The Immortal Warrior: From Reverse Engineering to Forging Swords for the Country

Chapter 233: The Regret of Yun Shi [Request for full order and data]

In fact, the research and development of domestic large aircraft once reached a peak in the late 1970s.

In September 1980, the first flight of the domestically-produced large aircraft Y-9 was a great success.

Let's take a look at the parameters of the Y-10:
Its maximum take-off weight can reach 110 tons. In comparison, the maximum take-off weight of C919 is only 72 tons.

The maximum range of the Y-10 is 7 kilometers.

The C919 only has 5 kilometers.

The maximum cruising speed of the Y-10 is 900 kilometers per hour.

The C919 only has 840 kilometers.

The Y-10 was already considered a large passenger aircraft at the time.

After the successful development of this aircraft, it has been tested many times and has flown to high-altitude airports in Tibetan provinces many times.

运10当时仿制的是波音707，其使用的发动机为涡扇8，当然这个涡扇8也是仿制的阿美的JT3D发动机。

In the 1980s, we were able to produce large passenger aircraft, which was a remarkable achievement at the time.

At that time, there were only four countries in the world that could build such a large aircraft.

Unfortunately, the aircraft was never mass-produced and was eventually discontinued.

This can be said to be the biggest hidden pain in China's large aircraft research and development.

However, the prototype of Y-10 still exists.

It is parked in the hangar of the Magic City Aircraft Manufacturing Factory.

Zhang Zhipeng came to the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory specifically for a visit. He wanted to see how much he could learn from this large aircraft.

Since this aircraft was not produced until 1986, it stands to reason that all the technologies, technical leaders, drawings, etc. should still be there.

According to the information, the Y-10 has flown more than a hundred times, and its flight routes cover almost all parts of the country.

This shows that this aircraft is quite reliable.

If we want to restart the big aircraft, wouldn’t it be faster to just learn from the Y-10?
But after Zhang Zhipeng visited the Y-10 and talked with Zhou Feihong, the head of the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, he found that things were not that simple.

First of all, the Y-10 is a copy of the Boeing 707, which was already an obsolete model in the 80s.

During the localization process of the Y-10, due to limitations in materials and equipment, there was a hidden danger that the Y-10 fuselage had insufficient structural strength.

After completing the experiment on the static strength testing machine, a total of more than 1,600 structural strength hidden dangers were detected.

It needs considerable improvement.

Because domestic materials were backward at that time, large components were all made of steel, which caused the problem of aircraft being overweight.

The empty weight of the Y-10 is as high as 73 tons, which results in low payload efficiency, a significant increase in transportation costs, and poor cost-effectiveness.

In addition, because the main structural materials it uses have insufficient fatigue performance and the process uses a large number of splicing and welding processes, the fatigue risk is too high, and there will be great safety hazards if it is put into production on a large scale.

Finally, the noise is too loud. Because the imitation WS-8 has insufficient manufacturing capabilities, the engine noise problem is serious and it is difficult to improve.

For example, if a muffler is installed, it will make the aircraft even more overweight.

If the above problems are not solved, the Y-10 will not be able to become a qualified large aircraft for commercial operations.

Of course, it is a reality that the Y-10 has many problems, but it would be wrong to condemn it with one blow.

It is entirely possible to invest money and then continuously upgrade and improve it.

After some efforts, the Y-10 still has the potential to be greatly improved.

Zhou Feihong said that at that time, the Magic City Aircraft Manufacturing Plant proposed its own improvement plan.

But unfortunately, it said there were more important projects that needed funding.

After some evaluation, the Y-10 was finally scrapped.

"Many years have passed, but when I think about it now, I still feel a little sad," said Zhou Feihong.

Zhang Zhipeng nodded and said, "It is indeed a very regrettable thing."

"However, the country now attaches great importance to the development of large aircraft. I believe we can correct our mistakes."

"Let's work together to revive and upgrade our Y-10 as soon as possible."

Zhou Feihong nodded happily and said, "We have organized a large number of scientific research institutions to work together on the new Y-10, and the progress of various tasks is relatively fast."

