Chapter 1128 Airbus, Aiming at the Future (Xdm Asks for a Monthly Ticket)

The two test pilots in the cockpit had been waiting for a long time in the warm-up state.

After receiving the take-off order, the captain immediately released the brake lever.

Jin Xu in the cabin only felt a slight vibration, and then the plane began to accelerate.

Due to its relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio, the A340 has long been criticized for its take-off distance and climb speed.

Fortunately, this aircraft is only a test platform, and its own weight is dozens of tons lighter than the passenger state, so the physical feeling is similar to the 737 and A320 that are often taken.

In fact, if the runway length limit is not considered, only one Trent 900 (equivalent to 2.5 CFM56-5C) is fully turned on to push this 200-ton aircraft to accelerate and take off.

Therefore, the main functions of the other three engines are actually to provide a bottom and balance.

After all, there are also projects to simulate parking in the air and then let the engine complete the self-start in the test.

But it is definitely not possible to really make the aircraft unpowered.

During the entire take-off process, Jin Xu was staring at a screen not far away.

It shows the speed and load of the rotors of the No. 2 engine, including the fan.

Until it climbed to 8,500 meters and leveled off, the entire curve appeared quite stable.

There were only two obvious fluctuations.

At the moment when the plane lifted its head, and when it climbed to about 2,500 meters and encountered a violent irregular airflow -

Considering the severity of the intake distortion, the working stability of the Trent 900 is obviously still relatively optimistic.

As for more detailed data, we have to wait until after landing to analyze it.

"Slowly rise to 10,500 meters, adjust the speed to 40%, and prepare to connect the RS325 and HC402 probes..."

The test leader sitting not far away gave the order in an orderly manner.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xu quickly turned his attention to the other party, and at the same time took out a notebook from his pocket -

After helping Rolls-Royce to find out the cause of the accident, the status of the Aviation Power Group in the entire project also rose accordingly.

Otherwise, how could a mere second-tier supplier have the opportunity to follow in the air test?

Originally, he even wanted to bring a camera and a recorder up.

But this was indeed a bit too outrageous.

In the end, the two sides reached a compromise, allowing him to move freely without affecting normal test work and flight safety, and use paper and pen to record.

RS325 and HC402 are carbon oxide and nitrogen oxide detection devices installed under the wings, respectively, to test the engine's pollutant emissions at different speeds.

It is also the top priority for Jin Xu to understand this trip.

Chang Haonan plans to focus on ultra-low fuel consumption and ultra-low emissions as the focus of AE1500's entry into the international market, but China did not actually have a particularly complete aviation emission test standard before.

And since this model is going to obtain EASA certification in the future, it is obviously a good choice to take this opportunity to refer to the process of Trent 900...

...

At this time, the aircraft has climbed to an altitude of nearly 10,000 meters, and it is impossible to directly see the flight situation on the ground, so Champiin and Bodi found a place with more sunshine and waited for the first flight test to end.

Not long after he relaxed, the former saw a familiar face walking towards him.

"Hello, Director Champien!"

The man took the initiative to come forward and greeted him.

It was not until then that Champien remembered that before the No. 341 test platform took off, it seemed that a Falcon 2000 business jet landed.

But at that time, his focus was all on the engine, and he didn't pay attention to the plane.

Now think about it, it should be a charter plane of the Dassault Group.

"Dr. Casore, long time no see."

Champien also shook hands with the other party enthusiastically.

The aviation industry group in Toulouse looks big, but in fact most of the places are airports.

The places actually used for office and scientific research are not too big.

Both of them are executives of the core aviation companies in France, and they can be said to have seen each other every day.

They have known each other for many years.

As a member of the management of Rolls-Royce, Bodi actually has little dealings with Dassault, which mainly deals in fighter jets and business jets.

As for Casore, at most he had heard of his name, but he certainly didn't know him.

So he originally wanted to find a reason to avoid him, and take a short rest at the same time.

However, just as he turned around and prepared to leave, he heard Champiin continue to say:

"The last time I saw you was before Christmas last year... I heard that you went on a business trip to China afterwards?"

For Casore, the cooperation between Dassault and China was not a secret at all, so he answered almost without thinking:

"Yes, there is a cooperation project there, so I have been here until now... I came back only because of an urgent task."

