At noon that day, while eating, Xu Zhengyang whispered a few words in Qin Tao's ear.
“Everyone, I’m very sorry, I need to excuse myself for a moment.” Qin Tao had an apologetic expression on his face: “People from the domestic phased array radar research and development unit that we coordinate have arrived. I will communicate with them first.”
Mr. Qin is so awesome. For the request he made in the morning, he invited someone over at noon! Gushkov was very emotional. In Damao, it was considered quite fast to finish this kind of thing within a week.
“Go, Mr. Qin, we are waiting for your good news.” Nicholas said.
This is of course just a coincidence. After Qin Tao arranged the matter yesterday, Yang Dawei went to contact the 23rd Institute. He originally made a phone call to contact the 23rd Institute. Unexpectedly, after receiving the news, the 23rd Institute was very excited. Yang Dawei did not need to run over to get the information. They Send it here!
So, it just happened to catch up with Da Mao’s demand, and it just gave Da Mao a face by selling it. You see, we pay more attention to your needs!
When Qin Tao came to the conference room, there were already three or five people sitting in it. The one headed by him was Mr. Wang, whom he had met during the bidding process. He was a senior person with high authority in the 23rd Institute, and he was in the 14th Institute with Mr. Ben. status is the same.
“Mr. Wang, thank you for coming all the way here.” Qin Tao was very enthusiastic: “We just have this intention, we may not be able to sell it, so you don’t need to be so enthusiastic.”
"Now is the era of market economy. If we can do it, so can the 14th Institute. Of course we have to catch up with your Mingzhou Group." Mr. Wang said.
The current phased array radar of the Aegis battleship is provided by 14. Their radar array not only has S-band components, but also some C-band components, which are used to provide target illumination for the Red Flag 9 missile, and the small The shield uses a C-band array, which the 14th Institute can also produce, so their 23rd Institute must seize the opportunity.
“Mr. Wang, since you are here, I have a question to ask.”
There is no need for Qin Tao to interfere with the matters left to Yang Dawei. He needs to ask Nicholas and the others' questions clearly.
“Mr. Qin, please speak.”
“In addition to the overall package of our shipborne phased array radar, can we also provide separate T/R components?”
Qin Tao's words made Mr. Wang curious: "Mr. Qin, are you saying that some components on one array are broken and need to be replaced? It's best to let the supplier replace this. I'm afraid your shipyard won't be able to replace it. OK."
“No, I’m asking for someone else, a foreign customer.”
foreign customer?
Mr. Wang thought for a while and then said: "Mr. Qin, we can't make the decision on this. After all, we don't produce T/R components."
“What, you don’t produce it?” Now it was Qin Tao’s turn to be shocked: “Then how do you make your phased array radar antenna?”
"Mr. Qin, after these years of development, our phased array radar industry has developed. Whether it is ship-based, land-based, airborne, military or aerospace, we all need phased array radar. We 23 Such a unit is a phased array radar assembly unit, and we also need to obtain goods from upstream suppliers."
“Upstream supplier?”
“Yes, we don’t have a chip factory, how can we produce T/R components?”
In the past, the core of the radar was an electromagnetic tube, which was produced by the electronic tube factory. Now the core of the radar is a T/R component. This thing is essentially an integrated circuit, so it needs to be produced by a chip manufacturer.
23 Institute does not have this capability and must purchase directly.
“What are the upstream production units of T/R components in China?” Qin Tao was very curious and continued to ask.
"The production of this kind of components is not easy. Although it can be used for civilian use, it is mainly developed by the scientific research institutes affiliated to the military industrial group. Our domestic ones are mainly the 13th Institute of Electrical Engineering and the 55th Institute of Electrical Engineering. By the way, why don't you Mingzhou Group Join in? If you join in, maybe you can develop more advanced T/R components."
This thing also has levels. The higher the technology, the smaller the volume produced, the lower the heat generation, the higher the yield, and the more advanced the performance.
“In other words, we have to go to the 13th and 55th hospitals and ask.”
"Well, I have to ask them, but if you need it, Mr. Qin, I can just give them a call." Mr. Wang said.
“Well, I’ll call you later, I have some things to ask you.”
"Speaking."
“Can our 13th and 55th institutes produce X-band components?”
"Of course. Your fourth-generation stealth aircraft is equipped with X-band radar. Wait, Mr. Qin, what you just asked about is the ship-based radar, right? The main ship-based search radar does not use X-band, right?"
“Yes, Mr. Qin, shipborne search radars are generally S-band, and C-band is rare. X-band is not suitable at all.”
