UAVs are not just for military use. They have long been developed into the civilian field. The average person’s exposure to UAVs started with civilian use.
However, civilian drones are all small. After all, they are generally used by photography enthusiasts to take pictures from a high position. At most, they are drones for spraying pesticides in rural areas. It is already very powerful to be able to carry one or two hundred kilograms of pesticides. No matter how powerful it is, Rarely seen, even more rare.
Military drones are all big guys. This WZ-7 drone, which is similar to the Global Hawk, is a big guy with a take-off weight of 7.5 tons. This kind of drone can also be used for civilian purposes, flying into the sky for observation. It can detect weather conditions at an altitude of 10,000 meters faster than a balloon, and can go anywhere. It can also airdrop supplies to places that need help. If there is no signal in the disaster area, it can also serve as a mobile signal tower.
In short, there are too many benefits.
What Husseini thought of: "Our drones can also be spray-painted with a weather observation logo, and then fly over the Bay of Rest to observe. If someone dares to shoot down our drone, it will be a deliberate provocation."
"Of course." Qin Tao nodded: "You are really smart."
If military drones fly above other people's aircraft carrier formations to observe, they will still be the rude party after a conflict. It is different with civilian drones. We are conducting meteorological observations. How can you shoot down our drones indiscriminately? Man-machine? Need compensation!
Unconsciously, the people of Parthia have also become smarter and know how to use this method to stand on the right side. Yes, yes.
“I learned it all from Mr. Qin,” Husseini said.
After visiting the production line, the next step was to discuss the details. Qin Tao didn't care about these details and had no interest in the tedious contract negotiations. He simply went out for a walk, as long as he could come back and have dinner together in the evening.
Where to go first?
Of course it’s Prodigy Airlines.
Zamotayeva had already heard that Mr. Qin was coming, so she had already made preparations. When Mr. Qin finished his work, he came with his wife as expected.
"Zhao, welcome home." Zamotayeva greeted her warmly. When Tianjiao Airlines was first established, because he was worried about Lao Maozi, Qin Tao left Zhao Ling here to take charge of the overall situation and worked with him for a while. . The two also became good friends.
Now, Zamotaeva came up to welcome Zhao Ling first. Qin Tao didn't care and sat down on the soft leather sofa: "Zamotaeva, how is the company's situation recently?"
"The company's situation is very good. Our profits have been rising at a rate of 10% every year. Especially in recent years, we have shipped more and more engines. Aviation engines and marine gas turbines are blooming together. Our motors are Qi Company is also very satisfied and hopes to further expand its product line in the East."
In the past, they had many doubts about exporting technology to the East and were unwilling to export advanced technology, but now, they are afraid that they are not exporting enough technology.
“Really? What are we going to produce next?” Qin Tao asked.
“Our naval gas turbines are already in mass production. With only slight modifications to the production line of this gas turbine, it can be used to produce D-18T engines.”
At the beginning, a naval gas turbine was modified according to this kind of engine, with a power of 40 megawatts. Now, in turn, it is no problem to use it to produce D-18T engines. This is the quickest way.
“However, we don’t seem to have this need, right?” Qin Tao asked.
This kind of aero engine is used on the An-124 and An-225. The latter only has one, let alone one. The former is a strategic transport aircraft with a take-off weight of 400 tons and can carry up to 120 tons of materials. Said to be a flying train skin.
But, does the East need a transport aircraft of this level?
Eastern strategic thinking is still conservative. There is no need for global deployment. Domestic transportation can be completed by railway. The transportation cost is still very low. If it is needed occasionally, the An-225 can just fly there, so it seems unnecessary.
When the introduction was made, Qin Tao had considered this demand. Two units could propel a two-hundred-ton aircraft, and four units could propel a four-hundred-ton aircraft. However... Qin Tao was a shipbuilder after all, not an aircraft manufacturer. Even if he got involved in the aviation industry, he only produced stealth fighters and never got involved in transport aircraft.
“Even if you don’t produce strategic transport aircraft, you should still produce civil airliners. This kind of engine has moderate thrust and can be used on civil airliners.”
Qin Tao shook his head: "This has nothing to do with us, and if we talk about passenger aircraft, the D-18T should be outdated."
Transplanting the technology of military aircraft directly into civil aviation airliners will suffer losses because the needs of both parties are different. Military aircraft prioritize performance, while civilian airliners prioritize cost.
The D-18T has high fuel consumption and a bypass ratio of only 5.6. It is not suitable for modern civil aviation aircraft at all. You must know that the engines of advanced civil aviation airliners are composed of a core engine and an outer bypass, and the bypass ratio reaches a full 10. This is enough to save fuel.
Take the engines of later generations as an example. The Yangtze 1000 has a thrust of 12 tons, which is suitable for the use of the C919. The Yangtze 2000 has a thrust of 35 tons, which is suitable for the use of the C929. These engines are newly developed and do not directly use the turbofans of the transport 20. Engine, on the contrary, the Yangtze River 1000 has been tested on the Yunwen.
