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

Chapter 193 Helping the Husband Change a Tomcat
Chengdu, Factory 420.

As leaders and colleagues from all levels arrived, Director Duan stood up straight. "You used to ignore us, but today we'll make you look up to us!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is our improved WP-15 turbojet engine," Director Duan said, pointing to the engine on the test stand. "Currently, it has passed 300 hours of endurance testing and is in good condition. After you have seen it, we will disassemble and inspect it. According to our estimates, it can run for at least another 50 hours..."

A lifespan of 350 hours after overhaul is defying the heavens!
Everyone was stunned.

Leaving aside Western engines, the lifespan of domestically produced engines is generally around 100 hours. The WP-7 turbojet engine finally reached 200 hours after various efforts. Now, the high-thrust engine has an overhaul lifespan of over 300 hours!

"To extend its lifespan, you have to reduce its performance. I wonder how good this engine is? I hope it can't even compare to the original R-29." Engineer Li blurted out these words; he couldn't help it, he was used to it.

"This engine has a maximum military thrust of 8.8 tons and a maximum afterburner thrust of 13.5 tons."

what?
Everyone was stunned once again.

"That's impossible. The American F-100's afterburner thrust is less than twelve tons, while ours..."

“All of these are recorded. We can also restart the engine and let everyone witness it firsthand. Of course, if you still feel there are problems, you can send it to other brother units for testing!” Director Duan looked at Engineer Li: “Our Factory 420 has never engaged in any fraudulent practices.”

Engineer Li's face flushed red, and he wanted to say something, but Factory Director Zhao glared at him and shut him up.

"What about the weight of the engine?" Old Lin asked with great interest.

"In terms of weight, it has been reduced to 1.75 tons, with a thrust-to-weight ratio close to 8."

Director Duan spoke so casually that everyone present was stunned.

With reduced weight and increased thrust, this engine is absolutely amazing!
The key is speed; it was developed in just over six months. Look at the WS-6 turbofan engine, which took more than a decade to develop, and what was the result?

"How is that possible? The weight has decreased by tens of kilograms?" Engineer Li couldn't help but ask again.

Their WS-6 turbofan engine weighs 1880 kilograms, and the R-35 weighs about the same. It can be said that reducing the weight by one kilogram is extremely difficult!
"Alas, it's a pity this is a turbojet. If it were a turbofan, we could reduce the weight by hundreds of kilograms simply by replacing the fan blades." Director Duan's words were clearly intended to provoke the guests from Factory 410, whose faces darkened.

"Engineer Li, please stop. This is a tremendous achievement for our brother unit, and a testament to the progress of our Eastern Aviation Industry!" Director Zhao said. "We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our brother unit on this significant accomplishment!"

Now that the results are in, it's beneath you to be sarcastic and cynical. It will only breed resentment!

"Well, we have the engine. Now it's time for installation and testing, right?" Old Lin asked again.

"Yes, Mr. Lin, after the ground design is finalized, the next step is installation and testing. We need an aircraft..." Director Duan suddenly stopped speaking at this point.

In the past, they didn't have to worry about these things; they just followed the orders from their superiors. But... the engine development is progressing too fast, and the matching aircraft, whether it's the J-9 or the Q-6, are still just on the drawing board!
What?

"Our Institute 611 will complete the design of the J-9 as soon as possible," Professor Song began. "Actually, the overall design of the aircraft is almost complete in cooperation with Northwestern Polytechnical University. The key is the fly-by-wire control system, which we are still developing..."

That's right, fly-by-wire control!
To achieve greater maneuverability for the J-9, the fixed canards had to be replaced with movable canards, which would then function as control surfaces. However, the control of these canards is non-linear, and conventional hydraulic operation cannot guarantee flight safety.

On Qin Liang's advice, they decided to take a big step forward and adopt digital telex!

This is the first time in China, and it's happening simultaneously internationally, so it's bound to take some time. In the end, the engine has to wait for the aircraft!
"Your J-9 development will take time. Besides, even if it is developed, it will be a single-engine aircraft. Upgrading to a new engine would be too dangerous!"

"Factory 320 is working on a twin-engine Q60, but I wonder how far it's going..."

"That one is slower!"

The smile on Director Duan's face slowly froze. Was this... that the research and development was too fast, resulting in something that couldn't be used even after it was developed? How could such a ridiculous thing happen?
"By the way, where's Qin Liang? Wasn't he supposed to be back already?"

When you encounter a problem, go to Qin Liang! This is almost a consensus among everyone. Moreover, this project was originally proposed by Qin Liang, so he has to take responsibility for it to the end.

Old Lin looked at his secretary: "Where's Qin Liang? Has he arrived in the capital? If he has, arrange a plane to bring him over!"

"Old Lin, he arrived in the capital an hour ago, and then... he was picked up by someone."

"Who?"

"People from the Langtuo Embassy."

The capital, the Lang Tuo Embassy.

“Hello, Mr. Qin, I am Minuseper.”

