Recently, a ** on the "aircraft carrier building" in Wuhan has aroused heated discussions among netizens. **, a brand new carrier-based drone debuted, its huge size and unique shape, which is amazing. This UAV may be a test model of a certain type of stealth carrier-based UAV, or it may also be the prototype of a "heavy" carrier-based UAV being developed in China. In any case, this appearance undoubtedly shows a major breakthrough in the field of carrier-based UAVs in our country, and also opens up new space for the future development of our navy.
A carrier-based drone is a type of drone that can take off and land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, and it has many advantages, such as low cost, high efficiency, low risk, etc. However, carrier-based UAVs also face many challenges, such as complex marine environments, high-intensity hostile threats, limited space and weight, etc. Therefore, carrier-based UAVs need to have the ability to multi-task to adapt to different operational needs.
The main tasks of carrier-based UAVs include the following:
Sea-to-ground strikes: Carrier-based UAVs can carry a variety of **, such as missiles, bombs, rockets, etc., to carry out precision strikes on enemy sea or land targets, eliminate threats, and support friendly operations.
Air refueling: Carrier-based UAVs can be used as air tankers to provide fuel for carrier-based fighters, extend their combat time and radius, and enhance their combat capabilities.
Anti-submarine patrol: Carrier-based UAVs can be equipped with various anti-submarine equipment, such as sonar, torpedoes, mines, etc., to patrol the sea area for a long time, find and destroy enemy submarines, and protect the safety of aircraft carriers.
Reconnaissance and detection: Carrier-based UAVs can be equipped with various reconnaissance equipment, such as radar, electronic warfare, optoelectronics, etc., to monitor the enemy's movements, location, and scale in real time, provide intelligence for aircraft carrier formations, and improve situational awareness.
The carrier-based UAV unveiled this time was guessed to be "heavy", and its size is equivalent to that of a medium fighter, even surpassing the attack 11 UAV of the past **. This means that this drone has stronger performance and more features, but it also means that it faces greater technical difficulty and higher requirements.
Since there is only a vague ** at the moment, we cannot determine the specific parameters of this drone, but we can speculate based on some clues. First of all, the maximum take-off weight of this drone may be more than 10 tons, but no more than 20 tons, which is estimated in terms of its ratio to other objects on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Secondly, the drone may have a medium-thrust engine, or two low-thrust engines, judging by the shape and size of the exhaust port in the rear of its fuselage. The engine that is likely to be used is the turbofan 13 series, which is an advanced turbofan engine independently developed by our country, which has been equipped with the J-20 fighter. Finally, the drone may be capable of carrying multiple guided bombs or supersonic anti-ship missiles, based on the number and location of hardpoints under its wings.
The "heavy" carrier-based UAV unveiled this time is not only of great significance in terms of technical performance, but more importantly, it is more important to accumulate experience in the use of large fixed-wing UAVs for the Chinese Navy. The United States has already conducted sufficient tests in this regard, and China needs to take this opportunity to quickly improve the research and testing in related fields to lay a deeper foundation for the development of future carrier-based UAVs.
In the future, China may develop more types of carrier-based UAVs, such as stealth, high-speed, high-altitude, long-endurance, etc., to meet different operational needs. At the same time, China may also explore the coordinated operation of carrier-based UAVs and carrier-based fighters to form a new combat mode and improve the combat effectiveness of the entire aircraft carrier formation.
The unveiling of China's new carrier-based UAV marks the great progress that China has made in the aerospace field. This not only promotes the development of UAV technology, but also provides strong support for the modernization of our navy. The mission diversity of the new "heavy" carrier-based UAV makes it possible to play a role beyond external expectations in future naval warfare, which may lead China's shipborne UAV technology to the world's leading level.