Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 866: Drawing inspiration from the 516 modified rocket frigate, the aircraft carrier's s

Inside the dock office at Sembawang Naval Base.

On the long solid wood desk, there are several neat and detailed hand-drawn blueprints for ship modification, whose concepts completely transcend the current era's warship design thinking.

Several senior British shipbuilding engineers and hull structure experts stood around a table, watching and discussing.

They were all shipbuilding professionals in the British Royal Navy, with experience in designing and repairing battleships, cruisers, and regular frigates. They were well-versed in the shipbuilding logic of giant ships and heavy guns, but now, looking at the unfamiliar modification plan on the table, their eyes were full of doubt and curiosity.

An elderly engineer with white hair replied, "I'm sorry, we don't understand your design concept."

They certainly didn't understand.

These drawings were compiled by Fang Wen using his powerful mental abilities to search for future memories.

Without proper communication with engineering and technical personnel, the renovation plan will be difficult to implement.

Fang Wen picked up the modification plans for the two cargo ships and explained:

"Ladies and gentlemen, this design is not a traditional naval warship, but a dedicated shipborne rocket artillery fire support frigate."

Under the watchful eyes of engineering and technical experts, Fang Wen continued his explanation.

"The core logic behind the modification of this ship is to abandon the redundant configuration of traditional warships in anti-ship and long-range anti-submarine warfare, and to maximize the saturation of anti-shore and anti-ship firepower. Our current modification hull is a civilian cargo ship modified into a ship, without having to copy the heavy armor and large-caliber main guns of regular warships. We play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, with firepower density as the core and flexibility and speed as the keynote, to create a suppressive warship."

The white-haired British engineer frowned and questioned, "Sir, the core of a frigate is escort, anti-submarine warfare, and surveillance. Abandoning heavy guns and armor and relying solely on projectile weapons will only make it a sitting duck in close combat. This does not conform to the conventional logic of naval warfare."

The other engineers nodded in agreement. This is the current global consensus among navies: large ships with heavy guns and a balance of offense and defense are the ironclad rules of ship design. No navy has ever built a frigate that relies solely on dense firepower for combat.

It doesn't exist now, but it's a trend for the future.

The future warship that Fang Wen referenced was the 516 Jiujiang ship, which will also be the only dedicated rocket artillery fire support frigate in the future Chinese Navy.

(Jiujiang ship, decommissioned in 18)

Fang Wen's renovation drawings completely replicate its core design concept.

"First, the ship's layout needs to be restructured." Fang Wen ran his finger along the mid-to-rear section of the ship. "Completely remove all the original facilities in the mid-section and aft section of the ship, clear out the entire aft deck and mid-deck space, and use it all to install rocket launchers. The anti-ship torpedoes and long-range anti-submarine equipment of traditional frigates are meaningless in the face of saturation fire suppression, and instead take up space for core firepower."

"The weapon system we carry is the 132mm shipborne multiple rocket launcher system of our Taishan. Each ship is equipped with eight 24-tube launchers, staggered in the middle and aft decks of the ship. These weapons must be unobstructed in all directions to achieve omnidirectional and blind-spot-free projection. Each launcher can fire 24 rockets at a time, and with eight launchers firing simultaneously, a total of 192 rockets can be launched in a single salvo."

All the engineers present were shocked.

The simultaneous launch of 192 munitions created a terrifying firepower density that far exceeded any shipborne weapon they were familiar with.

From this perspective, it seems quite reasonable; no military personnel would reject the theory of firepower supremacy.

Fang Wen continued:

"The range of conventional fragmentation shells is 20 kilometers, while extended-range munitions can reach 30 kilometers, which is similar to the range of battleship guns, but the firepower density is much greater than that of battleships. I believe that no battleship would dare to engage it in a long-range gun battle."

British technical experts nodded subconsciously, understanding Fang Wen's meaning with just a little imagination.

The battleship fired a main gun, and the enemy had already fired 192 rockets. Even if the hit rate was a bit low, with so many rockets, some were bound to hit.

However, the battleship's massive cannons had a high probability of missing.

Based on this calculation, it seems that battleships are at a disadvantage when facing this type of warship.

They understood why the Strait of Malacca sank the Chokai: it was precisely because of the saturation salvo of rockets, combined with a face-to-face confrontation with the Japanese heavy cruiser, that they annihilated it.

Next, we will explain the military logistics design of warships.

Fang Wen points to the substructure below the deck:

"The area below deck has been completely converted into ammunition depots and rapid reloading mechanisms. Each rocket launcher has its own dedicated sealed ammunition compartment with three sets of spare launch boxes, which are pre-loaded by two loader crew members. After a salvo, the mechanical mechanism can quickly replace the boxes, and a second or third round of fire coverage can be launched in a short time, with a sustained suppression capability far exceeding that of traditional artillery ships. As long as the warship has sufficient ammunition reserves, it can support multiple rounds of high-intensity saturation attacks."

