Xiaomi Heavy Industry, its first entrepreneurial venture!

Chapter 571 Tanks Have Rearview Mirrors! (Third Update!)

The words spoken by the person opposite reminded Hilde of that president with the wildly imaginative mind.

When Kennedy died, he was only a few years old. He only knew that someone had died, and that it was a very important person. He didn't know the specifics of how he died.

Later, when he grew up, he joined the army.

Having joined the team and learned the inside story, Hilde realized that everyone dies eventually, so instead of worrying about that, she should focus on making more money, gaining more friends, and minimizing her enemies.

However, what the other party said also served as a reminder to Hilde.

If their president only wants to keep everything to himself and doesn't want to be friends, then there's no other way but to resort to desperate measures.

At that time, all we could say was that their president was unlucky.

With a sigh, Hilder hung up the phone, picked up the military telephone on the table, and dialed the Indian Ocean and Pacific Command.

The mission of the European Command is to defend against Russia and control Europe.

The work in East Asia should be handled by the Indian Ocean and Pacific Command. If we try to handle it ourselves, it would be meddling and overstepping our bounds.

Although everyone belongs to the military, their political parties are somewhat different, and they support different people. Such overstepping of boundaries is strictly prohibited.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. Before he could even speak, the person on the other end asked with a smile:

"Hilde, why are you calling me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Is it because of the information released by Russia?"

"Damon, Russia is a matter for the European Command; please don't meddle in other people's business..."

Hilde was about to accuse the other party of overstepping their bounds when Damon interrupted her:

“Hilde, I need to remind you that a large part of Russia’s territory is in Asia! In the Far East! Okay, just say what you want to say, don’t beat around the bush!”

Her words were interrupted, and Hilde was angry for a moment, but only for a moment.

He tapped his fingers on the table and said softly, "Since you also received that message, you should have also seen the other accompanying message."

"That is, Saudi Arabia has chartered three planes to transport something from China."

"I suspect that thing is an intercontinental ballistic missile!"

His words of concern were met with a light, questioning rebuke from Damon:

“Brother, I know your European Command has always wanted to take over Russia, but there’s no need to be this crazy.”

"If you say Russia sells intercontinental ballistic missiles, I'll believe you, but you're talking about neighboring China. Given their attitude, do you think they can sell those things?"

"The time for World War III has not yet come!"

"Moreover, according to the old rules of World War I and World War II, even if World War III were to break out, it would have to start in Europe."

"What kind of talk is it to open up other regions?"

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I've received that message too, and I've already given orders to the intelligence department to investigate."

"We'll have to wait a few more days to find out the specifics."

"I will let you know if there is a result; if there is no result, then there is no result."

"Also, stop thinking about war all the time. Making money in this peaceful and prosperous era with a bit of chaos is what we should be doing!"

"People need to know their own limitations! Understand?"

After a question, the person on the other end of the phone hung up.

Holding the phone that had just been hung up, Hilde realized that what Damon from the Lee family said actually made some sense.

Forget it, go to bed first.

Hilde tossed the phone aside, walked out of the study, and went into the bedroom.

Meanwhile, in the special vehicle workshop of Xiaomi Heavy Industry, Liu Nanqiao and Shen Weihua were leading a team to assemble what they called the "big guy".

The one-piece forged chassis parts were welded by engineers from the China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO) before the end of the year.

The large equipment inside the three-compartment cabin was also installed later.

What Liu Nanqiao and the others need to do now is install composite armor.

On the vehicle body, Shen Weihua and several engineers carefully followed the blueprints, hanging the corresponding numbered metal armor plates onto the corresponding positions on the frame and securing them. Just as he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Liu Nanqiao held up the blueprints and pointed to a small hole on the lower right side of the armor plate:
"Um, it seems you didn't pull out the surveillance cable!"

One sentence stunned Shen Weihua, who had just been congratulating himself on the correct installation. His gaze followed Liu Nanqiao's finger to the small hole in the lower right corner of the armor plate.

It was a small hole that had been processed and polished.

He quickly picked up the blueprints beside him, found the corresponding location, the armor plate with the corresponding number, and also found the purpose of the corresponding hole—the hole for the signal cable of the left front camera.

