Chapter 307 Replace All Aviation Engines

The ideal is plump, the reality is skinny.

When Xue Xiangdong made Li Zhan's request to the commander, the commander said, "Commander Xue, do you have any misunderstanding about the engine failure and crashing the plane? Don't talk about Li Zhan, all flights must be stopped, all the time." Let the manufacturer complete inspections of all J-10 engines and eliminate hidden dangers. Before this, no fighter aircraft will take off at Shanshan Station."

Xue Xiangdong was stunned immediately, and then slowly accepted it.

It's not that he has any misunderstanding, but the training of the 101st Brigade has actually reached the most radical state in the entire army. Which military unit would engage in ultra-high-intensity flight training that lasts an average of seven hours a day for five consecutive days? Which military force would allow a pilot who broke up a business to resume flying in such a short period of time?

In the final analysis, the mentality of the entire brigade has been affected by Li Zhan, including Xue Xiangdong.

Commander Da Hongying said, "Just wait, people from the research institute and the manufacturer are working on the investigation. If everything goes well, it will be completed in one or two weeks. Your modification training time will definitely be extended."

"Seize the day. Our training tasks this year are very heavy, and there are also many confrontation drill tasks. The Air Force will organize an all-factor assessment for the entire army this year, and it is clearly stipulated that it will be conducted at the Beiku Flight Training Base. Alas, I can't wait to do it one day. It takes two days to flower." Xue Xiangdong said with a frown.

Commander Da Hongying said, "Then you have to follow the regulations. I can't help you."

When the decision reached Li Zhan, he couldn't accept it at all. What a disgusting waste it is to just sit here and do nothing for a week or two. How could he bear it?

However, after he tried his best to find possibilities and it was impossible to change the current facts, he could only obey the order. His wish to go to a flight training base with Chengda to receive aerial refueling training seemed to be dashed.

Not only was the in-flight refueling training impossible, he and other pilots in the Falcon Group were not allowed to leave the Shanshan Station and had to participate in some technical analysis meetings at any time. Professional technicians understand the technology, but they are not the ones flying the plane. The pilot's opinions and driving experience are very, very important. This is also the value of test pilots. The suggestions made by excellent pilots can even make great progress in the basic performance of an aircraft or solve problems that cannot be solved by a technical team.

Li Zhan felt guilty, because his fall caused the training time of all the pilots of the Falcon Group to participate in the modification training to be extended. The most terrible thing is that this year's training plans and military missions are bound to be affected.

Nie Jianfeng comforted Li Zhan and said, "The engine suddenly stopped and the power dropped off a cliff, which shows that the engine is not just a mechanical failure. Lao Li, please stop sighing. If this hidden danger is not eliminated, these aircraft will definitely not fly." The more than twenty aircraft of the Water Capital Eagle Division are also the same."

He couldn't do anything. He just read and read books every day. He read the theoretical information about the J-10 that he had learned so well that Li Zhan had to memorize it.

"It's almost May, and half a year will pass in the blink of an eye. Two-thirds of the training of the brigade has not been completed. In the second half of the year, there will be simulated confrontations and all-factor assessments of the entire army. The time is tight and the tasks are heavy, so it is wasted at this juncture. Two weeks, this is a crime!" Li Zhan said with a deep sigh.

Nie Jianfeng said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Besides, are you willing to fly an aircraft with potential safety hazards for training?"

"I understand that we have to find ways to get back the lost time later," Li Zhan said.

The two captains and instructors of the Falcon Brigade were discussing how to regain the lost time when Cheng Da suddenly came and brought bad news.

"What? Replace all aviation engines?" Li Zhan stood up in surprise and looked at Cheng Da in disbelief.

Chengda sat down and said, "Yes, to be on the safe side, send all AL-31FN aircraft back to the original factory for inspection and improvement. It is said that there was such a clause in the original contract. Replace them with a batch of AL-31FN that have been improved by domestic manufacturers."

Okay, now it's no longer a matter of wasting one or two engines. When Li Zhan crashes the plane, it directly costs the entire regiment's engines. It is one thing to return to the site for inspection and improvement. If the improvement is not good, there is no other way but to scrap it. In other words, the future fate of the AL-31FN dismantled from this batch of J-10A will be ill-fated.

Of course it is a good thing to change to a more reliable aviation engine, but the problem is that it takes a long time to replace the engine!

This was the main reason for Li Zhan's surprise. What he lacked most was time.

Nie Jianfeng was also panicked and asked quickly, "Chief of Staff Cheng, should we complete one flight and resume flight one by one, or should we replace them all and resume flight together?"

