Chapter 117
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Chapter 117: The Secrets of Domestic Fighter Jets
"I started with the L-15 as a training aircraft, and now I’m flying the J-10A!" Lin Mo pointed to the J-10B parked in the distance and said, "That one is an earlier version of the J-10B."
"Oh, really? What a coincidence! The J-10 is one of our projects at the 611 Institute. I was a member of that project team back then. This aircraft cost a lot to develop, although the framework is now in place, there’s still a long road ahead, like the engine and the structural design…" As Uncle Yan began discussing aircraft, he completely forgot about his meal, speaking non-stop with enthusiasm.
"It would be great if the engine could have dual engines and a longer lifespan," Lin Mo shared his experience.
"There’s no way around it; the engine is one of the symbols of a country’s industrial strength. Aircraft engines have extremely high requirements for materials and processing precision. Initially, the J-10 was planned to use a domestically produced engine, but there’s still a gap compared to the Russian and American engines. Only a batch of early J-10s used the Tiangong-2 engine, which might have some issues with the manufacturing process, resulting in sluggish acceleration at low speeds, a heavy sound, and a subpar lifespan. Later models switched entirely to the Russian AL-31FN. The new version of the vector engine is decent, and it’s even used on the Su-27, but it has a first overhaul limit of only 1500 hours. I expect later batches of the AL-31FN to last longer, reaching about 2000 hours. Each AL-31FN costs us $3 million, accounting for 20% of the aircraft’s total cost. Each plane must have one engine and one spare; without two engines, you can’t ensure the plane’s operation. However, compared with the F-16’s P&W F100-PW-200 series engines made by the Americans, there’s still a significant gap. Despite that, it isn’t the most advanced technology; no matter how much we invest, the Russians still refuse to authorize us to produce the technology. Perhaps only after the domestic WS-10A engine technology matures will things improve," Uncle Yan spoke about engines with great familiarity, his decades of expertise pouring forth in a cascade of technical terms that would bewilder the average person.
Only Lin Mo, who had participated in assembling the J-10, could sit by and listen with keen interest.
Typically, an engine has a lifespan of only ten years. While having dual engines significantly increases thrust, the speed remains the same, and costs increase further. Domestic fighter jets don’t have the luxury of development budgets like the Americans, who can throw billions of dollars at a project. Selling all of China’s fighter jets wouldn’t even cover the development cost of one F-35.
As Lin Mo listened to Uncle Yan, an aircraft design expert from the 611 Institute, he recognized the truth behind Uncle Yan’s claims. Although these were all publicly available data, not involving military secrets, Uncle Yan’s familiarity with the J-10 surpassed ten Lin Mos. Even if Lin Mo could fully analyze the Gold Coin, he could only understand its features but not master every single function.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Mo boldly shared some thoughts about modifying the J-10.
"Young man, you are incredibly bold! Unauthorized modifications could send you to a military court! That’s a fighter jet that cost our country over a hundred million to develop! You can’t just change it on a whim," Uncle Yan exclaimed, eyes wide as he looked Lin Mo up and down in disbelief. He shook his head, saying, "Fighter jets are not like civilian aircraft; they are not so easy to modify. The ideas you mentioned are things I have considered in the past. While they are true, the costs and processes have never met the requirements. If they could be achieved, we would have already commissioned the manufacturers for mass production. You kid didn’t really modify it this way, did you? One faulty component could mean disaster!"
A fighter pilot discussing aircraft modifications with a seasoned expert like Uncle Yan is indeed amusing. No matter how experienced the pilot, they couldn’t compare to the aircraft manufacturing engineers’ understanding of each structure and module—a feat that isn’t simply about replacing parts.
"Hey, that J-10A I fly is my own; I have enough authority for reasonable modifications, and I’ve already changed some aspects: the fly-by-wire system, control systems, and software. From what I’ve seen, there’s essentially no problem. Recently, I practiced with the J-10B," Lin Mo’s words caused Uncle Yan’s heart to skip a beat.
Such fearless confidence from a novice pilot made Uncle Yan feel both surprised and concerned.
