Chapter 281 Buying Rice-26
Qin Tao is full of expectations. For him, since he is here, of course he must get some good things back. Even if he just gets back the design drawings of the Yak-44, it will be of great benefit to the navy. Ship-borne Things like aircraft cannot be developed until the aircraft carrier is available. It must be prepared in advance.
The domestic electronic technology is better than that of Lao Maozi. Therefore, even if the country improves on the basis of the Yak-44, it may be possible to produce an early warning aircraft within 30 tons. Even if the Varyag cannot use it, the follow-up aircraft carriers can also be used.
As an aircraft carrier designer who has traveled through time, Qin Tao must contribute all his strength to the growth of the navy.
While chatting happily with Alexander, a man came over. When he saw him, Alexander greeted him.
“Jishenko, you haven’t left yet?”
“I originally planned to leave, but I heard something moving here, so I came over to see what you are doing here?” Tishenko asked Alexander: “Who is this next to you?”
"Here, let me introduce you. This is the chief designer of Mili Design Bureau, Marat Nikolayevich Tishenko. This is Qin from the East."
Alexander has not yet introduced in detail, Qin Tao has already opened his eyes wide.
Jishenko? The famous helicopter master?
MiGs and Sukhoi fighter planes are famous overseas, so masters such as Mikoyan, Sukhoi, and Simonov are also well known to military fans.
As for the helicopter field, not much is known. The first designer of the Miri Design Bureau was the famous Mikhail Leontyevich Miri, but what about his next one?
In fact, his next successor was even better than him. Ji Shenke took over as the chief designer of Miri Design Bureau on January 31, 1970. He was only 39 years old at the time! Such a young guy was very surprising at the time.
But Mili was not wrong. The successor was quite strong. Under Jishenko's hands, brand-new helicopters were developed. Among them, the most eye-catching one is the Mi-26 heavy-duty helicopter!
The Z-9 currently produced in China with the introduction of Dolphin helicopter technology has a maximum take-off weight of four tons, which is considered a light helicopter. The Z-8 produced with the introduction of Hornet technology has a take-off weight of 13 tons, which can be said to be a real medium-sized helicopter.
What about heavy duty?
The first behemoth, the Mi-26, has a maximum takeoff weight of 56 tons. It can easily carry 20 tons of equipment and fly around!
In other words, if necessary, the Mi-26 helicopter can hoist the Zhiba and Zhijiu together and fly away. It is so powerful and abnormal.
If you put it together with a medium-sized transport aircraft such as the C-130, you can clearly see its size. It is one size larger than most transport aircraft.
In comparison, the second-ranked American Super Stallion helicopter has a take-off weight of only more than 30 tons, which is not at the same level as the Mi-26.
Now, seeing the designer of the Mi-26, Qin Tao certainly couldn't miss it. He said straight to the point: "Do you have any Mi-26 helicopters that are about to be completed in your workshop? If so, I can buy two. !”
Buy two?
Qin Tao's request also shocked Ji Shenke.
They came to attend Tumansky’s funeral. Most of them were people from the aviation industry. After arriving, it was normal for them to communicate with each other. However, most of them talked about how difficult life was.
Except for the Sukhoi Design Bureau, which is still very prosperous, the others are not good. Even the Mili Design Bureau has a large number of helicopters, but they are not popular with customers.
Although their aircraft are cheap, the operability and maintenance are far behind compared with advanced Western helicopters.
As far as the classic medium-sized helicopter is concerned, all fuses have been canceled in the circuit of the modified Black Hawk helicopter. However, the Mi-171 of the same type does have a large number of fuses, especially when using ground starting power. At that time, the Tm-200 fuse in the engine often burned out, making the ground crew miserable.
The superimposition of life span, fuel consumption and other factors makes the purchase cost of Mili Design Bureau's aircraft low, but during the entire life of the aircraft, the total cost is comparable to that of the West.
Therefore, countries that can buy helicopters such as Black Hawk and Sea King will not take a look at the aircraft of Mili Design Bureau.
The Mili Design Bureau also had a difficult time. It was not until Dongfang purchased Mi-171 in large quantities that they got back on track.
At this time, Qin Tao actually asked him if any Mi-26s were about to be produced, and he wanted to buy two more. For Jishenko, it was definitely an unexpected surprise!
"Of course." Ji Shenke said: "Currently, although the production in the factory has temporarily stopped, we can assemble it at any time as long as we need it."
Qin Tao nodded: "Then I have to go and have a look."
Seeing is believing, Qin Tao doesn’t want to be deceived.