Cheng Da said, "The military region means that all replacements will be completed and then a unified test flight will be carried out. After these tasks are completed, the flight will be resumed in a unified manner."

The last glimmer of hope is gone.

How long will it take to replace all thirty-five J-10A aircraft engines? It will also take at least two months for the manufacturer to fully assist or even take the lead.

Chengda said in a deep voice, "The news we just received has not been conveyed yet. Li Zhan, you'd better be mentally prepared. There may be other changes. I'm going to lead aerial refueling training today. See you later."

Li Zhan saluted Chengda dumbly and watched Chengda leave dumbly. Li Zhan's brain was unable to think for a while.

The changes in front of him were completely beyond his expectation.

Nie Jianfeng frowned and said, "What changes will happen? What other changes? We can't spend two months here..."

"That's the worst result." Li Zhan quickly calmed down and said.

What could be the worst outcome - superiors cancel the decision of the 101st Brigade to modify the J-10.

"Isn't it possible? Just change the commander's order?" Nie Jianfeng couldn't sit still.

Li Zhan was very calm at this time. He analyzed and said, "Maybe the three troops met to discuss the ownership of the crashed plane and the matter reached the aviation commander. The Shuidu Eagle Division received less than 24 J-10s. As a regiment, it would be logical for the flight commander to simply give them all the thirty-six J-10s of this regiment of the Red Eagle Division."

"But the Shuidu Eagle Division is not a large-scale force. They have more than 20 aircraft in one regiment." Nie Jianfeng said.

Li Zhan said, "But they have a standard regiment establishment and have every reason to accept all thirty-five J-10s."

Yes, one of their regiments was a standard regiment (standard A-class regiment), and the other two were small-formation regiments (so-called compendium B-class regiments), so Nie Jianfeng stopped talking.

No matter how shabby the original 101st Regiment was, their establishment was a large first-class regiment, which equipped more fighters than the standard first-class regiment, even if they were J-7s and J-6s. Compilation is a good thing, it means you can get as much as you want.

A standard tank battalion is generally equipped with more than 20 tanks, while a large tank battalion is equipped with twice the number of tanks, more than 50 tanks. The combat capability of a large tank battalion is equivalent to that of a small tank regiment.

Therefore, the Shuidu Eagle Division can make a strong request to the aviation director on the grounds that the entire regiment of the Red Eagle Division will receive the J-10A.

Eighty percent of it is the result of the last meeting.

"You can't sit still and wait for death. Go to the brigade commander."

Li Zhan thought for a moment, and immediately went to find Xue Xiangdong with Nie Jianfeng.

They all live in a small guest house, except that Xue Xiangdong lives in another small building, which is where division-level cadres and above live. The worst rooms are business suite style rooms, with a living room, office and independent bedroom.

Xue Xiangdong obviously learned about the replacement of all J-10A aircraft engines earlier than they did. He motioned for them to come into the living room and sit down. He nodded and said, "The manufacturer recommended that the aviation commander decide that the entire regiment of the Dahongying Division will all be J-10A aircraft." The fighter aircraft was replaced with a new engine using domestically produced parts, and the replaced engine was sent back to the original factory for warranty and improvements. The decision has been made and the work will begin tomorrow."

"Brigadier, will the flight commander cancel our decision to pick up the equipment?" Nie Jianfeng couldn't help but ask, and the question was more tactful.

Xue Xiangdong frowned and said in a deep voice, "There is a possibility. If we cancel our installation, it will be impossible to modify the J-10."

"I think it's a done deal." Li Zhan said pessimistically and calmly. "It will take at least two months to replace the aircraft engine, and it will take another ten to twenty days to test the flight again. If the weather is bad, this time will be extended. We don't We may spend two or three months here, but the aviation commander knows the military tasks our brigade will undertake this year, so it is impossible for us to waste precious time here."

Xue Xiangdong asked directly, "What do you think?"

"Be proactive and apply to go home. Don't wait for the flight attendant to discuss and study for three to five days and issue an order." Li Zhan said.

Xue Xiangdong didn't understand. "I know you have always wanted to modify the J-10. You finally got this opportunity."

"From a personal emotional point of view, I am very reluctant to give up the J-10. I am willing to wait as long as I want. But I am an Air Force pilot and the captain of the Falcon Group. From this perspective, personal emotions are the least important thing to consider." Li Zhan said calmly.

This is the real Li Zhan, he has always been like this.

Nie Jianfeng said, "Old Li, not only you, we also want to fly the J-10. Brigadier, to be honest, the J-10 is much easier to drive than the Su Liangqi. The flying experience of the two is completely different." In terms of quality, there are more than two or seventy-three Jian Shi Lasu. I think even if there is a slight chance, we should fight for it. Eleven of them are eleven, which is better than none at all."

