Chapter 472 Selection of Shipborne Trainer Aircraft

  In the United States, private flying is very popular. The airspace below 500 meters is open. As long as you don’t fly above 500 meters, the Air Force will not interfere. Moreover, the United States also has many private aviation schools, flying clubs and so on.

Former navy pilots like Delano want to have fun after retiring. Not only can they buy civilian aircraft, but they can even buy a lot of military aircraft. The retired aircraft can be used in their hands. It's not impossible, of course, it must be some old model.

   It is impossible to buy a Tomcat fighter privately, otherwise there will be suspicion of stealing parts.

   As for the T-45 trainer aircraft, it is easier, after all, it is not a fighter jet.

   This aircraft is the product of the US Navy's "Jet Flight Training System" (VTXTS) program. Compared with the T-2 and TA-4 they used before, the performance is more advanced and the training cost is lower.

  This project was launched on November 18, 1981, and entered full-scale model development in October 1984. The two prototypes made their first flights on April 16 and November, 1988, respectively. The first production aircraft, the T-45A, first flew on December 16, 1991, and deliveries to the US Navy began on January 23, 1992.

   However, the U.S. Navy was not satisfied with its cockpit, so it made a T-45C equipped with a "21st Century Cockpit". This aircraft made its first flight on March 19, 1994. The T-45 delivered from October 1997 is this standard.

   As for the original prototypes, of course they are useless, but there is still flying time. As a former U.S. Navy pilot, it is no problem for Delano to buy one from Boeing to play with himself.

   However, this is only limited to his own play.

   "I can buy a prototype, but it's not easy to ship the plane," Delano said.

  Qin Tao nodded: "Okay, I'll give you 10 million dollars to buy that plane. As for the transportation, I have a solution."

  When Qin Tao mentioned the transportation method, everyone present opened their eyes wide.

   Is this okay?

   Isn't this too child's play?

  However, thinking of Qin Tao’s usual practice: from changing clothes and canned food to a warship, and later using a floating dock to carry an aircraft carrier, this operation can be understood now.

   There is nothing impossible, only unexpected. For Mr. Qin, thinking is also possible.

   "Qin, it won't cost 10 million. That prototype aircraft doesn't have much flight life, and it can be bought for 5 million at most." Delano was very frank.

   "The remaining five million is your hard work." Qin Tao said.

  Five million for hard work! Stroll's eyes widened. He swallowed a mouthful of spit, and then said, "Draenor, I don't think you can handle this kind of thing alone. Would you like me to help you? I also know people from Boeing. "

   After all, Delano was introduced by Strow. Now, let Delano earn the five million by himself, Stroll was a little jealous, and couldn't help asking for it.

  Draenor turned his head and glanced at Stroll: "No, I can do it by myself."

   The two began to have differences!

  Qin Tao looked at this scene amusedly. Sure enough, money is a good thing. There is no one in the world who does not love money.

"Mr. Stroh, you don't have to worry, you can go back, I heard that you have other people to contact, you can come together, come one person, I will give you a commission of 100,000 US dollars, if fifty people come over, That's five million." Qin Tao said.

   "Okay!" Stroh nodded. If he can fool Delano, he can also fool other people. If he fools one person, he can get one hundred thousand dollars!

  What else can I say, call everyone you can!

  It is not enough for only two people to teach. After all, there are still many professional skills that need to be taught by special people. If fifty people come to teach, and there are different types of jobs, then the teaching can be almost done.

  At this moment, both Strow and Draenor are full of excitement. As long as this vote is completed, they will be prosperous!

This was laid out little by little. If they hadn't started leaking secrets, they might still hesitate now. As long as they keep doing it little by little, they can't turn back, and coupled with the temptation of money, they won't hesitate any more. .

   Now, the personnel concerned finally don’t have to worry about anything anymore. The next step is how to get a T-45 back.

  Stroh and Delano didn't stay at the base for long, and they returned home excitedly that day, and they couldn't wait.

  Qin Tao is not in a hurry to leave, he has more important things to do.

  If you get back the prototype of the trainer, but you won’t modify it, then you’ll be in vain!

  So, on the one hand, Qin Tao reported the entire operation to the superior through Xu Zhengyang, and on the other hand went to the aircraft factory for inspection.

  The next day, Qin Tao came to Factory 320.

In China, the first-tier factories that produce fighter jets are Factory 112 and Factory 132. One is the Su-27 project for localization, the other is the production of self-developed fighter jets and the production of J-7 foreign trade aircraft. of.

