MTL - Warship of Great Power-Chapter 660 A new role for the white swan: a launch platform for spacecraft

  Chapter 660 The new role of the white swan: the launch platform of the spacecraft

  The atmosphere in the conference room was a little tense, everyone was staring at Qin Tao, expecting his answer.

"Mr. Chumakov, with all due respect, the era of white swans has passed, and the sky of the future belongs to stealth bombers." Qin Tao said, "As you know, our Mingzhou Group presided over the J-31A project , This year, the first batch of fighter jets will be delivered. These fighter jets with stealth capabilities have been talked about by customers, and we will continue to make persistent efforts. The second piece of equipment is likely to be stealth bombers."

  Chumakov's eyes showed disappointment.

"Besides, something like the white swan is a strategic weapon." Qin Tao said: "Even if we want to buy it, Da Mao or the United States will not agree, they will not see that we have such a powerful bomber .So any negotiations we have with White Swan will be meaningless.”

"Yes, Mr. Qin, you are right." Chumakov's tone was very bitter: "Our national strength is gradually weakening, and now we have no ability to maintain a large strategic bomber force. We want to sell the White Swan Go, but if it is sold to Da Mao, they are only willing to pay 20 million dollars each. If it is sold to the United States, Da Mao will not agree, and the United States will dismantle this kind of aircraft, we really can't bear to see As this powerful strategic bomber is destined to be dismantled, too many weapons have been dismantled over the years."

   When he said this, the guy's eye circles suddenly turned red.

  After the collapse of the Red Empire, they all thought they would have a better life, now? It would be a lie to say that I have no regrets, but I can't go back!

  After the separation, Ermao originally got a lot of weapons, but now? How many are left? Everyone with a conscience will be heartbroken.

   At this time, Chumakov was very distressed.

   "If it is used as a bomber, the White Swan is not suitable, but the White Swan has another purpose." Qin Tao said.

   "What's the use?" Chumakov asked, he put away his sad mood, and now he is full of curiosity.

   "Can it be used as a supersonic airliner?" Boguslayev asked.

"Of course it's impossible. The Concorde has been proven to be a failed product. Customers don't need supersonic airliners. They want more comfort than speed." Qin Tao said: "Our Mingzhou Group, our subordinates have specialized Starship Corporation."

   This big guy knows that he often ridicules Mingzhou Group by saying that spaceships are also ships. This shipbuilding group actually started to build rockets.

   But what does this have to do with Starship Corporation? One is aviation, the other is aerospace, these are two different things!

"We have been looking for a low-cost way to enter space. This is a must for the future Mars program. In addition to developing reusable rockets, we can also use the air launch method." Qin Tao said: "The white swan can as a platform for an air-launched launch vehicle."

  Traditional launch vehicles are launched from the ground, which consumes a lot of fuel, and must be launched in suitable weather, which is subject to many restrictions. Therefore, some people have long imagined that the rocket will be launched in the sky, so that when it leaves the troposphere, all kinds of weather will not be affected, and it can also fly to the equator to launch, which greatly saves fuel. In terms of specific values, it can save ten to twenty percent.

   Moreover, the compartment after separation also has more options, and can be dropped into the ocean to avoid accidents on land.

However, although space launch has many advantages, there are also many disadvantages. For example, the rocket launched is limited by the load capacity of the aircraft and cannot be too high. Even if a large aircraft is used, it weighs tens of tons. For rockets that can easily cost hundreds of tons or even thousands of tons, this load capacity is too small.

  Secondly, because the fuel tank will shake back and forth during the air launch, only solid rockets can be launched, and liquid rockets cannot be launched.

   Only private space systems that value launch costs will value air launch technologies. Other space agencies will definitely not like to use these, or traditional ones are better.

   At this time, when Qin Tao said that he wanted to use the White Swan as a platform for air-launched launch vehicles, Chumakov was taken aback. Is this appropriate?

   However, he realized later that what they needed was an excuse, as long as they had an excuse, they could justifiably sell it!

If it is sold to the East as a strategic bomber, no matter whether it is the United States or Da Mao, it will definitely not agree. Now, it is sold to a private company, which is engaged in space launch, from a weapon that threatens mankind to a helper in the exploration of space. Who has reason to interfere?

   What's more, Starship Company already has a large number of American rocket experts. If these three bombers are bought to Starship Company, Americans can also get in touch.

   "Okay, Mr. Qin, you are so kind!" Chumakov said, "On behalf of Kiev, I thank you for your generosity, but how much do you plan to pay?"

