In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 368 Restarting the Y-9: The Military's Switchboard Business Finally Secured
1200 million!
This is only the initial construction cost.

The Y-10 project just had its maiden flight, and they already have so much money?
"Gulu~"

Zheng Xinguo, the director of Factory 172, swallowed hard and said to Xie Wei with a troubled expression, "Director Xie, this is not a matter of money."

"What's the problem?"

Xie Wei raised an eyebrow and looked at Zheng Xinguo. "If it's about funding, we can talk about it again. Of course, we can also support the technology that Harbin Institute of Technology possesses."

In Xie Wei's view, it's all about money.

The other party was still hesitant, wanting a higher price!

"Director Xie, it's really not about money. The factory is currently facing a shortage of offices, design studios, and dormitories... There are several hundred people at Institute 710, and it's difficult to arrange dormitories for them all at once, let alone office space..."

Before Zheng Xinguo could speak, Liao Shutong, the deputy factory director standing to the side, hurriedly offered an explanation.

Factory 172 did not develop very quickly.

Over the years, there haven't been many large-scale projects; even the Y-8 transport aircraft has been under development for many years.

Domestic organizations find it difficult to develop rapidly without projects.

"Isn't this funding for construction?"

Xie Wei looked at Long Yaohua, who remained silent to the side.

Long Yaohua has made a statement.

"710 is responsible for developing large aircraft with a capacity of 100 tons. They came here to better cooperate with you... The Y-8 has a pressurized cabin design, and the Y-10 has complete technology; the subsequent maintenance, repair, and maintenance of the Y-10 will be handled by Factory 172, which can accelerate the construction of the 172 production line and improve logistical support capabilities..."

Long Yaohua spoke up, "Until the new research institute and dormitories are built, everyone should squeeze in for now. The conditions were even tougher before, and we still made it through. Besides, not all of the initial Y-10 team will come; only a portion of them will come, and some will stay in Shanghai to continue test flights."

"Boss, the 710 was doing just fine in Shanghai, why was it suddenly relocated? They were all supporting the Y-10 there; we need to overhaul and maintain the Y-10s here, which requires a lot of investment..."

Liao Shutong looked puzzled.

This is a question that puzzles all the leaders of Factory 172.

Few people knew that the Y-10 project was going to be cancelled.

The outside world only knows that the Y-10 has just completed its maiden flight. The successful maiden flight of the domestically produced 100-ton-class large aircraft is something that makes all Chinese people proud.

"When necessary, Factory 172 also needs to have the capability to produce Y-10 or even larger aircraft."

"what?"

Long Yaohua's words surprised everyone even more.

What does this mean?
The above is a plan to integrate the technical strengths of units 172 and 710 to launch the design and development of a larger military aircraft?

"We can start preparing for the development of the Y-9 first."

"..."

The leaders of Factory 172 immediately became excited.

The Y-9 was cancelled after its design was completed because its technical specifications were too high and its design was too advanced. Has it finally been restarted now?

Factory 172 hasn't even fully mastered the technology of the Y-8 yet.

What the hell?

Y-9?

Xie Wei was somewhat stunned.

In his time, there was no news from the outside world about when the Y-9 would be restarted. The Y-9 first appeared with a disc antenna on its top, as an early warning aircraft platform.

That old bastard Long Yaohua!
He didn't reveal anything to me on the way here.

"No problem, we'll vacate an office building for 710 right away. Also, please prioritize their dormitory accommodation..."

Upon hearing about the new major project, Zheng Xinguo agreed without hesitation.

Where there are projects, there is funding.

With funding, you have everything.

"We can vacate some of the dormitories first. The new staff housing complex will be completed before all 710 units move here..."

Xie Wei suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing his words, Wang Xinguo, Liao Shutong, and the others immediately looked at Long Yaohua expectantly.

Long Yaohua was furious, but he couldn't vent his anger at all.

Who the hell said Xie Wei isn't vengeful?

Didn't I just not tell Xie Wei about the Y-9 on the way here?

Moreover, restarting the Y-9 also aligns with Xie Wei's proposal to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the Y-10, maintain the workforce, and ensure that supporting units do not lose their supporting capabilities.

The talks ended quickly.

"You're putting the higher-ups in a difficult position by doing this."

Long Yaohua looked at Xie Wei with a bitter face, "It's one thing for your school to have its own housing allocation system, but 710 just moved here, and you're already allocating housing to them? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it? Shanghai is a big city! The comrades of 710 are willing to give up better living conditions and a city with greater development potential to come here for the sake of domestically produced large aircraft. If there are no basic guarantees, who would be willing to come?"

