Shepkov, who is in his forties, has more than ten years of flying experience on the Yak-38. The accident in 1976 is still fresh in his memory.
At that time, he was still flying the Yak-38 on land, practicing relevant driving skills. After taking off vertically for decades, he began to switch to flight. When the nozzle turned to 60 degrees, the ejection seat suddenly started to activate, and he only felt A huge thrust came from his butt, and in a whoosh, he flew out.
When the parachute opened, Shepkov was surprised to see that his Yak-38, without a pilot, was still flying.
At this time, he was still in the process of converting from vertical take-off and landing to level flight. He could see the top cover of the lift engine opened and saw that the aircraft's attitude remained normal. The aircraft completed this transition without anyone piloting it. process and then fly forward.
Fortunately, the plane did not fly to Moscow. Instead, it made a big circle and flew to Saratov. Without anyone controlling it, it continued to climb. It reached an altitude of one thousand meters and reached a speed of 650 meters. After that, the altitude continued to increase and the speed continued to decrease. When it climbed to 8,000 meters, it finally stalled and entered a spiral state, and finally crashed on a farm in the Belgodero state.
Although this was an accident, it greatly increased the confidence of the pilots flying the Yak-38. In their eyes, the Yak-38 is a very safe aircraft!
During the most terrifying stages of takeoff and landing, this aircraft has various advanced sensors on board. If there is a slight accident, the automatic ejection procedure will be activated to prevent the pilot from being unable to eject in time and causing danger.
This unmanned flight incident is similar to the incident in 1989 when the MiG-23 flew through five NATO countries while the pilot had parachuted. They all realized that Lao Maozi’s aircraft have thick skin and reliable quality.
Now, if we want to use this aircraft to conduct short takeoff experiments, we can only do it on the Chakri. After all, this is the only place with a jump deck. They can't go to the Nitka base, right? Although the place is deserted, Ermao will definitely charge a terrible rental fee if you want to borrow it.
"Come on, let's go up. This warship is going to turn into the wind at full speed."
If it is to receive vertical takeoff and landing fighters, the lower the speed of the aircraft carrier, the better. But if it is to take off by ski jump, it must help the carrier-based aircraft create takeoff conditions!
The two LM2500 gas turbines started working at full power.
If it is a 4,000-ton 112 warship, using these two gas turbines, it can achieve a high speed of more than 30 knots. However, for the 10,000-ton Chakri, the maximum speed can only reach 26 knots. If If you want to reach 30 knots, you will need two more LM2500s, and the cost will also increase.
Therefore, a lower speed is acceptable as long as the price is cheap. It is a great deal to get an aircraft carrier for the price of a destroyer and frigate.
The bow of the aircraft carrier crackled with water, and the speed became faster and faster. Qin Tao stuck his head out of the porthole and made a gesture to the outside.
Originally, this kind of operation should have been carried out by radio throughout the entire process. However, when choosing electronic equipment, Siam required a large amount of Western equipment, which could only be assembled in Siam. So now, it is not even equipped with a radio, only A civilian maritime radio, incompatible with Yak-38 equipment.
The person below also made a gesture, but did not make the squatting take-off movement, because Lao Maozi did not have such command experience.
In the cockpit, Shepkov made an OK gesture, and then he started the main engine.
For the Sea Harrier to take off by ski jump, both the front and rear nozzles can exert force, but the Yak-38 cannot. For this kind of ski jump, it can only rely on the main engine at the rear, which is almost the same as the take-off method of the Su-33 series carrier-based aircraft. Same.
(It seems that the lift fan of the F-35 was turned on during the ski jump. The old British plane crashed because the rainproof cover was not opened. However, our Yak-38 has been replaced with a more powerful engine. The control program has not been upgraded either, so it is probably too much for the lift engine to cooperate with the output during takeoff.)
With everyone watching, the plane began to roll away. Qin Tao was also worried. If the takeoff failed, the plane might not be sold.
Fortunately, this aircraft was not like the old unlucky British F-35. As the engine roared, the aircraft began to slide quickly on the deck.
Speed up, keep speeding up!
While everyone was watching, the plane rushed to the jump deck at the bow of the ship. The front wheels left the deck, and then the rear wheels!
The entire plane roared into the sky.
Fly, fly!
Rakul was extremely excited: "That's great, we must purchase a batch! By the way, how much does it cost to replace the engine and modify the front wheels?"
"I'm not sure about this. Since it was modified by Lao Maozi's technicians, we can ask them." Qin Tao said.
