Chapter 1009 New Power, New Journey (Fourth update, please subscribe)
Under the bright sunshine, the brand new YF-2 fighter jet lay quietly on the runway of the airport. The streamlined design of the fuselage shines with a cold luster under the sunlight, as if it indicates the endless power it will release.
As the test pilot stepped into the cockpit, the bubble canopy closed slowly while the test pilot was performing instrument inspection. The designers at the runway were all focused on the fighter jet that was about to spread its wings and fly high.
“Start the engine!”
As the command was given, a blazing flame erupted from the tail of the fighter plane, and the entire fuselage began to tremble slightly. That sound was like the first stirrings of thunder, shaking everyone's heart. The fighter plane accelerated on the runway, getting faster and faster, as if it was breaking free from the shackles of the earth and rushing towards the endless blue sky.
Finally, the YF-2 fighter jet took off and soared into the sky with an unstoppable momentum. It drew a beautiful arc in the air, and then quickly pulled up.
Although the first test flight only required a basic level flight, people at the airport looked up and were full of expectations.
The test flight ended soon after. The YF-2 fighter jet, which had only flown a few circles in the air, landed steadily on the runway, slid for a distance and then slowly stopped.
The test flight was successful!
When the test pilot stood up from the cockpit, the airport was filled with thunderous applause.
The faces of the designers are all filled with proud smiles. Amid thunderous applause, Tan Ke turned to Zhang Ke and said.
"Congratulations, the test flight is very successful, prepare for further test flights."
"The key is to wait for the engine, this is very important."
Looking at the YF- 2 fighter, Zhang Ke said,
“The Air Force’s requirement is to use a turbofan engine, and the J79 is just a temporary emergency, and it has a lot of impact on the performance of the aircraft, especially on the speed. Although intercepting enemy bombers carrying nuclear weapons is not the main mission of the Air Force, it is still one of the missions.”
Looking at the frowning student Tan Ke comforted him.
"This has little impact. The Air Force now has air-to-air missiles, which are much faster than aircraft. Now the military's aircraft are being improved to carry air-to-air missiles. By then, the YF2 fighter jet will definitely also We need to use air-to-air missiles, otherwise wouldn’t those 7 pylons be wasted? Just use air-to-air missiles to intercept the bombers! In future air battles, air-to-air missiles will play a decisive role!”
When emphasizing the importance of air-to-air missiles, Tank said again.
“But BMW is conducting final tests on the 200 engine, and the results should be available soon.”
Sometimes, things are always unsatisfactory, although General Dynamics The J79 turbojet engine is extremely reliable and sturdy, but the Air Force's technical route is very clear - the new generation aircraft must use turbofan engines, and there are corresponding requirements for its thrust-to-weight ratio, which must exceed 5.
After the Air Force put forward technical requirements, BMW began to develop small turbofan engines. Despite the success of the "WP100" turbofan engine, it still encountered a series of technical problems when developing small turbofan engines.
But these are just some technical issues. After all, Nanyang’s aero-engine industry can be said to have gathered the best professionals from Santoku, Italy and Japan. Technically, it has passed the cooperation with the British Rolls-Royce Company. Years of cooperation have allowed Nanyang's aerospace engine industry to remain at the world's leading level.
“Not only should it be for military use, but the non-afterburner type should also be said to be for civilian use. The thrust of the WP100 is too great and is not suitable for small aircraft, while the 200 series is just right... ”
“Yes, it is 5015 mm long, 993 mm in diameter, weighs 1580 kg, has a maximum thrust of 52.5 kN, and an afterburning thrust of 89.8 kN. It is the world’s first thruster. An aerospace engine with a weight ratio of more than 5, such an excellent engine is very good whether it is used in military or civilian applications.”
In the engine test field of BMW, I watched the new model being roared for test. Several engineers were there to discuss the extension of turbofan engines. In addition to fighter jets, they ranged from miniaturized jetliners to warships and gas turbines used on warships.
"...Ship gas turbine has been established by the Navy as the next generation ship power system. It does not require a boiler, so it is light in weight and small in size, but has high power. It is very suitable as the main engine of large ships. It is similar to marine diesel engines or Compared with steam turbines, gas turbines can save engine room area and start up quickly, thereby improving the maneuverability of the ship. In addition, its maintenance is relatively simple and requires fewer operating personnel. It is said that the Navy has already decided on large and medium-sized ships in the future. Surface ships will be powered by gas turbines. "In the past few years, Nanyang has not only invested a lot of money in engine research and development, but also followed the world trend and developed the world's first one in the UK in 47 years. After the introduction of marine gas turbines, Nanyang followed its trend and jointly conducted research in this area with British companies.
