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

Chapter 198 This Persian cat is incredibly powerful
"Nanchang, the old prefecture, Hongdu, the new capital, its stars align with the constellations of Wing and Chariot, its land borders Heng and Lu." In the Shanghai-brand sedan, Yang Duo'er looked around at the scenery and murmured from "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng": "Brother Liangzi, it would be great for us to have our honeymoon here!"

"Duoduo, I'm so sorry, I originally planned for us to go to Europe for our honeymoon, to see the Alps and the Mediterranean..."

Yang Duo'er leaned against Qin Liang: "Brother Liang, I'm already tired of seeing Europe. I love the beautiful landscapes of our motherland. Our country's scenery is much more beautiful than Europe's. I've been longing to visit Tengwang Pavilion for a long time, and I have to come and see it this time."

"Once we arrive at our destination, I might be very busy, and you might need to explore the area on your own..."

"It's okay, you'll be back tonight, right?"

"Ah."

"That's fine, just make up for what you owe me during the day tonight..."

The driver was momentarily distracted and almost crashed into a roadside pillar; the car was going a bit too fast.

"Comrade Qin Liang, the Jiangxi Hotel is just ahead." Xiao Wang, the staff member who picked up Qin Liang and his wife from the airport, said from the passenger seat: "This is the best hotel in our city. Provincial meetings are usually held here. We'll have to trouble Comrade Yang Duo'er to stay here for the time being."

“No, no, it’s not a bad deal. It doesn’t have to be so fancy. A guesthouse will do,” Yang Duo’er said with a smile.

“That won’t do. We’ve already prepared the best VIP room in the Jiangxi Hotel for you… However, you’ll need to go up alone. Comrade Qin Liang, you need to get to your work location as soon as possible.”

"no problem."

The car stopped, the luggage was put down, and the reception staff of Jiangxi Hotel were already waiting outside, warmly welcoming them. Yang Duo'er smiled and waved to the car, watching it drive away. The so-called honeymoon had turned into accompanying Qin Liang on a business trip, and she felt a little disappointed, but... as long as they came back tonight! The two held hands, their shadows stretched long under the streetlights, which looked very romantic!

The car continued forward, heading straight for Factory 320.

In 1951, Factory No. 22 in Nanjing was relocated to Nanchang and merged with the former No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant of the National Revolutionary Army. A brand-new aircraft factory was set up at Nanchang Air Station. Initially codenamed 321, it was later renamed 320 and was the largest aircraft factory in the East at that time.

Therefore, even high-ranking officials at the time declared: the first domestically produced aircraft in the country must be produced in Nanchang!

Factory 320 did not disappoint him. In 1954, the CJ-5 trainer took to the skies, becoming the first of its kind in the country. In 1957, the Y-5 transport aircraft took to the skies. Back then, there was no specific project; they built whatever the country needed. It wasn't until the great Lu Dejun came along and modified the J-6 into the Q-5 that Factory 320's main task became producing attack aircraft.

The Q-5 addressed the ground attack needs of the navy and air force, and was also the world's first supersonic attack aircraft. Thanks to the J-6's powerful thrust-to-weight ratio, this aircraft had outstanding performance.

Over the years, Mr. Lu has been thinking about the successor to the Q-5, and he has set his sights on the international trend: variable sweep wings!
After bringing back the MiG-23, Lu Lao started studying the Russian variable-sweep wing structure. Later, after Qin Liang persuaded him, Lu Lao and his team focused on twin engines. Now that they have the Tomcat, Lu Lao and his team can finally make a big splash!

The car drove directly onto the runway, and in the distance, a variable-sweep wing fighter jet could be seen parked there. Countless people were circling around the plane, including workers in overalls, cadres in four-pocketed clothes, and several men with deep-set eyes and high noses and big beards.

The sound of the car startled them, and when they saw the person getting out, Old Lu strode over.

"Old Lu, don't rush, don't fall!" Qin Liang quickly said.

"Comrade Qin Liang, welcome to Factory 320 for the maiden flight of the Persian Cat after its engine replacement!"

