The development paths of the navy and air forces of emerging powers are similar to those of superpowers. The Air Force mainly uses high-thrust aircraft, while the sea-borne aviation is dominated by advanced dual-thrust aircraft. This is due to the fact that carrier-based aircraft have very strict requirements for the maximum carry-back weight when landing on the ship. With the advancement of electromagnetic catapult technology, it will no longer be difficult to catapult super-heavy carrier-based aircraft of more than 35 tons in the future. With the further enlargement of the size of the aircraft carrier, the length of the electromagnetic bullet ray will be extended to 120 meters or even longer, and it will be easier to catapult 40-ton super-heavy carrier-based aircraft in the future. It may even eventually develop a 50-ton unmanned tanker or a long-range unmanned attack aircraft. At present, even in the foreseeable 20 years, it will remain a world-class problem to stop and land carrier-based aircraft of 25 tons and above.
Compared with the traditional cylinder blocking system, the advanced electromagnetic blocking and landing equipment has not made much progress, and its maximum blocking capacity is still limited, and the maximum upper limit is still about 23 tons. In addition, even if the beveled deck buffer zone is extended, it does not increase the weight ceiling of the blocking capacity. This means that the 220 to 240 meter inclined deck landing area on the current active aircraft carrier is long enough, and even if the tonnage of the aircraft carrier continues to expand, it will not make much sense to eventually extend the inclined deck to another 250 to 260 meters. Because the barricade wire rope cannot be stretched indefinitely. If the blocking wire rope is longer than the current one, not only can it not increase too much on the 23-ton blocking weight, but it will increase the complexity of the system because of excessive elongation of the blocking rigging, resulting in a higher possibility of the blocking cable being pulled.
To sum up, no matter whether the actual weight of the carrier-based aircraft during ejection and take-off is 30 tons or 50 tons, the maximum stopping weight during the final completion of the mission landing should still be avoided as much as possible to exceed 23 tons. In this regard, the power of the carrier-based aircraft with double medium thrust is naturally reduced by a full 1 ton of empty weight compared with that of double large thrustAnd this 1 ton of weight can be completely converted into the last safe internal fuel of the carrier-based aircraft on the return journey, so that the carrier-based aircraft that glides down the return route can fly more than six or seven hundred kilometers in the air, which is equivalent to more time in the air, which will eventually last for about one hour. Currently, the power system of carrier-based fighters is not only critical for safety, but even at the strategic level is becoming increasingly important. However, there are obvious shortcomings in the current use of dual medium thrust as the power system of carrier-based fighters. Compared with the double large push, the total thrust-to-weight ratio of the double medium push is obviously insufficient.
For example, the F22A uses two F119 engines, which have a total afterburner thrust of more than 31 tons;If the F414 double thrust is used, the maximum afterburner thrust is only about 23 tons. At present, the main carrier-based aircraft of major countries generally pursue a longer range, and the maximum ejection take-off weight has generally reached more than 30 tons. With the assistance of an electromagnetic catapult, there were no major problems during the ejection take-off phase. However, if the carrier-based aircraft of the double medium thrust enters the state of air combat soon after takeoff, and in the face of the stealth aircraft of the double large thrust, then the maximum thrust of more than 20 tons of the double medium thrust and the maximum thrust of more than 30 tons of the double medium thrust cannot be underestimated. A new type of twin-engine stealth carrier-based aircraft has a single-engine intermediate thrust of 78kN, an afterburner thrust of 120kN, and a maximum thrust-to-weight ratio of more than 12, which has reached the world's leading level, but there is still potential to be tapped.
In other words, the ultimate thrust-to-weight ratio is expanded to 15, and the final double thrust can burst out with a maximum thrust of 30 tons. The thrust-to-weight ratio of 15 is basically a height that can only be achieved by a natural cycle engine. Considering that the core machine of a certain mid-thrust model is extremely good, it is very possible to realize the variable cycle high thrust system in advance.