Chapter 963: Is Guanghui Also Going to Develop an Improved Version?

"Not really..."

For older technicians like Song Wencong, this answer does seem a bit counterintuitive.

Although the Indian Air Force once caused considerable trouble to our country, and is still trying to continue to cause trouble to us, its main weapons and equipment are basically imported from various countries.

Nowadays, China's aviation industry is basically sitting at the same table as the Europeans, and your Stan Airlines can even have problems assembling large parts of the Su-30MKI.

Can he compare?

You know it can't be compared, right?

However, slightly younger people, such as Yang Wei, quickly understood what Chang Haonan meant:

"What Mr. Chang said does make sense."

"I remember... the glorious fighter they developed, that is, the LCA, seems to have made its first flight at the beginning of this year, right?"

"Yes, January 14."

Someone next to him quickly answered:

"And the first flight of the TD1 is strictly a technical verification aircraft, not a prototype."

"I remember that at that time, there were a lot of reports there, intentionally or unintentionally comparing the LCA with our J-10..."

Hearing this, everyone laughed.

Before 1997, it was still reasonable to compare these two aircraft together.

After all, although the size of the aircraft is different, at least on paper they are both standard third-generation aircraft.

Before they actually fly, no one should laugh at anyone.

Even the TD1 verification aircraft was assembled much earlier than the No. 1001 J-10.

But now it is 2001, and it is a bit arrogant to do so.

The TD1 verification aircraft was completed and rolled off the assembly line in 1995, but it took 6 years to debug before its first flight.

The second TD2 was manufactured in 1998, and it has not yet done its first flight test in 2002...

In fact, this exchange between the few people is completely in the category of casual chat.

After all, no one really regards their Indian counterparts as opponents on par with themselves.

Including Chang Haonan's speculation, it is actually just a casual remark-

There are many countries that are currently or trying to independently develop fighter jets.

Including the F2 fighter jet that was announced to be in service in 2000, it has not actually completed all tests and can only be regarded as a semi-finished product.

And the ambitious Mitsubishi Corporation also has a "F2 super modification" plan.

Being preempted by the J-10 is a big stimulus for these countries.

India does not seem to be so special among them.

However.

He just guessed casually.

He really guessed it right...

...

In the news broadcast the next night, a two-minute long clip appeared, reporting the news that "a new generation of fighter jets designed and manufactured by my country" was equipped with troops and served in an unprecedented scale.

Although it still did not mention the specific model as usual, the video materials provided in the news were too clear.

Anyone who pays a little attention to the relevant news can know that it is the J-10.

Moreover, compared with the version that appeared at the air show before, it has obviously undergone a major change.

It should be the rumored multi-purpose model.

In the military and aviation enthusiasts circle, since they have not been exposed to the specific model naming, many people call the two J-10s with similar basic designs but obvious differences "air superiority type" and "multi-purpose type" respectively.

And they believe that they will be put into service in the Chinese Air Force at the same time.

Although the latter idea is very problematic, if you only look at the two names, it really makes sense.

For a time, the entire China, and even the networks around China, were full of discussions about this news.

It has long been rumored that the J-10 has two versions, one fat and one thin.

But it is indeed somewhat unexpected that the new version can be delivered before the end of 2001.

You know, the standard of "equipped troops" in China's caliber is quite high.

At least it means that the design finalization test has been completed.

It is not the same as many countries that "serve" in advance when the finalization is halfway.

Of course, most people are just discussing it.

On the one hand, China's progress in the field of aviation technology in recent years is obvious to all, and has gradually raised everyone's threshold of shock.

Moreover, before this, the J-10 had already made two public appearances.

Especially at the Paris Air Show, a large number of extremely high-definition photos were leaked.

Although the ones that appeared were all "slim versions", compared with the original timeline, the J-10 in this life is always less "coming out of nowhere".

On the other hand, although the news did not report which unit was the first lucky person equipped with the J-10.

But soon a netizen in Yunnan Province claimed that he saw a similar-looking plane landing on December 15, and there were more than one person.

It is not difficult to lock it in as the 44th Air Division.

At most, it cannot be accurate to a certain regiment.

And the aviation force stationed in Yunnan Province is indeed as Chang Haonan thought before.

Not particularly sensitive.

Or at least not particularly sensitive on the Internet.

After all, several countries adjacent to Yunnan Province have not yet fully recovered from the financial crisis in 1998.

Network construction and so on...

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that it doesn't exist, but it's basically the same.

However, in a relatively harmonious atmosphere, one country is an exception.

That is the India that Chang Haonan mentioned accidentally before.

Logically speaking, they should have no direct relationship with Yunnan.

There isn't even a border.

But if you take a look at the map, you will find that the terrain in Yunnan Province is indeed a bit too good.

Of course, "good" here refers to relative to the plateau environment.

Therefore, the Indian army has always been worried.

That is, will China start from Yunnan Province, cross the northern part of Shan State, and penetrate directly into the rear of its fragile seven northeastern states?

In this way of thinking, they are naturally very wary of the troops deployed in Yunnan Province, especially the aviation troops.

And the comparison mentality triggered by this in the aviation industry is almost natural.

…

South Asian subcontinent.

Bangalore.

Dr. Kota Naraya is taking several senior military officers to visit the TD2 demonstrator that is about to fly for the first time in the assembly factory.