The X-band has high accuracy, so it can be used as a fire control radar. However, if it is to be used as the main search radar, the search distance will be too close, unless more modules are superimposed. Later American Ford-class aircraft carriers were equipped with X-band AN /SPY-3 multifunctional radar is used to accurately track targets, but it still has to be equipped with the S-band AN/SPY-4 long-range search radar, and the radar is very large.
“Yes, this band is not used, but customers have requirements.”
“Okay, let’s ask together.” Mr. Wang asked, “Do you have any other requirements?”
"temporarily unavailable."
Lao Wang picked up the phone.
“Lao Zhao, I am Lao Wang. I would like to introduce a business to you. Can your T/R components be sold abroad?”
“What, can you sell bipolar silicon and gallium arsenide components? What’s the price?”
"okay, got it."
Putting down the phone, Mr. Wang looked at Qin Tao: "Mr. Qin, they said that they can sell the products of the previous generation and the previous two generations, and the price is not expensive. A single component of bipolar silicon costs 2,000, and a single component of gallium arsenide costs 5,000." .Frequency is optional.”
“RMB or USD?” Qin Tao asked.
"Of course it's RMB." Mr. Wang said: "In recent years, our domestic technology has developed rapidly, and the cost has long been reduced. The price they want, of which more than 70% is profit. After all, we are selling to outsiders, not for our own use. .”
While the Western world is still grinding its teeth over the high price of phased array radars, the East has been able to launch a large number of Aegis battleships. The most important reason is that the T/R components are made at a bargain price. Of course, they are cheaper for personal use. , you have to make money by selling it.
“Okay, then I will convert these prices into US dollars and sell them to Lao Maozi.” Qin Tao said: “It’s time for our domestic institutions to make money.”
The core of the active phased array radar is the antenna system, which accounts for 60% of the cost of the entire radar system. It is cheaper for domestic use, but of course the one for export must be in line with international standards. Lao Maozi is no exception. At least Lao Maozi can still buy it, but the Western world cannot buy it even if it wants to.
Hearing what Qin Tao said, Mr. Wang opened his eyes wide and directly converted the RMB into US dollars, which is the export price. If they can successfully support the new frigate developed by the Mingzhou Group, they can also make a lot of money.
"Okay, you continue chatting, I'm going to accompany Lao Maozi."
By the time Qin Tao came back to find Lao Maozi, they were still having a meal. Coming to Dongfang to eat delicious food was already an important item for them to come to Dongfang.
"Mr. Qin, you're back so soon? How was the discussion?" Gushkov asked nervously. This matter is related to the development of their Fazatlon Group. This is not just building radars for the navy. The Air Force's fighter planes also need advanced radars and advanced T/R components.
“I asked, and for the sake of our Mingzhou Group, they are willing to sell it.”
"Really? That's great!" Gushkov finally let go of his hanging heart.
“What’s the price?” asked Nicholas, who was most worried about this.
“In terms of price, it is the same as supplying it to our country.” Qin Tao said: “The products are divided into two types, of which bipolar silicon costs US$2,000 a piece and gallium arsenide costs US$5,000 a piece.”
"What?"
Gushkov was frightened by the price.
“Mr. Qin, is the price a bit high?”
"Is it high? You can ask to see how much the phased array radar antenna used on the warships being developed by the West costs." Qin Tao said: "It is only in the East that we have advanced manufacturing technology to reduce the cost. I can tell you that when we built the first Aegis battleship, the four-sided phased array radar and each antenna cost over 100 million."
Over 100 million!
The eyes of these people are complicated.
"Mr. Qin, we know this thing is expensive, but we didn't expect it to be so expensive. If we use gallium arsenide to make a four-sided phased array, the price will exceed 60 million. We also plan to use one sided S-band rotating phased array later. Array, if you put them all together, the price will be unbearable."
“Then using bipolar silicon, the cost can be reduced by half. I’m talking about our first Aegis battleship. Bipolar silicon was used on the battleship. The cost factor was taken into consideration.”
Bipolar silicon is the worst. This is determined by basic physical conditions. For example, the movement speed of electrons in silicon wafers is five to ten times slower than that in gallium arsenide, and signal transmission will naturally be slower. And the forbidden bandwidth is also poor.
The current mainstream is gallium arsenide, which has completely replaced the unreliable bipolar silicon. The 346 radar originally used part of the bipolar silicon to reduce costs. In fact, it doesn’t cost much to make a T/R component alone, but the problem is that the yield rate is low. If a thousand are made and only one is usable, then the price of this one will be the same as a thousand.
