Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 644 Mass Production of Guided Weapons (1), Large-Scale Procurement and Financing in the United States
With the successful test launch of the weapon, the Taishan guided weapon has achieved a breakthrough.

This also means that Taishan Military Industry is the only military enterprise in the world that possesses precision-guided weapons.

Even if its accuracy is slightly off, it can still easily outperform the equipment of other countries.

The creation of this weapon prompted Fang Wen to immediately begin preparations for mass production.

The machining precision of core components is a major issue. Previously, Fang Wen relied on his special ability to do it manually. However, ordinary workers certainly cannot do it like him during mass production. We need to consider equipment and training.

The supply of key materials, such as copper, silver in silver-zinc batteries, and special steel, were strategic resources during World War II and were difficult to obtain.

There's also the issue of assembly consistency. Each component in the guidance system, such as vacuum tubes and gyroscopes, needs to be calibrated. How can we ensure that each one is qualified during mass production?
Standardizing the production process is something Fang Wen can currently handle directly.

He had previously organized and transformed every production process technology of Taishan Industry, and this time was no different. Therefore, Fang Wen's first task was to compile a process manual.

The manual not only contains technical information on the process flow, but also raises issues related to the connection between processes, such as the coordination between parts processing and assembly.

After completing the process manual, Fang Wen began to gather Huo Duanyang from the ammunition factory, Jiang Wenjin, the technical leader of the research institute, and Bai Zeshan from the semiconductor factory.

The three of them arrived at Fang Wen's office at the research institute.

Fang Wen stated directly, "Duan Yang, Wen Jin, Ze Shan, the reason I called you here is to discuss guided rockets. I believe this weapon has a disruptive impact on warfare. If it can be mass-produced, our air power will be able to accurately strike ground targets from a distance."

He only mentioned ground targets, mainly because this simple radar lock-on mode is not yet capable of guiding and locking onto high-speed aircraft.

Even so, it is already quite remarkable.

After all, the Taishan Independent Regiment used 1800 air-to-ground rockets to achieve its victory on the Guinan battlefield. If it had used this kind of guided weapon, it could have used at least half as many rockets.

Huo Duanyang, Jiang Wenjin, and Bai Zeshan naturally understood and nodded in agreement.

Fang Wen continued, "Now, I plan to upgrade half of the rocket factory's production lines and add a guided weapon semiconductor component production branch to the semiconductor factory. In addition, we need to make large-scale purchases of related production materials. I hope that the three of you can participate, divide the work, and cooperate to realize this project as soon as possible."

"General Manager, what are your specific arrangements?" Bai Zeshan asked.

Fang Wen walked behind the desk, opened a drawer, took out three folded sheets of paper, and pushed them in front of the three people respectively.

The first sheet is a machining tolerance table for the core components of the rocket, the second sheet is an assembly flowchart for the guidance system, and the third sheet is a specification parameter table for semiconductor components.

“Ze Shan, take a look at this first.” He pointed to the third drawing, his fingertip landing on the line “Diode forward voltage drop.” “The new branch factory that the semiconductor plant is going to set up will be mainly for the mass production of silicon diodes and carbon film resistors needed for guidance systems. The receivers we used before had gain that was too affected by temperature. Now we’ve added heat sinks, but signal stability still depends on semiconductor components. You need to solve two problems: first, control the forward voltage drop error of the diodes to within ±0.05V; second, achieve a resistor accuracy of ±5%. This is even higher than the requirements we had when making transistor computer parts.”

Bai Zeshan picked up the blueprints, his brows furrowing slightly: "Silicon material purification is a hurdle. To meet the requirements of diodes, the purity of our current materials needs to be increased by two orders of magnitude. Also, for the coating of carbon film resistors, to ensure quality, without a suitable spin coating machine, we cannot guarantee the uniformity of the coating thickness."

“I’ve modified the equipment for you,” Fang Wen replied. “Add a temperature control module to your existing purification furnace, using the same approach I used for lathe positioning, and add a copper temperature probe to adjust the heating power in real time. The coating machine is also simple; find an old motor, modify it into a rotating shaft, and make a funnel-shaped coating tank. Just make sure the coating thickness varies between each ring. In addition, you need to train five dedicated quality inspectors to use multimeters to measure the parameters of each part one by one. Any parts that don’t meet the standards should be rejected immediately and must never reach the assembly stage.”

After speaking with Bai Zeshan, Fang Wen turned to Huo Duanyang and moved the machining tolerance table closer to him: "Duanyang, the ammunition factory has the heaviest workload. Half of the production line needs to be converted into a dedicated line for guided parts, focusing on the three core components: magnetron anode, gyroscope spindle, and servo gear. The precision requirements for these parts are much higher than those for manufacturing rockets, so you will be under a lot of pressure. Do you remember the parameters I used when machining the anode? Lathe speed control, three feed rates."

