Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 188 Aircraft Carrier Demonstration: The Third System Also Has Projects!

Behind Old Liu followed a large group of people, including Old Liang and Old Tu, but Old Lin was nowhere to be seen. It seems that Old Lin had already returned to the capital.

"Professor Liu, my personal strength is insignificant. These research projects are the result of the collective efforts of Northwestern Polytechnical University." Qin Liang said, "You've come at the right time. Come in and take a look at our improved version of the No. 8 bomb!"

"Look, our navy finally has a handy advanced missile!" Old Liu strode in. At this moment, all the teachers and students in the Department of Electronic Engineering were too excited to speak. The big leader had come to inspect, which was an affirmation and praise for our work!

"Dual-mode, that's great! With this kind of guidance head, the hit rate of our missiles can be further improved!" Old Liu nodded repeatedly: "Little Erhei has finally become a great weapon!"

"Yes, that way, the exported missiles will only use radar guidance, while our own will use dual-mode guidance, which will also prevent technology leaks." Old Liang was also very satisfied; the export of the No. 8 missile was finally without any obstacles!

"Now that it's been developed, let's install it on our Super 7 fighter jet as soon as possible. After the fire control system is integrated, we can..." Old Tu originally wanted to say that it could be sold, but it wouldn't be good to appear too money-grubbing in front of so many leaders.

"After the integration, our navy will need to purchase a batch!" Old Liu nodded. Although he was not in charge of the navy for the time being, he had worked in the navy for many years, mainly responsible for shipbuilding, scientific research and naval equipment construction. Therefore, in his eyes, he was still a member of the navy, and what he cared about most was still the construction of the navy.

The leader in the navy blue uniform following behind immediately nodded and promised that the purchase would be made!

"Great! We will definitely provide the Navy with the most advanced equipment!" Old Tu was extremely excited. The Super 7 project was developed with their own funds, and now it's selling well for both export and domestic use. Their Factory 132 has finally developed!

"Our Super-7 has good performance; it can even be used as a carrier-based aircraft."

Qin Liang's words startled the leaders who entered, and then... excitement shone in the eyes of the naval leaders.

Aircraft carrier!

In the early 1960s, when Mr. Liu was the director of the Naval Research Institute, he began to pay attention to aircraft carriers. In May 1970, Mr. Liu presided over the report "Preliminary Opinions on the Construction of Aircraft Carriers", and Project 707 was launched. It was defined as a 30,000-ton light escort aircraft carrier. Construction began in 1980 and it was delivered to the Navy in 1985.

Unfortunately, the country's strength did not allow it, and the key issue was the lack of suitable carrier-based aircraft, so the project ultimately came to nothing.

The J-5 was subsonic, and the J-6 could barely fly supersonic. These aircraft had very poor takeoff and landing characteristics and were not suitable for aircraft carriers. The J-7, J-8, and later Project 891 began to argue that these fighter jets were also unsuitable.

Now, I have it!
The Super-7 has a pointed nose that can be equipped with airborne radar, giving it all-weather combat capability. It has a double delta wing, excellent low- and medium-altitude performance, and a tricycle landing gear that is connected to the main beam, allowing it to withstand the impact of takeoff and landing. The two-section tail has also been modified, and the addition of a carrier hook prevents the fuselage from being torn in two!
With carrier-based fighter jets, the foundation for an aircraft carrier is laid!
Thinking of this, Old Liu's breathing quickened: "Are you saying that it's time for our country to develop aircraft carriers?"

"Well, I don't know. After all, building an aircraft carrier is extremely expensive, and our country is undergoing economic reforms. However... I think we can start the feasibility study now. It won't cost much. If the higher-ups are interested, they can assign this feasibility study to the Third Department of Northwestern Polytechnical University."

Northwestern Polytechnical University is currently the only university in China with complete aerospace, aviation, and marine engineering programs. Under Qin Liang's leadership, aviation has developed, but aerospace and marine engineering are still struggling. It's time to find some projects for them.

In 1956, the Third Department of Mechanical Engineering was established, offering two majors: mine design and technology, and torpedo design and technology. In 1957, the two universities merged to form Northwestern Polytechnical University, and the Third Department of Mechanical Engineering remained as the Third Department, but also acquired a new title: the Department of Underwater Weapons.

In the 1970s, the third department was briefly transferred to the School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. However, this year, the Department of Underwater Weapons was reinstated to Northwestern Polytechnical University. In fact, the Department of Underwater Weapons has never left the Northwestern Polytechnical University campus in recent years, and its enrollment majors have been continuously increasing. Therefore, in 1983, the third department was officially named the Department of Navigation Engineering.

Since all three systems are involved in navigation, using them for aircraft carrier feasibility studies is a perfect fit.

