Chapter 787 Tilt-rotor aircraft project
Oscar is full of gratitude to Qin Tao. It was Qin Tao who pulled him out of hell, gave him light, and gave him a new life. Here, he lived very happily.
"Oscar, how do you feel about being here?" Qin Tao said: "In the past few years, I have always wanted to come see you, but I am too busy with my usual work and have never been able to take care of it. However, I often hear them talk about it. Regarding your affairs, you, Miguel, Sangare, Helen and others, I heard that you are working very hard, I would like to thank you on behalf of the East."
"We are very happy in the East." Oscar said: "Mr. Qin, thank you for always taking care of us."
Qin Tao has long forgotten about them. But now, speaking of it sincerely, Oscar was very moved.
At this time, after hearing Oscar's words, Qin Tao nodded: "It's all as it should be. By the way, I heard that you took the lead here and greatly accelerated our research and development of Zhi20?"
“No, I just did what I should do. The designers here are very capable and strive for excellence in their work. I am very satisfied with them and our cooperation is very pleasant.”
Others were a little surprised. They really didn't expect Oscar, who always had a straight face and criticized this and that, to be able to say such things. It was because the sun was rising in the west today, or because Mr. Qin was too charming. ?
“Now, tell me a little bit about your progress.”
Deng Hui acted as a foil. When it comes to technology, Oscar is really good, so he directly asked Oscar to introduce Qin Tao here.
"Mr. Qin, what we are currently developing is a ten-ton general-purpose helicopter. This kind of helicopter has a wide range of uses and is very useful. Therefore, we also pay special attention to general-purpose helicopters during research and development. Of course, during the entire development process, The most difficult thing is the power system..."
Oscar introduced it eloquently, and Qin Tao also listened attentively. While listening, he and Oscar looked at the various parts on the plane.
“The main reducer is produced by Mingzhou Group. We have tested it and it has been proven that this main reducer is very good and fully meets our needs.” Oscar said, pointing to an object above his head.
Helicopters use turboshaft engines, which are improved from jets. One of its characteristics is that the speed is very high. The speed of the helicopter's rotor cannot be too high, otherwise the outside of the propeller will reach supersonic speed. In this way, the middle A reducer is needed.
This reducer sounds simple, but it is quite difficult to manufacture. They found several supporting manufacturers, but they were unable to produce qualified products. Then they found Mingzhou Group. The former water pump factory has now become an advanced Our mechanical processing factory can process whatever you need, whether it is pump jet propellers, propellers, lift engines, or reducers, and the processed products can fully meet the requirements.
“After hundreds of hours of operation, after we took it apart, there wasn’t even a metal scrap inside. It’s really amazing.” Oscar said: “We are so impressed by Dongfang’s technology. Mingzhou Group is awesome.”
When he said this, Oscar gave a thumbs up. Qin Tao had a smile on his face and followed the Romans. Now Oscar has become an out-and-out oriental.
"At present, we are mainly waiting for the turboshaft ten. After this engine is finalized, we can officially start the test flight." Oscar said: "With Ermao's technology in it, we feel that this engine will not be too popular." It’s a big problem. Zhi Twenty should be able to complete the research and development soon.”
"If you are in a hurry, you can also directly install the engine on Ermao's side first." Qin Tao said: "You can test it first, and when the test is almost complete and the engine is built, it will not be too late to replace the engine. "
In the East, this kind of operation should be very common. When the J-20 is test-flying, it must first use the turbofan 10, and then change it after the turbofan 15 is mature.
Helicopter engines developed by ourselves may take a long time to undergo various tests, so under the current circumstances, it is common to install mature engines first, and then replace them with new ones later.
Motor Sich Company has been producing TV3-117VM turboshaft engines, which are used in many old Maozi ten-ton helicopters. The power output is absolutely no problem, but the weight, fuel consumption and control system are deficient.
He felt that he had made a very wise decision that could solve the urgent needs here, but to his surprise, Oscar actually shook his head.
“Sorry, Mr. Qin, we don’t think this is a good idea.”
"Why?"
"Because this may delay even more time." Oscar said: "Our aircraft has used all redundant digital control systems, including the throttle lever. If the TV3-117VM turboshaft engine is used, then our digital flight If it is controlled, it cannot be tested normally and needs to be modified. After the modification is completed and the test flight is completed, it has to be replaced again, which is too troublesome."