The takeoff and landing experiment was successfully completed. The Yak-38 flew into the sky, merged with the J-7 hovering and waiting, and embarked on the return journey.
The whistling roar stopped, and everyone in the shipyard was satisfied.
On the deck of the aircraft carrier, LaCour asked the ground crew.
"Dix is responsible for the modification work. He is a technician sent by Yakovlev Design Bureau and has superb skills." The ground staff said: "We don't know how much it will cost, but if you want to modify it, , you must buy an engine.”
"No problem, I'll take care of this." Qin Tao was there to take care of everything: "Tell me the model of the engine."
"It's the AL-21F3 engine."
"I know about the Liulika Design Bureau. I'm very familiar with their designers. I'll contact them! Also, since you have selected them, I will take you to Huating. This guy's name is Dix." The ground staff should be at Huating."
Not taking them there originally was a waste of time on the one hand, and on the other hand it was necessary to conduct take-off and landing experiments here. If the take-off and landing could not be completed, then there was no need to buy these aircraft.
"Okay, after we get down, I will tell the country the good news about the successful test flight!" Rakul was very excited.
Now that we have aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, they will soon have combat capabilities!
"I want to know, what kind of weapons can this aircraft carry?" Tracier continued to ask.
"It can carry a variety of weapons. There are two 225P 23mm cannons in the middle of the wings. There are two pylons on each wing, which can carry one-ton bombs, air-to-surface missiles, and even nuclear bombs. Required For air combat, R-60 air-to-air missiles can also be mounted."
"Can it launch medium-range missiles?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Tao looked over: "Can the Sea Harrier fire medium-range bullets?"
"Sea Harrier...it seems okay?"
"You are not sure, then I will tell you for sure that the Sea Harrier can only launch Sidewinder missiles, not even the American ones."
In the world, only the Italian Sea Harrier can barely launch medium-range air-to-air missiles after upgrading its fire control system.
It is a bit difficult to let a vertical take-off and landing fighter do this kind of thing.
"However, the R-60 is Lao Maozi's missile. If we introduce the Yak-38, doesn't it mean that we will also purchase a large number of Lao Maozi's missiles? There will be another missile in our weapons and equipment sequence. , the logistical pressure will be even greater.”
Qin Tao smiled: "This is simple. As long as you are willing to spend money, we can also modify the fire control so that it can launch PL-5 missiles. Your domestic J-7 fighters will also be equipped with this missile, so that it can be used universally." ”
There is nothing in this world that money cannot solve. If there is, then use more money!
The engine needs to be upgraded, the wheels need to be upgraded, and the weapon system needs to be upgraded, so the price will also go up.
Of course, this has to happen bit by bit, and you can’t just hit people with a stick.
When doing business, you must pay attention to strategy.
The next day, Huating, Dachang base.
"We have a total of more than twenty Yak-38s here. You can choose the one in the best condition." Qin Tao said: "I suggest you look at the nameplate. It has the production date on it. If it is within five years, That’s no different from a nearly new machine.”
"That plane looks weird!"
Qin Tao looked in the direction pointed by Lakul's hand and was stunned for a moment.
The back of this aircraft seems to be no different from the ordinary Yak-38, but its front fuselage has changed a lot. Compared with the ordinary Yak-38, it is at least one meter longer. This is entirely because there are two long and narrow cockpits on its nose.
This is a two-seater aircraft!
If it is an ordinary aircraft, the cockpit can be moved backward to avoid the overall lengthening of the aircraft body, but this cannot be done with the Yak-38, because the lift engine is behind the pilot. If it is moved backward, the pilot will have to sit in the crater.
Therefore, the nose of the aircraft was lengthened.
If you look at the back, you can also find that the back seems to have become longer, so that the front and rear balance can be achieved, otherwise it will become a seesaw when taking off.
"This is a training aircraft." Shepkov came back yesterday afternoon. He had a day's rest and received a flight subsidy. He was in high spirits today and was very enthusiastic when introducing it.
"Trainer aircraft? Okay, with a trainer aircraft, pilots can be trained better." Rakul said: "We need two trainer aircraft!"
Ten Yak-38s and two training models will increase the purchase quantity to twelve.
In fact, if their small aircraft carrier is to carry several helicopters, it should not have more than ten fixed-wing aircraft. However, the training type is only used during training and will stay on land during combat. Their ten combat type, We also need to take into account the flight losses, so this number is not too much.
"Dix! Dicks, come here!" Shepkov waved to a technician.
The man came over and said, "What's the matter?"
"These friends of ours want to make some improvements to the aircraft. You are a designer from the Yakovlev Design Bureau. Please calculate how much the modification will cost."
