Chapter 191 Persian Air Force Rebirth Plan (2-in-1)
“What the hell... Brigadier General Welsh, you should know that manufacturing an own engine is completely different from overhauling an engine from another country. Things, especially when it comes to parts replacement.”
Zhong Shihong did not directly take over everything:
“I can only say that technically speaking, TF30 is very important to us. There shouldn’t be any insurmountable technical obstacles, but as for the specific situation, I’m afraid we need to wait until we see the actual situation of the engine before we can make a judgment.”
Sometimes it is this calm attitude that makes the difference. It was more reassuring, so Welsh nodded immediately:
"Of course, no problem. You can send some technical personnel to Isfahan. This is also one of the exchange conditions we have reached with your country's aviation technology group."
This sentence is a bit strange. In principle, As a company that collects money to provide services, there seems to be nothing special about Aviation Technology Group's provision of services at customers' designated locations, and there is no "quid pro quo" involved.
However, considering that the Aviation Technology Group is essentially the vest of the aviation industry, which is closely connected with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and even the entire military system, Zhong Shihong estimates that there are some conspiracies behind this that he does not know about. Winding and twisting.
But he did not ask any more questions in front of Welsh, but continued to introduce to him several engines mainly produced by the 410 factory, of course the main one was the turbojet 14.
The job of engine overhaul is actually not much easier than building a new engine, not to mention that it is a new model that has never been touched in the past. It requires sending people to go on business trips and even opening additional molds for manufacturing. Some spare parts that need to be replaced must require a huge amount of work.
However, no matter how you say this is just a maintenance business after all, the Persians came to Shengjing instead of Rulika-Saturn. Obviously, it was not because the former's technology was better but because of the cost, so it was impossible to charge too high a price. , it can only be regarded as making hard money.
But selling engines is different.
Although the aviation manufacturing industry cannot be as streamlined as some low-end manufacturing industries, the scale effect always exists.
For a mature aviation engine that has been finalized, the cost and man-hours required to build 100 units is only about 1.5 times that of building 50 units, but the profit gained from selling it is twice the actual amount.
What's more, this is still an export. Although the Persians are not as wealthy as dogs, they must pay in hard currency.
If it doesn't work, you can still exchange it for oil.
With the continuous development of the national economy, China began to transform from a net exporter of oil to a net importer in 1994. In the following two years, the import volume expanded rapidly, and there was a faint trend of oil shortage. In this Under such circumstances, being able to obtain crude oil can be regarded as a great achievement.
In short, no matter what, as the management backbone of Factory 410 and one of the main persons in charge of the Seiko Project, Zhong Shihong can definitely benefit from it.
However, Welsh showed very little interest after talking about overhauling the TF30. The interest he expressed in the turbojet 14 seemed to be just to come to the 410 factory to confirm their technical level.
Zhong Shihong, who was a skilled worker, thought that he was not very good at selling words, so after discovering this, he did not continue to pester him, and instead began to quietly mention the excellent performance of the J-8C and J-7F.
Welsh said that he had seen the J-8C's flight performance at the Xiangzhou Air Show on TV and was full of praise for its performance.
But I still didn’t show any intention of buying it.
This time it’s completely hopeless.
……
But Zhong Shihong didn’t just give up.
After dinner, he found the leader of the aviation technology group who came with the Persian delegation.
Although one was in a technical position and the other was in an administrative position, they were both from the aviation industry system after all, so the two chatted together within a few words.
Zhong Shihong leaned on a railing outside the guest house, took out two cigarettes from the cigarette case, then gave one to the other person, and took out a lighter to light them respectively.
After a set of smooth movements, he successfully brought out the topic he wanted to talk about:
“These Persians came all the way to our country, are they just to come here? Let’s take a look at Factory 410?”
"Of course not. They have arranged a trip of about ten days this time. If you ask me, they are really good at picking the time. Even if it is half a month later, I will not be able to go home for the New Year's Eve."
< br>The team leader next to him took a long puff of cigarette and blew out a smoke ring into the air.
In front of his own people who have sufficient confidentiality level, the team leader can finally complain with confidence.
“Hey, those of us on the front line are really working hard.”
Zhong Shihong, who was deeply touched by this, nodded.
Due to the nature of work in Factory 410, he often cannot go home for holidays.
The words made the distance between the two people much closer.
So Zhong Shihong struck while the iron was hot:
"Where are they going to go next?"
"They have no plans themselves, they just specified that they want to come to Shengjing first, and finally When we go to Factory 182 in Nanzheng, we decide the rest of the trip.”