Persian cat gets a new coat, that's how fast it is!
After Qin Liang returned from abroad last time and talked with Lang Tuo, he didn't pay much attention to it, since he had a lot of things to do. Lang Tuo contacted Factory 320, and after some discussion, they finalized the cooperation plan and immediately sent the plane over. Meanwhile, things were quickly modified here!
Although the Tomcat's air intakes are located on the sides of the fuselage, unlike the Su-27's ventral air intakes, they are quite similar when viewed from the ventral side. Both have air intakes that run directly to the engine, with two cylinders protruding from the rear of the fuselage, clearly distinct from the fuselage.

This structure is perfect for engine modification!

Grumman was well aware that the TF30 was unreliable, so in the mid-to-late 1980s they put the F110 engine in without much effort.

Now, Factory 320 managed to fit the WP-15 turbojet engine into the chassis without much effort. Their engine is several tens of kilograms lighter than the TF30, and this weight is perfectly replaced by the weight of the additional support frame!
Within a month or two, the aircraft was modified, and the most crucial resonance experiment was also completed. The Langtuo people were also urging us to hurry up, so we decided to make our maiden flight.

On such an important day, we definitely have to invite Qin Liang!
Hearing what Old Master Lu said, Qin Liang was speechless.

My honeymoon! You guys have ruined it. The telegram wasn't detailed enough. I thought there were some problems with the modifications or that there was a disagreement with the Langtuo people that I had to resolve myself. And that's all?

Since we're here... let's get this over with quickly.

"Mr. Lu, I've arrived. Let's begin the maiden flight immediately!"

"Alright, everyone, pay attention, prepare for maiden flight!"

The tall and muscular Langtuo pilots walked toward the plane. They were wearing Langtuo's standard flight suits, carrying flight helmets in their hands, and their eyes were full of determination. Wait, this test pilot is actually... Minuspel?

"General Minuseper, you...you came to test fly in person?" Qin Liang asked, his face full of disbelief.

“There’s no way around it, we’re severely lacking in pilots, and even fewer people qualified to access this improvement project.” Minusepel’s face showed helplessness. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t have wanted to come either, but…

There are quite a few pilots in the Langtu Air Force, but they were all trained in the United States. After the change of government in Langtu, they considered these people untrustworthy, and most of them are still in prison.

If it weren't for the war that followed, those pilots would probably have been imprisoned indefinitely.

"Then... please be careful."

“I have full confidence in the improvements made in the East,” Minuseper said. “Alright, now I’m going up!”

The canopy slowly closed, and the crowd dispersed, listening to the deafening roar of the two engines.

The flame in the tailpipe turned orange-red, a sign that afterburner was engaged. Next, the brakes were released, the Persian Cat unfolded its wings, and it began to taxi quickly on the runway.

Fifty meters, one hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters, lift the front wheel! Two hundred meters! The rear wheel is up too!
Everyone beside the track was stunned.

So fierce?
No fighter jet from the East has ever taken off less than 500 meters. Even the Q-5, in an emergency takeoff, would still take about 500 meters to drop its auxiliary fuel tanks on the runway!
Two hundred meters! This Tomcat fighter jet truly lives up to its reputation; its variable-sweep wing takeoff and landing performance is impressive!
Minusepel's excited voice came through the radio: "This is a real airplane! I love the engines of the East!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wings of the fighter jet began to sweep backward in unison.

The most impressive moment for a variable-sweep wing is when the wing changes shape, especially when it retracts and sprints backward from its extended position, creating a breathtaking effect. However…

Damn, doing this right after takeoff, aren't you afraid of crashing?
With enough power, even a brick can fly! What's more, the Tomcat's swept wings are automatically calculated by computer. The reason it's sweeping now is because the computer has also sensed that the aircraft, propelled by the powerful engine, has the ability to sprint at high speed!
“The climb rate is fifty percent higher than the original engine!” Minuspel’s voice echoed in the sky.

The increase from less than 20 tons of total thrust to nearly 28 tons has a significant impact on the aircraft's maneuverability. Moreover, with only 8 tons of internal fuel now loaded, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the entire aircraft has exceeded 1!

