Chapter 204 London International Defense Exhibition

 London International Defense and Equipment Exhibition Venue.

Although the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets has gradually declined after World War II, after all, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Britain is still a developed country in the West, and many of its military equipment are still advanced.

Take maritime power as an example. After World War II, the angled decks, steam catapults, Fresnel assist landing systems, full-combustion propulsion systems, etc. of aircraft carriers were all developed first by the United Kingdom, which reflects their strong scientific research strength.

Therefore, although this kind of international defense exhibition is held in the UK, it is also a defense event throughout Europe. Other European countries will participate, either to exhibit their products or come to inspect and purchase. It is quite lively, especially in the UK. The strong support of American arms manufacturers makes this exhibition even better.

 Only professionals are invited to the venue. It is impossible for ordinary people to see the grandeur of these exhibitions.

Qin Tao and Zhao Ling followed Vitalia. When they reached the entrance, Vitalia magically took out a few press passes, and the three of them walked in without any hindrance.

Zhao Ling was slightly worried: "Weina, if we do this, will we be found out?" (Weina is Vitalia's nickname, abbreviation)

"Of course not." Vitalia said with a smile: "Our press cards are all genuine. This Free Press newspaper was founded by my father. Which of you can take pictures?"

Vitalia raised the camera in her hand.

Sure enough, Vitalia's father had already started making various arrangements. If you want to control power, you have to do publicity. If you want to do publicity, you have to have a newspaper, a TV station, etc. In this era, newspapers and TV It is the most important way of publicity.

“You should do it.” Qin Tao said. He didn’t want to use the camera as a burden. His hands, Zhao Ling’s hands, had to hold a lot of things.

 “Wow, tank!” Zhao Ling shouted.

As someone who works in naval equipment, Zhao Ling has only seen the Navy's Type 63 tank, which is very backward. Now, when she saw the majestic Challenger, she suddenly became excited.

 The most conspicuous position placed at the entrance is the British exhibition stand.

 The first is army weapons.

In the war at the beginning of the year, although the Challenger tank was not as famous as the M1 tank, it still had a remarkable record. At this time, right next to the tank, someone was holding a microphone and talking to the onlookers. Introduction.

"During Operation Desert Storm, we participated in the battle. On February 24 this year, our tank troops drove Challenger tanks and successfully advanced nearly 300 kilometers in 66 hours, destroying three armored divisions. In particular, During the battle, our Scottish Guards Dragoons destroyed a tank at 5110 meters, setting a record for the furthest sniper kill of an enemy tank!"

 Speaking of this person, it is called pride.

In the second-generation tank era, the L7 tank gun manufactured by the British became the standard tank gun for the entire NATO. Unfortunately, the caliber was small, only 105 mm. Therefore, when it developed to the third-generation tank, the 120 mm tank of the German Rheinmetall tank Cannons have gradually become a trend, and even the United States has introduced technology for production.

 However, the British are still proud. When Western countries began to build smoothbore cannons, they still clung to their own rifled cannons.

Rifled guns are very old. Pulling out rifling in the barrel of the gun to allow the shells to spin out and increase the accuracy of the flight of the shells has been going on for hundreds of years. It was also invented by the British.

 However, as the gun bore pressure gradually increased, the wear of the rifled gun began to become more and more serious. After a few hundred rounds, the gun bore became bare. Therefore, when it evolved to 120 mm, all countries began to develop smoothbore guns. The inside of the barrel was smooth, and the shells relied on tail fins to maintain flight stability.

The British Army sneered at this. They insisted on using rifled guns because this kind of gun was very stable. When ordinary tanks extended the firing distance to two thousand meters at most, British tankers could already fire at three thousand meters away. Accurately aim at the target and kill the opponent. Of course, there is an element of luck in destroying the enemy five thousand meters away, but it is inseparable from their sophisticated weapon system.

 The British are very proud.

Qin Tao had already squeezed to the front and said to the staff: "I am a reporter from the Free Press, and I want a detailed promotional material."

"Of course, no problem." The staff was very enthusiastic and put a brochure into Qin Tao's hand.

The surface of this brochure is made of colored coated paper, with the majestic appearance of the Challenger tank printed on it. The inside is made of ordinary paper, with more than a dozen pages. Qin Tao briefly flipped through it, and found that the content was very detailed. He took the brochure with satisfaction. The booklet left this booth and ran to the next one.

When Qin Tao kept collecting promotional brochures from various booths and filled a pocket full of them, Vitalia finally spoke out of curiosity: "Qin, why are you collecting this?"