Compared with the TD1, which had difficulty even starting the engine after it rolled off the assembly line and took four years to conduct ground testing in 1999, the assembly quality of the TD2 in front of us has been significantly improved.

At least not much went wrong on the ground.

The reason why it has not made its first flight until now is mostly out of caution.

The TD3, which was undergoing final assembly not far behind the group, could even be regarded as a prototype with a relatively stable technical status.

According to the plan, it will make its first flight within a year of being offline.

LCA's first full-state prototype, PV1, has also begun production of large components.

Although this kind of performance is not worth mentioning in the world, it is definitely a real progress for India, which is trying to be self-reliant for the first time.

Looking at the bustling factory in front of him, Dr. Naraya could not help but smile.

However, the expressions of the officers standing next to him were not very good.

Especially Air Force Chief of Staff Anil Tipnis, who wears the rank of general.

In the command sequence of the Indian Army, he is the top leader of the Air Force.

"PhD."

Tipnis turned to look at Naraya:

"I thought you already knew that."

"what do you know?"

A trace of confusion flashed across the latter's face.

He knew a lot of things, but he really didn't know what riddle the other party was playing.

"Just the day before yesterday, the Chinese Air Force commissioned their first batch of J-10 fighter jets."

Tipnis replied seriously:

"Moreover, it is somewhat different from the models that have been released in the past."

"So that's what you were talking about..."

Naraya breathed a sigh of relief, apparently not realizing the seriousness of the situation:

"My analysis shows that the version they equipped themselves has increased the range and bomb load at the cost of reducing a certain degree of maneuverability. The overall development direction is closer to a multi-purpose fighter."

"Of course, in beyond visual range air combat, a relatively large bomb load means that more rounds of air-to-air missiles can be fired, which is also an advantage in itself."

Tipnis nodded impatiently:

"Doctor, of course I know what you are talking about."

"What I want to say is, if they are currently deploying this new type of aircraft in Yunnan Province, will they completely suppress our LCA that is about to enter service?"

According to the plan, LCA will enter service around 2006. According to Indian standards, it is not a big problem to say it is "soon".

Facing this somewhat unreasonable question, Naraya's eyes were full of doubts.

He was not a soldier, so he did not know the air force's concerns about the Chinese raiding the seven northeastern states.

However, after thinking for a while, he still replied:

"Although the LCA is technically equivalent to the J-10, the Chinese J-10 was originally a medium-sized fighter close to the F16. Now it has been improved and its take-off weight is probably at the level of the Rafale or even the Typhoon... and we The empty weight of the LCA is only five and a half tons, and after loading normal fuel and bombs, the take-off weight is less than 9 tons..."

"If it's just an air combat, then I believe these two models should be equally matched, especially the agility of the LCA will far exceed that of the opponent, and it may have an advantage within visual range, but when it comes to overall performance, then our aircraft is limited by its size. , I’m afraid it doesn’t have enough multi-purpose potential…”

It should be said that this evaluation is relatively objective.

Naraya does not know the specific situation of the turbofan 10, and can only regard it as a model similar to the F110 or AL31F.

And such an engine is obviously not enough to propel an aircraft with an empty weight of more than 9 tons, and possibly even 10 tons.

As for beyond-visual-range air combat and multi-purpose capabilities, unless the technical level is very different, these are the inherent disadvantages of small aircraft.

However, these words sounded a bit strange to Tipnis' ears.

"Dr. Naraya."

The admiral walked to the front of the TD2 verification aircraft, stretched out his hand and patted the leading edge of the wing:

"I think our Air Force also needs an improved LCA model with more advanced technology and stronger combat effectiveness."

Hearing this, Naraya was naturally happy and quickly took two steps forward:

"We do have a plan to improve the LCA, currently named LCA MK1A."

"Basically, it is to replace the current F404 engine with the F414 with greater thrust, and then increase the internal fuel volume and replace new airborne equipment, including phased array radar and active medium-range missiles, and by the way, some ground attack capabilities can be obtained."

In fact, Naraya himself is still relatively rational.

Although this improved version really exists, it is only an idea at present.

According to his plan, it should be upgraded after the LCA MK1 is equipped with troops.

Now talking to Tipnis is just to show his face in front of the Air Force Chief of Staff and let the other party have an impression.

To put it bluntly, it is just a pie in the sky.

However, what the doctor never expected was

This drawing completely drew himself into a pit--

Tipnis actually went straight to the point:

"Doctor, can we start the upgrade plan you just mentioned based on the current verification aircraft?"

Until this time, Naraya finally felt something was wrong:

"It's difficult."

He quickly tried to make up for it:

"At present, the MK1 prototype has not been assembled yet. If we rush to improve it now, the foundation will be unstable and other related problems will easily arise."

"I suggest that we wait until the basic model LCA is delivered before considering the next upgrade."

The doctor's words made Tipnis fall into silence:

"Well... "

"In fact, the Air Force is planning to reduce the purchase of basic LCA from the original 76 to 24 or 18."

Hearing this, Naraya almost couldn't breathe:

"How..."

"You know, according to the plan, LCA will not join the Air Force until around 2006. By that time, the performance of the basic model should have been outdated. We can't buy a large number of models that are not as powerful as our main opponents."

Tipnis shrugged and replied:

"However, Doctor, don't worry too much. The reduced quantity is not a direct cancellation of the order, but will be replaced by the upgraded model you just mentioned. "