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

Chapter 514 Rafale 4.5? Does it have stealth capabilities? Can it cruise at supersonic speeds? Can it launch long-range missiles?
Spurred by various factors, Dassault Aviation finally produced the first prototype of the Rafale fighter jet!

For them, this is a new beginning!
"Our fighter jet far surpasses other third-generation fighters of its kind. The F-15 and F-16 are no match for our aircraft!"

"Yes, if we still call it a third-generation fighter jet, it would be an insult to our aircraft. I think it's perfectly acceptable to call it a third-and-a-half generation!"

The French have always loved to be unconventional.

Their aircraft are more powerful than traditional third-generation fighters, but they do not have the stealth capabilities required for fourth-generation fighters, so now, let's just call them third-and-a-half generation!

"That's right, it's a third and a half generation!"

Serge Dassault shook his head: "No, the third and a half generation is not enough to represent its advanced nature. I think it should be called the fourth and a half generation."

What do you mean?
Everyone was a little puzzled.

The advanced fighter jets that the United States is developing are called fourth-generation fighters. No matter how advanced our aircraft are, they do not have stealth capabilities and are not comparable to fourth-generation fighters at all, let alone fourth-generation and half-generation fighters!

"Aren't our fighter jets half a generation ahead of the MiG-29 and Su-27?"

"Yes, that's true."

"The Soviets called their planes fourth-generation fighters, so of course we have to call ours fourth-and-a-half generation!"

Everyone became excited.

That's right, a fourth and a half generation!

In fighter jet development, Russia has always lagged behind the West. For example, in the development of third-generation fighters, the United States first developed the F-15 and F-16. Then, Russia would study the counterparts of these two aircraft, striving to completely outperform them in terms of performance.

In fact, the Russians did just that; both the MiG-29 and Su-27 were superior in performance to their counterparts.

However... because they were developed later, the aircraft that fought against the F-15 and F-16 on the battlefield were still the MiG-23 and MiG-25.

In this way, there will always be a generational gap, and they will always be suppressed and beaten.

What?

Let's move up a generation!
Call the MiG-23 and MiG-25 third-generation aircraft, so they can be considered to be of the same generation as the American planes.

That's right, the Russians' approach is that simple and brutal. Since their fighter jets aren't that advanced, they simply changed their names and artificially called them third-generation! In short, there's absolutely no generational gap.

So, what about the Su-27 and MiG-29? Those are called fourth-generation fighters!

The Russians have a generational system that includes one more generation than the West!

The West absolutely cannot lose to the Russians in this number of fighter jets, so... let's just upgrade ours by one generation!
Marcel Dassault nodded: "That's right, it's a fourth-generation fighter. Serge, sell our advanced fighter jets to the Indians!"

With a single sentence, he made the decision: with this gimmick, they could fool customers in the international arms market!

Our first big client was, of course, an Indian. These days, there aren't many suckers left!

The Middle Eastern customers all had their eyes on the Eastern fighter jets, leaving only India, which couldn't purchase from the East and the Soviet Union's performance was inferior, making them the best customers for French fighter jets!

Serge Dassault nodded: "I'll go myself."

So, having just seen off the British, the Indians welcomed the French.

"Mr. Apuija Singh, it is an honor to be here. We are here to market an advanced fourth-generation fighter jet to you..."

Before Serge Dassault could finish speaking, the other person asked with great interest, "How's the stealth capability?"

One sentence silenced the French.

What stealth capability? Our fighter jets are comparable to third-generation fighters, so where does the stealth capability come from?
"Is the frontal area really 0.01 square meters?"

The second sentence left the Frenchman completely speechless!

Seeing the Frenchman's silence, the Indian was also puzzled.

"Isn't your aircraft a fourth-generation-plus? It should be more advanced than a fourth-generation fighter! The frontal area of ​​a fourth-generation fighter can reach 0.01 square meters. Shouldn't your fourth-generation-plus be an order of magnitude smaller?"

"Ahem, our fighter jets have very little wind resistance, allowing them to cruise at supersonic speeds."

This is what the French are most proud of: when designing their fighter jets, they rack their brains to reduce the frontal area, thus enabling their aircraft to achieve an advanced supersonic cruise capability.

