Great warships

Chapter 742 Innovative Aircraft Carrier

Geiger is the one who pays the most attention to the actions of the East. He proposed a plan to trick the Mingzhou Group into bidding. Although it was opposed by everyone, it was finally adopted by Benjamin.

According to their assumptions, as long as they let out the air, the Orientals would pounce on them, but the fact was contrary to their guess, the Orientals were unmoved and did not come to bid at all!
Even the Zhang Zhongshuo program in the east was clearly ridiculing them, sarcasm and sarcasm, which made them extremely annoyed.

Geiger also knew that his suggestion was meaningless, but he was still paying attention to Dongfang. Just before the bidding meeting started, he had just received a new issue of Dongfang's "Ship Knowledge" magazine. The coloring page, when he opened it, he was stunned.

The imaginary map of the British aircraft carrier!Author: George!

This George not only satirized them on Zhang Zhongshuo's show, but even went to draw a picture after the show was over!

Dongfang’s computer technology is very powerful. After this picture was drawn, it was rendered and it looked similar to the real one. Before the meeting, Geiger showed this picture to Benjamin and other admirals. He will never forget everyone's reaction at that time.

"This aircraft carrier is well designed."

"That's right, the ski jump is still suitable for us. After all, we have been operating the invincible class for decades. After the displacement has increased, the parking area on the right side has been vacated."

"The two-ship island plan is also very good!"

The navy is a traditional branch, and they don't want to change it after they get used to it. If they continue to use this ski jump takeoff and vertical landing scheme, then their pilots don't need to undergo new training.

Looking at the vertical take-off and landing fighter jet landing on the rear deck, they were even more excited.

However, Benjamin saw the signature at a glance, and then became annoyed, almost tore the coloring page to pieces.

Now, the design plan of the BAE team is too similar to the design of the East!Of course Benjamin was not satisfied.

"Everyone, before the meeting, we just received the latest issue of Dongfang magazine." Geiger took out the coloring pages and fixed them on the whiteboard in the meeting room with magnets.

"We can see that this aircraft carrier is designed as a double-island plan. Our latest European phased array radar is installed on the front island, and the rear is a sloping flue. The overall stealth design is also considered. It and There is also an elevator installed between the islands at the back, and the overall layout is almost the same as that of BAE." Geiger said: "We don't know how BAE got the inspiration for this design, did you refer to it? Oriental design."

"Damn it, they're copying our plan!" Steve was annoyed.

In fact, it cannot be said that who copied who, it is completely the same goal by different routes. After all, there are only a few design schemes for aircraft carriers. If you want to stuff four gas turbines, you can only use double-ship islands, and their electronic equipment is so small. Well, that rectangular rotating phased array radar must have been installed, but now it is considered plagiarism.

The people from Thales Group frowned.

Their design schemes are also similar. It seems that the British navy has been greatly stimulated by the East in the recent period. They are absolutely unwilling to let their own schemes overlap with those of the East. Otherwise, I don’t know what the East will say The gossip, especially that Zhang Zhong, is too bad.

"Quick, revise our plan immediately." The leader of Thales Group, Maisfield, said in a low voice.

Modify the design?Now?Isn't this a joke?Mitchell, an engineer at the Swan-Hunter Shipyard, looked confused: "We are too late!"

"Simple modification, modify our two-ship island plan."

Their plan, of course, is also based on the two-ship island. Moreover, Masifield knows that this is inspired by the model announced by the Mingzhou Group a few years ago. The air intake required for four [-]-megawatt gas turbines is It's scary, if you don't have a double-ship island, the air intake will simply become a powerful vacuum cleaner, bringing a terrible turbulent area near the ship island.

"This is impossible!"

"Quick, we're running out of time. When the whining over there is over, it's our turn! If you don't want to be fired, then act fast!"

Mitchell's hands trembled, and then he opened his notebook, controlled the shortcut keys with his left hand, and controlled the mouse with his right hand, and began to draw frantically. Sure enough, the Godson notebook was powerful, and the running speed was fast.

"Our Great Britain is innovative, and now these two aircraft carriers must have our characteristics!" Benjamin continued to speak on the rostrum: "I think back then, it was we who put the gas turbine on the warship and brought a warship power system. Back then, we created the way of ski jumping. Now, we must continue this innovative spirit. We can’t follow others! Now, let’s take a look at the plan proposed by Thales Group, which can Can’t make our eyes shine.”

