Chapter 282 Air Transport Company Equipment

In the 1950s, Lao Maozi developed the Mi-8 helicopter. Over the long history of this helicopter, there were more than 50 modifications and more than 9,000 helicopters were produced. It is the largest number of helicopters in the world. Therefore, it is also Known as the Kalashnikov of helicopters.

 In the 1960s, as the Mi-8 gradually became obsolete, Laomaozi began to improve it. Specifically, he increased the engine power, increased the load capacity, and improved the helicopter's plateau performance. The Isotov Engine Design Bureau developed a 1,900-horsepower TV3-117MT turboshaft engine and installed it on it to become the Mi-18, which was later renamed the Mi-17.

 The two helicopters are almost identical in appearance. They are both called Hippopotamus in the West. If you distinguish them carefully, the Mi-8 tail rotor is on the right and the Mi-17 tail rotor is on the left. I don’t know what the designer of Lao Maozi thinks. Is it because of the two generations of designers before and after, one is normal and the other is left-handed?

 In 1988, the Mili Design Bureau once again modernized and improved the Mi-17 helicopter. After the improvement, the Mi-171 helicopter was used until later generations. Of course, during this process, Mi-8 is still in production. After all, it is cheap. You can buy one for three to four million.

Standing in front of the Mi-171 helicopter, Qin Tao looked at this smooth-looking helicopter with a wide belly and was full of expectations. Although the navy did not use it, the army used it extensively and fully blossomed, becoming the backbone and main force.

However, after all, the technology is backward, so the country would rather survey and imitate the Black Hawk, and have not even thought about the Mi-171. At most, they only purchase the pieces in pieces and assemble a few.

“Can this helicopter have short wings on both ends and a rocket launcher?”

Ji Shenke wanted to shake his head, but then nodded again: "This is not difficult. We can transplant the Mi-24 technology at any time. Do you need this kind of modification?"

Qin Tao shook his head: "We need to have the ability to improve."

  Buy these Mi-171s, which are all civilian models, so that the army does not have to come forward. After returning, you need to be able to modify them by yourself, hang a rocket launcher or something, and make a temporary appearance as an armed helicopter. After all, the army seriously lacks professional armed helicopters.

 However, it cannot be modified here. In this case, the weapons and equipment produced here will have to be purchased, which is a huge expense. The army has no money.

What Qin Tao said was true, and Tishenko, Dmitry and others also listened carefully.

“Qin, we can do it as long as you need it. When are you going to buy it?”

“I will contact you when I get back.” Qin Tao finished speaking and thought for a while: “However, I can buy two civilian models. How about one for three million?”

For heavy-duty Mi-26 helicopters, two are enough, and more are useless. It is just like a large truck. It may not be used for half a year, but it will take half a year to open. Domestic power construction, emergency rescue, etc. all require meters. -26 helicopter, but it must not be moved normally.

 If Qin Tao has an emergency travel plan or other business for the transportation company, he will need a medium-sized Mi-171 helicopter. If he purchases two of these helicopters, he can build a large scale.

 How will Zhao Laosi and the others feel when they know they have a plane after they return?

Planes are different from cars. It costs money to apply for flight training and pilot training. Therefore, we can only have a special relationship. I estimate that I will definitely be surrounded by people after I go back. When the time comes, I will ask my father-in-law to help. , it shouldn’t be a big problem if it’s affiliated with the Navy, right?

Three million dollars apiece, only half the price of the Black Hawk in the 1980s, but for the current Mili Design Bureau, it is definitely a timely help.

Qin Tao came here and placed a large order of 36 million US dollars. This was his first business since the collapse of the Red Empire!

 In the future, it would be even better if we can sell hundreds of Mi-171s!

 Hence, there is nothing more to say about the price of the Mi-26.

After seeing the production workshop, Vitalia, who was accompanying them, warmly invited them to eat out. A banquet was already prepared in the most luxurious hotel in the city. This is much better than eating in a factory.

Before the food was served, several plates of fruit and candies were placed on the table. Qin Tao picked up the plate with candies and said, "Tishenko, Dmitri, and you, you, you guys, put this plate of candies on the table." Divide it and take it back to the children to eat."

 After speaking, Qin Tao grabbed the candies and stuffed them into the pockets of several people.

This scene looks a bit funny. They are all big shots. Do they still care about these candies?

 However, the eyes of several people were flashing with emotion.

 How long has it been since your children at home had candy?

Qin Tao showed Vitalia's generosity and won people's hearts, while Vitalia stood aside and just smiled and watched everything he did.

