However, this also means that the progress will be greatly delayed. After all, the Dongfeng-41 missile is also under development. It will take a while to improve on a missile under development.

Hearing Qin Tao's answer, Wu Shengli nodded: "Yes, that's it. We need to develop on the basis of Dongfeng-41. This will inevitably delay the progress, so we can only wait for the time being. However, we can't wait too long. As long as the giant Once the dimensions of the Lang-3 are revealed, we can design a nuclear submarine according to these dimensions."

When the 092 was built, the Julang-1 was also in the test firing stage. Anyway, the Navy had experimental boats, so the experiments were carried out on the experimental boats first.

 “Well, we’re in no hurry.”

You really shouldn't rush into this kind of thing, take your time. After all, even if the Mingzhou Group has its own aerospace department, it is impossible for it to develop ballistic missiles on its own. All they develop are liquid rockets.

“However, with the commissioning of the 002 aircraft carrier, our navy has an urgent need for comprehensive supply ships, so a bidding meeting for comprehensive supply ships will be held recently. You should be prepared, and the bidding may be held at any time.”

Qin Tao was curious: "Didn't we already be appointed by default? Are we still going to invite bids?"

"Of course it cannot be decided by default, there must be a bidding meeting." Wu Shengli said: "It's just a process. When you start construction at the Qiongzhou shipyard, it may be built at the Qiongzhou shipyard."

 Qin Tao nodded.

In Qin Tao's eyes, this was indeed just a formality, but he didn't expect that a dark horse would actually jump out.

 A few days later, Huanglou, the capital.

Qin Tao, along with Yang Dawei and others, came to bid enthusiastically. The design drawings of the 50,000-ton comprehensive supply ship they had in hand had been completed long ago and were waiting for acceptance by the navy.

When he walked into the familiar conference room, Qin Tao saw some unfamiliar faces.

 A middle-aged man stood up and extended his hand to Qin Tao, who was walking over.

"Mr. Qin, we at Huangpu Shipyard are here to join in the fun." The visitor said, "My name is Zhang Xing, the person in charge of the shipyard. I am also here to participate in the Navy's comprehensive supply ship bidding meeting today."

“Huangpu Shipyard?” Qin Tao stretched out his hand: “Welcome, I hope your bid will be successful.”

“We are just here to join in the fun. Your Mingzhou Group is famous and the project must be yours. We are here to make soy sauce.”

 “Where, where.”

 After a few people exchanged pleasantries, they sat down in their seats.

Yang Dawei's face was a little serious: "This shipyard has a good relationship with the navy leadership."

Yang Dawei certainly knows the internal affairs of the shipbuilding industry.

The Huangpu Shipyard was founded in 1851. It can be regarded as an old shipyard. In October 1949, after Guangzhou was recovered, the People's Liberation Army took over the Huangpu Shipyard and changed it into a naval ship repair yard. It served as the Navy's ship repair base for 60 years. At that time, it was classified as a machine gun and turned into a warship production plant mainly manufacturing submarines.

The name of this factory is unknown, but it is actually closely related to the navy and has produced many naval ships. I am afraid that there are a lot of preparations for coming here this time.

 On the rostrum, all the leaders nodded, and the meeting officially began.

“Our meeting today is mainly to solve the demand for comprehensive supply ships that are in short supply in the Navy. As usual, we still draw lots to decide who will speak on stage first.” Wu Shengli said with a smile: “Of course, you can also ask for it.”

“Leaders, we want to speak first.” Zhang Xing raised his hand: “Let Mingzhou Group be the last one.”

“Okay, you guys come first.” Wu Shengli nodded.

 Zhang Xing walked onto the stage, saluted everyone, then opened his laptop and plugged in the projector.

“The product we are bidding for is a comprehensive supply ship with a full load displacement of 23,000 tons. We believe that the most urgent need for the navy at present is a comprehensive supply ship of this level.”

Isn’t the most urgent thing for the Navy to be an aircraft carrier nanny?