A young engineer asked, "Mr. Fang, if we forgo heavy firepower and protection, how can the ship's self-defense capabilities be guaranteed? How should we respond to close-range surprise attacks or low-altitude strafing by fighter jets?"

Fang Wen countered, "How thick of armor do you think it needs to withstand an enemy ship's main gun? If that kind of armor is added, the ship will lose its speed advantage and won't be able to install the weapons and equipment I need. What's the point of me modifying it? I don't believe there is a perfect warship. When faced with offense and defense, you can only choose one."

After a pause, Fang Wen continued.

“We still have the necessary weapons.” He pointed to the reserved areas at the bow and stern of the ship. “We have not completely given up our self-defense and precision strike capabilities. Two twin-mounted 100mm naval guns are retained at the bow and stern as precision point-killing firepower. Rocket artillery is responsible for large-area coverage to clear targets, while naval guns are responsible for clearing remaining fire points and intercepting small vessels at close range, making up for the shortcomings of rockets in close-range accuracy, forming a complementary combat mode of ‘area suppression + point clearing’.”

"At the same time, small-caliber anti-aircraft guns are retained on both sides of the hull to build basic close-in air defense firepower to deal with low-altitude fighter jets and close-range small boat attacks, and to meet basic self-defense needs."

"But its design is positioned as a long-range firepower suppression ship, rather than a close-quarters combat ship. It relies on its ultra-long range to destroy the enemy's combat power in advance, thereby avoiding the risk of close combat from the root."

"In summary, the core of the transformation of this rocket artillery frigate is to make the ultimate trade-offs. It abandons redundant traditional offensive and defensive configurations, does not pursue comprehensiveness, and devotes all of the ship's space, load capacity, and power supply to firepower projection and sustained combat capability."

Silence fell over the office as the British engineers scrutinized the blueprints, their doubts completely dissipating in light of the stunning results of the recent Battle of Malacca, replaced by awe and recognition.

Having worked in the industry for many years, they adhered to the traditional shipbuilding mindset of giant ships and heavy artillery, never imagining that ships could be modified in this way, and that the naval warfare landscape could be completely rewritten by a densely launched rocket artillery weapon.

Abandoning balance and focusing on the ultimate, this new tactical approach, which uses saturation firepower to overturn the traditional naval warfare model of gunnery and torpedo attacks, is completely ahead of its time.

The British chief engineer looked at Fang Wen with a solemn expression: "Mr. Fang, we have understood your modification ideas. Next, we will mobilize all the materials and manpower in the shipyard to carry out the modification according to your drawings and technical requirements."

Fang Wen nodded and took out another set of drawings.

"Next is the plan for the aircraft carrier's refit."

Regarding aircraft carriers, Fang Wen's modification plan is also very different from that of aircraft carriers of this era.

His drawings depicted an upward-curving takeoff runway. Fang Wen called this structure a ski-jump flight deck.

This design originated from a British naval lieutenant commander in the 70s, whose original intention was to adapt it to short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter jets (Harriers).

(Ski jump flight deck)

But Fang Wen knew another secret.

When Britain invented the ski-jump deck, the early land-based test platform not only tested the Harrier, but also used the old Sea Fury and Sea Spitfire piston carrier-based aircraft for comparative testing.

The data obtained is:

7° ski-jump deck: For the same 100-meter ski-jump distance, the payload is increased by approximately 25%;

12° ski jump: The takeoff distance with heavy load is reduced by nearly 40%, and a fully loaded takeoff is possible even when sailing at low speeds in windless conditions.

In other words, this design is inherently suited for piston-engine fighter jets.

Unfortunately, by the time it was invented, piston-engine aircraft had become obsolete.

On the long solid wood table, the blueprints for the rocket artillery frigate were temporarily pushed aside, and Fang Wen spread out another set of larger ship modification blueprints.

The blueprints depict an upward-arching, curved extension deck at the bow, which is abrupt and strange, unlike any of the flat-deck aircraft carriers currently in use.

The British engineers' eyes were fixed on the warped deck, puzzled.

The chief engineer bent down to get closer to the blueprints, looking at the curved structure of the bow, and asked on behalf of the others, "Mr. Fang, if I may be so bold, the flight deck of an aircraft carrier must be kept flat. If the bow is made into an upward-curving arc, the aircraft will be very prone to turbulence and loss of control when it takes off, and the propeller may even scrape the deck. If the takeoff fails, the entire aircraft will be thrown directly into the sea. The risk is too great."

The structural engineer next to him quickly added, "Moreover, this curved deck will significantly increase the load on the bow, so it must be reinforced. We have worked on all the aircraft carriers of the Illustrious and Colossus classes, and we have never seen such an outrageous design."

