Preface
If it is said that the aero engine that can best reflect the level of industrial development of a country is the military aero engine, then the military aero engine is undoubtedly the most cutting-edge existence.
And in the hearts of the Chinese, there is a military aviation engine that has haunted us for decades, that is, the NK-32 engine on the Tu-160, the world's largest variable-sweep wing supersonic strategic bomber.
This engine is the world's most powerful military aviation engine, and even the United States has not been able to surpass it so far.
Many countries have expressed their desire to buy such a powerful engine, but Russia is reluctant to give this engine to any other country, including China.
What is the reason why Russia would rather let it rot in its hands than transfer it to China? Even Ukraine has destroyed the few Tu-160s in its possession under the supervision of US officials.
The continent and the Tu-160 missed out
In the late nineties of the last century, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine unexpectedly inherited several Tu-160 bombers that attracted the attention of the world.
But this kind of bomber is a hot potato in the hands of Ukraine, on the one hand, because Ukraine's economy at that time was not enough to support them to maintain many fighters;
On the other hand, because there was not much demand for this kind of bomber in Ukraine at that time, it was not even possible to mass-produce it for export to earn more foreign exchange, after all, Ukraine did not have a relevant design draft or maintenance plan.
So Ukraine can find buyers all over the world, and how much can it earn.
At that time, the mainland was eager to build a modern strategic bomber fleet to enhance the country's strategic deterrence capability, and the Tu-160 was exactly what the mainland needed.
If this fighter can be purchased, it will undoubtedly have an important impact on the military balance in the surrounding areas, and may even be a powerful booster for the completion of the reunification of the motherland.
Moreover, the powerful performance of the Tu-160 was wanted by anyone who saw it, and even the United States at that time was very covetous of it and wanted to buy a few to study and study.
However, there is a huge gap in the United States' purchase of the Tu-160, that is, Russia, as the main successor of the Soviet Union's military power, Russia naturally does not want such a trump card to others, especially the United States, which Russia does not like.
Therefore, when Russia arbitrarily blocked US purchases, the mainland took this opportunity to express its own idea of purchases.
This is good, as soon as the mainland expresses its position, let alone Russia, the United States will stand up and oppose it first, after all, the United States has always thought that "I can't get it, I'd rather destroy what you don't want to get."
Another reason is that the United States, as the world's only superpower, has always regarded the mainland as a potential competitor, so after learning of China's intention to buy the Tu-160, the US government immediately took action.
They sent officials to Ukraine and used various means to pressure Ukraine to stop trading with China.
At the same time, the United States has also used its influence in the international financial system to exert influence on Ukraine's economy, putting Ukraine under tremendous pressure economically.
Of course, Russia is also indispensable for this. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, Russia, as its main successor, still retains a large amount of military technology and equipment.
Russia is well aware of the importance of the Tu-160 and therefore expresses great concern about the possible loss of technology.
In an effort to prevent China from acquiring the warplane, Russia not only warned Ukraine, but also hinted at possible further measures to ensure that its core technology was not leaked.
Under this series of external pressures, Ukraine finally chose to give in.
Under the direct supervision of US officials, the Tu-160 bombers, which had high hopes, were eventually turned into scrap metal.
This not only means that China has lost an opportunity to acquire advanced military technology, but also has caused a setback in China's important strategic layout in the international military arena.
So what's so good about the Tu-160 bomber, why does it make so many countries covetous, but Russia is so protective?
Tu-160 bomber
This is Russia's first heavy bomber with supersonic cruise capabilities, which can complete the mission of thousands of kilometers in a short time.
Although it has been in service for more than thirty years, it is still unique in the eyes of many people, so what is it that makes this bomber so highly rated?
On the one hand, because the Tu-160 bomber has excellent range and cruising capabilities.
In addition to ordinary tactical strikes, the Tu-160 can also use four NATO advanced weapons platforms to complete a variety of complex combat environments, such as ground support, deep-sea tracking, and infiltration into the opponent's airspace.
