Before the launch of my country's "Fujian" aircraft carrier, the research and development work on the various carrier-based aircraft supporting it had already started. Currently, the ship's ejection-type J-15B carrier-based aircraft, J-35 stealth fighter, J- The 15D carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, the KJ-600 carrier-based early warning aircraft, the Z-20 utility helicopter, and the Attack-11 unmanned attack aircraft have all been unveiled. It can be said that almost all the carrier-based aircraft equipped on the US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can be found in my country. A domestic model, which greatly guarantees the combat effectiveness of the "Fujian" aircraft carrier. However, the "Fujian" still lacks a special carrier-based transport aircraft similar to the American C-2A "Greyhound" transport aircraft. This will make the transportation of personnel and equipment on the ship a major problem and become a shortcoming. The good news is that with the unremitting efforts of our country's scientific researchers and carrier-based aircraft pilots, this shortcoming of the "Fujian" aircraft carrier will soon no longer exist.
Fujian ship's carrier-based aircraft lineup
U.S. military C-2A "Greyhound" transport aircraft
According to the Central Military Commission's report on June 28, Naval Aviation University organized transport aircraft land-based simulated landing training, allowing trainees to get closer to actual combat Completed land-based simulated landing training for transport aircraft to the highest standards, and implemented subjects such as low-altitude and formation flying to high standards. It can be seen from the pictures exposed by the official media that the model of the simulated landing is my country's Y-7 transport aircraft. This transport aircraft is currently the smallest and lightest transport aircraft in my country. Its length and wingspan are very long. Suitable for simulated ship landing training. This is the first time that Chinese officials have publicly exposed the simulated landing training of land-based transport aircraft, which indicates that China’s carrier-based transport aircraft is about to come out.
Screenshots of CCTV military reports
Yun-7 transport aircraft simulated landing test
Aircraft carrier As an extremely complex combat platform, the ship has countless types of mechanical/electronic equipment, dozens of carrier-based aircraft and thousands of personnel Crew members, shipboard equipment maintenance and material supply are a very heavy job. Maintenance and support personnel on the ship can only provide basic maintenance services. When the ship-based equipment and aircraft engines have major failures, they need to go ashore for repairs. At this time, large-capacity ship-based transport aircraft are needed to transport the equipment to the shore. Carry out maintenance to ensure the basic combat capability of the aircraft carrier. In addition, the material and personnel transportation efficiency of fixed-wing transport aircraft is much higher than that of transport helicopter , which is crucial for aircraft carriers where every second counts.
The C-2A "Greyhound" transport aircraft currently in service in the U.S. Navy has been significantly improved on the basis of the boss's C-2 transport aircraft . The main improvement is to replace the T56-A-425 turboprop engine with greater thrust and install a new model. The avionics equipment and cargo compartment design have been adjusted to increase the maximum load capacity to 4.5 tons and the maximum range to nearly 3,000 kilometers. Under normal circumstances, the C-2A transport aircraft can transport a carrier-based aircraft engine or 28 crew members, quickly traveling between the base and the aircraft carrier, ensuring aircraft carrier equipment overhaul and personnel transportation. Compared with the US Navy's SH-60F "Ocean Hawk", MH-60S "Knight Hawk" and other carrier-based transport helicopters, the speed, range and load capacity of the C-2A "Greyhound" transport aircraft are several times greater. Transport helicopters simply cannot take its place.
C-2A transport aircraft
However, the C-2A transport aircraft is, after all, an old aircraft that has been in service for decades and has been unable to adapt to the current needs of the US Navy. Therefore, the US military has developed an alternative CMV-22B "Osprey" transport helicopter. Compared with the C-2A transport aircraft that can only take off and land on aircraft carriers, the CMV-22 "Osprey" transport aircraft can also take off and land on the amphibious assault ship , which has great advantages in flexibility and adaptability. In addition, the CMV-22 cargo bay is larger and can transport larger parts including F-135 engines, which is not available on the C-2A transport aircraft. However, there is a certain gap between the CMV-22 and the C-2A transport aircraft in terms of range and load. It is still unknown whether it can completely replace the C-2A transport aircraft in the future.
CMV-22B "Osprey" transport aircraft
Compared with American aircraft carriers, there is a big gap in the air transportation capabilities of our country's aircraft carriers. The Z-8C helicopter with the largest transport capacity has a maximum load of only about 3 tons and a maximum range of 800 kilometers. It cannot board the aircraft carrier. The equipment and personnel were quickly transferred to land 1,000 kilometers away. The equipment maintenance work on the ship could only be carried out after the aircraft carrier docked, which would have a great impact on the aircraft carrier's combat effectiveness. In order to solve the problem of rapid and long-distance transportation of materials and personnel on our country's aircraft carrier, our country must develop a fixed-wing transport aircraft that can take off and land on the aircraft carrier deck.
Zhi-8C helicopter
However, the Y-7 transport aircraft does not have the ability to board ships. Our country's use of the Y-7 transport aircraft for land-based landing tests is mainly to train carrier-based transport aircraft pilots and conduct relevant adaptive training. Our country's official announcement of this news was obviously to hint at the existence of our country's carrier-based fixed-wing transport aircraft. In fact, our country currently has aircraft models that are very suitable for use as carrier-based transport aircraft. The Kongjing-600 early warning aircraft is currently the best choice. As long as the disc radar of the early warning aircraft is removed, the cargo compartment and the tail opening are redesigned. It can become a suitable transport aircraft. The American C-2 transport aircraft was developed on the basis of the E-2 early warning aircraft . This not only saves the cost of redesigning the airframe, but also increases the speed of development. From this point of view, our country's fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft already have With a good foundation, development is not difficult.
Imagination of the Air Police-600 early warning aircraft
Since our country has disclosed the land simulated landing training of the Y-7 transport aircraft, we have reason to believe that our country's carrier-based fixed-wing transport aircraft may already be in the testing stage. According to the "Fujian" ship in 2025 Judging from the time points before and after the service, this transport aircraft will most likely be officially installed before the new aircraft carrier enters service. At that time, the Chinese version of the "Greyhound" transport aircraft will make a shining debut on the aircraft carrier deck.
Judging from the current public information, our country has already been involved in all types of carrier-based aircraft equipped on U.S. aircraft carriers, and the types of carrier-based aircraft are already complete. In the future, our country may develop a fixed-wing anti-submarine patrol aircraft based on the airframe of the Kongjing-600 early warning aircraft, which will greatly improve the long-range anti-submarine capabilities of the aircraft carrier formation. It can be said that our country's future aircraft carrier-based aircraft unit is worth looking forward to.
