Chapter 999 True and False
United States, a conference room.
"I think we should not place our hopes on the DDG-1000. The performance of this destroyer is indeed advanced, but precisely because it is advanced, its research and development has been slow. We should now use our mature technologies, such as dual Band radar, etc., can be directly transplanted to existing warships to create a warship with advanced performance and affordable price.”
It would be a big mistake to think that these elites are idiots. They have already foreseen the bad prospects of DDG-1000.
How much would it cost to research all the top ten advanced projects? How much will it cost to assemble it on a battleship? Taxpayers' money has been spent in this way, flowing into the pockets of arms dealers, but the naval strength has not increased much.
Collins, a member of the Military Committee, is an opponent of this project. The Navy first builds an arsenal ship and then builds the DDG-1000. It is completely going further and further down the wrong path. Wouldn’t it be better to simply upgrade the existing warships?
"No, this kind of warship cannot be given up!" Someone immediately objected: "It is a warship that transcends the times. Only by possessing this kind of warship can the navy gain absolute advantages in future wars. For example, the opponent's anti-ship It is impossible for ballistic missiles to attack warships like ours because they cannot find our warships at all!"
“Wake up, the primary target of anti-ship ballistic missile attacks is aircraft carriers. If your navy has the ability to make aircraft carriers invisible, then we have to support it even if we spend another 10 billion.”
The shape of warships can be changed, but the shape of aircraft carriers cannot be changed.
The reason is very simple. The aircraft carrier needs to have carrier-based aircraft and the largest flight deck. So when all the upper floors of the warships start to move inward, only the aircraft carrier is still floating outward. How can it be invisible?
For the aircraft carrier formation, it is useless if other warships are invisible. After all, the aircraft carrier is still a huge radar reflection source, and can be discovered from a distance under the surging electromagnetic waves.
“Ten billion more?” Swift heard the words: “What do you mean?”
"So far, the DDG-1000 project has not started, but the research and development funding has exceeded 10 billion. Just like this, a subsystem contractor is still complaining about insufficient money. This is clearly a bottomless pit." Collins said: "You do the math. , if the R&D expenditure is 20 billion, even if the Navy builds ten ships, the R&D cost allocated to each ship will be 2 billion. But now, the cost of building one of our Burke-class destroyers is only more than 2 billion U.S. dollars. Now , the Navy has been attracted by the advanced equipment and has not considered how unreliable this project is!"
DDG-1000 is a cross-generational one. It has ten advanced subsystems. Each subsystem is responsible for a contractor. The contractor always has to make money. If it is not enough, it will apply. This scene is similar to the early scientific research of Dongfang The research is the same.
Arms dealers don’t care about the equipment of the army. What they care about is how much money goes into their pockets. Under such circumstances, arms research and development begins to rise. Can they bear it?
Now, before the project even starts, some people are already throwing cold water on it, and the fact is right in front of them, they have no money!
what's next?
Swift's face was serious: "If we build in large quantities, will we spread the cost?"
"Building in large quantities? The research and development costs of such advanced warships are high, and the procurement costs are also high. The estimated cost of the first ship is more than 2 billion. However, this is only an estimate. No one knows how much the cost will be overrun in the end. Therefore, I suggest that the Navy It would be good to start from scratch and build an enlarged version of our existing warships. Look at the cruisers built by the Orientals, aren't they developed step by step and slowly?"
Everyone’s face looked ugly.
“How could we follow in the footsteps of the Orientals!”
“Yes, we in the United States are innovative, and we have led every revolution in military technology!”
“We will never give up!”
“Sooner or later you’re going to have to give up,” Collins said. “The project will cost too much and the funding won’t come through. Then you’ll still have to think of a cheaper model. It’s easier to do it now.”
The meeting made no progress, and Swift returned to his office with a grimace on his face.
Is the pace of DDG-1000 really too big? Does our country really need to build a warship similar to Dongfang? How is it possible? The U.S. Navy cannot afford to lose this person!
“Report, the new episode of Zhang Zhongshuo program has been broadcast.”
"What does this have to do with us? I don't want to listen to this kind of amateur performance, just like a clown."
“The content of this program is Zhang Zhong talking about DDG-1000.”
"Really? Then let me hear what the Easterners say about our warships." Swift's face was serious.
The familiar face of Zhang Zhong appeared in the program. Now, relevant people around the world are very familiar with this face.
“Hello everyone, I am Zhang Zhong. Our program this time is called Zhang Zhong Talks about DDG-1000. We are very optimistic about this modern warship.”
Are Easterners also optimistic?
