Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 106: Replacing Avionics and Engines, the Super-7 Upgrade is Up to Old Barack!

With a roar, the Super-7 fighter jet continued to climb and, according to plan, would soon turn around.

On the ground, Luo Xiangqian, the military representative stationed at the factory, watched the plane leave, bent down to light a cigarette, and had just taken a few puffs when he heard a huge roar. Looking up, he saw a silver fighter jet flying in, and his expression changed instantly.

"Where did this plane come from? Today is the maiden flight of the Super-7... Wait, it's the Super-7?"

The cigarette in Luo Xiangqian's mouth fell to the ground; he was stunned.

In the past, aircraft had poor maneuverability and therefore a large turning radius. Although the maiden flight involved taking off, turning right, right, and right again, and landing on the runway, once a turn was made, the aircraft would fly out of the airport's airspace.

Who would have thought that the Super-7's maneuverability would be so good, with an unbelievably small turning radius? Is it 800 meters, 600 meters, or even less than 500 meters? In the past, aircraft needed a turning radius of thousands of meters to turn!

Luo Xiangqian opened his eyes wide and looked at the plane with its pointed nose and air intakes on both sides. He felt that all his previous experience had been wasted. At the same time, a sense of pride welled up in his heart: Our East will finally have a modern fighter jet with maneuverability exceeding that of the J-6.

Indeed, when it comes to the most maneuverable fighter jet, it is definitely the J-6. This aircraft is not large, but it is equipped with two engines, and the thrust-to-weight ratio of the whole aircraft is as high as 0.988. Whether it is rapid take-off or air combat, it is a master. In the hands of Pakistan, it has demonstrated a first-class level.

However, the J-6 is still too old, with poor aerodynamic performance and no ability to fly at Mach 2. The Super-7 is clearly a more suitable replacement for the J-6!
The veterans know their stuff; the Super 7 made a turn and there was a burst of cheers from the crowd.

"Excellent horizontal maneuverability!"

"This plane is our best choice!"

"Well, currently, the engine is still somewhat lacking. If it could be replaced with a more advanced turbofan engine, it would allow this fighter jet to perform even better. Engines like the RB199 and F404, when installed on it, would improve its range, maneuverability, and lifespan."

Upon hearing Qin Liang's words, Old Tu felt his heart pounding violently.

Currently, the Super-7 is equipped with an improved WP-7 turbojet engine, which uses advanced fan blades based on the technology of the Capital Aviation Academy. To ensure the reliability of other subsystems, the thrust has only been increased to 6.8 tons, which is still somewhat insufficient to propel the Super-7 fighter jet.

The key issue is that the high fuel consumption of turbojet engines is an unsolvable problem.

If it were equipped with turbofan engines, the Super 7 would be completely transformed! Its range would be at least 2,000 kilometers, and these engines generally have an afterburner thrust of over seven tons, making them top-notch in performance!
China is currently focusing its efforts on developing high-thrust engines, while medium-thrust engines can only be purchased from abroad. Even just having some contact with foreign engines would be very beneficial!

The Chinese Air Force absolutely cannot purchase engines from abroad, so it can only rely on foreign customers!

At this moment, the Super-7 had turned again, aligned itself with the runway, nose up, and began to descend. Its descent speed was also very slow. Compared to the J-7's descent speed of over 300 kilometers per hour, its speed at this moment was only about 260 kilometers per hour. It landed leisurely, with the main landing gear touching the ground, the nose landing gear touching the ground, and the drag chute deployed...

With a whoosh, the old men ran over, as if they hadn't heard what Qin Liang had just said.

Tu Lao shook his head helplessly and followed along. "Reporting to Tu Lao, the maiden flight of the Super-7 has been successfully completed!" Test pilot Lao Wang got off the plane and saluted Tu Lao.

"Yes, Lao Wang, you flew beautifully! The maiden flight of the Super-7 will not only be recorded in our factory's annals, but also in the history of our country's aviation industry! You have made a tremendous contribution to the development of our country's aviation industry, and the motherland and the people will remember you."

Old Wang quickly waved his hand: "No, no, Mr. Tu, I fought them for this first flight mission. We're all test pilots from Factory 132, it doesn't matter who flies, please don't mention my name..."

Just as everyone was handing over the plane, the Pakistanis had already gathered around to look at it. Jamal even climbed up the gangway and sat directly in the cockpit, looking at the familiar instruments in front of him.

This is the old Russian style; starting with the original MiG-15, most of the instrument positions remained unchanged, making modifications to keep it flying the easiest. At the level of the late 1970s, a glass cockpit wasn't a necessity, but advanced radar was essential, as were engines…

When he looked up, he saw Qin Liang climbing up the gangway from the other side.

"By the way, you just said that the engine needs to be replaced?"

"Well, our own WP-7C turbojet is sufficient, but if you want better performance to overwhelm the Indian Air Force, an advanced engine is still necessary," Qin Liang said. "As long as you coordinate, we can complete the matching and produce a modified version specifically for you."

“Okay!” Jamal nodded. “When we get back this time, we’ll coordinate the engine and avionics!”

The RB199, the engine of the Tornado fighter jet, uses a unique three-rotor structure and has an afterburner thrust of 7.1 tons. Its thrust-to-weight ratio of 7.93 is the envy of countless aircraft designers!

The F404 engine, a masterpiece of General Electric, is the engine of the F-18 Hornet and has since been used in many other projects, including Sweden's Gripen and India's LCA. It fully demonstrates the versatile nature of this engine, which is the world's best medium-thrust engine! Its 7.8 tons of thrust will definitely give the Super-7 a revolutionary improvement.

If we could get our hands on the F404, we could actually use it as a prototype to copy it. As for the various processes required... Qin Liang didn't think it would be a problem. He knew most of them, and with the help of research from Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Capital Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics... in five to ten years, we could copy the F404 and then we would have a suitable medium-thrust engine!
As for the RD33 used by the JF-17 Thunder in later generations... we're not considering that now.

Jamal sat in the cockpit for a full twenty minutes before getting off, then walked around the plane, praising it highly.

Six wing pylons, plus the belly pylons, are more than enough! Especially since they can also carry large external fuel tanks!

The engine is designed to be drilled through tunnels, that's great!
The wings... these wings are the most outstanding part, a crystallization of the wisdom and technology of the Eastern aviation industry!

“This aircraft is really good. We still think that purchasing this type of aircraft directly is the most suitable option,” Jamal said.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat again. Pakistan, with its far-sightedness, looked down on the outdated J-7 fighter jet! But... the Super-7 still wasn't permitted for export!

How to do?
Everyone's eyes turned to Qin Liang.

(End of this chapter)