For a long time, the rivets on aircraft skins have been processed by hand. There must be errors. So, can they be replaced by machines?

sure!

In their fighter production line, they already have a machine that specializes in riveting. The robotic arm stretches out and drills and rivets in one go. Moreover, it is machine-processed, so the precision is very high. The robotic arm drives the rivets one by one according to a predetermined procedure. , after finishing it, it was perfect!

 That’s right, Mingzhou Group has never built a large aircraft, but they are building fighter jets, which are still the most advanced fighter jets in the world, and their production technology is also the most advanced in the world!

 Actually, the robotic arms used for electric welding and riveting are similar and can be transplanted. The workers of Mingzhou Group have high wages, but they are still not enough. They must use machines to make up for the lack of labor.

Now, when they heard Qin Tao say these words, everyone was silent. They originally thought that they were the best in this field, but they did not expect that their pride was not worth mentioning in front of Mr. Qin!

 Mr. Qin is so awesome!

"President Qin, no matter what field you get involved in, you will become the strongest presence in this field." Mr. Cheng said: "Since you want to build a large aircraft, you will definitely be able to build it. I believe that in my lifetime, You can also see our domestically produced large passenger planes taking to the sky."

 Lao Cheng looked at the other people again.

"Every domestic company is proud to be under the Mingzhou Group. With the Mingzhou Group, they can become leaders in the industry and develop the most advanced things in the world. I think if everyone really If you have the ideal of building a large aircraft, there is nothing wrong with forming COMAC together with the Mingzhou Group and being led by the Mingzhou Group in the future.”

Many domestic factories are looking forward to becoming a subsidiary company of Mingzhou Group, so that they can develop by leveraging the influence of Mingzhou Group. If they were replaced by another company, they would definitely agree. However, Huating Aircraft After all, the factory is a big old company and usually the boss in the industry. If the country has any passenger aircraft project, it will undoubtedly fall on them. They are used to eating royal food, so how can they be willing to accept the leadership of Mingzhou Group.

What they expected was to be on an equal footing with the Mingzhou Group in a low-key manner and work together. They never thought about taking the absolute initiative. After all, they knew how much they had, but they definitely hoped to gain Enough voice.

When they heard Mr. Qin's request in the capital, they were very dissatisfied, but they had no choice. When they heard that Mr. Qin had come to Huating, they immediately invited Mr. Qin to visit the workshop and see them. The technical level of the project lets Mr. Qin know that you can’t use this project without our Huating Aircraft Factory!

Unexpectedly, Mr. Qin’s simple machine destroyed their self-confidence without a trace.

 The rivets do not require workers, they are automatic! On any two aircraft, the location of the rivets is exactly the same!

 Mingzhou Group’s technology is the most advanced! No other country in the world can compare!

 Their emotions are very complicated.

So, do you agree or not?

Just when he was in a dilemma, Qin Tao's cell phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and looked at the familiar number with some surprise.

“Hello, Nicholas, my friend, why did you suddenly remember to call me?”

"What? You want to bring people from the Ilyushin Design Bureau to talk to me about a large passenger aircraft cooperation project?" Qin Tao was also stunned: "I didn't come to you? You took the initiative to come to me? Okay, okay, I'll go The capital will pick you up.”

 Putting down the phone, Qin Tao looked at everyone. There were obviously people who knew Russian among them, and the expressions on their faces were extremely complicated.

"Mr. Qin, your Mingzhou Group is popular everywhere. Unexpectedly, the news of your cooperation with Er Mao spread, and Da Mao also came to find you." Mr. Cheng said with emotion.

The older generation can speak Russian, after all, it was determined by that special era. Mr. Cheng also heard the content of Qin Tao's phone call just now, and he felt complicated at this time.

"Oh, there is no other way. My old friend brought people from the Ilyushin Design Bureau over and insisted on joint research and development with us." Qin Tao said: "Everyone, I am very sorry, I have to rush back to the capital."

 Watching Qin Tao stand up from his seat, Mr. Wu finally became anxious.