Huo Duanyang nodded. "Ordinary lathe operators don't have your skills. Even with blueprints, it's difficult to guarantee that every batch of parts will meet the standards. I'm thinking of adding a 'positioning stop' to the lathe to fix the blank in place. Then, using the 'error chart' you made before, I can mark the cutting force and speed as scales. If the workers operate according to the scales, we can at least reduce the scrap rate from 50% to 20%. This should be able to achieve mass production results."

“That’s the right approach.” Fang Wen took out a homemade tool from the drawer, which was engraved with fine markings. “This is a ‘cutting force scale block’ that I made. When workers are processing, they only need to align the pointer of the force gauge with the corresponding mark to ensure that the cutting force is within the acceptable range.”

Finally, Fang Wen looked at Jiang Wenjin and unfolded the assembly flowchart: "Wenjin, the assembly consistency depends on you. The vacuum tube and gyroscope of each missile need to be calibrated. I have designed two sets of tooling for you - one is a 'screening instrument' that uses a battery to measure the gain, and those below 55dB are directly eliminated; the other is a 'gyroscope positioning stage' that uses a level and a dial to control the spindle deviation within 0.1°."

Jiang Wenjin picked up the tooling blueprints, her eyes lighting up: "With these two sets, calibration efficiency can be increased threefold. In addition, I want to add a 'dynamic testing step' to fix the assembled missile on the flight simulator and use the carrier aircraft's radar signal to simulate illumination, to see if the rudder will deflect with the signal. This way, assembly problems can be detected in advance, instead of waiting for live-fire tests."

“We must add them.” Fang Wen immediately agreed. “Ten college students will be selected from the batch of students recruited by the research institute last year and trained as ‘assembly team leaders.’ Each team leader will lead three workers and strictly follow the procedures. First, install the anode, then the receiver, and finally calibrate the gyroscope. Not a single step can be wrong. Also, the ventilation holes of the projectile must be made using a stamping machine. The angle deviation of the holes drilled by hand is too large, and the heat dissipation effect is unstable.”

Fang Wen and the other two discussed until evening, finalizing the details of the project implementation.

Finally, Fang Wen instructed: "Ze Shan, set up the semiconductor plant's production line next week, prioritizing diodes and resistors, and deliver the first batch of products by the end of the month; Duan Yang, simultaneously advance the production line upgrade and material coordination, and produce 100 qualified anodes by the beginning of next month; Wen Jin, speed up the tooling design and personnel training, and be able to start assembly by the middle of the second half of the month."

He paused, then looked at the three men: "We are currently lacking materials, equipment, and skilled workers, but the sooner this guided weapon is mass-produced, the fewer people will be sacrificed on the front lines. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, feel free to contact me. And I won't be idle either; I'll take care of the copper and silver materials that are urgently needed for production."

The meeting concluded, and the three people left Fang Wen's office.

It was already late at night, but Fang Wen had not yet gone to rest.

He took out the purchase list.

Currently, we need 5 tons of copper, 200 kg of silver foil for silver-zinc batteries, and chromium steel for making gyroscope spindles.

In peacetime, these things are easy to obtain.

During the war, the invaders occupied the richest regions of China and plundered a large amount of resources, which made these resources very scarce.

Even in the southwest regions that had not yet been ravaged by war, resources became scarce.

Fang Wen didn't consider sourcing from domestic suppliers; instead, he set his sights on overseas markets.

The best place to source supplies is the United States.

With Europe already in the midst of a full-scale war, Fang Wen prepared to exercise his third loan right with the American consortium to purchase more supplies in one go.

Therefore, he planned to go to the United States to absorb the energy of the Amber Blood Cross again and replenish the energy he had consumed during this period.

1940, April 1.

Fang Wen, dressed in casual clothes, carrying a briefcase, and accompanied by his bodyguard Gong Xiuneng, who was also carrying a briefcase, walked towards the new passenger plane of Taishan Eurasia Airlines.

This is a special private jet prepared for high-end European clients.

Despite the outbreak of war in Europe, the wealthy and powerful did not give up their pursuit of comfort and enjoyment.

Taishan Airlines certainly wants to make money off these people. To this end, it modified the Huashan No. 1 passenger plane, reducing the number of seats by two-thirds, making the interior space much more spacious, and increasing the number of service personnel and various service standards accordingly.

Fang Wen will be the first passenger to experience this luxury flight service.

The two arrived at the boarding stairs, where a flight attendant greeted them with a smile: "Good morning, General Manager."

