Chapter 1320 Earth OL's Balance Mechanism
As Han Xiangjie's order was given, the cover of the light green tube in the No. 8 launch tube made a "bang" sound and then quickly bounced upwards.
This is a step that did not exist in past training.
Most submarine-launched missiles that are launched from launch tubes rather than torpedo tubes are loaded directly into the tubes, filled with water before ignition, and then ignited underwater.
Even some dry-launch models will use high-pressure gas or the projectile to directly break through the second layer of cover.
After all, the radar components this time still need to be recycled, so the container design is quite sophisticated.
A few minutes later, amid the humming sound of the hydraulic power assist device, a cylindrical device like an umbrella frame rose from below, then unfolded into a rectangular grid antenna measuring 2.5 meters by 8 meters, and began to rotate slowly at a speed of about 3r/min.
"Captain, the antenna array has been powered on successfully."
On the boat's communicator, the chief engineer in the front auxiliary engine room began to report the situation:
"The generator set is operating at high load, but the operating parameters and noise are still stable..."
Due to the rush of the modification time, this radar was not fully connected to the Long March 9's command system. The technicians only had time to separate a line from the signal system so that everyone in the command cabin could see the search results on the multi-function display and electronic chart table, but the control operations still needed to be completed under the rear missile bay. As for electricity, it was directly supplied by the front auxiliary engine room.
“Pay close attention to the operation of the equipment and report to me immediately if there is any fluctuation.”
Han Xiangjie ordered.
"receive."
There was a brief response from the other side.
During previous training, he discovered that the power consumption of this radar far exceeded his expectations.
Although a nuclear reactor can provide nearly unlimited energy on paper, most of it will be transmitted to the main shaft through the gearbox as propulsion power. Moreover, the front auxiliary engine room is completely independent, so the power supply is not as abundant as many people imagine.
After successfully completing this step, the following task process has little to do with the crew team -
There are basically no professional radar positions on submarines, so more than a dozen comrades recruited from surface ship forces and China Electronics Technology Group are responsible for operating the equipment.
As the captain, Han Xiangjie also has time to think about other things.
"I say, Lao Fan, now that power management technology has improved, is it possible for future nuclear submarines to return to the 09I and 09II model, where they first use nuclear reactors to generate electricity, and then distribute electricity to the power and equipment separately?"
While debugging the radar, Han Xiangjie asked Fan Chaohui.
Early models of Chinese nuclear submarines used a steam turbine-motor propulsion scheme, and even had a bit of the flavor of an integrated power system.
But just like the electric-driven tanks in the early years, it sounds quite sci-fi, but in actual use it is quite disappointing in terms of performance and reliability, so the 09III and 09IV still honestly returned to the traditional technology route.
However, after experiencing what happened today, Han Xiangjie suddenly remembered the few advantages of the old model.
After hearing this, Fan Zhaohui pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head:
"Nuclear reactors are different from gas turbines. In the final analysis, power generation still relies on steam to drive steam turbines. Compared with direct drive, they are not superior in terms of noise and equipment size. Moreover, our mission this time is a once-in-a-century event. Under normal circumstances, the power consumption of the equipment on the submarine is not high, and there is no power in this regard..."
After saying this, perhaps because he felt that it was easy to get slapped in the face for making such a hasty judgment, he added:
"Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that there will be newer forms of power generation in the future, or that simple steam turbine technology and power management technology will evolve to a certain level, allowing your idea to become a reality..."
Just as the two of them finished talking about this topic, a slightly unfamiliar voice sounded again on the in-boat communicator:
"Report, the radar has been successfully activated, and is capturing the transmitter signal and preparing to search for the target..."
Only then did Han Xiangjie realize that the person who spoke was Xue Shijun, a technician who was operating the radar in the missile bay, but he just deliberately lowered his voice.
Anti-submarine detection equipment such as sonar is certainly not as magical as it is shown in the movies, where they can hear the voices and footsteps of people inside the submarine.
The actual frequency of human voice is not conducive to long-distance transmission, so even shouting is not a big problem.
A layman who has just boarded the boat can easily be influenced by literary works and behave unnecessarily cautiously.
After Han Xiangjie corrected the problem twice without success, he gave up the idea of continuing to try. He just took Fan Chaohui and quickly walked to the electronic chart table.
In just a few seconds, the radar has captured a target.
The other party's basic information was quickly displayed on the screen:
About 175 kilometers away from the ship, speed 750km/h, heading 220, altitude 16200 meters...
