Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

A penny can stump a hero, and a single sentence left Zhang Long speechless.

They wanted to participate in the joint venture with Rolls-Royce because the project had high development prospects. After all, Rolls-Royce's engines represented the world's most advanced aviation engine technology, while theirs was twenty years behind. Was there even a choice?

But without money, everything was just talk.

Seeing the dim expression on Zhang Long's face, Qin Yang continued, "Engineer Zhang, although we have a joint venture with Rolls-Royce, the Y-10 still has a four-engine version. As long as you mature the WS-8, there will still be a market for it in the future."

The WS-8 was developed, but no one dared to use it. The current Y-10 uses Boeing 707 parts because airliners need mature engines.

Back then, the WS-8 was crucial for two models. Not only would the Y-10 use it, but the planned H-8 bomber would as well.

This engine was a copy of the American JT3D. As the first generation commercial turbofan engine, it had a bypass ratio of only 1.37, practically a turbojet among turbofans. Its thrust-to-weight ratio was only 4.22. All the data was very backward, but this engine was mature and reliable, and quickly became the mainstay of the American aviation industry.

It was precisely because it was 1960s Western technology that the East was able to copy it. If they were to copy advanced engines of the 1980s Western level, they would not be able to reach the required materials and processes, making it impossible to copy.

But after all, twenty years had passed, and it was indeed outdated. Zhang Long did not believe Qin Yang's statement that the WS-8 had a market.

Seeing Zhang Long's expression, Qin Yang said, "Engineer Zhang, civil aviation requires advanced and mature engines with high thrust, low fuel consumption, and low overall operating costs. Therefore, Rolls-Royce's engines are more suitable for the Y-10, even if the Y-10 undergoes some improvements for this. However, there are also some situations that require four-engine aircraft."

"What situations?"

"The military," Qin Yang said. "The military also needs a large number of Y-10s, such as AWACS, aerial refueling tankers, and electronic warfare aircraft. These aircraft all need four-engine Y-10s. Conservatively estimated, the military's procurement quantity will be more than thirty aircraft. As long as your WS-8 matures, there will be a demand for more than one hundred units, enough for your factory to continue operating."

The production of aviation engines is not very high. Many are handmade. Producing a dozen or so a year is already a lot. More than a hundred units can be produced for ten years. Although Changzheng Machinery Factory cannot make a lot of money, it is still no problem to maintain operations.

Military transport aircraft never prioritize fuel efficiency. The first requirement for military use is reliability. Therefore, there are not many cases of twin-engine airliners being used as military airliners. The American E-3 AWACS uses four-engine Boeing aircraft, and only the later E-7 used twin-engine airliners because there were no four-engine aircraft available at that time.

Military transport aircraft, C-130, C-17, C-5, the old Soviet Union's Il-76, An-124, etc., these aircraft are all four-engine aircraft, even if there are two larger engines, they do not want to change.

Why?

Of course, it is for reliability.

If one of the four engines fails, the remaining three engines can continue to perform the mission, and the power reduction will not be too much. If it is a twin-engine aircraft, one failure will lose half of the power, and it would be good to be able to return safely.

The military will be a loyal supporter of four-engine airliners.

The military has many needs. At least four AWACS aircraft are needed to maintain continuous aerial search. Four or even more electronic warfare aircraft are also needed. As for aerial refueling tankers, ten or twenty are just barely enough, and fifty are not too many.

Therefore, there is still a great demand for four-engine Y-10s.

If the price is cheap, some air cargo companies may also purchase them. In short, the WS-8 has a market, and it will not be impossible to sell even one.

"General Manager Qin, really?" Zhang Long was skeptical of Qin Yang's words.

"As long as the engine quality is reliable, not to mention using it for the Y-10, it is even possible to use it as a backup engine for the Boeing 707. However, if the quality is not good, then the Y-10 definitely cannot use it either. Engineer Zhang, you should understand what I mean."

Seeing that the other party still didn't believe it, Qin Yang could only explain the matter more clearly.

Reverse engineering and copying the JT3D engine used by the Boeing 707, of course, there are many uses. Not to mention using it for the Y-10, it can even be used for the Boeing 707, you know, this is a big market!

In 1972, with that famous historical event, the East ordered 10 Boeing 707s from Boeing, and since then, Boeing aircraft have flown into the skies of the East. The East also began the history of purchasing Boeing airliners, purchasing for decades.

These aircraft also need to have their engines replaced. If one's own engine quality is reliable, of course, it can also be used to replace the engines of domestic Boeing 707s. If one wants to further open up the market, one may even be able to replace the engines of some foreign Boeing 707s. This is a very large market!

The premise is that the quality is excellent. If the quality is not good, then the engine has no market at all!

"Currently, we do not have large transport aircraft of the Il-76 level, but the Navy and Air Force both need this kind of advanced large transport aircraft. We can only develop and produce it ourselves. These transport aircraft also need advanced high-thrust turbofan engines. The project that Rolls-Royce and we are jointly engaged in is for civilian use, and they will not give us military licenses."

The thrust of the Il-76's transport aircraft engine is more than 100 kilonewtons, which is larger than the WS-8, but as long as the WS-8 matures, by changing to a slightly larger bypass ratio, the thrust will increase. In short, there must be an independent one first.

"Joint ventures are joint ventures, and independent research is independent research. No matter when, we cannot give up independent research," Qin Yang continued. "Foreigners will not give us the most advanced technology. They are only interested in our market. They only want to make money from us and do not want to give us technology."

Zhang Long nodded solemnly. After Qin Yang said so much, he had completely understood.

Foreigners are unreliable. Joint ventures with foreign countries are only for serving civil aviation and selling the Y-10 better. Their WS-8 is still meaningful. The key is maturity!

"General Manager Qin, we will definitely develop the WS-8 to maturity as soon as possible. Provide our country and army with a reliable engine!" Zhang Long said.

"Yes, that is necessary. However, you can also send some technicians to participate in our Tianjiao Aviation to learn some experience from the advanced British engine production technology, and then use it to improve our WS-8."

Qin Yang refused them to join at the beginning, but now, he has issued an invitation again. There is a difference between the two. He only wants people!