Chapter 596 The Drunkard Doesn’t Care About Drinking

  The Kuznetsov Design Bureau is located in Samara. There are many aerospace companies here. After the collapse of the Red Empire, these companies can only hold together to keep warm, and jointly formed the Samara "labor" scientific research and production complex.

However, the glory of the Red Empire has passed, many of their research and development plans have been terminated, and their products are pitifully small. In terms of rocket engines, they cannot compete with the power machinery research and production complex, which has products such as RD-170 The rocket engine with the strongest thrust in the world, they can't compete with other counterparts in jet engines, they just rely on some products with very low output to make ends meet.

  The batch of stock engines that were sold to Mingzhou Group at the beginning, they were considered to have solved their urgent needs and made a lot of money.

  Although the Mingzhou Group sold it for more money, they couldn't envy them. If it wasn't for the operation of the Mingzhou Group, they might not have been able to sell it at all. With that money, they are already very happy.

   Now, Mingzhou Group is coming to inspect again, how can they not be excited? They are expecting that Mingzhou Group can spend another large sum of money to make their life easier.

   At the same time, Qin Tao's movements have also attracted the attention of many people.

   "President Qin went to Samara, do they want to purchase a batch of NK-32 engines from there?" Some people in Moscow have already begun to doubt.

   "How could he buy the NK-32 engine in such a blatant past? Let me see who dares to secretly sell the engine to them!" Another voice sounded: "Whoever sells it will be punished!"

   "Our intelligence system discovered that Dongfang sent some people to Ermao to discuss the parts of the Tu-22M. This President Qin is really impeccable in his work!"

"That's right, he attracted our attention on the bright side, and covered the team that went to Ermao behind his back. Hmph, this little trick can't fool us. We must focus on Ermao's actions and don't be fooled by Mr. Qin." It's been taken astray!"

  Boss Qin is very powerful, and they are not bad, they will soon see through Boss Qin's plot, and they will never let Boss Qin succeed!

  They didn't know that Qin Tao went to the Kuznetsov Design Bureau this time for a purpose, and Ermao's team was the one who fooled people. True or false, this is Sun Tzu's Art of War.

  Qin Tao's special plane landed at the airport near Samara, and then drove straight to the Kuznetsov Design Bureau. On the way, Max was really not idle and was working all the time.

  A man who devotes himself wholeheartedly to his work is indeed very attractive. Qin Tao is also flattered. He is definitely very capable in employing people.

At the gate of the Kuznetsov Design Bureau, a group of people were waiting. When the car stopped, Valentine greeted him: "Mr. Qin, welcome to visit our Kuznetsov Design Bureau! Come, I will show you Let me introduce, this is Mr. Smyan Viktorcheko, the head of our labor-research joint production body."

Qin Tao had contacted Valentine. He was an important senior in the Kuznetsov Design Bureau, but he was not the head of the entire scientific research joint production body. Looking at the same gray-haired Smyan-Victor Cheko , Qin Tao stretched out his hand: "Mr. Victor Checo, nice to meet you, we are here for technical assistance this time."

  Technical help?

   Several people opened their eyes wide, this is to send money!

"Please rest assured that no matter what technical requirements you put forward, we can do it." Victor Cheko nodded: "At present, we have developed the NK-43 engine on the basis of the NK-33 rocket engine. The increase to 200 tons will definitely better meet your needs. We hope to have more cooperation opportunities in aerospace in the future."

  The NK-33 engines sold at the beginning were all in stock, so the price was cheap. The NK-43 was newly developed. If this engine is sold, it must be at the normal market price.

   "We are here for the engine." Qin Tao said: "However, we are not interested in the NK-43 engine. We hope to develop a liquid oxygen methane engine."

   Max was excited for a while. This was the direction of his plan, but because of insufficient research and development funds, he did not propose this idea. Unexpectedly, Mr. Qin supported his Mars project so much, and now he was going to develop a brand new engine!

  "Liquid oxygen methane?" Valentine asked curiously: "President Qin, in the decades of spaceflight history of all mankind, there has never been an engine with this fuel!"

  The initial liquid rocket, that is, the German V-2 rocket, used alcohol and liquid oxygen. After all, there was a shortage of fuel back then, and alcohol could be brewed with grain. Although the energy of the fuel was not high, it had to make do with it.