There are also specific annotations below the corresponding drawings.

Please complete the relevant signal cable connections before installing the armor plates!

Upon seeing this, Shen Weihua was completely distraught.

The armor of this tank is made of composite ceramic alloy. Fortunately, the armor is modularly designed, with all the armor pieces integrated into one piece.

Unlike usual, you don't need to first apply a layer of metal armor, then ceramic armor, then another layer of metal armor, then another layer of ceramic armor, and finally the metal armor cover.

The process is very complicated.

Just looking at it gives me a headache.

However, since tanks come with 360-degree surveillance, the surveillance cables also need to be concealed inside the armor during the armor installation process, making the installation work even more troublesome.

Now that the armor plates are installed, but the signal lines are not, it means that the armor plates they just installed need to be removed again, the signal lines need to be connected in series, and then the armor plates can be installed!
It’s useless!

Shen Weihua grabbed his hair hard, sighed, turned his head, and with a look of despair, picked up the electric wrench and began to remove the screws from the tank.

Thankfully, the screws weren't tightened, or they would have gone crazy!
The armor plates were removed, and the internal wiring was routed out and passed through the armor plates.

After placing the screws and repeatedly checking to ensure there were no problems, Shen Weihua began to secure them.

After finishing one piece, they moved on to the next.

The front armor is easy to install, but the rear armor becomes very troublesome.

This is because a large number of signaling devices are located at the rear of the tank and the rear of the turret.

When the torque wrench was turned to the last screw, confirming that it was in place, he put down the wrench, leaned on the armor plate, and sighed.
“I’ve never done such tiring work before. To be honest, as an engineer, I used to stand on the sidelines and give instructions in previous research institutes. It’s only here that they’re treating me like an animal! You’ll install those external devices later!”

Below, Liu Nanqiao held the blueprints for a long time before looking up and saying, "The next step is to install the turret!"

"This is your job, I'm not suited for it, so you'll have to do it!"

One sentence plunged Shen Weihua into utter despair. He lay sprawled on the tank's armor plating, staring at the ceiling.
"You're treating me like an animal!"

"No, livestock are the landlord's assets, and the landlord wouldn't use them so recklessly."

"So, they're not even as good as livestock!"

After he finished speaking, he did not hear Liu Nanqiao's response. He turned his head and found Liu Nanqiao picking up the tools and blueprints on the ground.

Shen Weihua panicked and hurriedly shouted, "Where are you going?"

Liu Nanqiao pointed outside the workshop: "Time to eat!"

After saying that, he pointed to the wall clock not far away, which showed 5:27 p.m.

I finish get off work at 5:30, and lunchtime is at 7:30.

We have a two-hour lunch break, then rest before starting work again at 7:30!
Upon hearing about meals, Shen Weihua finally felt that there was something to look forward to.

He stood up and gently clapped his hands at the crew members on the two tanks next to him:

"Put away your tools, then get ready to go home for dinner. After dinner, rest for a while, and then continue working!"

"Everyone's work progressed well today. You can stay here and watch over things tonight. I'll be directing the installation of a new turret for a tank."

"You all just stand there and watch!"

After making the arrangements, Shen Weihua quickly tidied up the tools on the tank, placed them in their corresponding positions according to the workshop management regulations, took photos, and then locked the tool cabinet.

After finishing all that, he led the others out, following behind Liu Nanqiao.

Because he had to give a demonstration to others that evening, Shen Weihua ate very quickly. After wolfing down the food in his bowl, he returned to the workshop. Not long after he arrived, Liu Nanqiao followed him in.

Although they come from two different companies and are in competition with each other, they have developed a very good rapport over time.

Shen Weihua went to inspect the tank turret base and turret, while Liu Nanqiao stood beside him, checking the blueprints bit by bit.

Check the installation details.

After circling around, Shen Weihua returned to Liunan Bridge, sat down beside it, and stared blankly at the two holes on the front left and front right sides of the tank where nothing was installed.

That spot, on the drawing board, is a reflector.

Between the two reflectors, below the turret, are two observation ports.

Looking out through these two observation holes, you can see the reflector and, through the reflector, see what's behind you.

