Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1009 New Momentum, New Journey (Fourth Update, Please Subscribe)
Under the bright sunshine, the brand new YF-2 fighter plane lay quietly on the runway of the airport. The streamlined design of the fuselage shone with a cold luster under the sunlight, as if foreshadowing the endless power it would release.

As the test pilot stepped into the cockpit, the bubble canopy slowly closed, and while the test pilot was testing the instruments, the designers beside the runway focused their attention on the fighter plane that was about to take off.

"Engine start!"

As the command was issued, a stream of blazing flames spurted out from the tail of the fighter plane, and the entire fuselage began to tremble slightly. The sound was like the first movement of thunder, shocking everyone's heart. The fighter plane accelerated on the runway, faster and faster, as if it wanted to break free from the constraints of the earth and rush into the endless blue sky.

Finally, the YF-2 fighter took off, and with an unstoppable momentum, it flew straight into the sky, drew a beautiful arc in the air, and then quickly pulled higher.

Although it was the first test flight and only required basic level flight, people at the airport looked up with anticipation in their hearts.

The test flight was over very quickly. After only flying a few circles in the air, the YF-2 fighter jet landed steadily on the runway, glided for a distance, and then slowly stopped.

The test flight was successful!
When the test pilot stood up from the cockpit, the airport was filled with thunderous applause.

The designers' faces were all filled with proud smiles. Amid the thunderous applause, Tan Ke turned around and said to Zhang Ke.

"Congratulations, the test flight was very successful. Prepare for further test flights."

"The key is to wait for the engine. This is very important."

Looking at the YF-2 fighter, Zhang Ke said,

"The Air Force requires the use of turbofan engines. The J79 is only a temporary emergency. Moreover, it has a lot of impact on the performance of the aircraft, especially the speed. Intercepting enemy bombers carrying nuclear weapons is not the main mission of the Air Force, but it is still one of its missions."

Looking at the student with a frown on his face, Tan Ke comforted him.

"This won't have much of an impact. The Air Force already has air-to-air missiles, which are much faster than airplanes. Military aircraft are now being improved to carry air-to-air missiles. By then, the YF2 fighters will definitely have to use air-to-air missiles, otherwise the seven pylons will be wasted. Just use air-to-air missiles to intercept bombers! In future air battles, air-to-air missiles will play a decisive role!"

While emphasizing the importance of air-to-air missiles, Tan Ke said again.

"But BMW is currently conducting final tests on the 200 engine, and there should be results soon."

Sometimes, things are always not as expected. Although the General Dynamics J79 turbojet engine is extremely reliable and tough, the Air Force's technical route is very clear - the new generation of aircraft must use turbofan engines, and there are corresponding requirements for their thrust-to-weight ratio, which must exceed 5.

After the Air Force put forward technical requirements, BMW began to develop small turbofan engines. Despite the success of the "WP100" turbofan engine, it still encountered a series of technical problems when developing small turbofan engines.

However, these are just some technical issues. After all, Nanyang's aviation engine industry can be said to have gathered the best professionals from Sandi, Italy and Japan. Through years of technical cooperation with Rolls-Royce of the United Kingdom, Nanyang's aviation engine industry has always been at the world's leading level.

"It should not only be used for military purposes, but the non-afterburning model should also be used for civilian purposes. The thrust of WP100 is too large and it is not suitable for small aircraft, while the 200 series is just right..."

"Yes, it is 5015 mm long, 993 mm in diameter, weighs 1580 kg, has a maximum thrust of 52.5 kN, and an afterburner thrust of 89.8 kN. It is the world's first aircraft engine with a thrust-to-weight ratio of more than 5. Such an excellent engine is excellent whether it is used in military or civilian applications."

In BMW's engine test field, while watching the new turbofan engine roaring during its test run, several engineers were discussing its extended applications. In addition to fighter jets, they were discussing everything from miniaturized jet airliners to warships and the gas turbines used on warships.

"…Ship gas turbines have been established by the Navy as the next generation of ship power systems. They do not require boilers, so they are light in weight and small in size, but powerful, making them very suitable as the main engines of large ships. Compared with ship diesel engines or steam turbines, gas turbines can save engine room area and start quickly, thereby improving the maneuverability of the ship. In addition, their maintenance is relatively simple and requires fewer operating personnel. I heard that the Navy has decided that future large and medium-sized surface ships will be powered by gas turbines." In the past few years, Nanyang has not only invested a lot of money in engine research and development, but also kept up with the world trend. After the United Kingdom developed the world's first ship gas turbine in 1944, Nanyang followed its trend and conducted research in this area with British companies.