Hearing that his bidder mentioned the displacement, Yang Dawei felt relieved. However, when he looked at Qin Tao, he found that Qin Tao's expression was serious.

 Is this plan possible?

"In recent years, the Navy has launched a wide range of **** activities. These activities have greatly tested the Navy's ocean combat capabilities, and at the same time exposed its shortcomings, which is that the Navy lacks enough **** supply ships. Maritime supplies still rely on the Type 718 Supply ships serve as the main force. These supply ships built in the 1980s are already old. The only advanced supply ships are one obtained from Lao Maozi and one built by the Mingzhou Group. The number is too small. We believe that although the navy The supply needs for the aircraft carrier must be taken into consideration, but the supply needs of the fleet must also be taken into consideration.”

The Type 718 was a supply ship originally developed to carry out the mission of launching launch vehicles into the Pacific Ocean. After that, a total of four ships were built, one for export and three for personal use. These supply ships are still the main force.

Then it was the oil and water supply ship that Qin Tao got from Lao Maozi. It had a full load displacement of more than 30,000 tons. It was big enough, but it was a single oar and its speed was too slow.

 Mingzhou Group mastered the technology by modifying the supply ship and built a brand new ship that can travel almost all over the world without getting a rest at all.

Due to the insufficient funds of the Navy, there are many projects to be supported at the same time, and supply ships have always been placed in a secondary position. Now, seeing that the aircraft carrier formation has become a fleet, it is exactly when comprehensive supply ships are needed, Huangpu Shipyard saw this question.

 Does the Navy really need a comprehensive supply ship with a full load displacement of 50,000 tons?

In normal times, the naval fleet dispatches mainly destroyers and frigates. A displacement of 20,000 tons is enough, and any more is a waste. If aircraft carriers are to be dispatched in the future, the worst case scenario is to dispatch a few more comprehensive supply ships and build a 50,000-ton ship. Yes, it can build two supply ships of more than 20,000 tons, or even more, two or three supply ships. The flexibility of use is far more than that of a comprehensive supply ship of 50,000 tons.

The navy is poor after all. Can it produce 50,000 tons at once?

Yang Dawei also thought of this and his face became gloomy.

"The length of our comprehensive supply ship is 178.5 meters, the width is 24.8 meters, the full load draft is nine meters, and the displacement is 23,000 tons. This comprehensive supply ship can carry 10,500 tons of fuel, 250 tons of water, and 680 tons of dry cargo and ammunition. "Zhang Xing continued: "At the same time, it can also be replenished horizontally, longitudinally, vertically or even by means of help. It has the ability to replenish simultaneously on two sides, three directions and four stations, and can complete fleet replenishment tasks under high sea conditions and complex weather conditions. .”

 The design drawing of this warship was printed on the projector.

 There are two gantry-type supply stations at the front and rear of the ship: a liquid cargo supply rack at the front for replenishing fresh water and fuel; a dry cargo supply rack at the rear for replenishing food, ammunition and mechanical parts. A special helicopter take-off and landing deck is set up at the rear of the hull, which allows helicopters of the Zhiba level to take off and land for vertical supply.

"Considering the current situation of the Navy, we believe that there is no need to blindly pursue high speed, which will result in the cost of building a comprehensive supply ship being too high. We plan to use two diesel engines, dual-shaft propulsion, and a maximum speed of about 20 knots. In this way, the comprehensive supply ship It will be very fuel-efficient, and by the way, if the Navy places an order now, we are confident that the price of this warship will be less than 400 million yuan."

 400 million! It sounds like a lot, but converted according to the exchange rate, this is about 50 million US dollars. It is quite cheap to build a comprehensive supply ship with a displacement of 20,000 tons at this price. Even internationally, it will be quite valuable. competitive.

You know, even for a 054 frigate, the international quotation must be two to three hundred million US dollars. US$50 million, just the price of a carrier-based aircraft, can buy a comprehensive supply ship. This price is absolutely What a bargain.

 Many leaders of the navy opened their eyes instantly.