"Of course it's to promote these Western weapons." Qin Tao said: "Vitalia, can you please use the name of the newspaper to mail all these promotional brochures to our country tonight?"

 “Of course there is no problem.” Vitalia said.

Although Zhao Ling had some doubts in her heart, she could quickly understand Qin Tao's intention.

 The gap between domestic military technology and that of the West is huge. Although these brochures are only for propaganda, the technology revealed in them also has a great inspiration for the country.

 The brochure will not contain technical details or even boast, but many of the descriptions of principles in it are still useful. Domestic technical personnel will be inspired after getting these promotional materials.

 Qin Tao went to ask for information, and every booth would enthusiastically give Qin Tao a copy of the information. Qin Tao felt very happy.

This method can last for more than ten years. After entering the 21st century, domestic military technology has continued to develop, and more and more advanced weapons have emerged. It was only at this time that Western countries suddenly discovered that, no, this Wasn’t this weapon displayed by us at the defense exhibition? I remember that the Oriental people enthusiastically came over to ask for information! They must have gotten the technology from the data!

Then, a strange scene occurred at the defense exhibition.

 “Excuse me, do you have a brochure?”

 “No, please look at our big promotional screen.”

Each manufacturer set up a projection screen and directly promoted it. If you want to see it, you can see it, but if you want to take it away, there is no way!

 “Why don’t you print a brochure?”

 “Save paper, we must care for nature, and we must protect the environment.”

Those people are quite confident when they talk about this excuse. They can't say, are we afraid that you will copy the product with a promotional brochure? If you say this, they will feel embarrassed.

At this time, this is the first time that people with Eastern faces have come into contact with a defense exhibition. If they ask for information, of course they will give it to them very enthusiastically. Can journalists friends not give it to me? This information, in the hands of reporters, is a kind of propaganda.

"209 Submarine!" Originally he was wandering around the British booth, but when he saw the submarine at the German booth over there, Qin Tao couldn't help but turn around and pounce on it.

 Domestic naval technology is quite backward. Even the air-to-submarine speed plan proposed at that time is now out of date.

 Only Ba Ye plays the leading role in air power. When encountering advanced third-generation aircraft from potential enemies, it can only be exhausted. The power of submarines is still an extension of the old World War II submarine technology. The appearance of submarines is still based on surface navigation. In terms of speedboats, only the 022 missile boat built by Qin Tao has caught up.

Now, seeing the German submarine, Qin Tao was very excited.

Mingzhou Shipbuilding Industry Group has not tried building a submarine yet. Now it is time to get some information back and provide it to the people in the design department for research.

 When it comes to building submarines, the Germans are definitely the best. After all, during World War II, the wolves in the Atlantic caused the Allies enough suffering.

After the end of World War II, Germany was prohibited from manufacturing submarines for a long time. Germany could have tanks. After all, it had to block the rolling torrent of Western armor on the ground. However, German submarines shocked other countries too much. No, they don't want to see Germany have a powerful underwater wolf again.

 It was not until 1956 that Germany joined NATO and obtained a license to build submarines. However, the displacement was limited to five to six hundred tons. The Germans developed small submarines such as 205 and 206.

 After entering the 1970s, World War II-era submarines from various countries began to retire one after another. They were looking for their own submarine alternatives. Countries in the third world also began to develop submarine forces. Germany's outstanding submarine designers began to get ready to take action.

 Although Germany is prohibited from acquiring submarines with a displacement of several thousand tons, it does not prevent them from selling them! German submarines were already very famous, and at the same time, they also lost a strong competitor in the United States.

The Americans are no longer interested in conventional diesel-electric submarines. All their underwater submarines are nuclear submarines. The U.S. Navy no longer wants conventional submarines, and the conventional submarine industry in the U.S. shipbuilding industry has been abandoned.

The U.S. Navy itself does not have one, and it is even more impossible for other countries to buy it from the United States. Therefore, after the Germans designed the 209 submarine, it immediately became an evergreen tree in the international arms market.

How popular is it specifically?

 Since the 1970s, the 209 submarine has been sold until 2020! (Although there are already 212 and 214 in the 21st century, there are still customers purchasing 209.)

Therefore, Qin Tao is very interested in this submarine. Now that he is here, of course he must take away information about this conventional submarine.

"Our largest model is the 1500 type. The underwater displacement of this submarine has increased to 1,860 tons." Helmut, an engineer at the Lübeck Engineering Design Institute, looked at the people surrounding him with a smile on his face: "From the Type 1100 with a displacement of 1,207 tons, to the Type 1500 with a displacement of nearly 2,000 tons, there is always one suitable for the navies of various countries."

