Introduction:
In the late 1980s, the World Air Force fully entered the era of third-generation aircraft, and the United States has even started the development of the fourth-generation fighter jet represented by F-22. In contrast, although China, which is also a major air force, faced unprecedented air defense pressure at the time, the air force fighter unit, as the main force of national air defense, was very poor. The most advanced fighter is the J-8 fighter that is laughed at as the "J-7 enlarged version", and the number is very rare. Chinese Air Force pilots had to fly the old (behind performance) and new (new production date) J-6, or even the J-5, which defended the motherland's airspace.
During this period, China also went to Western countries to seek to buy advanced fighter jets, but missed it for one reason or another. However, "the West is not bright in the east", and the sudden disappearance of the "polar bear" has allowed China to obtain the top third-generation heavy twin-engine fighter Su-27. However, the performance of the Su-27 in the early stage was not perfect, but it was reborn in the hands of China's " Sukhoi " Shen Fei , and made a comeback all the way. Its experience is said that the movies dare not shoot like this, and the cool articles dare not write like this...
Su-27Domestic J-11Hard journey
The first batch of 8 Su-27SK and 4 Su-27UBK purchased by China in 1990 After the arrival of the shipment, it brought a huge shock to the Chinese Air Force. Zhao Zelong, a Chinese military equipment expert, once wrote in his memoir: "The Su-27SK fighter jet shocked our soldiers. The J-6 and J-7 fighters in active service in our Air Force do not have all-weather combat capabilities. When we first felt what a third-generation fighter jet was." However, only 24 direct purchases could not meet China's national air defense needs, so China immediately launched the production of subsequent production licenses. At first, Russia did not want to sell it, but at China's insistence that if it was not sold, the number of Su-27s would not be purchased will not exceed 48, and Russia has to agree.
996, China and Russia signed a US$2.5 billion contract. Russia allowed China to assemble 200 Su-27s in Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, the first batch was 105 and the second batch was 95. The Russians moved very quickly. From 1996 to 1998, the Russian side transported 6 batches of information about Su-27 aircraft to Shenyang Aircraft through the transport aircraft, . Shen Fei also immediately established the "Eleven Project" pattern data leadership group and the technical data receiving group. Since the Russian country was still in the chaos of "shock therapy" at that time, coupled with the connection between the division of labor and the distribution of interests of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the Gongqingcheng Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, the quality of the Su-27 data provided by the Russian side was relatively poor. For example, there are a lot of errors and mismatches between aircraft design data and process data. In addition, incomplete data citation documents, inconsistent list of purchased finished products and the total contract attachments are also common problems.
In order to complete and open up the production line as soon as possible, from the end of March to early April 1997, China and Russia negotiated on related issues and signed a supplementary contract. According to the contract, Shenyang Aircraft received three batches of 26 Sukhoi experts in domestic technical training in September, October and November 1998, involving the aircraft's overall, startup, structure, strength, engine and functional systems, radio electronic equipment, ground support equipment, etc. These trainings helped Shenyang Aircraft Engineers understand the basic principles and production processes of the Su-27SK. In addition, more than 100 Sukhoi experts came to China to participate in the mass production of the J-11.
998 In the first half of 1998, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation began to organize the production of the first batch of two J-11s, and all the components were sent from Russia. In fact, the first J-11 was assembled in 1997, but after a ground sliding test flight, it had to be disassembled and reassembled because the quality was not up to standard. Since then, as more and more Chinese companies have participated in the mass production of the J-11, high-standard production specifications have been unswervingly implemented. The J-11 project has gradually gotten on track, and by 1999 it reached the level of annual production of 15 aircraft. In 2002, China has assembled 48 J-11s and assembled the same number of fighter jets in 2003.
The J-11, which bears great responsibility, performed poorly, but the J-11 in the early batch of
is almost no different from the Su-27SK. In addition to changing to Chinese logos, the J-11 originally produced installed a GPS monitor on the upper right side of the cockpit. Later, the J-11 produced began to install a multi-function monitor, integrating the GPS navigation interface together. In addition, the domestic J-11 fuselage was also equipped with formation lights. As of 2004, Russia had delivered all 105 J-11 parts as a contract, but unexpectedly, Shenyang Aircraft announced that it would give up the assembly and production of the second batch of J-11s.
