Chapter 557 The Only Option for Interception
Seeing that everyone agreed on this, the leader of the Air Force was still very proud. Comrade Zhendong, you are good at technology, but I am better at implementing specific affairs, hahahaha.

When the leaders of the Defense Work Committee saw this, they laughed in their hearts. The Air Force was so dedicated, it was obvious that they were completely trapped in Gao Zhendong's trap and couldn't get out.

The main reason why this guy chose the Gong-5 as the basis for the multi-purpose fighter must be for technology, but the benefit of trying not to change the original production system and reducing resistance from related parties must also be taken into consideration.

Well, getting more mature.

The leader of the Defense Work Committee brought the topic to the following content at the right time: "Comrade Zhendong, what about the three levels and three types, and what are the rest?"

Gao Zhendong nodded. "Actually, the second type has been mentioned just now. It is a high-altitude, high-speed interceptor with a certain range. This interceptor mainly fights under the guidance of the ground-to-air radar system. It does not need a very good radar, or it is not a big problem if it does not have a very good radar. The maximum speed is Mach 2, the practical ceiling can be between 19000 and 20000 meters, and the bomb load is about 1 ton. It is enough to be able to carry missile weapons for combat, but it must have a heavy load hanging point."

The air force frowned: "An interceptor, but only with a 20000-meter ceiling? You'll give up above 20000 meters?"

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "Neither can the enemy go there. Most tactical aircraft have a practical ceiling below 2 meters. The problem is not the engine, but the altitude above 2 meters. Due to the structure and composition of the atmosphere, if you want to fly higher, you either have to use some special technology or use great strength to fly bricks. In short, the cost is very high. This means that we can't go there, and neither can the enemy."

For example, the U-2 tried its best to increase lift but had no idea about maneuverability; the SR-71 had a ramjet engine and an aerodynamic shape that made it impossible to turn, and it also leaked oil.

As for the MiG-60, which began development in the early 69s and entered service in 25, it is a truly excellent design.

At first glance it looks like a piece of pure power, but in fact the design is very clever. The central lifting body ensures lift, the double vertical tails ensure maneuverability, the oversized air intake and the engine ensure thrust. As for the stainless steel fuselage, it was designed to solve the problem of aerodynamic heating at a lower cost.

Think about what other aircraft's aerodynamic scheme is particularly similar to this one?
Oh, that's right, the F-15 of the Citigroup! This car was awarded by McDonnell Douglas in 1969, first flew in 72, entered service in 74, and then won the reputation of "Hangar Queen" due to engine problems.

The Russians especially like this plane because it needs to carry 0.25 tons of alcohol every time it flies! It is not for burning, but for cooling the air intake.

What's even better is that this 0.25 tons of alcohol may not be used up every time!
What Gao Zhendong also knew was that none of the "Double 3" high-altitude and high-speed penetration bombers were in service! There were quite a few "Double 2" ones, but they were much easier to deal with.

However, the comrades in the Air Force still have doubts about this.

"But now there is a U-24000 with a practical ceiling of 2 meters, and there may be higher ones in the future."

Gao Zhendong nodded. "Yes, that's why I specifically requested that this aircraft have a heavy-load hanging point. There won't be too many aircraft of this type, and it's not cost-effective to make a special aircraft for them. So my idea is to make a missile for them! A heavy missile! Even if we can only hang one, the cooperation of two aircraft can pose a sufficient threat to this type of target."

In fact, the MiG-25 is equipped with a similar missile, the R-40, but it is extremely large, about 6 meters long and weighs 0.5 tons. Although it is so large, due to technical reasons, its range, speed and maneuverability are rather poor.

Don't be fooled by its ugly appearance, but it has achieved combat results and it's also an advanced-sounding aircraft, the F/A-18.

"Missile?" Gao Zhendong's turn left everyone a little confused, as he was talking about airplanes.

But after the initial confusion passed, I felt that this seemed like a solution. Yes, if the plane can't get up, just shoot missiles up.

But the key lies in the missile.

"What do you think of this missile?" Let's first take a look at the settings for the missile's performance.

"The missile is 4 to 5 meters long, weighs about 400 kilograms, has a range of 50 to 80 kilometers, an operational altitude of no less than 35000 meters, a speed of 3 to 5 Mach, and uses radio command guidance in the front stage and infrared guidance in the terminal stage."

This parameter is basically based on the upper and lower limits of the R-40 and the size of the AIM-54 Phoenix. There is no doubt that in this era, it is astonishing. How is it possible?

"Comrade Zhendong, based on existing technology, it is difficult for missiles to achieve this performance, especially the range." Some technicians raised objections.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "With a missile of this weight, it is still possible to achieve this range with its own power. The biggest problem is still in guidance, which is why I chose radio command guidance and infrared terminal guidance."