One thousand meters, two thousand meters, three thousand meters...

In one minute and twenty seconds, the fighter jet climbed to an altitude of 10,000 meters!

"This is amazing! This is amazing! Before, airplanes were like tractors, but now I feel like I'm driving a Ferrari!" Minuseper's face was filled with excitement.

"General, should we temporarily disable afterburner?" the radar officer in the back seat asked.

“No, let’s test the maximum speed of horizontal flight now,” Minuseper said. “Let’s continue to experience the thrill of soaring through the sky!”

The intense push-back sensation continued to surge from my back as the Persian Cat began to accelerate horizontally, Mach 0.8, Mach 0.9... A sharp shock cloud appeared at the nose of the aircraft, and then the nose pierced through the shock cloud, entering the supersonic realm, with the speed still increasing!
The power is still surging, that's the advantage of a turbojet engine!
Turbofan engines have a large frontal area and a small core, so their thrust drops rapidly at high altitudes and high speeds. For example, the less powerful Spey engine's thrust decreases from seven or eight tons to around one ton at high altitudes and high speeds—that's right, less than two tons, making it extremely weak at high altitudes. While turbojet engines also experience a decrease in thrust at high altitudes, it's only by 20-30%, not nearly as significant.

The Persian Cat's wings had swept to their final moments, like a spear, Mach 1.5, Mach 2...

The speed is still increasing!

Mach 2.1, Mach 2.2, Mach 2.35...

"General, our aircraft have reached maximum speed!" the radar officer reminded again.

"No, it can still accelerate! I can feel that the engine still has power left."

Mach 2.4, Mach 2.5...

"General, we can't fly any faster! If we go any faster, our plane will melt!" The radar officer cried out anxiously from behind.

Don't just think about your own enjoyment. There's another one behind you. Besides, our lives aren't worth as much as this plane. We only have so many of us!

Minuseper reluctantly shut down the afterburner.

The engine still had power, but their aircraft had already encountered the thermal barrier problem!

Back then, the sound barrier was like a wall blocking the way for aircraft; anyone who tried to cross it would be crushed by it. But in the early Cold War, this barrier no longer existed.

Mach 1, Mach 2... Humanity's pursuit of speed is endless. And so it went until Mach 2.5, when another obstacle appeared.

When an aircraft flies through the air, it generates heat through friction. At low speeds, this heat is negligible, but... when the speed exceeds Mach 2.5, the temperature rises sharply and quickly exceeds the softening point of aluminum alloy!

Therefore, fighter jets made of aluminum alloy cannot fly at speeds exceeding Mach 2.5! This is the thermal barrier.

The Americans chose to use titanium alloys, while the Russians used stainless steel. Of course, to say that it is all made of stainless steel is actually a misconception. On an airplane, the nose, wing leading edge, and tail leading edge are the parts that directly impact the air and have the most friction with the air, resulting in the highest temperature. Therefore, these parts must be made of stainless steel. As for other parts, aluminum alloys can still be used.

Later, when the MiG-25 was upgraded to the MiG-31, the materials for these parts were also changed to titanium alloy.

Now, the tomcat is definitely out of the question. After having his fill of speed, Minuspel had no choice but to give up his pursuit of speed.

Mach 2.2, Mach 2, Mach 1.8... The plane's speed began to decrease, and then...

and many more!

Minuspel stared at the Mach meter in his cockpit, watching the display stop at Mach 1.8, and then... he stopped moving!
What do you mean? Are you seeing things? Is your Mach meter broken?

He rubbed his eyes, looked at the instruments again, but still didn't move. So he called out to the rear cabin, "Radar officer, turn on the radar and measure the ground speed."

"Yes, General."

"1,950 kilometers per hour!" the radar officer reported. "General, even turning the afterburner down a bit isn't ideal. Should we turn it off completely?"

Mach 1 is the speed of sound, and the speed of sound is constantly changing. Under standard atmospheric pressure, in air at 15 degrees Celsius, the speed of sound is 340 meters per second, which is the usual value. This translates to 1225 kilometers per hour. Mach 1.8 is 2205 kilometers per hour.

However, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the speed of sound decreases to 295 meters per second. Considering the decrease in temperature, the speed of sound will fluctuate between 1062 kilometers per hour and 1256 kilometers per hour.

After a quick mental calculation, Minuseper became excited: "Fantastic! Our plane can cruise at Mach 1.8!"

"General, the afterburner cannot withstand prolonged combustion..."

The afterburner has several different settings. It was at the highest setting just now. Now, it should have been downgraded a few settings, but that won't work either, since it's been burning continuously for more than three minutes!
"No, we didn't use afterburner."

Did you not turn on the boost?

The radar officer was stunned: "How is this possible? Without afterburner, we can still fly at supersonic speeds and maintain this speed of nearly Mach 2?"

"That's right, it's because our engine is so powerful!"

The first supersonic cruise aircraft in later generations was the F-22. There are many different versions of the exact figures, since the data for the F119 was fabricated. Generally speaking, it is believed that it can achieve supersonic cruise at Mach 1.4.

Now, on October 25, 1979, the Persian Cat, a modified Tomcat fighter jet, has begun the era of supersonic cruise at Mach 1.8 in the airspace near Nanchang!

This is determined by two factors.

First of all, it is the design of variable sweep wings. When speeding at high speed, the wings are completely swept back, so the drag is very small. When other third-generation aircraft are considered to be first-class when they can exceed Mach 2, the Tomcat can reach a top speed of Mach 2.35. There is no other reason than the variable sweep wings!
Secondly, the engine is powerful!

The original TF30 engine had a maximum afterburner thrust of only 9.4 tons, which was enough to propel the Tomcat to a top speed of Mach 2.35. Now, the WP-15 turbojet engine has a maximum military thrust of 8.8 tons without afterburner, which of course allows the Tomcat to speed at Mach 1.8!
Supersonic cruise isn't actually that mysterious. When the maximum military thrust of one engine reaches the maximum afterburner thrust of another, it's certainly easy to propel an aircraft to the point where afterburner is required. Especially considering that turbojet engines are inherently suited for high altitudes and high speeds!

"Factory 320 calling Persian Cat, Factory 320 calling Persian Cat, the maiden flight has been successfully completed, please return to base!"

The ground radar was watching as the Persian cat was about to fly out of the search range; we had to call for help immediately!
“Persian Cat received!” Minuseper replied, then abruptly slammed the accelerator to slow down.

Hearing the engine roar behind him rapidly subside, the radar officer was so frightened he almost wet his pants.

"General, be careful of shortness of breath!"

He had experienced it more than once: when a clumsy pilot roughly pushed the throttle lever, the engine would gasp for breath as if its mouth had been covered, and then, with a series of wheezing sounds, it would shut down! The silence behind the engine meant death was near!

Unfortunately, his call came too late. After all, he had pushed the lever first, and only after the response did he notice it.

It's over, it's over! A terrifying thought surged through his mind. He looked up at the ejection pin above his head, wondering about the search and rescue capabilities in the east. Below were mountains and rivers; who knew how long it would take to be found after falling in…

Wait, it seems... nothing's wrong?
The roar of the engine continued. He looked out of the cockpit and saw that the wings were fully deployed and the speed had been reduced to subsonic. The massive fighter jet made a small-radius turn in the airspace ahead and then began its return journey.

"Why isn't this engine experiencing surge?"

"This is an engine made in the East. It has high thrust, strong performance, good stability, and won't surge!" Minuspel said. "This is the most suitable engine for our Persian cats! Next, we will replace all the male cats with this kind of engine!"

The TF30 is so outdated, it's time to replace it!
The only drawback is the high fuel consumption, but... it can achieve the same speed as with afterburner without using it, and can cruise at Mach 1.8, so why worry about burning more fuel? Overall, it might even be more economical. Of course, with the afterburner, the drag increases, so the speed will definitely decrease. If you don't want to cruise at Mach 1.8, you can always cruise at Mach 1.5, right?

　P.S.: The first Persian Tomcat fighter squadron included Minuspel in this chapter, though it's unclear who he was.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)