Chapter 785: The Controversy Caused by the Torch Laboratory (Counting Yesterday)
Faced with Ed Steiner’s request, a battle between heaven and man began in Dassault’s mind.
The reason why he agreed quite quickly last time was because at that time he wanted to use the name of cooperation with China to make GM change its mind, and there was no psychological burden.
But now we really want to cooperate with China...
This decision is still difficult to make.
Although the main body of the cooperation is definitely the Snecma Group, for a joint R&D project like Rafale, Dassault is bound to be affected.
For example, the most straightforward one.
Sergey Dassault has always hoped to build the Rafale fighter jet into the second export business card after the Mirage 2000. Even after the Rafale A prototype flew for the first time, he had already begun to contact potential buyers.
But if the mass-produced aircraft uses an aerospace engine with Chinese technology, customers will inevitably have concerns before purchasing.
On the one hand, China was not famous for its aviation industry in the past. Even though the situation has changed in recent years, aviation engines and complete aircraft are two different fields. It is difficult not to let There are concerns about the reliability of the Rafale fighter jet’s power.
Of course, the technical aspect is actually secondary.
The more critical issue is that the export of weapons and equipment is different from ordinary civilian products and involves quite complex interests.
Introducing a fighter jet with Chinese origin into the main equipment of the Air Force is a risky matter for many countries, especially NATO members -
Although from now on Judging from the situation, this risk is only potential.
But it is enough to become a bargaining chip for some countries to abandon Rafale and switch to F16 or EF2000.
But if you don't cooperate...
Don't say anything, we won't even be able to make a mass production machine in a short time.
"Alas..."
Dassault, who was stuck in hesitation, sighed.
To the extent that things have developed to this point, in the final analysis, Snecma Group’s technology route choices in the past few decades have been too conservative, or in other words, there is inertia.
They had always hoped to improve performance by tapping into the potential of single-rotor engines. It was not until they found that this road was completely unworkable that they hurriedly turned to a dual-rotor solution by borrowing General Electric's design. As a result, they had almost no experience base. Painting a gourd and painting a scoop has become a dog that cannot be compared to a tiger, and finally reached this point.
“I can’t figure it out.”
Dassault put his hands behind his back and continued walking along the path, while Ed Steiner quickly followed behind.
“That’s it for the Americans, Russians and British. Their accumulation of aviation technology is richer than ours. It is understandable that they can come up with aviation engines with better performance.”
< br>"But why do Chinese people..."
He spoke very quickly, and his mentality obviously fluctuated a lot:
“Although Snecma Group has relatively little technical accumulation in the field of dual-rotor engines, it is after all one of the major shareholders of CFM International. How? It should also be stronger than Huaxia, which developed its first mass-produced turbojet engine three years ago, right? "
"And, as you said last time, Huaxia has found it in the past. He came to us to seek technical information about the CFM56 core machine, and now it has been a little more than ten years..."
Ed Steiner, who was half a step behind, did not answer the call.
Because it’s not just Dassault who doesn’t understand.
He doesn't understand either.
In fact, during this period, Ed Steiner even compiled some of China's representative achievements in the aviation field in recent years.
I can only say that it is outrageous.
If you look at it as an outsider, you may be blinded by the numerous cooperation projects with Russia, thinking that China may have reached some kind of agreement with the Russians and thus obtained a huge amount of Soviet technological heritage. .
However, Ed Steiner can see that although these Russian-related models and technologies are numerous, they are isolated from each other.
On the contrary, projects focused on China itself can form a relatively complete aviation industry system.
There are indeed some links, even key links, imported from abroad.
But there is no doubt that the entire system itself belongs to the Chinese people.
This is completely in line with the performance of a late-developing country in the process of catching up in technology.
After World War II, the French aviation industry also developed step by step in this way.
So, it doesn't seem like there's anything fishy in it.
The only problem is.
Too fast.
The progress of the Chinese people is really too fast.
Especially in the last four to five years, we can almost catch up with the progress of other countries in the past 20 to 30 years.
This feels very divisive.
However, as a technician, Ed Steiner knows that there are some things that cannot be understood by his own analysis alone.
The rapid development of the Chinese people has become an established fact. It is useless if you don’t recognize it.
It’s better to take advantage of this.
Anyway, there is not much conflict of interest between these two countries, which are nearly 10,000 kilometers apart.
Therefore, looking at the hesitant boss around him, Ed Steiner decided to give the opponent a boost of strength:
"Mr. Dassault, in fact, before us, Eurocopter had already cooperated with China to design the NH90 The main rotor and transmission mechanism of the helicopter.”
His angle is very tricky.
It didn’t say that we have no other way to go.
It sounds depressing at first, and at least it will make the other person feel worse.
Secondly, Dassault must also know about this matter.
It’s just that I can’t overcome the hurdle in my heart.
The best way to help him get there is to tell him.
Eurocopter also did it.
And it is also a military model.
