The military-industrial scientific research system of the academic master

At the same time.

At the air show, in the ground exhibition area.

Although the A380 performing a flight show in the sky attracted the attention of most media and audiences, the Chinese delegation, which brought real aircraft to the exhibition for the second time since 1998, also accurately attracted the attention of some potential users.

It was because the aircraft marked as Yun-9/Yun-9 stood out from the crowd.

Although China had sent non-combat models such as the Xianzhou 60, C808 and Yun-8F to participate in the air show many years ago, no matter what their specific performance was, these aircraft could still clearly show traces of Soviet design at a glance.

In short, it lacked a bit of elegance, and the workmanship details were not very flattering.

But this time, the core exhibits brought by the Chinese changed the stereotypes left by the past.

Not only did the overall design begin to lean towards the European style that was more easily accepted by the market, but even the details of the prototype's putty were much better than before.

Instead, it was a bit like their performance in the helicopter field.

However, this aircraft was obviously designed independently by China, because there is no model that is even slightly similar.

If you have to say, it is a bit close to a C17 with a smaller size and two fewer engines.

And this is obviously an advantage for most potential customers.

Perhaps the only thing that may cause some concerns is that this aircraft uses a turbofan engine designed and produced by China itself.

And China is obviously aware of this, so it also brought a full-size model of the engine called WS-20 while exhibiting the aircraft itself.

And it also stated that in the export version, users can choose another engine according to their actual needs.

Although no more details about this optional solution were disclosed, it was guaranteed that the optional model came from a "well-known international supplier".

At this time in 2006, the old C130 transport aircraft equipped by many countries have gradually reached the end of their service life, and the latest C130J Super Hercules is still in the early stages of delivery, with production capacity not yet expanded and mainly for the US military's own use.

So the emergence of the Y-9 is equivalent to being stuck at a very clever generation node.

Especially for many countries, with the advent of the new century, the "military" color of transport aircraft is gradually decreasing. In many cases, they just need an aircraft with a large enough volume, a ramp door, and convenient loading and unloading to perform routine transportation tasks.

In this way, the already not-so-obvious damage resistance and reliability advantages of the four-engine turboprop configuration have become even more insignificant.

So, even before the A380's performance ended, many interested users had gathered around the Y-9 prototype.

Many of them wore classic white headscarves.

These oilmen don't care about the extra money and oil spent on the C130J, but the thing in front of them has the range and comfort of a passenger plane at a glance, and it only needs a very simple modification to be transformed into an aerial refueling aircraft, which is more in line with the needs of the new era.

Especially the UAE Air Force has already bought a batch of early warning aircraft jointly developed by China and France, and now there is no psychological burden.

That look is almost like telling someone to "take my money and leave my plane."

Of course, this Y-9 will have to undertake a lot of test tasks in the future, and it is impossible to really sell it no matter how much money the other party offers.

But it is enough to make Liang Shaoxiu, who saw this kind of scene for the first time, very happy...

...

Compared to the Middle Eastern brother who clearly showed his intention to purchase, the other group of people seemed very restrained.

Several exhibitors with Rolls-Royce ID cards hanging around their necks were gathered at the entrance of the Huaxia exhibition area, looking far away at the aircraft booth about a hundred meters away.

Extending farther in this direction is the main runway of Changi Airport.

Therefore, almost everyone would subconsciously think that their eyes should be focused on the A380 that has lowered its landing gear and is slowly lowering its altitude to land.

However, for the technicians, the research and development and testing tasks of the Trent 900 have basically come to an end, and the next step is the mass production and market competition, which does not actually require them to pay too much attention.

On the contrary, the NGME project, which is still in an undisclosed state, can better represent the future.

However, due to the improper operation of MTU and Pratt \u0026 Whitney, Rolls-Royce has already lost at the starting line in this competition and can only take the risk of cooperating with a non-traditional partner like Huaxia Gaofa Group.

Although the latter serves as a core supplier in the Trent 900 project and cooperates with Snecma to launch the currently quite competitive small turbofan engine SeA650, it has never had any experience in the research and development of trunk-level aviation power.

The main purpose of the Rolls-Royce group's visit is to take advantage of the precious opportunity of the Singapore Air Show to get a feel for the formal negotiations that are about to begin.

