The military-industrial scientific research system of the academic master.

Chapter 1442 Weak, pitiful, and helpless

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Elginbridge."

It was not until the roar of the engine gradually faded away that Chang Haonan took another step forward and pretended to apologize:

"You should know that the alliance between Pratt & Whitney and MTU is very strong. The PW1200, a benchmark model of the same level, has not only started frequent test flights, but also submitted project description documents to Airbus and Boeing at the same time last month. This has brought us a lot of pressure, so the test work is very full and cannot be delayed for a day..."

At this time in 2009, Airbus and Boeing have both released their respective next-generation main models, namely the A320neo and 737MAX, and a situation of three companies competing against each other in terms of the power of these two models has been roughly formed.

Among them, the PW1500 jointly developed by Pratt & Whitney/MTU has the fastest progress, and the AE1500 jointly developed by Aero Engine Corporation of China/Rolls-Royce has the best indicators. General Electric obviously does not trust the French and Italians, and chose Japan Aero Engine Corporation as its development partner for LEAP, which has somewhat affected the progress of the project. It is highly likely that it will not be able to catch up with the first batch of A320neo deliveries.

Therefore, the two companies that are currently in conflict are mainly the first two.

But having said that, Eldridge is no fool.

He didn't believe a single punctuation mark in Chang Haonan's explanation.

No matter how urgent the test was, it would not have taken such an hour or so. It also abruptly interrupted the communication between the two delegations, which was not in line with China's tradition of being a "country of etiquette."

It must be intentional.

And it is deliberately showing off the engine that looks different at first glance.

It's all acting, there's no sincerity at all.

Thinking of this, Elginbridge couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath.

They had done something similar thirty years ago, but they never expected that the situation would change and it would be their turn to suffer.

But even though he knew it, since he needed help at this time, he certainly couldn't directly point it out to the other party and make both sides embarrassed, so he could only watch the Il-76 that had already started to accelerate on the runway and play dumb along with Chang Haonan's words:
“That’s the product of the NGME project?”

Chang Haonan nodded, changing his usual humble attitude in front of others, and replied:

"Yes... a model that can change the history of aviation power development."

Although Elginbridge had only been in office for a short time and had never been to China before, he had dealt with Chinese people in Europe many times and was familiar with the practices of this great Eastern country.

Now hearing such an extremely confident, even somewhat arrogant statement, he couldn't help but look sideways at Chang Haonan.

But he found that the other person was looking deeply at the plane that was gradually shrinking at the end of the runway, and the expression on his face did not seem fake at all.

For a moment, he even wavered in his previous judgment.

“Isn’t this guy playing me?”

Elginbridge frowned slightly, and his brain began to work rapidly.

However, he soon realized that this was actually a minor issue, so he quickly put it aside and continued with what he had just said:

"Before this trip, I have read the paper data of the AE1500 engine in the report. It is indeed impeccable, especially in terms of fuel economy and exhaust emissions. It fully meets the strict standards proposed by your country a few years ago..."

He complimented her at first, and when Chang Haonan's expression visibly relaxed, he suddenly changed the subject:
"But Dr. Chang, as you just said, the PW1500 engine is ahead of us, and the NGME project also involves many new technical routes. I wonder if we can confirm that we can catch up with the first batch of Airbus A320neo deliveries based on the current test progress?"

He also wanted to test the Chinese side's strength, but his probing was obviously much more tactful than Patrick's.

On the surface, they were asking about the progress of the project, but the most risky and core new technology on AE1500 is the intercooler cycle, so in fact, it was equivalent to indirectly confirming the working condition and testing progress of the intercooler on the aero engine.

Chang Haonan also understood the hidden meaning. Besides, he had arranged such a big show today just to wait for this scene to play out. Both parties knew that the other party was acting, but they also cooperated with each other's performance tacitly.

So he smiled and replied:
"As you can see, the AE1500 itself is still in the first stage of testing. After this trip, we will send another prototype to France for you to conduct subsequent test flights..."

Hearing this, Elginbridge's heart sank.

Although today's scenes were extremely humiliating to him, he just had a fleeting thought of wanting to see the Chinese make a fool of themselves.

