As one of the few fighters in the world that can reach the maximum ceiling of 30000 meters and the maximum speed of three mach, the performance of MiG-31 is unique in the world. Because of this, the former Soviet Union's investment in MiG-31 is regardless of the cost, otherwise it is impossible to become a global fighter. That's all. It's a big deal to reorganize, classify and see which part can be replaced or replaced Improvement, in the process.
It seems that the Russian designers are not ready to leave a way for upgrading. Not only is the interior messy, but the design of integrated circuits also makes people have a crazy impulse. What should be integrated should be separated, and what should be separated should be integrated together. As a result, domestic experts can't start even if they want to improve, unless they dismantle all the internal components and re develop a new radar Barely meet the requirements of the program.
It was only at this time that the domestic military leaders and relevant experts clearly realized that this radar, like the MiG-31, was a unique equipment specially built by the former Soviet Union for a single mission.
From design to R & D, we only focus on intercepting, and the rest are not in the scope of thinking. This leads to the fact that the MiG-31 is noble from the top to the bottom, and at the same time, it shows the loneliness and frustration of the times.
It is necessary to know that the development of both offensive and defensive is the mainstream of the air force, and the multi-purpose combat aircraft is becoming more and more popular in various countries. The emergence and popularization of early warning aircraft makes the air force's combat mode and concept undergo a dramatic subversive change.
In contrast, MiG-31, which only emphasizes volley ability, is obviously out of date.
Because of this, even if the Russians boast about the MiG-31, the army doesn't mean to try it. Now, seeing that the niipn007s-800 electronically scanned phased array radar it is equipped with is also a one-off sale, and has no potential to improve at all, the air force headquarters is firm in this idea.
But what about the remaining four radars? You can't just waste it. The money is not wasted.
It happens that in recent years, the Navy's use of the improved an-26 has produced several support aircraft with good results. The air force says that it is false if it is not interested. The problem is that the Navy's combat environment and combat area are much simpler than the air force's, and it is impossible for the air force to completely copy the Navy's supporting equipment.
After all, the situation at sea is so different from that on land or even in the western plateau that the same radar may have good performance at sea, and it may be subject to strong clutter interference when it is taken to the plateau. This is also the fundamental reason why the air force has been envious of the Navy's support aircraft over the years, but it has been slow to start.
Now that we have four MiG-31 phased array radars of the same model, can the air force get a radar warning plane like the navy to enhance its own strength?
In this way, four sets of radars will not be wasted. Secondly, and most importantly, the niipn007s-800 electronically scanned phased array radar was developed by the former Soviet Union to protect its vast airspace, which fully meets the needs of the air force's territorial air defense.
As for the difference in performance between the radar and the professional early warning aircraft, the air force headquarters knows of course, but the problem is that there is no special radar for early warning aircraft in China, and it can't be done for a moment if it's imported. Instead of waiting hard, it's better to use a radar system with certain early warning function. It's better to fight alone than the air force's combat aircraft Be strong.
Therefore, this air force project is not only a problem of "waste utilization", but also a problem of whether there is a solution.
In addition, the introduction of six sets of radars was out of the plan, which led to the limited investment of the air force in this project, which was only 16 million yuan.
It's only in the 1980s, but it's not enough in the mid-1990s. In particular, it's not enough to develop an airborne radar warning aircraft with a certain early warning function. It's estimated that this amount of money is not enough even to plug the teeth.
Because of this, when the air force spread the news in the industry, there were almost no responders, no way, too little funds, and the days of the aviation factories were not very good. So maybe they would lose money and make money together with the air force?