We have to admit that the Western media's "something...

The original service time of the "Republic" was at the end of December 2017, and was eventually postponed to the beginning of 201. It was because of the catapult, the development and production of the j-15b fighter and the hj2c0 police aircraft failed to be completed as planned.

The most serious problem is electromagnetic catapults.

The first mass-produced electromagnetic catapult was not manufactured until November 20177, and then ground testing was conducted. The ship was loaded in January 20118, which directly delayed the service time of the "Republic". When the Navy received the "Republic", only the No. 1 catapult completed all the test work, and the other two catapults also needed to be debugged. That's why in the photos taken by CIA with reconnaissance satellites, all ship-based fixed-wing aircraft were ejected by the No. 1 catapult!

Secondly, the production work of j-15b.

According to the first determination of the production plan, because the Air Force's J-15a is the basic model and the development is less difficult, it is first mass-produced and then to the Navy's J-15b.

During the test flight phase, j-15a also took the lead in completing the test flight test, and it was officially finalized in August 2nd, and the production line was started in 1st. As a result, by the end of 20177, the Navy and the Air Force reached an agreement to produce 24j-15b for the "Republic" as soon as possible. Chengdu Aircraft Manufacturing Company had to adjust the production line (the versatility of j-15a and j-15b reached 85%, and it was produced on a production line), and mass production was not started until early February 2018. By the time the "Republic" was delivered to the Navy, the total output of j-15b was less than 1, and the naval aviation was used to train j15b pilots in the land simulation training ground of the Navy.

According to this progress, it will take the end of 2018 before the Navy can equip the "Republic" with j--15b.

Compared with the problems encountered by j-15b, hj200 has a more serious problem.

Because of the design revision of the "Republic", it was not until 2014 that the Navy proposed to develop a fixed-wing carrier-based early warning aircraft when it was determined to build a medium-sized aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults.

The initial plan was to install the kj200 ground radar on a 20-level small transport aircraft. By strengthening the body structure, using folding wings, increasing ejection capability, etc., a relatively simple carrier-based fixed wing early warning aircraft was developed. Once proposed, the plan was rejected by the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. Because there was no suitable ground-loading aircraft!

As a last resort, the Navy can only "start from scratch".

The development of the carrier and the development of the aircraft radar are carried out at the same time. The development of both sites is not difficult.

Compared with the Air Force's light transport aircraft, carrier-based aircraft not only has higher requirements for structural strength, but also has very high requirements for the aircraft's corrosion resistance, takeoff weight, wingspan length, vertical height, and occupancy of flight deck area. During the plan demonstration, the Navy decided to develop a carrier-based aircraft with a takeoff weight of between 30 and 35, with a single-wing and multi-vertical tail ground double-engine propeller.

In 2015, the Navy adjusted the development plan and clearly proposed to adopt composite batteries and superconducting motors.

It is also said that the hj200 ground-mounted aircraft is an all-electric aircraft.

Although the cost of fully electric aircraft equipped with the above composite battery is 1 times higher than that of ordinary propeller aircraft, the performance of all electric aircraft is significantly higher than that of ordinary propeller aircraft, which is more conducive to ship maintenance and is also of great help to the aircraft appearance design. The number of construction of carrier-based early warning aircraft is not very large.

Taking into account various factors, the Navy made this very bold decision.

In the end, the standard takeoff weight of the hj200 carrier is 28, the maximum takeoff weight is 39 tons, the wingspan is 24, the length is 188 meters, the height is 5511 meters, the wing area is 6424 square meters, the aspect ratio is 91, the main wheel pitch is 57 meters, and the front main wheel pitch is 74 meters. It is equipped with a grade composite battery, driven by two superconducting propellers with a maximum power of 5500 kilowatts, the maximum flight speed is 57 meters/hour, the maximum cruise speed is 550 kilometers/hour, the economic cruise speed is 480 kilometers/hour, the maximum flight altitude is 12,100 meters, the patrol flight altitude is 9,700 meters, and the maximum patrol time is 120 meters away from the aircraft carrier.

Overall, the performance of the hj200 carrier is not bad.

The only disadvantage is the price, excluding electronic equipment such as radar, the manufacturing cost of 24 is enough to shock the Navy.

The problems with airborne radar and electronic equipment are also very serious.

Compared with shore-based early warning aircraft, the internal space of the carrier-based early warning aircraft is smaller and has higher requirements for radar. In addition to having good ground detection capabilities, it also requires excellent downward vision detection and tracking capabilities (almost all anti-ship missiles fly at ultra-low altitudes), strong ground information processing capabilities and automated command capabilities (the air commanders on the carrier-based early warning aircraft have only 2 air commanders, and many command tasks must be completed automatically), and maintainability must meet the strict requirements of the navy (the environment and maintenance capabilities of the aircraft carrier are obviously not as good as those of the air force base).

When deciding the plan, the Navy did not consider the "disc" like e-2.

The final use of the "balance beam" scheme. In order to make up for the detection blind spots of the "balance beam" scheme at the beginning and end, a phased array "blind" radar was installed on the head and tail of the hj200 respectively.

Fortunately, the development progress of the carrier is comparable to that of the airborne radar, otherwise it would definitely be a big deal.

