The development of China's vertical take-off and landing fighter can be traced back to the end of the 60s of the last century, when in order to keep the back hand to deal with the deteriorating situation of Sino-Soviet relations, China began to develop vertical take-off and landing fighters. At the request of the Air Force, the Shenyang 601 Institute began the task of developing vertical take-off and landing fighters, and was initially prepared to be modified on the J-6 fighter, imitating the British Harrier using a vector rotary nozzle engine scheme.
However, due to the insufficient level of Chinese aero engine technology, the program was quickly abandoned. In order to find a new solution, 601 proposed the world's first scheme to use lift fans to achieve vertical take-off and landing. This scheme uses two turbojet engines to drive four lift fans, and the fans are used to generate lift to achieve vertical take-off and landing, codenamed "Mission Four".
Although this plan was ultimately unsuccessful, it laid the foundation for the development of Chinese vertical take-off and landing fighters. Many years later, the research and development of Chinese vertical take-off and landing fighters has once again attracted attention. Cheng Fei and the China Society of Naval Architecture and Naval Architecture recently announced that they will launch the world's first tandem twin-engine heavy vertical take-off and landing fighter. Equipped with the latest technology, the fighter is capable of not only vertical take-off and landing, but also horizontal and supersonic flight.
This technology has surpassed the designs of other countries, allowing China to break new ground in the field of vertical take-off and landing fighters. In fact, the development of Chinese vertical take-off and landing fighters has not stopped. In the past few decades, China's aviation technology has stepped into the world's first echelon, and this aspect has long been different. From vertical take-off and landing engines to large-angle vector nozzles, China has stepped off the drawing board and begun the measurement stage.
This shows that China's vertical take-off and landing fighters will have broader application prospects in the future. The history of the development of China's vertical take-off and landing fighter is full of twists and turns and challenges. But it is precisely these histories that make China's VTOL fighter design more mature and advanced than other countries. The fighter launched by Chengfei demonstrated China's strength and innovation ability in the field of aviation, and amazed the whole world.
In the future, China will not only continue to make efforts in the field of vertical take-off and landing fighters, but also make more achievements in other aviation fields. In 1971, China made its first attempt at a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, but the technical difficulties were too great for the development team to cope, and the mission ultimately failed. However, after proposing in 1977 that the Navy and Air Force should have vertical take-off and landing aircraft, China realized the importance of this technology and began to look for solutions.
As a result, China began to import the "Harrier" complete machine and the Yak-141 main engine. However, the initial negotiations did not succeed in closing a deal. But China found a curved move called the Beijing Aviation Exhibition Hall to save the country, exchanging a La-9 Soviet fighter with Britain for a Harrier-type prototype. This model has helped Chinese researchers accumulate and explore the knowledge of vertical take-off and landing aircraft, opening a real "door gap" for China.
However, in 1992, Russia decided to terminate the development of the Yak-141 vertical take-off and landing fighter, and the R-79-300 engine tailored for the Yak-141 was suddenly "idle". China saw this opportunity and began negotiations with Russia. After a three-year tug-of-war, in 1996, Russia finally signed an agreement to export six sets of the engine to China.
These six sets of engines became the basis for the 624 Institute in Mianyang, Sichuan, to develop a turbofan 15 equipped with the J-20 and subsequent vertical take-off and landing fighters. However, China did not stop there. In 2015, Chengfei and China Aerospace Engine Research Institute began technical research on short vertical take-off and landing aircraft. After hard work, they finally made a major breakthrough in May 2023.
The State Intellectual Property Office announced the patent for "a twin-engine tandem vertical take-off and landing aircraft", which instantly shocked the world. The announcement of this patent marks China's great success in the field of vertical take-off and landing fighters. Although the initial attempts ended in failure, China did not abandon the technology.
Through the import of cooperation with Russia, China successfully obtained the Yak-141 engine, and developed the turbofan 15 engine on this basis, laying a solid foundation for subsequent vertical take-off and landing aircraft. In the end, China successfully developed a twin-engine tandem vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which was a major breakthrough in China's aviation industry. All these arduous processes have fully demonstrated the tenacity and perseverance of the Chinese people.
