Chapter Eighty-six Accumulation
The world is vast, and travelers are in a hurry. Human beings' pursuit of freedom to soar in the blue sky has never stopped. When the Wright brothers' flyer flew into the sky, someone was already dreaming of whether we could fly higher, farther, and longer. These three pursuits have been inspiring humanity to continuously explore and move forward.
"The introduction of a new aircraft generally goes through four stages. The first is that the aircraft design unit and the procurement unit jointly formulate the tactical technical requirements for the new aircraft after consultation, or the technical requirements. Of course, one party can also take the lead in proposing technical requirements. Whoever ultimately determines the technical requirements, this requirement is very important to the aircraft, it determines the main performance indicators of the aircraft, the main usage conditions, and the onboard equipment. The design and manufacturing unit ensures that the actual flight results of the aircraft meet the technical requirements, while the procurement unit also accepts the new aircraft according to the technical requirements."
"The second step is obviously the design process of the aircraft, where the design unit, based on existing technical requirements, conducts overall design of the aircraft, determining its main parameters, basic shape, and layout. This is followed by careful analysis, calculation, and experimentation to ensure that the overall design meets the technical requirements. Next comes the structural design phase, during which the design unit needs to create all the structural drawings for the aircraft, ensuring they meet the overall design requirements while coordinating with the aircraft's technology."
"Isn't this stage the most time-consuming of all? When I was studying at university, I heard that Wang Gong and his team were the hardest working and craziest, working day and night without a break. If it were me, I would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago."
"It's not necessarily, it depends on what kind of plane, that is to say the technical requirements are high or not. Traditional wooden biplanes can't be compared with all-metal monoplanes, and the latter can't be compared with jet planes either. Of course, there are also planes with even higher and more complex technical requirements, even if hundreds of people work on it at the same time, the design cycle is still quite long..."
"The third step is the manufacturing process of the aircraft, where the factory manufactures according to the complete set of drawings and technical data provided by the design unit. After the factory has manufactured the entire structure of the aircraft, it installs all the necessary equipment and systems, ensuring that they meet the requirements of the design drawings and technical data. The first batch of manufactured aircraft will be put into flight testing and overall strength experiments. In this process, design and manufacturing are closely related, designers must clearly understand the factory's production conditions, new processes, and new materials development, while technical personnel also need to work closely with designers to complete production with the best technology."
"The final step is the test flight and certification process of the aircraft. After a new aircraft is manufactured, it cannot be put into large-scale use immediately, even if there have been a lot of scientific calculations and experimental analysis beforehand. These are all theoretical, and whether it can be put into use must be verified through large-scale test flights. First and foremost, it's about safety and whether the performance meets technical requirements. Any problems found during the test flight will be fed back to the design and technical personnel in a timely manner, and any issues, big or small, must be corrected until it is confirmed that the aircraft has met the design indicators and technical requirements. Only then can the aircraft be put into use and delivered to the customer. As for how the aircraft should be used and what kind of sales volume there will be, these are not considered by the design and manufacturing units. As long as the aircraft is good, there's no need to worry about sales!"
"Will you be involved in it?"
Aviation rookie Lei Xiaorui kept asking Zhang Yu this and that, having just returned from Zhanjiang not long ago. This guy has been pestering Zhang Yu again. In fact, her repeated questioning was just to make her blue sky dream come true, the dream of soaring in the blue sky and white clouds, she didn't know how many times she had done it.
"I'm telling you, dear, don't get stuck on these issues all day. As long as I can sit, I won't stop you from doing what you want. It's just that the test flight and prototype work haven't been completed yet, so be patient for another seven or eight months, and when the time comes, I'll definitely let you be one of the first passengers on China Civil Aviation Group, and take you directly to Chongqing to eat authentic hot pot, and we can even have a honeymoon. But for now, just stay at home." With that, Zhang Yu put on his shoes, took the leather bag handed to him by Li Xiao Ran, and prepared to go "to work".
"Then I not only want to go to Chongqing, but also to Chengdu to take a look. I heard that there is a vast plain with nothing in sight, and Du Fu's thatched cottage is over there. I must go and see it. But can our honeymoon be that long?"
