Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

The navy was finally fooled, right?

The biggest problem with aircraft carriers is the catapult, but we avoid this problem by not using a catapult.

However, Qin Yang still underestimated the navy's will. Since they came, they couldn't be dismissed with just a few words from Qin Yang.

The quality requirements for arresting cables are very high. Once the quality is unqualified, there will be disastrous consequences: if the arresting cable cannot hold the carrier-based aircraft, the carrier-based aircraft will rush out and fall into the sea. At the same time, the broken arresting cable will turn into a terrifying whip and sweep across the aircraft carrier deck, breaking everything along the way.

Even the experienced US Navy has experienced this tragedy: the broken arresting cable swept across the aircraft carrier deck, breaking the legs of a dozen unlucky people!

In later generations, on the Black Sea, the Russian's only aircraft carrier, the Kuznetsov, took several hours to repair the arresting cable. The carrier-based aircraft could only circle in the sky, waiting to land. They didn't wait until all the fuel was burned, and could only crash into the sea, causing accidental losses.

There are not many countries in the world that can manufacture arresting cables!

In later generations, the East is already a major industrial power, and the progress in the field of gantry cranes is even more rapid, almost in a monopoly position. Arresting cables are not a problem. As long as the steel cables on the gantry crane are removed, they can be used.

But this is not possible now.

At present, the domestic industrial technology is still very weak, far from the world's first-class level, and there are no qualified steel cables in China to be used as arresting cables.

What to do?

Of course, find President Qin!

Qin Yang nodded: "The technology of arresting cables is nothing. Our Factory 960 can help with the research and development."

Old Liu and others were excited for a while. Great, it would be even better to have arresting cables! Wait, this must be made clear.

"President Qin, this is not just a matter of a few arresting cables, there is also a complete set of buffer devices."

"Okay, let's do it together."

For Qin Yang, this is not difficult. He knows the structure of domestic arresting cables: it is made of six steel wire ropes twisted together. Each small steel wire rope is composed of twelve main steel wires on the outside, twelve auxiliary steel wires in the middle, and six triangular thin steel wires on the inside.

These small steel wire ropes also have hemp fibers or polyester materials in the middle, so that they can be made. Of course, the steel wires also have special formulas and processes, which Qin Yang knows.

As for the complete set of devices, the principle diagram is very simple, just do more experiments.

"This way, takeoff and landing will be possible, but if our aircraft carrier only has fighter jets, it won't work. President Qin, can our method take off and land carrier-based early warning aircraft? Like the E-2 Hawkeye?"

The navy has a lot of requirements. Not only do they want fighter jets, but also carrier-based early warning aircraft!

The early warning aircraft puts the radar on the sky, overlooking the earth, so that those ultra-low-altitude penetration aircraft have nowhere to hide.

In the 82's Falklands War, the combination of Super Etendard and Exocet missiles showed great power, indicating how passive an aircraft carrier formation is without early warning aircraft. Since we want an aircraft carrier, of course we also need a carrier-based early warning aircraft.

The British also started to tinker with carrier-based early warning helicopters after the war. Now, the only mature carrier-based early warning aircraft is the American E-2.

Can it be made domestically?

Of course not possible.

Don't underestimate the small E2, it is also very particular. Not to mention whether the airborne radar system will be overweight, just the two engines on the E-2 early warning aircraft cannot be produced by us.

Therefore, it is still difficult for the navy to want a carrier-based early warning aircraft.

"Everyone, our Factory 960 only makes guns and cannons. We can't make early warning aircraft. Moreover, with the navy's meager research and development funds, it is not realistic to develop a new carrier-based aircraft platform."

These words made the navy leaders depressed.

Yes, the navy's funding is too small!

Now, the country's economy is undergoing transformation, and the military must endure. The navy's setup is large, and the oil burned for a warship to go to sea once is a huge expense. It is impossible to raise money to develop a brand-new aircraft platform.

The navy's meager funding is enough to support a JH-7 project. After all, with this aircraft, there is no problem patrolling the South China Sea. If we invest specifically in a carrier-based early warning aircraft platform, there is not so much money, and the research and development is very niche, which is simply not worth the loss.

"However, without carrier-based early warning aircraft, aircraft carrier formations will be very dangerous."

"We can think about the problem from another perspective. In the absence of carrier-based fixed-wing early warning aircraft, let's first develop a carrier-based early warning helicopter and use it for the time being, what do you think?"

Carrier-based early warning helicopter?

Everyone opened their eyes wide.

"We have imported Super Frelon helicopters from France and are improving them to become the Z-8. We can completely improve a carrier-based early warning helicopter based on this aircraft." Qin Yang said, "This way, not only can the aircraft carrier formation use it, but other formations can also use it in the future. Isn't it better to use one aircraft for multiple purposes?"

The KJ-600 is still far away, so we can only start with early warning helicopters first.

In 1973, for Project 718, China successively purchased 14 SA.321 Ja "Super Frelon" large multi-purpose helicopters from the French Aerospace Company, and completed the modification of four telemetry, aerial survey, and search and salvage aircraft. The actual use performance was good. Later, it was decided to survey and copy this helicopter as the Z-8 carrier-based aircraft.

This aircraft uses three engines, and its maximum takeoff weight is 13 tons, which is much better than the 4-ton Dolphin helicopter, which is the Z-9, and there is enough space and load capacity for modification.

Z-8? A group of naval leaders began to ponder.