After a while, he asked in a low voice, "You know, we already have 360-degree imaging, so why do we have to put rearview mirrors on tanks?"

This question made Liu Nanqiao raise his head.

He didn't say much, but climbed directly into the tank and observed the two observation ports from inside.

After observing for a while, he climbed out of the tank again, found the two rearview mirrors on the parts rack, installed them, and then went back inside the tank.

After studying it for a few minutes, he poked his head out of the hatch: "The view is pretty good, you can see clearly behind you!"

"So, tanks can have rearview mirrors!"

"We shouldn't use old ideas to study new things. If we continue to use those old ideas, it might limit our research and development!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Weihua also crawled into the tank through another door.

Looking out through the viewing hole, the two rearview mirrors are positioned on the left and right, so that they can see behind them if they are aligned correctly.

Unfortunately, the in-vehicle camera system hasn't been installed yet; only the wiring has been installed. We don't yet know whether the in-vehicle camera system or this rearview mirror is better, or whether the two can be combined.

After looking through the observation hole, Shen Weihua recalled the layout on the rendering and went to the driver's seat in the middle.

He plopped down in the seat where the seat cover hadn't been installed yet, placed his hands on the steering wheel rod where the steering wheel hadn't been installed yet, and began a prop demonstration.

After performing the pantomime for about 10 seconds, he turned to look at Liu Nanqiao, who was also performing a pantomime next to him: "Hey, you know what, with this setup, the main tank operator is quite relaxed!"

Liu Nanqiao, who was demonstrating the firing of a tank cannon without any props, stopped his performance upon hearing this: "This is a fourth-generation tank. Judging from the blueprints and renderings, this tank will be very comfortable to use."

"At the very least, it will definitely be welcomed by netizens in the Middle East."

"As for firepower, I'd like to know how terrifying armor-piercing rounds and high-explosive anti-personnel rounds would be on the battlefield if they were equipped with the special explosives produced by Xiaomi Heavy Industry."

"I don't know!" Shen Weihua shook his head, then turned and climbed out through the hatch above him.

This is Xiaomi Heavy Industry's first tank, and also a bold attempt.

Whether this thing can even start after installation is questionable.

After starting, whether it can run and achieve the parameters marked on the drawings is questionable.

As for actual combat, that's a topic for later.

However, these three tanks are being sent to Saudi Arabia. Once Saudi Arabia receives them, they will definitely use them to fight the Houthi rebels in Yemen. We'll see how effective they are in actual combat then.

Based on the current design, even if the intelligent features do not meet the standards, this tank can still force its way into the top 5 in the world rankings simply by relying on its firepower.

The two studied the blueprints for a while longer, and other sounds began to emanate from the workshop.

The researchers who had gone to eat and rest gradually returned.

Soon, the workshop was filled with people.

All the people gathered around the tank that Shen Weihua and Liu Nanqiao were in charge of. Once everyone was in place, Shen Weihua and Liu Nanqiao each performed their duties. Shen Weihua stood aside and directed the crane to install the turret.

Liu Nanqiao stood to the side, occasionally holding up the blueprints so that everyone present could take a good look at which step they were currently working on and how to perform that step in the most convenient, safe, and labor-saving way.

And so, with the explanation and demonstration of the two men, the tank turret was fixed to the chassis.

The electric torque wrench rang out again as Shen Weihua drove the screws into the mounting holes, completely connecting the turret, turret seat, and tank base together.

When the last screw was tightened, the tank in front of us finally took shape.

The tank was still in its original color because it hadn't been painted yet. The metallic color wasn't as vibrant and shiny as when it first appeared, and it showed some signs of rust.

But these rust marks did not give the tank a sense of decay; instead, they conveyed a sense of weight and vicissitude, as if it had been through countless battles.

With some time left before his shift ended, Shen Weihua climbed into the vehicle and used the mechanical controls to slowly adjust the turret's direction, while simultaneously adjusting the gun barrel's direction.

As the cannon barrel slowly lowered and the muzzle was pointed at the crowd, everyone was terrified.

That cannon barrel was pitch black, it was terrifying!

(End of this chapter)