Traveling through the sword to engage in military industry.

Considering that it will be going out to sea, the Z-5 project, which was originally kept as top secret, no longer needs to be kept so secret, and the official media has started to hype it up directly.

"The first helicopter of the Dongda University, the Z-5, made a stunning test flight"

"Rewriting history, insiders revealed that the design of the first helicopter of the University of Tokyo dates back 20 years ago"

"Aviation achieves new success again, recording the arduous development process of the Z-5 helicopter"

"Compared with the world's advanced helicopters, what are the advantages of the Z-5?"

The official media, with both pictures and texts, used an extremely rare all-round reporting method to put the Z-5 in the spotlight, making it a new hot spot in the aviation industry of Southeast University and even the world!
Although some key indicators of the Z-5 have not yet been revealed, the Z-5's flight photos, ground static photos and color promotional photos have all been exposed in newspapers.

For most people in the West, this news will only appear in the corner outside page eight, and most people will just glance at it and will not leave any impression at all.

But for the military intelligence departments of the great powers, this news is no less than the release of a blockbuster weapon.

John Bull Intelligence Group 6: We will do our best to collect relevant information about this helicopter, its research institutions and production. We need to evaluate their military role.

Rogue Eagle Xiaiai: Dig deep into all the information about the Z-5.

Xiao Ri Zi Intelligence Headquarters: mobilize our forces to find out the other party’s intention in announcing this product at this moment.

The big black fish incident just happened not long ago, and now a high-profile announcement of a helicopter is made. According to the tradition of the University of Tokyo, there is obviously an ulterior motive. To these intelligence agencies, understanding the deep meaning behind this is much more important than the helicopter itself.

Ren Zhong didn't expect that his momentary plan would attract so much attention from the outside intelligence system, which was like facing a powerful enemy.

Of course, from a military perspective, the advent of the Z-5 has indeed greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the army and navy.

The introduction of Army Aviation has significantly improved the Army's combat effectiveness.

According to the combat concepts introduced by Ren Zhong from the main world, Dongda’s Army Aviation will not use helicopters as ordinary combat platforms to charge into battle on the front lines, but will use them to undertake critical tasks!
However, these are all later stories. The Army Aviation has not yet been established, so it is too early to talk about these things.

Therefore, it is difficult for Ren Zhong to understand the focus of these external intelligence agencies.

However, Ren Zhong would not care. The Z-5 is only the first generation of helicopters. After it matures, the research on the second generation of main helicopters will be launched immediately. Bigger and stronger are the goals of the new models.

For this helicopter, the next step is to improve its diversified applications.

Civilianization is just one of the points.

It is precisely because Ren Zhong did not regard this thing as important that he was ready to cash in as soon as it was successfully developed.

This is completely different from the research in the main world. According to the research and development rules of the main world, unless we have to wait for the new generation to come out and become a backward generation, it is possible to sell it to the outside world. Generally, first-line military products are not directly converted to civilian use.

The main focus is to prevent the leakage of military secrets of front-line equipment.

In today's world of Bright Sword, the dominant power in science and technology is in the hands of Ren Zhong. In many cases, it is Ren Zhong who decides whether the technology needs to be made public, because most of the things Ren Zhong researched are beyond the imagination of the scientists of the University of Tokyo at that time.

Just like the helicopter incident, before this, definitely not many people thought that the results could be achieved so quickly.

So in the eyes of these people, since something can be done so quickly, it seems that this technology is not that important, and it really doesn’t matter whether it is exported or not.

After all, it is something that can be done in more than a year, which doesn’t seem to be a big deal for foreign countries.

This is different from the historical time and space of the main world. Before the big explosion in 2010, many things were several generations behind. Hiding those things is truly hiding one's incompetence.

But after 2010, when technology began to explode, people stopped pretending and started to release magical weapons on a large scale.

先是99A主战坦克在2011年左右开始服役，紧接着2011年J20试飞，然后是2014年052D下水，陆海空当家花旦一个接着一个拉出来秀！

Because this is real black technology, it will not affect the combat effectiveness even if others see it!

Unlike the J-7 which has been passed down for almost half a century, its production was stopped only in 1966 after it was introduced in 2013. But in fact, it has not stopped paying tribute to the classics in 2023 (FTC2000G ultimate modified version), and it is truly a machine that has been passed down for three generations!

