Chapter 963: Is Glory also going to make an improved version?

"That's not the case..."

For older generation technicians like Song Wencong, this answer does seem a bit counterintuitive.

Although the Indian Air Force once caused considerable trouble to our country and is still trying to cause trouble to us so far, its main weapons and equipment are basically imported from various countries.

Today, China's aviation industry is basically on the same level as the Europeans, but your Stan Airlines can even have problems when assembling large parts of the Su-30MKI.

Can he compare?

You know it's incomparable, right?

However, younger people, such as Yang Wei, quickly understood Chang Haonan's meaning:

"What Mr. Chang said does make sense."

"I remember...the Tejas fighter jet they developed, the LCA, seemed to have made its first flight at the beginning of this year, right?"

"Yes, January 1th."

Someone nearby quickly answered:

"And the TD1 that made its maiden flight is strictly speaking a technology verification aircraft, not a prototype."

"I remember that there were quite a few reports there at the time, intentionally or unintentionally comparing the LCA with our J-10..."

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Before 1997, it would have made some sense to compare these two aircraft together.

After all, although the size of the aircraft is different, at least on paper they are all standard third-generation aircraft.

Before you really fly, don't laugh at anyone.

Even the TD1 verification aircraft was completed much earlier than the J-1001 No. 10.

But now it's 2001, and doing so would be a bit arrogant.

The TD1 verification aircraft was completed and rolled off the production line in 1995, but it took a full six years of debugging before its first flight.

The second TD1998 was manufactured in 2. It is already 2002 and it has not yet done its first flight test...

In fact, this conversation between the few people was completely just casual chatting.

After all, no one would really regard their Indian counterparts as rivals on equal terms with themselves.

Including Chang Haonan's guess, which was actually just a casual remark -

There are many countries that are currently developing or attempting to independently develop fighter jets.

Including the F2000 fighter jet that was announced to be put into service in 2, it has not actually completed all tests and can only be regarded as a semi-finished product.

Moreover, the ambitious Mitsubishi Corporation also has a plan for "F2 super modification".

Being overtaken by the J-10 is a big shock to these countries.

India does not seem to be particularly special in this regard.

however.

He just made a casual guess.

I guessed it right...

……

The next evening's news broadcast included a two-minute segment that reported, on an unprecedented scale, the news that "my country's independently designed and manufactured new generation fighter jets" had been deployed in the troops.

Although the specific model was not mentioned as usual, the video footage provided in the news was extremely clear.

Anyone who pays a little attention to relevant news will know that it is the J-10.

Moreover, compared with the previous version that appeared at the air show, it has obviously undergone major changes.

It should be the multi-purpose model in the rumors.

In the circle of military and aviation enthusiasts, since they have not been exposed to specific model naming, many people call the two types of J-10s, which have similar basic designs but obvious differences, "air superiority type" and "multi-purpose type" respectively.

And it is believed that he will also join the Chinese Air Force to serve.

Although the idea behind this is problematic, if you only look at these two names, it does make sense.

For a time, the entire China, and even the networks surrounding China, were filled with discussions about this news.

The fact that the J-10 has two versions, one fat and one thin, has been rumored for a long time.

But it was somewhat unexpected that the new version could be delivered before the end of 2001.

You know, the standards for "equipped troops" in China's caliber are quite high.

At least it means that all design finalization tests have been completed.

It is completely different from many countries where a product is "put into service" halfway through finalization.

Of course, most people are just discussing it.

On the one hand, China's progress in the field of aviation technology in recent years is obvious to all, and has gradually raised everyone's threshold of shock.

Moreover, before this, the J-10 had already made two public appearances.

Especially at the Paris Air Show, a large number of extremely high-definition photos were leaked.

Although the ones that appeared were all "slim versions", compared with the original timeline, the J-10 in this life always lacked the meaning of "coming out of nowhere".

On the other hand, the news did not report which unit was the first lucky unit to be equipped with the J-10.

But soon, netizens from Yunnan Province claimed that they saw a similar-looking plane landing on December 12, and there were more than one person.

From this, it is not difficult to identify it as the 44th Air Division.

At most, it cannot be accurately determined to a certain group.

The air force stationed in Yunnan Province was indeed as Chang Haonan had imagined.

Not particularly sensitive.

Or at least not particularly sensitive on the Internet.

After all, several countries neighboring Yunnan Province have not yet fully recovered from the financial crisis of 98.

Network construction and so on...

It might be an exaggeration to say that it doesn't exist, but it's basically the same.

However, in this relatively harmonious atmosphere, there is one country that is an exception.

That was the India that Chang Haonan had mentioned inadvertently before.

Logically speaking, they should have no direct relationship with Yunnan.

There is not even a border.

But if you take a look at the map, you will find that the terrain of Yunnan Province is indeed a bit too good.

Of course, the "good" here refers to the plateau environment.

Therefore, the Indian army has always had a concern.

That is, will China start from Yunnan Province, cross the northern part of Shan State, and directly penetrate into the rear of its vulnerable seven northeastern states?

With this way of thinking, they are naturally very wary of the troops deployed in Yunnan Province, especially the air force.

The competitive mentality in the aviation industry that is triggered by this is almost a natural result.

……

South Asian subcontinent.

Bangalore.

Dr. Kota Naraya is visiting the TD2 demonstrator aircraft, which is about to take its maiden flight, at the final assembly plant with several senior military officers.

