Chapter 660 The new role of the white swan: the launch platform of the spacecraft

The atmosphere in the conference room was a little tense. Everyone was staring at Qin Tao, looking forward to his answer.

"Mr. Chumakov, with all due respect, the era of the white swan has passed, and the future sky belongs to stealth bombers." Qin Tao said: "You also know that our Mingzhou Group presided over the J-31A project This year, the first batch of fighter jets will be delivered. These stealth fighter jets are talked about by customers. Next, we will continue to work hard. The second equipment is likely to be a stealth bomber."

  Chumakov’s eyes showed disappointment.

"Moreover, things like the White Swan are strategic weapons." Qin Tao said: "Even if we want to buy it, neither Da Mao nor the United States will agree. They will not see that we have such a powerful bomber. .So any negotiations we have on White Swan will be meaningless."

"Yes, Mr. Qin, you are right." Chumakov's tone was very bitter: "Our national power is gradually weakening, and now we no longer have the ability to maintain a large strategic bomber force. We want to sell the White Swan. Go, but if it is sold to Mao, they are only willing to pay 20 million US dollars for one. If it is sold to the United States, Mao will not agree. Moreover, the United States will dismantle this kind of aircraft. We really can’t bear to see it. As this powerful strategic bomber embarks on the fate of being dismantled, too many weapons have been dismantled over the years."

 When he said this, the guy's eye circles suddenly turned red.

After the collapse of the Red Empire, they all thought they would live a better life, but now? It would be a lie to say that I don’t regret it, but there is no going back!

 After the separation of the family, their two cents were originally allocated a lot of weapons of mass murder, but what about now? How much is left? Every person with a conscience will feel heartache.

At this time, Chumakov was very distressed.

“If used as a bomber, the White Swan is not suitable, but the White Swan has another use.” Qin Tao said.

 “What’s the use?” Chumakov asked. He put away his sad mood and was now full of curiosity.

“Could it be used as a supersonic passenger plane?” Boguslaev asked.

"Of course it's impossible. Concorde has been proven to be a failed product. Customers don't need supersonic passenger aircraft. They want comfort more than speed." Qin Tao said: "Our Mingzhou Group has a dedicated Starship Corporation.”

As everyone knows, this guy often teases the Mingzhou Group by saying that spaceships are also ships. This shipbuilding group actually started building rockets.

But what does this have to do with Starship Corporation? One is aviation and the other is aerospace. These are two different things!

"We have been looking for low-cost ways to enter space. This is a must for the future Mars plan. In addition to developing reusable rockets, we can also use air launch methods." Qin Tao said: "White Swan can As a platform for air-launched launch vehicles.”

  Traditional launch vehicles are launched from the ground, which requires a large amount of fuel. In addition, they have to choose the right weather to launch, which is subject to many restrictions. Therefore, some people have long thought of taking the rocket to the sky and launching it. This way, after leaving the troposphere, various weather conditions will not affect it. It can also fly to the equator and launch, which greatly saves fuel. In terms of specific values, it can save 10% to 20%.

Furthermore, the separated compartment also has more options and can be dropped into the ocean to avoid accidents on land.

However, although space launch has many advantages, it also has many disadvantages. For example, the rocket launched is limited by the load capacity of the aircraft and cannot be too high. Even if a large aircraft is used, it weighs dozens of tons. Compared with that For rockets that can easily weigh hundreds of tons or even thousands of tons, this load capacity is too small.

Secondly, since the fuel tank will rock back and forth during the air launch process, only solid rockets can be launched, and liquid rockets cannot be launched.

 Only private space systems that value launch costs will value air launch technology. Other space agencies will never like to use these, and traditional ones are better.

At this time, Chumakov was stunned when he heard Qin Tao said that the White Swan would be used as a platform for air-launched launch vehicles. Is this appropriate?

However, he realized it later. All they needed was an excuse. As long as they had an excuse, they could justifiably sell it!

If it is sold to the East as a strategic bomber, neither the United States nor Mao Zedong will agree. Now, it is sold to a private company to engage in space launches. It has changed from a weapon that threatens mankind to a helper in the exploration of aerospace industry. Who has any reason to interfere?

What's more, Starship Company already has a large number of American rocket experts. By buying these three bombers to Starship Company, Americans will also have access to them.

"Okay, Mr. Qin, that's very kind of you!" Chumakov said: "On behalf of Kiev, I would like to thank you for your generous action, but how much do you plan to pay?"