"The design of the aircraft has been basically completed."

“The engine has also undergone a number of design improvements.”

"You guys at NWPU have already figured out flight control."

"I think if we work hard, we can definitely produce a prototype within a year."

Zhang Zhipeng began to look at the design drawings of the new Y-10 aircraft.

He found that the new design was indeed a huge improvement over the old Y-10.

The old Y-10 uses a pointed high-subsonic wing.

The new Y-10 uses a supercritical wing.

The supercritical wing is the most advanced airfoil design in current international aviation design.

After reading the aircraft design drawings, Zhang Zhipeng had a comprehensive discussion with technical personnel including Zhou Feihong.

He also made many suggestions of his own.

For example, the wing design uses a large aspect ratio, and the wing structure uses a more stable double-beam monolithic design...

As for the aircraft structure, in order to increase strength and reduce weight, more advanced and stronger super aluminum alloy materials should be used, and modular manufacturing design should be carried out...

Of course, the aircraft structure needs to consider more electronic designs, adopt more advanced control solutions, etc.

After heated discussions, the design improvements of the aircraft model were completed within a month.

Simultaneously with the aircraft design improvements, the WS-8 is undergoing a comprehensive transformation.

Zhang Zhipeng can now be said to be one of the country's top experts in aircraft engines.

He designed several aircraft engines.

For example, the Y-8 developed decades ago has now become an advanced medium-sized transport aircraft with his continuous participation and training.

The Y-8 still plays an important role in many aspects.

Taking into account the principle of national defense priority, more military aspects were considered during the design and development of the new Y-10.

The country must first build a large military transport aircraft.

This is a top priority.

Of course, if we follow Zhang Zhipeng’s idea, we can actually design a nesting doll.

While designing and building large military transport aircraft, we will also design and build a large passenger aircraft for civil aviation in accordance with civil aviation standards.

This would also save more related resources, wouldn't it?

Zhang Zhipeng reported his idea to the relevant national authorities.

He soon received a reply: while ensuring that the development progress of large military transport aircraft is fast enough, there is no problem in taking into account the design and development of large civil aircraft.

At the same time, Zhang Zhipeng was also appointed as the chief person in charge of the design and development project of the new large aircraft.

In this way, Zhang Zhipeng can mobilize enough resources to participate.

After obtaining support from the country, Zhang Zhipeng led the project team to start the final research and development.

Because the country's precision machinery and industrial mother machines have developed to an internationally leading level, and the country is not short of money, the equipment, materials and supplies that Zhang Zhipeng needs are also being rapidly gathered.

Even large 10,000-ton forging presses and other equipment were quickly put in place.

For large aircraft, economy and comfort are far less important than safety.

For safety reasons, aircraft parts must be manufactured using forging.

This is because forging can improve the mechanical properties of the material, making its structural parts more compact, ductility and toughness greatly improved, while reducing the probability of defects such as bubbles and cracks in the alloy.

In the process of using large machinery to cast parts, the huge impact force can blow away the air inside the metal, thus eliminating the defects in the metal.

This is why the forged and hammered alloy seems to be reborn.

Under the leadership of Zhang Zhipeng, a new WS-8 engine was also designed and developed.

This WS-8 uses the latest alloy materials and manufacturing processes, which allows it to flexibly change the bypass ratio, thereby switching between high-speed flight and economical flight.

When the bypass ratio is reduced, the aircraft gains greater explosive power and thrust, allowing it to fly at supersonic speeds.

At this time, fuel consumption will naturally increase significantly, but flight efficiency will also be greatly improved.

When the flight speed needs to be reduced, the bypass ratio can be increased to let more air in, which will reduce the consumption of aviation fuel.

The design and manufacturing of such an engine is extremely difficult.

But Zhang Zhipeng had previously used similar technology to develop a medium-sized aircraft engine.

Therefore, it is not too difficult to develop a large aircraft engine with greater thrust.

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it was late October 1999.

Under the leadership of Zhang Zhipeng, the first improved Y-10 large transport aircraft prototype was built.