Shen Fei's decision made Russians puzzled. In fact, because the Su-27 had the "fighting problem brought out of the womb", the two batches of J-11 produced in the early stage were highly trained and used, which made the Chinese Air Force quickly discovered that the Su-27 had many difficult problems. For example, due to insufficient strength of the aircraft, the maximum overload in the transsonic state of the fighter also affects the weapon mounting and internal oil carrying capacity; the backward body material leads to the huge reflection cross-section of the radar, and there is also the problem of overweight of the body; the most important thing is that the J-11 has also used the N001 "reverse card" electronic tube radar, which weighs 1 ton but has very limited performance, and is very single in use. It is also incompatible with the self-made weapons such as the "Pili-8" and "Pili-12" air-to-air missiles independently developed by China. Not to mention the supporting ultra-visual air-to-air missile R-27 is called the "air fire stick" due to the serious off-target problem.
And in domestic and foreign exercises, the performance of the J-11 is also very sluggish. During the joint exercise of the Sino-Thailand Air Force, the J-11 lost to the light fighter " Gripen " in the "over-visual range combat" stage. Although he grabbed some points in the close combat stage, he still lost to the "Gripen". Not only is it inferior to the "Gripen", during the exercise with Pakistan Air Force , the Pakistani Air Force, which has rich combat experience, only used the J-7P, and with the help of the ground radar station, it drew against the J-11. During domestic cross-type exercises, the probability of the interception of the J-7E was obviously unsatisfactory, not to mention that the J-10 that was later served was at a disadvantage in competitions such as " Gold Helmet ", " Sky Eagle Cup". The reason is not difficult to find that the "reverse card" radar equipped by the J-11 "helped a lot", and its performance level is only equivalent to that of the early 1980s, and it has already lagged behind 20 years later.
Phoenix Pannei reborn J-11B
On the one hand, China feedbacks the problem to Sukhoi, and on the other hand, it begins to improve and comprehensively localize the J-11 in a "small step and fast run". In October 1999, Shenyang held an evaluation meeting for the Su-27 localization plan. In August 2000, the Su-27 domestic technology plan review meeting and the finished product coordination meeting were held in Shenyang. At the beginning of domestic demonstration, the J-11 aircraft first solved the compatibility of electronic equipment with China's ground equipment system, followed by the problem of independent supply of weapons and ammunition, then the Chineseization of human-machine interfaces, and finally the domesticization of ground support equipment.
It can be said that the development and production of J-11B is no less than the development of a brand new aircraft. Although Russia provided China with Su-27SK's production materials, the Russian side strictly controlled the original design materials for the aircraft and simplified the processing of the necessary materials. In this case, China adopted the same approach as "MiG-21" production of J-8, and began to carry out comprehensive and systematic technical understanding of the Su-27, mainly including the overall layout of the aircraft and the research and analysis of the center, using the aircraft theoretical diagram to establish a geometric mathematical model, collect and organize the aerodynamic data in the license data, establish a framework for the aerodynamic database, design and process the high-speed, low-speed and intake air tunnel tests of the entire aircraft, and conduct research and analysis of aircraft strength design specifications and guidelines. It also directly built an static test aircraft with a number of 0016 aircraft.
Since then, the J-11 has made rapid progress in integrated avionics systems, electronic radars, fuselage structures, fuselage materials, weapon systems, etc. It took only 7 years to develop the J-11B fighter . The first batch of J-11B fighter upgraded in 2008 was equipped with the troops.It uses the best 1493 all-digital PD radar in China, which can detect targets of RCS 150 kilometers away as 5㎡, and track 20 targets at the same time, and launch an attack on 6 of them.
J-11B comprehensive avionics system uses three large-area display screens and diffraction flat displays. The helmet is also replaced with a fully digital domestic aiming helmet. The body material is used in large areas with carbon fiber composite , and the surface skin is also replaced with composite material, which not only improves the body strength, but also reduces the stealth capability of radar from RCS15㎡ to 5㎡. In terms of weapons, the J-11B can use the domestic "Pilai-8B" and "Pili-12" air-to-air missiles, and can also throw domestic precise ammunition, including the anti-ship missile and other weapons. Therefore, the J-11B is the first multi-purpose fighter in China. However, in order to shorten the design cycle, the early J-11B still used a four-degree analog telex system. Since the emergence of J-11BS, the J-11B series fighter jets have used a fully digital telex system, which further improved the maneuverability of the J-11.