"What were the results?" Uncle Yan grabbed Lin Mo’s hand tightly. Improvements like these, especially in actual combat, require a level of courage that few possess. Test flights often gamble with lives; with no guarantee of success, any modification is a matter of great gravity.
"The maneuverability index improved by 5%, stability increased by 1%, and thrust vectoring went up by 3%. I can at least hold my own against the J-10B, but further changes would need to address the aerodynamic layout," Lin Mo revealed performance parameters that left Uncle Yan with a peculiar expression. Without professional equipment, how could Lin Mo obtain such data? His claims made it sound like he was operating out of a miniature research laboratory.
Changing the aerodynamic layout means altering the aircraft’s appearance. Minor modifications can lead to small version differences like ABCD, while major changes are complete transformations that aren’t easy and must consider various atmospheric environments and tactical maneuvers.
"Is this for real? You’re not trying to trick me, are you?" Uncle Yan remained skeptical, but Lin Mo’s discussions of modifications, parameters, and actual data didn’t seem fabricated. Suddenly, he grew wary; this young man couldn’t be a spy, could he? How could he know so much? Most pilots don’t possess such detailed technical knowledge.
"Of course it’s real; I did the modifications myself," Lin Mo shrugged, explaining that aircraft technology and each component are indeed at a high technical level and not easily accessible to the average person.
"Then let me put your knowledge to the test…" Uncle Yan named several parameters and equipment, looking smugly at Lin Mo and adding, "If you can tell me which component those parameters belong to and what function they serve, then I’ll share a few of my own J-10 modification plans with you. Otherwise, you won’t get anything useful from me." With this confident challenge, he grabbed the boxed meal Lin Mo had prepared and felt certain the young man wouldn’t be able to answer.
Just as he picked up his first bite of food, Lin Mo’s answer startled Uncle Yan; it seemed as though the young man had assembled a complete J-10. Some of the parameters and equipment names he had mentioned were even unremovable single-use components, with specialized security settings that would self-destruct if tampered with. Only someone who had witnessed these firsthand would understand their intricacies, and only those with special clearance could access them.
Uncle Yan’s guess was almost entirely accurate; Lin Mo had indeed assembled a J-10 by hand. However, there remained a gap between his expertise and the technical level needed to manufacture a J-10. The assembly documentation he possessed was highly classified; without the protection of the Special Forces unit "Night," such information would never have reached Lin Mo.
A spy wouldn’t obtain this kind of information. If they could access such data, they’d be very close to acquiring complete J-10 blueprints, rendering any need to extract secrets from this decommissioned individual pointless.
"Are you a test pilot?" Uncle Yan pressed down the shock in his heart. This young man was less a pilot and more akin to an aircraft design engineer. Would an ordinary pilot really have such knowledge of aircraft structures?
"Of course not! But my workplace has a very high security level, possibly even higher than your 611 Institute," Lin Mo replied, shrugging, acknowledging they were touching upon highly classified matters.
Both men held back, discussing only information above what was publicly available, yet it was evident Uncle Yan was pinpointing half-public information, only known to those truly in the loop.
"Alright, alright, I believe you. But we can’t say too much in this public setting. I should wrap this up," Uncle Yan decided. "Let me show you some of my own ideas, but these were outdated proposals from several years ago, and their confidentiality has long expired." He set aside his meal and flipped through a few pages of a folder resting on his lap, handing it to Lin Mo.
"To be honest, the aerodynamic layout of a fighter jet isn’t that complicated. Typically, the limitations come from the pilots, materials, and processing techniques. Perfect design concepts do exist, but the human body can’t withstand the full performance of such maneuvers, and the materials and processing techniques cannot meet the required manufacturing costs. Sometimes, producing small quantities for prototypes is possible, but for mass production, the costs become unmanageable. Therefore, there is no perfect design, only the most suitable one. You take a look first; I need to eat."
Uncle Yan shoved the folder into Lin Mo’s hands and resumed eating vigorously, clearly enjoying the quality meal prepared for staff compared to his dry bread.
"Delicious stuff!" Lin Mo said, munching on the apple Uncle Yan had given him, eagerly flipping through the folder.
As Uncle Yan had pointed out, manned fighter jets, considering pilot endurance and visibility, could never match the perfect aerodynamic design of drones.