The 209 submarine is just a unified model. Within this model, there are five models, ranging from 1100 to 1500. There is always one that can be selected by the user. The Germans are also very smart in this regard.

Qin Tao squeezed in and said to the other party: "Please give me a piece of information."

Although the development of domestic submarine technology is still in line with Lao Maozi, after purchasing Kilo-class submarines from Lao Maozi, he began to improve his own submarines. However, he learned from the strengths of others and got some technical information on the 209 submarine. , is also good.

Helmut saw Qin Tao with a smile on his face. He picked up a thick and beautifully printed brochure and was about to hand it to Qin Tao when suddenly a voice came.

 “Don’t give it to him, he’s a competitor!”

 Hmm, where did the trouble come from?

Qin Tao looked over curiously, and then his heart skipped a beat. What is this called? Enemies meet on a narrow road, doesn't it mean that enemies don't get together?

The owner of that voice was walking over quickly, and it turned out to be Rodrigues, the representative of Bazin Company!

When he was bidding in Siam, Qin Tao made Rodriguez so angry that he vomited blood, and they never saw him again. Who would have thought that their Bazin company would also come to this famous defense exhibition in London, England? .

Moreover, by coincidence, Rodriguez accidentally spotted Qin Tao at the venue, so he followed him all the way until now, and finally stopped him.

An idea flashed through Qin Tao's mind like an electric spark. He must not admit it. Otherwise, it would not be easy to get the information again.

what to do?

At this moment, Vitalia, who had a camera hanging around her neck, had already walked up and looked at Rodriguez with a somewhat arrogant look: "Sir, did you admit the wrong person? He is a reporter from our Free Press. How can it be a competitor?"

"Reporter? How could he be a reporter? He is the head of Dongfang Mingzhou Shipbuilding Industry Group! He once went to Siam to bid for aircraft carriers. I recognize him!"

Rodriguez's eyes were gloomy. If he could speak Chinese, he would definitely use the famous saying: Even if he is burned to ashes, I know him!

"Our Hurriyet is a Russian newspaper, and this gentleman is our employee. You must have mistaken the person. After all, in the eyes of us Westerners, people with Eastern faces are generally the same." Vitalia continued. .

"When it comes to Siam's bidding, I remembered that there is a Spanish company, what is its name? By the way, Bazin Company, they actually plagiarized the design drawings of the East. Sir, do you know this? ?"

Rodriguez immediately became furious: "That's not the case. How could our Bazin company plagiarize other people's design drawings? We improved it based on our own aircraft carrier design drawings."

"Really? It turned out to be a misunderstanding." Qin Tao continued: "Then, how do you explain that your design drawings are very similar to Dongfang's, and that your design drawings were completed later than Dongfang's?"

 “There is no such thing!”

"Really? Then let's go to the booth in the UK to verify it? It is said that Vickers Company has also sent personnel to participate. They are at the scene and must know the whole story. Moreover, they don't need to lie, right?" Qin? Tao said: "Sir, how about we go over there and take a look together?"

"No, **** it, you are still so quibbley!" Rodriguez said: "Every time you go to a booth along the way, you will ask for information there. I have been looking at it. It is unmistakable. Our design drawings , I guess it was stolen by you like this."

Who knows whether this guy was present at the British Defense Exhibition the year before last and the French Defense Exhibition last year? Did you steal information?

"Really? Are you saying that every time I pass a booth, I will ask for information?"

 “That’s right, you are a shameless thief!”

“Okay, you just said, who am I to bid for an aircraft carrier?”

 “That’s right, it’s you!”

"Then I just need to visit the shipbuilding industry. What's the use of asking for information on tanks, aircraft and cannons? Do I want to copy all the weapons? Please give me your opinion. We only rely on a brochure. Copy various weapon systems?”

Rodriguez suddenly realized that he had nothing to say.

Yeah, what does the other side want those tanks, planes and cannons for? Could it be that the other party is an all-rounder?

 Don't be kidding, how is that possible? There is no company in the world that operates on land, sea, and air. If you take all the information, it can only prove that the other party is a reporter!

What on earth is going on? Did you really admit the wrong person?

"You, Bazin Company, are really good at this kind of messing around." Qin Tao said: "You all can see clearly, who of the two of us is lying?"

 “The clown of Bazin’s company!”

“That’s right, they didn’t succeed in the bidding, so they came here to take out their anger on people with oriental faces!”