To be honest, when Han Xiangjie saw the first few numbers, his heart even skipped a beat, almost triggering the submarine commander's instinctive reaction -
These data are too similar to those of a US Navy S3 carrier-based anti-submarine patrol aircraft.
Although its performance is not as good as common land-based models such as P3C due to its size, for a submarine floating on the sea, any aviation anti-submarine equipment is like a natural enemy.
Only after seeing the flight altitude parameters did he feel slightly relieved.
No anti-submarine aircraft would fly to such an outrageous altitude.
Sure enough, the information on the electronic nautical chart was quickly refreshed, adding a column for the target model.
Identified as a B52 bomber.
"coming soon!"
Fan Chaohui had been away from the submarine for more than 20 years, so he naturally didn't know Han Xiangjie's complicated inner thoughts just now. His eyes suddenly lit up, his upper body leaned forward, and he wanted to lie on the chart table.
The latter had seen more storms and waves in recent years and was the highest commander of the entire ship. Although he was very excited in his heart, he still appeared calm on the surface.
He just walked slowly around to the other side of the chart table, pretending to have an overview of the situation.
In fact, his attention had already been focused on the target point that was approaching him rapidly.
An airplane.
An airplane actually appeared on the electronic nautical chart.
For a moment, Han Xiangjie even felt a little unreal.
The unilateral suppression of submarines by anti-submarine aircraft is largely due to the fact that submarines have no reliable means of air observation.
By the time the search periscope sees the plane, it's too late to do anything.
But today, he saw a large aircraft approaching 95 nautical miles away.
"If that really is an anti-submarine aircraft..."
Please...collect 6...9...books...!
Han Xiangjie's brain began to work rapidly involuntarily.
This detection distance means that he has at least 15 minutes to react in advance, such as diving to the maximum depth or reducing some engine power to reduce the target characteristics.
If it is during a war, you can also use your advantageous position to fight the enemy in advance and prepare anti-torpedo equipment such as air curtain bombs.
He even had enough time to lay a few mines and detonate them remotely after the sonar buoy entered the water to disrupt the detection process or destroy the buoy itself...
Although I dare not say that I have the advantage, it is at least better than being caught off guard when sailing on the water or in shallow water.
"It would be nice if we could receive this kind of information from surface ships on a regular basis..."
Anti-submarine aircraft will fly at ultra-low altitudes when performing missions, but for range and safety considerations, they will still maintain a normal cruising altitude while on the journey.
This means that surface ships can often detect them from hundreds of kilometers away, providing cover for submarines in more forward positions.
Thinking of this, Han Xiangjie almost subconsciously turned his head and glanced behind the command tower.
Of course nothing can be seen.
After hesitating for a moment, he left the electronic chart table, raised the search periscope again, and adjusted the observation direction to 180°.
What came into view was the mesh radar antenna that had stopped rotating.
This thing looks simple, but it is actually a phased array system, so after capturing the signal from the transmitter, no additional mechanical rotation is required to scan the information.
However, this picture still poured cold water on Han Xiangjie's fantasy.
Obviously, any submarine carrying out combat missions cannot carry such a huge antenna that can only be deployed on the water surface.
"That's right... It's impossible for me to catch up with all the good things..."
Han Xiangjie shook his head in self-mockery.
The world is fair.
Since sea water already provides excellent cover for submarines, it is reasonable to take away the ability to transmit electromagnetic signals as a price.
He lowered the periscope again and returned his gaze to the chart table.
At this time, the B52 was only 93km away from our boat.
According to the information given by their superiors before departure, their observation position at this time is about 51km away from the X90A launch location...
Sure enough, before Han Xiangjie returned to the chart table, he heard Xue Shijun's voice on the boat's communicator:
"Report, the radar detected a falling reflected signal from the B52..."
The chart table cannot directly present altitude information, so the displayed content has not changed significantly at this time. There is only a new entry in the target information column, and because the time is too short, the information is not complete.
"Could this thing fail to ignite?"
Han Xiangjie thought with some evil humor.
If this is true, then being able to watch the Americans fail in the test of their new equipment is a rare experience...
However, if it is 90 kilometers away, even if the distance of the subsequent parabolic movement is taken into account, it is already beyond the navigation range of the wire-guided UUV, and it is probably too late to rush over to collect samples.
However, just as this thought came to his mind, a new signal point separated from the triangle icon representing the B52 and broke the speed of sound in less than 1 second.
"The target begins to accelerate. I repeat, the target begins to accelerate!"