"Da Mao's quotation is 20 million US dollars per plane, so how about we pay 100 million US dollars for three planes?" Qin Tao said: "We are launching commercially. If the price is too expensive, then we are not worth it. It will also doubt our motives."

  Chumakov nodded: "Yes!"

The equivalent price of one plane is only more than 30 million US dollars, which is just the price of the Su-27. However, Qin Tao is also right. It is impossible for a commercial company to spend too much. These planes are hot potatoes. There is no money to use it, and if it is sold, there are very few customers, and it has to be dismantled when sold to the Americans. It would be great if these planes could fly into the sky again!

   "When this transaction is over, our Mingzhou Group will come to Kiev to invest. We promise that the total investment will not be less than 100 million, and we will help Kiev develop better." Qin Tao said.

  Chumakov smiled all over his face: "Okay, okay, Mr. Qin, thank you for your support!"

   It is said that Mr. Qin is the most generous, which is really good. On the surface, he bought it for 100 million US dollars, and will invest again in the future. Moreover, Mr. Qin has always had a good reputation, so he will definitely count his words.

   "However, we can also prevent accidents. If this transaction cannot be carried out due to external pressure, then you have to..."

  The air launch platform is just a gimmick. Everyone knows in their hearts where these bombers are going. Therefore, the transaction may also be terminated due to external pressure. If that is the case, what should be done?

   "President Qin, don't worry, we will definitely withstand the pressure." Chumakov hurriedly assured that he didn't want to say anything about compensation, and they didn't have 20 cents for compensation.

   "What if you can't stand it?"

  Chumakov fell silent.

   "In your warehouse, there should be a batch of NK-32 engines in stock?" Qin Tao said: "If this transaction is forced to be cancelled, how about using these engines to supplement our deposit?"

  East already has Tu-22M bombers. When purchasing these bombers, they purchased a batch of NK-32 engines at the same time. However, these are not enough. Lao Maozi’s engine life is short, so naturally the more reserves the better. Even if you get the information of this kind of engine yourself, it will take many years to imitate it.

There are a large number of Tu-22M bombers in Ermao territory, and these Tu-160s are all NK-32. If you can’t buy the plane, you can bring the engine back. In this way, when you build a stealth bomber in the future, you may be able to directly Pull it out and use it.

   "Okay." Chumakov nodded, as long as it doesn't lose money, they have a lot of engines in the warehouse, and they don't need them anyway, so it's better to sell them for money.

   That's it, the deal is done!

  Originally, Qin Tao came to Motor Sich to take a quick look at the beauty and finalize the engine production line. Unexpectedly, he had the opportunity to take the white swan away!

  In the past, he never had the idea of ​​a white swan, because there was no excuse, and any action was useless. Now, he finally has a suitable excuse!

Zamotayeva was not at the scene. Obviously, the level of the meeting was very high. When the discussion was over and the factory was inspected, the Mao girl came to introduce her. However, Zhao Ling accompanied her with a smile. By her side, she has no chance to get close to Qin Tao.

  The news spread quickly all over the world.

   After receiving the news, Da Mao was the first to act, and quickly sent a team represented by Grishin to Kiev aggressively.

"You can't sell the Tu-160. This supersonic bomber is related to our strategic security. We can't let the Easterners get the same strategic bomber as us!" Grishin expressed his objection on behalf of Moscow: "This is against us. Threat! I hope you can take it seriously!"

   "Mr. Grishin, since you can sell the Tu-22M to the Orientals, why can't we sell the Tu-160?" Facing the pressure from Da Mao, Chumakov immediately began to fight back.

   "Damn it, we have never sold the Tu-22M. Who knows how the Easterners have that kind of weapon in their hands." Grishin said: "Those bombers flowed out from a third party."

After the Tu-22M appeared in the east, Da Mao immediately guessed that Er Mao did it. Later, they sent a delegation to Er Mao to check. It turned out that Er Mao’s Tu-22M bombers were all there, so Er Mao did not sell them. .

  This incident also gave Ermao a good excuse to attack them. If you can sell it, can't we sell it? Didn't you sell it, or who sold it?

"A third party?" A smile appeared on Chumakov's face: "Okay, let's not talk about this matter. In short, the aircraft we sell will remove all attack and navigation equipment. They are not used as bombers, they are used for space launches, and they are qualified for the peaceful use of space."

   "Space launch?"

   "Yes, that is, they use this aircraft as an air platform for low-cost space launches." Chumakov said.

