Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

Opening and closing doors in windy weather requires extreme caution. If facing the wind, it can be nearly impossible to push open. If the wind is at your back, be careful when releasing the door, as it will slam shut with a bang. If someone happens to be standing in the doorway, there's no stopping it.

Compared to the speed of a fighter jet relative to the airflow, the force of the wind is negligible. Therefore, opening and closing the hatch is no easy task.

During the opening and closing process, the airflow around the aircraft undergoes rapid changes. To ensure the structural integrity of the aircraft and prevent the impact of sudden jolts on the flight state, the design and operation of this hatch require countless wind tunnel tests to finalize.

That's why modern fighter jets can only be created with modern wind tunnels. The Davidians, in developing the Lion fighter, lacked their own wind tunnel, necessitating American assistance during development. However, American engineers wouldn't genuinely help, as they wouldn't want this aircraft to outperform their own.

However, this isn't impossible to achieve. For example, bombers require opening and closing bomb bays in mid-air. It seems that creating a similar bay for fighters wouldn't be difficult, but there are significant differences between the two.

Bomber bomb bays are opened while the aircraft maintains a stable flight state. Fighters are different; when opening their bays, they may be performing violent maneuvers.

Medium-range air-to-air missiles are easier to handle because they are launched at a relatively long distance from the target, allowing for stable flight during launch. But what about dogfight missiles? These are launched during intense combat. At this time, the fighter might be tumbling up and down, or even flying inverted. How can missiles be launched during such violent maneuvers? Will the missile collide with the aircraft upon launch?

Therefore, dogfight missiles on ordinary fighters are usually mounted on the wingtips, aided by the guide rails of the pylons. Regardless of the aircraft's movements, the missile accelerates along the guide rail, gaining sufficient speed before detaching. Especially with the engine ignited, the high thrust-to-weight ratio ensures the missile flies forward, safely clearing the launch aircraft. Stealth fighters lack these advantages when launching missiles.

Therefore, when launching dogfight missiles from the side bays of an F-22, the missile must first be extended. A special bracket tilts out, allowing the missile to peek out. This can be considered a similar launch to a guided rail system. However, the missile cannot ignite its engine inside the bay, as the flames would engulf the bay itself. Instead, the missile must be ejected before ignition, making it, at best, a semi-guided launch method.

All of the above applies to subsonic speeds. For fighter jets, supersonic launch is also required, especially for the F-22. This aircraft, with its advanced aerodynamic design and powerful engines, possesses impressive supersonic cruise capabilities. It can't possibly fly supersonically and then slow down to subsonic speeds to launch missiles, can it?

Therefore, supersonic launch is necessary, making it even more challenging, like a submarine launching torpedoes at depths below two hundred meters.

Due to the difficulty, there's doubt about the F-22's ability to launch missiles at supersonic speeds. However, we can proudly announce that our J-20 possesses this capability!

The J-20's current location is unknown, but a stealth fighter can be created by modifying the J-11. This would present similar problems: how to launch missiles?

"Of course, we need to reach that level," Qin Yang nodded in response to Elder Lin's question. "Our fighter jets must have the ability to launch missiles in supersonic flight. This requires the efforts of our researchers, extensive wind tunnel testing, and finding suitable layouts to meet the requirements for supersonic launch. I believe our researchers can achieve this."

In other words, I set the requirements, and you fulfill them!

Elder Lu and the others smiled wryly. Qin Zong's words were simple, but they would make things difficult for the people below.

"What I've said are our future development directions. Conservatively, it will take ten years to delve into these areas. By that time, we will undoubtedly have large-scale supersonic wind tunnels, advanced computers, and advanced electromagnetic laboratories. These problems shouldn't be major obstacles; we just need to find the right direction," Qin Yang continued.

He didn't say to do it now.

For now, focus on production and mastering the technology. Next, upgrade to advanced avionics, acquire ground attack capabilities, and install suitable engines to further enhance the aircraft's performance. Once all of this is complete, then consider the stealth modification.

The stealth modification sounds simple, but in reality, even slight alterations can change the aerodynamic layout, making it no different from a new design, requiring a complete overhaul. However, Qin Yang has already proposed the direction of improvement, so everyone can follow this path. When it's built, it will likely shock countless people: isn't this equivalent to putting a variable-sweep wing on an F-22?

Qin Yang's proposal almost entirely transplants the front fuselage of the F-22, widens the rear, and turns the wings into variable-sweep wings. This plan will definitely make the Americans throw up blood.

However, military products are the result of one's own research and development; it's normal for them to look alike.

"Yes, this is the direction of our future efforts. Even if the appearance changes, the structure remains the same. The technology we've mastered can still be used. Variable-sweep wings will never be outdated!" Elder Lu said.

The earliest aircraft consisted of a long fuselage with wings and a tail. Later, variable-sweep wings emerged, providing optimal efficiency for different flight states. However, this was just one solution in the development of fighter jets. By the third generation, leading-edge extensions and blended wing-body designs became popular, making fighter jets look more beautiful.

Variable-sweep wing technology is highly adaptable, capable of both high-altitude, high-speed flight and powerful maneuverability. Look at the Tomcat fighter; with its wings swept back, it can fly at high speeds, reaching a maximum of Mach 2.38. Ordinary fighter jets rarely reach or exceed Mach 2, even with the F-22's incredible engines.

With its wings extended, it possesses powerful maneuverability. The Tomcat fighter, with its weak engines, can still contend with third-generation fighters, thanks to its variable wings!

Therefore, variable-sweep wings will never be outdated!

But why haven't variable-sweep wing fighters been developed in later generations?

The answer is simple: because the Americans don't like them. The Americans are sparing no effort to kill off their own Tomcat fighter, preferring to use the slow and clumsy Super Hornet. If the Tomcat hadn't died, according to the NATF program, there would have been a stealth version. What Qin Yang is talking about is actually the stealth Tomcat upgrade!