Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 563 Airborne Rocket Launch Nest, Chongqing Transaction

With everything settled, Fang Wen returned to the base in northern Myanmar.

At the base, he focused on leading military research and development.

My days are packed with work.

In the morning, I went to the No. 1 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant to supervise the modification of the Taishan-1 large aircraft; in the afternoon, I went to the Research Institute to manage scientific research.

The renovation of Taishan No. 1 is proceeding in an orderly manner. With Fang Wen's assistance, some problems encountered by the engineers during the renovation process have been corrected in a timely manner.

In terms of research and development, the focus is mainly on air-to-ground rockets, while there has been no progress on semiconductor integrated circuits.

Early air-to-ground rockets, lacking guidance technology, relied primarily on rocket design optimization, improvements to the launch platform's aiming system, tactical coordination, and environmental adaptation for their hit rate.

To this end, Fang Wenrang's rocket project team is intensifying its research and development in these areas.

such as:

The Soviet Type 82 rocket uses fixed tail fins, which generate air drag torque to force the rocket to maintain a nose-up attitude and reduce lateral deviation.

However, this design does have an impact on the rocket at the initial stage of launch.

Therefore, Fang Wen suggested that the rocket project team modify the fixed tail fins into folding tail fins, which would fold before launch to save space, and unfold after launch by releasing springs through an internal mechanical structure.

Another issue is propellant. The Soviet Union used single-base propellant, which was prone to thrust fluctuations, leading to trajectory drift. Better and higher-quality dual-base propellant can make the rocket's launch velocity more stable.

In addition, Fang Wen is also trying to optimize the aiming and fire control of the launch platform.

The adjustment should be based on the characteristics of air-to-ground rockets (lower initial velocity than cannons, greater trajectory curvature).

Fang Wen plans to modify the television camera fire control aiming system and create a new bullseye-style aiming device on the CRT display screen: the pilot will use the crosshairs on the screen to lock onto the target, and at the same time adjust the "distance scale" of the aiming device according to the target distance (estimated visually). The scale corresponds to the trajectory descent of the rocket at different distances, and then the elevation deviation is compensated for for manual launch.

This allows pilots to have a basic prediction of the high-risk area of ​​the launched air-to-ground rockets.

Of course, the best way to fight a powerful weapon like an air-to-ground rocket is through widespread, cluster-fired attacks.

Just like the ground-based Katyusha rocket launcher system, airborne rockets also achieve better results when launched in clusters.

How can an aircraft achieve the effect of launching rockets in rapid succession?

Fang Wen fell into a long period of contemplation regarding this.

Then, he found something very useful in the film and television scenes he remembered.

That's a rocket launcher.

It is called a launch nest because its design is similar to a honeycomb. It is a cylindrical launch device with numerous launch holes. Once the launch device is turned on, a large number of rockets can be launched from it at once.

As far as I can remember, this type of rocket launcher was first equipped by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. There were two series of rocket launchers: UB-16-57 and UB-32-57. 16 and 32 refer to the number of launches, and 57 refers to the caliber.

The United States subsequently manufactured a similar rocket interceptor, which was later equipped on attack helicopters such as the Apache.

However, with current technology, 16 rockets would be too many to fit in this design; an 82mm rocket simply cannot hold that many. The design needs to be modified based on the actual situation.

After a day, Fang Wen finished drawing the blueprints.

This is the design drawing of the first honeycomb rocket interceptor of our time. It has three launch pods mounted on the bottom, with seven rockets in each of the left and right pods and ten in the middle pod, for a total of 24 air-to-ground rockets.

After making this design, Fang Wen immediately convened a technical discussion meeting with the rocket project team and engineers from the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant.

The two groups arrived at the large conference room on the first floor of the research institute, unaware of why they were having a meeting that day.

Fang Wen stepped onto the stage, unfolded the design drawings, and said, "This is my new fighter jet design. I named it the Honeycomb Rocket Interceptor. My idea is to get it out within two months. If anyone has anything to say, please feel free to ask."

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the drawings hanging on the blackboard.

The researchers from the rocket project team were the first to ask: "Will placing multiple rockets into a single launcher with very little spacing between them affect the launch performance?"

Fang Wen nodded and unfolded the second drawing. "The problem you mentioned mainly lies in the fixed tail fins. With fixed tail fins, the Type 82 rocket cannot be launched using this device. Therefore, I designed a folding pop-out tail fin that retracts into the tail before launch and only pops out after launch, so it won't affect the launch of the honeycomb launcher."