Therefore, there is no need for psychological burden.
Sure enough, Dassault, who had been immersed in walking forward, suddenly stopped and looked at Ed Steiner with shocked eyes.
That look contained at least two meanings. The first is, "Is there such a thing?";
The second is, "How do you know about such a thing?"——
Although they are both aviation companies, fixed-wing and helicopters are fundamentally different apart from both being able to fly. Therefore, the relationship between Dassault and Eurocopter is limited to "friends" in the literal sense.
“I have a classmate in college who is responsible for the NH90 project at Eurocopter Group.”
Dassault didn’t need to speak, Ed Steiner answered directly:
“At the beginning, their project was in a deadlock due to technical problems, and China just happened to be able to solve it...well...it sounds similar to our situation.”
In fact, the situation of NH90 is much more complicated. , in addition to technical flaws, there are also wranglings that occurred in the process of multi-national cooperation.
But now we have to convince Dassault, so we naturally have to focus on the key points.
“Then other countries participating in the NH90 and preparing to purchase this model don’t have any objections?”
“Why do they have objections?”
Ed Steiner shrugged Shrug:
“On paper, 100% of NH90’s technology and components come from NATO member states.”
Looking at Dassault, who still looked puzzled, he continued:
"Actually, there are many ways to whitewash the technology from China into our own. Of course, this requires the cooperation of China. But I think as long as we can sit down and talk, there is nothing that cannot be agreed upon.”
Unlike Dassault, Ed Steiner is not only a technician, but also a ruthless professional manager.
This means that he is rarely subject to unnecessary emotional disturbance.
Of course it is easier to be persuaded by interests.
Dassault rolled his eyes. Although he didn't give an answer immediately, his heart was obviously relaxed.
The two stood face to face like this for a long time.
Finally, Dassault nodded slightly:
“Just follow what you said and talk to them.”
“But don’t show too much anxiety. , try to get better cooperation conditions..."
After hearing this, Ed Steiner finally showed a smile:
"Of course, I promise."
......
The unquiet October finally came to an end. It's over.
Although Dassault has agreed to contact the Chinese side, this kind of big job is not something that can only be done in a few minutes of bargaining at the vegetable market.
The conditions initially proposed by the two sides were too far apart, and it was clear that it would take several back and forths before meaningful negotiations could truly begin.
Therefore, Chang Haonan’s main focus during this period is still on the Torch Laboratory and the mid-term inspection of the turbofan 10 installation test.
Relatively speaking, it is a time that is not so energy-consuming and even a bit boring.
It's a pity that the tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop.
One day in early November, Chang Haonan was testing a manifold learning algorithm improved by Yao Mengna in his office as usual, when he saw Liu Chenchen appear at the door of his office with an angry look on his face.
"Teacher Liu?"
Chang Haonan watched the other party wandering outside for several times, and finally couldn't help but take the initiative to speak:
"If you have anything, please come in and talk?"
< br>Liu Chenchen is the administrative secretary of the laboratory, but in the school, anyone with an official position can be called a teacher.
So in front of others, it’s better to call it that.
"Professor Chang, this is too much!"
Liu Chenchen's eyebrows stood up, and her steps when she walked in were so heavy that Chang Haonan even worried whether the tiles on the floor would be crushed by her high heels...
After arriving at the desk, the former placed a newspaper in front of Chang Haonan, and then turned it 180°.
“Let’s discuss why China cannot produce world-class scientific results—starting with a laboratory that was established out of the ordinary...”
Chang Haonan read the title of the report directly out.
Although I haven’t read carefully what is written below, judging from Liu Chenchen’s angry expression just now, it is obviously talking about Torch Laboratory...
"So... this is talking about us?"
Chang Haonan just felt like laughing.
“Of course!”
Liu Chenchen couldn’t laugh it off.
She joined such a promising research group right after graduation, just when the sense of belonging and collective honor was at its peak, plus...
Although it is a bit strange to say this, the boss of the research group is her. A former student who worked as a counselor.
In short, she was even more angry than she was when she was scolded.
Chang Haonan looked down slightly and read the content at a glance.
It was pretty much what he expected.
A public document that is very in line with the characteristics of this era.
Using his school-enterprise joint laboratory with special policies as a pretext to attack the entire social operating system.
In particular, they criticized the Torch Laboratory's loopholes in fund management, believing that it was a complete waste of public funds and wasting national funds. They also questioned why it occupied a large amount of funds but could not produce equivalent research and development results.
Finally, Beijing Hang University and Torch Group were labeled as causing the loss of state-owned assets.
The speech is so impassioned that it can even be regarded as an essay.
No wonder Liu Chenchen felt red and warm after watching it.
However, for Chang Haonan, who has experienced the era of public knowledge on the Internet, the lethality is too low.
It can only be regarded as a public knowledge of the Tomb Sect.
Even Chang Haonan himself can write a better one...
(End of this chapter)