"What do you think of this aircraft compared to the A400M?"

Tim Bodie asked the other people who followed him, holding a railing with one hand.

"A400M... I think they are not models of the same level?"

The first person to speak was assistant Blair Liggins, who had become a close member of the latter after visiting Huaxia with Bodie.

"That's right."

Bodie shrugged:

“But I have a feeling… the Chinese may have really found the right way to open a medium-sized transport aircraft… and judging from the naming habits, they are also preparing to equip this model themselves, which shows that they have enough confidence in performance and stability.”

At this time, Chuck Gibson, the NGME project operations officer who was holding a camera next to him, also turned his head:

“I have specifically estimated through satellite photos that the previous version equipped with the PS90A engine only conducted about 20% of the total number of test flights, and the remaining 80% were conducted by this and another prototype equipped with Chinese domestic engines, indicating that this model at least did not have particularly serious failures or technical problems.”

In fact, there are only two prototypes of the Y-9 used for test flights so far, but the No. 01 aircraft later removed the PS90A and replaced it with a new paint and a new turbofan 20, which led to the general belief of outside observers who did not know the reason that there was another No. 3 prototype.

But the conclusion is indeed very reliable.

After hearing this, Bodi hummed lightly, with a somewhat complicated expression on his face-

On the one hand, now that Rolls-Royce has decided to jointly develop the next generation of medium-sized turbofan engines with China, it is obviously a good thing that the partner has a stronger technical level.

At least it will be easier to compete with the Pratt \u0026 Whitney/MTU consortium.

But on the other hand, Rolls-Royce also hopes to have an absolute dominant position in the cooperation.

Even if Gaofa Group cannot be regarded as a parts supplier like Trent 900, it must at least ensure that NGME is a model belonging to Rolls-Royce, not to the other party.

But now there is no shadow of Rolls-Royce's technical solutions, while China's turbofan 20 has been installed and tested for a total of thousands of hours.

And there has been no major problems.

In other words, the new model of the cooperation between the two parties is likely to be based on the overall design of the other party, supplemented by some core technologies provided by Rolls-Royce for improvement.

What is the point of taking the lead?

It's good not to become someone else's supplier...

For a while, Bodi couldn't help but immerse himself in the emo of the reverse Tiangang.

About ten minutes later, the A380's aerial performance was completely over, and the area around the Y-9 booth began to be cleared, preparing to tow the aircraft to the next apron for preparations before the flight performance.

As the only real aircraft on display left, the number of visitors gathered in the Huaxia exhibition area also decreased rapidly, and soon only a dozen sparse figures were left.

"Let's go, let's take a closer look."

Although Gaofa Group brought only a model this time, it was very sincere.

Not only was the size and appearance restored to 1:1, there was even a transparent section that could directly see the internal structure.

Bodi and his team were also well prepared this time, with telescopes, cameras, and telephoto lenses.

It was just that it was a bit too conspicuous to take out these things under the attention of the public, so they had been waiting for this sparsely populated opportunity.

The group walked into the Huaxia exhibition area in a mighty manner, and went straight to the WS-20 model booth with a clear goal, and then took notes and took photos.

After all, there were many people at the scene, so more specific technical analysis work must be done after returning.

Therefore, after Bodi walked around the fence a few times, his attention was inevitably attracted to the surroundings.

Then...

He saw a wheeled chassis with an amazing length and a large number of axles.

"The Chinese brought long-range ballistic missiles to the exhibition?"

Bodi's eyes almost popped out.

Although it is almost known that China has conducted what may be the only international trade of medium-range ballistic missiles so far, it was done in secret after all.

Now it is directly placed on the air show booth, which is a bit too bold.

Driven by curiosity, he took two steps at a time and walked to the exquisitely crafted model.

But he only saw a line of English letters on the nameplate below:

Space Rapid Response Service "Orbital Express".

In response to emergencies such as natural disasters, the launch and orbital entry can be completed within a week at the shortest...

Small satellites do not need to wait for a ride, the launch cost is low, and the launch schedule is flexible...

...

"Isn't this exactly the business that SpaceX promoted some time ago?"