Now, Qin Tao certainly does not agree with the idea of using D-18T on passenger aircraft.
"What about our new research and development?" Zamotaeva asked: "Mr. Qin, our Tianjiao Airlines has enough strength to develop a new civil aviation engine and continue to enrich our production line. The number of military aircraft is still too small. , the economy in the East is developing vigorously, we cannot always buy outsourced passenger aircraft, we must also develop them ourselves, and when the time comes, our Genghis Khan Airlines will be able to provide engines."
Zamotaeva’s eyes were full of expectation.
“Research and development? Do we have the strength?” Qin Tao asked.
"Of course, our company has gathered a large number of engine experts. They are currently only responsible for supervising production. There is some waste. They can be concentrated on research and development. We found that Dongfang has also made rapid progress in aero-engine materials. We can use Dongfang's most advanced materials. Using advanced materials to manufacture aircraft engines can fully compete with Rolls-Royce and General Electric."
Qin Tao nodded: "Okay."
Mr. Qin actually agreed?
Zamotaeva couldn't believe her ears: "Mr. Qin, isn't the purpose of Tianjiao Airlines' existence to make money for the group? It also makes money for our Motor Sich Company. You actually allow us to invest in research and development? "
Of course Qin Tao will support it. If Tianjiao Aviation is really hindered by the research and development project and needs to inject more funds, Motorsic Company has no money and can only provide Mingzhou Group. In this way, the shares occupied by Mingzhou Group will be There will be more. If it doesn't collapse, and advanced aero engines are developed, it can also store power for domestically produced large passenger aircraft, which will be beneficial no matter how you look at it.
"Mr. Qin, since you agree, let's go on to talk about the parameters of the aero-engine to be developed next." Zamotayeva said: "How big of an engine should we build, what kind of aircraft should we assemble, and what kind of aircraft should we use?" What technical route?"
Qin Tao waved his hand: "I don't understand this."
"Mr. Qin, this is not possible. It's not that you don't understand. You are also very talented in the aviation field." Zamotayeva said: "Besides, Tianjiao Airlines also has your shares. Since you are here, you must take it." Some opinions come out.”
After finishing speaking, Zamotaeva thought for a while and continued: "Let me introduce to you the mainstream aviation engines in the world, such as the British Rolls-Royce company. Their main Trent series engines are three-rotor structures. The sizes of the core machines are different, but generally speaking, the small core machines are scaled down from the large core machines. For example, the compressor of the Triton 900 is made up of the compressor of the Ruida 800 reduced to 0.9. For us, we only need to develop an advanced three-rotor core machine, and we should be able to adjust to obtain different thrusts by expanding and shrinking, and by changing the size of the fan blades."
For aero engines, the first thing to overcome is the difficulty of the core engine. By installing different outer ducts on the core engine, different thrusts can be obtained. If it needs to be further increased or reduced, the core engine must be changed. The size can actually be scaled down. Will the hydrodynamic properties also be scaled down?
Qin Tao doesn’t know this, but he knows that for engines used in passenger aircraft, a three-rotor engine should be more suitable.
The initial engines were all single-rotor, which means there was only one shaft. After the second-generation engines, two shafts nested inside and outside were used to improve the increase ratio, and at the same time, it could solve the problem of out-of-synchronization of rotational speeds in high and low pressure areas.
But if you want to continue to increase the boost ratio, it is still difficult to coordinate with only two rotors, so three rotors appeared, which are divided into three areas of high, medium and low pressure. Each of them works in its own optimal speed range. Although this is good, it is also problematic. It means the structure is complex.
The British began to consider research on three-shaft engines in the 1960s. In this field, Rolls-Royce is still quite strong. After a series of failed models, such as the RB203, it has accumulated enough experience. The British are tinkering. The classic three-rotor engine RB211 came out. It adopted a design scheme of high bypass ratio, high boost ratio and high turbine front gas temperature, referred to as three high.
In 1972, this kind of engine was put into use. By the 1980s, it had occupied 10% of the market share. By 1993, it had increased to 26%, which is enough to illustrate the excellence of the three-rotor. At the same time, its thrust Wide range, from 170 kN to 424 kN, enough to meet the needs of various passenger aircraft. (This data comes from Baidu, which seems a bit incredible.)
Rolls-Royce has continued its efforts and developed Treada with more advanced performance, from Treada 500 to Treada 1000, with different thrust and different sizes.
“This Reda 900 also adopts a unique high-pressure and medium-pressure rotor reversal design, which has lower noise and good fuel consumption.” Zamotayeva said: “Let’s move on to the General Electric engine.”
Qin Tao pretended to listen carefully. In fact, he didn't know much about these things. He just remembered that the first engine used by COMAC in China was the CJ1000, with a thrust of about 12 tons, so he already had it in his mind. Got the answer.
After Zamotayeva finished speaking, Qin Tao said: "Since the thrust is adjustable, should we start with the easiest one, such as building an engine with a thrust of 12 tons, which can meet the requirements for take-off? Regional airliners weighing around 80 tons will first meet the needs of our domestic market, and then we will develop larger mainline airliners."