Jiang Wenjin, a physicist specially recruited by Fang Wen and the head of the rocket project team, raised another question.

"Even if it can be launched, what kind of combat environment is it suitable for?"

"Rockets are powerful and have a wide coverage area, making them area-effect weapons. Therefore, the Hive rocket interceptor is designed for swarm attack. When encountering a group of enemy aircraft, a salvo from a single Hive rocket interceptor can cause massive damage to the enemy group. Similarly, the Hive rocket interceptor can also dive-bomb and fire at ground targets. The destructive area caused by 24 rockets can be as large as a storm."

Fang Wen's words drew everyone's attention.

The Taishan Storm impressed everyone during its last live-fire test; a single vehicle-mounted weapon could achieve the firepower of several heavy artillery pieces.

If used on airplanes, the combat power of such aircraft would increase exponentially.

Even if this plane can only launch 24 rockets, that will be enough.

The rocket project team had no objections.

The engineers at the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant inquired about the details of the modification.

"General Manager, are you planning to modify the original Taishan Expressway aircraft, or manufacture a completely new model?"

"When remanufacturing a new aircraft, its speed requirement doesn't need to be too high. Excessive speed would make it more difficult for pilots to grasp the timing of rocket launches. I think a speed similar to that of the Il-16 and the Japanese Type 97 would be sufficient."

"Then why not install them on gunship aircraft?"

Fang Wen was stunned by what an engineer said.

He didn't actually think of it as a gunship or aircraft, instinctively associating the swarm rocket launcher with fighter jets. But in reality, swarm rocket launchers are also widely used on attack helicopters.

For example, during the Vietnam War, the U.S. military equipped general-purpose helicopters with M60 machine guns and rocket launchers to perform escort and attack missions, but due to the lack of armor protection and dedicated fire control, their survivability was weak.

Gunships possess far greater defensive capabilities than helicopters, and if equipped with rocket launchers, their attack mode can be transformed from circling fire to direct ground strikes.

This is also a possible approach. Fang Wen decided to develop both types of fighter jets: the interceptor type, mainly for air-to-air combat, and the gunship type, specifically for ground attack.

He then changed the plan and continued the discussion.

The atmosphere in the conference room became even more enthusiastic, as everyone was well aware of the impact this research would have.

“Since we’ve decided to run both types of aircraft in parallel, we need to clearly define the division of labor to ensure efficiency.” Fang Wen walked to the blackboard and wrote on it with chalk next to the design drawings. “Aircraft Manufacturing Plant No. 2, you will be divided into two groups: one group will focus on manufacturing the honeycomb rocket interceptor. Based on the aerodynamic layout and weight parameters I’ve provided, focus on optimizing the wing load-bearing strength and fuselage stability. The engine will be our existing 12-cylinder radial engine. The other group will be responsible for the modification plan of the gunship aircraft. The gunship aircraft itself has heavy armor and a low center of gravity. You need to calculate the optimal position for mounting the rocket launchers on the sides or belly of the fuselage, without affecting its original circling firing angle. At the same time, you need to reinforce the load-bearing structure on the upper part of the fuselage.”

He paused, then turned to the rocket project team: "Your burden is heavier. The mechanical release structure for the folding tail fins must be prototyped within a week. I need to see its reliability in simulated launch environments—remember, it must be able to launch and lock smoothly at airflow speeds from 0 to 100 km/h. The formulation of the dual-base propellant cannot be neglected either; hopefully, progress can be made during this period as well."

"And the aiming system." Fang Wen looked at the engineer in charge of fire control. "The interceptor's aiming device needs to have a 'lead time for clustered targets' scale added, with several preset levels for the formation density of enemy aircraft; the gunship's aiming device needs to have 'dive angle compensation' added, since it mainly attacks by diving at low altitude, and the trajectory and rate of fire are different, so the scale needs to be more precise, and it would be best if it could be linked with the fuselage tilt level for correction."

Once the tasks were assigned, the entire project team immediately went into high-speed operation.

Inside the workshop of Aircraft Manufacturing Plant No. 2.

Workers began cutting aluminum alloy and steel, and following the blueprints, they welded prefabricated components into the fuselage frame of the interceptor; in the gunship modification workshop, veteran technicians were carefully drilling holes in the armor plates and adding mounting rails, and the strength of each weld point had to be checked repeatedly.

