onto the elevator.
The technicians turned left and right around the plane, looking at something, and their expressions became more and more serious.
“Hey, man, what happened?” The photographer was a little confused.
“Don’t you have eyes?” the technician replied.
The photographer was a little annoyed. I am also a Vaishya, not an untouchable. What right do you have to say this to me?
However, he did not get angry on the spot. Instead, he looked down and then looked up at the plane. Soon, he also saw something.
There seems to be a real problem. The width of the wing is obviously larger than the width of the elevator!
The technician took out a box ruler and measured it again. Then, with a serious expression on his face: "I think we need to notify Mr. Sunil of this matter immediately."
Sunil has already taken a group of senior officials, as well as Dassault personnel, including the three pilots who flew the plane all the way, to the hotel banquet hall that had been prepared to celebrate.
Sunil held the coconut juice glass and said to everyone: "Come, let's raise a toast together to celebrate the Rafale fighter jet joining our aviation force!"
Ah San's military equipment is mainly Soviet and French. It had a good relationship with the Red Empire at that time. Not only could it purchase a lot of equipment, but it also had production lines. The Army had T-72 tanks, the Air Force had MiG-29 fighter jets, etc. They can all be produced, but of course I can’t say how different the performance is from the original.
However, Soviet equipment has always been very rough and not as refined as French weapons. Just like the MiG-29K and Rafale M, they are like products of two eras. Compared with the two, one rivet is exposed and the other The appearance is smooth and has different characteristics.
Of course, the legal system is really expensive, so expensive that many people criticize it. However, the state pays for it. If you buy it more expensively, you can still put a lot of money into your own pocket, so why not?
Now, Sunil is very satisfied with these fighters.
Just when he was toasting, an adjutant hurriedly came over and whispered in his ear: "Your Excellency Sunil, the technical staff on the aircraft carrier called and said that an emergency situation had been discovered. I hope you can come over." trip."
“What emergency could there be?” Sunil frowned.
Did he accidentally drop the plane into the sea while taking photos and posing on the deck?
“Our lifts are smaller than airplanes.”
“What?” Sunil’s expression changed immediately.
He quickly put down his wine glass: "Everyone, I'm sorry, I need to leave for a while."
"Sir Sunil, did something happen to the plane?" Bullock was also a little worried. The tractors used by the Asans to transfer the planes, what if this thing slipped on the deck and pushed the plane directly into the sea?
"no."
Sunil just shook his head, and then nodded again: "Yes, you should come over and take a look together."
The table is steaming, and Ah San's feast is ready: everything is yellow and very similar to something. Some are not only similar in color, but also in texture. This is Ah San's state banquet level. feast.
Unfortunately, no one ate it, and everyone returned to the aircraft carrier with a huff.
It was already noon, and the sun was shining brightly on everyone's heads. They stood next to the ship island, looking at the fighter planes placed on the elevator, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.
“Damn, why is this happening?”
"We have measured it. The width of our elevator is thirty feet, which is 9.12 meters, and the wingspan of the Rafale M fighter is 10.97 meters. The error is close to two meters, and one side will be one meter wider. So, we It is simply impossible to operate a Rafale M fighter jet from the Blue Sky Guardian!”
Fighters are usually placed on the deck, so that they can easily take off and land, and can attack at any time. However, they cannot be placed on the deck all the time. They need maintenance. In an open-air place like the deck, they cannot be maintained. What if they are just dismantled? When the engine was turned off, the ship's hull suddenly became full of rudders. The aircraft was fixed, but the engine might have suddenly fallen into the sea.
The aircraft must be operated in the hangar, and getting up and down is frequent.
Now, the Rafale M fighter is too wide to be used on an aircraft carrier!
“The lift design is smaller?” Sunil asked.
"You can't say that. After all, when Damao designed it for us, the planned carrier-based aircraft was the MiG-29. After the wings are folded, the width of this carrier-based aircraft is only 7.92 meters. The width of this elevator has been set aside. There is enough margin, but if you want to transport the Rafale M, it will exceed the width."
After the technician finished speaking, he said with emotion: "I wish I had chosen the Super Hornet."
If it is a Super Hornet, the width after folding the wings is 8.38 meters. Although it is a bit cramped to leave only 30 to 40 centimeters on both sides, it is still usable.
“Why can’t Rafale M work?” Sunil continued to ask.
“Because the wings of this fighter cannot be folded.”
“In other words, is this a design flaw of the aircraft?” Sunil turned to look at Bullock.
"Mr. Bullock, there is a problem with the design of your Rafale M fighter. We have never seen a carrier-based aircraft that cannot fold its wings! Because of your negligence, our aircraft carrier cannot operate your carrier-based aircraft. I hope you will We can face this problem squarely and solve it for us as soon as possible.”
Hearing Sunil's blame, Bullock was shocked. Can this be blamed on us?
"No, no, this has nothing to do with us. The size of the aircraft was already told to you before you ordered it. It is obviously your negligence. You did not compare it with your own lift. What does it have to do with us?" Bullock said: "Our aircraft is Normally, whether it is the Foch or the Charles de Gaulle, they can operate normally. It is obviously your own elevator that is too small. Look, which aircraft carrier in the world has such a small elevator?"
The length of the elevator on a US aircraft carrier is 23.5 meters and the width is 15.9 meters. It is quite large. Even for other medium-sized aircraft carriers, the width of the elevator is also 112 meters. It is similar to the small elevator on the Blue Sky Guardian. It is really rare. Pass.
“The elevator is too small?” Sunil’s mind recalled the analysis during the initial design stage of the aircraft carrier.
Elevators are almost enough, but elevators will take up a lot of deck space. Reducing the area of the elevators appropriately is also to allow more fighter jets to be parked on the deck!
Lao Maozi must have done it on purpose at that time. From then on, they could only use the MiG-29K and could not use other fighters!
Even though he knew it now, Sunil had no choice but to continue to say to Bullock: "In short, there is such a serious problem now. We need you to upgrade our aircraft and fold the wings!"
When the Rafale M fighter was designed, there were no folding wings. After all, it is a delta-wing fighter. It can be placed on the deck end to end. There is no need to fold the wings. The folding mechanism will increase the weight of the aircraft and reduce the performance of the aircraft.
Even without folding the wings, the Rafale M is already more than 500 kilograms heavier than the land-based version.
“If you want to fold the wings, you will need at least 300 million euros in research and development expenses.” Bullock was not polite and quoted the price on the spot.
Let us work, but we must also make money. We don’t need it. It was developed entirely for you, Ah San.
Three hundred million euros!
This quotation immediately frightened Sunil. Isn’t it too expensive?
The original purchase of the expensive Rafale M has been criticized by many people. Now, if he spends another 300 million euros, he will not be able to withstand the pressure and may be forced to step down.
“Furthermore, after folding the wings, the performance may be reduced.” Bullock continued: “So, I suggest you consider how to improve the elevator. Enlarging the area of the elevator is enough.”
(End of this chapter)