Masefield looked at Mitchell beside him, saw that his fingers were still flying, and knew that he had to delay for a while.

"Yes, we must have innovations on our warships, so we plan to use an integrated power system." Maisfield stood up: "In terms of the power system of warships, we have always been at the forefront of the world. In the past, We have realized the gas turbineization of the entire fleet, and now, we want to realize the integrated power system of the entire fleet, not only on our Type 45 destroyers, but also on our aircraft carriers. system!"

"We use four 160-megawatt gas turbines, so that the power can reach 180 megawatts, plus two diesel engines, the power can reach [-] megawatts, such a large power, if it is directly transmitted to the rear through the drive shaft, then If the drive shaft is too long, it will cause serious power loss." Masfield said: "In addition, we also need to use electromagnetic ejection and electromagnetic blocking systems, which require sufficient power supply, so the most suitable way for us is to Turn all power into electricity and deliver it through electricity."

The previous aircraft carriers did not have this problem. Whether it was a heavy oil boiler or a nuclear power boiler, the steam in the boiler could flow through the pipes. Therefore, the steam turbines were arranged at the tail of the warship, so that the power could be output directly through the shortest transmission shaft. later.

The gas turbine will not work, because the required air intake is too large, so the pipeline has to take the shortest route, and the gas turbine is directly arranged under the bridge. This leads to a big problem, how is the power transmitted to the rear?
With a conventional propshaft?
This kind of transmission shaft, which often transmits tens of kilowatts or even hundreds of kilowatts of power, will bring huge noise and vibration, and as the transmission distance increases, the loss of power will become more and more serious.Therefore, the best way is to use the electric propulsion system!
Benjamin became excited: "Go ahead!"

"Each gas turbine and diesel engine will drive a corresponding generator, which will then be uniformly distributed through our integrated power system." Maisfield said: "For the driving system behind, we can use French Corfude electromechanical The advanced induction motor produced by the company is currently used on the Type 45 destroyer. The maximum power of this induction motor is 20 megawatts. We hope they can develop a new 40 megawatt motor for our aircraft carrier, so four sets are enough. If they can’t do it, then we will use the existing eight units, and every two units will be connected in series to drive the propeller at the tail, and we will adopt a four-axis propulsion scheme.”

Mitchell stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead, and Masefield was finally relieved.

"Next, let's ask everyone to look at our design drawings, Mitchell, please explain to everyone."

Mitchell stood up.

"Everyone, the plan we designed is also a catapult takeoff and an intercepted landing. We set up the parking area at the bow of the ship on the left side of the catapult, on the right side of the catapult, and in the direction of the island. An additional parking area can be set up so that Increase the number of shutdowns by at least five." Mitchell connected his laptop to the projector, waited until the video switched, and after seeing the image, everyone exclaimed: "Why is your ship island a flyover?"

If you want to make changes on the spot, how can it be so easy!Mitchell had no choice but to add an overpass between the two ship islands, thus forming a doorway structure!
"Yes, this is our innovation." Mitchell continued: "We know that if we want to have an intake and exhaust system suitable for gas turbines, we must design it as a double-ship island, but we must not take the eastern road. Let others think that we are copying the designs of the Orientals, and our ship islands must have their own characteristics."

People from the BAE bidding team stared at this design drawing. It was obviously modified on the spot. It was too much, too much. If I had known it, I would have let them show it first!
"Yes, this design is very distinctive, continue to tell us about it." Benjamin said.

"The front bridge is the main one, and we specially designed a combat command center with four-sided windows on it. Here, you can have the best view." Mitchell pointed to the small window with four-sided windows on the top of the front bridge. Shed said: "At the same time, we also know that the larger the area of ​​the bridge, the easier it is for our personnel to move around, but at the same time, it also means that the bridge occupies an increased area, which will affect the carrying capacity of the deck. Therefore, We simply designed this flyover. The center of the front and rear two islands was designed as an elevator. Above this, we cleverly used the head space to increase the usable area of ​​the bridge by at least [-] square meters. Here it can be designed as Various areas, even a few large rooms can be arranged for the commander to live in."