"I really don't know about that, anyway I promised you, can't give you a grand wedding, but at least want to give you a good marriage. As long as the opportunity is right, your husband I will not forget you. By the way, go to the First Hospital and take a look at our future sister-in-law, she and her brother are having some conflict recently, why does Zhang Yu Sheng look so listless all day? Ask him what's wrong and he won't say. Anyway, you women communicate well, if you can get them together, it would be a great achievement." After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu left again, and outside the door, Yu Ran had been waiting for nearly half an hour.
As soon as he got on the car, Zhang Yu took over a large stack of materials handed over by Yu Ran. "The First Division, Second Division and Third Division have all sent back detailed reports. These are summary information, and the detailed reports are already on their way. The Fifth Division has sent a special request for instructions, which has been submitted to the General Staff Department for review. The first page of the materials is the content of their request..."
"Oh?"
Zhang Yu was taken aback, the Fifth Division was stationed in Zhaoqing, which had a very deep impression on the Guangzhou Military Government. It could be said that the Fifth Division was always a sharp knife hanging over the neck of the Guangzhou Military Government. Zhang Yu rarely received any news from the Fifth Division, and if there were any messages coming through, it would not be good news according to normal reasoning. However, since it was an inquiry order, it meant that things couldn't be too bad. After opening the envelope, Zhang Yu slowly browsed through it while the car quickly left the courtyard and headed towards its destination.
In less than a minute, Zhang Yu knew what Deng Laben of the Fifth Division meant by "asking for instructions". This man was quite straightforward and had been the one who could get Zhang Yu drunk and make him lose his temper in America. He was indeed a good person, but he was too just and too generous with his career, which made him destined to be a troublemaker. Tang Renhui of the First Division and Zhuang Jiaming of the Second Division were much calmer than him when dealing with things, but Zhaoqing was a sensitive area. Deng Laben wouldn't provoke trouble on his own initiative, but if anyone dared to touch his beard, this war-loving fanatic would definitely make someone pay for it.
At first, Zhang Yu put the troops he brought to Zhaoqing, hoping that the Guangzhou side would not underestimate the People's Army. Of course, the Fifth Division would never come in disorderly. This time, Deng Laibin's request was not something like wanting to fight a war, but he wanted to come back for a while. Not long after, the first experimental tank of the autonomous region will be launched, and this guy couldn't bear his strong curiosity in Zhaoqing, wanting to come back and see what it's all about.
"Don't send me this kind of report again. That Tang Renhui is a troublemaker, and he really thinks I've forgotten about the army. Deng Laben was actually sent out as vanguard by Tang Renhui, I reckon there are still many division commanders waiting in the back to watch the show, if that guy really comes back, won't the other five divisions all come back to see the spectacle?"
The recent development of the People's Army can be described as vigorous, with the army not only wanting to expand its scale but also to acquire armored forces. It seems that they want to prove a point in front of the two mighty navies and air forces, that is, the army has always been the big brother. In addition to having an advantage in personnel composition and scale, they also want to compete with the navy and air force in terms of soldier quality and technological content. Therefore, they have spared no effort in researching and developing the most advanced armored vehicles with the highest scientific and technological content, which is the best stage for them to "perform" their status as the big brother.
Of course, there is another reason. In the past, military budgets were dominated by the army alone, but now there are two more brothers, especially one of them is a money-burning machine and the other is a gold-swallowing monster. If the army continues to stick to its traditional ways of rifles, machine guns, and cannons, how can it compete with the extravagance of an air force plane or a naval vessel? Without expensive projects to support it, when it comes to arguing for equal military funding, there won't be any good reason, who told you that the army is frugal?
"Anyway, let's take a look at the schedule. When is the tank prototype test arranged?" Zhang Yu was troubled for a moment, then skipped this annoying question and continued to review the next document.
The scheduled time is May 3rd, today is April 26th.
"This Deng Lun is really good at getting information! Yesterday, I just received the news that the car has started to assemble, and this guy immediately got the news and asked for permission to visit. Are these six masters all thinking of putting on armor? Even Wang Huan, who is sunbathing in Hainan Island, wants it, it's really strange!"