With a weight of more than 20,000 tons, it is very flexible and can provide supplies to formations composed of destroyers and frigates, as well as ocean-going supplies to aircraft carrier formations. Such a comprehensive supply ship is simply tailor-made for the current navy!

After all, the aircraft carrier formation may not necessarily sail far away, but there will definitely be a destroyer and frigate formation, or even more than one. The number of such supply ships must be sufficient to meet the needs of naval development.

Yang Dawei slowly clenched his fist there. Will he lose this time? For the Mingzhou Group, this kind of supply ship does not make much money, but it is a facade. What project did the Mingzhou Group fail at? It would be very embarrassing if someone else robbed us of our business this time!

Moreover, we also have plans similar to theirs, but we just haven’t put them forward.

He looked at Qin Tao again and found that Mr. Qin had calmed down and his eyes had softened.

 Is Mr. Qin already confident?

“Okay, that’s all we will introduce, and the rest of the time will be given to Mingzhou Group.” Zhang Xing finished introducing the entire project, saluted the people on the rostrum again, and then walked down.

“The plan of Huangpu Shipyard just opened our eyes. Now, let’s listen to the design plan of Mingzhou Group.” Wu Shengli said: “Please send a representative of Mingzhou Group to introduce it.”

Yang Dawei asked softly: "Mr. Qin, shall I go up?" "I'd better do it." Qin Tao sighed.

I have always focused on the supply of aircraft carriers, ignoring the actual needs of the navy, and also allowed other bidding units to take advantage of the loopholes.

However, this is fine. Through bidding, the best plan can be selected. This is also the advantage of bidding. If one unit always wins, then this unit will definitely become complacent and not make progress over time. When you meet an opponent, you don't think about the opponent's advantages, but think about how to nip the opponent in the bud, and then gain profits through monopoly. The dragon slayer will eventually turn into an evil dragon.

There are too many examples like this. This is what many domestic Internet companies did after they developed.

"First of all, I would like to express my opinion. This project of Huangpu Shipyard is very good." Qin Tao said: "I think the navy does need this kind of comprehensive supply ship."

At this time, Zhang Xing had already walked downstairs and was just about to sit down when he heard Qin Tao say this. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up and thanked: "Thank you, Mr. Qin, for the compliment."

"In the future, our navy will go to the ocean and may need to appear on many occasions at the same time. We will use 055 to take 052, or use 052 to take 054 to form a formation and sail anywhere in the world. This project of Huangpu Shipyard is just right. To meet the needs of the Navy, I think the Navy will need to place an order for at least ten ships."

Wu Shengli was a little curious on stage. What do you mean? Are you planning to withdraw?

“However, if this kind of comprehensive supply ship is used to supply the aircraft carrier formation, I think there are many shortcomings.” Qin Tao finally changed the topic and started to talk about business.

 This thing is good, but it is for destroyer and frigate formations. What are we discussing now?

 It is a comprehensive supply ship for the aircraft carrier, not a comprehensive supply ship for the destroyer and frigate formation!

"This kind of project from our brother units can only carry a maximum of 10,000 tons of fuel. Moreover, I don't know if it can be divided into different compartments to put different fuels. However, our aircraft carrier formations use different fuels. For example, our aircraft carriers use different fuels. Ships use diesel engines and gas turbines, which burn diesel. Our aircraft carriers use boilers, which burn heavy oil. The carrier-based aircraft on our aircraft carriers use aviation fuel. Moreover, the aircraft carrier’s aviation fuel is replenished every time. , it would require about 5,000 tons.”

 The leaders on the rostrum began to think deeply again.

Huangpu Shipyard's plan is obviously aimed at cost-effectiveness. The navy has no money, so it is impossible to spend huge sums of money to purchase big ships. They are taking an economical approach. They can provide a comprehensive supply ship with 400 million yuan, which is absolutely worth it. .

 But, can a bid be successful if the price is cheap? That still depends on whether it meets the needs of the navy!

