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

Chapter 254 The J-9 Metal Prototype Rolls Off the Production Line

The capital city, the airport terminal.

"Qin Liang is really something else. There's nothing he can't do, and no one he can't fool!" Old Lin exclaimed.

"Old Lin, don't get too excited yet. This is a fourth-generation stealth fighter. If Grumman really develops it, then..."

"Old Wang, do you think Qin Liang won't set a trap? We'll be working on it while the Americans are still looking for flaws! Don't worry, that Qin Liang kid is cunning and sly..."

Everyone laughed. That's right, how could Qin Liang possibly help the Americans develop their military industry!

"The third-generation fighter jet hasn't even been developed yet, and the fourth-generation fighter jet is already on the agenda. Since Northwestern Polytechnical University was established, the speed of military aircraft development in our country has been really fast!"

"Yes, we don't know when the all-metal prototype of the J-9 will be assembled, so we can see what a real domestically used fighter jet looks like."

"It should be soon. Maybe it will be ready to ship by the end of the year. When that happens, I'll call Liangzi and we'll go take a look together."

Everyone chatted happily, dreaming about the future. Meanwhile, Qin Liang returned to Northwestern Polytechnical University and gathered his team again. He had just assigned the stealth fighter project to the university when teachers from other departments came running over after hearing that he was back.

"Liangzi, we've figured out the theory behind our dual-satellite positioning system, but launching satellites directly is too risky. How about we conduct an experiment on the ground?"

"Liangzi, we've encountered some problems integrating our infrared seekers..."

"Liangzi, a batch of landing gear steel has been prototyped. Next, we need to coordinate with the Shanghai Aircraft Factory to help with testing..."

Why are all these things happening to me? I'm only a junior in college!
In the midst of his frantic efforts, Qin Liang managed to handle all these matters and produced a detailed plan for the project he had conned Grumman, complete with a large amount of computer and wind tunnel data. By then, it was already New Year's Day.

Before I knew it, I'd left my wife in the capital for a while. I figured I'd take advantage of the New Year's holiday to go see how she was doing and if my mother-in-law needed any help...

dong dong dong...

Following the sound, a person ran in.

"Qin Liang, the first all-metal prototype of the J-9 fighter jet has been built at Factory 132. Let's go take a look!"

"Yang Wei?" Qin Liang looked at his classmate, who had disappeared for a long time, with great surprise: "You..."

"Let's go, go quickly!"

Yang Wei had been working on the J-9 all along, and now that the all-metal prototype was out, he was very excited. He grabbed Qin Liang and ran outside, got into Qin Liang's sidecar, and headed straight for the flight test institute in the suburbs. When they arrived, an Air Force special plane landed and picked up some people from the flight test institute, heading straight to Chengdu.

It wasn't until he boarded the plane that Qin Liang realized: he was supposed to go back to see his wife, so why did you take him to watch the plane?

"An all-metal prototype, a significant step in aircraft development." Inside the cockpit, Old Song was beaming with excitement: "Although it can't fly, it has all the necessary equipment. We can check for design flaws during assembly, and test pilots can also experience controlling the aircraft..."

All previous aircraft were modified from old ones, but the J-9 was a completely new development by China Eastern Aviation Industry Corporation! Therefore, the progress will definitely not be fast, but we must proceed step by step!
We already have a wooden prototype and a full-metal prototype. Once the full-metal prototype passes inspection, the next step is to manufacture the first prototype!
Actually, this all-metal prototype can't fly, but its internal structure is no different from a real airplane. The cables used for its assembly alone consumed more than 30 kilometers of length!

Inside the cabin, everyone else was listening attentively, and then... a discordant snoring sound rang out. Qin Liang had actually fallen asleep?
Factory 132.

When the group arrived, it was almost dark. They were tired and hungry, but... no one suggested going to eat or rest. After getting off the plane, everyone went straight to the production workshop of Factory 132!

A beautiful plane appeared before everyone's eyes. Qin Liang, who had been resting and recuperating, was even more excited and ran over with great strides. Although this plane was called J-9, it was almost a carbon copy of the J-10 of later generations!
The radome on the nose of the aircraft was painted black, which contrasted sharply with the metallic pitot tube in front. Above the pitot tube, there was a red ribbon hanging, and below it was a large red flower. Was this for a ribbon-cutting ceremony?

Behind the radome is the cockpit. The three-piece windshield has been removed, replaced by a rounded, curved windshield. Through the windshield glass, you can see the refractive head-up display inside. Although it doesn't have the greenish glow of later diffraction head-up displays, it's still very beautiful. There's also a large sphere at the point where the windshield meets the nose of the aircraft.

"What is this?" Qin Liang asked curiously.

“Infrared detection and tracking system,” Professor Song said from the side. “This is your Northwestern Polytechnical University’s product. Currently, it integrates a 16*16 infrared sensor. Liangzi, you…”

Qin Liang felt a little embarrassed, and then he remembered.

After acquiring the Python-3 missile technology, Qin Liang proposed that more seekers could be developed to form a matrix, thereby capturing images of targets. This could be mounted on missiles to create more advanced infrared imaging seekers.