"Really? Can it fly at Mach 1.5?"

This statement silenced the Frenchman once again.

What a joke!
Mach 1.5? Even the M88-2, which is currently undergoing upgrades, can't achieve that! Let alone the original M-88!
Serge Dassault took a deep breath: "Our Rafale can cruise at supersonic speeds of Mach 1.4."

"Is it carrying missiles?"

"As long as the number is less than six, it's fine."

This is the only data they dare to promise!
In later generations, the French hyped up the Rafale fighter jet, and many online enthusiasts claimed that the M88 was a scaled-down version of the F119 engine, directly comparing the M88 to the F119 engine, which was really self-aggrandizing.

Just like some mobile phone manufacturers who claim to be comparable to Apple, they can raise their own prestige.

In reality, they have absolutely no connection whatsoever.

In the field of aircraft engines, the French are quite weak.

The M53 engine used in the Phantom 2000 is a unique single-rotor turbofan engine in the world. Its pressure ratio is incredibly low and its fuel consumption is ridiculously high. It is known as the turbojet engine among turbofans!
When it came to the M88, the French knew that the single-rotor engine could not continue. They frowned and developed the dual-rotor M88 engine, but unfortunately they still didn't have much technical reserves. Anyway, when the Rafale was test-flying, it used the F404 engine, which is currently the most advanced medium-thrust engine in the world.

So, let's just copy F404!

There's nothing shameful about that. In the 1980s, the East also coveted the F404 and even launched a preliminary research project on the medium-thrust rocket. In fact, they also planned to survey and copy the F404, but unfortunately, the technical difficulty was too high and the materials and processing technology did not meet the standards.

The French have some unique expertise in materials and craftsmanship. So, although the M88 copied the F404, its rear turbine provides a high temperature of 1577 degrees Celsius, which is close to that of the fourth-generation F119.

The hype is based on this data to argue that the M88 is comparable to the F119, but in reality...

The compressor is underperforming; despite the high turbine inlet temperature, it only delivers 75 kN of afterburner thrust, a figure that is even less than that of the RD33!

The data is far from that of the EJ200. Fortunately, the aircraft has low drag, which gives it a supersonic cruise capability of Mach 1.4. This capability was obtained with six missiles on the outside, but in reality... it's useless!

because……

Just by looking at the photos, you can tell that the Rafale fighter jet always carries three super-large external fuel tanks!

In contrast, the Su-27 has almost no external fuel tanks.

Why?

The French lacked technical expertise; to achieve decent speeds, the aircraft needed to be lightweight enough! Therefore, French-made fighter jets didn't carry much internal fuel.

When the Rafale arrived, it only had 4.1 tons of internal fuel! Without using external fuel tanks, its maximum range was only 2,000 kilometers!
These are all theoretical data. In actual operation, the combat radius will not exceed 500 kilometers. In order to increase the combat radius, auxiliary fuel tanks must be installed. Those extra-large auxiliary fuel tanks have considerable air resistance!
Therefore, when pursuing long range, even with three external fuel tanks, it is impossible to reach supersonic cruise. When supersonic cruise is required, at most one dedicated supersonic external fuel tank can be carried, and its capacity is not large.

All of this makes its supersonic cruise capability a complete joke, but... the outside world doesn't know this, and India knows even less, so it can be easily fooled!
Indians were almost fooled, but when they heard the other side promise fewer than six missiles, they suddenly realized something.

"So, that means we can't bring auxiliary fuel tanks anymore?"

"Well..."

"How far can it fly without external fuel tanks?"

"It can fly...two thousand kilometers!"

"So, its performance is about the same as the MiG-29? And this is considered a fourth-generation plus?"

"Our fighter jets are of course fourth-generation-plus aircraft, and their performance in all aspects is superior to that of fourth-generation aircraft like the MiG-29!"

The French were deeply insulted! They began to retaliate!

“It can’t compare to the Typhoon fighter jet, so… let’s just forget about it,” Apuiya Singh said.

"Our fighter jets are of course more powerful than the Typhoon!" The French refused to admit it; in their eyes, the Rafale was the best in the world!

"Where is it stronger? Does it have stealth capabilities?"

"Yes! Don't be fooled by our un-faced appearance; we paid great attention to stealth during the design process. Its frontal radar cross-section will not exceed 1 square meter!"

