Chapter 1553 The Improved Engine Continuation

In fact, it is very risky to support Zhao Yanyan to reopen a turboshaft engine project.

Not to mention the investment required in the design team, the definite selection of various wind tunnel optimization schemes in the design process requires a huge cost. Not to mention the design itself, the cost of the materials used is astonishingly high.

You must know that the process flow of this rhenium-containing superalloy of Zhengyifang Technology has not yet been determined, and it can only be prepared in the laboratory. The cost of research and development and testing invested before is directly one billion. In the case of separate preparation, the cost of materials per ton may exceed tens of millions of dollars. In terms of material costs alone, the cost of a turboshaft engine may exceed 20 million U.S. dollars, which is ten times higher than the 2 million U.S. dollars of a Black Hawk helicopter engine.

This is only the material cost, the fat man didn't even mention the processing cost. You should know that most of the impellers of this turboshaft engine are processed in one piece. Before the supporting 3D printing technology was developed, only Fatty could process this precision.

Perhaps the cost will drop significantly after the material production process and 3D printing technology are completed, but the current two test prototype samples, including the research and development costs, exceed RMB 1.5 billion. Even for the time being, the biggest material cost is currently paid by Zhengyifang Technology, but the country can't take advantage of the company like this, it still has to pay, at most it can be delayed for a while.

That's not to mention, there is already another project of the same type of turboshaft 9 in China, which is a taboo in research and development.

Under the current situation, General Chu and the leaders of the final assembly are also under tremendous pressure to reject all opinions and spend huge sums of money to decisively establish the project of this turboshaft engine. On the one hand, they had confidence in Zhao Yanyan and her team, on the other hand, it was because of Guo Tailai.

There is already a mature product for a marine turbine engine, and the optimization principle for the Black Hawk engine has been discussed, which has great feasibility. In addition, in terms of processing, even the most powerful CNC machining center in China can't match the processing technology. This gave General Chu and the leaders of the final assembly a strong reassurance. Since it is possible, why not try it?

Finally, under heavy pressure and doubts from all parties, the project persisted for more than a year, and before the end of this year, I got this huge good news.

Although the off-site test run has not yet been done, although the operating life has not yet been calibrated, but according to the current test situation and Zhao Yanyan's estimation, it is not a problem to reach thousands of hours in the initial stage. However, I dare not say this to the outside world. I can only rely on the long-term test run on the test bench to give actual support. Zhao Yanyan has attached a follow-up test plan after the test report. Starting next week, 50 hours of continuous long-term testing will be carried out. test drive.

While taking a reassurance, General Chu couldn't help being amazed. Is it not the first time that China has independently produced aero-engines? Every time, whether it is imported or self-designed, there will always be problems of one kind or another during the first test run, and there has never been a successful time. Zhao Yanyan's design team obviously set a record.

General Chu immediately rushed to the leader's office with the test report to report. Looking at the test report, the leader looked at it intently for more than ten minutes, and the first thing he said when he raised his head was suppressed surprise and asked General Chu: "Is there any problem with this test report?"

"Although the design team also participated in the testing process, the testing team belongs to another unit, and the maintenance team belongs to a third unit." General Chu gave the perfect answer in just one sentence.

It's not a unit's test team, so there's no need to cheat with the design team, right? What's more, there are maintenance teams from different units. How likely is it that the three units collectively falsify? This is a military project, who dares?

The leader stood up, with an excited smile on his face, and walked back and forth in the office a few times with his hands behind his back. General Chu could hear the deep breathing sound in his nose when sitting on the sofa.

"Who else can question me now?" The leader's voice was filled with a sense of relief, as well as the pride of persevering to the end: "Who else?"

General Chu fully understands the mood of the leader at the moment. The total military expenditure of the whole country this year has not exceeded 200 billion, and more than one billion has been thrown into one project. Faced with many doubts, the pressure is not ordinary. Well now, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Organize a meeting immediately!" The leader pondered for a while, and finally stopped and instructed: "Wu Zhishi's chief division and unit leaders must attend, as well as experts from the army, aviation and air force, come to the final assembly, no! Go to the test site for a meeting Encouraging our heroes at the scene, and it happened to be with the engine design team to study the plan of engine installation test."

At this time, no one at the scene knew that such a thing would happen. When a group of senior leaders with the rank of generals and several non-military personnel appeared on the test site, Zhao Yanyan and others were conducting 50 hours of continuous long-term testing with the test team. The test run has reached the final stage, and the first time can be completed in another four or five hours.

All the experts who were completely unbelievable and incredible when they saw the test report, saw the two real engines being tested at the actual test site at the moment, looked at the series of data curves on the test equipment, and watched the site according to the The data measured by their requirements for adjustments were all dumbfounded.

Hearing is believing, seeing is believing, now no one thinks it is exaggeration, no one thinks it is grandstanding, only the disbelief on the face and the ecstasy in the heart are left.

Every expert who is qualified to stand here is a staunch patriot. Who doesn't want to see the country independently develop and produce aero-engines? The two engines in front of us are probably not just as simple as independent research and development and independent production. The key performance parameters are higher than those of the same type and level. In the future, our helicopters will no longer have to worry about being stuck by others.

The current Wuzhi 10 prototype uses the Canadian Pratt & Whitney PT6C series turboshaft engine. The Americans reset the card again. It will definitely be impossible to use it directly in the future. If the supporting domestic engine turboshaft 9 under development is used, the power will almost decrease. 20% is a fly in the ointment. But now, looking at this engine with higher power, lower fuel consumption and lower weight, what else is there to say? Change!

"In the past, we were afraid that the power of the engine would not be able to keep up with some functions that we had to cancel, but now we can add them!" The chief engineer looked at the engine, which had not been tested except for its service life, with a strange light in his eyes, as if Average light bulb.