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the picture shows the f-35b short-range/vertical take-off and landing fighter jet carried on the british aircraft carrier

some time ago, the u.s. military conducted a "rolling" landing training for the vertical take-off and landing carrier-based f-35b. in fact, last october, the united states and the united kingdom used the "prince of wales" aircraft carrier as a platform to conduct short-distance ski-jump takeoff and "rolling" landing tests of the f-35b fighter jet, seeking to complete the take-off and landing of the fighter jet with a larger airborne weight.

in recent years, due to the harsh conditions and high fuel consumption during vertical take-off and landing, accidents involving vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft in service in various countries have occurred frequently. in order to make up for the design defects, researchers have begun to try to upgrade the engines for vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft, change the take-off and landing methods, and transform the aircraft carrier platform. so, how do vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft take off and land with load? can short-distance ski-jump take-off and "rolling" landing become new ways for them to fly? what developments will the supporting technologies and weapons usher in in the future? please read this article for interpretation.

a "dilemma" about vertical takeoff and landing

in april 1969, the british royal air force welcomed a group of "special recruits" - although they looked like fighter planes, they could take off vertically and hover in the air, which amazed the pilots. this was the "harrier" fighter jointly developed by hawker aircraft company and bristol aero engine company.

the harrier fighter's unique skills come from a special "heart" - the pegasus engine equipped with thrust steering technology. by adjusting the rotating engine nozzle, it helps the fighter to take off and land vertically and perform a variety of special maneuvers in the air.

as fighter jets are put into actual combat, problems such as small number of mounted weapons and high fuel consumption during vertical take-off have gradually emerged, which also directly affects their maritime combat capabilities.

how to make vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft "take off with load"? researchers have once again focused on the ski-jump take-off deck of aircraft carriers. this curved upturned deck can enable carrier-based aircraft to obtain a suitable take-off angle after taxiing, and with the powerful engine, it can achieve a large load take-off.

this process is like flying a paper airplane in childhood. first find the right angle to "take advantage of the east wind", then throw it out with force, and the paper airplane will fly. since the 1970s, the uk has renovated the light aircraft carrier "hermes", dismantled the steam catapult, and then converted the bow deck into a 12-degree upward ski-jump deck. through the "short-distance ski-jump takeoff and vertical landing" method, the "harrier" fighter can be equipped with more ammunition for long-range combat, effectively increasing the combat radius of vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft.

in addition to "taking advantage of the favorable conditions", using thin materials to reduce weight is also an important option to increase the range and ammunition of fighter jets. there is a saying in the aviation industry: "strive to reduce every gram of weight of the aircraft." when scientific researchers are demonstrating and designing aircraft, a basic principle in the use of materials and equipment is to "reduce as much as possible."

in the late 1960s, during the development of the first vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft yak-38, the soviet union discovered that its lift engine did not work during flight, adding a lot of weight to the fighter, resulting in high fuel consumption, low payload, and a maximum combat radius of less than 200 kilometers. it was called the "mast protector."

in the following 10 years, the soviet yakovlev design bureau widely used composite materials such as aluminum-lithium alloys in fighter design to reduce the weight and increase the range, and by adding various new air combat weapons and ground attack weapons, the fighters were equipped with beyond-visual-range air combat capabilities.

in 1987, the soviet union's second-generation vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft yak-141 was launched. carbon fiber materials account for 28% of the aircraft, and the maximum take-off weight is nearly 8 tons higher than the first-generation vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft. the combat radius is 700 kilometers and the maximum flight speed is 1.7 mach, making it the world's first vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft to achieve supersonic flight.

in 2004, the united states launched a "weight loss plan" during the development of the f-35b fighter. in pursuit of lightweight, researchers carried out an eight-month upgrade and modification project, using high-strength adhesives to replace skin fasteners, milling and grinding every tiny part, and even reducing the size of the vertical tail, reducing the weight of the fighter by about 1.225 tons.

the good times did not last long, as the f-35b suffered from "weight loss sequelae". during the durability test in 2010, structural cracks appeared prematurely in the main wing load-bearing bulkhead of the f-35b test aircraft. the structural strength of the fuselage was greatly reduced, resulting in the estimated service life of the first batch of f-35b fighters being only one-fourth of the design value, and frequent failures during service. it can be seen that achieving "loaded takeoff" by "weight loss" is a dilemma.

at present, the us military has proposed an f-35b upgrade plan, which aims to significantly reduce the failure rate of fighter jets and extend their service life by modifying engines and increasing the proportion of new materials used. however, whether it can ultimately break through the "dilemma" of vertical take-off and landing remains an unknown.

combined solutions help safe take-off and landing

in modern naval warfare, far from land-based supply stations, aviation fuel is a precious resource, and the precision-guided missiles equipped on fighter jets cost millions of dollars each. in order to ensure the sustainability of military operations, vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft must not only be able to "take off with load", but also achieve safe landing with missiles and fuel.

to this end, researchers adopted a combination of "conventional propulsion system + lift system" to divert the power output of the engine to achieve the effects of "flying" and "landing steadily".

