Chapter 177: Starting Anew?

Page (1/3)

The idea of a four-engine H-6 seemed almost unbelievable—how could this model possibly be fitted with four engines? It was no joke. Yet, in reality, there was indeed a plan for a four-engine H-6. This plan even led to the creation of a prototype known as the “H-6I.” After this prototype was built and it was confirmed that mounting four engines on the H-6 was technically feasible, the project was abruptly shelved.

The reason was, unsurprisingly, funding. Economic development required scaling back on defense projects—a necessity that was unavoidable.

Six years after the shelving of the H-6I, the project was once again brought up by Yang Hui. Those who knew of it could only express regret. The H-6I and the H-8 had been part of the long-range bomber initiatives of the 1970s and shared many similarities.

The cancellation of the H-6I came after early prototypes had been produced, indicating that much preliminary design work had already been done. Restarting the project would save considerable effort, and revisiting the plan now might offer some valuable insights.

Commander Zhang immediately recalled the mothballed four-engine H-6. “The H-6I project has already been discontinued. Bringing it up again is indeed regrettable, but it’s a helpless situation,” he said without hesitation.

Chief Designer Chen from the Xianyang Design Institute was naturally well aware of the project. The four-engine H-6 remained a cherished memory at the institute. The design featured four Spey 512 engines, which were the civilian, non-afterburning variant of the Spey 202 (Turbofan-9).

While each engine’s thrust was less than that of the turbojet-9, the combined output of four engines far surpassed that of two turbojet-8s, and fuel consumption was notably better—since the turbojet-8 was notoriously a gas guzzler.

Data from the H-6I test aircraft showed its range skyrocketed from the original 5,700 kilometers to over 8,000 kilometers. Using the H-6I platform, an aerial refueling tanker was also developed. Since tankers don’t need to travel as far, the fuel saved could be transferred to the receiver aircraft, marking a revolutionary breakthrough.

The Navy had an almost obsessive pursuit of extended range. If there was any possibility, they would find ways to increase it—a near obsession. Commander Liu pondered the idea and tentatively said, “Could we restart the H-6I project? That might be a decent option. The only question is whether we can still find the old materials. If possible, reigniting the H-6I project wouldn’t be out of the question.”

If the four-engine H-6I was redeveloped, the demand wouldn’t be limited to just tankers—the subsequent H-6 production would certainly enter a four-engine era, ensuring steady orders.

The tanker project was urgently needed and personally directed by the chief designer. Using the four-engine H-6 platform for the tanker, a change in role might just bring the project back to life. In a centralized power state, the preferences of leadership were not to be taken lightly.

Page (2/3)

Hearing the military’s concern over archival materials, Chief Designer Chen, who came from Xianyang Design Institute, naturally knew all about the institute’s affairs. The entire institute still cherished the four-engine bomber project deeply. Even though it was shelved, the documentation had not been lost.

He stood up excitedly, his face resolute as he assured, “Please rest assured, leaders. Our institute has preserved all the materials on the H-6I and H-8 projects intact. Everything is sealed and regularly inspected. If needed, we can immediately produce all the documentation—nothing is missing.”

Knowing that Xianyang Design Institute had kept the H-6I design materials complete was a relief. Before the era of computerized data storage, preserving tons of paper documents intact demanded considerable capability.

There were many reasons why the H-6I was shelved back then, one being the engines. At that time, the Spey 512 was used. Now, with domestic access to Spey 202 data, fitting the Spey 202 onto the aircraft would be ideal, especially since it was a military engine.

Though the Spey program had been discontinued, restarting it now would be easier. The four-engine H-6 did not require afterburning thrust, meaning that restarting the Turbofan-9 project wouldn’t require domestic production of the afterburner combustion chamber—a major component—making things simpler.

Could they actually restart the Spey program? It had been shelved less than two years ago; reviving it might be... complicated.

But how uncommon was it for projects to be shelved and then restarted? The Qiang-5, the JH-7, and even the J-10 all experienced continual ups and downs.

Commander Liu saw the Air Force’s interest in revitalizing the project and felt the Navy could lend support.

“Restarting the four-engine H-6, we—the Navy and Air Force—will work together to push this project through. Regarding engines, we can also explore the possibility of reviving the Turbofan-9. This time, without the afterburner combustion chamber, the difficulty will be lessened, and we can achieve results faster.”

Producing a complete Turbofan-9 in one go would be challenging in terms of funding and time. Developing the non-afterburning Turbofan-9 first was indeed a sensible approach.

They hadn’t expected the discussion to turn to restarting the H-6I, much less the Spey engine. Naturally, the Red Flag Factory had not been informed yet. Fortunately, there was a top expert in the capital city who had been directly responsible for Spey’s domestic development. They needed to invite him over.

The Air Force remained pragmatic and knew it was essential to consult all relevant parties. Commander Zhang of the Air Force suggested, “Regarding the restart of the non-afterburning Turbofan-9 project, we need professionals familiar with Spey, the current head of Red Flag Factory, and the original chief designer Wu Daguan to attend the meeting. So, let’s hold off on discussing the tanker project for now. We also need to discuss the receiver aircraft.”

Page (3/3)

To discuss the receiver aircraft, the Navy must speak first. The Navy was the one most urgently in need of tankers. As for choosing a receiver, the new Super J-7 was ranked behind the J-8.

Commander Liu took this opportunity to bring up the Navy’s most pressing need—the Super J-7.

“For the receiver aircraft, we have plans. We intend to modify the current Super J-7 by removing the rear cockpit, redesigning the landing gear, and freeing up heavy hardpoints. This new multi-role fighter is what we need most right now, and we want to use it as the receiver. So, our proposal is to develop the receiver aircraft based on the Super J-7 and put the J-8 receiver project on hold.”

With Liu’s statement, the Air Force had no objections, whether the first domestic receiver aircraft was based on the Super J-7 or the J-8. The Air Force had also grown very interested in the Super J-7.

After the military’s General Staff sent personnel to witness the Super J-7’s maiden flight, a meeting was held to discuss it. Not only the Navy but the Air Force participated, and the conclusion was to strongly support the new Super J-7 fighter. Some in the Air Force even suggested canceling other upgraded J-7 variants.

This clearly showed how advanced the new design was—it threatened the other modified J-7 models. However, the Air Force remained cautious about abandoning other J-7 upgrade projects.

The reason was the significant doubt about whether the new Super J-7 could be finalized and equipped on schedule. The current J-7III was still the Air Force’s favorite. After all, the Navy’s Super J-7 bore the brunt of the development, so it was more focused on low- to medium-altitude maneuverability and multi-role capability.

The Air Force did not require multi-role features; they needed a fighter like the J-7 with good high-altitude maneuverability, and if low-altitude capability could be balanced, that would be even better. The Air Force had dedicated attack aircraft for ground strikes, so their performance requirements for the Super J-7 differed from the Navy’s.

“We have no objections to that, but we do not need multi-role capability. We want to retain high-altitude combat capability and the new aircraft’s medium-range interception ability.” (To be continued.)