Chapter 383: Dassault wants to cooperate? no way!
Mr. Song and the others have been busy. Since the J-10 began its test flights, they can't wait to complete all test flight missions so that the J-10 can mature as soon as possible and enter the military service.
The announcement of the J-31A project gave them another stimulus.
Will the J-10 project be affected by the J-31A, and the number of equipment in the troops will be greatly reduced? What are they going to do after 611?
We are very busy now, so most people don’t think about this. However, as the chief designer, Mr. Song sometimes can’t sleep because of this problem.
Now, Qin Tao's words have reached Mr. Song's heart.
"Mr. Song, are you eating so late? Come over and join us." Qin Tao greeted.
Mr. Song nodded and came over with a dinner plate.
"Mr. Qin, what you just said is a revelation. Our J-31A's performance indicators are very powerful, but after all, it is just a foreign trade aircraft. The performance of this aircraft will be mastered by many countries, and It will enter the intelligence services of our potential enemy countries, so we must have our own model."
What Mr. Song said was what he came up with.
The J-31A has been introduced to the international market, and many countries will have its data. There is no secret for such an aircraft, so domestic models will definitely be needed for their own use.
Furthermore, Qin Tao also pointed out the way for them: to develop a dual-engine stealth heavy fighter, with high and low configurations!
“Mr. Song, do you know what is the most important thing about future fighter jets?” Qin Tao asked.
As a fighter designer, what else can you say about this?
“Super maneuverability, stealth capabilities, supersonic cruise, and advanced information capabilities.”
“Among these abilities, which one would you rank as the most important?”
Song Lao thought for a while and then said: "I think the first thing that can be ruled out is the supersonic cruise capability. This requires a powerful engine. It is estimated that no country in the world can achieve it except the United States."
Fighters of this era are all capable of supersonic flight, and even the MiG-25 can fly at three times the speed of sound. However, these all require a prerequisite: afterburner is turned on.
Afterburner is a special combustion chamber at the back of the engine, in which fuel is sprayed vigorously to provide additional thrust. Although the power is surging, the fuel is burned very quickly.
Except for the MiG-25, which carries more than ten tons of fuel and can supply it for half an hour, other aircraft basically burn all the fuel in a few minutes as soon as the afterburner is turned on.
All of this has changed in the F-22 era. This kind of aircraft has a powerful engine and can easily fly to supersonic speeds even without afterburner.
what does that mean?
Other fighter pilots who participated in the confrontation in later generations have said that as soon as the F-22 enters supersonic cruise, it means that the air battle is over. People can run away if they want, but others dare not chase them. There is not so much fuel.
However, the supersonic cruise capability is only for entering the combat zone as quickly as possible and withdrawing from the battle as quickly as possible. If the engine is not powerful, then there is no need to expect this now.
Needless to say, we don’t have a heaven-defying engine for supersonic cruise. Even if it is an ordinary engine, we don’t have it. If we wait for the turbofan-10, the first flight of the J-10 will be about the same in ten years. By that time, the J-10 will be really cool. .
Thinking of this, Mr. Song sighed again. Thanks to Mr. Qin’s proposal to use the Su-27’s engine, although it resulted in a major modification of the aircraft, at least it was able to test fly and lead to success.
“What’s next?” Qin Tao continued to ask.
"Next, it's really hard to say. The advantage brought by the stealth capability is that the fighter can sneak up on the enemy without being discovered by the enemy, and then launch a sudden attack. In this case, there is no need to be highly maneuverable. Stealth aircraft are It is a launching platform for air weapons, but what if the opponent is also a stealth aircraft? If both sides cannot detect each other, they will enter visual range and require air combat, so mobility is also very important."
Qin Tao smiled: "Mr. Song, it seems that you have put this information technology capability behind. In fact, in the future era, information technology capabilities are the most important."
“Informatization capabilities?” Mr. Song chewed over and over again.
In the era of second-generation aircraft, each electronic device on the aircraft worked independently. In the third-generation aircraft, these were integrated with the 1553B data bus, which brought great benefits.
For example, the navigation equipment can be cross-linked with the flight control to lead the aircraft to automatically fly to the target. For example, when the pilot becomes unconscious due to heavy overload, the flight control system will automatically return to level flight, etc.
However, this is still far from the level of true informatization.
“Mr. Qin, are you talking about advanced radar technology?” Mr. Song asked.