  As for the aircraft factory in the old area, it is famous for producing large aircraft, such as the H-6.

   As for the domestic production of trainers, it is not so beautiful.

  The 320 factory in Hongdu seems to be unknown now, but in those days, this factory was also very famous. For example, the first domestic aircraft took off from here! It was 1954, and the domestically produced junior high school five went to the sky, ending the history of the inability to produce aircraft in China.

  That is, from that time on, the 320 factory has formed an indissoluble bond with the trainer.

Back then, this factory was also very popular, not only aircraft, they also produced other products, such as the first side three-wheeled motorcycle, namely the Yangtze River 750, which was also produced from this factory, and it was also related to the navy. For example, the Navy's first ship-to-ship missile, the upstream No. 1, also came from this factory.

Moreover, the 320 factory also has the technical master Lu Lao, so the J-12 fighter jet was proposed at the beginning, and the Qiang-6 was developed later. However, these projects ended without a problem. The factory is about to collapse.

Now, Qin Tao has come to Factory 320. As a shipbuilder, he came to see the aircraft again. For this kind of inter-professional behavior, neither Qin Tao nor others felt that there was anything inappropriate. After all, the current domestic The most dazzling J-31A project was planned by Mr. Qin.

  When Qin Tao stood on the runway of Factory 320, looking at the blue sky and white clouds surrounded by green shade, he couldn't help feeling: "The scenery here is really beautiful!"

"Yes, the environment here is very good. Mr. Qin, welcome to Hongdu. I am the designer of K-8. You can call me Laoshi." Shi Lao smiled and extended his hand to Qin Tao .

  Holding both hands together, Qin Tao shook his head and said, "Old Shi, don't you want to shorten my life! Can I call you Lao Shi?"

"Mr. Qin, you don't even know how excited we are when we hear that you are coming. We look forward to seeing you change our old look. Why is Old Shi so famous?" Old Shi said with a smile .

   "It also depends on whether you have the ability." Qin Tao said: "The requirements for this project are quite high."

   "Without diamonds and porcelain work, we can't do anything else. The trainer aircraft is definitely first-class in China!" Shi Lao patted his chest: "Come on, Mr. Qin, let's take you to our production line first."

  As they walked and talked, Elder Shi also introduced the origin of their trainer to Qin Tao.

"We have long understood that the existing JJ5 is too old and will withdraw from the stage of history sooner or later. Therefore, we have been doing research and development of new machines. In 1982, we began to conduct project demonstrations. However, due to various reasons, it has been stuck in the project approval stage and has not been approved by the army."

   "Because the army has no money." Qin Tao simply replied.

   It goes without saying that in the 1980s, the army was too poor, and the main fighter planes were not updated, let alone a trainer plane that could make do.

   "It's not just a question of money, we don't have a suitable engine." Shi Lao said: "At the most difficult time, we only had three people left. Then, in 1986, we suddenly had a chance."

  86 years?

Qin Tao didn't know much about these things, and his eyes were full of doubts, so Shi Lao smiled and said: "At that time, Lao Ba also wanted to get a brand new trainer, so we hit it off with Lao Ba, We have taken a path of international cooperation, which is our first. Of course, it is still incomparable to Mr. Qin’s scale of destroying the 31A.”

   Xiaolong and the like have to stand aside, and K-8 is the first to cooperate with foreign countries.

"At that time, the time required by the old bus was very close, and we were required to produce a prototype within three years, and we had to reach the world's advanced level." Shi Lao said: "At that time, we had no way out, so we went all out! The big guys kept going, and after three years of work, finally , came up with a prototype, which met the needs of the old bus.”

  Recalling it, Shi Lao was still very emotional, this road is not easy, but they have no choice.

"Later, the army also took a fancy to it. In 1992, the country decided to purchase this kind of aircraft. At the same time, the localization of the engine also started, and it was named Turbofan-11. This year, this engine has begun to ignite. It is estimated that It will take a few years to perfect, and in another five years, it should be able to be installed on our own aircraft."

   Speaking of these, Old Shi was proud again.

   After all, the engines of domestic advanced fighter jets are all outsourced. The original Jiaoba project was restricted by the engine. If there was no old bus, this project would definitely be a mess.

Of course, the old bus has the conditions. They can directly purchase the American-made engine. Therefore, the K-8 of the old bus has higher performance. The domestic model uses the engine imported from Lao Maozi, and the thrust is slightly lower. Some, but one's own side can imitate, which is the biggest advantage.

  While speaking, everyone had already arrived at the factory area. On the assembly line, several planes were being produced.

