Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

Regarding the dismantling of Jewel Road 2, the experienced expert wisely avoided causing trouble for everyone. Instead, he directed the operation via closed-circuit television, and professional bomb disposal experts carried out the dismantling.

After the entire disassembly was completed, it was found that the Type II no longer uses a weather vane-laser seeker, but instead adopts a simplified combination of a gyroscope stabilizer and a laser seeker. The resistance to aerodynamic interference is significantly improved. According to experts, the circular error probability (CEP) will be greatly reduced, theoretically reaching 1-2 meters.

Of course, this is just theory.

Its laser seeker has also been improved, obviously the laser has been encoded, but it is still unknown how many types of laser pulses it can identify, but this can greatly reduce the effectiveness of enemy laser jammers.

In addition, the Type II adopts a folding swept wing (BSU-84/B), which is normally attached to the missile body to reduce load drag, and automatically unfolds after release. The gliding distance will be much greater than that of the Type I. The exact amount still needs to be determined through aerodynamic testing of the shape, but it is estimated to be no less than 10 kilometers.

This greatly improves the safety of bomber aircraft. When launching an attack on some targets, if the radar is faulty or damaged, the enemy may not be able to detect it at all.

Finally, the Type II adopts a modular design, which can obviously be adapted to many fighter jets. At the same time, this design also indicates that the Type II should not be limited to the current bomb type. There should be other models, such as those with improved earth penetration capabilities, those with improved flight range, and possibly different warheads, such as high-yield, incendiary, thermobaric, and chaff bombs, forming a complete family system and greatly enriching the usage environment.

The above is the answer obtained from the initial disassembly and reverse engineering, which also shows the huge gap between the two countries in precision engineering.

This isn't a question of whether it can be done by hand; it's a gap in large-scale industrial manufacturing.

Laboratory completion and industrialization are two completely different fields. Take 'controlled nuclear fusion' technology, for example. The most important thing is the word 'controlled'. This is an industrial technology, something related to materials science. Uncontrolled technology is called a hydrogen bomb. Nuclear fusion itself has already been achieved.

Wang Yaotang stopped paying attention to the Gem Road II project; it was no longer relevant to him for the time being. He was now more focused on Zhou Xianjun.

Zhou Xianjun: Hmph, now you remember me? You were telling me to leave before!
Whether Lao Zhou was arrogant or not, Wang Yaotang didn't know, but in the end, he still succumbed to his money offensive.

With the Gemway 1 as a reference, the most basic gliding range extension + weather navigation can be completely handcrafted using machine tools. Simply testing the landing point does not require loading explosives, and a Y-5 transport aircraft can be obtained from the Hongxing Factory to conduct experiments.

However, manually creating one experiment is definitely less efficient than manually creating ten for data collection. Similarly, taking off once is not as efficient as taking off ten times at different times, in different environments, and with different targets.

Their Y-5 transport aircraft uses 300 liters of fuel per hour of operation, and such experiments require considerable funding.

The factory will not provide funding for these experimental batches if there is no hope of mass production.

Don't say we lack long-term vision or don't value research and development. These days, all the major research institutes are short of funding. Even if you were allowed to develop it, what good would it do? 7712 is still gathering dust in the lab. This kind of repetitive research is meaningless.

Wang Yaotang: No, I think it's very meaningful!
What do you mean by outdated technology? If your technology isn't outdated, I wouldn't dare sell it to you.

Wang Yaotang's phrase "Money is plentiful, so spend it however you want" became the central idea of ​​the experimental group. Zhou Xianjun and his group really let loose, treating Wang Yaotang as a sucker, and even came up with some scattered and random ideas to conduct experiments.

Wang Yaotang was completely indifferent to this. It was just a little electricity, steel, and aluminum alloy. These people worked day and night, so why would he be stingy with a little expense? If needed, he could even get a three-axis CNC machine tool.

This isn't 5 years ago; now, doing this is just a matter of a single sentence.

It's not that you can quickly replicate a finished product just by using the Gemway 1 as a reference. First of all, the bombing aircraft are completely different. Wang Yaotang required the Y-5 platform.

The Y-5's maximum level flight speed is only 260 km/h, and the Y-5B is estimated to be no more than 300 km/h. This is completely incomparable to the mainstream fighter jets of various countries, and the Paveway 1 is definitely not suitable for this speed.