Moreover, I have a cheat, so I don’t have to worry about the range of the missile itself, but I can only think about this in my mind.

"Radio command? Why not semi-active illumination?" This guy obviously knows a lot about weapons. "Because it's cheap, and for high altitude and high speed, with current capabilities, it may still have to use nose air intake. Its radar performance won't be very good, and it won't be able to illuminate at such a distance."

Everyone understood what he said. His interceptor, at the current stage, was basically comparable to the MiG-21 according to the requirements. The conclusion that the radar was not very good also came from this.

"Since the radar is not very good, how can we ensure that the interceptor can detect the target?" You said it yourself, the radar is not good.

"Based on several judgments and conditions, first, the radar echo of this type of target is generally very strong. An aircraft that can fly so high must be quite large, and its detection distance is relatively far. Although it may not be able to illuminate continuously, it still has a certain basis for detection and positioning with radars with poor performance."

Well, that makes sense, but it's not safe.

"Secondly, I have some ideas that can solve the nose radar problem to a certain extent without making too many changes and while ensuring the flight performance as much as possible. Uh... that is... the plane will be very ugly!"

Chief Engineer Gao, you are just talking nonsense. We are still considering whether we can solve the problem, but you are just thinking about whether it is ugly or not?
"Third, a potential capability of radio command guidance is that it is not necessary for the missile carrier to issue commands itself. Commands can come from other radars or aircraft, such as the early warning command aircraft mentioned above! Or, other radar stations or aircraft send the enemy aircraft's position to the missile carrier ahead, and then the transmitter calculates it and sends commands to the missile. This method is very troublesome, and it cannot deal with highly maneuverable targets in the terminal stage, but it is still possible to achieve it as a front and mid-stage guidance."

Hiss~~~~~~
Such a complicated guidance method surprised everyone.

"So, the plane itself becomes a missile. It arrives at the launch position under the guidance of the early warning aircraft or radar station, and then launches a missile. What else does it have to do?"

Gao Zhendong smiled: "To some extent, it is true."

The chief engineer of the Defense Work Committee frowned and said, "In this case, the requirements for the fire control computer of the carrier aircraft, as well as the communication between the command aircraft and the carrier aircraft, and between the aircraft and the missile, are very high."

Gao Zhendong nodded and said nothing.

Although he didn't say anything, the Defense Work Committee and the Air Force immediately understood that his confidence came from here!

The person who made this suggestion was a comrade who was well-versed in computers, communications, and radar signal processing. He has achieved fruitful results, leaving the Russians far behind!
Even the Defense Work Committee knew that he had the confidence in the physical range of missiles. The best solid propellants for tactical missiles now all came from him! Even the liquid propellants for ballistic missiles were inseparable from him.

Seeing that they were lost in thought, Gao Zhendong told them a discouraging but extremely true fact.

"In fact, even without this missile, the best interceptor we could possibly get right now is the MiG-21, right?"

When the comrades from the Defense Work Committee and the Air Force heard this, they were stunned.

Hey, comrade, you are so mean. What nonsense are you talking about?

"Uh... yes, yes, Old X, I think Comrade Zhendong is right about using the MiG-21 for interception missions. There is nothing else to do in the short term. There is actually no doubt about this matter. It's just a question of whether this missile can be developed and whether it can further enhance our interception capability." The comrade from the Air Force looked towards the Defense Working Committee.

Everyone reacted and was dazzled by the new and powerful capability described by Gao Zhendong. They completely forgot that there was actually not much room for discussion about interceptors. Apart from the MiG-21, what else could there be?
"Haha, that's right, I'm obsessed with it."

Having said that, people from both units actually still want this missile very much!
A comrade from the Air Force suddenly had an idea: "Chief Engineer Gao, why don't you suggest using the MiG-21 and making improvements similar to the upgrade from the Zhan-6 to the Gong-5 combat model? In this way, can we ensure interception performance and get a good radar?"

Hey, this comrade is great. He has a long-term vision and a broad vision.

Gao Zhendong nodded and shook his head: "Yes, it can be, as a long-term development plan, there is no problem. But the Gong-5 is based on the hard work of the Porcelain Aircraft Factory. It has been further improved to be so promising, but it will take time to achieve it. And the MiG-21 will take a long time to do such a set of actions. With our foundation, it is estimated that it will take 6 to 8 years. It is too late in time."

Too late? Many people were puzzled. How could it be too late? This comrade is good in every way except that he is too radical.

The leaders of the Defense Work Committee and the Air Force looked at each other with flashing eyes. Comrade, your ideas are very dangerous. We like them!
But this could not be elaborated, and the leader of the Defense Work Committee quickly changed the subject: "It's getting late today, let's adjourn and resume tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)