The others echoed this sentiment. In the shipbuilding understanding of 1941, a flat deck and hydraulic catapults were the only orthodox solution for carrier-based aircraft takeoff. The upward-curving ramp was completely beyond their comprehension, and everyone had a huge question mark in their hearts.

Fang Wen calmly explained the principles behind this design to the British engineers.

"I call this curved ramp the ski-jump takeoff deck. It does not increase the risk of takeoff, but rather significantly lowers the takeoff threshold for carrier-based aircraft."

“With conventional flat deck takeoff, the fighter jet taxis horizontally throughout the entire flight. At the moment of takeoff, the lift comes solely from its own speed. If the carrier's speed is insufficient, the sea is calm, or the fighter jet is fully loaded with bombs and fuel, the takeoff distance will be significantly longer, and a slight mishap could result in a crash into the sea. A ski-jump deck, on the other hand, provides the fighter jet with an upward climb angle at the very last moment after it leaves the ship.”

"When a fighter jet takes off, it has an upward force, which is equivalent to having an extra air buffer acceleration distance. It can complete heavy-load takeoff without deck wind or high-speed headwind sailing of an aircraft carrier."

The white-haired engineer still had doubts: "Aircraft carrier fighter jets don't have long takeoff distances to begin with, so isn't adding this kind of ramp redundant?"

Fang Wen shook his head: "It's not just an improvement, it's a qualitative change."

He simply reproduced the actual measurement data from later experiments in its entirety.

"For the same type of piston-engine carrier-based aircraft, with a 100-meter takeoff distance, a ski-jump deck with a 7-degree inclination can directly increase the aircraft's payload by 25%; if adjusted to the optimal 12-degree inclination angle, the takeoff distance required for heavy-load takeoff can be directly reduced by 40%."

Upon hearing this, the engineers' expressions of doubt gradually turned into astonishment.

Shortening the runway distance by 40% means that a carrier deck of the same size can accommodate a longer take-off runway with heavy loads, or directly reduce the size of the carrier hull; increasing the payload by a quarter means that each dive bomber and torpedo bomber can carry more munitions, directly increasing the power of a single wave of attack.

Fang Wen continued to add, allaying their concerns about propeller scraping and structural strength: "As for the issue of the propeller touching the deck, it can be completely avoided simply by widening the bow takeoff passage and adjusting the takeoff centerline of the fighter jets; in terms of structural reinforcement, the ski-jump ramp uses segmented thickened steel structure welding, which is not expensive or difficult to construct."

"More importantly, this deck does not require a complex hydraulic catapult system to achieve better takeoff results," Fang Wen pointed out, highlighting the biggest advantage of this design.

An engineer in charge of carrier-based aircraft takeoffs and landings couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Fang, if takeoff fails and the fighter jet stalls after lifting off from the ship, wouldn't it be more likely to crash?"

"On the contrary." Fang Wen shook his head. "If the thrust is insufficient when taking off from a flat deck, the fighter jet will be in a downward attitude after leaving the ship, and there is no room for recovery. The upward angle provided by the ski-jump deck can give the pilot a few seconds to adjust. Even if the engine power is insufficient, there is a chance to lower the nose and restart acceleration, which greatly improves the safety of take-off and landing at sea."

Everyone lowered their heads and re-examined the blueprints, constantly simulating in their minds the image of piston-engine fighters rushing up the curved ramp and soaring into the sky. The deeply ingrained concept that "a flat deck is the only orthodox one" began to be violently shaken.

After a long silence, the chief engineer spoke up: "To be frank, this design completely overturns our experience in aircraft carrier construction. No one has ever thought that a ramp could change the takeoff logic of carrier-based aircraft. According to what you said, if it is really feasible, I think there may be more takeoff decks like this in the future."

Fang Wen nodded; he understood these things better than the British.

Piston engines have sufficient lift at low speeds and low takeoff speeds, so the gains from ski-jumps are amplified.

However, he was not worried that the Japanese would steal this technology, as the ski-jump flight deck was only one part of the entire aircraft carrier's conversion.

The redesign of the Taishan-1 was not that of a traditional aircraft carrier.

For Taishan, such a warship was not the best option.

What he wants to transform is the future amphibious assault ship (quasi-aircraft carrier) model.

This type of ship has an upper flight deck that carries fighter jets, while the lower deck space is a large vehicle compartment.

Such warships can deploy armored forces and special operations infantry to land.

It can also serve as a light aircraft carrier platform, sending out aircraft to support ground operations.

More importantly, it is a mobile sea base, and with Fang Wen's special abilities, it can detect enemy tracks in advance and avoid them.

This allows for a naval combat platform that is elusive to the enemy while remaining undetected. (End of Chapter)