"Factory 182?"
This final destination surprised Zhong Shihong. After all, in the aviation industry system, this can only be regarded as an inconspicuous place, and its presence is probably similar to that of the Yunma Factory that built the city.
“Well, there are two Y-8Fs they ordered over there, but they have been delayed in delivery due to the improvement of the aircraft. This time, we just received them together and flew them back.”
“It turns out that That's it..."
Zhong Shihong nodded and put out the half-smoked cigarette on the iron railing:
"Then what are you going to do?"
The leader smokes slower, so the cigarette butt is still burning:
"Let's go around from north to south, from east to west. , Persia seems to have no interest in buying aircraft. They just want to upgrade the old aircraft and extend their life. They promised that we can send technicians and pilots to get familiar with the performance of US military aircraft at close range. "
"Old aircraft upgraded..."
The keyword finally appeared.
So Zhong Shihong took advantage of the situation and continued to ask:
"By the way, besides the F14, what other models do the Persians have? Can't this one model take the lead?"
In this era, what other models do the Persians have? Information is relatively limited. Obtaining information basically relies on television and newspapers. However, no media seems to be interested in the air power of a medium-sized country, and there are very few relevant reports.
The last time Persia became the focus was the Iran-Iraq war, but it is difficult to find news from 10 years ago.
On the contrary, those in the Aviation Technology Group who have direct contact with foreign personnel can obtain a lot of first-hand information.
Sure enough, the team leader answered almost without thinking:
“There are not many F14s. There are only fifty or sixty that can still fly now. The main force is still nearly 200 F4D and F4E, and there are more than 100. The F5 is an old friend of ours, and the research value is not great. The higher-ups are still more interested in the F14, after all..."
He did not continue, but the following content was obvious——< br>
After all, a year ago, the two aircraft carriers, the Nimitz and the Independence, which brought huge pressure to the Chinese military, carried the F14 as their main aircraft.
But Zhong Shihong’s attention is obviously elsewhere.
"F4 and F5..."
After chanting a few words, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The F5 fighter is a twin-engine light fighter that competes with the MiG-21.
The reason why the dual-engine is still light is because the J85 engine it is equipped with is actually a model originally planned to be used on cruise missiles. The afterburner thrust of a single unit is only 1800kg. It would be even worse without afterburner. 1300kg.
The two engines together are less than half the thrust of the turbojet 14.
Of course, the size is also very small. The F5 aircraft is generally relatively compact.
In short, the Turbojet 14 is indeed too big if you want to force it in.
But F4 is different.
In the standards of second-generation fighter jets, the F4 is an absolute "heavy fighter".
The maximum take-off weight is nearly 30 tons and is powered by two J79-GE-17 turbojet engines.
The thrust of the J79 is 8100kg, which is similar to the turbojet 14, but its weight is as high as 1800kg and the thrust-to-weight ratio is very low. It is a typical early second-generation turbojet engine. Isn’t this right!
It is not difficult to insert a small engine into a large body.
The remaining problem is how to make the Persians interested in this plan.
Zhong Shihong quickly thought of a way——
If there is no demand, create demand.
"I have an idea about the next itinerary. I wonder if you are interested in hearing it?"
He turned around slightly and pretended to be casual about the tour leader. asked.
Not surprisingly, the other party readily agreed:
“Okay, after all, you are professionals.”
"For those of us who manufacture aircraft and aviation engines, we have seen too much that they are all the same. There is not much difference. You can just arrange a few representative visits, such as Factory 112 and Factory 172. ”
Although this sentence contains some private information, it is indeed correct.
So the team leader thought for a moment and nodded, indicating that he should continue.
"In your free time, I suggest you take them to the 607 Institute, the Aviation and Missile Institute, and the Second Mechanical and Electrical Bureau of Shanghai Aerospace Corporation. I think they will be very interested."
After a lot of twists and turns, Zhong Shihong finally said what he finally wanted to say.
Institute 607 is engaged in radar, and its most famous product is the JL10 airborne fire control radar.
The Aircraft Missile Institute and the Second Electromechanical Bureau are engaged in missiles.
The former’s representative work is the YJ-8 anti-ship missile, while the latter designed the Pili 11 air-to-air missile that has just completed final target testing.
In addition, there is a person from our 410 factory who is responsible for building engines.
The Persians came here this time, obviously to update their fighter jets.
In addition to life extension and overhaul of the airframe and engine, I am afraid that the AN/AWG9 radar will also need to be equipped with new airborne weapons.