Just as Zhang Yu was still complaining, the fleet had already entered the China Aviation Group headquarters park. As always, this place is filled with busy people at all times, especially after Sikorsky and Konev arrived, China Aviation Group quickly set up two experimental teams, one specializing in helicopter projects, of course, the other is a jet aircraft.
It is precisely because of the birth of these two project teams that the original and only piston aircraft project team of AVIC Group is no longer in a monopolistic position, even though it is now at a critical period of striving for the group's first truly successful aircraft. The emergence of the two specialized project teams has also brought about many changes to the group, with the most significant change being the "large personnel changes" within AVIC Engine Company.
According to the group's plan, the future development direction of the group is a large-scale group that integrates aircraft design and research, flight vehicle manufacturing, aviation power research and other functions. However, the trend of diversification of flight vehicles has forced the group to face a reality, that is, if it really wants to implement so many projects at the same time, the group's system will become extremely bloated and inefficient. Even if we don't consider whether work efficiency needs to be reduced, personnel management alone will add a lot of trouble. Therefore, rumors that AVIC Group would eventually split up spread like wildfire throughout the entire group.
Some people say that AVIC will be divided into three groups, which is also the most popular rumor within the group. The main content is that each of the three groups has its own goals. One specializes in piston aircraft, regardless of flight model or purpose, and their task is to continuously research and develop piston aircraft, whether it's a fighter or a transport plane. The second and third are very clear, namely two major groups facing helicopters and jet planes.
Of course, whether the rumor is true or not, it has little practical significance for many technical personnel. No matter what kind of aircraft is built, they are all made using the most advanced technology and materials in the autonomous region, as well as the best processing techniques and means. Whether it's a helicopter or a jet engine, it doesn't matter. However, for AVIC Engine Company, which researches and produces aviation power, the impact would be significant. They have already proven that piston-type aircraft engines are not omnipotent, whether they are liquid-cooled or air-cooled. The most promising ones are actually jet engines.
The so-called jet engine is more commonly referred to as a turbojet engine, which is the most widely used type of aircraft and helicopter engine in modern times. This includes turbojets for supersonic aircraft, turboprops for aircraft with speeds greater than 800 km/h, turboshafts for helicopters, and turbopropellers for aircraft with speeds less than 800 km/h. All of these engines have a compressor, combustion chamber, and turbine.
With so many engine classifications, and each one is promising and worth exploring, it's not like the old days when there was only a distinction between horsepower size, liquid cooling or air cooling. Within AVIC Group, there are specialized research groups for helicopters and jet engines. AVIC Engine Company also received an order from headquarters, which means doing everything possible to meet the needs of the research group, of course, implying that they should prepare to start researching jet engines. So, inside AVIC Engine Company, it's bustling with activity.
According to the response plan of China Aviation Power, the four types of jet engines plus one piston engine will be combined into five research departments. This means that China Aviation Power will simultaneously launch a strong attack on the five major difficulties. Of course, the most notable achievement is the old research team that was renamed as the Piston Engine Department, where many people have a special affection for piston engines and will definitely choose to continue fighting in this project. Others who pursue other goals will be divided into other departments. From the results of a questionnaire survey of students from the School of Aeronautical Engineering at Industrial University, it can be seen that the four jet engine departments, which are currently lacking in strength, will certainly have an abundance of talent in the future, as many students look favorably on jet engines rather than piston engines.
Within AVIC Power Company, such a preliminary division plan actually has little impact. On the contrary, with more competitors, various research departments can form a good competitive atmosphere, which is beneficial for AVIC Power to achieve good results in aviation power. However, a student questionnaire survey made this matter somewhat thorny. Many people began to propose whether to re-expand the existing aviation power design major of the College of Aeronautical Engineering or further subdivide the professional courses. The implication was that students should also start learning about these new power devices in school so that they wouldn't need too much time to adapt when they graduated and entered relevant departments.
The idea is good, but reality isn't solved by imagination alone. AVIC can rely on the group's massive investment, strong government support and military assistance to carry out various research projects without any worries. Everyone in AVIC thinks that as long as they think it's right, they'll boldly explore and study, regardless of success or failure, there will be gains and accumulation.