"Da Mao's quotation is US$20 million for one aircraft, so how about we pay US$100 million for three aircraft?" Qin Tao said: "We are a commercial launcher. If the price is too expensive, then it will not be cost-effective for us. Others They will also doubt our motives."

 Chumakov nodded: "Okay!"

The price of one aircraft is only over 30 million US dollars, which is the price of the Su-27 just now. However, Qin Tao is also right. Commercial companies cannot spend too much money. These aircraft are hot potatoes. There is no money to use them, and if they are sold, there will be very few customers. If they are sold to Americans, they will have to be dismantled. It would be great if these planes could fly into the sky again!

“When this deal is completed, our Mingzhou Group will come to Kiev to invest. We promise that the total investment will not be less than 100 million, and we will help Kiev develop better.” Qin Tao said.

Chumakov smiled broadly: "Okay, okay, Mr. Qin, thank you for your support!"

They say that Mr. Qin is the most generous, which is indeed true. On the surface, he bought it for US$100 million, and will invest again in the future. Moreover, Mr. Qin has always had a good reputation, and he will definitely keep his word.

“However, we also have to prevent accidents. If this transaction cannot be carried out due to external pressure, then you have to..."

 Building an air launch platform is just a gimmick. Everyone knows the whereabouts of these bombers. Therefore, the deal may be terminated due to external pressure. If that is the case, what should be done?

"Mr. Qin, don't worry, we will definitely withstand the pressure." Chumakov quickly assured him that he didn't want to talk about compensation. They didn't have any money to compensate.

 “What if I can’t bear it?”

 Chumakov stopped talking.

"You should have a batch of NK-32 engines in stock in your warehouse, right?" Qin Tao said: "If this deal is forced to be cancelled, how about using these engines to replenish our deposit?"

Eastern already has Tu-22M bombers. When purchasing these bombers, they also purchased a batch of NK-32 engines. However, these are not enough. Lao Maozi's engines have a short life, so naturally the more reserves the better. Even if you get the information about this kind of engine, it will take you many years to copy it.

There are a large number of Tu-22M bombers in Ermao territory, as well as these Tu-160s, all using NK-32. If you can't buy the aircraft, you will take the engines back. In this way, when you build stealth bombers in the future, you may be able to directly Pull it out and use it.

"Okay." Chumakov nodded, as long as he doesn't lose money. As for the engines, they have a lot of them in the warehouse, and they won't be used anyway, so they might as well sell them for money.

 That’s it, the agreement is reached!

 Originally, Qin Tao came to Motor Siqi Company with the intention of visiting the company and finalizing the engine production line. Unexpectedly, he had the opportunity to take away the white swan!

 In the past, he never had any idea of ​​​​the White Swan because without an excuse, any action would be in vain. Now, he finally has a suitable excuse!

Zamotaeva was not present. It was obvious that the meeting was of a very high level. After the discussion was over and she went to inspect the factory, the Mao girl came along to introduce her. However, Zhao Ling accompanied her with a smile. By her side, she had no chance to get close to Qin Tao.

 The news spread quickly around the world.

After receiving the news, Mao was the first to take action and quickly sent a team represented by Grishin to arrive in Kiev aggressively.

"You can't sell the Tu-160. This supersonic bomber is related to our strategic security. We can't let the Easterners get the same strategic bombers as us!" Grishin expressed opposition on behalf of Moscow: "This is against us. Threat! I hope you can take it seriously!"

“Mr. Grishin, since you can sell the Tu-22M to the Easterners, why can’t we sell the Tu-160?” Facing the pressure from Mao, Chumakov immediately began to fight back.

"Damn it, we have never sold the Tu-22M. Who knows how the Easterners could have that kind of weapon in their hands." Grishen said: "Those bombers were flowed out from a third party."

After the Tu-22M appeared in the east, Da Mao immediately guessed that it was Emao. Later, they sent a delegation to come to Emao to check. It turned out that Emao's Tu-22M bombers were all there, so it was not sold by Emao. .

This incident also gave Ermao a good excuse to attack them. You can sell it, but we can’t? Isn't it sold by you, or who sells it?

"Third party?" A smile appeared on Chumakov's face: "Okay, let's not talk about this matter. In short, the aircraft we sell will have all attack and navigation equipment removed. Anyway, the Orientals also They are not using it as a bomber, they are using it for space launches, and they are qualified to use space peacefully."

 “Space launch?”

“That’s right, they use this aircraft as an aerial platform for low-cost space launches,” Chumakov said.

“Do they mean what they say? When they purchased the Varyag, they said it would be transformed into a ship-blocking vessel. What happened?”