"The biggest feature of this kind of warship is its different shape. It has an inverted V-shaped wave-piercing body and only one superstructure. It has the best stealth appearance. We believe that this will drive a trend and other countries around the world will follow suit, just like Our 054 frigate has pioneered the trend of inward tilting of the ship's superstructure."
“Humph, it was France’s Lafite Grande that started this trend. Orientals really put gold on their faces!” Swift despised it.
The assistant said: "However, they are one step behind in the wave-piercing body and cannot take away our credit."
“It’s still interesting, let’s take a look.”
"It is precisely because of this kind of hull that vertical launchers can be arranged around the hull. We believe this is also a trend. The vertical launchers are concentrated together, which is too harmful. They should be dispersed to reduce the possibility of being killed. , the combination of the two forms the most advanced hull layout, and its sci-fi appearance makes people admire the imagination of the designers."
Hearing this, Swift suddenly thought of something: "Could this be the opposite? This Zhang Zhongke often says the opposite. Is this a compliment to us?"
The strategic deception bureau mainly focuses on deception.
"We learned from relevant departments that the next generation of our navy's warships will also be based on wave-piercing bodies." Zhang Zhong continued: "At the same time, many of our technologies will be integrated into them to achieve the goal of being better than others. , for example, our main gun will be replaced by an electromagnetic gun."
It doesn’t seem like it, but to build momentum for their own navy. They are lagging behind, so they want to catch up!
Swift nodded: "It seems that the Orientals are indeed interested in our technology. We must seize the time and build the DDG-1000 as soon as possible. We must not let the Orientals take the lead! This is our original creation!"
I don’t know if Zhang Zhong’s deception on the show will fool others, but the Americans will definitely follow the path of DDG-1000. After building a few ships and finding out that they are useless, they will then change the track. That It's too late!
They are catching up and hurriedly working on the next generation DDG-X. When the model of this warship is announced, everyone will find that the Americans are actually imitating Dongfang's 055. one!
This is what Qin Tao wants to achieve.
In the small courtyard of Huilou, Qin Tao watched Zhang Zhong talk about the program and nodded repeatedly. He really understood what he meant.
“Taozi, was Zhang Zhong’s program commissioned by you again?”
"That's right." Qin Tao said, "He can't represent the navy anyway."
“But he has deceived many people, can they be fooled?”
“So, it has to be true or false. Did you hear Zhang Zhong say that the main gun was replaced by an electromagnetic gun? This is true.”
"real?"
“Yes, Dad, you don’t know that our electromagnetic gun has also made great progress, right?”
“When was it obtained?”
“Recently.”
Qin Tao also recently received news that the electromagnetic gun has made great progress. It seems that they have not reported it to their superiors yet. However, this is also in line with Ma Ming's characteristics. He has always been low-key and is not completely successful. Or if it needs to be tested on the ship, it will not be reported to the superior leadership.
“Okay, then we have to take a look!” Wu Shengli looked excited.
The 713 Institute is located in Henan, not very far from the capital. Early the next morning, Wu Shengli, who was very excited, came to the 713 Institute with Qin Tao.
"When it comes to designing naval guns for our navy, 713 Research Institute is definitely the first. They have developed many naval guns. The single-barreled 130 naval guns currently used on our warships were developed by them." Wu Shengli was very excited along the way. He said: "This time, they are giving us electromagnetic guns again. They are really the leaders in this field."
“They only solved the problem of barrel materials for us. The electromagnetic gun is still the responsibility of the horse workers.” Qin Tao corrected.
“Yes, the horseman is also the backbone of our naval equipment. Without him, there would be no advanced aircraft carrier.” Wu Shengli nodded.
Whether an electromagnetic gun can be successfully developed does not depend on whether it can provide sufficient electromagnetic force, but on whether the barrel can solve the wear problem.
After all, as long as the electromagnetic force continues, the cannonball can continue to accelerate, theoretically approaching the speed of light.
However, as long as the artillery shell does not leave the barrel, it needs to be in contact with the barrel. The friction is very serious, especially the artillery shells that can accelerate to Mach 5 or above, which will cause terrible wear and tear in the barrel. In this way, the barrel may be damaged. It will be useless after hitting a few shells, which loses its meaning as a weapon.
Ma Ming has no problem with electromagnetic products. The electromagnetic catapult and electromagnetic arresting cable have been successfully developed, and the integrated power of the entire ship has also been used extensively. As for electric vehicles, they are just a by-product of the research process and should not be the main force at all.
But when it comes to developing electromagnetic guns, it is no longer enough for Ma Ming and his men to do it. They need advanced gun barrels, which happens to be the strength of the 713 Institute.
After all, naval guns in the gunpowder era also had to solve the problem of barrel wear. Now that they are replaced by electromagnetic guns, the problem of barrel wear also needs to be solved.