Lao Maozi’s aircraft carrier has a large island, and the officers like to live there, but the west is taking the route of small islands to make room for more carrier-based aircraft. The corridor scheme not only reduces the hangar area, but also increases the usable area of ​​the ship island, which is definitely an innovation.

Benjamin nodded: "That's right, this bridge is very useful, design a room for me inside!"

The United States has a dedicated command ship, but other countries cannot do this. The fleet command organization is generally designed on the largest warship. If there is an aircraft carrier, then of course the aircraft carrier will be used. The captain should also carry some more senior fleet commanders when necessary.

These people definitely need a comfortable living environment. Windows can be opened on both sides of this bridge, which is definitely the best room.

"Okay, of course no problem," Mitchell replied.

Maisfield kept nodding, Mitchell is not bad, he is a talent, he can be cultivated well!In the future, maybe I can really become an excellent warship designer.

"No, this design scheme has great disadvantages. The double-ship islands have already caused the deck airflow to be disordered. The increase of this corridor will make the airflow more complicated, which is not conducive to the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft!" Seeing The bidding opponent is about to succeed, and the BAE company here is in a hurry.Steve yelled right away.

"Mr. Steve, how do you know the airflow will be disturbed? Have you done wind tunnel testing?" Mitchell asked.

Steve shook his head: "We all know that there will be building winds under tall buildings. These two islands, with corridors in between, must be the same."

"Since we haven't done a wind tunnel test, don't say for sure. We will modify the shape, so that the side area of ​​the ship island will be larger, and maybe our deck airflow will be more suitable for the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft."

"All-electric propulsion is unreliable, and the risks are too great. Once the integrated power system fails, the warship will completely lose power. In order to make the warship more reliable, it is necessary to retain the conventional propulsion method." Weston is also anxious up.

The comprehensive power system of the whole ship is high-end, but the risk is also very high. Even Dongfang's 002 aircraft carrier still retains the original drive shaft propulsion method. Except for the propulsion system, everything else is controlled by electricity. Safer.

However, the British plan is very radical. Once the situation breaks down, the Queen-class aircraft carrier will completely lie down.

"Conventional propulsion methods? That's too backward, right? We are the most powerful industrial country, how can we not think about making progress for decades?" Maisfield said.

"Yes, we must have our own advanced solutions." Benjamin said: "Over the years, we have been innovating. When we used the whole ship's gas turbines, someone said so. The result? History will show no mercy We will weed out those who don't want to make progress!"

Well, what else to say?
"I declare that the project of Thales Group has won! We will allocate 5000 million pounds to Thales Group for the next step of development and demonstration work!" Benjamin said.

The people of Thales Group were excited for a while, and they did not expect that it would be so easy to win the bidding. It is said that the bidding of a project needs to go through many rounds of comparison, and it can last for several months or even years.

Now, they've got the bid simply because of innovation!
"Now, give me your initial plan, and I will pass it on to London."

"Well, we came in a hurry and are not ready yet, please wait a moment, we will print." Masefield said.

They actually have paper documents, but those are designed according to the original design, and now they are temporarily modified, so there is no time to print them.

"Okay, then you guys hurry up!"

That night, inside the largest Gothic building in London.

"We have selected a bidding plan, and we need everyone to review it." Benjamin held the things in his hand and handed them to Sir Michael Boyce: "Sir Boyce, you come first."

The temporary drawings were crude and unrendered, which looked a bit monotonous. However, Boyce was in charge of the Navy, so of course he could be recognized at a glance.

"Yes, the design of this aircraft carrier is very unique, reflecting the innovative spirit of our British Navy. Over the years, some people have constantly said that our British Navy has been living on its laurels and has lost its ability to innovate. Even the East has created the Aegis battleship. But we are standing still, and now, we have to let the world see that our aircraft carrier is also very powerful." After Boyce finished speaking, he handed the first design drawing to Jimmy Brown beside him.

"This design drawing is very good, but we are not very optimistic about the budget." Brown said: "The Navy insists on building an advanced aircraft carrier with catapult takeoff and interception landing. Many subsystems of this aircraft carrier need to be developed or outsourced. It's a huge waste of money."

Although they have been stimulated to work hard to build advanced aircraft carriers, financial difficulties are still the top priority.