 After the food was served, eating and drinking began, and everyone’s chat became more casual.

“Our helicopter is indeed very heavy in terms of weight, but in terms of speed, it is still very poor.” Qin Tao brought up a new topic.

In terms of weight, the 50- to 60-ton Mi-26 is superior to the rest, but in terms of speed, it is not good. The speed of the Mi-26 is not even 300 kilometers per hour, and other helicopters have not exceeded 400 kilometers. hourly.

 Compared with ordinary airplanes that can reach speeds of seven hundred, eight hundred or even thousands, this is indeed slow enough.

"There is no way. The large plate on the top of the helicopter gives it the power to take off, but at the same time, this large plate will also act as a hindrance when flying forward, so the speed of the helicopter will not be high." Ji Shen Coe said.

 This is a congenital flaw of helicopters.

 How about taking off and landing vertically, relying on the big plate above your head, and flying forward? Just tilt the propeller blades forward, so that the rotor not only provides lift to overcome gravity, but also provides forward thrust.

Although the large plate can carry the helicopter forward, this large plate also gains huge resistance. In this case, the helicopter cannot move too fast.

“So, how about turning the big plate to the front while the helicopter is flying forward?”

Qin Tao spoke carelessly, but several helicopter experts present were stunned.

"Qin, are you talking about the tilt-rotor aircraft? This kind of aircraft is technically too difficult and has no chance of success. Just a few days ago, the American XV-15 prototype crashed."

“Yes, Kamov Design Bureau also tried it before, but gave up in the end.”

 A new and complex technology may take a long time, cost a lot of money, and be carried out with determination.

At that time, the technology of helicopters had just stabilized. After the solution of a large plate on the head and a small plate on the back became the consensus of various helicopter designers, the development of tilt-rotor aircraft also began.

By 1951, Bell Helicopter Company began to develop the XV-3 tilt-rotor aircraft with the support of the military.

It seems simple, isn’t it just to turn the big plate from horizontal to vertical? In fact, aerodynamic problems alone have troubled Bell for many years. Due to technical problems with aeroelastic instability, the rotor separated from the fuselage during wind tunnel testing, causing the aircraft's attempt to completely fail.

However, Bell did not give up. In the 1970s, NASA and the Army launched a new tilt-rotor aircraft program powered by a turboshaft engine. Bell Company immediately took action, obtained a development contract, and began a new attempt. This prototype was named XV-15, which was also the prototype of the famous V-22 "Osprey" aircraft in later generations.

Although the first XV-15 prototype performed brilliantly at the Paris Air Show in 1981, which made people's eyes fall out of surprise, it was only a prototype after all, and it was still early to enter service. , just this year, the prototype also crashed.

Mili Design Bureau did not start. On the one hand, it was because they had a hunch that this method was too complicated and the chance of success was very small. On the other hand, it was because their colleagues had failed decades ago.

  Kamov Design Bureau has also waded through muddy waters before, this is the Ka-22.

 In 1951, they proposed the concept of a compound helicopter. The plan was to install two rotors on the basis of the Li-2 transport aircraft, and then equip it with a TB-2 turbine engine. After passing through the wind tunnel, some shapes were modified, and finally test flights began in the 1960s.

 Compared with the American Osprey, its biggest feature is that it cannot rotate. Lao Maozi solved the problem with the crudest method: an engine was installed on each end of the wing, with a large helicopter plate on the top and a normal propeller in front!

Rather than solving the problem of the engine and propeller rotating together, they simply made two. The big plate on the top was only responsible for taking off and landing, and the propeller in the front was responsible for providing forward thrust. Now, everything was solved.

The people at Kamov Design Bureau are smart. They have already foreseen that rotation will be very complicated.

Their hunch was correct. During the decades of development of the Osprey, this tilting process was the most dangerous. Even when it was in service, accidents occurred during this process.

 If there is no tilt, things will become very simple.

 However, even if there is no need to tilt, it still needs to be converted from vertical take-off and landing to normal flight. This is the biggest technical problem of this kind of aircraft.

 After several years of testing, there were constant problems that could not be solved, so the project was finally abandoned.

"Technology is constantly improving." Qin Tao said: "Back then, in order to study helicopters, weren't there many aviation engineers who racked their brains to find ways to mature this technology? Now it seems that tilt-rotor aircraft have There are many problems, but they will mature in the future. If they mature in the future, this kind of aircraft will completely replace helicopters."

 The biggest advantage of helicopters is that they can take off and land vertically, but the biggest disadvantage is that they fly slowly. Tilt-rotor aircraft perfectly solves these problems, so it is considered the best alternative.

