Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

Open afterburners!

The two WS-10 engines ejected pale purple flames, the afterburner nozzles converged, the brakes were released, and the entire aircraft shot out like a tiger descending the mountain with a whoosh.

Charge, charge forward!

The J-11 moved forward along a yellow dashed line painted on the ground, the speed getting faster and faster, and then it rushed onto the ski-jump deck, continuing to accelerate on the ski-jump deck.

The front landing gear left the front end of the ski-jump deck, and at this moment, many people became nervous.

Can the plane fly? If it doesn't fly and crashes to the ground, it will have serious consequences. The plane will be wrecked, and the pilot will spill blood on the ground.

At the moment when everyone was worried, the rear main landing gear had also left the ski-jump deck, and the entire aircraft spread its wings and flew into the sky.

No problem at all!

On the ground, without deck wind, the aircraft can easily leave the deck relying entirely on its own power. If it were on an aircraft carrier with a 30-knot deck wind, it would be even easier!

It really worked. Without a catapult, our fighter jets can also take off. Originally, everyone thought that only the Harrier could use the ski-jump deck, but I didn't expect that heavy aircraft could also use it!

There are examples of ski-jump takeoffs, such as the British Invincible-class aircraft carriers, but the Harriers operating on them are vertical takeoff and landing fighters. Ski-jump takeoffs are used to increase takeoff weight. As for whether normal fighter jets can use ski-jump takeoffs, everyone is really unsure.

Now, the possibility of ski-jump takeoffs has finally been proven with facts. Heavy fighter jets are no problem, and it's easy!

After the fighter took off, it circled the airport and then landed, returning to the takeoff line.

Next, increase the weight by two tons again, for a takeoff weight test of twenty-five tons!

Soon, the fuel was increased to five tons, and the fighter once again aimed at the runway, roaring away, and once again successfully took off.

By the time night fell, the added weight had reached thirty tons, and the aircraft still took off easily from the ski-jump, it seems that the maximum takeoff weight of thirty-three tons is achievable.

The day's test flight finally came to an end, and everyone was very happy.

The food in the evening was not as plentiful as at noon. For the next day's test flight, everyone still didn't drink alcohol, but even drinking tea, the mood was very happy.

Chief Engineer Qin, come, I have to toast you. Our carrier-based aircraft can use ski-jump takeoffs for combat, which solves a big problem for us.

"Over the years, the Americans have been touting the uselessness of aircraft carriers, touting that aircraft carriers don't need to be too big, but we can see that American aircraft carriers are getting bigger and bigger." Qin Yang said, "The bigger the aircraft carrier, the easier it is to operate, and the higher the cost-effectiveness. If we want to build our own, the displacement must reach at least 60,000 tons or more, so that it can play a role."

Sixty thousand tons!

According to the original 707 Project's design, it was to build a 30,000-ton light aircraft carrier, carrying vertical takeoff and landing fighters. Later, during the 891 Project, they became bolder and decided to build a 50,000-ton aircraft carrier, which was still very difficult for the technology at the time.

And now? Now Qin Yang actually directly increased the displacement of the aircraft carrier to 60,000 tons!

Everyone didn't even dare to think about it, only Chief Engineer Qin dared to think about it, and dared to do it.

"A 60,000-ton aircraft carrier, the overall length of the warship can exceed 300 meters. Leaving more than 100 meters of takeoff area on the bow, we can also get more than 200 meters of angled deck length. In this way, light-load takeoffs and landings will not interfere with each other. The heavy-load takeoff point needs to cross the angled deck area and go to the port side of the warship." Qin Yang painted a picture for everyone.

The design of the aircraft carrier deck is a great science. Overall, the American plan is more scientific. The angled deck and the bow deck form three different functional areas. The bow is responsible for takeoff, the front of the angled deck is also responsible for takeoff, and the rear is responsible for landing. At the same time, enough parking areas can be left on both sides. Even if we change the catapult takeoff to ski-jump takeoff, we can't follow the Invincible-class, we have to follow the path of the old Russian Kuznetsov.

It can be seen that whether it is the old Russia, India, or the later East, they are all designing aircraft carriers in this way, which is enough to illustrate the rationality of this design.

Of course, compared with catapult takeoff, the ski-jump deck on the bow cannot be used as a parking area, and the efficiency is certainly not as good as a flat deck, but without a catapult, we have to consider it this way.

"This design is indeed scientific, but I don't know if the carrier-based early warning aircraft can take off from the ski-jump deck." Liang Dacheng said.

"Of course it can." Qin Yang nodded: "However, the premise is that we have carrier-based early warning aircraft."

The Falklands War in 1982 showed that an aircraft carrier formation without carrier-based early warning aircraft is vulnerable and can be attacked by enemy anti-ship missiles at extremely low altitudes at any time. However, it is not easy to obtain carrier-based early warning aircraft.

At present, only the United States has fixed-wing early warning aircraft. The British are developing early warning helicopters. What about the East? The East's land-based strategic early warning aircraft has not yet been developed, and the Navy's carrier-based early warning aircraft is even more difficult.

Even if the difficult problem of early warning radar is overcome, there is still the airframe platform. The American E-2 is a dedicated platform, the Eastern KJ-500 is also a dedicated platform, and the old Russian Yak-44, which died prematurely, is also a dedicated platform.

This not only requires a brand-new carrier-based early warning aircraft platform, but more importantly, advanced turboprop engines. The country is very weak in these aspects.

Without advanced engines, it is impossible to get the aircraft moving. The domestic aviation industry is still too weak.

However, it doesn't mean it won't work now, it doesn't mean it won't work in the future. There will definitely be some in the future, and ski-jump takeoff tests have also been carried out. In fact, even the American E-2 has undergone ski-jump takeoff tests, and there is no pressure to take off.

When Qin Yang talked about this, everyone's mood became a little depressed again. Yes, the premise is that there must be carrier-based early warning aircraft. Now we are empty-handed, in a stage where we have nothing.

"Everyone, don't be unhappy. Just because we don't have it now doesn't mean we won't have it in the future. When the time comes, we will have everything. Not to mention 60,000-ton aircraft carriers, 80,000-ton and 100,000-ton ones can be built like dumplings!" Qin Yang comforted everyone.