"It's not because someone is sabotaging the ship and the ship is blocked and cannot be modified. Besides, the Orientals can build aircraft carriers themselves. Why bother to go to all the trouble to buy a hull here and modify it? They also have catapults and can build them directly. Similar to the American super aircraft carrier. How can you use such malicious intentions to speculate on the Orientals?" Chumakov's face showed disdain: "You are not just to let these Tu-160s fall into our hands, Then you buy it at a low price?"

This batch of Tu-160s is very valuable, but there are very few buyers. They can only be from the United States and Da Mao, but Da Mao offers a low price. The United States has to dismantle them when they buy them back. They are not the best. It is easy to find someone with a high bid. , now, Da Mao has come to stir things up, his motives are obviously impure!

“When it comes to space launches, doesn’t the Mingzhou Group already have the An-225? That big guy can carry hundreds of tons, wouldn’t it be more useful?” Grishin asked the most critical question.

The West is also engaged in space launches. They all use passenger planes. After all, passenger planes have big bellies and can stuff large rockets into them, and then release the rockets when they reach the sky. The Mingzhou Group actually holds the world's largest transport plane. Do you want to buy something like Tu-160?

 Similar problems are also unfolding in the Starship Company.

The resistance from Da Mao has to be handled by Er Mao, but the doubts from the United States have to come through Starship Company. After all, there are a large number of Americans in Starship Company. If they know something, the Americans will also know it. What happened.

After Qin Tao returned from Ermao, he immediately came to Starship Company to arrange the next tasks. The aerospace experts present began to ask questions non-stop.

“Mr. Qin, it would be better to use An-225 to launch spacecraft, right?”

“Yeah, why spend huge sums of money to buy three Tu-160s? Those things are just bombers!”

“Everyone, if you want to go into space now, which one is better, rockets or space shuttles?” Qin Tao began to follow the instructions.

“Of course rockets! Especially our reusable rockets are the best means of transportation!” Max said firmly. In his eyes, there is nothing better than a big rocket.

"Yes, when the space shuttle was developed, it was planned to be reused multiple times to reduce costs. However, so far, the number of reuses of the space shuttle is far from the design needs. Moreover, the number of reuses before each repeated launch is The preparation work was also very tedious, and it turned out that they were wrong, our rocket is safer!"

“So, have you ever thought of other more convenient ways to enter space?”

“Others? Besides rockets and space shuttles, what else?”

“You are all engaged in aerospace, so you should have heard of piggyback spacecraft,” Qin Tao said.

"Mr. Qin, are you saying that you plan to carry a space plane on the back of the Tu-160?" Max reacted: "This kind of technical difficulty is too difficult!"

"However, this can change the history of aerospace. Our Mingzhou Group has a lot of money. If we want to do it, we have to do it big. In addition to our starship plan, we also plan to launch a special aerospace aircraft program." Qin Tao revealed the answer: "The Tu-160 is a large aircraft that can fly up to Mach 2. This is unmatched by other aircraft. Even if the Concorde can fly so fast, it cannot carry a load because its body is not strong enough." , we need to carry a special aerospace plane on the back of the Tu-160. When the carrier aircraft accelerates to Mach 2, the aerospace plane will be released, continue to accelerate in space, and finally enter orbit."

 This explains why the An-225 cannot be used, because this aircraft is not fast enough!

"If Ermao knew about this plan, he might not sell it to us. So, on Ermao's side, I proposed to launch rockets. In fact, rockets are not enough to save fuel. Our aerospace planes will use stamping machines. -Rocket combination variable cycle engine.”

The Americans used a variable cycle engine for the first time on the Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft. At low speeds, it is a turbofan engine. At high speeds, the outer duct is closed and it becomes a turbojet engine. However, this engine still cannot Let the aircraft accelerate to a high enough speed. When it exceeds Mach 3, the compressor is no longer needed. The air that directly hits it can be compressed to a sufficient degree and can directly enter the combustion chamber. This is a ramjet engine.

 The ramjet engine has the simplest structure, but it cannot work at low speeds, so a cycle engine is required.

The project plan proposed by Qin Tao is a variable cycle engine that combines ramjet and rocket. This kind of engine cannot be accelerated from scratch and requires help from the outside world. The Tu-160 can exactly achieve this function.

The Tu-160 took the aerospace plane to an altitude of 20,000 meters and accelerated it to Mach 2. At this speed, the ramjet engine could already start, driving the aerospace plane to continue flying upward until it flew out of the atmosphere. There was no air left. , and then using the rocket engine mode, the aerospace plane can be successfully put into orbit.