the first step is to transmit power to the fan device at the front of the engine through the turbine main shaft. the device generates a downward airflow, and then the lift generated is vectored by the nozzle at the bottom of the fan; the second step is to deflect the airflow ejected backward from the engine combustion chamber downward through the deflection nozzle to support the fighter in the air. when the fighter needs to fly forward, the nozzle will deflect backward to generate forward thrust; the third step is to use two ducts to lead the compressed air generated by the engine compressor to the wings on both sides, and then eject it downward through the nozzle on the wing tip. this not only provides more vertical upward lift for the fighter, but also adjusts the jet direction when the center of gravity of the fuselage shifts to maintain a stable flight attitude of the fighter.

russia's tumansky design bureau upgraded the conventional propulsion system to a rotary nozzle engine and applied it to the yak-141 fighter. the engine nozzle has a steering function and can be deflected downward. when the fighter takes off vertically, the nozzle sprays downward to provide lift; after entering the cruise state, the nozzle returns to horizontal to provide forward power. in addition, the two rd-41 lift engines installed in series on the fuselage behind the cockpit were also developed by the tumansky design bureau and are designed specifically to improve the fighter's vertical take-off and landing performance, ensuring sufficient lift support during take-off and landing.

however, british researchers found that both the conventional propulsion system + lift system and the rotary nozzle engine + lift system often had problems such as insufficient thrust in bad weather conditions. so they developed a "rolling" landing technology for carrier-based aircraft.

the "rolling" landing combines traditional conventional landing and vertical landing methods. the carrier-based aircraft approaches from the stern of the ship at a certain glide angle. under the joint action of the lift fan, deflection nozzle, and the aerodynamic structure of the fuselage, it decelerates and approaches the aircraft carrier in a "falling leaf" posture. after touching the ship, the digital anti-lock braking system is used to control the ground braking distance within 50 meters.

although the "rolling" landing is more complicated and risky than the standard vertical landing method, the strong lift provided during the landing process allows carrier-based aircraft to land with a larger payload. in 2018, the british royal navy completed 187 vertical landings on the "queen elizabeth" aircraft carrier and conducted 15 "rolling" landing tests on the ship, achieving good results.

supporting technologies drive capacity upgrades

in the early 1970s, the then us navy chief of operations elmer first proposed building a smaller and more cost-effective "sea control ship" equipped with vertical take-off and landing aircraft. at that time, the plan was rejected by the military due to the immature vertical take-off and landing technology.

half a century later, more and more countries have equipped their armies with vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft, and the amphibious assault ships that are used in combat have also evolved accordingly. take the italian "trieste" amphibious assault ship launched in 2019 as an example. it is equipped with a ski-jump take-off deck and a flooding dock, and can carry about 20 vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft. it can efficiently perform sea and air control tasks and once became a "model ship" that major military industrial enterprises rushed to imitate.

at the same time, the entry of vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft has also led to the rapid development of a number of supporting technologies and weapons and equipment. these supporting technologies and weapons and equipment have become the "new partners" of vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft, effectively improving their combat effectiveness.

the flight deck is wearing "heat-insulating suits". since the high-temperature gas ejected downwards during vertical take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft will cause high-temperature corrosion to the deck, researchers have worked hard on the research and development of the deck's thermal protection layer. taking the british royal navy's "queen elizabeth" aircraft carrier as an example, researchers have developed a new metal thermal barrier coating technology based on aluminum-titanium alloy. the 2.5 mm thick protective coating can protect the deck from the high temperature of the engine tail flame of thousands of degrees celsius.

lift fan "reduces fat and loses weight". although the lift fan can provide greater lift for vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft, it occupies a large amount of fuselage space, so the fighter reduces the fuel capacity. after the fighter plane flies level, the lift fan loses its function. in order to further improve the power efficiency of the fighter, on the one hand, the researchers use the front lift fan to reduce the windward resistance; on the other hand, by reducing the number of fan blades and optimizing the aerodynamic design of the blades, the weight of the equipment can be reduced while maintaining high thrust.

the engine is "simplified". the thrust vectoring engine has many complex components such as the deflection mechanism and the adjustment plate. the streamlined design can improve the efficiency of the thrust vectoring engine. to this end, researchers in some countries have proposed the concept of aerodynamic thrust vectoring, adding a small amount of controllable airflow in the nozzle to interfere with the mainstream of the nozzle and generate thrust vectoring. replacing the traditional deflection mechanism with such an "air wall" can not only reduce the weight of the nozzle by 80% and reduce the manufacturing cost by half, but also speed up the response speed of the thrust vectoring engine, effectively improving the maneuverability and agility of vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft.

flying faster, landing more steadily, power conversion more efficiently... these ongoing changes help vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft continuously adapt to new battlefield needs.

last year, the british royal navy launched an aircraft carrier transformation plan - based on the queen elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, the ski-jump flight deck was removed and arresting cables and electromagnetic catapults were installed to make the take-off and landing process of the f-35b fighter more efficient and convenient.

in addition, the remodeled aircraft carrier will also be equipped with carrier-based unmanned tanker aircraft. through aerial refueling, the range and combat radius of vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft can be increased.

in a sense, the iterative upgrades and empowerment of these supporting technologies have laid the foundation for vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft to try short-distance ski-jump takeoffs and "rolling" landings. the evolution of weapons and equipment rarely makes single leaps, but is more of a joint effort. its effectiveness still needs further testing.