Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

For the air force, it's enough to just scout for targets in the sky, but the navy can't do that.

The navy not only has to scout for aircraft in the sky, but also ships on the sea surface, and not just surface vessels, but also be able to find submarines in snorkel mode. However, many nuclear submarines don't need to release a snorkel, so you have to use other means to find them, such as sonar, or magnetic anomaly detectors.

In terms of submarine detection, the East's capabilities are the weakest. In the early days, they didn't even have a towed sonar, only a hull-mounted sonar, and certainly no anti-submarine helicopters.

In the 1980s, with exchanges with the West, some anti-submarine technology was gradually introduced, but it was still far behind the world's advanced level.

The United States has the strongest anti-submarine capabilities. After all, the US Navy has to face the world's strongest underwater submarine force of the old Soviets. The Americans have no choice but to develop various anti-submarine weapons and equipment. Their main shore-based anti-submarine aircraft is the P-3C anti-submarine aircraft. This aircraft is a converted four-engine airliner with a large internal space that can carry various weapons. In addition to the radar in the nose, it also has sonar buoys and magnetic anomaly detectors, and can even carry anti-submarine torpedoes, making its anti-submarine capabilities quite strong.

The current aircraft can only be used as a maritime patrol aircraft. If you want to use it as an anti-submarine aircraft, it's still quite a bit short.

Qin Yang smiled: "Old Liu, you can't get fat in one bite. Equipment needs to be updated slowly. Don't worry, in less than ten years, we'll have anti-submarine patrol aircraft. We've introduced a lot of anti-submarine technology domestically. As we slowly digest it, we'll be able to produce and equip our own forces."

"Yes, you can't get fat in one bite. We're not in a hurry," Old Liu nodded.

The interior of the cabin is spacious and can accommodate many personnel. This is the advantage of a large airframe platform.

"It's a pity that these planes are still too expensive," Old Liu sighed again, "The navy is a money-burning service, and the funds allocated to naval aviation are even less. These planes of ours can only solve the problem of having them, not equip them in large numbers."

The navy's warships consume a lot of fuel just going out to sea once, not to mention other expenses. The navy has always been worried about money. In recent years, it's been good enough to meet the navy's normal training needs. It's really too difficult to purchase modern equipment in large quantities.

"Well, so, the navy shouldn't think about purchasing J-11s in large quantities. I heard that our JH-7 has entered the detailed design stage. This aircraft cannot be abandoned and must continue to be supported," Qin Yang said.

The JH-7, the first fighter-bomber independently developed by the East, and the fate of this aircraft is also full of emotion.

The navy has suffered from a lack of equipment for a long time!

The H-5 and H-6 are too slow to adapt to modern warfare, and have almost no survivability on the modern battlefield, while the Q-5, which is capable of supersonic flight, has too short a range. The navy urgently needs an advanced fighter-bomber with a long range that can be used in modern warfare.

At the same time, the air force also wanted a new type of aircraft with both combat and bombing capabilities. Therefore, in the 1970s, the research and development of a new fighter-bomber project officially began.

Various aircraft institutes in China enthusiastically participated. The Northern Institute proposed a plan to modify the J-8, and a certain Southern Institute proposed a variable-sweep wing Q-6. Among these design proposals, the H-7 project proposal put forward by Institute 603 was not advanced, but it could use the Spey engine, which met the foundation of the domestic aviation industry at that time. Therefore, this plan finally stood out and became a key project of the domestic aviation industry.

However, this project was also ill-fated. In that special era, everything was chaotic, and it was impossible to engage in research and development in a down-to-earth manner. It was not until the 1980s that it got on the right track, but at this time, the air force began to have conflicts again.

The navy required an anti-ship attack aircraft with a tandem two-seat configuration, while the air force required a ground attack aircraft with a side-by-side two-seat configuration. Considering the difficulty and complexity, the technical staff decided to develop the tandem two-seat configuration first, which caused dissatisfaction from the air force, and the air force refused to go along.

Without the air force's funding, this project became even more difficult, and the biggest blow actually came from the J-11!

With the success of the J-11, everyone saw the powerful performance of this fighter. In terms of external hardpoints, the J-11 could carry six half-ton missiles, which means that it could carry six C801s without any problems, while the JH-7 could only carry four. Therefore, the J-11's anti-ship attack capability was also quite strong!

Soon, many people came to the conclusion: there is no need to develop the JH-7, and it would be better to free up R\u0026D funds and purchase a few more J-11s! This aircraft can not only be used as a fighter, but also as a bomber, and in the future, it can also be used on aircraft carriers, killing many birds with one stone.

Now, Qin Yang is discussing this topic with the navy for the first time, and directly gave the conclusion: the JH-7 cannot be abandoned, and must continue to be developed!

"Why?" Old Liu asked curiously.

The J-11 has the contribution of Factory 960, and the engines and the like were developed by Factory 960. It is said that if the military orders more J-11s, Factory 960 will get more profits. They have nothing to do with Institute 603. At this time, they would actually support the project of Institute 603?

"For the development of the navy," Qin Yang said, "and also for the positive research and development of our aviation industry."

From the establishment of the aviation industry to the present, it has almost always followed the path of imitation. China has never engaged in positive research and development, and the JH-7 is the first time!

The appearance of this aircraft is different from any other fighter in the world. It is completely independently designed and developed in China. It has side air intakes, a high-mounted monoplane wing, a large nose, and a small tricycle landing gear. Although the wing still has wing fences, and although it is still a three-piece windscreen, its appearance also represents the transformation of Eastern fighters from imitation to independent research and development!

This project must be supported!

Imitation is not promising. If you always engage in imitation, you will only follow behind others forever. You must be able to independently develop!

"Moreover, this aircraft is very cheap," Qin Yang said, "It can meet the navy's long-range needs, and can also have a sufficient number and scale of equipment. This aircraft is a different model from the J-11. Its existence is meaningful."

Even if it is produced and manufactured by ourselves, the J-11 is not cheap. After all, the J-11 uses a variable-sweep wing structure. Just the titanium alloy wing box alone will cost a lot of money, and some of the control circuits on it have to be purchased from the West, while the JH-7 uses an ordinary high-mounted monoplane wing, which is simple in structure and has a very low manufacturing cost. It can be said that the funds for purchasing one J-11 can purchase two or more JH-7s!