This aircraft is huge, with a fuselage length of up to 52 meters, a wingspan of 57 meters and a height of more than 15 meters.

The appearance of the aircraft is very beautiful.

The empty weight of the aircraft is 110 tons.

The maximum thrust of the WS-8 engine can reach 19 tons.

Of course, a series of tests must be carried out after the aircraft is built.

This series of tests is still led by Zhang Zhipeng.

He hopes to speed up the process so that this large aircraft can be tested in the sky at the beginning of the new millennium.

All tests went smoothly, and experts from all over the country participated in the test, providing opinions and evaluations for this truly large transport aircraft.

Of course, the Air Force experts will also fully cooperate with the testing.

After all, the Air Force is the only user of this large aircraft.

The test lasted for more than a month and all kinds of rigorous tests were successful.

The Air Force is very satisfied with the performance of this aircraft's various parameters.

In early December 1999, Qiao Guanyuan, head of the Air Force Equipment Department, and a group of Air Force bigwigs came to the Magic City Aircraft Manufacturing Factory.

They are here to make a final assessment.

At this time, Qiao Guanyuan and others had already listened to the opinions of experts from all sides.

He himself also visited many times during the development and testing of the large aircraft.

Zhang Zhipeng accompanied Qiao Guanyuan and others to the apron where the new Y-10 was parked.

Qiao Guanyuan looked at the huge and beautiful aircraft in front of him and said excitedly: "Comrade Zhipeng, the ground test has been successfully completed. The test results are perfect."

"We have basically solved all the problems that the Y-10 had."

"I see, it's time to start the test flight, right?"

Zhang Zhipeng nodded and said, "Test flights can be carried out at any time."

"That depends on when you arrange it."

"Our original idea was to wait until the beginning of the new millennium to conduct test flights of the new Y-10, which would be a gift to the new century."

Qiao Guanyuan waved his hand and said, "Don't bother with those nonsense things."

"We are now eager to complete various test flights as soon as possible."

"Then, hurry up and equip the troops!"

Zhang Zhipeng said: "This is actually easy to handle. Comrade Guanyuan, you can make the arrangements yourself. I will cooperate at any time."

After talking for a while on the ground, Zhang Zhipeng accompanied Qiao Guanyuan and others on board the plane.

The cargo hold of this aircraft is huge, measuring up to 28 meters long, 4.5 meters wide and 4.1 meters high.

Qiao Guanyuan and others exclaimed: This cargo hold is really big.

Come to the cockpit.

The instrument panel has also been fully electronic and looks very beautiful.

"Is this really an aircraft built after the Y-10? It looks completely different from the Y-10!" Qiao Guanyuan said with emotion.

Zhang Zhipeng said: "Strictly speaking, it is actually a large aircraft with a completely new design."

Qiao Guanyuan nodded and said, "If that's the case, why do we still need to name it Yun-10?"

"I think we should rename it, maybe it's better?"

Zhang Zhipeng said: "The reason why the name Y-10 was continued was mainly due to the idea of ​​the comrades at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Plant."

"They are still upset about the cancellation of the Y-10."

"They hope the Y-10 can be reborn."

“That’s why it’s called New Luck 10.”

Everyone sighed that the development process of this large aircraft in China was quite bumpy.

At that time, China's industrial capabilities were not advanced enough, so it was quite remarkable that China was able to build a large aircraft like the Y-10.

However, due to the relatively backward industrial capacity, the Y-10 was already outdated when it was first produced.

In the years since the Y-10 was discontinued, China has actually been accumulating resources for the research and development of new large aircraft.

Now, it has finally yielded rich fruits.

Of course, we cannot be blindly optimistic when the new Y-10 has not yet started its test flight.

We still have to see what the test flight results are.

Qiao Guanyuan said: "Comrade Zhipeng, I think we don't need to worry about the Y-10 anymore."

“Now we have entered a new era.”

"We should look forward to everything."

"Or, let's just change the name of this aircraft."

Zhang Zhipeng smiled and said, "You are right."

"So, what do you think would be a better name for this aircraft?"