The current throttle lever is already electronically controlled, and the output below is an electrical signal. If it is to be changed to an ordinary old Maozi engine, which still uses a wire cable, then it will have to be greatly modified. They don't want to change it. , it is better to do it in one step.
“Digital fly-by-wire flight control?”
"That's right, this set of flight control hardware is already complete at your place. We can purchase it directly and then write the program. You should know that for helicopters, this kind of flight control is more useful, and it must be It needs to be connected to the engine."
Don’t worry too much about the rest. After all, other planes don’t have to fly at ultra-low altitude for a long time. What about helicopters? On the battlefield, you almost always fly at the height of a tree. In the past, it all depended on the pilot's boldness and carefulness. However, with the continuous use of high technology, the operation of helicopters will become easier and easier.
The radar in front of the nose can use terrain mapping to scan all the landforms ahead. If it encounters hills, tall trees or even telephone poles, it can be pulled up immediately. At this time, just controlling the operating lever is not enough. You need to be able to control the engine. If you suddenly pull it up, you need to open the throttle fully.
This can also be used on fighter jets. This is called flying fire push cross-linking, but it is usually only used in fourth-generation aircraft. Third-generation aircraft are not so powerful yet, and they just control various rudder surfaces.
Hearing what Oscar said, Qin Tao nodded: "I don't know much about technical matters, but I believe that everyone's current choice is the right one, and I support you."
“Mr. Qin, why don’t you understand technology? It was you who proposed the electronic control modification of the engine.” Oscar, this guy, still hasn’t learned the essence of the East. He doesn’t know how to flatter someone, but only exposes his shortcomings.
When Qin Tao was discussing the research and development of helicopter engines with Lao Maozi, he proposed an update plan for the engine control system, which required the use of a dual-redundant full-authority digital control system, also known as FADEC, which can use various sensors, fuel measurement Components such as components and compressor control components can fine-tune a series of parameters such as the engine's throttle, speed, stator blade inclination angle, etc. to achieve complete digital control.
However, Qin Tao mentioned that at the beginning just to catch up with the world's trend, because he knew what the prospects of this technology were. However, Qin Tao could not apply it flexibly, and he did not know that once a helicopter was designed according to this kind of engine, it would be There is no way to replace an ordinary engine.
“Humility, humility makes people progress.” Qin Tao said with a smile.
Everything is ready except for the engine. Now everyone is assembling the aircraft and working very hard. Before they know it, it is noon.
"Mr. Qin, Leader Wu, you all came unexpectedly, and we didn't prepare a luncheon." Deng Hui was a little embarrassed.
“Just go to the canteen to eat, Lao Deng, you will know if you ask around. We like to go to the canteen.”
“Oscar, come together, let’s eat and chat.”
Originally, Oscar, a workaholic, would not eat the food in the canteen without waiting for it to be heated two or three times. But since Qin Tao is here today and invites him to eat together, of course he has to accept it.
A group of people came to the canteen.
The food here is not particularly good, but the four dishes and one soup are considered normal. Qin Tao didn't dislike it, so he ordered a few dishes and sat down with everyone.
Wu Shengli is not here for the first time, he has long been used to it, and now he is happy to let Qin Tao play the leading role.
“Waiting until the engine is in place and testing intensively, it should take about one or two years, right?” Qin Tao asked.
“Well, we are confident.”
“This is good. It seems that it can catch up with our 002 aircraft carrier. In the future, the design of the helicopter hangar of our navy’s surface ships will also be mainly Z-20.”
"If you want to convert it into a ship-based helicopter for the navy, you still need to make some changes. However, since the navy needs it, we will do our best to ensure that it does not delay the use of the navy." Deng Hui said.
“Our navy also paid for it, you can’t just think about using it for the army.” Wu Shengli said.
Deng Hui nodded awkwardly.
“When the basic model is completed, will you start improving it?” Qin Tao asked.
“Yes, we will first ensure the use of the navy. Secondly, we also need to ensure the plateau needs of this helicopter. Then, we will also carry out armed improvements.”
The purchase of the Black Hawk back then made this helicopter the most suitable helicopter for the plateau. Over a long period of time, this helicopter has proven its reliability. Now, the domestically produced Z-20 not only looks like the Black Hawk, but also has better performance. Only if the performance remains the same or even improved, one must be able to reach plateaus. This is also a performance that is urgently needed in the country.