   During the Cold War period, there were more fuels. Toxic fuels, such as the combination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitric acid, were once popular. Later, Lao Maozi began to focus on liquid oxygen kerosene engines, while the United States focused on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen engines. However, no space agency has planned the use of liquid oxygen methane.

   "Old Ma, let me briefly introduce the benefits of this engine." Qin Tao said with a smile.

   A group of people walked inside while listening to Max's introduction.

"First of all, the advantage of this engine is that it will never get coked. The engine can work many times. If we want to enter space at a low cost, we have to use a rocket that can be repeated. We expect this liquid oxygen methane engine to be reused hundreds of times. , which can greatly reduce costs.”

  Reuse hundreds of times? Everyone was a little surprised: "The experience of the space shuttle has told us that there are many dangers in reusable spacecraft. The deliberate pursuit of reuse has resulted in a greatly increased risk, which is not cost-effective."

"That's because the space shuttle is too complicated, and the fuel it uses is not suitable. We believe that our choice is not a problem. Moreover, our liquid oxygen methane engine has another advantage, that is, it can be used from the atmosphere of Mars. Producing these two fuels is the only option for our Mars mission."

   "Are you really planning to fly to Mars?" Victor Checo asked in surprise. Although this kind of remark is impolite, it is also his true thought. In this era, talking about flying to Mars is too far away.

A few years ago, in that special era, two countries competed for the glory of landing on the moon. As a result, the Red Empire failed, and the N-1 rocket exploded on the launch pad, completely burying their dreams. As for the United States, although it succeeded Yes, it was also done with the efforts of the whole country.

   Now, a starship company under the Mingzhou Group wants to use the power of private capital to land on Mars. It sounds so unreliable.

"The only goal of our starship company is to land on Mars, and this goal will never change." Max said: "We are now going step by step. We believe that we will reach that day." , this is a great cause!"

  The old Maozi present were very emotional. For them, this kind of thing is unthinkable. What they think about now is how to live, ideal? Only by living can there be ideals!

"So, are you going to hand over the research and development and production of the liquid oxygen methane engine to us?" Victor Checo asked excitedly. It will take a long time to develop this brand new rocket engine. It also needs to invest a lot of money, and the labor, scientific research and production association will also get huge benefits from it!

   "No." Qin Tao shook his head.

  The old Maozi present was stunned for a moment, not giving the research and development task? So what are you doing here?

  Max was also taken aback, wondering what Qin Tao meant.

"If we want to enter space at a low cost, we have to reduce all costs. Therefore, the development and production of this liquid oxygen methane engine must be done by our starship company." Qin Tao said: "If you are interested If it is, you can join our research and development plan and earn a lot of research and development expenses, but we have to master a full set of technologies."

   "That's right, Mr. Qin is right!" Max was very excited.

  If you want to manufacture starships at low cost, you can’t rely on buying engines, that’s too expensive! You have to produce it yourself! After all, in Max's plan, the starships are to be manufactured one by one, or even hundreds of them a year. If they don't produce them themselves, they only need to buy engines. How expensive is that?

Lao Maozi has always been very strict on the export of advanced technology. Take rocket engines as an example, Lao Maozi is not very willing to export to Dongfang. The advanced RD-170 and RD-180 engines simply do not allow Dongfang After entering the 21st century, Eastern rockets only rely on engines with a thrust of 120 tons.

   But what about joint development? Will the old man restrict it?

The liquid oxygen methane engine is brand new, and the old man does not have it now. The Kuznetsov Design Bureau is poor. If they can participate in the research and development, they can make a lot of profits. It is beneficial to them good.

   For Starship Company, of course, there are great benefits. A large number of old men go to Starship Company to develop a brand new engine. It takes several years. After the research and development is completed, these old men are willing to go back? Just stay at the Starship Company. The benefits, development prospects, and lofty ideals are all incomparable to the Kuznetsov Design Bureau.

   "President Qin, there is no precedent for this, and we may face great resistance." Victor Checo said: "In the aerospace field, we must strictly prevent our technology from leaking out."

   "This project can be discussed later, we might as well cooperate in a small field first." Qin Tao said: "For example, modify the NK-33 engine and make it the second stage of the rocket for use in outer space."

Max has been able to keep up with Mr. Qin's thinking. Mr. Qin will not show his cards immediately when negotiating. He will start with a big project to fool the other party, and when the other party is in trouble, he will propose a small project. It will be easier for the other party Accepted.