Qiao Guanyuan said: "Why not just call it the Y-20. It is an improved version of the Y-10 and a continuation of the Y-10."

Zhang Zhipeng nodded and said, "I think it's okay."

Just like this, the Y-20 appeared ahead of schedule at the end of this century.

After visiting the Y-20 prototype, Qiao Guanyuan and other Air Force leaders immediately made a decision to mobilize the best test pilots from across the country.

They need to speed up the progress and realize the first test flight of the Y-20 as soon as possible.

Two days later, a total of 10 of the best test pilots in the military arrived in Shanghai.

Among these test pilots is Gao Linfeng, the test pilot who conducted the first test flight of the J-10.

Gao Linfeng was very excited when he arrived in the Magic City.

Because he and Zhang Zhipeng had had in-depth cooperation in the past.

However, due to some health problems, Gao Linfeng is no longer personally responsible for the test flight work. He is now doing some training and auxiliary work.

After all, he has quite a lot of experience!
Zhang Zhipeng also met Gao Linfeng as soon as possible.

After the two met, they shook hands tightly and hugged each other.

Zhang Zhipeng asked about Gao Linfeng's current situation.

Gao Linfeng told Zhang Zhipeng that he is currently mainly doing management and guidance work.

The organization had previously wanted him to change his career.

But Gao Linfeng was unwilling to give up. He still wanted to contribute to the country in the army.

"Comrade Zhipeng, I dream of seeing advanced domestic large aircraft flying in the blue sky of our motherland!"

"I didn't expect it to be done so quickly."

Gao Linfeng participated in the test flight of the Y-10 that year.

He told Zhang Zhipeng that when he first test-flew the Y-10, he actually thought the plane flew quite well.

He firmly believed that after a series of test flights, the Y-10 should be able to go into mass production and carry out flight missions soon.

Unexpectedly, after more than a year of test flight work, the project was eventually stopped.

This is also Gao Linfeng’s biggest regret.

Zhang Zhipeng and Gao Linfeng talked a lot.

Gao Linfeng told Zhang Zhipeng that he now very much hopes to test-fly the Y-10, which is the successor to the Y-20.

"But my boss will definitely not let me fly."

"They said I was no longer physically fit for test flying."

"Comrade Zhipeng, can you help me talk to those leaders and let me join the test flight team this time?"

Gao Linfeng made a request to Zhang Zhipeng.

Zhang Zhipeng naturally would not agree.

Test flight is a very important matter, especially the first test flight of the Y-20, which is of great significance and absolutely no problems are allowed to occur.

"Comrade Lin Feng, I understand your feelings, but we all need to be more cautious."

"Your physical condition is not very good right now. It is better to let other comrades carry out this difficult task."

Gao Linfeng wanted to fight for it again: "But my physical examinations over the years have shown that my physical condition is still quite good."

“Also, I pay a lot of attention to healthy eating and taking care of my body.”

"There has never been a recurrence in all these years."

"Besides, I don't ask to be a test pilot captain. Can't I be a crew member?"

"Comrade Zhipeng, I may not be able to stay in the army for too long. I really don't want to leave with regrets."

Speaking of this, Gao Linfeng's eyes became a little moist.

Zhang Zhipeng felt a little sad when he saw this.

Gao Linfeng's persistence touched his heart.

He said, "Well, you can talk to Comrade Qiao Guanyuan, who is in charge of this test flight."

"I think if you observe on the plane and do some work appropriately, there shouldn't be any problem."

Gao Linfeng was overjoyed when he heard this.

"Thank you, Comrade Zhipeng! Then I will go talk to Comrade Guanyuan. If he agrees, you must not obstruct me anymore."

As he spoke, he hurried to find Qiao Guanyuan.

At first, Qiao Guanyuan firmly disagreed with Gao Linfeng joining the flight test team.

However, when Gao Linfeng mentioned that Zhang Zhipeng supported him to join the flight test team to fulfill his last wish in the army, Qiao Guanyuan still hesitated.

But he thought about it and said, "Since Comrade Zhipeng thinks it's okay for you to participate briefly, then let's do it."

(End of this chapter)