Two years ago, we started to cooperate with Rolls-Royce to conduct research on "converting aviation engines to gas turbines" based on the "Conway engine", also known as the WP100 engine, thus realizing the WP100 engine's "flying in the sky and under the sea".

It was precisely because of the success of the "Ocean Conway" that the Navy decided to use gas turbines as power. The only problem was that the "Conway Engine" had a sophisticated design and complex structure, which led to its high cost. Therefore, when developing the Type 200 turbofan engine, the Air Force required it to be cheap, affordable and durable.

In order to meet the requirements of the military, its development work was far behind schedule, which affected the test flight of the YF-2 fighter, forcing it to introduce General Dynamics' J79 engine for preliminary test flights.

"…The most important thing now is to finalize the engine as soon as possible. After all, the Aviation Industry Corporation is still waiting for the 200 engine."

When colleagues were talking about the application extension of the 200 engine and the research on "converting aviation engines to gas engines", Sun Chengjiu said:
"The next step should be to further increase its thrust and lifespan."

"Indeed, Mr. Sun is right."

Cheng Yuemin on the side nodded in agreement.

"According to the current service life of 5000 hours, it can only meet the needs of the military. After all, the military's flight life requirement for new fighter jets is 10000 hours. With the current life of the Type 200 engine, it cannot meet the Air Force's requirement of not having to replace the engine throughout its life."

The development of fighter jets in Nanyang was influenced to a certain extent by Li Yian. One of the requirements was the special requirements for the flight life of the aircraft. Long service life is also one of the biggest characteristics of Western aircraft and other weapons.

One of the most typical rumors in later generations is that the Soviet-made weapons were made with a world war mentality - if they were shot down before they were fully used, then their remaining life would be wasted. It would be better to choose to manufacture some cheaper weapons to support the army's operations in larger quantities. Therefore, the life of Soviet-made weapons is obviously shorter.

This is simply a rumor - the Soviet Union's technology is simply too poor. Since the copycat Nion engine, the Soviet engine industry has been committed to improving the engine life, from the initial 50 hours to the later 200 hours. In the 70s, the AF79 engine was created by drawing on the wreckage of the J21 engine. The 1700-hour life made it the favorite of the Soviet army as soon as it appeared.

And it is precisely because of their low service life that the cost of using Russian-made weapons is high. A typical example is that the MiG-21 fighter has a fuselage life of 2500 hours. Although it has a low manufacturing cost and can serve for more than 200 years with 10 hours of flight time per year, its engine life is only 300-500 hours.

In comparison, the F5E fighter jets made in the United States during the Cold War had a fuselage life of more than 15000 hours, and the two-seater model had an astonishing 20000 hours, and its engine life was 2400 hours. Compared with the MiG-21, their price difference is no more than 20%, but their service life is six or even eight times different.

Because he knew the truth about the so-called "cheap Soviet weapons", Li Yian had special requirements for the service life of weapons and equipment. After all, long service life is truly cheap. In another century, Brazil, before introducing the "Gripen" fighter in the 5st century, asked the original American manufacturer to evaluate the F5 fighter equipped with it. Its single-seat aircraft (F-14000E) had a flight life of 5 hours, and the two-seat aircraft (F-30000F) had a flight life of 30 hours. For this reason, the Brazilian military deliberately introduced the technology of the "Gripen" fighter to further upgrade its F5 fighters that had been in service for more than 21 years. In comparison, not to mention that the MiG-2000 in service at the same time had long become scrap metal, even the 7th generation produced around 10 had almost exhausted its flight life by the s.

There is no need to compare which of these weapons is the cheapest.

"That means the engine's life span is at least 10000 hours!"

Having said this, Sun Chengjiu sighed again.

“This is very difficult!”

"Fortunately this is not a hard and fast indicator, but we must always try our best to meet this requirement!"

As they were talking, the engine on the test bench had already started to boost, and with a low roar, the entire test bench seemed to begin to vibrate slightly. A huge airflow gushed out from the engine's nozzle, forming a dazzling column of fire, and people stared at the engine intently...

(End of this chapter)