Under this large-scale experiment with no regard for cost, the manufacturing materials and aerodynamic shape were gradually narrowed down and determined in about a week. Because the initial speed was not fast, the bombing height was determined to be 400-1000 meters, and the probability error of the test bomb's circularity was reduced to within 80-150 meters, which is a significant improvement compared to the previous 500 meters.

In actual bombing, the pilot must visually aim or combine it with a simple fire control radar system. It will be affected by various external factors, including weather, and the actual circular error will be between 100 and 200.

As for gliding technology, due to the Y-5's low speed and relatively low bombing altitude, its final range was only 1500 kilometers...

Well, it still has some significance.

In another type of semi-active laser guidance, the four-quadrant photodiode array was taken from a tape recorder and oscilloscope, the optical glass was taken from a lens, and the laser was taken from a Leica industrial rangefinder.

Wang Yaotang dared to say it, and Zhou Xianjun dared to believe it.

People can get their hands on Gem Road Type 1 and 2. These aren't contraband items. It's hard to say if the quantity is too large, but a thousand or eight hundred sets is no problem. There are so many underground Chinese organizations around the world; getting a portion from one organization would be enough for them.

However, this is more complicated to manufacture. Fortunately, with the previous achievements of the wind vane guidance, the shape of the missile body and the glider have been finalized. The guidance head and the small compressed air bottle built into the tail are replaced. The compressed air bottle is switched on and off with a spring-return ball valve. It receives mechanical signals from the guidance head. The high-pressure air pushes the pneumatic piston of the tail fin through the pipe, which drives the four movable tail fins stamped with steel plates to achieve a ±15° deflection of the missile body.

Of course, it sounds simple, but after the seeker receives the laser signal, it needs to calculate the deflection angle, calculate the tail fin adjustment angle according to the formula, and then convert this information into a mechanical signal. This requires repeated testing, improving computing power, improving mechanical precision, and so on...

It's impossible to complete in a short time, but Zhou Xianjun's team is very calm, since the boss has plenty of money!

During his time in Shijiazhuang, Wang Yaotang didn't focus all his attention on aerial bombs, since he didn't really understand them. He often stayed at the Hongxing Factory, keeping an eye on the Y-5 transport aircraft.

First, there's the naming issue. Under Wang Yaotang's intervention, the Y-5 has almost become a series, with everyone saying that it's too difficult to distinguish between them.

Military version:

Attack aircraft: Y-5B
Carrier-based aircraft: Y-5B2
Reconnaissance aircraft: Y-5B3
Civilian version:

Short-haul passenger aircraft: Y-5A
Transport aircraft: Y-5A2
The series were divided into sections, making it much more intuitive. Meanwhile, the wind tunnel test was completed, and Tang Jun developed an upgrade plan based on the results.

“First, let’s talk about the engine. Replacing it with a Polish ASz-62IR piston engine of the same type would increase the power output by 200 horsepower…” Tang Jun hesitated for a moment before adding, “Actually, replacing it with a turboprop engine would be even better, given the higher power density and higher altitude efficiency…”

"No, it's too expensive. What's the biggest feature of the Y-5? It's cheap, cheap, and damn cheap!"

"It can operate long-term..."

“There’s no such thing as long-term.” Wang Yaotang waved his hand. “My first batch of clients were independent armed groups all over the world. They themselves didn’t even know how long they could exist. Talking to them about long-term operation is just laughable.”

"The second batch of customers will be poor countries in Africa and South America. They only care about the price. As for subsequent operations, they don't even know how long they can stay in their leadership positions. They don't need to consider long-term operations. It's too ridiculous."

Tang Jun wiped the sweat from his brow, pretending I hadn't said anything.

"Should we still switch to the Polish engine?" Tang Jun asked.

Was the original engine domestically produced?

"Yes, it's produced in a factory in Zhuzhou. It's a copy of the Russian AIII-62IR 9-cylinder radial air-cooled piston engine. It was produced in 58, which is why the Y-5 is so cheap."

"No further development? You said the engines purchased from Poland are also piston engines?" Wang Yaotang asked, frowning.

"For piston-powered engines, Zhuzhou has shifted its focus to developing the miniaturized piston-6, while other research directions have turned to turbojet and turboprop engines."

"You mean replacing the propeller?"

