Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

After seeing Smith off, not only Old Zhu, but even Section Chief Zhang ran over from the adjacent office, immensely excited.

"Last time, I contacted the British, intending to import a Perkins engine for reverse engineering, but the British simply wouldn't agree. They demanded a minimum order of three hundred units and quoted a price of five million each, which was completely beyond our means. I didn't expect that after President Qin's persuasion, the British would actually provide us with one for free!"

Zhang Wenshu was extremely excited.

The Perkins CV12TCA engine is an excellent tank diesel engine. This engine is smaller than the German one and more suitable for domestic tanks. If we could reverse engineer its technology, that would be even better!

Moreover, the engine isn't sold separately; it comes with a fully automatic gearbox! The entire system forms a power pack, which would be even more enlightening for us.

Now, we're getting it for free. How could Zhang Wenshu not be excited!

"Section Chief Zhang, let's not get too excited too soon," Qin Yang said. "This engine is, after all, a top-notch European military engine. We need to urge the British to ship it to us as soon as possible, lest something goes wrong. If we have resources in the area, we should mobilize them to prevent the British from playing tricks."

Zhang Wenshu nodded.

"Engineer Qin, shall we continue according to the original plan?" Old Zhu asked.

"That's right. Now, we need to leak the news to the Germans."

That evening, the Germans received the news and immediately understood.

"The Orientals are purchasing our advanced processing equipment because they want to produce a 1200-horsepower tank diesel engine! Now, if they purchase three hundred engines from the British, they probably won't buy this equipment!" Otto said.

"Yes, these British are too much. They're snatching business from our hands!"

In fact, they weren't even sure if the advanced production equipment could be exported, but whether it could be exported was one thing; having the business snatched away by the British before it even happened was another.

"We must find a way!" Otto said. "Three hundred engines are no small deal. If our company could secure this contract, it would be a huge business."

"That doesn't seem easy, does it?" Bachmann said. "The Orientals previously purchased our 8V331 engines, but nothing came of it. Our 873 engines are even less likely to be exported."

"The MTU company's technicians are still in the country. Call them over, and let's discuss it!"

The British Perkins company didn't have a sales representative here, but MTU company was different. They had exported ten civilian 8V331 engines to the Orientals, and recently, MTU company had sent technicians to conduct after-sales research.

Of course, they didn't know that all of this was within Qin Yang's calculations.

The next day,

A black car with diplomatic plates drove into Institute 201.

"Everyone arrived so quickly. Has your side already made a decision to export the relevant equipment to us?" Old Zhu asked excitedly.

"Mr. Zhu, President Qin, we heard that your side has a demand for three hundred tractor engines?" Bachmann asked.

Saying "tank engine" was too sensitive, so it was best to use the term "tractor engine." They could now say it without any hesitation.

"That's right, we do have this demand. Does your side also have similar engines?"

"Of course, our MTU company has qualified tractor engines. This is a model developed based on the 331 diesel engine. It has a longer piston stroke and more powerful output. Only eight cylinders are needed to achieve 1200 horsepower. Moreover, the speed is only 2100 revolutions per minute, so its cooling system doesn't need to be particularly large, making it convenient for your side to install on various types of tractors," said Marco, the MTU company's representative.

The 331 engine imported by the Orientals was also an eight-cylinder, but it only had less than 1000 horsepower. However, the 396 engine could output 1200 horsepower. German technology was indeed the best in this era.

"Is that so? That's great!" Old Zhu continued, "Then, can your side provide us with a prototype?"

Engineer Qin calculated it too accurately. After comparison, the Germans actually chose to export this diesel engine! The Germans were simply being led by the nose by Engineer Qin. Next, would they not give a prototype but provide the data, as Engineer Qin said?

"Well, we don't have any relevant plans for the time being, but I have already contacted the company headquarters. As long as your side imports more than three hundred of our diesel engines, we will provide a complete set of drawings and technical data," Marco continued.

Hearing this, Old Zhu was very excited.

Having a prototype for reverse engineering and imitation and having a complete set of drawings and data were completely different concepts. The latter could greatly reduce the difficulty of imitation!

"That is to say, we will authorize your side to produce the 396 diesel engine yourself," Bachmann added.

On the surface, the German plan seemed to be much more sincere than the British one, and the British were originally just there to accompany them. What they favored was the 396 diesel engine, which could be used for both military and civilian purposes, on land and at sea.

But in reality, there were also traps in these contracts, which Qin Yang knew very well.

On the surface, the Germans would provide a complete set of technical drawings and design data, even including final assembly data, etc., but in reality, the Germans would omit the production process. In this way, having the drawings would be useless, because it would be impossible to process them from domestic blanks to the precision required by the engine!

Of course, MTU company had its reasons for doing so. They could avoid being copied in this way. Many factories around the world had obtained 396 design drawings, but in the end, they all became parts assembly. Only the engines assembled with parts produced by MTU company could be used. If they used their own production, the engine's power would be reduced, and the reliability would also be reduced.

At this time, hearing the other party say this, Qin Yang was also not polite: "Is the complete set of drawings provided by your side?"

"Of course, we are serious."

"Then, does it include the production process? Just like the Spey engine technology we imported from the UK, is the complete set of technical solutions provided to us?"

The other party was immediately dumbfounded.

"President Qin, this… can we discuss it slowly in the future? If your side is interested, you can visit our MTU company for inspection, and then discuss the terms in detail," Marco said.

These foreigners have also learned the stalling tactic?

"Okay, then we'll go for an inspection," Qin Yang said. "Since your side has sincerely invited us, we must, of course, gladly accept. By the way, will your side reimburse the round-trip expenses?"