Of course, the world of Liangjian will not be like this anymore. Ren Zhong started with the P51D, then chose the J-17 based on the MiG-5, and the Super Seven based on the F4H! It can be said that every step is a big step forward, and the new generation of fighters achieved are all leading models at the time, and there is no squeezing of toothpaste.

If we could bring Super Seven online now, we would definitely be far ahead.

For the intelligence agencies of the major powers, the news about the Z-5 was just a small shock, but for Bell, it was a bolt from the blue!
They almost suffocated on the spot!

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?" William Matthew, head of Bell's 204 project team, said to a group of elites with a grim face. They had just won the bid for the Rogue Hawk's new generation of main helicopter program in February and were ready to start working on it. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, they saw that this type of helicopter had already been built on the other side of the ocean!

They could tell at a glance that the Z-5 in the newspaper was not exactly the same as their H-40, but it was completely consistent!
If you want to call this a leak, then I haven't actually started the work yet. I've only finalized the drawings and specifications.

If you say it's not a leak, how do you explain such a high-quality imitation appearance?

When Matthew first saw the images in the report, he almost fell to the ground!

"Supervisor, I personally think it is a coincidence. When we started the preliminary research last year, we did not refer to any competitors' products. We just derived them from our original model. Judging from the information released by Dongda, they have been developing this project for at least two years, so it is basically certain that they must have referred to our previous models when they were developing it. It's just that everyone had the same idea, which led to a coincidence that was similar to our plan." A smart man stepped forward to explain.

This was the only way to fool them. Otherwise, the military had just selected Bell's proposal and established it as Project 204 within the company. The military gave the product the research model code XH-40. If it got out, it would be a leak, and everyone in this room would inevitably be thoroughly reviewed by Fobolo.

If it’s better, everyone will be transferred away from confidential positions to fix problems. If it’s not good, then you will have to go to the well-known Juhua Nanbao Club!
But with such an explanation, it seems reasonable. The other party's research and development is almost 2 years ahead. You can say that our business capabilities are poor and we lag behind our competitors, but you cannot say that our thoughts are dangerous and someone has taken top-secret information to surrender to the enemy.

Everyone understood this wise remark and was greatly inspired, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone started to add fuel to the fire on this brilliant idea, gradually fleshing out the cause and effect and forming a relatively complete closed-loop explanation.

Matthew was somewhat relieved. At least from Fobolo's perspective, there was no reason to focus on the project team's leaks, and everyone was safe for the time being.

but.

"Everyone has spoken very well before. Let's summarize these opinions and ideas and submit them to the higher-ups. How should we carry out our research and development work next? Let's brainstorm and think about it." After Matthew summarized, he raised the next question.

“Do we still need to continue researching according to the original design plan?”

In response to such a question, everyone in the project team fell silent.

Obviously, the risk of implementation is small if they continue to do so. After all, the opponent has already demonstrated it and the test flight has been successful. However, this means copying others' ideas. If they tell others about it, they will be laughed at for the rest of their lives. A first-class helicopter manufacturer like Rogue Eagle actually plagiarized the ideas of its competitors. Even if they dare to swear to the baker that all of them were designed by themselves, no one outside will believe it.

Your entire helicopter competitor had already conducted test flights more than a year in advance, but you were at least a year behind in conducting test flights. If that isn't plagiarism, what is it?
However, if they want to design a new model from scratch, it will take at least another year to design it. Moreover, it is not certain whether they will be chosen as the main contractor again. This is a big deal involving hundreds of millions of US dollars.

Starting over again is like giving your competitors an advantage, allowing them to make a comeback!

But if we don’t tell anyone, when the prototype is ready, if the military finds that it is exactly the same as theirs, we won’t be able to deliver the goods!
Matthew suddenly felt like he was going to collapse.

It wasn't just Matthew's project team that was on the verge of collapse. The military helicopter selection team and Bell's top brass were also in a state of disarray.

After the Z-5 was unveiled, naturally someone from the top of the Rogue Eagles reported this big news to them. They soon found that the new things released by their competitors looked very familiar, so they dug out the files of the newly approved Project 204 and found that the H40 helicopter on the drawings was exactly the same as their competitor's Z-5!
Sikorsky's XH-1, which failed in its competition with the UH-40 (codenamed XH-39)
This news was extremely embarrassing for the military selection team and Bell.