"Uh...no, the WJ-5 turboprop engine is too big to fit in, and the horsepower is too high. I was referring to the imported one." Tang Jun said somewhat embarrassedly.

Wang Yaotang gave a look, as if to say, "Imported and you still say die!" "Didn't Zhuzhou ever consider developing a miniaturized turboprop suitable for the Y-5?"

"The turboprop was developed for the large transport aircraft Y-7."

"Alright, never mind. The Piston-5 is fine as it is now. As for the parts that are not as good as the Polish engine, we can try to improve them. If Zhuzhou is unwilling, we can purchase spare parts from abroad. It's not like they are the only ones that can produce them."

Tang Jun nodded and didn't say anything more about the engine. "The aerodynamic layout will be slightly modified. A streamlined fairing will be added to the tricycle landing gear to reduce wind resistance at high speeds. Surface rivets will be replaced with integral die forging technology, but this will require replacing a lot of manufacturing machinery."

“Rivets are great, very punk,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

Tang Jun nodded. "That's the general idea. The civilian A-series can have its fuselage slightly lengthened to increase the payload by 200 kilograms. The passenger version can increase the number of passengers from 8 to 12, but the amount of luggage will be reduced."

"The military version will be slightly smaller to optimize the aerodynamic layout. After all, whether it's the cannon, bombs, or rocket pods, they are all mounted on the outside, which will increase wind resistance significantly. There's no need to maintain the current cabin size. From this perspective, the Y-5B is practically a new aircraft. Its military purpose is too obvious. Isn't that a bit much?"

Wang Yaotang smacked his lips. "Will it look like a fighter jet from World War II?"

"Not really. After all, it's a biplane and the fuselage is quite tall. It's said that the cabin doesn't need to carry much, but it can actually hold two or three people or some items. However, if you want to add a radar fire control system, then the payload won't be enough."

Wang Yaotang waved his hand and said, "Your idea is wrong. When we were selling goods, the 5B was used for disaster relief."

"Huh?" Tang Jun looked bewildered. Disaster relief?

How are these two characters associated with the Y-5B?

I do not know how?
“Yes, disaster relief!” Wang Yaotang nodded firmly. “Isn’t it reasonable for the infrared targeting equipment in the cabin to locate people in distress during maritime or forest rescue operations?”

Tang Jun smacked his lips, his expression strange, "Makes sense!"

"Fire control radar is designed to improve flight safety by alerting pilots to buildings, trees, mountains, helicopters, or other flying objects such as birds ahead. After all, our Y-5 is primarily targeting the low-altitude, low-speed flight market, so isn't that reasonable?"

Tang Jun: "Very reasonable!"

"Furthermore, the pylons on the wings are used to hang fire extinguishing bombs. Do you know what fire extinguishing bombs are? Although they look like aerial bombs, they are actually filled with sodium bicarbonate dry powder for fire extinguishing, used for fires caused by factory workshops, warehouses, electrical equipment, fuel, etc."

"Besides sodium bicarbonate, water, flame retardants, liquefied carbon dioxide, etc. may also be added. I ask you, in a modern city, what is the probability of a fire in such a place? If fire trucks cannot get close, is it necessary to use airplanes to put out the fire?"

"For other things like forest fires, can fire trucks climb mountains?"

"I said this is a fire extinguishing bomb, isn't that reasonable!" Wang Yaotang stood up and said loudly and righteously. At that moment, he was shining!

"That makes sense, absolutely makes sense!" Tang Jun clapped his hands.

If I weren't the designer of this plane, I'd fucking believe it!
"That's not all. Besides carrying fire extinguishing bombs, this can also be mounted on a liquid tank. In large farms, machinery can certainly complete a series of tasks such as tilling, sowing, and harvesting, but once the seedlings have grown, machinery can no longer enter. After that, tasks such as pest control, weeding, and fertilization still require manual labor. This is where our Y-5B can be used. When it flies over the farmland at low altitude and low speed, it can complete tasks such as pesticide spraying and fertilizer spraying. It can handle thousands of acres of land a day without any problem!"

"Compared to manpower, it's thousands of times more efficient!" Wang Yaotang shouted hoarsely, waving his arms vigorously.

"This kind of work cannot be done by helicopter; the downwind is too strong, and it has blown the seedlings down!"

"I'm asking you, is this reasonable or not!"