Generally speaking, the engine thrust must be a quarter of the maximum take-off weight of the aircraft. The take-off weight is about 80 tons. The thrust is at least 20 tons. Two engines with a thrust of 12 tons are more than enough.
The C919 of later generations had a maximum take-off weight of only 72.5 tons and also used engines of this level.
Hearing Qin Tao's arrangement, Zamotaeva frowned: "Isn't this too small? Our D-18T has a thrust of 23 tons, and one is equivalent to two of these."
“What about fuel consumption? What about noise? What about lifespan?” Qin Tao asked three questions from his soul.
Zamotaeva stopped talking.
"For the first time, we are developing engines for civil aviation airliners in accordance with international standards. It is a very difficult road. We have to be careful and not take detours." Qin Tao said: "Large-scale mainline passenger aircraft cannot be built overnight. If we are currently building Passenger aircraft must have started from regional airliners. This kind of power is enough, but it must meet modern and future needs. Believe me, if this kind of engine is successfully developed, there will be a demand for at least thousands of units in the country."
For aero engines, one hundred units are enough to cover the research and development costs. If there are thousands of units, the profits will be quite large. Orders for thousands of C919s in future generations are not a joke. The domestic market is huge, and it will only meet domestic demand. , it also needs more than 2,000 units.
With this experience, we can create something bigger.
“As for the technical route, it must be the three-rotor, and I don’t understand the rest. In short, I will leave it to the corresponding team to do a market survey and R&D estimate first. Don’t be anxious and take your time.”
After all, Tianjiao Aviation produces engines, not develops engines. Although it has established a research and development institution, it only turns the D-18T aero engine into a gas turbine. If the country and the military need large aircraft, they can be put into production at any time and provide qualified high-thrust aero engines. However, if they are to be used commercially, they must be newly developed.
Zamotayeva nodded: "Okay, let's do a market survey. By the way, Mr. Qin, you have said before that if you want to build an aerospace fighter aircraft, this kind of aircraft needs a cycle engine. Which domestic company will develop it?" of?"
At the beginning, Qin Tao had boasted that the Baidi Sky Fighter could directly enter orbit in a single stage, which was very impressive, but that was definitely a lie. If he wanted to achieve unipolar orbit, he would not be able to do so by 2020. This Baidi Space Fighter The Sky Fighter also belongs to the Strategic Deception Bureau.
Unexpectedly, Zamotaeva took it seriously.
“I can’t say this.” Qin Tao said: “After all, this is the top secret in the country, and I don’t know much about it. Are you saying that Tianjiao Airlines thinks that one project is not enough and wants to start another one?”
“Yes, we are engaged in military engines after all, and civilian engines are just incidental. We still want to develop advanced military engines.” Zamotayeva said: “Mr. Qin, do you have any suggestions?”
Qin Tao's knowledge base on aviation engines is not extensive, but he has read some science fiction novels. He thought about it again and then said: "Future engines will definitely need structural changes. For example, if we want to engage in aerospace Aircraft, then you need a variable cycle engine, especially one that can switch between turbine, ramjet and rocket engines. At the same time, there is another route, which is a detonation engine.”
Turbines are used at low speeds, directly converted into ramjet at high speeds, and turned into rocket engines at higher speeds. These are all technical routes familiar to the outside world, but not everyone knows about the other pulse detonation engine.
It is difficult to further develop the thrust of turbofan engines. After all, materials and process technology have reached their limits. For example, a simple way to increase the thrust of turbofan engines is to increase the turbine front temperature. If this temperature increases by one hundred degrees, the thrust of the engine will increase. It can be increased by 20%, but this thing cannot be improved without limit. When it comes to an engine of the F119 level, it has reached its limit, and further improvement is almost impossible.
Of course, the F135 is much larger, but that is achieved by increasing the bypass ratio, which is increased from 0.3 to 0.57. The thrust is greater, but the windward area has increased a lot, and the speed of the aircraft cannot go up.
What should I do if I want to continue to increase the engine thrust? Then you can use new technical routes, such as changing the combustion method!
The combustion chamber of an ordinary turbojet or turbofan engine is a deflagration, while the combustion of a detonation engine is an explosion. The biggest difference here is the speed of the gas generated by combustion. The former is subsonic and the latter is supersonic.
Even after passing through the engine, the final exit speed can easily reach four or five times the speed of sound. In this way, the thrust of the engine can naturally be increased a lot, and it can also adapt to hypersonic flight. In theory, this engine can support Mach 7 to At a speed of around Mach 10, it doesn’t matter what material the aircraft is made of, at least the engine line is there.
In this field, the whole world is standing on the same starting line. It is said that there will be rotary detonation engines in later generations. Qin Tao does not know about it. Now that Tianjiao Airlines wants to make troubles, then let’s make troubles. If it is exceeded, Mingzhou will The group injects capital and acquires more shares.
When she heard Qin Tao talk about the detonation engine, Zamotaeva's eyes lit up.