The price of domestically produced products is now cheaper, mainly due to the improvement in the yield of finished products.
The mainstream in the world still uses gallium arsenide, and the price in the Western world is much higher than Qin Tao's quotation, which is enough to convince Lao Maozi that Qin is always their good friend and is always considering their interests.
In fact, these are all outdated. The most advanced one is gallium nitride. Its fusing temperature reaches 1,700 degrees, which is three times that of gallium arsenide. This high temperature means that it can work at higher temperatures. At high temperatures, the power is greater and the time is longer. Its band gap is three times that of gallium arsenide, and its energy density is ten times that of gallium arsenide. All these make gallium nitride a better phased array radar. Component materials.
Of course, gallium nitride cannot be sold, but it is good to be able to sell gallium arsenide.
“It’s already good that we can purchase advanced T/R components from the East. Price is not an issue.” Nikola said.
The funding for the construction of this first warship comes from a special source. They don’t have to worry about it. However, for subsequent construction, funding is really a big problem. But we will talk about the future later. Maybe in a few years, they can also produce gallium arsenide T/ What about R components?
Nikolai made a decision on the spot. Although he preferred to hand over these equipment directly to Mingzhou Group for matching, he knew that due to domestic considerations, it was already very difficult for Mingzhou Group to build the hull. If the state group develops other supporting facilities, there will be even more opposition.
“Mr. Qin, can we go to the supplier of T/R components?” Gushkov put forward a new request.
"Let's take a look? Of course it's no problem." Qin Tao said, "I can take you there, but will the rest of you also follow?"
Others shook their heads. This was really not interesting. The key was that they couldn’t understand it either.
It was because he couldn’t understand that Qin Tao was able to send out the invitation. This thing cannot be learned by just looking at it, especially the preparation of materials is more critical. Who made us Dongfang the main supplier of gallium? Only we have a complete industrial chain, and only we can lower the price.
“Let’s go to the capital and discuss with your navy about visiting the aircraft carrier.” Nicholas said.
International Village, 13th Institute of Electrical Engineering.
"Our 13th Institute was founded in 1956, when it was still in the capital, and later moved to the International Village in 1963. We are the earliest, largest, and most powerful semiconductor research institute in China." The person in charge who came to receive the reception Zhang Chao introduced to everyone: "In the past few decades, we have created 36 domestic firsts in the field of semiconductors. For example, in 1957, we produced our first transistor, and in 1965 we produced our first transistor. The first silicon integrated circuit was developed, the first gallium arsenide integrated circuit was manufactured in 1982, and the first semiconductor laser was manufactured in 1983."
Qin Tao's eyes widened when he heard this: "Director Zhang, I didn't expect your research institute to be so famous and powerful!"
"Alas, the results only represent the past, not the present. We have long fallen behind in the field of semiconductors, and your Mingzhou Group is number one." Zhang Chao said: "Currently we are planning to purchase some semiconductor production from Mingzhou Group Equipment, including photolithography machines, etching machines, etc., but we have never been able to raise enough purchasing funds.”
“Purchasing funds are not a problem. You can buy equipment first and pay back the money slowly later. However, I believe that you have advanced products and you will get enough funds soon.”
As long as we complete the task of providing T/R components to Lao Maozi this time, we can earn tens of millions of dollars. Do we still have to worry about having no money to purchase chip production equipment?
“Mr. Qin, can you sell your chip production equipment to us?” Gushkov suddenly said.
He came here for inspection. The first stop was the honor room. Gushkov listened patiently to the other party's story, but now that he heard about the chip production equipment, he immediately thought of something. If the chip production equipment was purchased from the East, then Their chip production can quickly reach a higher level.
“Sell it to you? Of course, no problem, you can just order it.”
“Can we get it on credit?”
"Of course this won't work. After all, our business must make a profit. If your Fazatlon Group comes to our east to start a business, we can get credit. After all, it is convenient to collect accounts."
Are you kidding? We have nothing to do with each other. Why should I give you credit?
Gushkov could only change the topic: "Shall we go to the production line to have a look?"
“Production line? Not there yet. Let’s go to the conference room and introduce to you the characteristics of our T/R components. Don’t you want to purchase them? We have to discuss it in detail.”
Gushkov nodded. They really need to get all the technical parameters, and they also have to take back a few finished products. This can speed up the development of research and development. If the project is delayed, His Excellency Nicholas will definitely be unhappy.
Actually, Qin Tao didn't understand these details, but since he was here, he had to go to the meeting, so he just treated it as just joining in the fun.