In addition to this, it can also serve as an air defense suppression mission, making the enemy invisible by carrying various types of large-scale air-launched cruise missiles.
On the other hand, the Tu-160 bomber is equipped with NK-32 series engines, which are jet turbofan engines that provide strong propulsion for the entire airframe.
The NK-32 is unique in that it uses a high-pressure compressor and a turboaxial jet engine structure, which achieves excellent reliability and economy through an optimized combination of improved combustion chamber and cooling system.
It surpassed its Western counterparts in many ways, especially in terms of performance and longevity, and even more, the NK-32 broke several records during the testing phase and became one of the top products in the world.
The existence of this system not only enables the Tu-160 to have excellent acceleration and sailing performance, but also maintains stability on routes of up to thousands of kilometers, which can be called a world-class flight engine.
Not only that, the NK-32 has also expanded the field of application and has become one of the core technologies of ship thrusters.
Therefore, many experts consider it a symbol of "black technology", and the Russian side imposes strict secrecy measures on it, investing heavily in its development and technological reserves.
In addition, the NK-32 has also led to the development of a number of cutting-edge models, and the later upgraded version of the NK-32-01/02/03 can be described as a leap forward again and again.
Not only do they reduce energy consumption, but they also bring unprecedented cost-effectiveness benefits to the NK-32.
In the actual service process, the overall stability and service life of the NK-32 engine have been greatly improved, which continues to affect the market pattern of contemporary military and civilian aviation development.
This undoubtedly demonstrates its solid position and makes it truly assume the important responsibility of being the main carrier of the world's most advanced war today.
The NK-32 series engines, as the power source of the Tu-160 strategic bomber, undoubtedly represent the highest level of Soviet and even Russian aircraft engines.
But for this technology, the Emperor also issued a 30-year "ban on sales" at the first time, not to export to any country, no matter how much money is given.
In the words of the comments of military fans on the Internet, it is that "not a single screw on the bomber will be sold, including China." ”
The United States has nothing to say about Russia's embargo, after all, if the technology is limited to Russia, then the United States only needs to face the threat from Russia.
But if Russia sells, the threat of the United States can be said to be skyrocketing, so the United States did not jump in this regard, but just acquiesced.
As for the Tu-160 bomber, if it was placed a few years ago, the mainland was still very eager for it, but in the past two years, the mainland no longer needs it.
After all, no matter how good the Tu-160 is, if it does not have stealth performance, the survivability is extremely low, and it is a living large-scale target in wartime, and it is almost beckoning to the enemy army to "come and hit me".
Although the Tu-160 no longer meets our needs, the NK-32 engine on it is still of great use to us.
For example, the current American B-2 bomber is also the only bomber in the world that can be stealth, and can easily break through the interception of enemy air defense systems.
The B-2 can have a combat range of up to 12,000 kilometers without refueling, and if it refuels once during the flight, it can fly up to 18,000 kilometers, and its flight time in the air can reach 10 hours.
Among them, the maximum speed of the B-2 bomber can reach Mach 0.95, while the Tu-160 cannot reach the B-2 bomber in stealth performance, but it can reach twice the speed, and this is thanks to the NK-32 engine used by the Tu-160.
If our H-20 also uses this engine, it will have both stealth performance and a speed of nearly Mach 3, directly catching up with and surpassing the American B-2 bomber.
epilogue
Although China does not currently urgently need a non-stealth strategic bomber like the Tu-160, we still have a strong desire for a high-performance aircraft like the NK-32.
Because whether it is to improve the performance of the current bomber, or for the development of a new stealth bomber in the future, having an excellent aviation engine has always been an indispensable key element.
In addition, we should also realize that modern warfare is no longer a contest of a single weapon system, but a confrontation of the entire combat system.
Therefore, for the research and development of strategic bombers, we should not only stay at the hardware level, but also need to pay attention to the supporting information systems and combat strategies.
Only in this way can we truly bring into play the power of strategic bombers and make them a powerful guarantee for defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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