"Alright, call everyone from the three departments, and all the others who manufacture airplanes and missiles, come over too. Let's have a joint symposium!"

Old Liu is so impatient! Qin Liang thought to himself, "Indeed, the title of 'Father of Aircraft Carriers' is well-deserved. It's a pity that the country's economic strength is not yet sufficient; it's probably still just talk on paper!"
Departmental Office Building.

"Director Huang, Director Huang!" With that voice, a middle-aged man strode into the department head's office: "Good news, good news! Quick, let's go to the aeronautics building for a meeting!"

"Old Ma, don't rush, explain clearly, what kind of meeting are we having at the Aeronautics Department building?"

"Professor Liu is here, bringing a large group of people. He first went to the Department of Electronic Engineering, listened to Qin Liang's introduction, and decided to hold an aircraft carrier feasibility study meeting. Moreover, we will be the main force!" Professor Ma said excitedly.

As for why it's in the aviation department building, it's because the conference rooms there are brand new, and it's prestigious to sit in them!

Director Huang was taken aback: "Aircraft carrier feasibility study? Our department is in the field of navigation, but we fight aircraft carriers, we build them!"

Underwater weapons are for striking the enemy! Now, they're going to conduct feasibility studies on aircraft carriers... isn't that...?

“Since it was Qin Liang who suggested it, there shouldn’t be any problem. Besides, so many departments have developed and built their own buildings; our three departments can’t fall behind!” Teacher Ma said, “If…”

He originally wanted to say, "If we don't take on projects, won't we not make any money? If this project drags us down, will Qin Liang still bring us projects in the future?" But he changed his mind before he could finish his sentence.

"If we can't take on this, wouldn't we become a laughing stock among our superiors and lose face for Northwestern Polytechnical University!"

Director Huang took a deep breath. Yes, we can't lose this honor!
"Let's go and take a look!"

The aviation department building is really beautiful. The paint on the walls is shiny, the windows on both sides are spacious and bright, and the corridors are not dark or damp. When I walked to the door of the conference room, I could hear people talking inside.

"Although our Department 3 at Northwestern Polytechnical University currently focuses on underwater weapons development, the country needs specialized talent to develop its economy. For example, the shipbuilding industry needs to grow and secure shipbuilding orders from abroad. Our Department 3 has been planning to expand its major and become a Department of Navigation Engineering, contributing to our country's economic development..."

These words struck a chord with Director Huang. Indeed, our Third Department should be developed into the Department of Navigation Engineering! Let's start with this aircraft carrier feasibility study!
He strode in. "Old Huang, you're finally here. Introduce yourself to everyone..." Principal Ji, who was chairing the meeting, said with a smile.

"No need, we're all old acquaintances. Sit down and let's hear what Qin Liang has to say."

"Distinguished leaders, currently there are three ways for carrier-based aircraft to take off and land: catapult takeoff, ski-jump takeoff, and vertical takeoff. Among them, catapult takeoff has the highest sortie rate, vertical takeoff is most commonly used on small aircraft carriers, and ski-jump takeoff is used to help vertical takeoff and landing fighters increase their range."

Everyone nodded.

Tu Lao stood to the side, full of anticipation. "Our Super 7 has air intakes on both sides. As long as we strengthen the landing gear, we can launch it. So, will Qin Liang suggest using catapult launch?"

"Catapult takeoff relies on steam catapults. Although these devices have a simple structure, they pose a great challenge to the manufacturing process. With our current domestic capabilities, we cannot solve the problems of cylinder leakage and the production of high-pressure air tanks. I think this is unrealistic."

The only ones in the world capable of producing steam catapults are the Americans. Are we really going to import them? Of course not! Not only are they complex to manufacture, but they are also troublesome to maintain. They are the best option for aircraft carriers of 60,000 tons or more, and our national strength does not yet support them.

"Then our Super 7 can't take off and land vertically either!" Old Tu said anxiously.

"Therefore, we should use ski-jump takeoff. As long as we make a ski-jump ramp at the bow, the Super-7 can take off at a distance of 90 meters! In order to make full use of the deck space, we can make two or three takeoff and landing points, one of which can be long enough to extend to the port side of the aircraft carrier. This can increase the takeoff distance to more than 150 meters, so that even if we have heavy fighters in the future, we can take off fully loaded."

Ski-jump takeoff is not the Harrier's exclusive domain. The MiG-29K and Su-27K have also conducted similar experiments. As for the countless laymen in later generations who claimed that ski-jump takeoff cannot be fully loaded, that's just blatant nonsense. Didn't they see the longest takeoff runway on the port side of the Kuznetsov?
At the bow, there are two 105-meter takeoff points. With a deck wind of 25 knots, a maximum of 32.8 tons can be launched. The 195-meter far-point takeoff point, with a deck wind of 25 knots, can launch a carrier-based aircraft weighing up to 38 tons. This is the limit of the Su-33.