"Mr. Qin, we are willing to comply with your requirements!" Mr. Wu said: "We are willing to cooperate with Mingzhou Group! We will jointly form COMAC, and according to the investment ratio, we will even accept your leadership!"

Whether it is the Antonov Design Bureau or the Ilyushin Design Bureau, they are both Lao Maozi's famous aircraft research and development units. With their participation, does the Mingzhou Group still need to cooperate with their Huating Aircraft Factory?

 This is the best opportunity, you must seize it!

Qin Tao looked at Mr. Wu: "Mr. Wu, it doesn't matter what you say personally. After you go back, we can discuss it carefully. If you have time, you can also go to Tianjiao Airlines and Shuangyang Factory to have a look and report to your superiors. Wait. Let the superiors decide.”

They did have the final say. They jointly formed COMAC and accepted the leadership of Mingzhou Group according to the proportion of capital contribution. This is a very complicated matter and must be approved by the relevant higher-level departments. This is the disadvantage of state-owned enterprises. They cannot do anything by themselves. Call the shots.

After Qin Tao finished speaking, he looked at Mr. Cheng again: "Mr. Cheng, we are going to meet Da Mao and discuss cooperation with him. Do you want to go together?"

 “Can I?” Cheng Lao breathed rapidly.

“Of course, you have developed the Yun-10 before and are the oldest person with experience in the development of large passenger aircraft in our country. Of course you are qualified. Let’s go and meet the people from the Ilyushin Design Bureau together.”

Compared with the Antonov Design Bureau, the Ilyushin Design Bureau also manufactures large aircraft. The famous Il-76 is their masterpiece. Moreover, the Il-76 is also a transport aircraft that can be mass-produced. It often produces several The crosses are assembled together.

At the same time, the Ilyushin Design Bureau is still manufacturing passenger aircraft.

At that time, the Cold War had just begun, and Lao Maozi did not have advanced passenger aircraft. When Khrushchev went abroad for a visit, he quickly modified a Tu-95 as a special plane. Who would have thought that the landing gear of this aircraft was too high, and there was no suitable one in the United States? gangway! As for the Tu-104 passenger aircraft flying all over the sky, they are also improved on the basis of the Tu-16 bomber.

 Lao Maozi was in urgent need of advanced passenger aircraft. When the Boeing 707 appeared, Lao Maozi was even more stimulated. So, the Ilyushin Design Bureau took action. They created an advanced long-range single-aisle jet passenger aircraft Il-62!

This passenger plane also has four engines, but the engines are not under the wings, but on the butt, two on each side. It looks very weird. Moreover, the fuselage is very long. After this aircraft came out, it took a long time to Therefore, the IL-62, along with the Boeing 707, DC-8, and VC10, were considered groundbreaking long-range passenger aircraft at the time.

What is pioneering is not only the length of the aircraft, but also the cross-section of the aircraft. Previous cross-sections were circular. The IL-76 is not circular, which is also the first of its kind. Another example is that the IL-62 adopts a special high angle of attack. The low main wing configuration design not only improves aerodynamic efficiency, but also reduces cabin noise. Coupled with the arrangement of the engine at the tail, the noise inside the cabin is much smaller than that of the Boeing 707.

However, this also led to an accident: when on the ground, the center of gravity of the aircraft deviated too much. However, Lao Maozi's solution was simple and crude: add an extra set of landing gear to the tail of the aircraft, and it would automatically deploy after landing. Put it away after taking off.

 So, the IL-62 created a strange phenomenon: on the ground, there was a landing gear behind the **** of the aircraft, just like a bee's hook.

The IL-62 has been the main force of Lao Maozi's long-range passenger aircraft for a long time. When it developed into a dual-channel wide-body passenger aircraft, Lao Maozi did not fall behind. They quickly developed the Il-86, which The aircraft finally took the Western route and began to adopt the solution of four engines hanging under the wings. With a dual-aisle layout, it can accommodate 350 people. You can know what kind of existence this is.

It was originally planned to replace the Il-62, but after it was built, it was found that the range was not up to standard. Needless to say, it could not fly 10,000 kilometers or 5,000 kilometers. Therefore, the Il-86 was used as a fighter jet for a long time. Used by short and medium range passenger aircraft.

