In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 363: The attitude and the plan have been presented; if you don't agree, then forget it.

"For civil aircraft, safety is the primary consideration, followed by economy... To date, the Y-10 lacks both."

Xie Wei was well aware of the impact these words would have on the group.

no way.

If we are to cooperate, we absolutely cannot do things according to the ideas of the Y-10 team.

It's not that the Y-10 team's idea was wrong. Since the 1950s, when the country began to transform from an agricultural country to an industrial country, large-scale domestic industrial projects have been deeply influenced by the Soviet Union: to undertake any project, the priority is to complete it first.

Economic efficiency?
Security?
It's noisy.

The Soviet Union's style was characterized by its crude, heavy-duty, and outdated technology.

Against this backdrop, the United States launched the "Star Wars" program, even obtaining detailed PowerPoint presentations from Soviet intelligence...

"Only by continuing the development of the project can we make continuous improvements. If we cancel the project now, all the data we have obtained from the test flights will be meaningless."

Mr. Ma looked at Xie Wei and sighed deeply.

"The country is preparing to shut down. But we are not, which is why we are sitting here today."

Seeing the change in President Ma's attitude, Xie Wei turned his gaze to Wu Quan, who was standing to the side.

"With only 3.3 million in funding, it's indeed impossible to put them on the market according to the standards of Western commercial airliners..."

Wu Quan looked utterly dejected.

They knew it all too well.
If we don't strive for it, the efforts of countless organizations and aviation professionals over the past decade will have been in vain.

"My suggestion is to continue test flights of the Y-10 using the remaining funds, and to temporarily halt the progress of the third prototype currently under construction. We should first modify the design based on the data obtained from the test flights, and then proceed with manufacturing. There is no rush to launch it to the market. However, we need to cooperate with Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group to make as many parts as possible interchangeable with those of aircraft such as the Y-8 and H-6, especially the logistics and maintenance system, in order to reduce costs."

Xie Wei then shared his thoughts.

"The Y-8 is a turboprop aircraft, while the H-6, although jet-powered, is a bomber..."

Wu Quan wanted to angrily curse Xie Wei for not knowing anything and making such a ridiculous suggestion.

Even if you have the funds, you can't just give random advice in professional and technical fields!

"What's wrong with bombers? The Russians modified the Tu-16 bomber into the Tu-104 civilian airliner, and later they modified these into a series of airliners, among which the Tu-154, which has the largest market share, is familiar to everyone, right?"

"..."

Wu Quan was at a loss for words to refute Xie Wei's words.

This is true.

"Xie Wei, the Y-8 is an improved version of the An-12!"

Wang Zhiheng was getting restless.

He vaguely sensed Xie Wei's intentions, but couldn't quite grasp them, which made him a little anxious.

"So what? Aside from the power system, can't avionics and other systems be shared?"

"You mean we should lower the specifications of the Y-10 now, redesign it, and use the existing Y-10 as a foundation to improve a regional jet?"

Mr. Ma, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up and asked.

"No, use parts from the Y-8 and H-6, integrate the design of the Y-10 to create a regional jet, and continue developing the Y-10..."

Xie Wei didn't actually know if this path would be viable.

If possible, the current domestic aviation industry infrastructure can be integrated – in fact, the mature technologies and systems of the H-6 and Y-8, as well as logistics, maintenance, and upkeep, can be used to reduce the cost of the Y-10.

"Doesn't this require more funding?"

Mr. Ma looked at Xie Wei with a puzzled expression. Xie Wei's reason was that continuing to develop the Y-10 as it was going to consume too much money.

However, they proposed a plan that would require even greater funding.

Isn't this a contradiction?

"Yes, but it can also make up for the shortcomings in our civil aviation passenger aircraft's leapfrog design and manufacturing process. The 110-ton large aircraft is indeed very tempting, and it would be a great achievement to develop it. When the project was initiated, our country's industrial base and technological level were not fully considered, which is why we are now in this dilemma."

There were no outsiders present, and Xie Wei did not speak politely to those in front of him, even though they were all leaders.

"Only when we reach a consensus and everyone shares the same vision for the project's development can we continue to cooperate. My idea is for Northwestern Polytechnical University to take over the project, transferring the project's R&D leadership from the 710 to Northwestern Polytechnical University, while Harbin Institute of Technology will bear most of the R&D and improvement funding, initially 3000 to 5000 million yuan per year, with further discussions based on the project's progress and needs."

Xie Wei explained his ideas and the amount of funding the school could provide.

"..."

Upon hearing Xie Wei's words, Ye Mingde nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He kept talking about cooperating on the development of early warning aircraft, but as soon as he mentioned the lack of funding, Xie Wei changed the subject, saying things like loans were available and Harbin Institute of Technology was also short of money!
This is just a scam.

Damn it, the discrimination is just too obvious.

Is it a problem of not having money that someone is asking for 30 to 50 million?
"Well, Director Xie, we're also currently working on the early warning aircraft project..."

