"despair!"
At this time, as a crisp sound of keystrokes sounded, the continuous input of characters on the high-definition monitor paused, and the entire progress of writing the scientific research and technical report was paused.
"As a platform for carrying directed energy weapons, fifth-generation fighters should have more efficient energy transmission pathways and energy sources. The energy supply systems and energy sources of fourth-generation fighters cannot meet the conditions for use of high-energy laser weapons on air-based platforms."
Zuo Xue looked at the fifth point of the main design contradiction with her eyes. She pressed the shortcut save button on the keyboard with her left hand. She picked up the boiled water placed next to her with her right hand and took a sip. Her eyes were as bright as stars, shining brightly, and her mind was running at high speed. Combined with the recent Obtain top secret information and perform deduction calculations.
Directed energy weapons.
These are the requirements for lethal means that fifth-generation fighters must have and meet, and have extremely high application potential and future prospects.
In the process of discussing and learning with her mentor Su Rui and teacher Yang Wei, Zuo Xue has a clear understanding of the overall development of directed energy weapons in China.
Radio frequency weapons and particle beam weapons are currently unknown. Regarding the benchmark field of directed energy weapons - airborne high-energy laser weapons, China has now achieved precise interception and killing of missile targets flying at Mach 4.
Yes, precise interception and killing!
Compared with missile interception methods that have worrying interception effects in traditional fields, high-energy laser weapons, which are representative of offensive weapons, also have extremely high advantages in anti-missile.
In a sense, there is no difference between offense and defense for lasers.
A month ago, the Air Force Jiucheng Base conducted a first-class top-secret air-based laser weapon experiment led by Academician Hou Jing.
A Y-20 'Kunpeng' test aircraft equipped with a high-energy laser weapon conducted an anti-missile test on the Pili-10 combat missile locked on the target aircraft at Mach 4 flying speed in a predetermined airspace 10 kilometers away. The high-energy laser accurately illuminated the missile seeker. , destroying the seeker components, causing the Pili-10 combat missile worth millions to lose its attack effect.
The specific parameters of this first-level top-secret experiment were not known to Zuo Xue, who did not have enough confidentiality rights and was not an experimenter. However, through her teacher Yang Wei, Zuo Xue basically understood the evaluation results and results of this experiment.
That is, the test passed. ——
After the deployment of land-based platforms, high-energy laser weapons have successfully crossed over to higher-value air-based platforms. Although the test platform is the wide and fat Y-20 Kunpeng, this has already allowed people to see fighter jets using high-energy lasers. Weapons of hope.
Combining fighter jets with high-energy laser weapons is not only a romantic scene that countless ordinary people have always imagined, but it is also a perfect manifestation of cutting-edge technology.
If it can kill combat missiles, it can kill enemy fighter jets.
Using energy weapons on one side and chemical energy weapons on the other. What a romantic picture is this?
As for the final result of the war, it is naturally self-evident.
However, romance is romance. As an aircraft designer, Zuo Xue needs to look at the problem from his own perspective.
"At this stage, large-scale space-based laser weapons have been initially successful and have practical value. However, it is still difficult to apply them to fighters on small space-based platforms and requires a long period of research. In addition, the energy delivery path and energy source are a Serious problem."
Zuo Xue thought silently, looking at the design issues faced by fifth-generation fighters regarding the use of directed energy weapons from the perspective of overall fighter design:
"The small medium-voltage DC integrated power system developed by Academician Ma can meet the needs of large space-based platforms, but it cannot be applied to fighter platforms. I must take these design difficulties into consideration."
question!
By inferring the relevant information obtained at hand, Zuo Xue was able to draw three core questions.
First, the space-based laser weapon developed by Academician Hou Jing’s team has initially achieved weapon-level effects and has actual combat capabilities, but it has limitations.
Second, the overall scale of laser weapons is relatively large. Currently, it can only be installed on large space-based platforms and cannot be installed on small space-based platforms with small body space.
Third, energy transmission pathways and energy sources are still limited and cannot meet the requirements.
This is the difficulty faced by Zuo Xue in designing the use of directed energy weapons for fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Three problems must be solved, balanced trade-offs, and properly handled.
Regarding the first point, the interception target is a combat missile flying at Mach 4 with an effective range of 10 kilometers, which can only be considered preliminary.
The range of potential attack targets includes sub-supersonic anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, near-, medium- and long-range air defense missiles, near-, medium- and long-range air-to-air missiles and tactical ballistic missiles. It is not yet known whether it can attack small targets such as individual air defense missiles.
Here’s the problem, you can’t drive the Yun-20 to the front line, right?
However, this is an issue that Academician Hou Jing’s team is responsible for, and Zuo Xue does not need to consider it.
The second point is the miniaturization of weapons. This is a situation that must be achieved. It is best that the size and weight should not exceed the current aircraft gun weapon system. It would be better if it can be further reduced.
The third point is the most serious situation. The energy transmission path is benefited from Academician Ma Weimin, a super genius in the naval field. The miniaturized medium-voltage DC integrated power system project has been completed and successfully tested at the Jiucheng base. It only needs further miniaturization research and development. Processing will meet the requirements.
However, what about the energy source?
The ship uses a large-scale supercapacitor array group, which can meet the conditions for the use of electromagnetic guns and ship-based laser weapons. One shot after another, there is no need to worry about insufficient instantaneous energy replenishment, but the same cannot be said for fighters on small air-based platforms.
With the pitiful internal space of a fighter jet, it must not only accommodate a down-cycle adaptive engine, but also have a considerable amount of space for an embedded magazine, and it must also reserve space for various subsystems and aviation fuel.
What should we do about the space required for energy sources?
The comprehensive performance parameters of supercapacitor energy storage are indeed good, but they are still not enough for fighter aircraft.
The weight should be light and the energy storage should be as high as possible so that the fighter aircraft can have sufficient number of attacks. This is the design goal.
The design of a fighter aircraft must consider all aspects of balance. If this area is occupied more, other areas will become smaller, thus affecting the overall performance.
Every aspect must be considered and then integrated into one.
The better the integration effect, the higher the overall performance of the fighter aircraft, and it will also reflect the designer's ability and talent from the side.
According to the current development of technology in the energy field, it is far from enough to achieve the goal of actual combat deployment of micro-airborne high-energy weapons.
"The problem of using the energy source on the aircraft cannot be solved for the time being. However, at this stage, a compromise solution can be adopted to meet the use requirements of miniaturized high-energy laser weapons through supercapacitor pods. The canard + side used by the Z-2 fifth-generation aircraft The aerodynamic layout of strip wings + variable forward sweep wings generates a high amount of lift that can completely compensate for the impact of the weight of the pod.”
Based on the problems caused by the energy source, Zuo Xue comprehensively designed the overall aerodynamic design of the Z-2 fifth-generation aircraft and provided a compromise solution that can solve the difficulties in energy source design at the current stage.