Qin Liang looked over and saw that the other person was not tall, but he was full of vigor, especially his eyes, which were very bright and made him easily recognizable.

pilot!
“General Minuseper came here specifically from Langtuo Hatami Air Base after receiving the news,” said Abdul, a diplomat standing nearby. “Mr. Qin, because this matter needs to be kept secret, we did not go through official channels directly. Moreover, you have a lot of influence in the East, so we hope to coordinate through you.”

"Yes, no problem. We in the East have been good friends with Langtuo since ancient times. The Silk Road passed through your area back then, and... your Persian carpets are quite good."

“Yes, our two sides have had a great friendship since ancient times. Now, our country is being bullied by both Satan the Great and Satan the Little. We need the help of the East even more…” Abdul said, “You said you have a way to help us solve the problem of Tomcat fighter jet parts. Now, please speak with General Minuseper!”

“Well, let’s start with the male cat’s shortcomings. General Minuseper, you were the first to fly a male cat, so you should know its biggest problem, right?”

Minusepel was stunned. How did the other party know that he was the first to fly a tomcat?
In 73, Lang Tuo decided to purchase Tomcats. The following year, the first batch of pilots flew to the United States for training. The team was led by Minuseppel, the commander of Hatami Air Force Base at the time, who was also the first to fly.

"General?"

"The Tomcat fighter jet has a long-range onboard radar, which can even be used as a small early warning aircraft. Its variable-sweep wing is also excellent, making it adaptable to all airspace. If there is a weakness, it is its engine."

The Tomcat fighter jet was developed in the late 1960s, when there were no third-generation engines available. Grumman had to choose the best of a bad bunch and used the TF-30 engine, which had a maximum afterburner thrust of only 9.5 tons, while the Tomcat's empty weight reached 18 tons! Therefore, its thrust-to-weight ratio was destined to be no more than 1!
Therefore, when engaging in aerial combat with the Tomcat, you cannot fight on the horizontal plane, otherwise the Tomcat will be completely invincible with its wings spread out. You have to engage in vertical maneuvers with it, so that the Tomcat cannot keep up with the pace.

Later, the Tomcat was equipped with the F110 engine, increasing the afterburner thrust to 12.7 tons per engine. This improved the Tomcat's vertical maneuverability somewhat, but it was still only barely adequate. Insufficient power wasn't the biggest problem. The key issue was that this engine was designed for bombers. Bomber pilots flew smoothly and steadily with the engine running without problems. However, in fighter jets, pilots frequently had to push the throttle lever, causing the engine to repeatedly change speed, often resulting in compressor stall, also known as surge, and eventually engine failure.

Qin Liang nodded: "That's right, it's the engine. Instead of using the unreliable TF30 engine, why don't you completely replace it with the engines produced by our Dongfang! We have just successfully developed a high-thrust military engine, which is most suitable for your use!"

Minuseper's eyes widened: "What engine?"

"This engine is about five meters long and less than one meter in diameter, so it can be easily put into the Tomcat's engine compartment. The weight is about the same, so we can skip the center of gravity balancing. And the power output of our engine is many times stronger than the TF30. For example, the maximum afterburner thrust is close to fourteen tons..."

“What did you say?” Minuseper took a deep breath.

One engine weighs 14 tons, and two weigh 28 tons. This means that the Tomcat fighter jet can achieve a thrust-to-weight ratio of close to 1 while carrying 8 tons of fuel and 2 tons of ordnance! The Tomcat's performance will undergo a complete transformation!
“We…have never heard of it.” Abdul was also taken aback.

"Of course I haven't heard of it. This is a top secret of our Eastern Aviation Equipment." Qin Liang said, "It's only because of the friendly relationship between you Langtuo and us that I'm saying this here. If you think this engine is feasible, then fly a Tomcat over and modify it in our domestic factory. Let's tentatively set it at... Factory 320."

Old Lu from Factory 320 is in charge of variable-sweep wing fighters. It would be good to get a prototype and let Old Lu and his team study it. It would also speed up the development of the twin-engine Q-6!

"What's wrong? Having trouble? Gentlemen, your country is in turmoil, so we can't send technicians to replace the engines here. Besides, some of the brackets need to be replaced, and you don't have the manufacturing facilities," Qin Liang said. "Anyway, you lack spare parts. If you don't solve this problem, you might have to ground all your planes! Taking this opportunity to replace the engines is definitely the best option!"

"Sigh, Mr. Qin, it's not that we don't want to fly the plane over, it's just... we don't have enough Tomcats that can fly..."

This is definitely more serious than we imagined. We originally thought that since they had broken with the Americans not long ago, their spare parts would last for a while. We never expected the situation to be so serious!
"Then we'll have to ship it by sea. Send us a Tomcat without an engine, and we'll take care of getting it airborne!" Qin Liang said. "Don't worry, the engines produced in the East are absolutely reliable! They outperform the American ones in every aspect. The only downside is that the fuel consumption is a little higher, but that's not a problem for you."

Training a pilot requires a huge amount of money. The value of a pilot is even equivalent to their own weight in gold—this is no joke. The engine is running, and a single flight consumes several tons of fuel. However, this is nothing to oil-producing countries.

