In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 375 Rather than going home to be pressured into marriage, I'd rather go see the 65-ton press in Erzhong.

"You convinced them? How did you convince them?"

Long Yaohua was astonished after listening to Xie Wei's report.

Xie Wei just grinned and said, "It's all thanks to my personal charm!"

He couldn't tell the truth, because Project 10 had only just completed its maiden flight, and there were still many problems to be solved in subsequent test flights, and it was unknown when it would be finalized.

Should we just throw out Project No. 20?
What a fuss!

Moreover, Xie Wei didn't intend for Harbin Institute of Technology to invest too much in Project 20 anymore; he just wanted them to work on some high-end supporting technologies.

He also needs to allow the J-20 chief designer, who has only been working at the Flight Control Research Laboratory of Institute 611 for a little over a year, to accumulate more experience.

This is just something they're using to fool people; they wouldn't dare fool Long Yaohua.

If Long Yaohua takes a liking to this project and then reports it to the military leaders, Xie Wei will face a host of troubles.

"Hey, Director Li, you seem a bit down right now?"

Xie Wei was afraid that Long Yaohua would press him further, and he was somewhat surprised to see that Old Man Li had a long face, as if someone owed him several tens of yuan.

"He's not happy about it. The Machinery Industry Commission is planning to transfer you to the Major Equipment Bureau..."

Long Yaohua looked at Li Rui, whose face was as bitter as a gourd, with a smile on his face and said.

"The Machinery Industry Commission? What kind of organization is that?"

Xie Wei was stunned, and for a moment he really didn't realize what the Machinery Industry Committee that Long Yaohua mentioned was.

"What do you think? The unit in charge of mechanical manufacturing."

After Long Yaohua explained, Xie Wei finally understood which organization the Machinery Industry Committee was.

Having lived in this era for a long time, Xie Wei, like many others of that time, had become accustomed to referring to the Ministry of Machine Building as "Ministry of Machine Building." After the name change, he found it difficult to react for a while.

"That doesn't make sense. I haven't had much interaction with them. I've been staying at school these past few years, not even going home. Why would they want to transfer me there?"

"Advisor Shen Hong was very insistent on appointing you as a deputy director at the Major Equipment Bureau... This is all thanks to the complex engineering system management methods you developed... In addition, there's the 6.5-ton die forging machine designed jointly by your university's Mechanical Engineering Department and Erzhong Group, and the 1.5-ton free forging machine designed jointly by Northwestern Polytechnical University and other units..."

"..."

Upon hearing the name of Consultant Shen Hong, Xie Wei was at a loss for words.

That's a real talent!

The bigwig who oversaw the development of nine sets of large-scale complete sets of equipment!

"Alright, there's no clear result yet regarding the transfer. We'll discuss the specifics once the results are out."

Seeing Xie Wei's expression, Long Yaohua was not surprised.

Xie Wei is a young man who cherishes old friendships.

"That's true. Once the results of the post-flight inspection are out, I'll have to go back to school; there's a ton of stuff going on there."

Xie Wei felt it was better to go back to school.

After the maiden flight, the results of the prototype inspection came out.

No problem!

This result excited everyone even more.

Long Yaohua took out two telegrams and scanned them seriously.

Everyone became serious as well.

"A congratulatory telegram arrived from higher command: 'The successful maiden flight of the J-10 was hard-won, and the work ahead is arduous and long-term. We hope you will continue to uphold your spirit of strong collaboration and selfless dedication, meticulously organize your efforts, overcome difficulties, persevere, ensure quality, accelerate the development process, and enable the model to complete its design finalization and be equipped by the troops as soon as possible, thus writing a more brilliant new chapter in national defense modernization!'"

"Clap clap~"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted and lasted for a long time.

Everyone was excited, clapping and cheering enthusiastically.

Xie Wei and others were slapped so hard that their hands turned bright red.

Several days have passed, but the excitement in my heart has not disappeared.

"Comrades, as our superiors have said, we are currently facing a long and arduous task. In order to accelerate the research and development process and equip the troops as soon as possible, I hereby announce that the technical department of Factory 132 will be merged into Institute 611. From now on, the technical research and development will be the responsibility of Institute 611, and the production and manufacturing will be the responsibility of Factory 132. Design and production will be separated yet closely linked."

Seeing the confusion of President Song and the others, Long Yaohua spoke up before they could ask.

"It should have been merged a long time ago. The current situation, with two companies working on projects at the same time, not only disperses the already strained manpower but also exacerbates the financial strain. A merger would be better."

President Song nodded with a smile.

He had long hoped to merge the 611 and 132 technical departments to integrate their technical capabilities.

Unfortunately, Factory 132 has always been unwilling.

Even when working on the J-7III project, before the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry issued a document handing the project over to the 611, both sides were working on their own projects, and even sent teams abroad to study the MiG-23 and other aircraft.

It consumes far too many resources.

The other people in 611 were also full of excitement, only some technical backbones in the technical department of Factory 132 still had resentment on their faces: they had been working on the J-7 improvement project for almost 20 years and were becoming more and more familiar with it, but a large number of people would be transferred.