The French did indeed boast about it, after all, they didn't have any stealth aircraft on hand. Since the Rafale couldn't be made to be stealthy, they had to do all sorts of modifications, such as stealth coatings and air intake shielding.
Such a medium-sized aircraft would have a frontal radar cross-section of at least 3 square meters, but they reduced it to less than 1 square meter!

Then, when boasting about it, anything less than 1 square meter is naturally synonymous with 0.1 square meters. This sounds very advanced, but in reality… a non-stealth aircraft is just a non-stealth aircraft; it can't compare to a stealth aircraft at all!
"Forget it, your stealth capabilities are lacking, your supersonic cruise is lacking, and missiles are even more of your weaknesses..."

The Frenchman was baffled: "How come missiles are still a weakness?"

The French have all talk and no action when it comes to weaponry; they're useless at everything, and missiles are one of them!

In the early 1980s, their most advanced medium-range missile was the Matrach 530F, with a maximum range of 25 kilometers.

That's right, it can't even outrun a short-range missile, yet they boast about it as a medium-range missile! Its maximum range is 25 kilometers, but its actual range is only a dozen kilometers—and that's already their most advanced weapon!

In the late 1980s, the Super 530D missile finally completed its test firing and was finalized. The missile's length was increased and its diameter was reduced, which increased its maximum range to forty kilometers.

The "D" here doesn't mean it comes before "F". It stands for pulse Doppler. The development of the 530D was later than that of the 530F. At the same time, it also means that this is the first missile developed by the French that has the capability to attack low-altitude targets!

This shows just how outdated the French missiles were!
After the turn of the millennium, the new generation of Mica missiles developed by the French only increased their range to fifty or sixty kilometers! Meanwhile, the world's mainstream missiles have already exceeded one hundred kilometers!

The Mica's range is only half that of the PL-15, so it's no surprise that it got beaten up in actual combat.

"We plan to jointly develop a long-range air-to-air missile with the UK, using a ramjet engine, with a range of over 100 kilometers."

The French were shocked.

One hundred kilometers!
The French felt a deep blow when they thought about their own outdated missiles with a range of only 25 kilometers…

but……

"Are you the only ones developing this together with the UK?"

"That's not necessarily true. The British said they might also look to other European countries."

Serge Dassault took a deep breath. "If that's the case, then let's go back to the British. We French want to join too!"

Let's also take a look at their Typhoon fighter jets, see what they actually look like! How can the Indians value them so much!

"Then they will definitely come to us. In this field, France is number one!"

East, Chang'an, Flight Test Institute.

A J-9 fighter jet slowly taxied onto the runway. Although this fighter jet has completed all its type certification test flights, it still has to carry out many scientific research test flights.

For example, this time, it carried a unique missile under its wing.

The missile body is slender, and the wings are very small, so small that only a narrow strip remains in the middle. On the side of the missile body, the words PL-15 are written.

That's right, this is the new generation air-to-air missile. The Air Force attaches great importance to this missile and has named it... PL-15!

A new member of the Thunderbolt Family!

Inside the cockpit, Lei Qiang gave a thumbs-up to the outside, and then the command to take off was given.

Run, takeoff!
The entire movement was completed in one smooth motion!
This aircraft has now been fully equipped with the new generation WS-10 turbofan engine. While its thrust may not be as great as the previous turbojet engine, this engine is fuel-efficient and has a long range, making it an essential choice for third-generation aircraft.

The orange-red flames reflected in everyone's eyes as the fighter jets rapidly climbed and soared into the sky.

"Lei Zi calling Tianyan! Lei Zi calling Tianyan! We have arrived at the designated airspace!"

"SkyEye received, data link established! Initiate data sharing now!"

The J-9's radar was not turned on, but the cockpit screen showed a clear picture of the situation in the surrounding airspace!
In the future, the main combat mode of fighter jets will also be the same: with the data support of early warning aircraft, they will turn off their own radar and stealthily approach the target!

The fighter jet continued flying forward for more than ten minutes, and a bright spot appeared on the radar screen.

"Sky Eye calling Lei Zi, target detected, distance 300 kilometers!"

"Received, Lei!"