"Radar technology is only one aspect." Qin Tao said: "The current flat-panel gap radar will soon be outdated. In the future, it will be the world of active phased array radar. Since we talk about this, let's talk about it from this aspect. The electromagnetic system will use comprehensive radio frequency technology, such as visual range identification of friend or foe, confidential voice communication, cockpit alarm, in-flight communication and high-speed broadband data link between multiple aircraft. To put it more simply, such as radar antenna , it may be able to help realize functions such as voice calls, and even the radar antenna is arranged in the front and may be distributed on the fuselage. Of course, the technology may still need some development, but at least six gazers need to be installed on the side of the aircraft Focal Plane Array Sensor.”
This is actually an optical sensor. There is one on the nose of the Su-27, but it only illuminates the front. For advanced fourth-generation aircraft, it needs to cover the whole body.
It feels a bit ridiculous for Qin Tao, a shipbuilder, to give a theory to an aircraft builder. However, these are common sense that a military fan should know. Qin Tao is just doing some popular science here.
“In this way, it can achieve complete 360-degree coverage around the aircraft, complete mid- and short-range infrared search and tracking, missile approach warning and provide optical situation data for the pilot’s helmet and other functions.”
"This is much better than the helmet sight of the Su-27!" Lei Qiang couldn't help but sigh. Although he flew the J-10, he also flew many other third-generation aircraft, and the Su-27 was one of them. .
Qin Tao nodded.
"Of course, it is relatively early for me to say this now. What I want to say is that after the aircraft body is ready, it will be easy to upgrade. You only need to upgrade the electronic system to make the aircraft exert stronger combat capabilities. Take our J-31A as an example. The one used for personal use is one type of system, while the one used for export is another type of system. Even the hardware does not change and only the software needs to be modified to distinguish them."
Lao Song nodded, deeply convinced of the plan proposed by Qin Tao.
That’s right, with the development of technology, the era Qin Tao mentioned may really come soon.
“Mr. Qin, what do you think of our twin-engine heavy stealth fighter?” Lei Qiang asked.
"Our 611 Institute has done in-depth research on the canard layout. Moreover, the development of the world's military aircraft is also moving towards the canard layout. Whether it is the European Three Heroes or MiG's next-generation technology demonstrator, they all adopt the canard layout. I think we should continue to develop along this path.”
The development of military aircraft in each country has its own rules.
The Americans have the strongest technical strength and the most advanced engines, so they have always followed the path of conventional aerodynamic layout.
Europeans have to take shortcuts, especially France, which has been developing delta-wing fighter jets. Therefore, the third-generation aircraft developed in Europe all use a canard layout.
Lao Maozi has always listened to the advice of the Central Fluid Engineering Institute, so the appearance of the MiG-29 and the Su-27 are very similar. By the time the fourth-generation aircraft arrived, the Central Fluid Engineering Institute also suggested the use of a canard layout.
What about domestically?
Institute 611 has adopted the canard layout since the beginning of the J-9 project. They are very familiar with this method. The J-10 has never crashed during test flights. This is because the foundation is solid and the canard layout has been thoroughly studied.
"Currently, our J-31 program uses a copy of the R-79 engine. Our new heavy-duty stealth aircraft can also use this engine, or its improved and upgraded production. If we put two of them together, the thrust will be absolutely reversed. Oh my god, the overall appearance can be similar to the American F-22, except that the wings have been changed. Such a heavy fighter will definitely be the king of the sky. When the time comes, it will be matched with our J-31A. Let’s protect the sky of our motherland together!”
Mr. Song nodded vigorously. Yes, what Qin Tao said was exactly what he thought. After the J-10 was finalized, he started to develop this kind of aircraft!
“Mr. Qin, you are here, I finally found you!” Zhao Dangsheng turned around and found Qin Tao in the cafeteria.
"Well, Lao Zhao, you are late, we have finished our meal." Qin Tao said with a smile: "In the afternoon, we will go to the J-31A project office in the afternoon. We still have to have a meeting with Lao Mao and the others to coordinate. progress, especially subsequent research and development matters."
When we were working on the J-31 Project, a small building was specially prepared for Pleshakov and others as their research and development site. Because they were developing stealth aircraft, a special electromagnetic laboratory was also established.
Now, the project has been renamed J-31A, and it has also been announced to the public with great fanfare. Therefore, a circle of courtyard walls has been built around this small building, which is completely isolated from the main building of No. 611, and is also separated from the road on one side. Got a new door.
After all, since it is going to be an international cooperation project, many people will definitely come to visit and inspect it in the future. It must be separated from the 611 Institute to avoid leaking the secrets of the research and development projects there.
