The biggest change in the past few months is the carrier-based aviation force.

At the end of last year, after completing live ammunition tests, the main task of the 41st Special Mixed Fleet staying in Xuhai was to allow the carrier-based aviation troops to complete the adaptation training after the change of gears.

The key is that all three main carrier-based aircraft are replaced!

To be honest, the one with the least changes are actually carrier-based fighter jets. The ones that have been replaced are only the latest batches, and the "Xiaotian" they were equipped before handed over to the second-line troops.

Compared with the previous three batches of "Xiaotian", the fourth batch of "Xiaotian" replaced the engine.

During the entire war, whether it is carrier-based aircraft or Land Airlines combat aircraft, the first thing to consider when improving is to replace engines with more power.

The reason is also very simple. Improving the output power of the engine is the easiest way to improve flight performance.

Using a new engine with a maximum output power of 1,800 horsepower and an emergency output power of 2,000 horsepower, the fastest flight speed of the fourth batch of "Xiaotian" exceeded 575 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest carrier-based fighter jet after the outbreak of the war.

In addition, other flight performance has also been significantly improved.

The most significant thing is the climbing speed.

When taking off in an emergency, the time required to climb to an altitude of 6,000 meters was shortened from 8 minutes to 6 minutes, far exceeding other carrier-based fighters.

It will take about 2 years before the climbing speed record of "Xiaotian" will be surpassed by F6F.

Of course, at that time, the main carrier-based fighter of the Imperial Navy was no longer "Xiaotian".

Relatively speaking, other improvements are relatively limited.

To be honest, it means that the use of a more powerful voice radio station, the working distance is increased to 250 kilometers, and it has limited formation command capabilities.

In addition, the multi-purpose performance of "Xiaotian" has been enhanced.

Under normal circumstances, the load capacity of the fourth batch of "Xiaotian" increased to 1,000 kilograms, which is not only far greater than all previous carrier-based fighters, but also twice as high as the early models of the "Hornet". Although the fourth batch of "Xiaotian" did not specifically strengthen ground strikes when it left the factory, after serving, the officers and soldiers of the army installed 8 rocket plug-ins under the wings of the fourth batch of "Xiaotian".

Relying on excellent take-off and landing performance, "Xiaotian" was the most widely used carrier-based aircraft during the war.

Compared with fighter jets, torpedo attack aircraft and dive bombers are not as simple as new batches, and they are all replaced with the latest models.

The one who replaced the "Hornet" was the Light Boom-4 "Surf Bird" dive bomber.

Strictly speaking, "Surpriser Bird" is the first carrier-based aircraft that was designed after the outbreak of the war and began mass production.

Although the project was established long before the outbreak of the war and the preliminary bidding was completed, it was not until the second quarter of last year, that is, in April, that the design work of this new dive bomber was completed, and it passed the naval acceptance and obtained a naval order that month.

In addition, the "Surpriser Bird" is the first special carrier-based dive bomber.

Land Airlines also participated in the early development, but before entering the formal procurement stage, it backed down and turned to purchase another dive bomber.

Interestingly, the "Falcon" dive bomber selected by the Land Airlines was actually defeated by the "Osprey" because it was too bulky in the Navy's bid. The key point is that the Land Airlines was not satisfied with this dive bomber later, and only purchased a few hundred and was quickly eliminated to the second-line troops.

Lu Airlines has not purchased "Surf Bird", mainly because it is a matter of face.

To be said, "Surf Bird" and "Hornet" are a bit like the comparison between "Snow Sky" and "Typhoon".

Although in terms of performance alone, the "Hornet" was not bad among the dive bombers in the early stages of the war, and its later model was already very powerful, surpassing the 99-ship explosion and SBD in all aspects. Judging from the results of the war, the "Hornet" was the number one hero of the Imperial Navy in the early stages of the war. However, by the middle of the war, especially as the scope of the war expanded, the inherent shortcomings of the "Hornet" were also rapidly amplified.

For example, slow speed, short range, low ammunition load, etc.

To be said, the performance advantages of "Surf Bird" are reflected in these points, especially the range.

"Surpriser Bird" is the first carrier-based aircraft with a maximum range of more than 2,500 kilometers and a 500 kilogram bomb that can reach 750 kilometers after being hung with a 500 kilogram bomb.

That's why the "Surpriser Bird" is also the first dive bomber selected as a reconnaissance aircraft by the Imperial Navy.

Replacing the "Flying Fish" is the Light Attack-4 "Pili" torpedo attack aircraft.

If "Surf Bird" is shining, then "Pi Li" will seem dull.

Like "Flying Fish", the biggest improvement in "Pili"'s main performance is to increase the fastest flight speed to 475 kilometers per hour, and the combat radius against the sea reaches 700 kilometers. In other aspects, such as climb rate, cruise flight speed and agility have not been greatly improved.

Of course, it must be stronger and more bulky.

There is nothing strange about this to say.

Among the three types of carrier-based aircraft, the torpedo attack aircraft has the largest ammunition load, and the attack stage requires flying at the fastest speed at ultra-low altitude. It requires the highest strength of the fuselage structure and often requires one more crew member. Therefore, using the same materials to build the fuselage, the torpedo attack aircraft is the most bulky. If the same engine is used or an engine with a similar technical level, the flight speed will definitely be the slowest.

That's right, it's not just the Imperial Navy that faces the "torpedo trap", but the navy of all the great powers.

However, in sea-making operations, torpedo attack aircraft are an indispensable carrier-based aircraft.

Both the Liang Xia Navy and the Newland Navy are stepping up the construction of post-treatment battleships, and live ammunition tests have proved that torpedoes are the number one weapon to deal with battleships.

What's even more terrible is that the latter treaty battleships, without exception, use the extra tonnage mainly to increase protection.

With the rapid development and growth of carrier-based aviation, relatively traditional threats, namely large-caliber armor-piercing bombs, the torpedoes and bombs dropped by carrier-based aircraft are even more threatening.

The result is that since the Treaty Age, the great powers attached great importance to horizontal and underwater protection of battleships.

In the post-treaty era, horizontal protection is basically at the ceiling, and the focus is on underwater protection!

In this way, the power of the torpedo must be increased, that is, the amount of drug charge for the battle head is increased.

In addition, as the warship's air defense firepower increases, the combat survival rate of torpedo attack aircraft must be enhanced by increasing the torpedo range.

These requirements have led to the development of aviation torpedoes in the direction of large-scale development.

The result is that in order to increase the load capacity of the torpedo attack aircraft, it is impossible to expand the body without limit, so other performance can only be reduced or sacrificed.

It is precisely this that the Imperial Navy did not make too many excessive demands on the performance of torpedo attack aircraft.

Overall, the basic flight performance of torpedo attack aircraft is still far inferior to that of dive bombers.

To this end, the carrier-based aviation has adjusted its attack tactics to target the defects of torpedo attack aircraft.

Now, all commanders turn around and fly "Surf Bird", and among the commonly used attack tactics, the torpedo attack aircraft is placed at the end.

This arrangement is mainly to avoid air defense fighter jets.

Of course, the Navy is not completely without requirements.

For torpedo attack aircraft, the biggest requirement is range and bomb load, which is also the most obvious increase of "Pi Li" compared with "Flying Fish".

From this perspective, "Pili" can be regarded as an excellent torpedo attack aircraft.
Chapter completed!