Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

If you look at the surface of the aircraft carrier, you can only see the four arresting cables exposed in the landing area. They aren't very thick; a green shirt can carry one. However, the aircraft carrier's arresting system is definitely more than what you see on the surface.

Below the deck, there is a huge mechanism. The cables go into a complex combination of pulleys below, ultimately pulling the oil cylinders below. In this process, the kinetic energy of the aircraft is converted into thermal energy of the hydraulic oil in the cylinders and dissipated.

At the base, this system was directly buried under the runway. To install these devices, a month of intense construction was carried out, hollowing out the space below to install the arresting gear, and then pouring reinforced concrete on top, after all, it has to withstand the impact of carrier-based aircraft landing.

"It's a pity that our device can't move, otherwise we could simulate the shaking of the deck and make it more realistic," Old Liu said as he walked closer.

Landing on an aircraft carrier is the most difficult thing, not only because of various purely technical problems, but also because of weather issues. Aircraft carriers rock back and forth at sea, and the deck shakes along with it.

Therefore, during training, in order to truly simulate this shaking situation, they can spare no expense to build such a deck with steel. There are countless hydraulic cylinders underneath. Driven by these hydraulic cylinders, the deck can shake from side to side, better simulating the situation at sea.

The NITKA base built by the Old Maozi on the Crimean Peninsula to train carrier-based aircraft pilots is like this, costing thousands of tons of steel.

The East is not so extravagant. Huangdi Village only has a fixed simulated landing device. As for the shaking, experience it on the aircraft carrier.

Looking at the four sets of arresting gear below, Qin Yang nodded: "If we want to develop large aircraft carriers, four arresting cables are the best choice."

Compared to three arresting cables, the configuration of four arresting cables is very suitable. Most carrier-based aircraft pilots are suitable for this method. The Ford-class aircraft carrier uses three arresting cables, so some people start to compare, saying that three arresting cables are advanced, four arresting cables are a waste, and we should use three, etc.

This is purely talking nonsense with eyes open. The Americans use three entirely because they can't handle electromagnetic arresting gear. The cost of three is already very high, and they are reluctant to spend money on the fourth arresting cable. For American naval carrier-based aircraft pilots who have long been accustomed to four arresting cables, three arresting cables are a nightmare, so much so that some of them can't adapt no matter what and can only leave the navy.

After the change, they need to be retrained, and the previous training has formed muscle memory, and changing it is a kind of pain.

These all need to be decided from the beginning. Fortunately, our side uses four from the start, and will always use four in the future. As long as the habit is fixed, even in the era of electromagnetic arresting gear in the future, our side will have sufficiently reliable and mature technology.

"However, if we are training, it is not appropriate to always use J-11 fighters." Qin Yang looked at the fighters in the parking apron and frowned again.

"Why?" Everyone was curious.

"Too wasteful," Qin Yang said.

The J-11 is the first heavy air superiority fighter acquired by the Eastern Air Force. The price is also very expensive, and the production is not high. At present, most of them are only supplied to the Air Force. The Navy only has single-digit aircraft so far.

This aircraft is very precious. It has a good range and strong maneuverability. It is a powerful air combat weapon. Although it is necessary for the Navy to use this fighter for carrier-based aircraft takeoff and landing attempts, it would be too wasteful to always use this aircraft.

After all, the landing impact of carrier-based aircraft is very large, which will cause a great burden on the airframe. Long-term use of the J-11 for takeoff and landing training will cause early fatigue of the airframe and landing gear. This powerful fighter does not soar in the sky, does not perform various wonderful maneuvers, and finally consumes the precious airframe life in the training of squatting landing gear. Isn't this a waste?

"Yes, it is a bit wasteful, but we have no other way," a base commander said: "We currently only have this type of aircraft that can carry out carrier-based aircraft takeoff and landing."

"Yes, currently only this type of aircraft can. We also need a carrier-based trainer aircraft," Qin Yang said.

Not to mention carrier-based trainer aircraft, even trainer aircraft were not many in the 1980s!

Pilot training is first carried out on the CJ-5. This is a backward propeller aircraft that looks almost like the aircraft from World War II.

After flying this type of aircraft, they used to go directly to the combat unit. That's right, it was the combat unit, where they continued to fly the JJ-5 or JJ-6. After flying these aircraft, they could fly solo.

To date, the training model is still like this: first fly the CJ-5, then fly the JJ-6, and after flying, go to the unit. Some units directly fly the J-6, and some units fly the J-7, so they fly directly.

Even the JJ-7 has not yet come out.

Therefore, it is too difficult for Qin Yang to say that he wants a carrier-based trainer aircraft.

"Chief Qin, we don't have a suitable trainer aircraft yet."

"Factory 320 used to have the L-8 project, but without funding support, the project has now been shelved," another person said.

Domestic trainer aircraft are very backward, which everyone knows. Therefore, in 1968, four L-29 trainer aircraft were imported from Czechoslovakia. The performance was good, and the Air Force was very satisfied. They wanted to carry out surveying and mapping imitation on the basis of this aircraft, but there was no follow-up.

In this way, entering the 1980s, the Air Force once again put forward this requirement. Factory 320 decided to develop a brand-new trainer aircraft, named L-8. However, because there was no money, the project could only be shelved.

The L-8 is a good subsonic trainer aircraft. The shape is similar to the carrier-based trainer aircraft used by the United States. In later generations, the Navy used the Mountain Eagle modification, which is a modification of the JJ-7, but now, the JJ-7 has not yet been released, let alone the Mountain Eagle.

How should the Navy's carrier-based trainer aircraft develop?

Qin Yang knew that the requirements he had put forward were too early, but since he had put them forward, he could also think of ways to solve them.

"This is simple," Qin Yang said: "We can cooperate with Lao Ba. Lao Ba also needs new trainer aircraft. We can cooperate to develop trainer aircraft, and consider the needs of getting on the ship in the design stage."