In the conference room, the two sides began to discuss. Qin Tao, an expert, was overwhelmed by all kinds of professional vocabulary, but there were some that he could understand.
"Yes, the four-sided phased array radar requires a lot of computing power. We can no longer use military chips. We plan to use the civilian Elbrus2000 chip. Its performance is not much worse than your Loongson-2. We believe that with this The processor is fully capable of data processing tasks.”
When talking about Lao Maozi's electronic industry, many people will think that they chose the wrong technology tree and took the wrong path of tube miniaturization. In fact, this is completely a misunderstanding. In the era of the Red Empire, Lao Maozi also had a chip industry, and it was not very successful. Poor, in terms of CPU, Elbrus, also known as Elbrus, is the most famous.
The first generation supercomputer of the Red Empire used Elbrus 2. By 1986, Elbrus-3 appeared, which was the first 16-bit processor. If the Red Empire had not collapsed, then The subsequent Elbrus will definitely replace Intel and AMD and become the most powerful processor in the world. (It is said that the Red Empire collapsed, and many of Lao Maozi’s talented people went to the West. Lao Maozi was the chief engineer of Pentium-3.)
Some left, and some stayed. Those who stayed continued to engage in research and development at the Moscow SPARC Technology Center. Its predecessor was the Lebedev Institute of Precision Machinery and Computing Technology during the Red Empire era. It was later renamed MCST (Moscow Center for SPARC Technologies). Two thousand years ago, they developed the Elbrus2000 processor, which is a civilian processor based on the Elbrus-3 architecture. It operates at a frequency of 300 MHz. It is far behind the world's advanced level, but it is still sufficient for military use.
However, when he heard what he said, Qin Tao couldn't help but ask: "Are you sure that Elbrus2000 has been developed?"
“Of course, can this be false?”
Well, since the other party is so sure, Qin Tao doesn't say anything. He remembers that this processor seems to be a PPT project. Due to the lack of R&D funds, he doesn't know how long it will take to build it. Lao Maozi is in the military industry. The Elbrus-90 is used in it. Its architecture is different from the former. It is used by many anti-aircraft weapons. Although it is mature, its processing power is seriously insufficient.
When the hull is built and Lao Maozi installs the weapon system, they will find that their own processor is still in the PPT stage. What should they do then? The project is definitely delayed, but Qin Tao has fulfilled his obligation to remind him.
The meeting lasted for more than two hours, and all the technical parameters were finally determined. Gushkov said: "Can we go to the production line now?"
"Okay, I can take you to visit now." Zhang Chao replied. After all this time, it was only half an hour before getting off work, so he passed by taking a quick look around.
The workshop was clean and tidy, and everyone was working in dust-proof suits. Gushkov couldn't get enough of the step-by-step manufacturing process. Not long after, he was taken out with the excuse of getting off work.
After dining together, Gushkov went to the guest house to rest, and Zhang Chao finally had time to communicate with Qin Tao alone.
"Thank you, Mr. Qin, for introducing us to a big customer. We just reached an agreement and they want to purchase 15,000 X-band T/R components and 5,000 S-band T/R components. This But it’s a big deal!”
"Well, I've already quoted the price to them. It's five thousand dollars per piece, so that's one hundred million dollars... Wait, no, why do they want so much? Just their four small shields, twelve thousand dollars is enough. That’s enough. Four thousand yuan is enough for the rotating phased array at the back. They are the funds of the Black Navy!”
Fazatlon’s main research is not ship-based radar, but airborne radar. They want so much this time, not only can they build related radars for the navy, but they can also build two or three airborne radars!
They definitely lack research funds, and there are no relevant units to provide them with qualified T/R components. This time they will kill the navy, and they can survive this hurdle.
Hearing Qin Tao say this, Zhang Chao's face became serious.
“President Qin, I heard that you have a very good relationship with Nicholas of the Great Mao Navy. Since Fazatlon’s people are so excessive, do you want to explain this situation to Nicholas and reduce the order?”
"Reduction? Why reduce? We only order and sell goods. We don't care about other things. This is their internal matter. Our export this time may be a one-time deal. Of course, the more we sell, the better." Qin Tao said : "In this way, with sufficient funds, we 13 can update our equipment and invest in the research and development of more advanced equipment!"
Who does Qin Tao have a good relationship with? Of course it's not Lao Maozi, but domestic military R&D personnel! A well-known enterprise like 13 must make more money in order to achieve healthy development, even if it cheats the old man, it is natural.
Hearing Qin Tao's words, Zhang Chao was filled with emotion: "Thank you, Mr. Qin! We will definitely work **** research and development to make our military industry stronger!"