Wang Zhiheng reminded Xie Wei with a bitter expression, "Not to mention other aspects, we are short-handed."

He wanted to remind Xie Wei that one should have some sense of shame.

Xie Wei initially recruited a group of technical experts specializing in aviation from Northwestern Polytechnical University through the collaborative early warning aircraft project. These experts covered various aviation fields, including flight control, avionics, fluid mechanics, and materials.

The person has been "borrowed," and it's unclear when the project will be able to start. Harbin Institute of Technology doesn't even know who is in charge.

Only they themselves can truly understand the heartache and bitterness they experienced.

Now, they're probably trying to use the same methods to target the technical R&D personnel of the Y-10 team again, right?

Why did Northwestern Polytechnical University take over?
This is clearly an attempt to make Northwestern Polytechnical University take the blame.

We can't take the blame for this.

"This cooperation aims, on the one hand, to leverage the ongoing development of the Y-10 to gradually improve the design, research and development, and manufacturing capabilities of domestically produced large aircraft..."

Xie Wei paused here, taking in the reactions of the others, before continuing, "On the other hand, we can use the Y-10 to integrate the entire aviation industry and gradually improve the domestic aviation support system. The Air Force has mature systems for both transport aircraft and bombers, but because the aircraft are not large enough, the manufacturing processes and technologies cannot meet the requirements for larger tonnage aircraft..."

This is Xie Wei's true thought.

There are many aircraft manufacturers in China, producing fighter jets, transport planes, passenger planes, bombers, fighter-bombers, and even helicopters, but their technical level is generally poor.

In particular, since all units initially learned from the Soviet model, and the Third Front construction period was always in preparation for World War III, any large unit would try to have all kinds of supporting facilities.

This was also to ensure that, in the event of the outbreak of World War III, if other related units were destroyed, these units could continue to manufacture relevant weapons and equipment.

Therefore, the coordination between different units is very poor.

There was no unification at all.

After Xie Wei proposed a complex engineering system management method for developing core machines, Harbin Institute of Technology organized a group of management personnel from the university and various supporting units to study related topics—the Y-10 was also a major project that Xie Wei wanted to use for testing.

"The Shanghai Large Aircraft Factory and the 710 Research Institute are doing quite well now, and we can undertake some projects... Northwestern Polytechnical University has no experience in this area..."

The thought that Xie Wei might be trying to poach key technical personnel from the Y-10 transport aircraft team and then make Northwestern Polytechnical University take the blame made Wang Zhiheng feel uneasy.

He cast a questioning glance at Ye Mingde, but Ye Mingde seemed dumbfounded and didn't react at all.

"Yes, Director Xie, Northwestern Polytechnical University is not suitable to lead the project."

Ye Mingde also realized what was happening.

When Xie Wei said that Northwestern Polytechnical University would take over the project, he kept thinking about Xie Wei's purpose.

Upon hearing Wang Zhiheng's words, he immediately offered his support: "Of all the design experience for 710, Harbin Institute of Technology's university-enterprise cooperation office has the funds, while Northwestern Polytechnical University has neither funds nor experience, let alone experience in managing large-scale projects... Of course, regardless of who leads the project, Northwestern Polytechnical University will fully cooperate in any way it can to support it."

There's definitely no problem with teamwork.

Taking responsibility is impossible. "Director Xie, let Harbin Institute of Technology take charge of the project. 710 is fine with continuing to improve the design and development. But now the project has changed, and we need to continue flight testing..."

Mr. Ma also hurriedly expressed his opinion.

The government's attitude toward the Y-10 is clear: after completing the test flight mission, the technology will be sealed off as a reserve.

To save the Y-10, besides persuading the government to continue investing, the only option is to find an entity that can provide financial support to take over.

"Yes, the Y-10 design team can move to Harbin..."

Wu Quan hurriedly expressed his opinion.

"..."

Well, there's no way we can continue this discussion.

Xie Wei never expected that Northwestern Polytechnical University was unwilling to take responsibility. He had clearly offered them benefits and development opportunities, but it turned out as if he was trying to cheat them.

There can't be less suspicion between people!

Unable to continue the discussion, Xie Wei had no choice but to ask the group to leave.

Perhaps Li Rui and Minister Lü left early because they knew this would be the outcome?
Throughout the entire process, Zhang Mingqiu and Liu Debao, as the school's responsible persons, were completely passive observers and did not utter a single word.

"Xie Wei, Northwestern Polytechnical University is unwilling to take over the Y-10 project. Why don't we just ignore it? Even if they only give us 30 million yuan a year, it's still a considerable amount."

Zhang Mingqiu knew that Xie Wei had always been reluctant to take over the Y-10 project, yet he had wasted too much energy on it.

He didn't understand.

Minister Lü and Li Rui stopped caring, but Xie Wei became anxious.

“Our funding alone isn’t enough. We already have too many school projects. If we also develop the Y-10, who knows what the higher-ups will think.”

Liu Debao also agreed with Zhang Mingqiu's statement.