"Currently, even the United States does not have the electromagnetic catapult and electromagnetic blocking system. If we purchase from the United States, it will cost at least [-] million pounds. If we develop it ourselves, because the supporting aircraft carriers are limited, it is estimated that it will be more expensive. "

In fact, 4.58 million pounds is still low. In later generations, the American General Yard Technology Company directly priced this system at [-] million pounds, and then further increased it by [-] million pounds. Definitely, at that time, the British planned to transform the two Queens into a catapult take-off scheme to increase the efficiency of the aircraft. As a result, the Americans gave them a hard time, plus supporting services, etc., and refitted a It would cost one billion pounds, and the cost of the British aircraft carrier directly increased by one-third, so they finally gave up.

Now, they are ambitious and directly plan to use electric bombs. The navy may not want to spend much money, but the financial department can't!
"In addition to these costs, there are carrier-based early warning aircraft that we need to purchase. We can use the French as an example. France purchased 3 E-2D Super Hawkeyes for their Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. At the same time, the French also need Relevant training, radar, spare engines, personnel training and other items, these are added together, and their contract price is 20 billion US dollars! Even if we can get a cheaper price, the two aircraft carriers are equipped with six carrier-based early warning aircraft, I'm afraid it will also need 30 billion U.S. dollars, so how much will our two aircraft carrier projects cost in total?"

Brown must plan for the future, because in 97, he had already completed his first term, but because of his excellent work, he started his second term. Continue to manage the finances, all the money will come from him, and he must be the one who will have a headache at that time.

"Also, in terms of carrier aircraft..."

"Mr. Brown, what exactly do you want to say?" Benjamin was a little dissatisfied: "Please explain directly."

"I mean, what kind of catapult does our navy use, what kind of fixed-wing early warning aircraft is needed, we can simply use vertical take-off and landing fighter jets and early warning helicopters." Brown said: "In this way, we can save at least three months. £40 billion."

"No, without the carrier-based early warning aircraft, there would be no victory in modern naval warfare. Our aircraft carrier cannot even compare to the East!" Benjamin was anxious: "The lessons of the 82 naval battle are too profound, and we must not make the same mistake!"

"Sir Benjamin, does our navy still need to fight a Falklands naval battle?" Brown asked: "You should also know that the mission of our navy is to follow the ass of the US aircraft carrier and deal with some small countries. The plan I proposed Is it not possible? Our pilots will have a very short time to adapt and form combat effectiveness. Although they have short legs and poor anti-ship capabilities, but with the US Navy by our side, what are we afraid of?"

"We don't have vertical take-off and landing fighters. The U.S. vertical take-off and landing fighters still have to go through several years of research and development. We can't afford to wait!" Benjamin was anxious.

"Maybe this would be better? Having an aircraft carrier first, followed by carrier-based aircraft, will reduce our financial burden a lot." Brown said, this is not a problem, but it is better, let's take our time.

"With an aircraft carrier, there is no carrier-based aircraft? That would make our Royal Navy a joke!" Of course Benjamin was dissatisfied, this is pure nonsense!
"Everyone, I have an idea." Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Boyce said.

"what idea?"

"We want a modern carrier, but we don't have the money," Boyce said. "So why don't we think of a way to make some money with the carrier program?"

"Make money? How do you make money?" Brown looked at Boyce strangely. The Navy spent money to build aircraft carriers, and it will continue to cost money to maintain the operation of the aircraft carrier formation. He has not heard of building aircraft carriers that can make money.

"You should have heard about the Chaoriwang aircraft carrier, right? Da Mao made billions by building an aircraft carrier for Ah San!"

Everyone reacted: "You mean, we build an aircraft carrier of the same model for Ah San, and then use the money earned from building the aircraft carrier for Ah San to maintain the construction of our aircraft carrier?"

"Yes, Ah San was very annoyed by Da Mao, so they decided to build their own aircraft carrier. However, their progress was very slow. They have realized how difficult it is to build their own. And we, the UK, want to build the world's largest aircraft carrier. The most advanced aircraft carrier! Therefore, they can join our project and quickly obtain a modern aircraft carrier. They have said more than once that in order to maintain their maritime rights and interests, they need at least a formation of three aircraft carriers."

(End of this chapter)