The person in charge of Institute 713 is still Xia Bei. Over the years, his hair has turned gray and there are more and more wrinkles on his face. Only his eyes are still bright.
"Director Xia, our 713th Institute is engaged in naval guns, so our institute should be responsible for the electromagnetic gun project. Now, we have made breakthrough progress in the research and development of electromagnetic gun barrel materials, so next , we can completely get rid of Ma Gong and they will do it on their own!” ˆ ˆ ˆ “Ma Gong is a domestic expert in electromagnetic equipment. We also agreed to work together at the beginning, how can we get rid of them now?”
"Yes, he is an expert, but in the field of naval guns, we are the strongest." Zhang Jian said: "We must firmly grasp this project. From now on, our development will all rely on electromagnetic guns! "
“No, we must not betray our friends. The joint research and development agreed upon is the joint research and development!”
"Director Xia, recently our institute has a quota for studying abroad. Can you give me this quota?" Zhang Jian continued: "With my achievements, I can already go abroad, right?"
“No, Mr. Qin has told us that no technical personnel involved in the research and development of electromagnetic guns can go out.”
“Then I quit!”
“You can’t leave the country even if you quit.” At this moment, a voice came from outside.
Qin Tao and Wu Shengli came suddenly. They didn't let the concierge notify them and just came in directly.
Fortunately, I came in directly, otherwise I wouldn’t have known there were so many contradictions in the electromagnetic gun project.
It is true that MaGong cannot solve the problem of electromagnetic gun wear and requires the cooperation of 713. However, if 713 thinks that it can completely take over the electromagnetic gun project in its own hands, it would be a big mistake.
The core of the electromagnetic gun is still an electromagnetic device, not a gun.
This Zhang Jian was once the most valued person by Ma Gong. He talked with Ma Gong all night long countless times. He was also a good technician. However, this person had ulterior motives.
Fortunately, Xia Bei's performance is satisfactory.
“Mr. Qin, are you here?” Xia Bei saw Qin Tao first and hurriedly came up to greet him. Then he saw Wu Shengli beside Qin Tao.
“Leader Wu, are you here too?”
“The electromagnetic gun project has made significant progress, why don’t you report it to me?” Wu Shengli asked.
"This project is the responsibility of the horse worker, so if it is reported, it should also be reported by the horse worker." Xia Bei said: "We cannot overstep our authority."
Wu Shengli nodded. It was not convenient for the 713 Institute to report, and the horse worker kept a low profile. He only reported to the Mingzhou Group. The Mingzhou Group did not report to the Navy, thinking that the 713 Institute would report it, so the Navy was kept in the dark. .
Wu Shengli looked at Zhang Jian again. He remembered that this outstanding technician successfully pushed the range of the 130mm naval gun to one hundred kilometers and participated in the research and development of the electromagnetic gun. However, he did not expect that this young man was so capable. Big ambition.
“Gong Zhang, do you want to lead the electromagnetic gun project?” Wu Shengli said.
Zhang Jian gritted his teeth, nodded and said: "I think our 713 Institute studies artillery. We don't want to be robbed by others in this field. We want to provide the navy with the most advanced naval guns!"
Zhang Jian is confident and confident, am I wrong? of course not! A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. We in the 713th are artillerymen, and we just want to be the best in this field!
“Okay, in that case, the Navy will support you in developing your own electromagnetic gun and bidding for the Mingzhou Group’s electromagnetic gun project!”
Zhang Jian was dumbfounded for a moment, bidding?
What to bid for?
We only have one patented gun barrel technology, and we plan to acquire all the technology from Ma Gong in an open manner. If you ask us to develop electromagnetic guns, we don’t understand other subsystems.
This electromagnetic gun has a very high technical content. They are all engaged in chemical cannons. Who has ever developed an electromagnetic gun?
But he rolled his eyes and continued: "How much funding can the navy provide us?"
"You will advance the funds yourself first. When the bidding results are announced, the navy will of course provide strong support." Wu Shengli said: "They, the Mingzhou Group, are the only one. This is not good. You just stand up and kill their prestige."
Still not paying?
Zhang Jian was even more dumbfounded.
“Okay, our Mingzhou Group accepts this challenge.” Qin Tao said.
Xia Bei quickly shook his head: "Mr. Qin, we don't want to bid. This is not an area we are familiar with. We can make barrels for Mingzhou Group's electromagnetic guns and be a supporting supplier."
“Director Xia, your subordinates are not convinced.”
“I am the director.” Xia Bei said.
Zhang Jian's face turned red and white for a while. Yes, he was not the director, but he was the core member of the electromagnetic gun!
“Director Xia, I...”