Although the AIM-54 has a long range and is powerful, its intended combat targets are, after all, only large aircraft with little maneuverability such as the Figure 22 bomber and the Kh22 long-range anti-ship missile it launches.
After various countries, especially the Persians’ mortal enemies Gouda and the Kingdom of David, have entered the third-generation machine era, the Phoenix seems a bit too bulky.
Besides, these missiles imported from the United States also have one less shot, and the remaining number may not be enough.
In this case, it is very logical for them to find new air-to-air missiles for the F14.
As it happens, the Thunderbolt 11 and AIM7 Sparrow of the Second Bureau of Electromechanical Engineering are quite related. Compared with the R27 from Russia, the fitability is obviously much better.
However, even if these can be accomplished, the benefits will not fall on Factory 410.
Zhong Shihong’s real target is the more than one hundred F4E fighter jets.
The age of the aircraft is generally only about 20 years, and the flight time of the Persian Air Force is not long. Coupled with the dry climate, the life of the aircraft should be quite sufficient, and there is great potential for modification.
This is why he added the 172 Factory in Haojing to his recommended itinerary——
The JH-7 is produced here.
When Chang Haonan and Chang Haonan had a meeting with Zhang Zhenhua from Factory 430, he remembered that the latter said that recently many JH-7s were just in time for mid-term overhaul and were being returned to the factory in batches for maintenance and upgrades. .
So when you visit the 172 Factory, you can definitely see the JH-7.
As a Gulf country, Persia obviously has a need for an air-based anti-ship missile launch platform, and the F14 is not qualified for these tasks.
Besides, the Persian Air Force, which regards these heavy fighter jets as treasures, will not be willing to let them do such dirty work.
Of course it is impossible to buy an airplane directly.
On the one hand, the export of fighter-bombers with larger ranges is relatively sensitive, and the price is probably not within the range of customers.
On the other hand, before the turbofan 9 is fully domestically produced, even China itself cannot build a new JH-7, and it really has no way to sell it...
However, It doesn't matter.
By this time, the delegation had already seen Feibao’s upgraded JL10A radar, the same model of YJ-8 anti-ship missile, and the same model of PL11 air-to-air missile...
< br>
You must know that the data bus of the Chinese Air Force also refers to the 1553B standard.
As long as the above things are stuffed into the F4E body, you can get more than a hundred multi-purpose fighters that can both air combat and anti-ship at a very low cost.
In other words, the JH-7 wearing an F4 shell.
You know, the JH-7 that had just entered service that year had repeatedly suppressed the F4EJ of the Self-Defense Forces over the East China Sea.
There really can be more than a hundred of these things. Not to mention being invincible in fighting all over the bay, at least it can make any warship within 500 kilometers of the Persian coastline weigh its importance.
Who can not be jealous?
As long as Persia shows interest in this upgrade plan, then——
Dear, the power generation and performance of the J79 engine are too poor, and there is no way to exert its full performance, so why not just take a look? Also upgrade the power, and the free interior space can add more than a ton of fuel, raising the range to another threshold...
If a computer DIY player from 20 years later can see this scene, Then he will probably be very familiar with this set of words.
Put in the card with a budget of three thousand, and add money to increase it to twenty-eight thousand...
In short, this set of processes accurately grasps human psychology, and the final solution is really high-quality and low-priced.
The upgrade cost of each aircraft is only about two million US dollars, but it can improve the air force's combat effectiveness to a new level.
Combined with Persia’s special geographical location, it even has a certain strategic deterrent effect.
"Well...the Missile Institute and the Second Electromechanical Bureau are not in our system. If you want to go, I'm afraid you have to apply to the Science and Technology Commission..."
The team leader seemed to be talking to himself The words seemed to be talking to Zhong Shihong.
There was still some hesitation when seeing the other party, but the latter simply told everything about what he had just thought.
Of course, some non-important parts have been hidden.
The atmosphere between the two was silent for a full minute.
The team leader looked at Zhong Shihong in shock:
"Zhong Gong, do you...want to consider working in our aviation technology group?"
"I am just for the development of the country's military industry and energy security."
Zhong Shihong's expression did not change.
"No matter what, your idea is great. I will contact the Science and Technology Commission tomorrow. Just wait for my good news."
The two parted quickly.
On the way back to the dormitory, Zhong Shihong happily reviewed the operation he had just performed.
Turbojet 14, Thunderbolt 11, JH-7...
"Fuck, Chang Gong is really awesome."
He concluded.
(End of this chapter)