Fang Wen shook his head: "Remember, I am a passenger now."

The flight attendant quickly corrected herself: "Hello passengers, please board."

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng walked up the boarding stairs and entered the plane.

"Hello passenger, I am Xie Yuwen, the chief flight attendant for this flight. It is my pleasure to serve you."

Fang Wen looked at the flight attendants in front of him.

She was among the company's first batch of flight attendants and is considered a veteran.

Before becoming a flight attendant, she was the third daughter of the owner of Juyuancheng Money Exchange. Later, after Fang Wen and the Eight Great Families of Northeast China parted ways, many members of the Eight Great Families left the airline, while some stayed, and Xie Yuwen was one of them.

When Fang Wen was working at the company, flying the first Boeing 80 passenger plane between Shanghai and Fuyang, Xie Yuwen was a flight attendant.

Fang Wen smiled at this old acquaintance and said, "Xie Yuwen, headquarters has tried to transfer you to a management position several times, but you refused. What? Do you want to fly until retirement?"

“I just love flying around,” Xie Yuwen replied with a smile.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm a passenger now."

"Okay, hello passenger, please follow me. This aircraft is a special air service provided by our company for high-end customers. The aircraft has two types of seats: Premium Cabin and Comfort Cabin."

Xie Yuwen introduced Fang Wen.

After passing through the spacious comfort cabin, we arrived at the premium cabin.

That place is a luxurious space exclusively for special clients.

There are seats for the master, seats for the attendants, and a special dining area.

Fang Wen sat down on the sofa.

Xie Yuwen brought over the drinks.

"Dear customer, would you like something to drink?"

At this moment, Fang Wen was captivated by the luxurious services his company had created, as if he had returned to the future.

But the view outside the window told him that this was still in the Republic of China era.

Brushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen replied, "A cup of Yunnan black tea, please."

This is a special tea supplied by Taishan Airlines. Because it is a fermented tea, it is very suitable for international tastes, and many foreign passengers like to drink it.

Xie Yuwen brewed the tea and said politely, "If you need any service, please ring the bell and our flight attendants will come to serve you immediately."

After saying that, she turned and left.

After everyone left and the cabin door closed, Gong Xiuneng finally spoke up, saying, "Commander, this is a bit too much."

"What's wrong? Do you know how much it costs to sit here?" Fang Wen asked with a smile.

"How much?" Gong Xiu couldn't guess.

"The comfort zone costs $400, but this costs $3000."

"What? It's so expensive!"

"It's good that it's expensive. Only by earning money from wealthy Europeans can we turn it into weapons and ammunition to fight the Japanese."

"The commander is right, I was too superficial."

At this point in the conversation, Fang Wen joked, "I just noticed that you don't dare to look at Xie Yuwen."

Gong Xiuneng nodded honestly: "She is very beautiful, her eyes are like bewitching charms, I dare not look at her."

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat, "Compared to my sister, who is prettier?"

“They’re both very beautiful.” Gong Xiuneng paused, then described it in his own way: “Your sister is very easy to get along with, while this one feels cold.”

"You were absolutely right." Fang Wen lowered his voice: "The company has given Xie Yuwen a nickname, 'Ice Queen.' Over the past few years, many people have pursued her, but none of them have succeeded."

Gong Xiu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Commander, why don't you think she finds a man?"

"how could I know."

"Could it be that Xie Yuwen has someone she likes, but that person doesn't like her back?"

"It's possible."

The two exchanged a few words on the topic before losing interest.

Afterwards, they sat down in their respective seats and closed their eyes to rest.

An hour passed.

The cabin door opened, and Xie Yuwen entered, smiling as she asked, "How are you feeling, guest? Is there anything you need?"

Fang Wen smiled and shook his head: "No."

Xie Yuwen went out, and after a while, she came back in with a blanket.

"We're about to enter the high-altitude region, and the temperature inside the cabin will drop. Covering yourself with a blanket will help keep you warm."

Fang Wen took the blanket. "Thank you."

Xie Yuwen immediately smiled and turned to leave.

She forgot that there was another living person inside the cabin.

Without a blanket, Gong Xiuneng seemed lost in thought.

"Commander, I can tell. Xie Yuwen has probably taken a liking to you."

Fang Wen was stunned.

He had never thought about it in that way.

The time I had the most contact with Xie Yuwen was when the company had just opened. He was a Boeing 80 pilot, Xie Yuwen was a flight attendant, and Sun Debiao was an air security guard.

Later, due to being busy with other matters, I stepped down from my position as a civil aviation pilot and had little contact with Xie Yuwen.

It shouldn't be possible.

Fang Wen shook off his thoughts and stopped thinking about it.

(End of this chapter)