Chapter 963: Guanghui also wants to develop an improved model?
"Not really..."
For older generation technicians like Song Wencong, this answer does seem a bit counter-intuitive.
Although the Indian Air Force once caused considerable trouble to our country and is still trying to continue to cause us trouble so far, its main weapons and equipment are basically imported from various countries.
Nowadays, China's aviation industry has basically sat on the same table as the Europeans. Your Stan Airlines can even have problems assembling large parts of the Su-30MKI.
Can he compare?
You can’t compare, right?
However, slightly younger people, such as Yang Wei, quickly understood what Chang Haonan meant:
“What Mr. Chang said does make sense.”
"I remember...the Tejas fighter jet they developed is the LCA. It seems that it only made its first flight at the beginning of this year, right?"
"That's right, January 14th."
Someone next to me quickly replied:
"And the TD1 that flew for the first time is strictly a technical verification aircraft, not a prototype."
“I remember that at that time, there were many reports over there, intentionally or unintentionally comparing the LCA with our J-10...”
After hearing this, everyone followed suit There was a burst of laughter.
Before 1997, it would still make sense to compare these two aircraft together.
After all, although the aircraft are different in size, at least on paper they are all serious standard third-generation aircraft.
No one can laugh at anyone until they really fly.
Even the assembly of the TD1 verification aircraft was completed much earlier than the No. 1001 J-10.
But it is already 2001, and it would be a bit arrogant to still do this.
The TD1 demonstrator was completed and rolled off the assembly line in 1995, and it took a full six years of debugging before it made its first flight.
The second TD2 manufactured in 1998, it seems that it is already in 2002 and has not yet undergone its first flight test...
In fact, this exchange between several people is completely It belongs to the category of casual chatting.
After all, no one will really regard their Indian counterparts as their equal opponents.
Including Chang Haonan’s guess, which is actually just a casual comment——
There are many countries currently developing or trying to independently develop fighter jets.
Including the F2 fighter jet, which was announced for service in 2000. In fact, it has not been fully tested and can only be regarded as a semi-finished product.
And this ambitious Mitsubishi company also has a "F2 super modification" plan.
Being ahead of the competition with the J-10 is a big stimulus for these countries.
India does not appear to be that special among them.
However.
He made a casual guess.
I guessed it right...
...
On the news broadcast the next night, a two-minute long video appeared, which was shocking Calling it an unprecedented scale, it reported the news that "a new generation of fighter jets designed and manufactured by my country itself" was put into service in the army.
Although the specific model is still not mentioned as usual, the video information provided in the news is too clear.
Anyone who pays a little attention to the relevant news will know that it is the J-10.
Moreover, compared with the version that was previously shown at the air show, it has obviously undergone major changes.
It should be the rumored multi-purpose model——
In the circle of military and aviation enthusiasts, since they have not come into contact with the specific model naming, many people regard the two as The J-10s, which have similar basic designs but have obvious differences, are called "air superiority type" and "multi-purpose type" respectively.
And he thinks he will join the Chinese Air Force and serve at the same time.
Although the idea behind it is very problematic, if you just look at these two names, the meaning really matches.
For a time, the entire China, and even the networks around China, were filled with discussions about this news.
It has long been spread that the J-10 has two versions, one fat and one thin.
But the fact that the new version can be delivered before the end of 2001 is indeed somewhat unexpected.
You know, the standards for "commissioned troops" in China's caliber are quite high.
At least it means that the design finalization test has been completed.
Like many countries, "entering service" in advance before the finalization is completed is not a gold standard at all.
Of course, most people are just discussing it.
On the one hand, China’s progress in the field of aviation technology over the years is obvious to all, and it has gradually raised everyone’s shock threshold.
Moreover, the J-10 has already made two public appearances before this.
Especially at the Paris Air Show, a large number of extremely high-definition photos were leaked.
Although the "thin versions" that appeared are all "thin versions", compared with the original timeline, the J-10 in this generation has less of a "born out of the blue" meaning.
On the other hand, although there is no report in the news which unit is the first lucky person to equip the J-10.
But soon some netizens from Yunnan Province claimed that they saw a plane with a similar appearance landing on December 15, and there was more than one person.
From this it is not difficult to identify the 44th Division.
At most it cannot be accurate to a certain group.
The aviation troops stationed in Yunnan Province are indeed what Chang Haonan thought before.
Not particularly sensitive.
Or, at least not particularly sensitive on the Internet.
After all, several countries adjacent to Dian Province have not yet fully recovered from the financial crisis in 1998.
Network construction and so on...
It may be a bit excessive to say that it does not exist, but it is basically the same.
However, in a relatively harmonious atmosphere, one country is an exception.
That is India that Chang Haonan mentioned accidentally before.
Logically speaking, they should have no direct relationship with Yunnan.
There is not even a border line.
But if you take a look at the map, you will find that the terrain in Dian Province is indeed a bit too good.
Of course, the "good" here refers to the plateau environment.
Therefore, the Indian army has always been worried.
That is, will China start from Yunnan Province, cross the northern part of Shan State, and penetrate directly into the rear of its fragile seven northeastern states?
Under this way of thinking, they are naturally very wary of the troops deployed in Yunnan Province, especially the aviation troops. And the comparison mentality triggered by this in the aviation industry is almost natural.
……
South Asian subcontinent.
Bangalore.
Dr. Kota Naraya is taking several senior military officers to visit the TD2 demonstrator that is about to fly for the first time in the assembly factory.