"How do you plan to modify it?"
"Engine, change the engine. Just like the Yak-38 yesterday, it can take off by ski jump. The front landing gear also needs to be modified." Lakour said excitedly.
"If you don't consider the cost of the engine, the modification cost is about one hundred thousand." Dix thought for a while and came up with a number.
I only spent 100,000 yuan to buy the plane, and now it costs 100,000 yuan to modify it?
Even if you add the 100,000, it’s not much! After this entire procurement plan, the price of twelve Yak-38s is the same as the price of one Sea Harrier.
A good deal, a great deal!
"This aircraft was manufactured in 1986!"
"This one is from 1987, 1987!"
At this time, those who were checking the status of the aircraft were making continuous calls.
The second-hand Sea Harriers they purchased, the aircraft that had gone through the naval battle in 1982 and had a body life of more than 20 years, cost two to three million each! Now, many of these aircraft have only a few years of service, which is almost the same as new aircraft!
"Okay, we can improve it." Rakul agreed: "Please modify it for us immediately."
"If you want to modify it immediately, you will need to pay me, brother."
"Of course, no problem." Rakul immediately called.
Half an hour later, Xu Zhengyang told Qin Tao that the money had arrived.
Qin Tao had a smile on his face and looked at the selected aircraft. Two of them were dragged directly into the hangar, and a large number of maintenance personnel began to dismantle them.
"By the way, Qin, when will the engine arrive?"
The current modification plan focuses on the engine. The maintenance staff have begun to dismantle the engine, but the replacement engine has not arrived yet!
"Engine? I've already said hello and asked people to find it. It should be found now, right? I'll call and ask."
Qin Tao picked up his mobile phone and didn't care at all about the expensive cross-border phone calls.
"Hey, Alexander, my man, have you found the engine?"
"What, found it, brand new? Great! How much does it cost?"
"What? Eight hundred thousand dollars per unit? Isn't this a money grab? That's a turbojet engine in stock! The AL-31F engine we purchased only costs two to three million dollars per unit!"
Rakul on the side frowned, what, 800,000 US dollars per unit? Is this engine too expensive?
They can easily accept the purchase price of 100,000 yuan and the maintenance fee of 100,000 yuan, but they cannot accept the engine price of 800,000 yuan.
Expensive, too expensive!
"At most 400,000, if one is 400,000, I will buy 20." Qin Tao continued on the phone: "If it is 800,000, then let them keep it for themselves!"
Fortunately, at half the price, compared to 800,000, the price of 400,000 is not bad.
Without realizing it, Rakul fell into a routine.
If it costs 400,000 US dollars per unit, then he will definitely jump up, it is too high!
However, if it is reduced from 800,000 to 400,000, it is acceptable. After all, it is only half the price. No one except Mr. Qin can cut this kind of price! President Qin is mighty!
Qin Tao put down the phone, covered the receiver with his hand, and looked at Rakul: "Do you want one worth 400,000 yuan?"
"Yes, yes!"
Qin Tao picked up the phone: "Hey, one unit costs 400,000 yuan. I want twenty units, but you have to give me two more units. That's right, buy ten and get one free. This is the rule of the industry!"
At this moment, Rakul's heart was filled with gratitude.
Qin Tao not only cut the price in half for them, but also ordered two more units. The two units given as gifts were also worth 800,000 yuan!
Wait, why do you need so many engines?
Don't they only have twelve planes?
"Lao Maozi's engines generally have a short life, so you must have a backup engine to avoid being blinded later." Qin Tao explained: "This kind of engine is not easy to buy. Lao Maozi's production lines have been stopped, so using one is less One unit, maybe the price will be higher in the future. These damn arms dealers!"
As soon as Qin Tao explained this, Lakul understood.
Like the J-7 fighters they purchased, the engine life is also very low. When the J-7 was first sold, the overhaul interval was only 150 hours. The customer simply didn’t buy it and demanded that this time be increased. Later, after relevant The efforts of the factory and the research institute have only increased the time to 300 hours, which is more or less enough.
Generally speaking, a life span of 300 hours can be used up in two years. After another overhaul, it will last four to five years. With backup engines, this batch of aircraft can be used for ten years.
What about ten years from now?
"In the future, the vertical take-off and landing fighter jets we developed ourselves will be put into production. At that time, you can purchase our new fighter jets and eliminate these aircraft. After all, these aircraft are only temporary replacements."
Qin Tao has said more than once that they are developing this kind of fighter jet by themselves, and now, they are giving Rakul a big cake.