Lei Qiang pushed the control stick, turned towards the target direction, and continued to fly forward.

Two hundred kilometers, one hundred kilometers...

"Target data has been injected. Requesting missile launch!"

"You are ready to fire!"

Flames flickered beneath the wings as the PL-15 missile detached from its pylon, trailing white smoke, and rapidly ascended.

Since it is already an actively guided air-to-air missile, there is no need to follow the target at the same altitude; it should climb to a higher altitude first!
Twenty thousand, twenty-five thousand, thirty thousand...

The PL-15 climbed to an altitude of 30,000 meters, where the atmosphere is thinner and the missile experiences less drag!
So the PL-15 continued to accelerate, Mach 3, Mach 4...

Once this maximum speed is reached, the first stage of the rocket engine burns out, and the missile begins to enter the inertial gliding phase!
Lei Qiang maneuvered the fighter jet and turned it back to base.

That's right, he's no longer on any missions!
Although the J-9 uses an advanced planar slotted antenna on its nose, its detection range for a target the size of a fighter jet is only a little over 100 kilometers. Meanwhile, the target is being monitored by an early warning aircraft, and if the target changes direction, the missile can be directly guided by the data link of the early warning aircraft.

Therefore, the mission of a fighter jet is to be a missile carrier!
on the ground.

"This technology sounds incredibly powerful. Our ranged attack capabilities have been further enhanced."

"Yes, Mr. Lin, you can indeed consider this a technological revolution. Of course, only we have this technology. Other countries... it would be good if they could achieve this technology in another twenty years."

If the Cold War had continued, they might have been able to develop it quickly, but soon the Soviet Union would have collapsed, and the Americans' technology would have stagnated!
Hearing Qin Liang's words, Old Lin sighed with emotion: "Yes, our technology is number one in the world. Many people are still dissatisfied with your help in developing missiles for the Europeans. Those people should shut up. Our technology far surpasses that of Europe."

"Yes, Mr. Lin, you see, our dual-pulse technology, the first stage of power can propel the missile to an altitude of 30,000 meters and achieve a speed of Mach 4. If it were a ramjet engine, it would take twice as long to propel it the same distance. This is the advantage of our technology. In the future, even if we encounter European missiles on the battlefield, we can launch at the same time and arrive first."

"That's right!"

Old Lin nodded.

At this point, the data link was still transmitting messages back.

"Fifty kilometers away! The seeker has locked onto the target!"

"Thirty kilometers away! Missile begins its dive!"

Think back to ten years ago, the Air Force didn't even have an interception range of 30 kilometers and could only use infrared air-to-air missiles. Now... technology has developed so fast!

The advantage of a high-angle trajectory is that the missile can dive down, thereby gaining more energy!

At this point, as inertial flight continued, the missile's speed had dropped to less than Mach 2!
As it swooped down, the missile began to accelerate!
Mach 3, Mach 4!

"Missile engine ignition!"

Mach 5, Mach 6...

At that speed, there's absolutely no way the target could escape!

boom!
An explosion rang out, and a fireball burst in the sky.

"Target shot down!"

"awesome!"

Old Lin was the first to applaud. Taking down the target from 100 kilometers away—no one in the world is that awesome! Dongfang was the first to do it!
It's important to understand that this wasn't a bomber target; in the final stages of the missile attack, the target drone was still performing high-G maneuvers!

With a roar, the J-9 fighter jets began their return journey!

As everyone watched the J-9 land, they looked at the area under the wings where missiles used to be mounted, which was now completely empty!

The J-9 came to a stop and taxied onto the apron.

"Amazing, absolutely amazing! From now on, aerial combat will be as easy as playing a video game!" Lei Qiang exclaimed excitedly as he came down.

"Yeah, from now on, air combat will be like playing video games," Qin Liang said with a smile. "At Northwestern Polytechnical University, we'll never again make our pilots the 257th shell!"

This is a special story. Before each pilot goes solo, the instructor will test him: "How many rounds of ammunition does the J-5 carry?"

Answering with 256 rounds, which is the actual ammunition load of the J-5, would be incorrect.

Instructor: "Wrong, it's 257 rounds. If we run out of ammunition and the enemy planes still pose a threat, then you and your aircraft will be the last shell!"

(End of this chapter)