"The old bus will also set up a production line. When the time comes, we will produce and assemble together. For the old bus, it will also be a breakthrough in the aviation industry. On the plane, we use a lot of composite materials, which effectively reduces the weight of the plane. In the past few years, pilots from other countries have also come to test fly our Jiaoba, and they all spoke highly of him.”

   "Compared with the American T-45 trainer?" Qin Tao asked.

   "We can guarantee that the various performances are not inferior to the American trainer aircraft. They are going to be carried on the aircraft carrier, so the airframe and landing gear have been strengthened. Our aircraft is better than theirs."

   "What if our planes are also strengthened?" Qin Tao asked.

  We also strengthen?

  Old Shi turned his head to look at Qin Tao, and suddenly thought of something: "You plan to turn our trainer into a shipboard trainer?"

   When he said this, his breath became short of breath.

Dongfang Haicheng has already started to remodel. Although everyone has little relationship with the navy, they can vaguely think of something. Moreover, the brother unit, Factory 112, is manufacturing an aircraft with canards. Obviously, this This plane is the same as the Su-33. As for what it is for, if you think of the Dongfang Sea Blockade, can you still not know?

   It's just that they didn't expect that it has something to do with their 320 factory, and they also want to participate in this project!

   "Do you have this ability?" Qin Tao asked.

"Mr. Qin, we have never been involved in the production of carrier-based aircraft. However, the Jiaoba was designed by ourselves. We know this aircraft very well. Next, we need to conduct a new strength calculation. As for the standard, we can follow the According to the data from Institute 601, this is still possible, but whether it is strengthening the airframe or changing the landing gear, the weight of the aircraft will increase a lot. Moreover, because it is a recalculation, more funds may be needed.”

   This is almost the same as developing a new aircraft. There are many items in it that must be considered carefully. If you are not careful, there may be a major accident.

   "Within a year, can this kind of aircraft be made to fly?"

within one year?

  Old Shi frowned a little, this requirement is even higher!

  "If the superior has a need, we will do our best."

  Hearing what Shi Lao said, Qin Tao nodded in satisfaction. What he wanted was such an attitude, and he also knew that the 320 factory that made its way in the market must also have the courage.

"We are currently operating. If it works well, we will be able to obtain a US Navy T-45 trainer aircraft in the last one or two months. I don't know how similar our aircraft is to the British Eagle trainer aircraft. Is it possible? Take inspiration from this prototype of the T-45 trainer."

(The domestically produced Jiaoba is very similar to the British Eagle trainer, but Huadong Zhixiong could not find any information saying that our Jiaoba referred to the Eagle trainer when developing it, and there was no information that the old bus had an Eagle trainer , Therefore, the hero of East China will not make these assumptions, so as not to be scolded. However, we can assume that the similarity between the two aircrafts is very high.)

"The U.S. Navy's T-45 trainer plane? If there is such an aircraft, it would be great!" Shi Lao immediately became excited: "Sure enough, everyone said that if you follow Mr. Qin, you will definitely not suffer. Mr. Qin All the preparations will be done.”

Qin Tao smiled: "Old Shi, don't be too happy, these are my personal ideas, and I have not yet received the support of my superiors, so you may not be able to obtain research and development funds. Of course, if the superiors If you don’t provide funds, when you equip the navy in the future, you will have to spend more on procurement, and you must provide research and development funds.”

Qin Tao didn't know if he was a hot-headed person. When he heard that Boeing had a prototype, he decided to get it back. He even gave Delano 10 million US dollars in advance to go to the 320 factory. , However, the navy is still discussing it, what if the navy does not support it?

The navy does not support it, and Qin Tao has a way to complete this kind of project. After all, it is just a simple trainer with little money. This K-8 is in the development stage, and the old bus has only invested 6 million US dollars in research and development funds. Even taking into account the inflation of the past ten years, it is ten to twenty million US dollars.

  As for the modified trainer aircraft, if there is a prototype, it will cost another 10 to 20 million US dollars to fiddle with it. This is much cheaper than the hundreds of millions of fighter development funds. As for purchasing costs.

  If the navy doesn’t invest money, then the navy will cost at least 100 million yuan for one trainer plane, and the navy will make money if it purchases ten more.

   Can't get R&D funding?

  Hearing what Qin Tao said, Elder Shi frowned again.

They have been self-reliant for many years. At the beginning of the K-8, they raised funds by themselves. Later, the old bus joined in and finally succeeded in building the aircraft. However, it is precisely because they have gone through such a road that they also know that, How difficult this road is.