"By the way, in order not to affect our modification progress, please send us the money as soon as possible. I can also use the money to purchase engines." Qin Tao began to urge.
"Of course, how much does it cost? I'll make a call now."
"Not much, just eight million dollars."
Eight million?
At this moment, Rakul was a little confused.
Forty times twenty, isn’t it eight million? However, this is a lot of money!
Two million and four hundred thousand have already arrived. Now, are you asking your superiors for money? Adding these eight million, it would be more than ten million!
However, the money doesn’t seem to be much, after all, Sea Harrier is not cheap either.
We have already built aircraft carriers costing RMB 30 to 400 million, but do we still care about spending RMB 10 million to purchase a batch of carrier-based aircraft? Look at the United States, the price of carrier-based aircraft is far more than that of aircraft carriers!
"By the way, there are missiles." Qin Tao proposed again: "If you plan to switch to PL-5 missiles, you need to improve the fire control system..."
"Let's discuss this modification project later," Rakul said.
Now, let's solve the immediate problem first. As long as the aircraft can fly, as for the fire control system, it is another modification fee, so let's talk about it later.
Qin Tao nodded: "Okay."
In fact, the price of 10 million to purchase these carrier-based aircraft is not high and is much cheaper than second-hand Sea Harriers. However, it still costs a lot of money to train pilots and complete the modification training.
However, this cannot be counted in the procurement funds, but in the daily training funds. The Yak-38 pilots and maintenance personnel he invited from Lao Maozi will soon be able to become instructors and earn more. Too much money.
A few days later, a large number of senior officials from Siam came to Mingzhou.
For the Siamese Navy, this aircraft carrier is an important project for them. Now, seeing that everything is going smoothly, they are still very happy. When the Yak-38 procurement project was negotiated, although the price surprised them, However, they soon became happy.
They look forward to this aircraft carrier being put into service as soon as possible.
Nares stood on the aircraft carrier deck, looking at the deck with all the marking lines spray-painted, and at the place where the Yak-38 landed last time.
"I heard that the technology of the Yak-38 is immature and can easily ablate the flight deck during the take-off and landing stages. But now, there seems to be no problem with our deck!"
While Narris was speaking, he glanced at Trashil. Apparently, this complaint was also filed by Trashil. This guy, probably from the Harrier group, was very dissatisfied with the purchase of Yak-38 fighter jets, so he always It’s about finding ways to find trouble.
However, these rhetoric seems to be of no use.
"We have an old saying that facts speak louder than words. There is no ablation on the current deck, so this is a rumor." Qin Tao smiled and said: "I think our TV station needs to launch a special program. It’s called MythBusters. During the Cold War, the West often belittled Soviet military products. You can also go to our modified aircraft carrier park and take a look. We didn’t find any deck ablation.”
Does the Yak-38 ablate the flight deck? Absolutely, otherwise why would Lao Maozi use titanium alloy rivets to add a layer of fireproof material on the Kiev-class. However, the ablation of the deck is mainly due to vertical take-off, and a large amount of tail flame from the lift engine blows on the deck.
There was much less ablation during landing, and the carrier's deck fully withstood it.
take off?
The lift engine was not turned on at all during takeoff, and a ski jump was used to take off!
"We in Siam are finally entering the aircraft carrier club!" Rakul said with emotion: "For us, this is a new beginning!"
"Yes, in the future your naval strength will radiate to the entire Indian Ocean." Qin Tao said: "However, if you want to truly play the role of an aircraft carrier, you still lack one thing."
"What?"
"It!" Qin Tao pointed to the outfitting dock of the shipyard, where a huge warship was being improved. Unlike other warships, a huge gantry was erected on its deck.
"Comprehensive supply ship?" Rakul reacted.
"Yes, the aircraft carrier is the overlord of the sea, but its consumption is also quite huge. Generally speaking, it needs to be replenished once a week. If you don't want to travel frequently between the sea and the dock, you need a comprehensive supply ship. .”
"First Evolution"
"Yes, this is what we need to consider next. After this aircraft carrier is put into service, we will include the comprehensive supply ship in our budget." Narris nodded.
"So, do you want to go visit now?"
"If I can, of course I'll go."
So, everyone walked to the comprehensive supply ship that was being refitted. Qin Tao introduced them carefully, how to add oil, how to add fresh water, how to replenish dry goods, which left a deep impression on them. Later, they would choose When integrating supply ships, give priority to Mingzhou Shipyard!
After seeing the aircraft carrier, everyone was very excited and came to the Dachang base in Huating. Here, they looked at the Yak-38 being refitted and looked forward to the bright future.