How can I be content with this?

Which fighter jet designer doesn't want the air force to equip itself with advanced and powerful fighter jets designed and developed by them to protect the blue skies of the motherland?
"The specifics of the merger and the personnel arrangements after the merger will be discussed by both parties. Let's talk about the first flight summary of Project 10 and the subsequent test flight plan."

Long Yaohua knew that both sides needed a relatively long period of adjustment.

"Thanks to scientific management methods, the No. 03 prototype flew at an altitude of 3600 meters for 20 minutes, completing all the planned basic flight maneuvers, and the stability of the avionics and control systems was further verified..."

President Song introduced the details of the maiden flight to everyone.

To ensure the safety of the maiden flight, the fuel consumption for the prototype was calculated very precisely, with only 600 kilograms more fuel than needed for the entire maiden flight, allowing for only about 10 more minutes of basic flight.

The altitude is set at 3600 meters to ensure a faster return to the ground in case of problems.

With the help of complex engineering systems management methods, all plans become controllable.

"Next, we will accelerate the production of prototypes 04 and 05, with prototype 04 used for extreme environment testing and prototype 05 used for flight testing..."

President Song then introduced the upcoming arrangements to everyone.

"Based on the current results of the maiden flight, the flight test outline and mission list will be adjusted. The original plan of 18 months for basic flight verification has been adjusted to 13 months. After the basic performance verification is completed, extreme flight testing will begin..."

"Now we must organize a capable team and immediately begin improving the extreme test range and flight test site, especially the air force target range deep in the Gobi Desert in Northwest China..."

China's military industry has been developing for decades, and test flight sites under various conditions have been built to a near-complete degree.

Project 10 is a completely new fighter jet, unlike the J-7 and J-8 models. It is more technologically advanced, has more electronic equipment, and more complex systems. The testing environment required is more stringent than that of the J-7 and J-8 to ensure that there are no problems with the design of the fighter jet.

After speaking, he looked at Li Rui and Long Yaohua.

"The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense will allocate an additional 1.8 million yuan within a month."

The number Li Rui gave was the result of careful consideration.

Before coming, he had discussed it within his unit and reported it to his superiors, receiving a response in return.

The money in my secret stash is only so much. I have to be careful with how I spend it.

"The military will also raise funds as soon as possible. In addition, we will communicate with the Air Force, and after the basic test flights are completed, the Air Force will place a small order..."

A fleeting moment of embarrassment crossed Long Yaohua's face.

He couldn't just offer money like Li Rui did.

The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has a slush fund!

The troops did not...

Forget about slush funds, even their underwear was full of holes, and officers couldn't even get a pair of leather shoes a year.

They were eating bran and vegetables, their underwear patched one after another; how could they easily come up with money!
We still need to discuss how to ask the Ministry of Finance for more funding when we get back.

"You've been back in Chengdu for so many days, aren't you going back for a visit?"

After the meeting, Li Rui asked Xie Wei.

Xie Wei shook his head, "Forget it, I'm not going back. My mom is busy starting her own business and studying on her own right now, she doesn't have time for me..."

He was telling the truth, but that wasn't the reason he didn't want to go back: Liu Mei was pressuring him to get married!
After her son and daughter went to university, Xie Jianguo was so busy that he was rarely home. He could no longer pass the time by growing vegetables and raising chickens in the yard. Or rather, the absence of cooking and cleaning for the children made her feel unwanted and empty. Liu Mei started to teach herself pinyin. When she reached the fourth or fifth grade level, she found that she couldn't understand math...

So, he turned to starting his own business.

He started by opening a small restaurant in the eastern suburbs, and in just a few years, the small restaurant turned into a large restaurant, making him one of the first people in the country to become wealthy.

Logically, in this situation, the old lady should be thinking about opening a branch store, expanding the business, and making more money.

Unfortunately, Liu Mei was not one of them.

She thought about how Xie Wei was already 27 and still single, while his peers back in her hometown were already having grandchildren and getting married. She went from writing letters to urge him to get married to making phone calls, and eventually even traveling to Harbin twice a year...

How could Xie Wei dare to go back?
"Xie Rou is about to graduate with her doctorate."

"If she wants to come back, she can. But if she goes back to Harbin Institute of Technology now, my mom will probably have to come to the school four times a year!"

Xie Wei glared at Li Rui, annoyed. The old man couldn't stand seeing him relax?
The school wasn't unaware that his mother was pressuring him to get married. In fact, Zhang Mingqiu, Liu Debao, and others had talked to Xie Wei about it multiple times, even suggesting that if he couldn't find someone at the school, he should look at other universities...

"Xiao Mo is going back to China next month."

"Which Xiao Mo?"

Xie Wei was stunned for a moment. When he saw Li Rui's sly smile, he instantly remembered the figure from the depths of his memory. "So what if he's back?"

"Since you're not going back, come with me to Erzhong. The large press there has already started assembly."

Go to the second layer!
Xie Wei was happy to agree.

Large forging presses, especially die forging presses with a capacity of 5 tons or more, are essential core equipment for advanced fighter jets, particularly large aircraft.