In the face of difficulties and challenges, the Chinese people never flinch, but forge ahead courageously and constantly look for breakthroughs and solutions. It is this courage and wisdom that enables China's aviation industry to continue to make breakthroughs and become an important force in the world's aviation field. During the development of VTOL aircraft, China faced many difficulties and challenges. However, China's relentless pursuit of independent innovation has ultimately achieved great success.
All this is inseparable from the support of China's leading researchers and the hard work of Chinese researchers. With their wisdom and sweat, they have made great contributions to the development of China's aviation industry. It is this spirit of innovation and perseverance that makes China's aviation industry shine on the international stage. The twin-engine tandem vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed by China not only represents the achievements of China's aviation industry, but also demonstrates the creativity and wisdom of the Chinese people.
This achievement will bring significant strategic advantages to China's national defense industry, and will also help China's aviation industry move towards a broader future. In short, China's arduous journey in the field of vertical take-off and landing fighters fully demonstrates the courage and wisdom of the Chinese people. Through independent innovation and international cooperation, China has successfully developed a twin-engine tandem vertical take-off and landing aircraft, laying a solid foundation for the development of China's aviation industry.
This breakthrough is not only a great achievement of China's aviation industry, but also a manifestation of the creativity and wisdom of the Chinese people. It is believed that in the near future, China will make more brilliant achievements in the field of aviation. The vertical take-off and landing fighter developed by Chengfei has finally come out, and this news is undoubtedly a breaking point, so that people's long-awaited results have finally seen daylight. There is no doubt that the four major features of this fighter are worthy of attention.
First of all, it solves the problem of "dead weight" of VTOL fighters, allowing us to play a better role in terms of space and combat radius. Secondly, the single-nozzle conventional engine avoids the defects of multi-nozzle vector engine, reduces the cost and difficulty of the aircraft, and ensures the reliability and safety of the aircraft. Thirdly, the aircraft has greater combat capabilities and maneuverability, has greater advantages, and is superior to light vertical take-off and landing fighters.
Finally, its 3 vector spouts make for enhanced maneuverability.
Not only that, the scheme of the vertical take-off and landing fighter is also very unique, the front engine is intake through the upper air intake, and the tail is connected to the left and right vector nozzles in the shape of "trouser legs", and the rear engine is located in the rear of the fuselage, using the belly air intake located under the fuselage, and the tail is connected to the tail nozzle, which not only does not affect the level flight performance of the aircraft itself, but also has better balance during vertical take-off and landing.
Chengfei's unique thinking has greatly improved the stability, maneuverability, and combat radius of VTOL fighters. As we all know, vertical take-off and landing fighters have always been one of the difficulties in the development of various countries, and Chengfei's development plan can be said to be a revolutionary breakthrough, which will bring endless possibilities to the improvement of our strength.
It is believed that in the future, Chengfei vertical take-off and landing fighters will play a greater role in battles and contribute to the security and development of the country. According to the magazine "Ship Knowledge", the fighter will be the world's first tandem twin-engine, heavy, stealth vertical take-off and landing fighter.
If the test flight is successful, it will greatly enhance China's maritime strike capability, which can not only be deployed on aircraft carriers, but also equipped on the 40,000-ton 075 amphibious assault ship. However, this news has also attracted the attention of the United States.
International Defense reported that this idea is reminiscent of the "hybrid" of the Boeing X32 and the Lockheed F35B, the Boeing X32 lost to the Lockheed F35B, and the Chengfei plan would replace the F35B's lift fan with a lift engine, or turn one engine of the X32 into two engines, and half of the thrust would be transferred to the new rear engine, thus giving the VTOL fighter more thrust and flexibility.
Interestingly, Cheng Fei's rare design idea may have originated in Germany during World War II. The last fighter with a serial engine was the famous DO335 developed by Germany in 1944. On a technical level, two engines are easier to achieve than one pusher.
Chengfei has applied for a patent, and believes that under its technical strength, the tandem twin-engine vertical take-off and landing fighter is expected to achieve mass production soon, becoming a major achievement in China's aviation industry and enhancing national defense strength and international status. In short, the design of the vertical take-off and landing fighter is unique, and if the test flight is successful, it will have a huge impact on China's sea and air strike capabilities. It is expected that Cheng Fei will make more contributions to China's military cause at an early date.