Xie Wei was serious.

That was his plan from the very beginning.

There will definitely be some people who are unwilling to come if Institute 710 is relocated to Xi'an.

Staying in Shanghai, even if you can't get a house there, and if you don't develop large aircraft, the development prospects are far better than in the Northwest.

"The comrades in 710 have been allocated housing, can't we not get housing here?"

"That's a matter between the Third Ministry of Machine Building and the military; it has nothing to do with us. According to the affiliation, since 710 has become a subordinate unit of the school, it now belongs to the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building..."

Xie Wei's shameless expression left Long Yaohua both amused and exasperated.

"The Y-9 project was something I came up with after hearing your requirements. The maximum takeoff weight is no more than 80 tons, and it still uses turboprop engines. The requirements for supporting equipment will be higher than those for the Y-8, but not as high as those for the Y-10... After the design work was completed in the 60s, it was canceled because the technical specifications were too high and the construction difficulty was too great... Later, the Y-10 was launched..."

The Y-10 was not initially designed and developed specifically for the civil aviation market.

Everyone knows that.

Therefore, even though it was known that the research and development and construction of the Y-10 were very difficult, various resources were still being allocated to the Y-10 after its launch.

After ten years of effort, the maiden flight was a success, but there is still a long way to go before it can be brought to market.

"Isn't the military out of need of them?"

"Didn't you say we should solve the problem of having enough first? Didn't you say we should make up for the debts we owe? If the Y-10 is successfully developed and there are no problems with its supporting systems, the military will not want to develop another turboprop engine aircraft like the Y-9. If we have advanced technology, who would want something outdated?"

Long Yaohua looked helpless.

The development of the Y-9 can be said to be to lay the foundation for the Y-10.

"Before this, the military had no intention of starting the Y-9 project. Even knowing that the Y-10 project was canceled, no one proposed to begin manufacturing the Y-9... But the conditions you proposed are exactly what the Y-9 meets... As long as the WS-8 turbofan engine, which is designed to power the Y-10, is developed and enters mass production, it can be installed on the Y-9..."

Long Yaohua explained his thoughts.

The military did not have a plan to launch the Y-9 transport aircraft; he came up with the idea on the spur of the moment.

Modifications to the original design of the Y-9, especially in terms of its aerodynamic layout, can prepare the ground for the replacement of turbofan engines.

"Once there are no problems, I think it is very feasible to lengthen and widen the Y-9 and integrate the technological achievements of the Y-10."

"Who will pay?" After learning about the design of the Y-9, Xie Wei thought about it and agreed that it was feasible.

It's hard to believe that a turboprop aircraft could still be used in the Air Force in the 2020s as a carrier platform for special aircraft such as anti-submarine and electronic reconnaissance aircraft.

Tutoring is only one aspect.

With the engine replaced, there will be faster speeds and greater takeoff weight.

Is the aerodynamic design insufficient?

It's likely that the design team had already thoroughly analyzed and validated various options from the very beginning.

The idea is good.

Funding is a major issue when starting a new project.

"You guys. Didn't you say that Harbin Institute of Technology would pay 5000 million yuan every year?"

Long Yaohua took it all for granted.

Before Xie Wei could react, he spoke:
“反正你们投入是为了保证运-10团队不解散，保持航空配套的提升……西南铝业的3万吨模锻水压机足够满足运-9的大量锻造，而运-10需要的4.5万吨模锻机，可以在这个过程中开发……你们学校机械工程不是已经开始着手设计6.5万吨模锻机吗？”

"The military isn't contributing a single penny?"

Xie Wei rolled his eyes.

This project cannot be supported.

"It's impossible. The military simply doesn't have the budget for this. We're far behind the world's advanced levels, and money is needed everywhere. The military's need for large military transport aircraft is far less urgent than its need for fighter jets."

Long Yaohua explained to Xie Wei very seriously.

"We can't support it either. Even if the design is completed, we still need to modify and validate the plan until it is successfully manufactured. It's impossible without five or six hundred million... The worst part is that there are no orders after it's manufactured... Civil aviation all over the world uses turbofan engines. Even if the Y-9 is developed, it can't be used as a civil airliner without turbofan engines... Every time the school invests in a project, it needs to fully consider the issue of capital recovery..."

Xie Wei flatly refused.

What a fuss!

They supported the Y-10, and now they've come up with the Y-9. Do they really think the leaders of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry have no complaints?

If they take back the school's autonomy over projects and management, everything will be over.

"Although the military cannot support the Y-9, we can provide upgrades and updates to the communication system's switches to your switch manufacturer..."