   "Improved Nk-33, suitable for use in a vacuum?" Victor Cheko was a little surprised: "Why do you use this engine in a vacuum? It is more suitable to use a hydrogen-oxygen engine in a vacuum."

"Of course it is to reduce costs. All of our rockets use the same type of engine to minimize costs. We can't do the same thing as the Apollo moon landing program that mobilizes national resources. We have to do everything possible. There are ways to reduce costs.” Max said firmly.

  What Qin Tao appreciates is this kind of work attitude. Choose a goal and work hard to achieve it. Even if you know the road is difficult, you will never be discouraged, but will try every means!

   "Well, if it's just to modify NK-33, we are willing to send technical experts to help you." Victor Checo nodded. They can still help with such a small favor.

  During the conversation, everyone had already entered the R&D building. Looking at the equipment inside, Qin Tao said in surprise, "Are you still using antique computers?"

There are a row of personal computers on the desktop, the overall appearance is red, the surface has been a little gray after years of use, and it is no longer so bright and beautiful. Above the horizontal chassis is a screen like a 12-inch black and white TV , with a raised center.

   "Agat-4 personal computer, produced in 1984, has similar performance to the American Apple II." Max recognized it immediately. After all, he was also a computer enthusiast when he was young, and he knew about computers in various countries.

  After looking at the desktop computer, he looked at a cabinet standing in the corner: "If I read correctly, that computer should be Elbrus."

"That's right, Mr. Max is too powerful. We can tell our equipment at a glance. In the 1980s, we carried out a system update here, using advanced computer systems for research and development, which greatly improved our research and development speed. Back then, our equipment was the envy of our peers.”

  When Qin Tao went to Ermao, he brought a batch of scientific calculators, which made the gas turbine technicians ecstatic. They used to rely only on slide rules!

  It is of course very good to have such advanced computer equipment here.

  Elbrus is a tall Caucasus mountain range with an altitude of 5,642 meters. It is the highest peak in the entire Red Empire and the entire Europe.

   Lao Maozi's server is named after this, which is also commemorative.

   This most advanced server in the entire Kuznetsov Design Bureau was created by Babeyan, a famous computer expert in Lao Maozi. In 1978, he led a team to develop the world's first superscalar computer Elbrus-1.

  The main purpose of this computer is to serve the military industry, such as the development of missile systems, nuclear weapons and space programs. The Kuznetsov Design Bureau used to develop aerospace engines. In the past, they could only study the complex situation in the combustion chamber through a large number of experiments. Only with this kind of computer can simulation be carried out, which greatly improved their performance. R&D efficiency.

  The most advanced of this computer is a superscalar processor, which converts continuous symbols into parallel symbols to speed up execution during operation, so it can achieve higher CPU throughput at the same main frequency. Even the rival Americans, it was only fifteen years later that the PowerPC601 was developed and applied.

  It was indeed advanced at the time, but now, it has long been outdated. Moore's Law is not covered, and the performance of computers will double in 18 months.

  At this time, Victor Checo's face was slightly sad. They were the most important research and development organization in the entire Red Empire back then! All kinds of good things are coming to them, now what? Now he is a child without a mother.

   "These things are too outdated, they should have been put into the garbage dump long ago." Qin Tao didn't care about the mood of everyone at this time.

   Sure enough, the expressions on everyone's faces were embarrassing.

The corners of Valentin's mouth twitched a bit. He tried his best to calm down and said to Qin Tao: "Boss Qin, there is nothing we can do. We sold a batch of NK-33 engines last time, but the money is mainly used for We have not been able to improve our office conditions after we have paid wages.”

  Their design bureau is running in trouble, and it hasn't been a day or two. The whole Da Mao is like this, and they don't have any embarrassment.

   "If you don't have advanced computers, you will simply not be able to complete modern engine design tasks." Qin Tao said: "Well, we Mingzhou Group can provide you with a batch of computers at a cost price."

  Mingzhou Group has Loongson Corporation and SMIC, and now they can also produce computer systems! Moreover, it has reached the world's advanced level. In the domestic complete machine market, constantly winning bids, L Xiang Group has been suppressed to the point that it has no market. It is supplied domestically, and it is estimated that it has become popular internationally.

   At this time, they were very excited when they heard Qin Tao say to help provide the computer system: "Really? This is really great! But..."

  Why did President Qin suddenly raise such a condition? Do you want them to use the Nk-32 engine in the warehouse as an exchange? Moscow has repeatedly warned that the Easterners must not be allowed to get any Nk-32 engines, even spare parts!