The Mi-26 is Lao Maozi's most important heavy-duty helicopter. Its appearance is mainly to solve the transportation problems of oil drilling equipment and so on in many remote areas. Therefore, after the design was designed, the production was pretty good for a period of time, especially in 1990, when it reached its peak, with a total of forty aircraft produced.
But afterwards, the production of Mi-26 dropped rapidly, and after the collapse of the Red Empire, it came to a standstill.
According to later statistics, by 2014, the total production of Mi-26 exceeded 340 aircraft. This data is not high, much lower than its predecessor Mi-6, which produced a total of 914 aircraft from 1959 to 1980.
Although the output was not high, the Mi-26 was widely used after it was put into production. It was first used in the field to lift petroleum equipment, and later it was used in all aspects, especially after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It all depends on the transport capacity of the Mi-26.
At that time, the test pilots of the Miri Design Bureau made a lot of sacrifices. The famous test pilot Grishchenko died of leukemia in 1990 because of excessive nuclear radiation, and then received the title of Hero of the Great Mao. This corresponds to Former Hero of the Soviet Union.
Qin Tao knows these histories very clearly, so he is afraid.
What if we get him two refurbished planes? Lao Maozi can fool Ah San, but he will not fool Qin Tao! Moreover, if the helicopter that once performed the Chernobyl mission was refurbished, he would not know how he died.
So, you must go and see it for yourself.
"Yes, but our production plant is not in Moscow, but at the Rostov Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. Do you want to go there?"
In Moscow, there are a large number of R&D companies and various design bureaus that are willing to set up in Moscow. This is the capital and a big city, and it is easy to settle people's hearts. However, it is absolutely impossible if all production is crowded in Moscow.
Some people with qualifications, such as Mikoyan, whether they are in the design bureau or the production plant, are all in Moscow. Even Sukhoi does not have this kind of treatment. When inspecting the factory, they have to travel around.
The same is true for most other design bureaus.
(It seems that there is also a helicopter production plant in Moscow, but I haven’t found out which design bureau it belongs to.)
Qin Tao nodded, and then looked at Alexander beside him: "Mr. Alexander, do you want to go together? The quiet Don River is very nostalgic."
By some strange coincidence, Alexander nodded: "Okay, I want to see it too."
The recent events have made him a little upset. It might be good to go for a walk.
As soon as they went out, Qin Tao saw Vitalia.
"Qin, where are you going? My father said that my mission these days is to take good care of you." Vitalia said with a smile.
“Then take us to a place, have something to eat, and then take us to the station.”
The city of Rostov, located on the banks of the Don River, has a straight-line distance of more than 900 kilometers from Moscow. The train runs a distance of more than 1,200 kilometers. It is most suitable to arrive at dawn in the evening. If you drive, it will take 22 hours. above.
Although Vitalia brought a Mercedes-Benz business car specially today, long-distance travel is not as good as taking a train.
So, several people got into the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle that Vitalia drove.
Qin Tao left behind Mr. Jiang, Mr. Liu and others. Anyway, the relationships that need to be managed here have been taken care of, and the next step is to follow the formal process.
Alexander also left his driver behind, and his driver walked towards the approaching Lada car, intending to drive the car back to the design bureau.
The moment he turned the key, a ball of flame suddenly burst out from under his butt.
Boom!
Everyone near the church saw this scene. They opened their eyes wide and looked at the burning Lada car. Qin Tao and his car had just left the parking lot of the church and drove towards the highway. When they heard When there was movement behind him, Alexander turned around and looked extremely ugly.
"damn it!"
Alexander cursed.
“It must be those guys from Lockheed! They want to kill people and silence them!”
Tumansky's death can be attributed to an accident. After all, someone jacked the tank and the drunk driver was found, but what about this time?
Someone actually installed a bomb under the car that Alexander, the chief engineer of the Yakovlev Design Bureau, was riding in. It was connected to the car's ignition system and would explode as soon as it was started. Such a professional thing was definitely not something that a drunkard could do!
Tumansky died, and Alexander was very angry. Just before coming here to attend the funeral, Alexander sternly rejected Lockheed's request for further cooperation on the phone. Even if the other party raised the price to 400 million U.S. dollars, it would be difficult for him to do so. Let him accept it.
I didn’t expect that the other party would actually use the same method. Since Alexander doesn’t agree, then bomb Alexander to death!
Too much, too much!
Does Lockheed plan to get rid of him and then find a new obedient person to continue cooperating with their design bureau?