However, due to technological limitations, it is still too difficult to integrate it onto the missile. Therefore, it is currently being integrated onto the nose of the aircraft to provide another means of detection.

In appearance, it looks similar to the one used by the Russians, both being hemispherical with a probe inside. However, in reality, its technology is far superior to that of the Russians!
Inside the Russian device is a simple infrared tracking system that scans the space 165 degrees horizontally in front, 60 degrees upward, and 15 degrees downward. It is said to be able to detect targets hundreds of kilometers away from the exhaust nozzles of engines with afterburners. When combined with a laser rangefinder, it can accurately determine the location and distance of the target.

However, this thing from the Russians is definitely not the most advanced. The Russians developed this product simply because their airborne radar was not advanced enough and was easily interfered with in actual combat. In order to provide a means of combat under strong electromagnetic interference, they developed this product.

Moreover, this is not a Russian invention.

Historically, the first aircraft to have this device installed was probably the American F-8 fighter jet, which was roughly located in the nose. Even the Tomcat fighter jet had this device, but it was installed in the belly of the fuselage and was not very conspicuous.

Now, we have this too! It looks so high-end!
Helmet-mounted sights, infrared imaging optical detection and tracking devices, airborne radar... all these are equipped on the J-9, making it absolutely formidable!

"Northwestern Polytechnical University has already developed this?"

"Yes, it's already out. We're installing the actual product, not a model. But you're still researching it. When we officially start mass production, we might be able to have a 32x32 array," Old Song said.

Qin Liang nodded and continued looking back. Below the cockpit on both sides were canards, and below the canards were air intakes, rectangular in shape, with reinforcing ribs on top.

Further back is the large delta wing, which is the key to the J-9's ability to soar through the blue sky!

Qin Liang walked from the front to the back, reaching out to touch the exposed rivets, until finally looking at the engine.

The J-9 was originally intended to be equipped with a turbofan engine. The WP-15 turbojet engine installed now is just a temporary replacement. Therefore, the engine compartment was designed with some leeway. Looking at the WP-15 turbojet engine with a diameter of less than one meter, Qin Liang was filled with emotion.

It was this engine that delayed the J-10's development for so many years! Now, thanks to our own efforts, this third-generation fighter is finally about to be unveiled!
This aircraft is a product of catching up with the world's advanced technology, and the next aircraft will be a product that surpasses the world's advanced level! He was reborn without a system, and he has managed to get this far by relying on the knowledge and path he has mastered in his mind, which is already quite remarkable! Qin Liang looked at the aircraft in front of him as if he were looking at his own child.

*Ahem*, I'm still a college student, still a child myself; I can't have children now. The other leaders also saw the plane, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"No matter what model you see, nothing beats seeing the actual machine!"

"That's right, this plane looks awesome!"

Amidst everyone's sighs, Qin Liang went to the nose of the plane, climbed the gangway, and glanced into the cockpit...

"Why are they still all dashboards?"

"Sigh, the display screen in the cockpit of this aircraft has not yet been developed, and the relevant supporting enterprises..." Old Song shook his head helplessly.

In the past, the cockpits of fighter jets were filled with a large number of instruments, with at most a radar display, which was a small cathode ray tube, similar to an oscilloscope.

In the early 1980s, most third-generation fighter jet cockpits were still primarily instrument-based, as can be seen in the early F-15 and F-16 cockpits.

The display technology for this cabin also needs to be developed gradually. The most critical issue right now is that there are simply no supporting companies in China!
Domestic cockpit instrument manufacturers simply cannot produce displays, while civilian television picture tube manufacturers feel that military orders are too few and there is no need to specifically develop them. As for LCD displays... at most they can only display numbers, the kind used in calculators, and it won't be until the late 1980s that a breakthrough will be made, and they are not clear under strong light.

So, it still retains the style of a watch shop. It's really not easy to achieve a modern cockpit layout with one level and three levels!

But... without a horizontal and three vertical maneuvers, can it still be considered a modern aircraft?

Advances in electronic technology will make people's lives better and make the operation of fighter jets simpler.

With large displays on fighter jets, various aircraft data, digital maps, navigation information, and more can be shown, which will greatly reduce the burden of flying. Although veteran pilots may not be used to it yet, once they get used to it, there is absolutely no going back.

Qin Liang frowned: "Don't the factories in the aviation industry system that originally made aviation instruments have this idea?"

Later airplanes all had glass cockpits. Even passenger planes and transport planes didn't have any instruments. If aviation instrument factories don't want to transform, won't they go out of business in the future?

"They..." Old Song hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

The last time Marconi's avionics were introduced, the head-up display problem was solved, but the downward-facing display adapted to third-generation aircraft is still far from being realized. As long as the current aircraft are still using aviation instruments, those factories will not face a survival crisis, so why would they think about reform?
"Alright, if others won't do it, we at Northwestern Polytechnical University will!"

Sad for its misfortune, anger for its indisputable!