"This means that if it is a 20,000-ton comprehensive supply ship, only one cannot meet the supply needs of the aircraft carrier formation. At least two are needed to meet the navy's primary supply needs."

"Even if there are two ships, they are not very expensive." A leader present said: "The design plan of your Mingzhou Group will definitely be more expensive than the two ships, right?"

"Wait, I haven't finished talking yet." Qin Tao said: "This is just to provide supplies to the aircraft carrier formation. There is another problem, which is the frequency of replenishment. Generally speaking, for an aircraft carrier formation in high-intensity use, one week A fuel replenishment is required. According to the design plan of the brother unit, the maximum speed can only reach 20 knots. It will take longer to travel between the aircraft carrier formation and the rear home port. Simple calculation, if the aircraft carrier formation is three thousand nautical miles away from the rear, In this place, it takes about seven days to reach a speed of twenty knots, which means that to support the operation of an aircraft carrier formation, six total supply ships of this level are needed."

 Six ships!

 The leaders present opened their eyes wide.

"Among them, two are refueling the aircraft carrier formation, two are on their way back, and two are loading cargo at the port and setting off again. Only in this way can the consumption of the aircraft carrier formation be met." Qin Tao said: "The huge scale of the supply ship will not only affect supply efficiency, but also increases the risk of detection and attack.”

 The leaders began to think deeply.

Yes, one ship is enough to supply the destroyer and frigate formations, but if it is to be used to supply the aircraft carrier formations, the supply volume is too large and the displacement is small, so it is not cost-effective!

"Now, let me introduce the advantages of our 50,000-ton comprehensive supply ship." Qin Tao said: "Our comprehensive supply ship can carry 15,000 tons of ship fuel and 5,000 tons of aviation kerosene for carrier-based aircraft at one time. , 500 tons of fresh water, and 3,000 tons of dry cargo ammunition. In this way, only one aircraft carrier is needed to meet the needs of the entire aircraft carrier formation."

"At the same time, our comprehensive supply ship will be more efficient. We have four supply stations on the port side and three on the starboard side. This can greatly speed up the supply speed, replenish oil and dry cargo at the same time, and can also supply three combat ships at the same time. supply."

 The design plan of Mingzhou Group appeared on the projection screen, and Qin Tao explained the design plan.

"Moreover, we plan to use a 40-megawatt gas turbine as the main engine. This kind of main engine has a high output power and can allow our integrated supply ship to reach a speed of thirty knots. This not only shortens the time during the round trip, but also We can keep up with the pace of the aircraft carrier formation. We only need two of the six supply ships of the brother units. One will accompany the aircraft carrier formation and supply supplies at any time, and the other will return to load cargo and catch up."

It is impossible for a comprehensive supply ship to arrive at the fleet just in time and start supplying immediately. Otherwise, if something delays it and it is late, wouldn't it mean that the fleet will be disrupted?

Comprehensive supply ships may follow the formation for several days or even ten days, and wait until the fleet's fuel is consumed before replenishing. This involves another major issue: speed.

With the exception of 054, the speed of various warships can reach 30 knots. If a comprehensive supply ship does not have this speed, it will fall behind in the formation, which means danger on the battlefield.

The only comprehensive supply ship of more than 30,000 tons in the hands of the Navy has a maximum speed of only 15.5 knots. During the operation, I fully realized this inconvenience. Now, if the comprehensive supply ship is lowered because it is cheap, Speed, wouldn't that be a big problem?

 The leaders nodded again.

“What Mr. Qin said makes sense!”

 Zhang Xing smiled bitterly below. When he started to introduce, these naval leaders were very interested. He thought it would be successful. Unexpectedly, as soon as Mr. Qin came up, he immediately turned the tables!

“Mr. Qin, how much does this comprehensive supply ship designed by your Mingzhou Group cost?”

 This involves another issue of cost-effectiveness. If the price is too high, it is definitely not cost-effective.

 “One billion.”

 “Renminbi or US dollars? You have to make this clear.”