It's a pity that in later generations, there is only the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and the sky is too monotonous. Therefore, Qin Tao is just idle here, so he might as well fool these people. If they can be tempted, Maybe it can actually be done.

 Technology is constantly improving! If Mili Design Bureau wants to sell large quantities of aircraft to Europe in the future, it must be innovative!

  Ji Shenke was a little tempted.

"Especially now, electronic technology is developing rapidly. The most difficult flight control system of this kind of aircraft can be completely left to electronic technology. In the future, there may be no need for pilots at all, and unmanned flight can be completed." Qin Tao continued Drawing the pie: "For this kind of aircraft, the mechanical problems that need to be solved are definitely not a problem for the Mili Design Bureau."

 One of the biggest mechanical problems for this kind of aircraft is how to ensure flight safety when one engine fails.

 The helicopter's two or even three engines are arranged side by side. If one of them stalls, the other one will explode quickly, even at super power output, allowing the rotor to continue rotating to ensure emergency flight to a safe area for landing.

Tilt-rotor aircraft are not easy to deal with. After all, the engines are on both sides, at the end of the wings, and the distance is too far. Bell has designed a complex transmission system with a drive shaft inside the wings. Normally, there are two engines, each doing the same thing. However, once one of them stalls, the engine on the other side will output power through the drive shaft.

 This way can ensure safety. If only one propeller continues to rotate, the aircraft will rotate around the longitudinal axis and fall.

 For Lao Maozi, they are the best at playing with these machines, and maybe there is a way to solve the problem in the simplest way.

“Tilt-rotor aircraft and vertical take-off and landing fighter jets can all be deployed on navy cruisers and landing ships.” Qin Tao said: “Although it seems there are still many problems now, they will gradually mature in the future.”

Jishenko nodded: "Yes, our heavy-duty aircraft-carrying cruisers and amphibious landing ships do need aircraft that can take off and land vertically."

“I heard that Alexander, the chief engineer of the Yakovlev Design Bureau, was almost killed in Moscow?” Dmitri asked.

 Good things don’t go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles. The car bomb incident in Moscow is already well known to everyone.

“Yes, I was with Alexander at that time. If we hadn’t temporarily changed vehicles, then we might have had to continue attending Alexander’s funeral.” Speaking of this incident, Tishenko was also a little scared.

"Funeral? Lockheed people, that's too much." Dmitri clenched his fists.

"Yes, it is said that Moscow is still investigating, huh, in our government..."

　　When talking about this, Ji Shenke stopped, and it would be inappropriate to continue.

"The Yakovlev Design Bureau is in a bad enough situation. The vertical take-off and landing fighter project has been cancelled, and they have nothing on hand. I suggested to them that they can try to get a training aircraft. By the way, I heard that they also built an early warning aircraft. I don’t know what’s going on with the project?”

“Early warning aircraft? It’s probably going to be dismounted too.”

What? What does it mean to dismount? That is to say, you haven’t dismounted yet?

 It seems that Lao Maozi also has a strategic deception plan! It's very straightforward to fool people.

“According to the plan announced during the Red Empire period, didn’t the An-71 early warning aircraft win?” Qin Tao asked.

These projects are supposed to be confidential, but as long as it is an aircraft, it must be tested. As long as it is tested, it will be discovered by Western spy satellites, unless it is like the F-117, from test flight to final equipment. Completely hidden in darkness.

The F-117, which specializes in night attacks, can operate like this, but other aircraft certainly cannot. Therefore, many of Lao Maozi's aircraft were discovered by Western reconnaissance satellites that suddenly changed their orbits during the test flight stage.

The same is true for the An-71. It was discovered in 1984. In 1987, Lao Maozi simply displayed it openly. NATO gave it the nickname "Madcap". Compared with Under the circumstances, the Yak-44 has been quiet and unknown. Even Lao Maozi publicly stated that the An-71 won the bid.

If the An-71 bids, then why is the Yak-44 still being developed? Even in 1991, there was a wooden model that was used on the Kuznetsov? This is somewhat inexplicable.

"Yes, that's just what was announced to the outside world. In fact, the Navy has never given up its support for the Yak-44 early warning aircraft. The Yak-44 is still under development." Ji Shenke spoke, although he was engaged in helicopters. But I still know some things about the aviation industry.

 “Two projects in parallel?”

"It seems like this." Zishenko said: "It's just that the progress of the An-71 is faster. After all, the airframe is ready-made, and the Antonov Design Bureau is also very powerful. They have already built three prototypes. . But those planes were all left with Ermao."

