Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

The 1226 tank was a new design proposal made after the 1224 tank was rejected. An important reason for the latter's rejection was the use of engines from Germany. Although the performance was reliable, the price was too high, making it impossible to purchase in large quantities. Therefore, for the 1226 tank, it was planned to use two different engines, developed by domestic factories 636 and 616 respectively.

A rigid requirement for these two engines was 1,000 horsepower. Factory 616 further squeezed the potential of the old engine, increasing the power to 1,000 horsepower. However, the reliability was greatly reduced. After being placed on the test stand, it would blow the cylinder head after running for only a few hours!

Of course, during the development of the 730-horsepower diesel engine, they had encountered the problem of blowing the cylinder head. Later, after several years of tinkering, they solved the problem by using specially reinforced cylinder heads.

Therefore, they felt that as long as they were willing to work hard and study diligently, there was still a chance to solve this problem, so they didn't pay much attention to it. However, Qin Yang, an outsider, insisted on this flaw, which shocked them. How did Engineer Qin know?

"This is caused by a fundamental flaw," Qin Yang said. "The characteristic of the old Maozi's B2 diesel engine is its compact structure. The volume of the entire power unit is small, especially the distance between the cylinders. In professional terms, the cylinder center distance is too small, only 176 millimeters. There was no problem with low power in the past, but now, as we continue to squeeze its potential, this problem will gradually become prominent. The limit of this engine block is 800 horsepower. Therefore, the old Maozi only achieved 780 horsepower and could not further increase its power. Similarly, we cannot solve this problem either."

"How do you know?" Guo Liming asked this question for the second time.

Qin Yang smiled. Of course, he knew. This was the most famous power struggle in the development of the third-generation tank!

Developing a modern tank engine is not easy. The Germans increased the speed, which led to serious heat generation, and the heat dissipation consumed a lot of power. The British developed a 1200-horsepower Perkins engine in the 1970s, but there was no follow-up. It was still this engine that was used in 2020. The French couldn't figure it out, so they simply used an aircraft engine as a supercharger.

The Japanese goods usually brag a lot, but in reality, they are not that great. Their Type 90 tank uses a Mitsubishi 10ZG 10-cylinder 2-stroke engine, and the power does reach 1500 horsepower. However, the two-stroke diesel engine consumes a lot of fuel and has a high failure rate. By the time of the Type 10 tank, they had to regress to the 1200-horsepower 8VA34WTK engine. The power of the new tank is lower than the old tank. It is estimated that this is the only one in the world. Of course, even more bizarre than the engine is the transmission, which actually uses a continuously variable transmission, which is the ancestral CVT in cars.

This also shows how difficult it is to develop an advanced tank engine. Now, if you want your own tank to have a mature heart, you must make arduous efforts, and you must also take the right path!

Seeing this person stand up, Qin Yang was also very moved. He knew this person: Zhang Baozhong, an old expert from the Engine Institute and the chief designer of the 99 tank engine in history!

When it comes to making guns, cannons, or even getting involved in the electronics industry, Qin Yang has nothing to worry about. Their Factory 960 can do it! However, engines are not possible.

The engine is the crystallization of a country's basic industry, involving all aspects of technology. Factory 960 is not omnipotent and cannot develop an advanced tank engine from scratch. Progress in this area can only rely on the joint efforts of the Engine Institute and the Diesel Engine Factory!

"Okay, in that case, let's compete like the tank gun!" Of course, Guo Liming would not back down: "We will develop our own X150 engine, and you will develop your own project. We will see whose project can win the favor of the military in the end!"

Old Huang frowned.

The tank gun is the top priority and must be treated with caution. Therefore, the military can invest funds to support two parallel projects. However, engines are not possible. It can be said that it is not easy to develop an engine with the strength of the whole country. The country has not been extravagant enough to bid like the Americans and select the best one.

But now, the words have been said to this point. If he doesn't support it, it seems unreasonable.

Just as Old Huang was hesitating, Qin Yang spoke.

"I'm hungry, everyone. I came directly from Gongzhufen. I was hungry there. Should we eat first? Whether we work late into the night or talk about it tomorrow, I, Qin Yang, will accompany you."

It was already dark outside. This meeting has been going on for such a long time without realizing it!

"That's right, everyone should eat first! Everyone pays half a catty of food stamps, no money is needed, let's go to the cafeteria together."

Cafeteria of the 201 Institute.

The leaders naturally sat at one table. Qin Yang is now at least the general manager in charge of foreign trade, and he sat unceremoniously at the leaders' table.

"Old Zhu, move over a bit and make room for me!"

"Hey, how do you only know how to eat? Are you afraid that you won't be able to eat if you talk? There are quite a few dishes on this table."

"General Manager Qin, you are really joking. Are we like people who haven't eaten?" Old Zhu said.

"Then why don't you talk? No topics? How about I give you a topic?"

"Okay, if the topic you say doesn't interest everyone, then you have to perform a show for everyone," Old Huang said.

When everyone is eating, they don't talk. Of course, they are all thinking about their own things! Now, it is best for Qin Yang to adjust the atmosphere.

"Let's imagine what our domestic tanks will look like in twenty years. Are you interested?"

Everyone opened their eyes wide, and the action of eating temporarily stagnated.

"General Manager Qin, please tell everyone. Your brain is the most flexible."

"Twenty years later, our tanks will definitely be the best in the world. Let's talk about the main gun first. The armor-piercing ability must be one meter deep at two thousand meters."

Being able to penetrate 300 millimeters of armor now is already very impressive. Qin Yang only dared to propose a penetration depth of 500 millimeters at the meeting. Now, it has actually leapfrogged to one meter deep?

Old Fang smiled: "In this way, the armor protection of our tanks must also follow this order of magnitude?"

"Of course, the protection must have this value. This is definitely not one meter thick of armor steel, but composite armor, with an equivalent thickness of one meter. However, even so, the weight of our tanks must continue to increase. It would be very good to maintain it at 55 tons. It may have to be 60 tons. In this way, our engine should preferably have 1500 horsepower. The currently planned 1200-horsepower engine is only a transition."

Factory Director Ni of Factory 616, who was gobbling up rice, was stunned for a moment. He heard that Qin Yang was reminding him.

The 1200-horsepower engine is only a current stage product. In the future, 1500 horsepower or even greater power will be needed!

Even if they can modify the old B2 diesel engine to 1200 horsepower, can they continue to modify it to 1500 horsepower?

Of course not. The cylinder center distance is too small, the heat dissipation problem cannot be solved, and the engine will frequently blow the cylinder head. Even 1,000 horsepower cannot run stably!

If you want to give the domestic tank powerful power, you must increase the cylinder center distance and improve a brand-new 150 engine!