  Especially, it is still a carrier-based trainer aircraft. This type of aircraft must not have a lot of equipment. Is it worth spending a lot of money on research? If it is self-financing, will it put a heavy burden on the enterprise, or even fail in the end?

  Qin Tao didn't speak, and was waiting for Shi Lao's answer.

  In the mind of Mr. Shi, he repeatedly considered for a long time, and finally, Mr. Shi decided: "Mr. Qin, even if we raise funds ourselves, we will do it!"

   "Aren't you afraid of being in vain?"

Mr. Shi smiled: "Mr. Qin, if someone else came, we would definitely be afraid, but if you come here in person, what else should we be afraid of? We trust you! I thought about it just now, any event you have participated in None of the projects are losing money, so I have nothing to worry about."

   This is all for Qin Tao's sake!

This made Qin Tao a little flattered, but since Mr. Shi has the courage, Qin Tao will not be polite. He continued: "Mr. Shi, if the superior does not support it, we will do it ourselves. Our Mingzhou Group can afford part of it, and when it’s done, we’ll charge the navy a high price and make a fortune from them!”

   When this sentence came out, everyone laughed.

   President Qin is really good enough!

   He is the only one who dares to speak so confidently of blackmailing the Navy.

   "Since we want to do it, we have to start now, Mr. Qin, should we go to the conference room to discuss it? You can also give us some ideas."

  Qin Tao nodded: "Okay, I have also collected some information, which can be used as a reference for you."

   President Qin really did a lot of foreshadowing!

  Old Shi was very excited: "Mr. Qin, please rest assured that no matter how much money we invest, we will build this aircraft!"

  In the conference room of Factory 320, Qin Tao began to explain.

"It took the Yankees more than ten years to make the T-45 carrier-based trainer. There are many problems. For example, this aircraft is a land-based trainer. In order to take off and land on the aircraft carrier, Structural strengthening is still needed, and the relevant British companies do not have this technology, so they specifically found McDonnell Douglas for cooperation." (McDonnell Douglas was later merged by Boeing.)

   "Among them, the fuselage structure has been strengthened in an all-round way, the landing gear has been redesigned, the front landing gear has changed from a single wheel to a double wheel, and a special landing hook has been added to the rear of the fuselage." Qin Tao explained to everyone.

"At the same time, the wing has also been redesigned, not only increasing the area, but also adding **** to the leading edge of the wing. At the same time, the area of ​​the vertical tail and the flat tail is also increased. A more powerful engine was installed."

  Hearing Qin Tao's words, everyone's expressions were serious. This kind of modification is almost the same as the new design. No wonder the Yankees took so long!

   What about us?

  After we get the T-45, should we just do a surveying and mapping imitation? This is what we are best at!

   "Even so, the established aircraft company still encountered a lot of troubles after designing this aircraft, the most terrifying of which is the ghost dive."

The Phantom dive was a problem encountered by McDonnell Douglas when it was developing the Phantom fighter plane. It should be a very common thing for the pilot to drive the fighter plane to dive and then pull it up again. However, this Phantom dive is after the plane dives It is out of control, no matter how the pilot pulls the joystick, the plane will continue to dive down!

Although the Phantom fighter was developed by McDonnell Douglas, the Phantom is different from the trainer. Therefore, McDonnell spent a lot of effort. Later, it specially designed a "side-mounted unit root side bar", that is, in front of the flat tail. With the addition of a long strip, the T-45 "Goshawk" completely got out of the "ghost dive" dilemma.

  Now, Qin Tao said what he knew, and everyone frowned even more. This is definitely a tough battle!

"Everyone, our navy is going to the ocean. We will definitely have an aircraft carrier in the future, and we will also need special trainer aircraft for training. Factory 320 is the strongest trainer aircraft research and development unit in China. I believe that you will be able to complete this task. , help our navy go to the ocean!"

  When Qin Tao said these words, everyone present felt the passion surging in their chests.

   "President Qin, please rest assured, we will be able to successfully complete the task!" Elder Shi was very excited.

At this moment, a staff member walked up to Mr. Shi gently, whispered a few words to Mr. Shi, and Mr. Shi's expression changed immediately: "What? Old Tao is here? Isn't he here? Are you recuperating in the hospital? Why are you here?"

   "He's in the office and wants to see you right away."

  Old Shi nodded, and he looked at Qin Tao: "Boss Qin, I'm very sorry, I have some things to do, and I need to leave for a while."

  (end of this chapter)