This was only temporary. Lao Maozi soon made the Il-96 based on the IL-86. The range of the passenger aircraft reached more than 10,000 kilometers and became Lao Maozi's pride. Unfortunately, not long after the first flight, The Red Empire was gone. It was not officially put into commercial operation until 1993, and only twenty or thirty aircraft were produced in total.

The Ilyushin Design Bureau has rich experience in passenger aircraft design. Their IL-86 and IL-96 have maintained a proud record of no air crashes. However, they lack development funds. Now, I heard that the East is planning to develop a large-scale aircraft. I was immediately interested in passenger aircraft. As long as there is capital investment from Dongfang, they will definitely become a giant like Boeing and Airbus. Dongfang's market is too big. As long as they sell to Dongfang, they will have enough profits.

However, Ilyushin Design Bureau was not familiar with Mr. Qin, so he found Nikolai. For this kind of thing, Nikolai had to help even if he didn't want to, because the boss had spoken, and he could only take Ilyushin Design Bureau with him. People came to the east to find Mr. Qin. In their eyes, there is no suspense. Choosing to cooperate with the Antonov Design Bureau is definitely not as good as choosing to cooperate with the Ilyushin Design Bureau. After all, they have rich experience in the research and development of passenger aircraft.

Qin Tao’s special plane also flew from Huating to the capital. Watching the excited Mr. Cheng finally fall asleep after chatting for several hours, Zhao Ling found the opportunity to speak: “Brother Tao, is there any prospect for our cooperation with Damao?”

"Of course not." Qin Tao gave a direct negative answer, which made Zhao Ling stunned: "There is no prospect, so we still need to cooperate?"

“Of course we have to cooperate. If we cooperate, we can recruit people. If we don’t have contact, how can we recruit the outstanding airliner designers from Da Mao?”

 Zhao Ling understood instantly.

 Collaborate with Damao? There is no need for that anymore. Look at our warships. Now Mao is begging us to build them. Da Mao’s aircraft carrier is still being repaired on our floating dock.

Moreover, there is no possibility of success in cooperating with Da Mao on passenger aircraft. After all, Da Mao also has their own Xiao Jiujiu in their hearts.

In later generations, when Dongfang wanted to develop C929, Da Mao extended an olive branch. Let’s do it together! Ever since, C929 became CR929, and that R was Lao Maozi, but what happened in the end? It's not like they parted ways. Lao Maozi is working on the modification of the Il-96, and he is working on his own C929.

Later generations have not been able to achieve it, can we do it now if we unite? Of course it's impossible. Qin Tao is not naive. Neither the Antonov Design Bureau nor the Ilyushin Design Bureau are the best partners to cooperate with. It is most practical to conduct research and development on one's own. The reason for contacting him now is just to recruit a group of people. come over.

After returning to the capital, Qin Tao did not leave. After waiting for a few hours at the airport, Da Mao's delegation arrived. When he looked at the landing plane from the terminal, Qin Tao guessed that Da Mao Their purpose.

Il-96, the other party came on this special plane, of course they had their own plans!

 At the customs entrance, Qin Tao looked at familiar old faces.

 “Nicholas, we meet again.”

"Yes, Qin, we meet again." Nicholas came up, gave Qin Tao a warm hug, and then looked at the people around him: "Qin, let me introduce to you, this is Ilyushin Design Bureau The person in charge, Nikolay Tallikov, was also the designer of the Il-96 and was highly valued by Novozhlov."

The first designer of the Ilyushin Design Bureau was of course the famous Ilyushin. In 1970, Novozhlov succeeded Ilyushin and became the head of the Ilyushin Design Bureau. At that time, Tallikov was Novozhlov's most trusted subordinate.

 When Novozhlov retired, Tallikov took over the power of Ilyushin, which he has done until now.

Tallikov is an old man with gray hair, but he is in good spirits. He smiled and stretched out his hand: "Mr. Qin, I have heard of your name for a long time. I finally meet you this time. I am very honored. You are Nico The friends you pull are our friends!”