After long and difficult negotiations, the military and Bell and Sikorsky, whose proposal was not selected last time, compromised. The contract for this generation of main combat helicopters will be handed over by Bell to Sikorsky for research, but the engine and cabin design will continue to use the specifications of the XH-40. The gas turbine engine originally prepared for the XH-39 project is too advanced to achieve a significant increase in power at present, so it is used as an alternative for replacement when the technology matures in the future. In exchange, one-third of the military's future next-generation helicopter contract will be given to Bell for production.

In this way, the military sewed together the XH-39 and XH-40!
Although this is not the best solution, it is the best compromise at the moment. Otherwise, if Bell were to continue with the UH-1 as originally planned and eventually produce a helicopter similar to the Dongda Z-5 a few years later, wouldn't that be a worldwide joke?!
Helicopters are one of the military's image projects. The Rogue Eagle military cannot afford to be embarrassed by someone who copied a helicopter from the University of Eastern China!
After all, the company has established an image of technological leadership in the world for so long, it is impossible for it to get its face swollen by this helicopter!
Ren Zhong didn't realize that he had no intention of killing the Rogue Hawk, a classic helicopter product, halfway through. There will never be a Huey wreaking havoc on the world again from the Rogue Hawk. I wonder if the new Sikorsky XH-39 can recreate the glory of the 16000 Hueys!

But Ren Zhong probably has a bit of a problem, after all, classics cannot be copied casually.

However, these have nothing to do with Ren Zhong. What he has to do now is to walk the successful path of others first and let others trek on the rugged and winding road.

Ren Zhong arranged this matter, but he still felt that it was not quite right. After all, no matter how the helicopters were sold, the production volume would not be too high. A scale of hundreds of helicopters was considered above average. To establish the product image of Dongda, it was obviously not enough to rely on a niche product.

It just needs to be built up bit by bit.

I haven’t visited the new automobile group I set up for a long time, and I don’t know how it’s doing.

Thinking of this, Ren Zhong prepared to visit several new factories.

Taiyuan Heavy Industry Power Plant.

Factory director Zhao Tianbao was waiting at the factory gate with the deputy director and the director of the factory office early in the morning.

The superior informed him that a special guest would come to visit today and asked him to receive him carefully, but not to mobilize a large number of people. Zhao Tianbao knew what was going on after a little inquiry.

As Ren Zhong's early student in Taihang Mountains, Zhao Tianbao's circle of friends is now quite extensive. His background in the Special Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University makes him more tough in his words and deeds. With his hard work in learning technology, and his courage to fight and rush when tanks were exploded, he is used to the high-intensity work on the 12-hour production line. With the continuous expansion and mobilization of the factory to support construction in various places, Zhao Tianbao has also become the head of the factory.

Although it is just a branch factory, it now has more than 10 workers under it. It produces dozens of models of products ranging from tank engines to car engines, with an annual output of more than units. It is the undisputed engine king in China!

Not long after Zhao Tianbao had been waiting eagerly, three Willys jeeps slowly drove over. Zhao Tianbao saw that the license plate was the group's special reception car, so he immediately cheered up and went to greet them.

He walked directly to the second jeep and opened the door respectfully. "Thank you for your hard work, teacher. Welcome to inspect the Taiyuan Heavy Industry Power Plant!" Zhao Tianbao held the roof of the car with his hand and said respectfully to the familiar figure inside.

"Zhao Tianbao, right? You're still working in the power plant?" Ren Zhong took a look at Zhao Tianbao and quickly recognized him. He had several students at Taiyuan Heavy Industry. When the tanks were being produced before, he had rarely met or communicated with these students. He even came to teach them when the national military standardization system was being implemented.

"Teacher, I am incompetent and have not learned much knowledge. I can only work in the factory to do some engine production." Zhao Tianbao said with some shame.

"Mr. Ren, Director Zhao is reluctant to leave the factory. The Provincial Department of Industry has tried to transfer Director Zhao to work in the department several times, but he declined every time." At this time, Si Yuwang, general manager of Taiyuan Heavy Industry, who was in the first jeep, came over and said with a smile.

"Director Zhao has made great contributions to the thriving power plant and its provision of high-quality engines for our Taiyuan Heavy Industry Group and other sister companies."

"Oh, is that so." Ren Zhong got out of the car and nodded at Zhao Tianbao. It was a good thing that his students did not forget their roots.

"Let's go into the factory and take a look." Ren Zhong came down to inspect the work. He always went to the front line, so he strictly ordered to keep the reception and seeing off to be simple.

At the same time, they don’t give the people below much chance to prepare, the main point is to see the reality of the front line. (End of this chapter)