  Victor Checo was a little embarrassed, but Qin Tao was still introducing.

"Our most advanced server is the Longxiang server that uses sixteen Loongson processors. The computing speed of this server can reach 100 MIPS. It should be much better than your old Elbrus, right? Those Ordinary desktop computers can be replaced by our Longyue computer."

  100 MIPS, fully a hundred times the computing power of their Elbrus!

   "That's right, this kind of server is much better than ours, but unfortunately, we don't have any money!" Victor Checo said.

  The other party gave it away for free? It’s better not to dream this kind of dream. The other party must have ideas. Victor Checo must solemnly tell the other party that we have no money, and we can’t exchange things.

   "Didn't we just say that we will hire a group of technical experts to complete the improvement of NK-33?" Qin Tao said: "The funds for this batch of computers can be deducted from the hiring fee."

What?

  Victor Checo was a little surprised: "We thought..."

   In the middle of the sentence, he swallowed it back into his stomach abruptly, and if he continued to speak, it would be a leak.

   "Why?" Qin Tao looked at Victor Checo with a smile: "Do you think we will ask for an NK-32 engine in exchange?"

  The people present were embarrassed again.

  Qin always hit the nail on the head.

"Your engine is good, but if we only have one or two, it doesn't make any sense. If we purchase, we will purchase at least fifty, or even a hundred, so as to meet the full life cycle use." Qin Tao said: "The future era belongs to stealth aircraft, and there is absolutely no need for us to develop an outdated aircraft."

The words have been said so clearly, Victor Cheko has an embarrassed smile on his face: "Mr. Qin, the development route you have chosen is correct. The future era is indeed a stealth machine. The era of the Red Empire Bombers are outdated, and you are at the forefront in the development of stealth aircraft."

"The times are constantly developing, and the situation is also constantly changing, and your road is not easy." Qin Tao said with emotion: "In terms of aero engines, you probably have no progress, so it is better to use them in the future." Focus on aerospace engines, join our liquid oxygen methane engine program, and you can be ahead of the times."

  In Damao, the best mix is ​​the Rurika-Saturn complex, relying on the export of the Su-27, supporting a large number of Sanshufu engines, and even the Eastern J-10 fighter jets are also introducing such engines.

Others are not so good. The Klimov Design Bureau just relies on providing engines for Ah San’s MiG-29 fighter jets. After the end of World War II, Lao Maozi had 14 aero-engine mechanisms. Now almost All half dead. But in a few years, Da Mao should gather these engine manufacturers together and jointly establish Da Mao United Engine Manufacturing Group Company.

  The future of the Kuznetsov Design Bureau is bleak. Even if a labor, scientific research and production complex is established, there is not much future. Hearing what Qin Tao said at this time, Victor Cheko was really tempted.

  They don't know that Qin Tao's words are all deceiving, and there is only one real purpose!

   "Okay, Mr. Qin, we will seriously consider it and apply to our superiors." Victor Checo said.

   "Well, I look forward to your reply. However, the computer here is too old, so I should replace it immediately. I will arrange domestic preparations and send it to you in the next day or two. You should do a good job in customs clearance."

   "Okay." Victor Checo nodded.

  The first day of investigation ended like this.

  That night, in the cafeteria of the design bureau, everyone held wine glasses and exchanged enthusiastically.

   "Mr. Qin, where is that Mr. Max?" Valentine looked at Qin Tao with a glass in his hand, and asked curiously.

   "He doesn't like this kind of occasion. For him, this kind of occasion is a waste of time. He works in a guest house."

   "He is a very powerful person, and we all admire him." Valentine said: "However, judging by his temper, there will probably be a lot of friction at work in the future."

   "Then show your abilities and let him admire you."

   "That's right! By the way, who is that person?" Qin Tao pointed to a lonely drinking person.

"He? Alexei Sobolev, the most proud subordinate of Kuznetsov, the chief designer of our design bureau, followed in the design of NK-32. After the production line was closed, he lost his job." Valentine said.

PS: There are two famous chief engineers of Kuznetsov in the Soviet aerospace industry, here is Nikolai Kuznetsov, the leader of the aviation and rocket engine design bureau OKB-276, and the other is Victor - Kuznetsov, NII-994, the head of the Institute of Applied Mechanics, the leading research institute for inertial navigation instruments in the USSR.

  

  

  (end of this chapter)