"When we bid domestically, what are the dollars?" Qin Tao said: "Of course it is RMB. Our comprehensive supply ship is 241 meters long, 32 meters wide, and has a full load displacement of 48,000 tons. Using two 40-megawatt gas turbines, we can Control the cost to one billion yuan."

"How did you do it?" Zhang Xing was curious. He had always been an audience when Mr. Qin was talking, but now he had to ask questions.

They were able to control the 20,000-ton comprehensive supply ship to 400 million, which is already very good. They tried their best to reduce the cost and finally got such a quotation. They originally thought that the quotation of such a big guy from Mingzhou Group would be 2 billion. Around one billion, I didn’t expect it to be only one billion!

"Because these are all matched by ourselves." Qin Tao said: "We have our own engines, our own propellers, our own steel plates, and even the gantry above, we can produce it ourselves, and we can get internal matching prices. , of course it is very cheap. If we export it, we will sell it for at least 300 million US dollars."

 50,000 tons, which is the tonnage of a medium-sized aircraft carrier, and its speed can reach 30 knots. How can the price of this kind of warship be cheap? The purchase price of the Americans' own comprehensive supply ship is more than 600 million US dollars. If Mingzhou Group sells this comprehensive supply ship, it will cost at least 300 million US dollars. It can only be used for its own army at such a cheap price.

 Hearing what Qin Tao said, the naval leaders on the rostrum knew what was going on.

One ship of 50,000 tons is equivalent to the supply volume of three ships of 20,000 tons. The price is only 2.5 times. The speed is still fast and the performance is advanced. Of course, we must purchase the Mingzhou Group’s solution!

“Mr. Qin gave a very detailed introduction. The price of one billion yuan is not as good as the price we can build a 054. I think we can choose the Mingzhou Group’s plan!”

Yang Dawei was very happy when he heard the leader's decision. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. Thanks to Mr. Qin who came up to introduce it, if it were him, he might not be able to make the navy leader change his mind.

Modern warships are mainly expensive in weapons and equipment. Although the 054 has a displacement of only 4,000 tons and uses a diesel engine, it uses advanced electronic equipment and a large number of hanging hair, etc., which all push up its price. .

The comprehensive supply ship is actually a shell, similar to a cargo ship, and it can be equipped with gantry and other professional equipment.

Although there must be weapons on it, they are usually just close-range anti-cannons. The design of Mingzhou Group is already advanced enough. In addition to close-in anti-cannons, it also reserves space for vertically launching missiles when needed. Install again. Coupled with a sea search radar for cargo ships and a data link, this is enough. There are very few electronic equipment and the price is naturally cheap.

Even the propulsion system does not require a ship-wide integrated power system, and there is no big power consumer on it. It can just use the gas turbine to drive the propeller. Use one gas turbine at low speed and use it alternately. Use two gas turbines at high speed. Will suffice.

 Everything follows the principle of lowest cost.

Zhang Xing also smiled bitterly and shook his head. Of course they knew that they could not compete with Mingzhou Group. They just wanted to work hard. Now that the results have come out, their efforts are meaningless.

  Can't compare to others at all.

"Dear leaders, I said at the beginning that the plan of the brother unit is very good and can meet the urgent needs of our navy, and it will require more than ten ships. So, don't you consider the plan of the brother unit? Qin Tao asked.

“Mr. Qin, what do you mean?”

 “That’s right, you’ve confused us.”

"What is so difficult to understand? What I mean is that both options can be adopted. Order a 50,000-ton vessel from us, and order several 20,000-ton vessels from our brother units. Ours is for the aircraft carrier formation. Use it, the brother units will be used by the destroyer and frigate formations."

 Thanks to Qin Tao's development of the Gwadar Port, the naval formation that goes to **** the Gulf of Aden can berth at the Gwadar Port. Otherwise, the Navy's existing comprehensive supply ships are simply not enough!

 Now, it’s time for the navy to quickly build comprehensive supply ships, and it’s time to build a few more ships!