You can say that its launch efficiency is low, and you can say that its takeoff and landing will cause interference, but you can't say that it can't allow carrier-based aircraft to take off at full load!

"A conventional fighter jet taking off using a ski-jump ramp? Is that even feasible?"

"Of course!" Qin Liang nodded. "We can conduct land-based experiments. In fact, it's not just for use on aircraft carriers. In special circumstances, such as when an airport is damaged or an island is located, we can use this method. With a runway of over 100 meters for takeoff and a runway of over 100 meters for landing, we can operate our Super-7."

The naval leaders' eyes gleamed. Control of the south was the biggest problem. If they used this method, they could find an island and launch and land Super-7s.
Hmm, I'll have to verify this when I get back!
"This project needs to be arranged as soon as possible!" Old Liu nodded: "Old Fu, you two are in charge of coordinating and finding an airport!"

The leader who was called in had his eyes light up: "Great, let's arrange it as soon as possible! Qiongzhou, then!"

"That's all for takeoff. As for landing, we'll definitely need an arresting system. Since our Super-7 is just a light aircraft weighing around ten tons, the arresting device doesn't need to be too complicated. Our Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern Polytechnical University should be able to take on this design task."

Professor Yang nodded immediately: "Leave it to us, we guarantee we'll complete the task!"

"With the takeoff and landing issues resolved, the next step is the overall design of the aircraft carrier. If we adopt the Invincible-class carrier design, takeoff and landing will interfere with each other. Therefore, I believe we should stick to the conventional Western layout, with a combination of a ski-jump deck and an angled flight deck. The carrier's displacement will be around 40,000 tons, and it will use mature boilers for propulsion, with a single island on the starboard side..."

"This is a completely new plan!" Leader Fu said with a frown. This needs to be considered carefully, because if there are any flaws, it won't be easy to change it later.

"At the naval base, we can set up a temporary aircraft carrier deck and study how to deploy it. Anyway, we are doing feasibility studies, not actually starting construction."

"can!"

"Old Huang, what do you think?"

Director Huang glanced at the top and side views that Qin Liang had already drawn, gritted his teeth, and said, "Distinguished leaders, our Department of Three requests that this glorious and arduous task be entrusted to us!"

Let's talk about the next step!

"Alright, then the Navy will allocate... one million to you for research!"

Only one million! Qin Liang looked up at the ceiling. That's too little!
Teacher Ma, standing behind, exclaimed excitedly, "Great! Excellent! Our department finally has a project!"
“An aircraft carrier is a huge project. It’s too difficult for us to study it if we’re completely clueless. If we had a prototype…” Director Huang began. Since he had agreed, he had to complete the task successfully. Working in isolation wouldn’t work!

Samples? Research? Everyone was helpless. Which country that owns an aircraft carrier doesn't treat it like a treasure? Would they really let us go up and take a look?
"No problem, I'll arrange it!"

Everyone looked at Qin Liang in surprise. "What are your plans?"

"Old Tu, hurry up and build the first complete Super-7. Then we'll send it to the Crying Country. At that time, we'll use the Super-7's carrier-based aircraft as a proposal to thoroughly examine the Crying Country's aircraft carrier, inside and out."

Everyone was excited.

During World War II, Britain built a large number of aircraft carriers. By the end of the war, many were still under construction on the slipways. Some were dismantled, while others were sold to other countries.

Among them, the Colossus-class aircraft carrier HMS Respectable was sold to the Netherlands in 1948 and became HMS Carl Toulman. In line with the trend of the times, steam catapults and angled flight decks were added. The Dutch Navy treasured the aircraft carrier. Unfortunately, in 1968, a fire broke out. The repairs would cost a lot of money, so the Dutch Navy decided to sell it.
The nation that cried after World War II was actually very powerful. It wasn't called the "Paris of South America" ​​for nothing. With its strong national power, it was naturally able to develop its navy!
The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and the Crying Nation funded the repairs. After much effort, it was finally returned to the Crying Nation for service in 1969, named the May 25th aircraft carrier, replacing their Independence.

The Independence is actually the Warrior among the Colossus-class aircraft carriers, but it has not undergone modernization and can only operate F4U Corsair propeller planes. The Crying Nation Navy once briefly possessed a dual-carrier fleet!
Looking back, the navy of the Crying Nation could only shed tears over its few old and outdated warships, which is truly lamentable.

Old Liu's eyes flickered; clearly, he was tempted too! An aircraft carrier—he really wanted to see it! However… given his status, it wasn't appropriate for him to go now.

(End of this chapter)