For them, the biggest impact is not money, but range. After all, higher fuel consumption means lower range. But heavy fighters like the Tomcat already have a long range, so even if it is reduced a bit, it is still sufficient.

“Besides engines, we also have a very serious shortage of avionics,” Minuseper continued.

For airborne radar, a very important indicator is MTBF, or Mean Time Between Failures, which is the time interval between two radar failures. The longer this interval, the better the reliability of the radar.

The Tomcat's AWG-9 radar was quite formidable. During pre-service flight tests in 1971, 1972, and 1973, the radar accumulated 28, 32, and 39 hours of flight time, respectively. This placed high demands on the radar, which had a self-monitoring system and was divided into 31 modules. If any one of these modules malfunctioned, it would be isolated and then put back into operation.

Even so, the radar will still have problems after a while. What will we do when the replacement module fails and there are no spare parts?
The purpose of this trip to Dongfang is to resolve these issues!

"Well, that's simple!" Qin Liang said. "We in the East have advanced airborne radar technology. We can completely replace your unreliable radar with our airborne radar. As long as you pay, we in the East can sell you the parts. There will absolutely be no supply disruption!"

A hint of confusion appeared in the other person's eyes. Clearly, they could not accept Qin Liang's proposal. "You Easterners have advanced airborne radar? How is that possible!"

"The AWG-9 radar you're using has reached the top-tier level of the early 1970s, but that was still the early 1970s," Qin Liang said. "Now we're almost in the 1980s, and the radar you have is outdated. For example, there are still a lot of analog components in the radar's electronic components. These parts should be phased out and replaced with digital processing systems. The A/D and D/A conversion efficiency of your radar at that time was not high, so it didn't have a high-frequency pulse mode. Our airborne radar can perfectly solve these problems."

The other person's big eyes were still full of disbelief.

"Of course, if you are unwilling to discard your old radar, then you can only hand over a complete AWG-9 radar to us for us to copy. Don't worry, with our technology, we can quickly copy the corresponding module. In the future, if any module of your airborne radar has a problem, we can directly replace that module."

Minuseper nodded: "We believe in the East's ability to imitate."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Qin Liang was speechless. "In your eyes, are we Easterners only fit to copy? Don't we have the ability to develop our own technology? That's too much, absolutely too much!"

“Okay, that’s settled then. We’ll talk again once you deliver the plane. I need to report to my superiors, so let’s split up.” Qin Liang said, “We don’t need too much to modify this first plane. Just give us ten million US dollars for the modification fee. We can handle the airborne radar and engine issues perfectly!”

There are various accounts of the price of the Tomcat fighter jets purchased by Lang Tuo. For example, later accounts say that 80 jets were purchased for $15 billion, which is obviously too high when averaged out. In reality, the price of Lang Tuo's Tomcat fighter jets in this transaction was about $38 million per jet. However, this was the price in the early 1970s! In those years, the devaluation of the US dollar was quite severe, after all, the Americans were running the printing presses and printing money non-stop.

If this amount of money were converted to modern prices, it would be worth more than 200 million.

Now, these planes are about to become scrap metal, so they need to be upgraded, which requires money!
Airborne radar and engines costing ten million US dollars is definitely not too much! If we calculate it proportionally, with the engine accounting for one-third and avionics accounting for one-third, it would cost more than twenty million US dollars!
"Okay, price is not a problem. We'll go back and coordinate as soon as possible."

When Qin Liang left the Lang Tuo Embassy, ​​the Air Force personnel were waiting at the entrance. They drove Qin Liang directly to the airport, and when they arrived, an announcement was playing in the airport terminal.

"Dear passengers, flight 3318 from Beijing to Chengdu is temporarily unable to take off due to weather conditions..."

Qin Liang was surprised. They're already resorting to such underhanded tactics? What's going on over there that they're in such a hurry to call me over?
After getting off the plane, Chengdu was already brightly lit. When I arrived at the conference room of Factory 420, I could hear a heated discussion taking place inside.

"The first phase of the WP-15 project has achieved complete success. Now we can put it on hold and wait until the fighter jet is ready."

"No, we can't stop! If we don't have suitable fighter jets, we'll load them under the wings of transport planes for flight testing..."

Hearing these words, Qin Liang understood: it was still a conflict between factories and institutes. When would this serious internal friction finally stop?

"Hey, Liangzi, you're here!" Old Lin said with a big smile. "Come on, tell us what to do next with the WP-15 turbojet engine."

"Installation and testing!"

"But we don't have the necessary airborne platform!"

"Have!"

"Transport aircraft won't work. The WP-15 is designed to fly at supersonic speeds, while transport aircraft can only test its subsonic performance at most... Even if our J-9 comes out, it still won't be suitable. After all, this kind of newly developed engine is best suited for a twin-engine configuration, which is the safest approach."

"No problem, let's build a twin-engine heavy fighter."

"The progress of the sixth level is very slow..."

"Let's use male cats."

What?
　PS: Male cat anatomy diagram.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)