 Qin Tao stretched out his hand, shook it politely, and then looked behind the other person: "Mr. Tallikov, can you introduce these people you brought?"

"Of course." Tallikov looked behind him: "Here, this is Andrei Yurasov, the main designer of our design bureau."

"Mr. Yurasov, I'm glad to meet you." Qin Tao shook his hand. Of course he knew this man. He was born in 1961 and is now in his forties. He is young and strong, hardworking and willing to work. Unfortunately, because he works too hard, He worked hard and died when he was 60 years old. At that time, the Ilyushin Design Bureau even issued an obituary. This person must have been tricked.

Talikov introduced the people he brought one by one, and then looked at the people around Qin Tao: "Mr. Qin, please introduce the people you brought to us as well."

"Okay, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Cheng. When we at Dongfang developed the Yun-10, he was the deputy chief designer. Do you know the Yun-10? It is a large passenger aircraft on the same level as the Boeing 707. You will fly on it when you come here. The same goes for that passenger plane."

 The designer of Lucky Ten!

 Talikov reached out his hand enthusiastically: "Hello, Mr. Cheng."

　　After the introductions between the two parties were completed, the meeting was supposed to be over. Next, it was time to get in the car and go to the hotel, have a dinner in the evening, and have a formal meeting the next day.

 However, Tallikov had no intention of leaving immediately.

“Mr. Qin, when we came here this time, we were flying on our latest Ilyushin-96M passenger plane. Do you want to go up and take a look?”

“Okay.” Of course, Qin Tao would not refuse this invitation.

“The fuselage of this aircraft has been increased by 10 meters, and the internal space is the largest. If a three-stage transport solution is used, it can carry 307 passengers, and if a single-stage transport is used, it can carry 420 passengers. The maximum take-off weight is 270 tons.”

This is definitely a large aircraft. Even the C929 is planned to be more than 200 tons, not close to 300 tons. It is still a little short of 270 tons.

 The reason why this aircraft has such a strong carrying capacity is of course because of the engine.

“The engine used on this aircraft is PW2037, with a thrust of 170 kN.”

 “American engine?” Mr. Cheng asked. He was a little surprised. When had Lao Maozi's aircraft been equipped with American engines?

 That’s right, this is really the engine of the United States.

 Ilyushin 96M is a modified version of Ilyushin 96-300, with an M at the end. It is generally a major modification. See Figure-22 and Figure-22M for details. This kind of aircraft was born in the 1990s, when the Red Empire had just collapsed, and Lao Maozi had a good relationship with the West. Therefore, the Ilyushin Design Bureau thought of using American engines to improve its own passenger aircraft.

The Il-86 uses the NK86 engine, which has a small bypass ratio. Not only does it have low thrust, but it also consumes more fuel. When it comes to the Il-96, it has been improved to the PS90A engine, which is a large bypass ratio engine. The thrust has increased to 156.9 kN, four The platform is enough to propel the flight of this super passenger aircraft, and the fuel consumption is relatively low.

However, this cannot be compared with Western engines. With this opportunity, the Ilyushin Design Bureau certainly hopes to use American technology to improve its own passenger aircraft. After using this Western engine, the performance of the IL-96M Progress by leaps and bounds.

“Yes, not only the engines are from the United States, but also the avionics. You can come up and take a look at our avionics equipment.”

 The wide-body dual-aisle passenger aircraft, you can feel the hugeness of the aircraft after entering. Mr. Cheng opened his eyes wide and looked at everything around him, walking from the passenger cabin to the cockpit at the front.

"Due to the use of advanced avionics, this passenger aircraft has eliminated the mechanic and only retains the layout of two pilots." Tallikov said: "The performance of this aircraft is advanced and has reached the level of equivalent Western aircraft. ”

At this time, Qin Tao became confused. The other party introduced their passenger plane, so let’s introduce it. Why are they so proud of using American technology? It shouldn’t be!

After all, American technology will not last long before they have to give up. Later, they modified the IL-96-400 and replaced it with their own avionics and engines. The range immediately dropped a lot.

 Why did they do this? Show off that they are in sync with the world’s advanced levels? Show off their discernment?

 (End of this chapter)