Spark

Just when Chen Nian urgently contacted Lei Gang to report the situation because he recalled the AL-31FN engine procurement incident, in the conference room of AVIC No. 1 Group, the negotiation that was about to change the pattern of Huaxia Aviation Development Industry and even the aviation industry had already begun.

On one side of the conference room, Wang Ming, a representative of AVIC Group, flipped through the report in his hand feigning displeasure, and said to the Russian representative:

"Marokov, you should know what I'm holding."

"This is an accident report on the J-10. In just three months, we have received two similar reports."

"Also, the causes of these two accidents are surprisingly consistent—both were caused by your AL-31FN engine."

"The most recent time, our pilot completely lost power at a low altitude of 3,000 meters. If it weren't for his extraordinary skills, our third-generation aircraft has not officially entered service, and we would have to bear the price of life!"

"Aren't you going to explain this situation?"

Seeing his stern expression, Marokov on the opposite side spread his hands and replied:

"Dear Ming, my friend."

"I think we've discussed this issue many times before."

"The performance of the AL-31FN engine is absolutely reliable, and its performance has been proven on the Su-27."

"Whether it is power or stability, it is not weaker than the F100 installed on the F-16 by those Yankees."

"The main reason why there are frequent problems is not the engine, but the J-10 itself."

Speaking of this, Marokov deliberately paused for a moment, staring into Wang Ming's eyes, as if he wanted to put pressure on him in this way.

"Ming, I guess you know this too, right?"

"The J-10 fighter jets currently using AL-31FN are all 'improved', including the fuselage, air inlet, and fuel system, which are all different from your original design."

"This modification was supposed to fit our engine, but it's clear that it didn't fit particularly well"

"So you're saying that the problem with the engine was caused by us instead?"

Wang Ming interrupted Marokov and asked angrily.

"Why not?"

"We have noticed that in order to adapt to the AL-31FN, the aerodynamic layout of the J-10 fighter has been greatly changed compared with the original version. Obviously, such changes have seriously affected the aerodynamic performance of this aircraft."

"Especially when maneuvering at high speeds and large angles, the lift coefficient of the aircraft will be severely reduced, which greatly increases the load on the engine."

"We've checked the engine's operating data. The accidents you mentioned all happened under contingency thrust, didn't they?"

Marokov took a sip of the coffee on the table with a relaxed expression, and pointed to the report on the table.

He didn't feel any guilt in his heart, let alone worry about this so-called "question".

Yes, something went wrong with the AL-31FN, but so what?

Will the Huaxia people really cancel the order for this engine because of this?

Do they have other options?

impossible.

Therefore, the purpose of the opening questioning is not to ask questions at all, but to give both parties a step down.

As long as you come up with relatively decent reasons and make certain concessions on the purchase terms, those orders that have been confirmed long ago will never fly away.

".Emergency thrust is not an excuse for you to avoid responsibility. If there is a problem with the su-27, are you going to explain it to your own officers in this way?"

Wang Ming wanted to continue arguing, but he didn't know the bottom line.

He just wanted to trick Marokov and see if he could get more information from him.

In fact, based on the evidence he currently has, it is simply impossible to analyze the real cause of the AL-31FN failure.

Even, as Marokov said, all the engine-related accidents that occurred in the early J-10 were caused by unconventional high-overload maneuvers.

In the opinion of many relevant experts, the reason for the frequent failures is probably because the airframe design does not match the performance of the engine.

However, for his questioning, Marokov looked confident.

He smiled gently, and replied:

"Of course I wouldn't explain it to our own pilots, because on the SU-27, such problems simply don't happen."

"Of course, after the birth of this engine, it did experience large and small failures."

"For example, the drive shaft is not lubricated enough, the blade is broken, etc."

“We solve problems realistically every time, and we are constantly optimizing them.”

"You also know that the AL-31FN we exported to China is actually the third version after iteration, and this is our commitment."

"If there are indeed design defects in the follow-up AL-31FN, we will definitely be responsible to the end."

"Of course, we don't think something like this is going to happen."

An imperceptible cunning flashed in Marokov's eyes, but none of the Chinese personnel present noticed.

"In this case, I hope you will issue a complete accident analysis report and give us an explanation."

"Otherwise, we will have to reconsider the subsequent procurement plan."

Wang Ming said with a serious expression.

"Of course, of course, you can rest assured of that, my friend!"

The smile on Marokov's face became more and more sincere, and as Wang Ming closed the accident report in his hand, the procurement negotiation officially started.

Two hours later, the first round of negotiations ended. After the Russian representatives left, the Chinese representatives reunited in the conference room to review the results of the first round of negotiations.

"I don't think we have put enough pressure on them. The other party's price is too high. If we purchase at this price, our unit cost will rise significantly."

"And that's without taking into account the cost of subsequent repairs."

"The working time of this engine is generally only 400 hours, and our pilot training time will reach 600 hours, that is to say, at least two engines are needed to cultivate a combat-capable J-10."

"So, based on that, I think we're going to have to at least halve the price."

It was a young representative who spoke, and Wang Ming nodded upon hearing his speech.

"That's something we're thinking about too."

"The reason for arranging an accident inquiry before formal negotiations is to put pressure on the other party."

"However, the data in our hands is really too little. When facing them, it is impossible to produce substantive evidence."

"From that angle, the likelihood of an outcome in our favor is low."

Hearing his words, everyone nodded.

Everyone knows that there is a problem with the AL-31FN, but no one knows what the problem is.

This situation is really frustrating.

Skills are inferior to others, and you don't even know where the other party is wrong!

You know that the other party is wrong, but when they use various reasons to explain it away, you have no way to refute it!

After a moment, the young man continued:

"If this is the case, can you just not buy it? After all, it seems that this engine is not reliable enough at present."

"Don't buy it? What's the use if you don't buy it? Are you really waiting for WS-10?"

The voice fell, and there was silence in the conference room.

Yeah, if you don't use this engine, what else can you use?

Wang Ming sighed deeply, and at this moment, his mobile phone rang suddenly.

On the other end of the phone was his immediate boss, Lin Yongming, general manager of AVIC No.1 Group.

"Boss Lin, tell me."

"Negotiations? Negotiations went well, but the first round must have been fruitless."

"Well, there is indeed something wrong, but from the current data analysis, the problem with the engine itself is not serious."

"I see, I see wait? What? Say it again?"

"Pause? Self-developed engine!? True or false?!"