But the speaker is unintentional, but the listener is attentive.

Bodi, who was a little tired, was no longer sleepy in an instant, and stopped immediately.

He is now very curious about all the companies that cooperate with China.

Of course, they are not from the same company... or even the same country, so Bodi would not ask about the details of the cooperation right away.

He just took advantage of a gap to introduce himself:

"Hello, I'm Tim Bodie, deputy project manager of Rolls-Royce. Nice to meet you."

"..."

It was a normal topic, so Casore didn't take it too seriously and just continued to chat with the two people about trivial topics.

But Bodie came with a purpose in mind, so it was impossible for him to accompany the other party to do oral gymnastics all the time.

Therefore, after a few greetings, he had to choose a slightly more radical way:

"Dr. Casore, I seem to have heard that you just came back from China?"

The latter came from a military aircraft background, so he was very sensitive.

He immediately realized that the other party's topic turn was a bit abrupt, and there must be a trap behind it.

Dassault has a cooperative relationship with China, which is almost a public matter.

But the specific cooperation cannot be disclosed casually.

So, he nodded:

"Yes, go there to purchase some secondary aviation materials... You know, these things are not demanding, and there are cost advantages there."

Hearing that the other party was also looking for Chinese people as secondary suppliers, Bodi was slightly relieved:

"Indeed..."

He nodded and continued:

"To be honest, they have developed very fast in recent years, but unfortunately there is no market suitable for us Rolls-Royce..."

As the deputy director of R&D of Trent 900, Bodi's "no market" naturally refers to the fact that China does not have an aircraft using Rolls-Royce engines.

In fact, this is completely unintentional, just to end the topic about China.

But Champiin next to him obviously misunderstood. After hearing this, he lowered his head and looked thoughtful.

Until Bodi left, he was a little absent-minded.

"Tim."

After a period of silence, Champiin suddenly raised his head and looked at Bodi:

"Do you have any plans to develop a new engine with a thrust of about 12-14 tons, suitable for medium and short-range passenger aircraft?"

This sudden question made the latter a little confused. After a little calculation, he asked back:

"You mean... for A320 and 737-level passenger aircraft?"

"Yes."

Bodi's expression became more confused:

"But... we already have the V2500 series?"

Strictly speaking, the V2500 engine is a model developed and produced by the International Aero Engines Company (IAE).

Similar to the Engine Alliance Company that developed the GP7200, it was also for this dish of vinegar dumplings.

The company was jointly established by Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, MTU, Fiat and Japan Aero Engine Corporation, and its only product is the V2500.

Although this means that many companies will come to share a piece of the pie, from the perspective of Rolls-Royce's business distribution, it is obviously impossible to independently develop a product with repeated positioning.

But Champiin shook his head mysteriously, leaned forward and lowered his voice:

"We are planning a new generation of A320 aircraft for after 2010. The core goal is to reduce fuel consumption by 15% and carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 20%... V2500 is a foundation from 30 years ago. It is impossible to meet the requirements anyway, so it must be a brand-new power..."

Bodi's eyes widened suddenly.

This is a great news.

The 80-ton mainline passenger aircraft is conservatively estimated to be a trillion-dollar market.

Any piece of cake here can affect the pattern of the world's aviation industry.

While V2500 is determined to be out of the game early, Rolls-Royce has no experience in developing engines of the same level.

If we hadn't gotten the news today, we would have fallen behind our two main competitors in the future:

"I'm afraid I'll have to report this to the board of directors after I go back..."

Champiin nodded slightly, and then instructed:

"Since I can tell you this, it means that the demonstration stage is almost over, so we must act quickly... If it doesn't work, we can find other companies to cooperate in research and development."

But Bodi on the opposite side was a little worried:

"GE has the most experience in engines of this level, and coupled with the unpleasantness in the previous cooperation with Snecma, it is likely that it will not accept any joint research and development plans... Pratt & Whitney has also made huge profits in the development of V2500, and has long had the idea of ​​going it alone..."

"It depends on how you decide..."

After all, Champiin is not a Rolls-Royce person, so he has done his best:

"In short, if you miss this time, you may not have the opportunity to re-enter this level of market in the next 20 years..."