The manufacturing technology for this cockpit display is not particularly complicated; it's just a flat, right-angled cathode ray tube! In addition to producing this cockpit display, we can also produce computer monitors. Anyway, computer monitors aren't very big these days; 12 inches is already the mainstream size, which is about the same as those in fighter jet cockpits.

Moreover, this monitor has no protrusion, resulting in minimal distortion of text and images, which will surely make it popular. This way, it won't be unable to generate profits due to low production volume.

The Air Force leaders, who were watching from the sidelines, realized that without Northwestern Polytechnical University, there would be no modernization of the Air Force!
"Qin Liang, can you explain the function of this monitor to us?" Old Lin asked.

"Of course." Qin Liang nodded: "The current instrument panel is too complicated, with all kinds of instruments densely packed together. Although pilots have developed the ability to tell whether the instrument display is correct at a glance, the large number of instruments still distracts the pilots and makes it impossible to display enough data."

"Our future cockpit layout will feature a head-up display (HUD) on top and three lower displays below, arranged in an inverted triangular shape. All flight-related information will be displayed on the main flight display on the left. In addition to displaying the original instrument panel information, such as attitude and speed, this display will also show the aircraft's future flight path..."

The air force leaders stared wide-eyed as Qin Liang spoke while drawing images on the monitor. The information displayed would greatly reduce the pilots' workload, especially the future flight routes, which would allow pilots to make predictions.

"Relevant to combat is the tactical situation display on the right. You can think of it as an upgraded version of the radar screen. It can not only display radar information, but also map data. For example, when bombing enemy targets, the map on the screen will be enlarged and will also show your own trajectory, so you know your location at any time... If it is a color display, different colors can be used to express different information..."

The air force leaders felt their brains were starting to malfunction; this technology sounded like science fiction!

“Since it’s so useful, there’s no need for Northwestern Polytechnical University to set up a special production line. In Sichuan Province, there’s our state-owned Factory 780, which has been manufacturing televisions for years. Let’s assign the production task to them! They have to do it whether they want to or not!” said an Air Force leader present.

If you're looking for a supplier that specializes in manufacturing cockpit avionics equipment, and you don't want to make cockpit displays, then forget it, let's find someone who can handle that!

Factory 780? Upon hearing this, Qin Liang thought of something: "Changhong?"

"That's right. Factory 780 was originally a military factory that manufactured airborne fire control radar. Starting in the early 1970s, they trial-produced their first black and white television set. A few years ago, they even managed to produce a color television set under the brand name Changhong. It's not far away, let's make a call now!"

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, during the first Five-Year Plan, the Changhong Machinery Factory broke ground in Sichuan Province. At that time, it was the only manufacturing base in China for airborne fire control radar, producing fire control radar needed for night fighter jets.

However, the demand for these poor-quality, outdated airborne fire control radars was very small and could not meet their needs at all, so they began to transform their systems in 1958.

Compared to most military factories that transitioned from military to civilian production in the 1980s, Changhong began transforming from a military enterprise into a military-civilian integrated enterprise in the late 1950s, and focused on color TVs!
By the 1990s, Changhong had almost dominated half of the Eastern market. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. Changhong made a series of strategic mistakes. When the era of cathode ray tubes had passed, Changhong was still spending money on rear projection televisions. When it realized that this technology was outdated, it spent money on plasma televisions.

Every step they took was on the wrong path! Changhong chose the wrong technology path and wasted a lot of money, and from then on, it began to decline. In addition, it rashly trusted the United States and was cheated out of 3 billion yuan when it entered the American market, so it was relegated to a marginalized role.

Of course, the way Changhong turned out isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, Changhong's history is a story of a dragon slayer gradually turning into a dragon...

This time... let's see if Changhong is sensible or not. If they can help, they will; if not... Northwestern Polytechnical University can also manufacture color TVs and become a dark horse in the Eastern market!
Standing to the side, Old Song was filled with excitement. "Once this cockpit display system is developed, our J-9 fighter jet will become the most advanced fighter jet in the world!"

"Liangzi, once we can get this done in three steps, can we install it on our other aircraft too?" Old Tu chimed in from the side, "For example, if our JF-17 Thunder fighter jet were equipped with this kind of equipment, it would definitely become the most eye-catching export fighter jet!"

Older aircraft lack the 1553B data bus, making modifications impossible. The JF-17 Thunder, an export-oriented fighter jet, was designed according to international standards.

"That's a must! By the way, has construction started on our JF-17 Thunder?"

The design is complete, and the next step is trial production. Qin Liang hasn't been to Factory 132 during this time, so he doesn't know how things are going there.

"Work has started." Old Tu smiled. "Judging from the progress, our JF-17 Thunder will likely have its maiden flight even earlier than the J-9."

The J-9 has only just produced a metal prototype, while the JF-17 has already begun building its first prototype for test flights!
The J-9, with its canard configuration, had to be developed step by step. The JF-17, in the end, was developed step by step from the J-7 to the J-7. In later years, with the injection of funds, the JF-17 was quickly developed to the point of its maiden flight. Now, it is no exception!
The air force leaders became interested: "Let's go take a look!"

　PS: The original metal prototype, the earliest cockpit layout of the J-10, and the cockpit style of the Russians.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)