“That’s right, it’s time to find security and kick him out!”

Amidst the criticism from everyone, Rodriguez blushed and walked away in despair.

After watching the whole process, Helmut felt funny in his heart. This Bazin Company was going to become a joke at the defense exhibition! He still had the brochure in his hand. Now, he handed the brochure to Qin Tao and said, "Here you go, Mr. Reporter. I hope you can promote our products."

"Definitely." Qin Tao said: "As a reporter, I am also a military fan. I am very interested in land, sea and air equipment. I will write a special report on your 209 submarine later."

“Do you also know a lot about submarines?” Helmut asked.

Qin Tao nodded: "Of course, take Spain as an example. They don't have the strength to build submarines at all. The three latest submarines they put into service in the 1980s were all purchased from France. They are so stupid, why don't they choose reliable ones? Where are the German submarines?”

Helmut was convinced: "Yes, French submarines are expensive and have poor performance. They are simply not comparable to our submarines."

"However, as far as Spain is concerned, buying a submarine is the most correct choice. If they build their own submarine, it will be even more ridiculous. Maybe the submarine they build is too heavy and cannot float in the water."

"That's right, yes!" Helmut knew that Qin Tao was angry because he was mistaken and criticized, and he was talking bad about Bazin Shipyard. However, twenty years later, when the Spaniards built their first A domestically produced submarine turned out to be overweight and unable to be launched into the water. It was only when Helmut was exposed to the sun and rain on the slipway for seven years that he remembered this passage again.

 O prophecy emperor!

But at this time, Helmut was a little curious. Qin Tao seemed to be going around and around, but he didn't talk about submarine technology!

At this time, Qin Tao had already opened the brochure, looked at the structural diagram inside, nodded with great satisfaction, and then said: "Now, all countries have begun to study the AIP system. If the 209 submarine can add an air-independent propulsion system, The cabin is just fine.”

Hearing this, Helmut's eyes showed surprise. Just last year, they began planning to use the 209-1200 submarine as the base model and install the fuel cell AIP system to design the world's first equipped with fuel. The submarine has a battery AIP system and is equipped with better-performing sonar, periscope and weapon systems. In their plan, this submarine is named the new Type 212 submarine.

 It is still under secret research and development, but the person in front of me actually proposed it. What a vision!

So, Helmut couldn't help it anymore and continued to ask: "So, what kind of AIP system do you think is the best?"

"The Soviets have experimented with fuel cells before, but I don't think that is the best." Qin Tao started to talk nonsense: "I went to the island country to interview. The Sony company in the island country has produced 18650 batteries, and it is expected to be launched in the near future. It can be produced commercially on a large scale. If this lithium-ion battery is used on submarines to replace the existing lead-acid batteries, it should be the most suitable."

There is really nothing wrong with this technical route.

In later generations, lithium-ion batteries were widely used in cars. Although Tesla was the first to try it and used Panasonic batteries to save up, this technology developed rapidly after that, and also slowly Mature.

Compared with lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries are light in weight and have high capacity, so they have broad prospects. Of course, there are also obvious shortcomings, such as being prone to catching fire once hit. (There was an experiment on lithium in high school. Before class was over, the chemistry teacher took the lithium out of the kerosene and cut a small piece for us. He told us not to grab it with our hands. We put it on paper and went straight to the toilet. Then, bang There was a sound, and then the cleaning lady scolded me all day long. The scene was spectacular.)

As electric vehicles gradually mature, submarine engineers are also interested in it. If they need AIP, they can just replace the battery! The islanders took action first and built this kind of lithium-ion battery submarine, which has three times the endurance compared to the previous lead-acid batteries.

 As for whether it will catch fire or explode? Anyway, if it is hit on the battlefield, the lead-acid battery will also catch fire and explode. When seawater pours in, hydrogen will decompose in the lead-acid battery. Since it will explode, it doesn't matter.

 “Lithium-ion battery?” Helmut was very surprised when he heard this. This proposal was definitely the first of its kind in this era!

“Yes, lithium-ion batteries must be the new star in the future. Sir, thank you for your brochure. See you later!” Qin Tao waved his hand.

"etc!"

At this moment, Helmut called Qin Tao, and then took out a business card: "This is my business card. You are welcome to come to our Lübeck Engineering Design Institute for an interview, so that you will be able to write a good one." Manuscript coming.”

The other party is actually so polite?

Qin Tao had a smile on his face: "Of course, I will go to Germany after a while."

 (End of this chapter)