Two years ago, we began to cooperate with Rolls-Royce to conduct research on "aviation-to-gas engine conversion" based on the "Conway engine", also known as the WP100 engine, thus achieving The WP100 engine has gone to heaven and sea.
It is precisely because of the success of the "Ocean Conway" that the Navy is determined to use gas turbines as power. The only problem is that the design of the "Conway Engine" is sophisticated and complex, resulting in high costs, so in When developing the Type 200 turbofan engine, the Air Force's requirement was to be cheap, affordable and durable.
Precisely in order to meet the requirements of the military, its development work was also far behind the schedule, which affected the test flight of the YF-2 fighter, forcing it to introduce the General Dynamics J79 engine for Early test flight.
"...The most critical thing now is to complete the finalization of the engine as soon as possible. After all, the Aviation Industry Corporation is still waiting for the 200 engine."
While colleagues were chatting about the application extension of the 200 engine and "aviation Sun Chengjiu said on the sidelines:
“The next step should be to further increase its thrust and life.”
“Indeed, Sun Gong is right. "
Cheng Yuemin on the side nodded in agreement.
"According to the current service life of 5,000 hours, it can only meet the needs of the military. After all, the military's flight life requirement for new fighter jets is 10,000 hours. The current service life of the Type 200 engine cannot meet the needs of the Air Force. There is no requirement for engine replacement throughout the entire life. ”
The development of Nanyang fighter jets was influenced by Li Yi’an to a certain extent. One of them is that it has special requirements for the flight life of the airframe, and long service life is also required for Western aircraft and other aircraft. One of the biggest features of the weapon.
One of the most typical rumors in later generations is that the Soviet system was based on world war thinking-if it was shot down before it was used to its full life stage, its remaining life would be wasted. It is better to choose to manufacture some cheap weapons and support the army's operations in larger quantities. Therefore, the service life of Soviet-made weapons is obviously shorter.
This is simply a rumor - essentially the Soviet Union's technology is too poor. Since the imitation of the Nien engine, the Soviet engine industry has been committed to improving the engine life, from the initial 50 hours to the later 200 hours. In the 1970s, after learning from the remains of the J79 engine to create the AF21 engine, the lifespan of 1,700 hours, As soon as he appeared, he became the favorite of the Soviet army.
And it is precisely because of its short service life that the cost of using Russian-made weapons is high. The most typical example is the MiG-21 fighter jet, which has a body life of 2,500 hours. Although the manufacturing cost is low, it only takes 200 hours to launch per year. It can be said that it has been in service for more than 10 years, but its starting life is only 300-500 hours.
In comparison, the US-made F5E fighter jet during the Cold War had a body life of more than 15,000 hours, and the two-seat version reached an astonishing 20,000 hours, and its engine life was 2,400 hours. Compared with the MiG-21, their price difference does not exceed 20%, but their service life is six times or even eight times different.
Because he understood the truth about the so-called "Soviet-style weapons are cheap", Li Yian had special requirements for the service life of weapons and equipment. After all, long life is truly cheap. In another century, before Brazil introduced the Gripen fighter jets in the 21st century, its F5 fighter jets were evaluated by the US original manufacturer. The single-seat aircraft (F-5E) still had a flight life of 14,000 hours, and the two-seat aircraft had a flight life of 14,000 hours. (F-5F) is 30,000 hours, also. To this end, the Brazilian military specially introduced the technology of the Gripen fighter to further upgrade its F5 fighter jets that have been in service for more than 30 years. In contrast, let alone the MiG-21 that was in service during the same period, it has long been turned into scrap metal. Even the 7 Ye produced around 2000 had almost exhausted its flight life by the 10s.
Which of these weapons is the cheapest? Naturally, there is no need to compare.
"In other words, the engine's life span has reached at least 10,000 hours!"
Having said this, Sun Chengjiu sighed again.
"This is very difficult!"
"Fortunately, this is not a hard target, but we always have to try our best to meet this requirement!"
While they were talking, the engine on the test bench The afterburner had been turned on, and along with a low roar, the entire platform seemed to start to vibrate slightly. Huge airflow spurted out from the nozzle of the engine, forming a dazzling pillar of fire. People stared at the engine intently...
(End of this chapter)