This is also what Xue Xiangdong thinks.

It is well said that the 101st Brigade Falcon Brigade will be modified with 12 J-10As and 12 J-10Bs will be installed. The Falcon Brigade will not only have a full flying brigade, but also have a vertical increase in combat capabilities. The most critical thing is that Xue Xiangdong believes in the mixed brigade concept proposed by Li Zhan. A flying brigade that can independently complete air control and ground strike missions will be the future development model of the 101st Brigade.

The sudden change caught Xue Xiangdong off guard.

It is certain that the Shuidu Eagle Division went to the Air Force Commander to protest and complain. Maybe the Big Red Eagle Division also wore a pair of pants with them. After all, they are air force units in the same military region.

But if it is said that this sudden change is because Li Zhan dropped a J-10A, the reason is not sufficient. The flight controller will not deprive you of your modification rights just because the plane crashed. There is no such case in the entire military.

"What did the flight commander think about..." Xue Xiangdong frowned and speculated.

Li Zhan frowned and said, "Brigadier, I have a feeling."

"Tell me about it." Xue Xiangdong pointed at Li Zhan.

Li Zhan said, "The flight commander definitely did not plan to make such an adjustment because I crashed the plane. The Shuidu Eagle Division and the Dahong Eagle Division must have united to put forward some opinions that were not conducive to us, but They were not the main factors influencing the airline’s decision.”

He paused and said in a deep voice, "I think the high command must have received new instructions, and the changes in front of us should be subject to the overall layout. In general, we will just have bad luck."

Nie Jianfeng scratched his hair and said, "But the commander hasn't given the order yet."

"It won't be a matter of one or two days, so I suggest that we apply to return to Beiku for normal training. In fact, it depends on whether the superiors approve it or not. You will know the attitude of the aviation department. If approved, then we will basically have no chance with the J-10." Li Zhan's tone was very serious.

No one thought things would turn out this way.

After thinking about it carefully, Xue Xiangdong believed that Li Zhan's analysis was reasonable. The last time the 101st Regiment was able to receive the SU-27SKs that were supposed to be given to the Shuidu Eagle Division, it was also because some objective things happened at that time, which objectively highlighted the combat readiness air defense pressure in the North Kurdistan Region.

Li Zhan has no ability to seize other people's planes.

It's probably the same this time. After the Shuidu Eagle Division is equipped with more J-10A, they can provide stronger support to the coastal front-line troops. It is impossible to do these tasks with the J-7, and its range and performance...are all lagging behind. Another reason is that the troops along the coast are the key batch in the third-generation construction, and the Shuidu Eagle Division can conduct seamless collaborative combat training with them by using the J-10 series fighters.

The J-10A can fly from Beiku to the eastern coast only when its auxiliary fuel tanks are fully loaded.

"Brigade commander, we can't hesitate about this matter. If we take the initiative, we can gain some points for impression. It will be easier to reach out and order something in the future. There is no hope of J-10, so isn't there still J-11B? We want all of them, more than fifty J-11B, let’s see who in the world can defeat it.” Li Zhan said.

Rather than saying that he is comforting others, it is better to say that he is comforting himself. Watching the lover of his dreams drift away from him after only being together once, his heart felt as if someone was cutting it with the dullest knife, the kind of pain that penetrated deep into the bone marrow. Heartbroken.

Xue Xiangdong said nothing, stood up and walked into the office, picked up the internal phone and dialed.

After a while, the call was transferred directly to the head of the military region's air force duty. After reporting the situation here, he asked for instructions, "Chief, instead of wasting time here, it is better to go back for training. I request to lead the team back to Beiku."

The duty leader pondered for a while, and it was obvious that this was not an easy decision. There are only two fighter divisions in the air force of the entire military region, and the largest one in the Beikku region is the 73rd Division. Having more than a dozen third-generation fighter jets is something that makes the leaders at all levels sleep soundly.

Now we need to take the initiative to express a humble attitude, so as not to make it difficult for people to make a choice.

Xue Xiangdong hesitated for a moment and reported in a deep voice, "Comrade Li Zhan believes that doing so may be of better help to our department in accelerating the comprehensive modification of the J-11B fighter jets."

"I remember that he admired the J-10 very much and hoped to modify this aircraft." The duty leader said, slightly surprised.

"Yes, he has a deep relationship with the J-10 aircraft, but he has never had the opportunity to fly it. Because of this, I think his analysis is objective." Xue Xiangdong said.

The duty leader did not hesitate and said, "Well, I will report to the superiors and ask the flight attendant for instructions. You guys will wait for orders."

"yes!"