Free Web NovelChapter 963: Chapter 486: Zhang Gangchuan Must Work Hard!_1
Aviation Group headquarters building.
Liu Jiankun returned to the general manager’s office, immediately brewed himself a cup of tea, then sat down in his chair and vigorously rubbed his head, his mind involuntarily pondering the follow-up issues of Warhawk-1 engine development and testing.
The Warhawk-1 engine’s test flight had achieved tremendous success.
Afterward, Zhao Yi discussed the subsequent R&D and testing issues, mentioning that the project could be submitted for review, meaning he hoped it would directly enter the long-term testing phase.
This was an essential process.
Though the engine test run and test flight were successful, it did not necessarily mean they were perfect; only through long-term operation could more issues be detected.
For example, the lifespan issues of various engine components.
Components such as compressor blades and turbine blades, which continuously endure high heat and pressure, are particularly prone to damage and need long-term operation to assess their lifespan accurately.
This long-term operation is best conducted on an actual aircraft, since the laboratory-simulated environment differs significantly from the aircraft flying in the sky.
If any issues are identified during long-term operation, subsequent improvements can be made. Only after collecting sufficient data can the engine requirements be substantiated, leading to mass production and service entry.
Zhao Yi brought up the military’s equipment requirements, essentially meaning he hoped that more engines would be produced and fitted onto service warplanes for extensive testing. He also hoped they could be installed on more advanced fighters rather than ones like the J-8, which could not fully exploit the engine’s performance.
If the engines could be fitted onto the military’s patrol or training airplanes, that would be the ideal outcome. Frequent flying would provide the most direct testing.
This was a case of using while testing.
Mass production was temporarily impossible since production follows demand. Since Warhawk-1 was still on the drawing board and the Warhawk-1 engines aimed at fighter jets had yet to be produced, large-scale assembly was out of the question. The only option was to fit the engines onto more advanced fighters for testing purposes.
"There are no problems," he said.
"But, isn’t it too fast?" Liu Jiankun frowned with worry, for Aviation Group had made absolutely no preparations for this.
In fact, what Zhao Yi said had no issues, simply skipped a step—continued refinement after the test flights.
The Kunlun engine had been in this process for several years.
Test flight, identify problems, continue refining; test flight, identify problems, continue refining... After three or four cycles like this, several years had almost passed.
Liu Jiankun subconsciously felt that the Warhawk-1 engine would undergo this process too and assumed it would proceed faster than the Kunlun engine, but he had never imagined skipping this step entirely. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
The rapid pace of Warhawk-1’s refinements was astonishing, catching everyone off-guard.
Aviation Group was unprepared for this.
Firstly, there was the issue of the test aircraft. The performance of Warhawk-1 certainly required it to be fitted onto top-tier fighters, but currently, the most advanced, technologically mature, and in-service aircraft in the country were at best 3.5 generation fighters. It seemed unrealistic to replace the imported engines of 3.5 generation fighters with Warhawk-1.
The military would probably not agree, right?
No one would want their most advanced fighters to be used as testbeds for engine development.
Furthermore, cost considerations were a concern.
Liu Jiankun was reviewing the cost expenditure of the Warhawk-1 engine and made a rough calculation. The very first assembled Warhawk-1 engine had a material and manufacturing cost that exceeded 150 million RMB.
This was because the R&D had been quick, consuming far fewer components than expected and thus coming in under budget.
If several engines were produced, at least 700 million RMB in funding would be needed. Since it had not reached the mass production stage, only a portion of the costs could be lowered, with an average cost of 100 million RMB per engine.
An engine costing 100 million RMB fitted onto the finest fighters would be acceptable, but fitting it onto average 3rd generation fighters, where the engine might cost more than the whole aircraft, seemed very uneconomical. Moreover, ordinary 3rd generation fighters still could not fully exploit the engine’s capabilities, leading to less accurate test data.
So, the question came back around.
What kind of fighter was suitable for carrying the Warhawk-1 engine?
Liu Jiankun immediately thought of a model, and couldn’t help but crack a smile, "J-20? If it’s the J-20, it would be perfect. The J-20 is also undergoing development and refinement, with its biggest constraint being the engine."
"If we could build a few Warhawk-1 engines, directly fit them onto the J-20..."
"Testing them together wouldn’t be a bad idea, would it?"
The J-20 is currently the highest-end domestically produced fighter, with technology that is still not quite stable; it’s constantly in the process of refinement. The biggest limitation has been in engine performance, as the Kunlun engine’s pace of refinement was slow and its theoretical performance also fell short. Several solutions had been considered previously, including spending a considerable amount to import top-tier engines from Country E.
Later, with the launch of the Warhawk series engines, one solution gained approval: having Warhawk II adapt to the J-20 fighter.
The theoretical performance of the Warhawk II engine was exactly what was needed to support the J-20’s performance requirements.
Now, since the Warhawk-1 engine was advancing in its development even faster, fitting it on the J-20 for testing was also a good choice.
The J-20 is an extremely advanced fighter, almost reaching the capabilities of a fifth-generation aircraft.