On the rocket project team side.

Jiang Wenjin led the researchers to immerse themselves in the test field filled with the smell of gunpowder, testing the spring force of the folding tail fin time and time again. In the first few tests, the tail fin either unfolded too slowly or the angle deviated after unfolding. It was not until they added a thin brass bushing to the tail fin shaft that the jamming problem was solved.

The propellant test was even more dangerous. An improper mixing ratio caused excessive combustion, which damaged the test engine casing. Fortunately, no one was injured. This made everyone more cautious, and they finally determined a 7:3 ratio of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin, which controlled the thrust fluctuation within 5%.

Fang Wen shuttles between various workshops and laboratories every day. Sometimes in the morning, he watches the connection strength test between the interceptor's wing and the launch pod (using sandbags to simulate the weight of the rocket and conducting 1000 simulated load vibration tests). In the afternoon, he watches the live-fire test of the rocket (launching 20 improved rockets continuously on a fixed launcher on the ground and observing the tail fin deployment and trajectory consistency). In the evening, he works with fire control engineers to adjust the aiming scale on the CRT screen and correct the trajectory descent parameters based on the test data.

Half a month later, the first 82mm rocket with folding tail fins was successfully test-fired on the ground: at the moment of launch, the tail fins were ejected by the spring thrust and locked steadily by the airflow. The trajectory was straighter than that of the fixed tail fin model, and the deviation from the target area 1000 meters away was reduced by nearly half.

Ten days later, the interceptor's fuselage was fully assembled, and the three honeycomb-shaped launch cells were mounted under the fuselage, making it look extremely powerful.
The modification of the gunship aircraft is also progressing smoothly. A slightly larger launch pod is mounted under each wing, forming a dual firepower configuration of "long-range rockets + close-range cannons" with the original machine guns.

The two aircraft are expected to be completed in late April.

By then, the modification of Taishan-3 will also be completed, meaning Fang Wen will be able to test three aircraft simultaneously.

Even with superpowers, it's not an easy thing.

In order to be able to focus more on his work at that time, Fang Wen planned to sell the governor's batch of supplies as soon as possible.

Therefore, he sent a telegram to the domestic logistics company, asking Sun Debiao to find an acquaintance in Chongqing.

In Chongqing, a seaplane lands on the river and docks at the pier.

There are also logistics company warehouses here.

Today, logistics companies, through their unique logistics warehousing and transportation management models, have distributed supplies and demand among the three regions of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan under the national control, which has to some extent solved the problem of shortage of some supplies.

After getting off the plane, Sun Debiao did not go to the logistics zone in Chongqing, but instead went uphill to the location where the Chongqing National Government had its offices.

There, he had someone deliver a message for him, and then waited in a nearby teahouse.

After a while, the person they were waiting for arrived; it was a man named Qiao Kang.

This person was originally stationed at the Military Intelligence Bureau's Wuhan station. After Wuhan fell to the Japanese, he went to Chongqing and is currently a mid-level official in the Military Intelligence Bureau in Chongqing.

He was saved by Fang Wen in Tianjin, and they had a good relationship.

He entered the teahouse and sat directly in front of Sun Debiao, and the two seemed to know each other very well.

"Old Sun, has the goods I asked you to bring over arrived yet?"

“It will take some more time. You’ve ordered too much at once, so I’ll have to source it from various places.”

"Get it done as soon as possible. There's a shortage of supplies in Chongqing right now, and my men are making a fortune off this deal."

“Okay, I’ll urge the people below to work overtime to catch up on the work when I get back.” Sun Debiao paused and lowered his voice: “The general manager asked me to pass on a message to you. He has acquired a batch of military supplies from the British and is now looking for a buyer.”

Qiao Kang was stunned.

"Old Sun, what does the general manager mean? I know my own limitations. I can make a little money by playing around, but I can't take on a deal with the general manager of Taishan Airlines."

"I just want you to act as a middleman to sell that batch of goods. There's only one requirement: the money and the goods must be exchanged in full."

"What are all these things?"

Sun Debiao took out a piece of paper with a list of supplies written on it.

These are all equipment needed by the National Army.

There are even scarce repair parts for German-made heavy artillery.

"We have all of these! What's the price?"

"This number."

Sun Debiao quoted a high price, but at this time, it was still acceptable to get this batch of supplies at such a high price.

Qiao Kang said in a low voice, "I'll go back and find someone. I'll get back to you today."

(End of this chapter)