苏联的7.5万吨模锻机冠绝全球，就因为有了这玩意儿，苏联人才能建造出最大起飞重量640吨，货舱最大载重250吨、顶部载重200吨的空中怪兽安-225；更是让最大起飞重量405吨的安-124大规模列装部队。

Because the French purchased a 6.5-ton heavy-duty press from the Soviet Union, Airbus was able to develop the Airbus A380 with a maximum takeoff weight of 575 tons.

The United States...

This guy simply couldn't afford to invest in this, and he'd been barely scraping by with his 5-ton heavy-duty press. During the period when he was vying with the Soviet Union for the top spot, he only managed to produce the C-5 with a maximum takeoff weight of 379 tons.

Later, when the old Russians fell, the new Russians inherited the business. In order to make a little money, the old Russians' 7.5-ton press, like the Mir space station, became a shared facility for the whole world...

Erzhong is located in Deyang, 45 kilometers northeast of Chengdu. It was established during the Third Front construction period and is surrounded by heavy machinery companies such as Dongfang Electric and Dongfang Turbine.

It belongs to the most important heavy industrial cluster in the entire Southwest region.

Originally, China First Heavy Industries wanted to compete for the 6.5-ton large press business, but Xie Wei refused outright. In the end, after seeing that the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense had provided most of the construction funds, they reluctantly agreed to give the 1.5-ton free forging project to China First Heavy Industries.

Xie Wei's reasoning was simple: Erzhong was closer to Factory 132 and not far from Factory 172.

The C-shaped frame beams of Project No. 10, the X-shaped frame beams of Project No. 20, and the landing gear all require large die forging machines to form them in one go. Only in this way can they have higher strength and longer service life.

Currently, the largest die forging machine in the country, a 30,000-ton die forging machine, is located at Southwest Aluminum. For Project No. 10, which was initially established to address the issue of whether or not it was available, it is only barely sufficient.

"You're really not going back?"

Li Rui was somewhat surprised to see Xie Wei preparing to fly directly to Deyang, 45 kilometers away, on a Y-11 transport aircraft.

"If we're not going back, we'll fly to the flight academy airport over there, and then head straight back to school."

Just kidding.

How could I possibly be so confused as to distract my mother when she was already so busy, and force her to take time out of her busy schedule to cruelly pressure me to get married?
"Okay. I'll bring a wife home for Chinese New Year during winter break, then things will be much easier..."

"I think it would be best to bring a wife with me when I take up my post at the Machinery Industry Commission."

"..."

Li Rui's expression froze instantly.

Chu Yunlong, who was standing to the side, looked up at the sky, trying hard not to laugh.

The Y-11 took off directly from the runway outside the 132 assembly workshop and flew towards Erzhong, which was dozens of kilometers away.

"Director Li, Director Xie, welcome! Welcome!"

As soon as the plane landed, Xiao Gang, the director of Erzhong Plant, Zhang Dewen, the secretary, and others came to the airport to greet them, but Chief Engineer Han Ruijun was the only one missing.

Originally, Xie Wei planned to appoint Chen Xiaoci, the chief designer of the 8-ton press, as the chief designer. However, just like with the J-20, when the press project was launched, this big shot had not yet graduated and was assigned to Erzhong.

Engineer Han Ruijun is from Erzhong.

The chief architect was Huang Wenhu, the director of the school's academic committee. If it weren't for Xie Wei's emergence, which led Li Rui to share power between Zhang Mingqiu and Liu Debao, Huang would have become the principal in 81, just like Xie Wei in his time.

"Installation has already begun, and both General Manager Huang and General Manager Han are on-site overseeing it."

Seeing Li Rui's gaze searching through the crowd, Xiao Gang hurriedly offered an explanation.

"Let's go take a look first."

Li Rui nodded.

The design of the 6.5-ton press was not particularly difficult. In the 70s, Erzhong undertook the project of the 6.5-ton press to support the Y-10 transport aircraft.

However, due to insufficient funding and the incomplete design, the Y-10 project was cancelled.

Xie Wei initially transferred Erzhong's design backbone to Harbin Institute of Technology to revise Erzhong's previous designs.

The initial design was very difficult.

The supporting facilities are also inadequate.

In particular, the large main column, which is over 32 meters long and weighs 900 tons, cannot be manufactured using existing technology. Xie Wei directly solved the problem by using the C-shaped plate bonding method adopted by the 8-ton press, and the design scheme received more "suggestions" from Xie Wei.

The entire set of equipment has 74 parts, each weighing more than 70 tons, which is 6 more than the 80,000-ton press that will be built 20 years later.

It is more difficult to produce.

"Although Jiangnan Shipyard successfully developed a 12500-ton free forging die forging machine in the 60s and China First Heavy Industries successfully developed a 70-ton die forging machine in the 3s, we have more than doubled the pressure here, and the construction difficulty is extremely high... The infrastructure requirements are even higher than those of the Three Gorges Project! Equipment weighing over 20000 tons is installed on a 400-square-meter area..."

As they walked, Xiao Gang explained the situation to everyone.

(End of this chapter)