Compared with the TD1, which had difficulty even starting the engine after it rolled off the assembly line and took 4 years to conduct ground testing in 1999, the assembly quality of the TD2 in front of us has been significantly improved.
At least not much went wrong on the ground.
The reason why it has not made its first flight until now is mostly out of caution.
The TD3, which was undergoing final assembly not far behind the group, could even be regarded as a prototype with a relatively stable technical status.
According to the plan, it will make its first flight within a year of being offline.
LCA’s first full-state prototype, PV1, has also begun production of large components.
Although this kind of performance is not worth mentioning in the world, it is definitely a real progress for India, which is trying to be self-reliant for the first time.
Looking at the bustling factory in front of him, Dr. Naraya could not help but smile.
However, the expressions of the officers standing next to him were not very good.
Especially Air Force Chief of Staff Anil Tipnis, who wears the rank of general.
In the command sequence of the Indian Army, he is the top leader of the Air Force.
"Doctor."
Tipnis turned to look at Naraya:
"I think you should already know."
"Know what?"
A trace of confusion flashed across the latter's face.
He knows a lot of things, but he really doesn’t know what riddle the other party is playing.
“Just the day before yesterday, the Chinese Air Force commissioned their first batch of J-10 fighter jets.”
Tipnis replied in a serious tone:
"Moreover, it is somewhat different from the model that has been released in the past."
"So that's what you are talking about..."
Naraya breathed a sigh of relief, apparently not realizing the seriousness of the situation:
“I analyzed that the version they equipped themselves increased the range at the expense of a certain degree of mobility. and bomb load, the overall development direction is closer to a multi-purpose fighter.”
"Of course, in beyond-visual-range air combat, a relatively large bomb load means that more rounds of air-to-air missiles can be fired, which is itself an advantage."
Tipnis nodded impatiently:
“Doctor, of course I know what you are saying.”
“What I want to say is, will their current deployment of this new aircraft in Yunnan Province completely suppress our upcoming plans? LCA in service? "
According to the plan, LCA will enter service around 2006. According to Indian standards, it is not a big problem to say "soon".
Facing this somewhat unreasonable question, Naraya's eyes were full of doubts.
He is not a soldier, so he does not know the Air Force's concerns about the Chinese raiding the seven northeastern states.
However, after thinking for a long time, he still replied:
“Although the LCA is roughly equivalent to the J-10 technically, the Chinese J-10 is originally a plane with a similar size. The F16 medium-sized fighter has now been improved, and its take-off weight is probably at the level of Rafale or even Typhoon... But our LCA has an empty weight of only five and a half tons, and after normal fuel loading and bomb loading, its take-off weight is less than 9 tons..."
“If it is just an air combat, then I believe these two models should be equally matched, especially the agility of the LCA will far exceed that of the opponent, and may be dominant within visual range, but in terms of overall performance, then our The aircraft is limited by its size and may not have enough multi-purpose potential..."
It should be said that this evaluation is relatively objective.
Naraya does not know the specific situation of the turbofan 10, and can only regard it as a model similar to the F110 or AL31F.
But such an engine is obviously not enough to propel an aircraft with an empty weight of more than 9 tons, and may even reach 10 tons.
As for beyond visual range air combat and multi-purpose capabilities, unless the technical level is very different, it is the inherent disadvantage of small aircraft.
However, these words sounded a bit strange to Tipnis’ ears.
"Dr. Naraya."
The general walked to the front of the TD2 demonstrator, stretched out his hand and patted the leading edge of the wing:
"I think our Air Force also needs to be more technologically advanced. An advanced, improved LCA model with stronger combat effectiveness."
Hearing this, Naraya was naturally happy and quickly took the first two steps:
"We do have a target. LCA’s plan to improve it is currently named LCAMK1A”
"Basically, the current F404 engine is replaced by the F414 with greater thrust, and then the internal fuel capacity is increased and new airborne equipment is replaced, including phased array radar and active mid-range missiles. By the way, some ground attack capabilities can also be obtained. . ”
Actually, Naraya himself is quite sensible.
Although this improved model does exist, it can only be regarded as an idea at present.
According to his plan, he should start upgrading LCAMK1 after equipping the troops.
Talking to Tipnis now is just to show his face in front of the Air Force Chief of Staff and give him an impression.
To put it bluntly, it’s a painting.
However, what the doctor never expected was.
This painting completely drew him into a pit——
Tipnis actually went down the slope directly:
"Doctor, can you do it now? Based on these verification machines, start the upgrade plan you just mentioned?”
It was only then that Naraya finally felt something bad:
“It’s difficult.”
He quickly went back to make up for it:
“The current prototype of MK1 The final assembly of the machine has not yet been completed. If you rush to improve it now, the foundation will be unstable and other related problems will easily occur."
"I suggest that you wait until the basic model LCA is delivered before considering it. One step upgrade problem.”
The doctor's words caused Tipnis to fall into silence:
"Well..."
"In fact, the Air Force is planning to reduce the purchase of basic LCAs from the originally planned 76 to 24 Or maybe 18."
Hearing this, Naraya almost gasped:
"How..."
"You know, according to the plan, LCA will not join the Air Force until around 2006. By that time, the performance of the basic model should have lagged behind, and it is impossible for us to purchase a large number of a model whose combat effectiveness is not as good as that of our main opponents."
Tipnis shrugged and replied:
“However, doctor, don’t worry too much, the reduced quantities are not directly canceled orders, but will be switched to purchase the upgraded models you just mentioned. ”
(End of this chapter)