After you go back, you should conduct an investigation to see who is the most suspicious among the people who stayed!
Alexander broke out in a cold sweat, while Jishenko on the side was extremely impressed: "They all say that Qin is favored by God. It is true. As long as it is Qin's words, you must listen."
"Am I favored by God?" Qin Tao looked helplessly at the people around him: "You think too highly of me, right? I don't believe in that at all."
“Anyway, as long as we make the deal with you, we will definitely get benefits.”
"Qin, thank you very much. If you hadn't asked me to go to the Don River with you this time, I would have taken my own car. However, I won't go with you next time. I will stay and deal with this matter. !" At this time, the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle had stopped, and several people got out of the car. Looking at the countless people watching and listening to the sound of fire trucks in the distance, Alexander was extremely grateful.
If it weren't for Qin, he would definitely have been killed. Qin saved him once!
Only Vitalia looked at Qin Tao with suspicion. She remembered clearly that she was called over by a strange phone call, and it was not an order from her father at all. Could all this be directed by Director Qin?
But it seems that Qin doesn’t have such courage, right?
This explosion caused an uproar. Tumansky's body was still cold, and Alexander Yakovlev was almost bombed. No matter how hard we tried to cover up, the media became active again, reporting and analyzing this incident.
The public opinion pointed to Lockheed almost immediately. More inside stories were revealed, including the fact that Skunk Works was developing a vertical take-off and landing fighter jet, Lockheed people came to Moscow for activities, and how many people were bribed. Category.
This storm is coming so violently that no one can stop it.
The introduction of R-79 technology has also been rapidly promoted. Many officials will give the green light almost immediately after hearing about this procurement.
At the same time that Moscow was being baptized by the storm, Qin Tao had already arrived in Rostov.
Generally speaking, civilizations are along rivers. Let’s not talk about the four ancient ancient civilizations. Take a look at Damao. All big cities are spread out along the seaside or a big river: Moscow has the Moskva River, and St. Petersburg has the Moskva River. The Neva River, Sochi along the Black Sea, Volgograd along the Volga River, and even the entire city has become slender because of this.
The never-ending flow of the Don River has nurtured the 1.12 million people who guard the southern gate of Da Mao and their modern cities.
That’s right, this place is right next to the national border with Ermao, so it is considered a border city.
The quiet Don River is very famous in China, so although they don’t know where Rostov is, at least most people know the name of this place.
The Don River is now frozen, and there is no flowing water. After entering the city, you can see various Cossack cultures everywhere, including artistic works such as equestrian statues.
“This is really a city on horseback.” Qin Tao said with emotion: “This is a city that originated from the Cossacks.”
After hearing Qin Tao's words, Jishenko shook his head helplessly: "Qin, although everyone knows that this is a Cossack city because of Mr. Sholokhov's works, in fact, the establishment of this city has nothing to do with the Cossack city. The cavalry has nothing to do with it. Back then, it was for the convenience of tax collection. The then Empress Elizabeth Petrovna ordered the construction of a customs house on the southern border, which slowly developed into a castle and finally a city."
After bypassing a sculpture of a Cossack cavalry wielding a scimitar, we finally arrived at the aircraft factory.
Factory Director Dmitri ran out and greeted Qin Tao and his party.
“Everyone, welcome to our Rostov Aircraft Factory. Our factory has a history of fifty years.” Speaking of this, Dmitri was very proud.
Entering the production workshop, Qin Tao was also shocked by the spectacular scene in front of him.
A huge helicopter is in front of you. Its final assembly progress has exceeded 80%. The fuselage and tail are all assembled, except for the engine and rotor on the top that have not been assembled.
Exactly how big is it?
Forty meters long and eight meters high!
The huge fuselage is like a fortress. From the nose to the tail, there are a lot of scaffolding, like workers building a two-story building.
The production at the aircraft factory has almost come to a standstill, so there are no workers in sight. Qin Tao can easily climb up the ladder and stand on the high platform, looking down at the top of the aircraft.
The position of the engine has been left open, but the central main reducer has been installed, and the progress is good.
"In order to drive this big guy, we thought of many ways back then, and finally used two D-136 turboshaft engines with a single power of 11,400 horsepower. This engine uses the core engine of the D-36 engine." Ji Shenke introduced.
“In other words, this engine is produced in Ermao?” Qin Tao frowned.
In the era of the Red Empire, there was no geographical discrimination. You could go wherever you thought was suitable.
The Progress Design Bureau located in Zaporizhia in Ermao is responsible for the development and production of this engine, so Qin Tao has to be more vigilant.
