Chapter 873 If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them

Seeing this topic come to an end, Whittle finally had the opportunity to talk about his original intention of coming here.

He took out several photos from the envelope and laid them out one by one on his desk:

"Recently, I discovered that there were several brand-new verification aircraft undergoing test flights over in Yanliang, so I took the time to take some photos."

Brin on the other side had already written a note and turned his attention to the photo in front of him:

"It looks like a few Flankers produced in China..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Obviously, things are not that simple:

"etc……"

Brin picked up one of the photos on the table:

"This plane seems to have appeared in last year's military parade..."

"The part between its two air intakes is different from a normal mass-produced Flanker. There is a bulge with an unknown purpose, so there is no way to install a belly tandem pylon."

"That's right."

Whittle nodded:

"I speculate that it may be a device related to flight testing, integrating sensors and the like, so this aircraft is actually a technology demonstrator specially used to test new aviation engines."

In fact, his speculation was very close to the truth.

Both J-11WS have been modified with an additional pipeline compartment in the belly to facilitate the replacement of the engine to be tested and the modification of the corresponding flight control program.

This is almost the most obvious feature of this model in appearance.

After all, although the J-11B, which also uses the turbofan 10, has been completely transformed in structure, it cannot be seen from its appearance alone.

"So this means that the new engine they publicly displayed last year may be officially put into use soon?"

Brin put the photo back on the table and looked up at Whittle opposite.

As the official overseas representatives of Luo Luo, the two of them, and even the British members of the entire Ciro Company, are responsible for certain commercial and technical intelligence collection tasks.

This is also international practice.

As long as you are not blatantly breaking the law, the host country will not stop you.

Anyway, open source intelligence analysis is something that everyone understands tacitly.

And it may not be possible to analyze anything useful.

For example, after last year's military parade, the Americans concluded that "the turbofan 10 uses the CFM56 core machine". The operation was as fierce as a tiger's, but it actually helped China a lot.

"According to Chinese people's practice, at this time, the product is likely to have been equipped with troops in small batches for trial."

Whittle replied:

"Last time they suddenly stopped purchasing components from Spei, I specifically studied China's R&D project process."

"At that time, their aero engines and aircraft were still being developed by the same company, and the former was not even a completely independent project. But now, they have established a new company to completely separate the work on both sides."

Obviously, he has not stayed in China in vain these years, at least he has a clearer understanding of the situation of the Aerospace Power Group.

"I remember I read the analysis last year, which said this is an engine that is very similar to the F110 in all aspects?"

Brin is not specialized in technology, but he still reads some analysis articles in the industry.

"There were many theories at the time. Some said it used a CFM56 core machine, while others said it was a copycat of the AL31F."

Whittle's focus on this aspect goes even further, so he patiently explains:

"How should I put it? Later, because Snecma Group was sanctioned by GE, it chose to cooperate with China to improve the design of the M88 engine. It is said that the current progress is good."

"So the current common judgment in the industry is that the new engine of the Chinese people does use, or at least refers to the design of the CFM56 or F110. Otherwise, it cannot explain why the French made this choice."

That being said, Brin still keenly detected some hints from the old man’s words:

"So you think that's not the case?"

"Hmm...I don't have any direct evidence."

Whittle gently touched his chin with one hand, which was his habitual action when he was deep in thought:

"But from what I know, China has never been exposed to the F110 series engines in the past, and its understanding of the CFM56 is limited to some highly fragmented information obtained through different channels in the 1980s. As for the use and maintenance of the Boeing 737 , which is not a useful experience for R&D work.”

"According to my personal experience, not having complete technical information at hand is like the foundation is not strong enough. Before building a house, the foundation must be re-reinforced. In many cases, it is better to start from scratch, which can reduce a lot of constraints."

Hearing this, Brin's face instantly showed an expression of gloating:

"Wait a minute... Then weren't the French deceived by false information?"

Although in today's timeline, the relationship between the British Isles and continental countries is much closer than it was in the previous life.

But that's only on the official level.

For the British, watching the French suffer is still one of the great pleasures in life.

However, Whittle looked quite serious:

"That's the point of what I want to say today."

The former collected several photos and put them back in the envelope:

"Only five years ago, they had to purchase second-hand spare parts from stock through us even to produce engines like Spey."

"But now, no matter what technical route they take, they are already on an equal footing with the French... at least in some aspects."

Having said this, he paused for a moment, then pointed to the report that was placed next to him:

"If we really want to think about the next five years, or beyond, then what we should worry about most is not Airbus or Boeing, but whether the Chinese models will seize the market in large numbers."

After some concise analysis, Brin couldn't help but suppress the smile on his face.

After all, it involves matters related to the company's business.

After a long time, he tentatively asked:

"But the Chinese are currently preparing two domestically produced passenger aircraft models. They are called C808 and C909. They are both copies or upgraded versions of Russian-made products. It seems that there is no room for us to play?"

"That certainly seems to be the case at the moment."

Whittle leaned his upper body back on the chair:

"But it needs to be noted that the Russians have lost their complete R&D system in the past. Maybe they can rebuild it one day in the future, but even then, they have missed at least 15-20 years and cannot keep up with the technological progress of the Chinese. speed."

"I think that after these two passenger aircraft models, the Chinese will definitely consider gradually getting rid of the Russians and seeking more advanced technology. What has happened in the past few years has proven that this process may not be stopped."

"So you mean...join if you can't beat me?"

Brin's tone felt a little tense.

"That's not what I said."

Whittle quickly denied:

"I just think that since our technology blockade didn't block them before, we might as well change our thinking and step forward to cooperate with them in the civil aviation industry first. This will at least ensure that we can get a big piece of the pie."

At this point, he may have felt that he was showing a bit of capitulationism, so he added another sentence:

"Moreover, whether they develop independently or cooperate with the Russians, they are almost completely out of our control. In comparison, it is better for us to be more proactive, so that we can at least exert some influence on them in the future..."

This is true.

But there is always a feeling of "I voted."

"Are you going to include this in your annual report?"

Brin scratched his head:

"For things like cooperative research and development, it doesn't count if we just say it..."

"No no no..."

Whittle waved his hand:

"The cooperation I am referring to is not simply cooperative research and development... but a company like IAE, where Rolls-Royce and China Aerospace Power Group jointly establish a company."

"Of course, you definitely can't start with something as big as an aero engine right away, but you can try it out with some scattered, less important projects first..."

Halfway through his words, he was interrupted by Brin:

"Wait, wait, wait..."

"How come this joint venture you mentioned is so similar to our Xiro Company?"

As a result, Whittle made a point:

"Of course it's us..."

"If we can become a main body with R&D and production capabilities like IAE, then we don't have to rely on London for everything. By then, the status of you and me..."

Whittle did not continue speaking, but stretched his hands flat and made a slight upward movement.

The meaning is self-explanatory.