"What am I, I know you have ideas, but can you hold up the banner of electromagnetic gun? If you dare to issue a military order here, and you can take the lead and develop electromagnetic gun, then the institute will support your research and development , raise a fund for you!" Xia Bei said: "But if you don't have this ability, wouldn't it be the right choice for us to cooperate with Mingzhou Group? What else do you want? Okay, don't get emotional Come on, let’s show our guests our research and development results!”
"good."
Zhang Jian watched a few people leave, rolled his eyes, and followed them out.
The results were developed by him, and he is the one who introduces them.
"Actually, the barrel of the electromagnetic gun is completely different from our common barrels." Xia Bei introduced to everyone as he walked: "Ordinary gun barrels need to withstand high bore pressure and use electroslag remelted steel and body Tube self-tightening and other processes, but the electromagnetic gun does not rely on gas energy, so it does not need to withstand much pressure, but it does need to be able to pass through the magnetic field."
Whether it is a coil gun or a rail gun, a magnetic field needs to pass through it. This requires the barrel to be made of non-magnetic conductive material, so that it will not affect the distribution of magnetic field lines, and at the same time, it will not cause induced current due to the alternating magnetic field. Generate heat, the latter is the principle of induction cooker.
“Aluminum should have this characteristic, right?”
"Yes, pure aluminum is indeed non-magnetic, but the same cannot be said for aluminum alloys. The key is that aluminum is soft and not wear-resistant, so we need to look for it in austenite. After repeated research, we found a A special non-magnetic steel."
Several people were talking and walking, and they had already arrived at the R&D department. There are various research equipment here and they can independently produce various gun barrels.
The innermost room of the R&D department is used to study electromagnetic gun barrels. There is an additional door here that requires a swipe card to enter.
"Non-magnetic steel is stable austenite. Although our ordinary stainless steel is also austenite, it still has many defects, so it usually shows low magnetism." Xia Bei opened the door and introduced to everyone: "But at the same time, we You know, steel is a conductor and will have conductive properties, and our electromagnetic gun is required to be insulated, so our technicians decided after careful study..."
"Director Xia, let me introduce you." Zhang Jian followed from behind and followed him all the way to the electromagnetic gun R&D department at the back. Hearing Xia Bei's introduction, he couldn't bear it anymore.
“Okay, come.”
"We decided to inlay a special composite material inside the electromagnetic gun barrel. This composite material is very wear-resistant and non-conductive, so it can play a complete insulation role. On the inner wall of the electromagnetic gun, we can also inlay two A copper rod as a guide rail."
So far, the structure of the electromagnetic gun is still a secret for them. They are only responsible for developing special barrels.
When Ma Ming discussed with Zhang Jian, he also introduced it as a rail gun, which requires internal guide rails.
It is not suitable to use copper as the guide rail, because it is still not wear-resistant, but now, at least the barrel material has been solved first.
"We also plan to look for other materials that can conduct large currents stably and are wear-resistant." Zhang Jian said: "However, Ma Gong did not give relevant requirements. He just asked us to build a barrel first and give it to They test.”
Ma Ming of course did not give these requirements. After all, we are using coil guns and do not need to contact them at all, so these research and development are meaningless.
“Then did you give it?”
"Not yet." Xia Bei said, "But we will do it as soon as possible."
Qin Tao glanced at Zhang Jian again and understood that although the research and development had produced results, they did not want to provide them yet because they were competing for the dominance of the electromagnetic gun!
Ma Ming asked them to build the cannon barrel and send it over, but they asked Ma Ming to come over and build the cannon in the 713 office, so the two of them came to blows.
Now that Qin Tao and Wu Shengli have come over, of course they can no longer fight internally.
“Zhang Gong, your inventions are very useful and you have made outstanding contributions to the navy. The navy will never forget your contribution.” Wu Shengli began to comfort him.
“Yes, when we develop the electromagnetic gun, you will also be a great hero. You will be the pillar of our country!” Qin Tao continued.
“Mr. Qin, can I join the Mingzhou Group?” Zhang Jian suddenly said.
What does this guy think? Do you want to change jobs in front of your direct boss?
He originally wanted to take over the initiative of the electromagnetic gun, but Xia Bei did not support it and was only willing to be a supporting factory. So he decided to change jobs because he wanted to take the lead in the electromagnetic gun?
Of course not, this guy is unreliable!
"This is really inappropriate. Our Mingzhou Group poached people from our brother units a few years ago, which has aroused public outrage. Later, we made a promise not to do this kind of thing again." Qin Tao said, "But, you are If you have made great contributions to research and development, our Mingzhou Group can give you a bonus as an encouragement, how about that?"
(End of this chapter)