   "Are they saying what they say? When they purchased the Varyag, they said it was transformed into a ship jam. What happened?"

"Isn't it because someone secretly sabotaged the ship and couldn't rebuild it? Besides, the Orientals can build an aircraft carrier by themselves. Why bother to come here to buy a shell and refit it? They also have catapults, so they can build it directly. It is similar to the super aircraft carrier of the United States. How can you use such malice to speculate on the Orientals?" Chumakov said with disdain on his face: "Aren't you just trying to let these Tu-160s fall into our hands? Then you buy it at a low price?"

This batch of Tu-160 is very precious, but there are very few buyers. They can only be the United States and Damao, but the price given by Damao is low. The United States has to dismantle them when they buy them back. They are not the best. Finally, there is a high bidder. , Now, Da Mao came to stir up trouble, it was clearly because of impure motives!

   "When it comes to space launch, doesn't Mingzhou Group already have An-225? That big guy can carry hundreds of tons, isn't it more useful?" Grishin asked the most critical question.

The West is also engaged in space launches. They all use passenger planes. After all, passenger planes have big stomachs, and they can stuff large rockets into them, and then release the rockets when they reach the sky. The Mingzhou Group holds the world's largest transport plane in its hands. Want to buy something like Tu-160?

   Similar problems are also unfolding in Starship Corporation.

Big Mao's resistance must be handed over to Ermao, but the doubts from the United States have to come through the Starship Company. After all, there are a large number of Americans in the Starship Company. If they know something, the Americans will know it too. What's the matter.

  After Qin Tao returned from Ermao, he immediately came to Starship Company to arrange the next tasks. The aerospace experts present had already started asking questions non-stop.

   "President Qin, it should be more useful to use An-225 to launch the spacecraft?"

   "Yeah, why spend a lot of money on three Tu-160s? That thing is just a bomber!"

   "Everyone, tell me, if you want to go into space now, is it better to use rockets or space shuttles?" Qin Tao began to be persuasive.

   "Of course it is a rocket! Especially our reusable rocket is the best means of transportation!" Max said firmly. In his eyes, there is nothing better than a big rocket.

"Yes, when the space shuttle was developed, it was planned to be reused multiple times to reduce costs. However, so far, the number of reuses of the space shuttle is far from meeting the design requirements. Moreover, the number of times before each repeated launch The preparations were also very tedious, and it turns out, they were wrong, our rockets are much safer!"

   "So, have you thought about other more convenient ways to enter space?"

   "Others? What else but rockets and space shuttles?"

   "Packy spacecraft, you are all engaged in aerospace, you should have heard of it." Qin Tao said.

   "Mr. Qin, you mean, you plan to carry an aerospace plane on the back of the Tu-160?" Max reacted: "This technique is too difficult!"

"However, this can change the history of aerospace. Our Mingzhou Group has plenty of money. If we want to do it, we have to do it big. In addition to our starship plan, we also plan to launch a special space plane plan." Qin Qin Tao solved the mystery: "The Tu-160 is a large aircraft that can fly up to Mach 2, which is unmatched by other aircraft. Even if the Concorde can fly so fast, it cannot carry loads because its body is not strong enough. , We will carry a special aerospace plane on the back of the Tu-160, and when the carrier aircraft accelerates to Mach 2, we will release the aerospace plane, continue to accelerate in space, and finally enter orbit."

   This explains why the An-225 cannot be used, because the speed of this aircraft is not enough!

"If Ermao knew about this plan, he might not sell it to us. Therefore, on Ermao's side, what I proposed was to launch rockets. In fact, rockets are not enough to save fuel. Our aerospace plane will use ram jets. -Rocket combination variable cycle engine."

The Americans used a variable-cycle engine for the first time on the Blackbird reconnaissance plane. At low speeds, it is a turbofan engine. At high speeds, when the external duct is closed, it becomes a turbojet engine. Let the aircraft accelerate to a high enough speed. When it exceeds Mach 3, the compressor is no longer needed. The air that hits directly can be compressed enough to enter the combustion chamber directly. This is the ramjet engine.

  The structure of the ramjet engine is the simplest, but it cannot work at low speeds, so a variable cycle engine is required.

  The project proposal given by Qin Tao is a variable-cycle engine combined with a ramjet and a rocket. This kind of engine cannot be accelerated from scratch and requires an external assistance. Tu-160 just fulfills this role.