Preshakov did not go out to today's press conference, but he has been listening to the news there, and he was very emotional in his heart. Mr. Qin is really a person who can create miracles. If Yakovlev Design Bureau does the same thing, I guess the project can continue, right?
Of course, now that he has arrived here, it is impossible to look back. Moreover, this newly modified appearance is much more sci-fi than the previous Yak-141.
"Old Mao, we meet again." When this voice came from outside, Pleshakov, whose pseudonym was Mao Zhanzhang, immediately stood up.
“Mr. Qin, the project this morning went very smoothly. I have already foreseen that our stealth machine will be published in newspapers around the world tomorrow!”
In the Yakovlev Design Bureau, they have been silent for many years. Watching the MiGs killing all directions, they can only be marginalized to develop vertical take-off and landing fighters.
Now, they are finally proud. Even if they, the old guys, can't show up, just seeing that the fighter planes they developed are famous all over the world, they will feel proud in their hearts.
This is the advanced fighter jet we developed! The world's only vertical take-off and landing fighter with stealth capabilities!
"Yes, some customers should come to us next. I predict that one billion US dollars in funds should be raised. We have the advantage of human resources here. This money is enough to promote us to build this aircraft." A prototype was produced and a test flight was carried out," Qin Tao said.
Although under Qin Tao's care, their research had never lacked funds, Pleshakov could still feel that the relevant higher-level departments did not pay enough attention to their aircraft. In particular, the Soviet Union was introduced to the 112 Factory. After the -27 production line, they can no longer expect to obtain funds through higher-level departments.
However, Pleshakov was not worried. He believed that Qin Tao would keep his promise and help him realize his ideal.
Now, Qin Tao said this number again: one billion US dollars. For them, it is indeed a huge sum of money.
"We are currently doing wind tunnel experiments to determine the flight control rate and develop the flight control system. We have not spent much money for the time being, but if we want to build a prototype in the future, it will cost a lot of money," Pleshakov said. : "In particular, the lift fan developed by you will also consume a lot of money. We do need a lot of money. If we can advance to the prototype stage, we will be one step closer to success."
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang walked in and looked at Qin Tao, but stopped talking.
“Zhengyang, what’s the matter?”
“Mr. Qin, the first company has already sent a friendly inquiry.”
“Really? Wait, it should be a customer, right? Why is it a company?”
“It’s the French company Dassault. After they learned about our announced J-31A project, they were very interested and wanted to seek cooperation.”
No wonder Xu Zhengyang's expression was so unnatural, Qin Tao also laughed.
“We didn’t attract the big financier, but we attracted a bad wolf first! This Dassault company has no sincerity. Even if it comes, it’s just a troublemaker.”
Dassault is a well-known military aircraft research and development company in the world. The Mirage fighters they produce have equipped many countries in the world.
In fact, when it comes to technology, it is not particularly advanced and the price is not cheap. However, they sell fighter jets and are targeting the blank area outside the Red Empire and US arms sales, so they can be considered a way out.
However, when it comes to cooperating with foreign countries to develop aircraft, Dassault must be the leader. This was the case with the Eurofighter project back then.
Originally, it was just a cooperation between the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and other countries. Dassault heard about it and had to join in.
After joining, Dassault showed no sign of the latecomers’ awareness and began to dictate and take a dominant position.
Others can tolerate it, but if Dassault wants to use their own M88 engine, the British will definitely not do it. After all, the British aerospace engine industry is world-class, and the performance of the RB199 engine they designed is even better. A few streets away from Dassault.
The British strongly insisted on using their own aircraft. Dassault felt that its self-esteem was greatly hurt, so it turned away and left to build its own Rafale fighter jets.
Now that Dassault is coming and joining this project, it definitely wants to take a dominant position.
"Then how do we reject them? We just wanted to publicly say that we will build this aircraft into an international joint fighter, and then we rejected the first customer's request. Dassault will definitely not be convinced. They will go around. Rumors." Xu Zhengyang said.
"They are spreading rumors? Do they have such a face?" Qin Tao's face became serious: "Since they dare to sell the Mirage 2000 to the other party, they must be mentally prepared. We will not make deals with white-eyed wolves."
Xu Zhengyang’s eyes lit up, yes, why didn’t he think of this?
Originally, the country was very interested in the Mirage 2000. In the 1980s, the Mirage 2000 even came to China for flight demonstrations. However, the French were very proud at the time and refused to lower the price, so the deal had to be abandoned.
When the Su-27 fighter jets began to be purchased in large quantities and even started to talk about introducing production lines, the French knew that the Mirage 2000 was out of business, but then they sold the Mirage 2000 to the other side, which was considered a disguised entry. Chinese territory.
