Chapter 443: Xiaolong Test Flight

“The fuselage length is 14.5 meters, 11 meters shorter than the J-0.5.

The wingspan is 9 meters, which is also 11 meters shorter than the J-0.5.

Empty weight is eight tons, take-off weight is nine tons, and maximum take-off weight is 9 tons.

The J-11 has an empty weight of 8.5 tons, a take-off weight of 10 tons and a maximum take-off weight of 16 tons.

Because it uses the same turbojet 9 engine and a single-engine, single-seat layout.

In other words, this fighter jet code-named JF-17 has improved in all aspects except its range and combat radius due to weight reduction.

Because of this, the material strength of the fuselage will be required to be higher than that of the J-11.

unless. . . "

Wang Jinyang stood beside Fang Xiang, looking at the JF-17 prototype that was undergoing the final inspection, and murmured.

"Intentionally reducing the power and thrust of the engine, right?"

Fang wanted to take out a cigarette and handed one to Wang Jinyang.

The last time, two years ago, during the J-11's maiden flight, Wang Jinyang was also standing next to him.

The same hangar, the same runway, and even the same test pilot.

"If the engine power and thrust are not reduced, it actually means that the Xiaolong can perform more complex and light movements.

It all depends on whether the fuselage can withstand it."

Wang Jinyang took the cigarette and took out a match to light it for the two of them.

His eyes were full of anticipation.

"Then... give it a try?"

Fang Xiang suddenly thought of the later practice of pulling onions from dry land. With an extremely short take-off distance, the plane took off quickly by relying on the powerful thrust of the engine.

This not only puts a severe test on the engine and fuselage, but also places extremely high demands on the pilot's ability.

This is not a question of whether you dare or not.

You know, this kind of maneuver is very dangerous.

If you make a mistake, it's not something that can be fixed by just ejecting.

You should know that the ejection seat actually has requirements for the ejection height. The minimum ejection height of an ejection seat equipped with a rocket-powered launcher is thirty meters.

But it does not mean that you can eject at will at a height of 30 meters. Whether the parachute can open in the first time, as well as the angle and direction of the ejection are very important factors.

For ejection seats that are not equipped with rocket launchers, the minimum ejection altitude is generally required to be above 70 meters.

Although the lowest limit altitude is 50 meters, who can guarantee that the pilot can open the parachute in the first place?

Once the altitude drops below fifty meters, the parachute will not have time to open.

The consequence...

“Not good…”

Wang Jinyang was speechless for a moment, as he was very clear about the standards for ejection.

Considering the financial resources of Factory 132, launching a few prototypes is nothing but a drizzle. But every test pilot is a treasure!

"Old Song..."

Fang Xiang thought about it in his mind and calculated the thrust of the aircraft and the weight of the fuselage. It was probably impossible to take off at an ultra-short distance of less than 200 meters.

But short-distance takeoff within 300 meters should not be a big problem.

If the Xiaolong can achieve a short-distance takeoff under the power of the WP-9 engine, it means that the J-11 can also take off at a distance of about 350 meters.

If the F110 engine is replaced, short-distance takeoff within 300 meters will be absolutely no problem.

Then correspondingly, the Sidewinder maneuver...

The more Fang thought about it, the more excited he became.

You know, there was no Pugachev's Cobra maneuver yet.

The Sidewinder maneuver will be demonstrated for the first time at the Paris Air Show next June.

Although the time is less than half a year, Fang Xiang thinks it is worth a try.

The Cobra maneuver has very high requirements on the aircraft's aerodynamic performance, including strict restrictions on the aircraft's angle of attack, engine speed, remaining fuel, etc.

But this is not absolute, because what is more important is that higher requirements are placed on the pilot's skills and mentality.

Without absolutely solid technical skills and a rock-solid mentality, most pilots may not be able to perform well even on a simulator.

"Professor, looking for me?"

Mr. Song came over with the inspection book in his hand.

"Remember to have the test pilot test the speed close to the stall and then turn on full thrust.

See how many seconds it takes to reach a speed of 400 kilometers per hour.

Finally, we added a vertical climb test to see how high we could climb and how fast we could climb.”

Fang Xiang certainly would not ask the test pilot to perform such a dangerous and difficult maneuver on a prototype aircraft right away.

But it does not prevent him from testing the prerequisites for doing this action.

The JF-17 is still unstable in all aspects and has not yet reached the mass production stage. Many of the accessories and parts on the fuselage are hand-made.

Many standards are also different. Some parts may have higher standards than actual requirements, while others may have lower standards than actual requirements.

We just don't know it now. It will take many tests and test flights, and the collection of enough data and experiments, before the standards of components can be adjusted to a certain level of balance.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Engineer Song nodded, although he was somewhat puzzled as to why Fang Xiang wanted the prototype to perform such an extreme maneuver on its first test flight.

But he didn't say anything, just nodded and prepared to leave.

“Don’t leave in a hurry, pull out the J-11 in the hangar.

Do a good test, I have an idea that I need to test. "

Finally, just when Mr. Song turned around to leave.

However, Fang Xiang felt somewhat unwilling to give up, as he remembered that there was a J-11 test aircraft in the hangar that had been hand-crafted to a high standard.

Since the JF-11 is unstable and cannot perform extreme maneuvers, it should be okay to test it with a test aircraft that has higher standards in all aspects than the J- currently in service.

"That one... OK, I get it."

Engineer Song's eyes turned, and he immediately remembered the plane that had been sealed in the warehouse for more than half a year.

Although he didn't understand what Fang Xiang was thinking, he nodded anyway.

Finally, he paused to see if Fang Xiang had anything else to say.

"that's all.

Let’s test this one today. After the test flight is completed, please ask the test pilot to come and see me.”

Fang Xiang looked at Mr. Song who was still standing there in a daze and added another sentence.

Seeing that Fang Xiang had nothing to say, Engineer Song turned around and left.

Soon, as the inspection work was completed step by step, Engineer Song lay in the cockpit and said something to the test pilot.

The test pilot kept nodding and looked at Fang Xiang.

It seemed to be wondering why I was doing this.

But just like Mr. Song, although it was strange, he didn't say anything.

As a test pilot and test aircraft, there are often various tests and requirements.

It’s just that today’s requirement was supposed to be in the subsequent process, but was brought forward to today.

After a while, all the work was arranged and the prototype taxied onto the runway according to the procedure.

As Mr. Song's fist fell, the staff next to the airport runway also waved their glow sticks.

The prototype began to accelerate and soared into the sky accompanied by the sharp exhaust sound of the engine.

After completing the simplest flight test, the test pilot also performed a five-sided flight according to Fang Xiang’s request.

The plane slowed down as much speed as possible over the runway until it was close to a stall, then it opened up full thrust and a blue flame instantly spurted out from the tail of the plane, accelerating until it could no longer be seen by the naked eye.

After a while, the plane returned to the airspace above the airport with the sound of jets. When it was close to the control tower, it began to pull its nose hard and took off vertically at an angle of almost 0, flying straight into the blue sky like a rocket.

This caused cheers from all the onlookers near the airport.

"Good boy, you are really brave..."

Wang Jinyang's voice came.

"Did you take pictures of everything?"

Fang Xiang ignored him and turned to look at Mr. Song who was holding a cigarette in his hand but had no time to smoke it.

“It should have been filmed.

Professor, what are your thoughts and plans? What kind of tests are you going to do?"

Engineer Song looked at the camera set up not far away, the lens of which was facing the prototype that was almost invisible.

But he was asking irrelevant questions.

"Have you heard of the Cobra maneuver?"

Fang Xiang smiled with his lips pursed.