In order to install the "blind-replenishing" radar, the head of the hj200 looks very bloated. The cockpit position had to be moved back half a meter and raised nearly 1 meter, making the cockpit a "bubble" shape similar to the fighter. The tail structure of the hj200 is also completely designed in accordance with the requirements of the "blind-replenishing" radar, with two hanging pieces

Installed at both ends of the horizontal tail wing to avoid "snatching space" with the radar, giving people a very abrupt feeling.

Regardless of the appearance, the problem is understood

At the end of 20177, the performance of the first HJ200 aircraft not only fully met the technical requirements put forward by the Navy, but also exceeded many.

In the simulation actual combat test, the maximum detection distance of the light fighter with a frontal radar launch area of ​​about 3 square meters reached kilometers, the maximum detection distance of h-6m exceeded 650 kilometers, the detection distance of c-803 reached 320 kilometers (ultra-low-altitude target), and the detection distance of z9: reached 370 kilometers (ultra-low-altitude flight state).

When nearly 40 targets are detected simultaneously, hj200 can track 24 of the most threatening targets at the same time, and air command can guide 12 fighters to perform interception tasks at the same time. If more than 12 targets are intercepted, information can also be sent to the aircraft carrier's aviation combat command center through a tactical communication network, and the aviation combat command center will provide guidance information for other fighters.

Very perfect and powerful performance.

According to the Navy's estimate, the performance of hj200 is not as good as e-2d, nor is it much better than e-2d.

The cost of the hj200 is as high as that of the air force, exceeding that of the air force’s local kj200 and kj2000!

When the "Republic" was in service, the Navy "saving frugality" and only purchased one hj200, and it was a mass-produced type that was improved based on the prototype.

According to the Navy's plan, up to one aircraft will be purchased in 2018.

To fully equip the "Heguo" number, we must wait at least until the end of 20199.

If the production capacity of composite batteries is improved, the price of the 8-level composite batteries will be reduced by half, and the Navy will not be able to purchase the hj200 until early 20199.

This is also the key reason why the Republic has not included the hj200 export list.

Who would be the "subborn" if you buy a small early warning aircraft at a price that is nearly 30% more expensive than kj2000?

In addition to carrier-based aircraft and catapults, the "Republic" itself also has problems.

During the design, the basic design plan of the "Republic" was modified three times, and the area of ​​the ground was very large each time. Finally, it was a medium-sized aircraft carrier with a displacement of less than 60,000 tons, and it was also required to be an "attack aircraft carrier". The so-called "attack aircraft carrier" means that carrier-based aircraft is the main strike force and no additional offensive weapons are equipped for aircraft carriers.

On the surface, this leaves room for aircraft carriers to carry more carrier-based aircraft, but in fact it increases the design difficulty.

The "Republic" has a "tummy" of the "Republic" and is very serious, and the accompanying problems are also very serious.

The main reason is that the hangar has occupied too much space and has to reduce the exemption of other important facilities.

Excessive requirements for the number of carrier-based aircraft also lead to a high center of gravity and reduced stability. Because the capacity of the ammunition depot and the aviation fuel depot is compressed, the "Republic"'s continuous combat capability is only (the US Navy's large-scale attack aircraft carrier has at least 7 days of continuous combat capability). In order to reduce the weight of the structure above the waterline, the "Republic"'s protection capability is obviously not as good as that of a large aircraft carrier, and its resistance to strike and survivability is seriously insufficient.

In addition to resistance to strike and survivability, other problems have been exposed during actual use.

In fact, these problems were exposed when the "Republic" was still under construction. When the "Chinese" class aircraft carrier was designed in 2015, the Navy expanded its displacement from the initial 6,500 tons to 75,000, the design reached 77,500, and the construction reached 7,800 tons. It finally exceeded 8 when it was completed. It can be seen that increasing the displacement has the most obvious effect on improving the combat capability and survivability of the aircraft carrier.

When the Republic was put into service, the first and second ships of the "China-class" class had already started construction at the Changxing Shipyard in Jiangnan and the Dalian Shipyard respectively. The third construction work undertaken by Qingdao Shipyard will also start at the bottom. However, before the "Republic" was put into service, the Navy adjusted the construction progress of the "China-class" class, postponing the completion time of the first 2 from 2021 to 2023, and the completion time of the third to 2024.

The reason for delaying construction progress is simple: the navy has no money.

Although the Navy's funding increased by 31% in fiscal 2c177, the amount of Navy's funding growth in 2018 did not reach the expected 27%, only 18%, which was equivalent to a reduction of about 350 yuan. The service cost of the "Republic" exceeded the Navy's expectations. As a result, the construction funds for the "Chinese" class that year were reduced by 23% compared with the budget, and the three shipyards had to slow down the construction progress.

The problem of funding shortage also exists in the Army and the Air Force.

The financial crisis has made the country's finances very tense, and the Republic cannot burn money everywhere like the United States. In order to ensure the stable development of the domestic economy, the fiscal budget has been invested more in various infrastructure construction that are closely related to industrial structure adjustment, and the funds for military construction will naturally shrink significantly.

Whether you want to or not, you have to admit the fact that the rise of the Republic's Navy is very long!

Although the service of the "Republic" has given the Republic's Navy the long-distance combat capability it has always dreamed of, it is far from the point where it makes the Republic's Navy a global navy! (To be continued,)

First release
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