Compared with the TD4, which had difficulty starting the engine right after it rolled off the production line and took four years to conduct ground testing until 1999, the TD1 in front of us has made significant progress in assembly quality.

At least on the ground there weren't too many problems.

The reason why it has not taken its first flight until now is mostly out of caution.

The TD3, which was undergoing the final stage of assembly not far behind the group, could even be considered a prototype with a relatively stable technical status.

According to the plan, it will make its first flight within a year of rolling off the production line.

The production of major components for LCA's first full-scale prototype, PV1, has also begun.

Although such performance is not worth mentioning in the global context, it is definitely a real progress for India, which is trying to be self-reliant for the first time.

Looking at the bustling factory in front of him, Dr. Naraya couldn't help but smile.

However, the expressions of the officers standing next to him were not very good.

Especially Air Force Chief of Staff Anil Tipnis, who holds the rank of general.

In the Indian Army's command sequence, he is the highest leader of the Air Force.

"PhD."

Tipnis turned to look at Naraya:

"I think you already know that."

"what do you know?"

A trace of confusion flashed across the latter's face.

He knew a lot of things and really had no idea what riddle the other party was asking.

"Just the day before yesterday, the Chinese Air Force commissioned their first batch of J-10 fighter jets."

Tipnis replied in a serious tone:

"Also, it's somewhat different from the models that have been made public in the past."

"So you're talking about this..."

Naraya breathed a sigh of relief, apparently not realizing the seriousness of the situation:

"I think the version they are equipped with has improved range and payload at the expense of a certain degree of maneuverability. The overall development direction is closer to a multi-purpose fighter."

"Of course, in beyond-visual-range air combat, a larger payload means more rounds of air-to-air missiles can be fired, which is an advantage in itself."

Tipnis nodded impatiently:

"Doctor, of course I know what you said."

"What I want to ask is, will the deployment of this new aircraft in Yunnan Province completely suppress our LCA that is about to be put into service?"

According to the plan, LCA will be put into service around 2006. By Indian standards, it is not a big problem to say that it is "soon".

Faced with this somewhat unreasonable question, Naraya's eyes were full of confusion.

He was not a soldier, so he didn't know about the Air Force's concerns about the Chinese raid on the seven northeastern states.

However, after thinking for a while, he replied:

"Although LCA is roughly equivalent to the J-10 in terms of technology, the Chinese J-10 was originally a medium-sized fighter with a size close to that of the F-16. Now that it has been improved, its take-off weight is probably at the level of the Rafale or even the Typhoon... while our LCA has an empty weight of only five and a half tons, and after normal fuel and bomb loading, its take-off weight is less than nine tons..."

"If it's just an air battle, then I believe the two models should be evenly matched, especially the LCA's agility will far exceed that of the opponent, and may have an advantage within visual range. But in terms of comprehensive performance, our aircraft is limited by its size and may not have enough multi-purpose potential..."

It should be said that this evaluation is relatively objective.

Naraya did not know the specific details of the WS-10 and could only assume that it was a model similar to the F110 or AL31F.

Such an engine is obviously not enough to propel an aircraft whose empty weight is over 9 tons, or even 10 tons.

As for beyond-visual-range air combat and multi-purpose capabilities, unless the technical levels are very different, that is the inherent disadvantage of small aircraft.

However, these words sounded unpleasant to Tipnis.

"Dr. Naraya."

The admiral walked to the front of the TD2 verification aircraft, stretched out his hand and gently patted the leading edge of the wing:

"I think our Air Force also needs an improved LCA model with more advanced technology and stronger combat capability."

Hearing this, Naraya was naturally happy and quickly took two steps forward:

"We do have a program for an improved LCA, currently designated LCA MK1A."

"Basically, it means replacing the current F404 engine with the F414 with greater thrust, increasing the internal fuel capacity and replacing new onboard equipment, including phased array radar and active medium-range missiles, and also gaining some ground attack capabilities."

In fact, Naraya himself was relatively rational.

Although this improved version does exist, it is currently just an idea.

According to his plan, the upgrade should be carried out after the LCA MK1 is equipped to the troops.

Speaking of this to Tipnis now was just to show my face in front of the Air Force Chief of Staff and make an impression on him.

To put it bluntly, it's just empty talk.

However, what the doctor never expected was.

This painting completely drew me into a pit——

Tipnis actually went straight to the point of going down the drain:

"Doctor, can we start the upgrade plan you just mentioned directly based on these current verification aircraft?"

It was only at this moment that Naraya finally felt something was wrong:

"It's hard."

He quickly tried to make up for it:

"The MK1 prototype has not yet been assembled. If we rush to improve it now, the foundation will be unstable and other problems will easily arise."

"I suggest that we wait until the basic model of LCA is delivered before considering the next upgrade."

The doctor's words made Tipnis fall silent:

"Um……"

"In fact, the Air Force is planning to reduce the number of basic LCAs purchased from the original plan of 76 to 24 or 18."

Hearing this, Naraya almost couldn't catch his breath:

"how……"

"You know, according to the plan, LCA will not join the Air Force until around 2006. By that time, the performance of the basic model should have been outdated. We cannot buy a large number of a model whose combat effectiveness is inferior to that of our main rivals."

Tipnis shrugged and replied:

"However, Doctor, don't worry too much. The reduced quantity is not a direct cancellation of the order. Instead, we will purchase the upgraded models you just mentioned."