"really?"

Xie Wei looked at Long Yaohua with surprise and delight.

Currently, international telecommunications companies are entering the domestic market in large numbers. Their technology is more advanced than that of Harbin Institute of Technology, and their prices are not as outrageously high as they were in the past. As a result, the business of Rongcheng Switch Factory has not met expectations from the very beginning.

The investment is difficult to recoup.

The military's communication system is something Xie Wei has been keeping a close eye on. There were rumors that some military leaders had proposed using foreign program-controlled exchanges to upgrade the military's communication system, but even though Xie Wei had approached Long Yaohua, he had not received a response.

"Correct."

"If that's the case, I can barely explain it to the ministry. Otherwise, I really can't explain it to the ministry..."

Xie Wei quickly calmed down.

He was afraid that Long Yaohua was just making empty promises.

The pie the other party offered was too big; Xie Wei definitely couldn't finish it.

“I’ll go back and go see Minister Zheng with you.”

That evening, the Y-11 took off again, flying directly to the capital.

"Start the Y-9? The whole world is developing turbofan aircraft, we already have turbofan aircraft, why go back to developing turboprop aircraft? Isn't that turning back the clock?"

At around 4 a.m., Li Rui personally picked him up from the airport.

Upon hearing Xie Wei mention developing the Y-9 transport aircraft, Xie Wei frowned deeply.

In Director Li's eyes, airplanes with propellers meant being backward!

If given a choice, who would want to use outdated technology?
"This is different..."

Xie Wei began to explain.

Supporting the development of the aviation industry is the responsibility of every ambitious young person.

What is the use of support to exchange for the military's switchboard business?

How could an ambitious young person be so lacking in awareness!
"I thought you switched to the Third Ministry of Machine Building. What brings you here?"

When Minister Zheng saw Xie Wei, his face was so gloomy it could drip water.

"Who spread rumors about me? Boss, I'm innocent!"

"Don't try to pull your act here, I'm not innocent!"

Minister Zheng couldn't care less about the professional conduct expected of a leader at this moment.

He wished he could shoot Xie Wei dead: a prestigious unit under the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry, whose teaching was mainly focused on aerospace, had been turned into a large aviation industry unit by Xie Wei.

They've got fighter jets, core aircraft, and now even passenger planes.

It wasn't that Minister Zheng didn't support it, but rather that many heads of subordinate units of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry came to complain, saying that Harbin Institute of Technology was a subordinate unit of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry, and that it didn't support the aerospace industry or its brother units, and that it spent all its funds on projects of the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry.

Xie Wei was physically in the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building, but his heart was in the Third Ministry of Machine Building.

The complaints and lamentations from the heads of subordinate units had long been giving Minister Zheng a major headache.

"Leader, I am a member of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry, whether I live or die! My loyalty to the ministry is as clear as the sun and moon, as evident as heaven and earth..."

"Stop it."

Minister Zheng was furious when he saw Xie Wei's face. "If there's nothing important, hurry up and report to your Third Ministry of Machine Building. My Seventh Ministry of Machine Building is too small to accommodate a big shot like you."

"Sir, I was forced into this situation. The military traded their switchboard service with us..."

Xie Wei knew he had no choice but to use his trump card.

It's the same thing being talked about, but the way it's phrased is different, which gives it a different feel.

"what?"

Minister Zheng was stunned.

"The military is also helpless. Our switches are not as advanced as those abroad, especially high-capacity switches... Some leaders in the military have proposed to put out international tenders... And the Y-10 actually has nothing to do with the military's needs... The US is still determined to conquer us, and McDonnell Douglas has been lobbying the Civil Aviation Administration of China to import their aircraft... So, in the end, this situation arose: we took over the Y-10 in exchange for the military using switches developed by Harbin Institute of Technology..."

"Really?"

Minister Zheng looked at Xie Wei suspiciously, not believing his explanation at all.

"Absolutely true!"

Xie Wei patted his chest to assure everyone that he was telling the truth.

Spending a lot of time with Li Rui, you can lie through your teeth without feeling any pressure.

"Of course, I couldn't let the troops have their way, so I proposed to reduce the difficulty of the aircraft. The Y-10 would continue to undergo test flights, but improvements would be postponed... In order to reduce the manufacturing difficulty, I proposed to use the Y-8 as a foundation and the technological achievements of the Y-10 to restart the manufacturing of the Y-9..."

Xie Wei discovered that he had a talent for lying.

The more he talked, the more reliable he seemed.

But Minister Zheng, seeing his suspicious look, said he didn't believe Xie Wei's words at all.

(End of this chapter)