But if you calm down a little, you will find that Luo Luo's future and fate are now highly tied to others, and it is a one-sided tie -

If China makes a fool of itself, they will be even more embarrassed.

"That……"

He was just about to open his mouth again and ask if the progress of subsequent test flights could be accelerated, but he was interrupted by Chang Haonan as soon as he uttered the first syllable:
"But don't worry. Do you see these transport planes?" He pointed to the dozen or so Y-9s parked on both sides:

"Although the engines they are equipped with are not the same model as the AE1500, the same intercooling cycle technology is applied in the compressor part. They have been delivered in large quantities to many users including our army, and have experienced the rigorous test of large-scale emergency tasks shortly after entering service, which is enough to prove the reliability of this technology itself..."

"..."

silence.

Deathly silence.

Just now, when he walked out of the cabin and saw the dozen or so medium-sized transport planes on both sides, Elginbridge knew that the other party was probably demonstrating against him, but he could not figure out the point of the demonstration.

Until this moment, he finally understood.

It turns out that the problem that was bothering us was actually a mature technology that had already been put into use by others...

In fact, this matter is not a secret. Even the model of the WS-20 was exhibited at the Singapore Air Show many years ago.

However, Elginbridge, who was a professional manager, was not a front-line technician, while Partridge was an old stubborn man in the field of naval gas turbines. In addition, he had not had time to ask Bodie in detail before, so he was always kept in the dark.

In fact, from this detail we can see that although Rolls-Royce still maintains some of the foundation of the old manufacturing industry, it has also shown some signs of moving away from the real economy and toward the virtual economy.

Of course, this is not something Chang Haonan needs to worry about.

After shocking the British slightly, he put on his initial kind expression and led a large group of more than 30 British people into a factory building connected to the helipad.

As soon as the door was opened, an aircraft engine fixed on a transport frame came into view.

Chang Haonan quickly left the crowd and came to the huge fan of the engine and introduced:

"This is the No. 202 prototype that will be shipped to France to participate in your flight test. It is also the second test flight prototype. We have completed all the preparations and inspections before shipment. We only need to wait for both parties to sign and take effect before we can install the aircraft and take off..."

Then, as usual, he gave some general information about the engine.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Elginbridge's sight had long been firmly locked on the compressor structure hidden behind the fan blades. Patridge, who had been somewhat disdainful when getting off the plane just now, had now long forgotten the awkwardness in his heart. His eyes were shining, and he couldn't wait to pounce on it and take a closer look.

Of course, it is meaningless to rely on your eyes alone.

On the one hand, when the handover takes place in a few days, not only will this engine be delivered to Rolls-Royce, but a series of documents including design drawings will also be delivered together, which will be more detailed than what we can see with our naked eyes now.

On the other hand, design parameters are only the most superficial things. The same intercooling cycle technology has completely different details when used in aircraft engines and marine gas engines.

Simply copying the Chinese parameters will only make MT30 die even more miserably.

So other people have to get involved and help.

So Elginbridge suppressed his eager expectation, pretended to mention it casually, and asked:

"Since this technology can greatly reduce carbon emissions and air pollution caused by the aviation industry, I wonder... do you have any ideas on further promoting it?"

According to his estimation, Chang Haonan would definitely nod in agreement next, and then it would be almost the stage of raising the price sky-high and paying the price low.

As the passive party in the negotiations, Rolls-Royce can offset its disadvantages to a large extent if it allows its opponent to make the first offer.

But Chang Haonan did not do as he wished. Instead, he deliberately lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then spoke hesitantly:
"We are willing to actively consider any measures that are beneficial to human environmental protection..."

As he spoke, he revealed an expression of "weak, pitiful, and helpless":

"But this is a brand-new technology after all. If it is to be promoted, it will involve a lot of standard formulation and law amendment work. It is not something that can be implemented with the approval of one party... Nowadays, my country does not have much say in the field of aviation and marine power, and it is really a bit beyond its ability..."

"..."

To sum it up in one sentence -

There is a serious mismatch between our technical strength and our voice. You guys decide how to resolve this issue!

(End of this chapter)