"Yes, its engines are produced at Ermao, but before it was dismantled, we already had ten engines in stock in our warehouse." Knowing what Qin Tao was worried about, Ji Shenke quickly said: " It's just because there are no orders that production has come to a halt. There are four Mi-26s with the fastest progress here. Do you want to buy them all? The engines are definitely enough."
"Moreover, we also have a modification plan. We use the core engine of the domestic engine to derive the D-127 turboshaft engine, with a power of 14,000 horsepower. So, please don't worry about engine issues. .”
Qin Tao nodded. He knew that this was the Mi-26M large transport aircraft plan modified by the Mili Design Bureau. It was officially proposed this year and was originally planned to be put into production in 1998. However, like many of Mao's plans in this era, they all stayed at the On paper, want to develop? No Money!
"Actually, for us, the engine is not a problem at all. When this aircraft was developed, the biggest problem was transmitting the power of the engine to the main rotor. The disc you see now is what we specially developed. The VR-26 gearbox adopts a unique three-stage layout. Compared with the Mi-6 helicopter, the weight remains the same, but the power is doubled."
This gearbox is the most important thing. Laymen only value the engine. In fact, the gearbox tests their industrial foundation and processing capabilities more than the engine.
Qin Tao nodded: "Its power system is impeccable, but its avionics system is too backward. The focus of your next improvement should be to improve its avionics system, so that you can get orders from the West."
In the 1980s, glass cockpits began to become popular. By the 1990s, many aircraft interfaces began to have display screens. At this time, looking from the big hole on the top to the nose of the aircraft, there is an instrument panel installed in place. , all are round holes, and there will be dense aviation instruments on them.
These are all too backward.
"Yes, we want to improve, but these all require funds." Ji Shenke said to Qin Tao: "If the Mi-26 here can be sold, it will provide good funds for our improvements, Mr. Qin, Regarding the price…”
"I originally planned to buy one for 10 million. Now, it seems to be in good condition. How about one for 15 million?" Qin Tao said: "We will buy two first. If the operation effect is good, we may Buy the remaining two."
Ji Shenke frowned a little. They originally planned to sell it for 20 million US dollars, and the price they promoted to the West was the same. Qin Tao offered 1,500 US dollars, which was a bit low.
“We are all friends, and of course we cannot treat our friends badly. When we bought the Black Hawk in China, the unit price was only over 6 million.”
That year?
When was that year?
In 1984, the country spent US$150 million to purchase 24 Black Hawks, which averaged out to about US$6 million.
However, it has been eight or nine years. Although the US dollar is strong, it is still leading global inflation. Now, let alone six million, two six million cannot buy it!
Besides, the Black Hawk is only a ten-ton class, but this is a fifty- to sixty-ton class. It’s not the same class at all, okay?
Ji Shenke had countless complaints in his heart, but Qin Tao had already changed the subject lightly.
"For us, there is not much demand for heavy-duty helicopters, but there is a huge demand for medium-sized helicopters. Are you also producing Mi-171 helicopters here? This kind of helicopter is of greater value to us, at least it has The scale is hundreds of aircraft.”
How can we get the other party to sell our products cheaply? Of course, if you use it well, I will buy it next time!
(After checking the information, the Mi-171 was produced by the Ulan Aviation Production Joint Company. I almost thought it was Ukraine. I couldn’t find this company anywhere. I guess it’s not in Kazan, so I defaulted to the aircraft manufacturing plant here. It’s not easy for the protagonist to come here anyway)
Although heavy-duty helicopters look mighty and domineering, after all, such aircraft are expensive and rarely used in scenarios. They are necessary at critical times, but when they are in groups, they are not needed.
The situation is different for medium-sized helicopters, which are in great demand.
In China, the number of Black Hawks is scarce and the Dolphin helicopters are too small. Therefore, there is a serious shortage of medium-sized helicopters.
The newly established Army Air Force was looking for suitable aircraft everywhere. There were many in the West, but they were too expensive to buy. Although the Mi-171 had a lot of problems, it was cheap, so the Army Air Force bought a lot of them. , two to three hundred in front and back.
Now, Qin Tao threw out this big cake, and Ji Shenke immediately became excited. If he can sell a hundred Mi-171s, then their Mili Design Bureau and supporting production factories will all be alive!
"Of course there is, I'll take you to see it." Dmitri said.
Passing through the Mi-26 final assembly plant and walking along a road inside the factory area, Qin Tao saw a large number of Mi-171 helicopters in another workshop.
(End of this chapter)