Of course, Black Hawk is not the only one that goes to the plateau. After purchasing a large number of Mi-171 helicopters from Lao Maozi, some of them had increased engine power and also had the ability to go to the plateau.
Everyone knows this, but what about the armed version?
“Aren’t we going to develop a professional armed helicopter? Do we still need to add short-wing pylons directly to the Z-20 like the Z-9?”
At present, the main armed helicopters used by the Army are the WZ-9, which adds short-wing pylons on both sides of the Z-9 and mounts four anti-tank missiles. It does not look domineering at all and is incomparable with mainstream armed helicopters.
Transport helicopters can be modified to be armed. Even if it is a Mi-171, short-wing pylons can be added to mount more weapons, but this is only temporary after all.
Transport helicopters have a wide body and a large bomb-receiving area. They are easily attacked by weapons such as RPGs. The pilots are arranged left and right, which results in poor visibility. A professional armed helicopter, it has two seats in tandem, with the front low and the back high. The front projection area of the body is also very small.
"The research and development of professional armed helicopters takes a long time, and the Army cannot wait that long. Now that we have a mature transport helicopter, of course we need to transform it on the basis of this helicopter. We can directly replace the one from Wuzhijiu Just transplant it and it will soon transform into an armed helicopter, and the Americans have done this too."
Speaking of American armed helicopters, many people will blurt out: Apache. In fact, Americans also have armed helicopters transformed from transport aircraft. Pylons have been added to both sides of the Black Hawk to become an armed Black Hawk. Moreover, In the hands of many troops, it has also played a good role. For example, those special forces take helicopters deep behind enemy lines. After landing, if the transport helicopter is armed, it can directly provide fire support, eliminating the need for specialized Apaches. Another trip, one helicopter is always easier to hide than two helicopters.
At this time, after hearing this introduction, Wu Shengli became interested: "In other words, our navy's helicopters can also be modified in this way?"
Navy helicopters are mainly used for anti-submarine warfare. In the era of Z-9, two were needed, one to drop sonar buoys and one to drop anti-submarine torpedoes. By Z-20, one is enough. This is the four-ton helicopter. A ten-ton difference.
However, for the Eastern navy, there is not only the need for anti-submarine warfare, but also a more important task: cross-sea landing.
In this case, the navy's helicopters need to have ground attack capabilities. If such a battle is really carried out, they will definitely get support from the air force. After all, the strait across is only one or two hundred kilometers wide, and even the top five can fly across it. , however, rather than calling for support, it is more appropriate to do it yourself.
In the past few years, Qin Tao has been nagging about amphibious assault ships. He even directly replaced aircraft carriers with amphibious assault ships in the package plan provided to some small countries. He would first test the waters with foreign customers and then provide domestic products. Naval construction.
But now that we have an amphibious assault ship, what kind of aircraft will it carry?
There must be J-31As that can take off and land vertically, but this type of aircraft is still too monotonous. It would be great to get a batch of carrier-based armed helicopters.
“Of course, we can even reserve the interface and change it at any time when needed in the future.” Deng Hui replied.
“Okay, let’s change it like this!” Wu Shengli was very excited. : ""
The matter was decided like this. Everyone ate with gusto. Seeing that they were almost finished, Oscar said: "Actually, helicopters are already outdated. We can see that the West has begun to develop tilt-rotor aircraft, and they have been finalized and put into service. ”
At that time, in the early exploration of helicopters, there were various design plans. Among them, a large plate at the top and a rotor at the tail finally won everyone's approval and became the most common helicopter layout. The two small plates were It is non-mainstream. Two small plates are set in a shaft, which is coaxial reversal. It is mainly used by Lao Maozi. The two small plates are in front of one another, which is a tandem propeller layout. It is mainly American CH- 47 and so on.
Many of the plans that year naturally included tilt-rotor aircraft.
The helicopter has successfully achieved the ability to take off and land vertically, fly forward and backward, and fly sideways. It is very convenient, so it has become the most important helicopter at present. However, this kind of helicopter also has many shortcomings. The most critical problem is the large disk overhead. The huge flight resistance brought by the sub-wing.
It is precisely because of the big plate above the head that the helicopter can pull onions on dry land and fly vertically. But, how does the helicopter move forward?