Tang Jun stopped laughing. "Wait, no, are you serious?"

"You think I'm joking?" Wang Yaotang patted his chest. "I, Wang Yaotang, love peace!"

Tang Jun's features contorted in disgust; he felt he had to vomit...

"No, the clients you mentioned before were independent armed groups, those poor countries in South America and Africa. They themselves don't even know how long they will exist. Do you think I have a bad memory?"

"What are you saying? Independent armed groups also need to farm, otherwise they'd have to eat grass and tree bark. South America and Africa are so poor, who would feed them if they didn't farm? Those indigenous leaders only farm so they can stay in their positions longer!" Wang Yaotang pointed at Tang Jun with wide eyes. "You must have been hallucinating. I never said that. You're really a dark person."

"No, I, you... damn it..." At this moment, Tang Jun really began to doubt whether there was something wrong with him.

"There is no military version at all, only civilian versions. The A series is for passenger and freight transport, and the B series is for agriculture, forestry, exploration, and rescue," Wang Yaotang said seriously. "Not only that, I will also clearly state in the export instructions that aerial bombs are not allowed to be mounted on the racks, let alone rocket pods. The radar is used to ensure navigation safety. It is illegal to buy a plug-in from a certain company in Hong Kong and convert it into a fire control radar. If this is discovered, we will immediately refuse any subsequent maintenance."

Tang Jun's expression instantly collapsed, "I fucking didn't believe your nonsense!"

"What do you mean by that? I developed it for civilian use. What business is it of mine if they buy it and insist on modifying it for military use? Am I supposed to run over there and stop them or what?" Wang Yaotang rolled his eyes. "Africa imports a lot of agricultural materials from its homeland for harvesting bananas and cutting down trees, but they all end up being used to kill people during tribal conflicts. Are you suggesting we exported weapons of mass destruction?"

Tang Jun opened his mouth but was speechless. The analogy wasn't wrong, but he just felt that Wang Yaotang was sophistry.

He wasn't worried about people from other countries; he just thought Comrade Yaotang was incredibly wicked!

However, the previously mentioned purpose for relief work is indeed reasonable and well-founded, and it is highly likely that the Ministry of Agriculture will purchase it in large quantities.

Of course, it's more likely they won't purchase it, since there's just too much manpower—more than they can use. Two steamed buns a hundred kilometers is much cheaper than fuel, though it might be used abroad.

However, the disaster relief efforts were indeed quite good.

He didn't want to argue with Wang Yaotang anymore; how could a tech guy like himself possibly win an argument with this guy? But he did need to talk to the people in Zhuzhou. If the Y-5 really did get a second spring, then improvements to the Piston-5 would really be necessary.

The aviation industry is in a slump, and it's not just Hongxing Factory that's suffering. Zhuzhou is also having a hard time. The turboprop was supposed to be used on the Y-7, but only a few Y-7s have been produced. As for the WP-5 turbojet, it's not doing too well either.

Who knows, in the end, it might just be the Piston-5 that saves Zhuzhou...

Without thinking about all that messy stuff, I explained all the modifications to the Y-5 to Wang Yaotang, and that was it. The next step was the design and production phase. Wang Yaotang wasn't exactly helpless in that regard; getting a more advanced three-axis CNC machining center wouldn't be a problem. More precise parts could further improve the performance of the Y-5, and the final product would be even better.

All of this was settled a month after arriving in Shijiazhuang. When he left, his private plane was loaded with 20 200-kilogram hand-operated extended-range bombs, making full use of the plane's carrying capacity.

The only slight problem was getting out of Kai Tak Airport. Normally, the cargo would have to go through security, but under the watchful eyes of the security guard with the crew cut who was picking them up, and under the pressure of Wang Yaotang's gaze, the people at Kai Tak Airport could only lower their heads and pretend they knew nothing.

Otherwise, what else can be done?
Arrest that guy surnamed Wang?

Brother, why risk your life for a few thousand dollars a month? Did the Hong Kong British government expect them to get some kind of reward?
The bombs were transported to Po Toi Island, where there was a makeshift airfield. The Y-5 transport aircraft began training with training bombs. After resting for two days, Wang Yaotang resumed dealing with the backlog of issues in Hong Kong.

"Brother Yao, those Japanese devils from Yamaguchi and Sumiyoshi are looking for you..."

"Hmm?" (End of Chapter)