Far away from the mainland, an aircraft carrier sailing in the ocean suddenly encounters an emergency. What should the crew do if they need to go ashore for treatment due to emergencies?
The aircraft carrier used full power to rush to the shore. It was obviously inappropriate and too late. It started the carrier-based helicopter to pull to the shore. The speed was too slow and the range was too short, which wasted time. Of course, the fastest way is to use a two-seat carrier-based fighter jet to fly back with afterburner. If the range is not enough, get a tanker to transfer. It seems feasible, but let’s not talk about whether the sick and wounded can sit in a small cockpit for long distances. The fighter needs a dedicated airport to land. If it is too far from the hospital, it cannot be ejected and airdropped. Therefore, the most effective way is to equip a carrier-based fixed-wing transport aircraft that is comfortable and reliable, and can directly travel between the aircraft carrier and the shore to achieve seamless long-distance docking. Recently, the Naval Aviation University organized a simulated land-based landing of a transport aircraft to give us hope.
Transport aircraft land-based simulation landing
Transport aircraft land-based simulation landing
Since the first two types of aircraft carriers of the Navy are ski-jump take-off types, it is impossible to drive large transport aircraft onto the aircraft carrier, so it can send people to the shore or send supplies to the aircraft carrier over a long distance. It is unrealistic and can only rely on small aircraft such as the Z-9 for emergency response at close range. However, with the emergence of catapult aircraft carriers such as the Fujian, larger and heavier transport aircraft can also be launched into the sky. Referring to the land-based simulated landing of transport aircraft organized by the Aviation University, the purpose is actually very simple. Our carrier-based fixed-wing transport aircraft will soon be To come.
is currently supporting various carrier-based aircraft of the Fujian ship. The fighter jets are composed of J-15T and J-35 stealth fighters. The electronic warfare aircraft is used in the J-15D. The early warning aircraft is benchmarked against the Air Police-600. , the helicopters are a mixture of Hai Zhi-20 and Zhi-9/8. The biggest shortcoming is the transport aircraft. Judging from this land-based simulated landing, the model used is Yun-7. This dual-engine tactical transport aircraft is indeed the most suitable target for improvement at present.
Suspected Air Police-600
Yun-7 transport aircraft
Let us first refer to the American C-2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft . This transport aircraft that has long been equipped with aircraft carriers is improved from the E-2 "Hawkeye". It is obvious that one aircraft has two types. Nothing goes to waste. Since it is both a transport aircraft and the "Eagle Eye" can take off and land on the aircraft carrier normally, it is equally easy to replace the internal emptying equipment with people or materials. After the improvement, it is specially responsible for transporting personnel and materials for the aircraft carrier . As a derivative of the E-2 "Hawkeye", in addition to retaining the original wings and power plant, the fuselage has also been enlarged, and a loading and unloading ramp has been added to the tail to facilitate quick loading and unloading of cargo.
The C-2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft was officially delivered in 1966, with a maximum take-off weight of 24.6 tons and a maximum load capacity of 4.5 tons. The maximum flight speed is 566 kilometers per hour, the practical ceiling exceeds 10,000 meters, the combat radius exceeds 700 kilometers, and the maximum range is 2,890 kilometers. After entering service, the C-2 transport aircraft was mainly responsible for transporting emergency personnel and materials, flying back and forth between land and aircraft carriers. Sometimes it also transported some urgently needed fighter parts. Between 1985 and 1987, seven C-2A transport aircraft transported more than 14,000 passengers and 909 tons of supplies in 15 months. They are indeed an indispensable and important role on the aircraft carrier.
E-2 "Eagle Eye" early warning aircraft
C-2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft
C2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft
So back to our carrier-based fixed-wing transport aircraft, it is only a matter of time before the KJ-600 takes to the ship after its first flight, and its prototype Also from the Y-7 transport aircraft. The initial verification model is to install the radar on the basis of the Yun-7. The performance can refer to the long-range version of the Yun-7. The maximum take-off weight is 21.8 tons, the maximum load capacity is 4.7 tons, and the maximum flight speed is 518 kilometers/hour. Using a turboprop-5E engine, the maximum endurance time can reach 10 hours, and the maximum range is as high as 4,000 kilometers. The performance of the ship-borne transport type should not be much different.
If compared with the American C-2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft, the performance of the Yun-7 variant seems to be better, and the Yun-7, as an old equipment that has been in service for decades, is quite reliable. After being improved and processed on the ship, it can also play a wonderful role as an "aircraft carrier taxi". In the future, the crew will not have to worry about vacations and supplies. As long as the voyage is sufficient, they can take off and fly to the shore at any time.Of course, the more important thing is to be responsible for the timely replenishment of scarce supplies and equipment. If it enters wartime, it can also be used as a platform to quickly transport the wounded to the rear field hospital. Referring to the actual combat applications of the US military, it often shows low combat fatality rates in many wars, which is directly related to the powerful battlefield transportation capabilities of the C-2 "Greyhound".
Early test model
C2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft
Since the C2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft can only eject and take off from the aircraft carrier and cannot achieve vertical takeoff and landing, it cannot be used on more and more American amphibious assault ships . In the era when the United States began to use amphibious assault ships as light aircraft carriers, this also became one of the important reasons why the C-2 "Greyhound" was replaced by the MV-22B "Osprey" tilt-rotor aircraft. Osprey " will become the standard for future shipborne transportation. For us, the most important thing at the moment is to solve the non-existent problem and send the fixed-wing transport aircraft to the aircraft carrier for verification and operation. At the same time, we can also develop our own tilt-rotor aircraft. Although there is still a gap compared with the US military, we can learn by crossing the river by feeling the stones. Endless.
MV-22B "Osprey" tilt-rotor aircraft
Chinese-style "Osprey" tilt-rotor aircraft