“You have this kind of variable cycle engine?” an expert at the scene asked in surprise.

 “Yes, currently in testing.”

Zhao Ling followed Qin Tao and listened to Qin Tao's serious nonsense. Domestic aerospace agencies have not started such a project at all! Because she was engaged in missiles before, she belonged to the aerospace department.

Even in the early piggyback orbit entry plan, it is best for the carrier aircraft to provide a speed of Mach 3 or above, or even Mach 4 or above. This is the best. Therefore, the following carrier aircraft must also have a variable cycle engine. , turbofan and turbojet or even a ramjet combination, the above is a ramjet and rocket combination, which is more secure. The speed of the Tu-160 is too low and simply not enough.

However, these people in front of me seem to have already believed it!

"No, we can't waste precious resources on this project. There are too many technical difficulties in it!" At this moment, Max suddenly became excited: "Since we have chosen a reusable rocket solution, we will We can’t take this route anymore!”

Qin Tao frowned. His deception had worked, but he still ignored some things: Max was a persistent and paranoid guy. Once this guy identified something, he would move on firmly. , Now, I have proposed a new plan, of course this guy will quit!

“Mr. Qin, are you still planning to place this project in Starship Company?” At this moment, another engineer spoke.

“Yes, do we, Mingzhou Group, want to build a second aerospace enterprise? The best aerospace experts in the world are already here!”

“If this is the case, then I think we should accept this project. We need to face more challenges. We must have an innovative spirit. This is the driving force for us to move forward!”

 “No, I won’t agree to it!”

The two sides started arguing.

“After the aircraft arrives, we will set up a dedicated aerospace aircraft design department.”

Hearing Qin Tao's arrangement, Max was even more dissatisfied: "President Qin, if our Starship Company is to be divided, I would rather resign!"

"Max, I can assure you that the group attaches great importance to Starship Company. There will not be any reduction in funding for the rockets currently developed. The newly established department is just to explore more options for entering space. Your attitude is so resolute, are you afraid?"

 “What am I afraid of?” Max glanced at Qin Tao dissatisfied.

“You are afraid that the price/performance ratio of our aerospace plane will exceed that of a starship.”

"How is that possible?" Max said: "It is impossible for this kind of aircraft to fly into Mars. I am not interested in this kind of aircraft."

 The atmosphere of Mars is different from that of Earth, and this variable cycle engine does not make any sense for traveling to Mars.

“However, it can provide more ways to enter space. Our starships always have to stay in the earth’s orbit for a period of time.” Qin Tao said: “It can be used as a taxi for starships.”

"Okay, as long as the funding for our starship project remains unchanged, then I can wait and see." Max gave in. His so-called resignation was just because he was afraid that the starship project would be affected. Now, the taxi proposal mentioned by Qin Tao made He was a little more receptive.

That’s it!

Starship Company has unified its opinions, which means that the United States will not object, because they are still full of expectations for what will happen next. I am afraid that all the technologies developed by Mingzhou Group will fall into their hands, and they are still happy to use Mingzhou Group. State group funds to help them develop.

 Qin Tao stayed at the Starship Company for two days, listened to various reports, inspected the latest progress of the starship, looked at the starship factory that had been built, and gave some encouragement before finally returning to the capital.

When he returned to Gongzhufen, Qin Tao was immediately pulled into the conference room. This time, a large number of leaders from not only the Navy but also the Air Force also came.

"If the navy wants to achieve full carrier-based development in the future, it will definitely not need big guys like White Swan. Mr. Qin, give these three White Swans to our air force!" Mr. Lin and Qin Tao have the best relationship, so When he came up, he asked for: "We have already prepared 100 million US dollars in funds."

“One hundred million U.S. dollars is not enough. Our Mingzhou Group has also promised to invest in Kiev, which requires at least 200 million U.S. dollars.” Qin Tao said.

"Your Mingzhou Group's investment will definitely make money, Mr. Qin, our Air Force's family is not rich, so don't go too far," said Mr. Lin.

"Making money? Things can change over there at any time, and our investment may be deducted at any time. Mr. Lin, our Mingzhou Group has money, but we can't waste it. If the Air Force should provide it, the Air Force must provide it." Qin Tao said: "This extra 100 million belongs to activity funds and cannot be less."

"Okay, let's bite the bullet and come up with another 100 million!" Mr. Lin was very angry.

 (End of this chapter)