 This is both emotional and speechless. Although the Kuznetsov was brought back, the supporting carrier-based aircraft on it were left with Ermao, including three An-71s.

Although this kind of aircraft cannot fit into the hangar, it can take off with a short ski jump, so there is no problem in deploying it on the Kuznetsov.

"If a nuclear-powered ship can be built and has a steam catapult, then the weight-reduced Yak-44 might really be able to board the ship, but now, there is only the Kuznetsov. The Yak-44 is destined to not be able to board the ship. Take off from above, and we here have also lost the ability to build aircraft carriers, so the Yak-44 project will definitely be terminated."

 There is no money in the first place and there is no place to use it. What is the use of developing it?

 It is inevitable that the project will be discontinued. In this case, it is definitely a rare and good opportunity for Qin Tao!

 Qin Tao's heart suddenly became hot.

After staying in Rostov for two days, signing the purchase agreement and giving the advance payment, Qin Tao couldn't wait to return to Moscow.

When going back, Vitalia directly arranged to take a passenger plane, which was faster. It departed in the morning and arrived at noon.

When Qin Tao came to Yakovlev Design Bureau, the atmosphere here was a bit tense.

 Obviously, what happened last time is not over yet.

"Pleshakov, I think you are no longer suitable to stay in our Jacques Design Bureau." Just when Qin Tao walked outside Alexander's office, he suddenly heard the quarrel coming from inside.

“Okay, then I’ll leave here. Anyway, the design bureau will be closed down soon.”

 After saying that, a middle-aged man opened the door angrily, walked out, and then closed the door heavily.

 The people around him shook their heads.

 This is already the third one.

Ever since he was almost killed in a bombing, Alexander seemed to have become neurotic. He secretly investigated within the design bureau, and if he found anyone suspicious, he would call him in for a private conversation.

Some people are willing to compromise, and some people cannot tolerate being wronged. After a quarrel, they are often fired. Anyway, there is chaos everywhere now, and no one will interfere with them. The top leader of the design bureau has great power.

Forget about the others, Pleshakov is the deputy chief designer of their design bureau! Jacques-141, almost half of his efforts.

 Qin Tao looked at this man and wrote him down.

“Hey, my friend, you don’t look well.” Qin Tao looked at Alexander.

“Well, Qin, how are you having fun over there on the Don River? Alas, my place has been a mess lately.” Alexander said to Qin Tao.

“The Don River has frozen, so it’s good to skate on it.” Qin Tao said.

"Yes, it's frozen." Alexander's heart felt like he was in an ice cave. Only Qin Tao, the sunshine, shone down from the top, making him feel a trace of warmth.

“By the way, you didn’t come here specifically to comfort me, did you?”

“Yes, I came here because I wanted to see the legendary early warning aircraft project. I am very curious. It is completely different from the official propaganda of the Red Empire!”

"This project is coming to an end." Alexander said to Qin Tao: "There is nothing to keep secret. If you want to see it, I will take you to see it. What do you want to know about this aircraft?"

Thus, Qin Tao finally understood the cause and effect.

Back then, when the project was first launched, the new shipborne early warning system was to be used on the Kuznetsov, and there was even a derivative anti-submarine model.

In the late 1970s, the Yakovlev Design Bureau came up with a design plan: using two turboprop thrust engines hung under the wings and four turbojet lift engines arranged in the fuselage to achieve the goal of moving from the aircraft carrier deck Take off with a short ski jump.

This is very Jacques. After all, they are the most experienced in lift engines. However, the problem is that the early warning aircraft only has such a large space. What kind of lift engine should be installed? In addition, their original electronic technology is lagging behind. This project is simply not possible. May succeed.

 So, the early model was aborted, and the Navy chose the An-71 early warning aircraft.

However, after all, this thing was too tall. If the Navy wanted to use it, it couldn't fit in the hangar. Therefore, the Navy turned around and asked the Yakovlev Design Bureau to continue development. However, they canceled the requirement for short ski jump takeoffs. .

Now, Alexander and the others can finally let go.

  The brand new Yak-44 early warning aircraft has just embarked on the fast lane.

“In September 1988, we completed the preliminary design and then began to refine the design and build the prototype. Currently, in addition to the wooden model, we also have a prototype that is being assembled.”

Qin Tao felt his heart pounding. He tried to control his mood and said to Alexander: "So, since the project has been stopped, the prototype is useless. Do you want to sell it? As long as it can fly. Just in time to equip our air transport company with four helicopters.”

 (End of this chapter)