This requires the large plate above the head to tilt forward, so that the thrust of the large plate not only has a vertical component to offset gravity, but also a horizontal component to make the helicopter move forward. However, this horizontal component is not all, resulting in high fuel consumption. The flight range is short, but the key is that this large plate not only provides power, but also creates huge flight resistance. Therefore, the flying speed of a helicopter will not exceed 400 kilometers per hour, and it can usually fly up to 300 kilometers per hour. Not bad.
Early aircraft designers began to think that since the large plate above their heads would cause drag, they might as well rotate the large plate! When taking off and landing vertically, the big plate is above the head, and when flying horizontally, the big plate is in front. Isn't this the same as a propeller plane?
When flying horizontally, the wings provide lift, and the large plate only provides forward power. This is fast, has low fuel consumption, and has a long range. After research, it was found that if there is only one large plate, flight safety cannot be guaranteed and the layout is inconvenient. , so it was changed to two large plates, which can be installed on one side of the wing. This is a special tilt-rotor aircraft layout.
In fact, many aircraft designers studied this method of flight at that time, and Lao Maozi's Mili Design Bureau also produced prototypes. However, the one that really succeeded was the American Bell Helicopter Company, which studied this project. decades.
Since the late 1940s, when helicopters had just become practical, Bell Helicopter Company began to develop this kind of thing. The first developed was the XV-3, but it could not solve the problem of aeroelastic instability, so that in wind tunnel experiments The rotor and fuselage separated directly.
However, they were not discouraged and continued to develop, and later started the development of the XV-15. This prototype eventually developed into the V-22 Osprey. Of course, it still took a long time. This project started in 1972 and was officially completed in 1997. This shows how long this tilt-rotor aircraft has gone through.
However, its performance still makes people feel that the long research and development was not in vain.
For example, its maximum speed reached over 647 kilometers per hour. After entering service, in order to ensure safety, it was limited to 509 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than a helicopter. At the same time, its range increased to more than 1,600 kilometers, and its maximum take-off The weight is as high as 27 tons. These performances are unachievable by ordinary helicopters. It has also set a record of flying 4,000 kilometers in 8 hours under fully loaded conditions, which provides a strong guarantee for the long-distance combat of this aircraft.
Of course, according to the characteristics of this aircraft, the Marine Corps is the most suitable user, but both the Navy and the Air Force are using it, and this Osprey has become a replacement for the Black Hawk.
When Dongfang began to develop Black Hawk-class helicopters, the United States had already put into service the more advanced Osprey, completely eliminating the Black Hawk.
Now, Oscar is certainly not satisfied with just developing ZhiTwenty, he has bigger dreams.
"Yes, this weapon of the U.S. Navy is one generation ahead of us." Wu Shengli said: "This is a big gap. However, we do not have any research and development experience in tilt-rotor aircraft. Everything is started from scratch. We want to master it. The development of such an aircraft is not easy.”
Of course the Navy knows that the Osprey is more useful, but how many years did it take Bell to come up with it? How long does it take to start from scratch?
"Any aircraft is started from scratch. If they can succeed, so can we!" Oscar said: "As long as the Navy is determined, those of us who are engaged in technology will go all out. This kind of aircraft has great uses, not only It can be used as a transport type, an armed ground attack type, a special operations type, or even an early warning type, which is of great use."
Oscar really wants to do this kind of thing. As a technician, of course he must pursue the best.
Wu Shengli looked at Qin Tao. You recruited this person. Now you have to support his research project.
Qin Tao nodded: "Yes, this kind of aircraft is indeed very useful. If you have this idea, then when the research and development of the project at hand is completed, you can first do the technical demonstration and pre-research work. Once these are done, you can make a decision. Do you want to proceed to the next step?”
“What about the cost of technical demonstration and preliminary research?”
"Our Mingzhou Group will take the responsibility. If we really decide to do research and development, then we will do it in our Mingzhou Group. When it is completed, our Mingzhou Group will have complete intellectual property rights." Qin Tao said, looking at his father-in-law.
"Mr. Qin, if we want to do this, we hope to join in." Deng Hui said: "We can also raise some funds."
With Mingzhou Group taking care of everything, there will be no problem. After all, vertical take-off and landing fighter jets have been developed. Is it still difficult for this kind of tilt-rotor aircraft?
If this kind of thing is invented, helicopters will become a thing of the past. The market for this kind of thing will be even bigger, and it can even be sold all over the world in the future!
(End of this chapter)