Tu-160 takes the aerospace plane to an altitude of 20,000 meters and accelerates to Mach 2. At this speed, the ramjet engine can already start, driving the aerospace plane to continue to fly upwards, until it flies out of the atmosphere, and the air is gone. , and then use the rocket engine mode, the aerospace plane can be successfully put into orbit.

   "You have this variable cycle engine?" An expert on the scene asked in surprise.

   "Yes, currently in beta."

  Zhao Ling followed Qin Tao and listened to Qin Tao's serious nonsense. The domestic aerospace agencies have never started this kind of project! Because she was engaged in missiles before, she belonged to the aerospace department.

Even, in the previous piggyback entry scheme, it is best for the carrier aircraft to provide a speed above Mach 3, or even above Mach 4, which is the best. Therefore, the following carrier aircraft must also be a variable cycle engine , turbofan and turbojet or even a combination of ram, the above is a combination of ram and rocket, which is more secure. The speed of the Tu-160 is too low, it is not enough at all.

  However, these people in front of them seem to have believed it!

"No, we can't waste precious resources on this project, there are too many technical difficulties!" At this moment, Max suddenly became excited: "Since we have chosen a reusable rocket solution, we will You can't go this route again!"

Qin Tao frowned, his fooling had already worked, but he still ignored some things: Max is a persistent guy, paranoid, once this guy recognizes something, he will go on firmly , Now, I have come up with a new plan, of course this guy quit!

   "Boss Qin, is this project still going to be placed in the Starship Company?" At this moment, another engineer spoke.

   "That's right, does our Mingzhou Group want to build a second aerospace enterprise? The best aerospace experts in the world are already here!"

  "If this is the case, then I think we should accept this project. We need to face more challenges. We must have an innovative spirit, which is the driving force for us to move forward!"

   "No, I won't agree!"

  The two sides argued.

   "After the aircraft arrives, we will form a dedicated aerospace aircraft design department."

   Hearing Qin Tao's arrangement, Max was even more dissatisfied: "President Qin, if we want to separate our starship company, I would rather resign!"

"Max, I can assure you that the group attaches great importance to Starship Corporation, and there will be no reduction in funding for the rockets currently developed. The newly established department is only to explore more solutions for entering space. Your attitude is so firm, is it because you are afraid?"

   "What am I afraid of?" Max glanced at Qin Tao dissatisfied.

   "Are you afraid that the price/performance ratio of our aerospace plane will exceed that of the starship?"

   "How is that possible!" Max said, "It is impossible for this kind of plane to fly to Mars. I am not interested in this kind of plane."

  The atmosphere of Mars is different from that of the earth. This variable cycle engine has no meaning for Mars travel.

   "However, it can provide more ways to enter space. Our starship has to stay in Earth orbit for a while." Qin Tao said: "It can be used as a taxi for the starship."

"Well, as long as the funding for our starship project remains unchanged, then I can wait and see." Max conceded. His so-called resignation was just because he was afraid that the starship project would be impacted. He is more receptive.

   That's it!

The Starship Company has unified their opinions, which means that the United States will not object, because they are still full of expectations for the next thing. I am afraid that all the technologies developed by the Mingzhou Group will fall into their hands, and they are still happy to use the Mingzhou Group. state group funds to help them develop.

  Qin Tao stayed in the Starship Company for two days, listened to various reports, inspected the latest progress of the starship, saw the starship factory that had been built, encouraged him, and finally returned to the capital.

  Going back to Gongzhufen, Qin Tao was dragged into the meeting room immediately. This time, not only the navy, but also a large number of leaders of the air force also came.

"If the Navy wants to become fully ship-borne in the future, it definitely doesn't need a big guy like the White Swan. Mr. Qin, give these three White Swans to our Air Force!" Elder Lin and Qin Tao have the best relationship, so When I came up, I asked for it: "We have already prepared a fund of 100 million U.S. dollars."

   "100 million US dollars is not enough. Our Mingzhou Group has also promised to invest in Kiev, at least 200 million dollars." Qin Tao said.

   "Your Mingzhou Group's investment will definitely make money, Mr. Qin, our Air Force family is not rich, so don't go too far." Elder Lin said.

"Make money? There will be changes at any time, and our investment may be deducted at any time. Mr. Lin, our Mingzhou Group is rich, but it can't be wasted. If it should be paid by the Air Force, it must be paid by the Air Force." Qin Tao said, "The extra 100 million yuan belongs to activity expenses, so it cannot be missed."

   "Okay, let's grit our teeth and come up with another 100 million!" Boss Lin was very angry.

  (end of this chapter)