It can be said that the overall progress of the J-11B's work is relatively smooth, but the process of "changing the domestic heart" is bumpy, and there are constant "body rejection reactions". The early WS-10 had the problem of short life and poor reliability. Until around 2005, the improved WS-10A was greatly optimized, with the maximum thrust increased from 110 kN to 122.5 kN, but the service life was still unsatisfactory. In 2006, Shenfei took out three J-11B engineering prototypes, of which 1 to 2 use domestic engines and is planned to be mass-produced the following year. Due to the above issues, this plan had to be abandoned around 2010, and the J-11B under construction had to switch to AL-31F. The production speed of
J-11B is severely restricted by the engine. Around 2010, the annual production of J-11B and J-11BS was only 24, with about 1 aviation regiment. These aircraft were evenly distributed to the Chinese Air Force and the Naval Air Force. In 2011, China signed another contract to Russia to purchase 123 AL-31F engines , which is also the last order for this engine signed by China to Russia's "Salute Center". Since then, China's WS-10A engine has matured day by day, and the J-11B has begun to replace domestic engines.
From being tragically "beaten" to showing off his edge, the J-11B has embarked on a counterattack.
The J-11B, which has been completely revived from the inside out, reversed the backward situation of the J-11 series of fighter electronic equipment, especially the 1493 radar, which almost reached the highest level of this radar and is already comparable to passive phased array radar . If we follow the general movie script, the J-11B of this level should be the highest domestic air combat fighter before the J-20 was put into service, but the facts are surprising. In the first "Golden Helmet" competition in 2011, the troops equipped with the J-11 were beaten by the "backward" Su-27SK and the J-11, and were "shooted down" 166 times, losing by a large score.
Is the "script" obtained by J-11B wrong? The J-11B was indeed the strongest among the active fighter jets in China at that time. The aircraft was also the aviation regiment of the 1st Air Division, which was an elite Aircraft Division at that time. Both human-aircraft aircraft were the first choice. The reason for this problem is that the training method is incorrect, which causes the troops to not develop full combat effectiveness. According to the military newspaper, the unit was previously equipped with J-8F fighter jets. Although the J-8F is a second-generation aircraft with a thorough improvement, there are still huge differences in training methods, combat methods and third-generation aircraft. Although the unit has been equipped with the J-11B, it is still flying according to the method of using the J-8F, so the result can naturally be imagined.
Later, the J-11B regiment summarized the experience and lessons and began to catch up. Since then, the J-11B has won the championship many times in the "Golden Helmet" and "Sky Eagle Cup". Among them, one of them was once a "golden helmet" who drove the J-11B fighter jet and scored two 64:0 fighters in the group competition. In the final stage, he got rid of 31 missiles and , truly achieving "man-machine integration".Nowadays, with the successive service of the J-16, J-10C, and J-20 fighter jets, the J-11B is no longer the most advanced fighter in the PLA sequence, but the J-11B can still win the championships of the "Golden Helmet" and "Sky Eagle Cup" team competition many times, proving the strength of the J-11B.
J-11BG emerged and became the world's top third-and-a-half-generation
Due to the high training and use intensity, the Su-27SK and some J-11s in the early stage have begun to retire. On the contrary, the J-11B that started to produce in 2007 has a newer body and has a long lifespan. Today, when third-generation aircraft generally realize the wave of radar phased array transformation in the world, the J-11B has not stopped moving forward, but has begun a new round of upgrades and transformations. The newly launched J-11BG fighter has improved the avionics system, updated the "glass cockpit", and adopted the phased array radar . The radar performance has been further improved. The "Pili-15" ultra-long-range air-to-air missile and various precision guided weapons can be used, and the detection range and discovery capabilities of stealth fighters are also increased. In addition, the engine has also been replaced with a WS-10B engine with higher thrust, and new changes have been made in terms of maneuverability and combat radius.
summary:
It can be said that the improved J-11BG fighter has the same combat effectiveness as the US F-15EX, French " Rafale ", European Union fighter "Typhoon", Su-35 and other three-generation and a half-generation fighter jets. Looking back at the upward path of the J-11B, it can be said to be full of thorns and setbacks. Fortunately, with the joint efforts of Chinese scientific researchers and pilots, a counterattack path has been staged. To put it inappropriately, it looks like a cool novel that we like to read. Today's J-11BG is still the main backbone of the Chinese Air Force's "both offensive and defense" and continues to soar in the sky of the motherland silently protect it.