However, this aroused the anger of all Chinese people, and all projects in cooperation with France were suspended.
The Lavent frigate incident caused a huge response after Qin Tao's disclosure of the inside story. This project has been suspended, but the Mirage 2000 fighter project is still in progress.
In the past, Qin Tao was only engaged in shipbuilding. Even if he built the J-31, it would still be prepared for the navy.
How to cheat the opposite batch of Phantom 2000? Qin Tao was thinking rapidly in his mind.
"Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin?" Xu Zhengyang continued to call Qin Tao several times before he came back to his senses.
“Well, let’s go ahead and reply to Dassault, unless they cancel the Mirage 2000 deal with the other side, we will not welcome them.”
Xu Zhengyang nodded and went out.
Qin Tao continued to communicate with Pleshakov: "This international cooperation project of ours is just to solve the funding problem. However, our key technologies must not be leaked. This is our principle."
They announced a high price to the outside world. In this way, even if several countries invest a billion dollars together, they will still occupy a small part of the investment. In theory, most of the investment will come from their own side. Therefore, their own side must have all the initiative. , master all the technologies, other countries, at most, allocate the production of parts such as wings.
Pleshakov nodded. He is the person in charge of this project. Of course, he does not want a group of people to come in and point fingers at him.
After talking for a few minutes, Xu Zhengyang came in again.
“Mr. Qin, Lao Ba has expressed interest in our project.”
“Lao Ba?” Qin Tao was a little surprised.
Xu Zhengyang was very curious, why did Mr. Qin have such an expression? Lao Ba is our traditional ally! We have just concluded the construction of Gwadar Port with Lao Ba, and we also plan to build several 054 foreign trade warships for Lao Ba. Now, how can you be surprised?
Isn’t this a natural thing?
Qin Tao sighed: "Hey, I wonder if Mr. Tu will scold me!"
Of course Qin Tao knew that Mr. Tu from Factory 112 had high hopes for the Super 7 project. Even if Mr. Ba gave up, they were still working tirelessly to bring the Super 7 project to the other side of success.
Later, Laoba took the chance again and jointly developed Super 7 with 112 Factory, and Laoba also became the number one user of Super 7.
Now, if the Super 7 project is messed up because of the J-31A, Qin Tao will feel guilty.
As long as a person can accomplish one thing in his life, it’s good. What Mr. Tu is most proud of in his life is to develop the Super Seven project.
Qin Tao respects Mr. Tu, so if the Super 7 project is messed up because of himself, Qin Tao will have uneasy conscience.
However, he couldn't refuse.
At the end of the day, this is market competition. If there are better choices, customers will definitely change their minds.
“Old Zhao, you will be responsible for the subsequent reception. Anyway, I have established the basic framework for international cooperation.” Qin Tao decided to leave.
"No, no, this won't work." Zhao Dangsheng immediately became anxious: "Mr. Qin, at today's press conference, I felt like I was being roasted on a fire. I am engaged in technology and flight control. Yeah, I’m not good at negotiating with foreigners!”
Lao Maozi cannot be exposed for the time being. Zhao Dangsheng is the person in charge of the Chinese side, so Qin Tao pointed out that Zhao Dangsheng should be responsible. Who would have thought that Zhao Dangsheng would refuse to obey.
"Mr. Qin, it's so easy for you to come to the Land of Abundance. Just stay here for a few more days and talk to Lao Ba about this project." Zhao Dangsheng said: "You have always been the driving force behind our project. You can’t be a hands-off shopkeeper.”
I? What I want to do most now is to go back to Huating and stay with my wife until the child is born! This time he has been out for more than half a month, and Qin Tao has long been homesick.
“That’s right, our 611 Institute is not good at negotiating with foreigners. If you want to have experience, it’s Factory 132. Mr. Tu and the others often deal with foreigners.” Zhao Dangsheng’s assistant spoke up.
When the country opened, Factory 132 was actively self-reliant. They marketed the J-7 fighter to foreign countries and achieved great success.
So, when it comes to negotiating with foreigners, Factory 132 has the most experience, especially Lao Ba, who is an old acquaintance of them and has been in contact with them countless times before.
"Anyway, we are only responsible for the design, and the future production will still be in the 132 factory, so now, it is logical for them to help negotiate." Zhao Dangsheng also agreed.
Qin Tao doesn't know that Tu Lao is suitable, but this is a bit unfair to Tu Lao!
“Forget it, I’d better stay here.”
(End of this chapter)