Regardless, that's the best approach.

The happiest people should be the leaders in the department.

"Sigh~ Once no unit takes over the Y-10 project, the project will definitely be canceled. The hard work and energy of countless scientists and engineers over the past ten years will really be wasted."

Xie Wei sighed.

The Y-10 is a bottomless pit.

This project will not significantly enhance national defense capabilities, but its contribution to the development of national aerospace technology and infrastructure cannot be ignored.

More importantly, the Y-10 has hundreds of technical designers with complete aircraft design experience.

Once the Y-10 project is cancelled, the research team will have no reason to exist. Ultimately, these domestic technicians with experience in designing large aircraft weighing hundreds of tons will only be transferred to other fields unrelated to large aircraft.

"Let's report this to Director Li and see how they handle it. Anyway, I've presented my plan and stance. If they don't follow the requirements, we won't participate."

Xie Wei was too lazy to bother with it. "Besides, I've already gone out for a while. He Qiang has been waiting at the guesthouse for quite some time. I need to go and talk to him first."

After saying that, Xie Wei walked outside.

He planned to go out and find Chu Yunlong, and then go with him to find He Qiang.

If He Qiang is to be sent to Iraq to protect Feng Ke, it cannot be kept secret from the higher-ups.

At the university, Wei Changcheng was only responsible for reporting the university's research projects. He wouldn't interfere with Xie Wei's personal affairs, or even inquire about them, mainly because it wouldn't be of any use anyway.

Chu Yunlong and Wei Yong were not just protecting Xie Wei.

"President Wang, Secretary Ye, if Northwestern Polytechnical University were to take over the Y-10 project, it would be of great benefit to the university's future development. Why are you unwilling to take it over?"

After leaving the school building, Wu Quan asked the two people curiously.

"Yes, this is definitely a good thing for Northwestern Polytechnical University. The entire design team consists of college graduates from before 66. They have accumulated a lot of experience over the years. For Northwestern Polytechnical University, which specializes in aerospace technology, this will definitely strengthen its technical capabilities."

Mr. Ma was also puzzled.

Nobody wants the Y-10 project to be cancelled, but now, without a takeover unit and without central government funding, the project simply cannot last long.

If the project is gone, the team cannot be retained either.

As the only school in China currently focusing on aviation technology, it is the most suitable institution to receive the Y-10 transport aircraft team.

"Like I said, we lack both money and experience... It's better to continue as we are than to entrust the project to us. The school is even struggling to raise funds for its own projects..."

Ye Mingde answered with a wry smile.

He did not mention that he suspected Xie Wei was likely interested in being a core technical member of the Y-10 team and did not actually want to take over the Y-10 project.

"Didn't Xie Wei say that Harbin Institute of Technology would provide at least 3000 million yuan in funding support each year?"

Wu Quan didn't believe the other party's reasons.

"That kid Xie Wei..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhiheng shook his head with a wry smile. "Who knows his true purpose? What if his support turns out to be providing loans? Loans from Harbin Institute of Technology's university-enterprise office are easier to obtain than from banks, but the interest rates are also higher."

"No way?"

Mr. Ma's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "Just who is Xie Wei? He seems to have a lot of influence at Harbin Institute of Technology?"

"It's not just that they're influential; didn't you all notice that Zhang Mingqiu and Liu Debao didn't say a single word? When we went to find them today..."

Wang Zhiheng recounted his visit to the school today to find Zhang Mingqiu and Liu Debao, but they did not mention that Yu Guofeng and a group of bigwigs had joined forces to beat up Vice Principal Qu Hongtao.

Even so, it still shocked Wu Quan and President Ma quite a bit—such a young person actually treated the principal and secretary as subordinates and gave them orders.

Simply unheard of.

When Xie Wei came out, the others had already left.

Just then, Chu Yunlong returned to find Xie Wei after settling Qu Hongtao in.

"Is Vice Principal Qu alright?"

“They’re just superficial injuries; they’ll be fine after a few days of rest. Vice Principal Qu Hongtao has been saying he wants to see you, so I’ve arranged for him to stay with us. Wei Yong is taking care of him.”

Chu Yunlong reported on Qu Hongtao's situation.

Hearing that it was just a superficial injury, Xie Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll come back later to see him; He Qiang probably can't wait."

"He won't. Since he got here, he's been eating well and sleeping soundly. After all, you gave the order, so his living conditions are very good. He gets at least two meat dishes every meal!"

Chu Yunlong felt helpless thinking about He Qiang's behavior at the guesthouse.

"Oh?"

Xie Wei became interested.

Surely a formidable man like He Qiang wouldn't be satisfied with just a little bit of material comfort?
"He Qiang is very self-disciplined; he gets up at 4:30 every morning..."

Chu Yunlong described He Qiang's behavior at the guesthouse in detail to Xie Wei. "Are you really planning to let him go abroad?"

"Then why don't you go?"

Xie Wei said irritably.

Chu Yunlong shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

(End of this chapter)