Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 108 should be revised if possible; the goal is to surpass the WS-6!

Factory 420's R&D capabilities were weak. Relying solely on them to reverse engineer the WP-15 turbojet was absolutely insufficient; they were even less capable than Factory 430. Therefore, they also pursued a collaborative approach between the factory and universities, with technical experts from Northwestern Polytechnical University and Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics coming to assist them.

only……

With more people, conflicts inevitably arise.

For Factory 420, getting the engine developed and successfully finalized was more important than anything else! But for the old professors, they thought, "We clearly have better materials; wouldn't it be a waste not to use them?"
Liu Songling was born in 1932. He was admitted to East China Aeronautical Institute in 1953. Later, he moved to Chang'an with the school. He graduated from the Department of Aero-engine at Northwestern Polytechnical University in 1957 and stayed on to teach. He spent his whole life with Northwestern Polytechnical University, serving as a teaching assistant, lecturer, associate professor, and professor.

Now, they've also joined the reverse engineering efforts at Factory 420. Hearing Professor Ning's question, he nodded vigorously: "That's right. It's not just the turbine blades; the turbine disk also has room for improvement. We've just researched a powder metallurgy material that, when used to make turbine disks, can extend their lifespan. The Russian engines have such short lifespans; we need to improve this to save the Air Force money..."

What? You want to improve too?
"They've all gone mad!" Guo Yihai looked up helplessly and saw Director Duan and the others walking in. His eyes lit up and he strode over.

"Factory Director, the old professors are demanding improvements. We... we're not unaware of the benefits of improvements. Back then, Factory 410 improved the WP-6 turbojet, but only increased the turbine inlet temperature by fifty degrees, which caused a chain reaction: compressor blades broke, and insufficient lubrication led to fires... Now, our most important task is to build the WP-15 turbojet. We can talk about improvements later. After all, you can't get fat in one bite!" Guo Yihai's tone was full of anxiety.

If the imitation of the engine is delayed for too long, it might just fall through! Our Factory 420, like Factory 132, is marginalized. Moreover, we can't make money through foreign trade. We rely entirely on funding from higher authorities. The WS-10 turbofan engine is a bottomless pit, and the funds allocated to us are not much!

If we don't produce results quickly, the higher-ups might lose confidence...

"Comrade Qin Liang, what...do you think?" Director Duan couldn't make a decision either, so he could only look at Qin Liang.

Despite his young age and status as a freshman in college, Qin Liang has already played a pivotal role in the development of China's aviation industry! Director Duan's eyes lit up when he thought of Qin Liang's speech at the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry meeting; he had complete trust in Qin Liang!
"If I remember correctly, there is a modified version of the R-29 engine," Qin Liang said. "It is codenamed R-35-F-300. This engine is basically the same in structure as our R-29. It is a design with a 5-stage low-pressure compressor, a 6-stage high-pressure compressor, and a 1-stage low-pressure turbine and a 1-stage high-pressure turbine. The only difference is that it uses a better alloy material to reduce weight and improve performance."

Qin Liang looked at everyone and said, "For example, the turbine inlet temperature of the R-29 is only 1420K, while the turbine inlet temperature of the R-35 has been increased to 1510K. As a result, the maximum military thrust of the engine has increased to 8.5 tons, and the maximum afterburner thrust has increased to 13.2 tons. Since we have better materials, I think we can give it a try!"

"But..." Guo Yihai was about to speak when Director Duan interrupted him.

"There are no buts. Since Comrade Qin Liang has spoken, we will listen to him. Professor Ning, Professor Liu, thank you for your hard work. Use brand-new materials to replace the outdated materials from the Russians and give this engine even more powerful performance!"

The two had mixed feelings.

We're all university professors, we traveled all this way to join in the research, worked on it for ages, and then offered an opinion, only to be met with opposition from these guys. Look at Qin Liang, he just came to take a look, said a few words, and they believed him! It's just... a comparison.

There's no comparison; Qin Liang is a prodigy.

"The WP-15 has other shortcomings, such as its excessive weight," Qin Liang continued. "If we have suitable materials that can reduce the weight of the WP-15, we should make use of them. If we're going to do it, we should make the strongest WP-15! Let all our peers see that our Factory 420, with the cooperation of universities, can complete key national defense projects! In particular, the mature WP-15 we have will have even higher design specifications than the WS-6!"

Compared to its predecessor, the R-29 had many advantages. For example, its diameter was only 912 mm, while the R-29's was a whopping 1140 mm. This resulted in the J-10's rear fuselage becoming bulky and requiring redesign after the R-29 was adopted. However, the R-29 also had drawbacks. Its weight was a hefty 1880 kg, compared to the R-29's 1547 kg. This heavier weight resulted in a lower thrust-to-weight ratio of only 6.5, which was quite poor.

By increasing thrust on one hand and reducing weight on the other, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the WP-15 turbojet might be increased to 7! While we can't compare it to international advanced levels, compared to our own past performance... it's at least stronger than the WS-6 turbofan engine!

Upon hearing Qin Liang's words, Guo Yihai's previous rebuttals vanished without a trace.

"Yes, we guarantee to complete the mission!" Guo Yihai said firmly. "This is a battle that will determine the future and fate of our Factory 420. We can only win, we cannot lose! We must build an engine that is even more powerful than the WS-6 turbofan engine!"

Knock knock knock... Just then, an officer ran in.

"Director Duan, Director Duan! Old Lu from Factory 320 is here!"

What? Qin Liang's eyes widened. Was he about to meet another big shot in the aviation industry?

Mr. Lu was born in 1920 and grew up in that era of war. He witnessed enemy planes flying freely over the motherland and was determined to build his own airplanes to serve the country through aviation!
In 1941, after graduating from National Central University, he went to the Kunming No. 1 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. In 1944, he went abroad to intern at McDonnell Aircraft Company, and later studied at Gloucester Aircraft Company in the UK. Unlike most aircraft designers in the East, Mr. Lu was well-educated and worldly-wise!
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Lu returned to China and participated in various projects. In 1956, he went to the No. 1 Aircraft Design Office of Factory 112 and became the chief designer of the JJ-1 trainer. In 1958, he was transferred to Factory 320 and became the chief designer of the Q-5 fighter jet. From that time on, he took root in Factory 320.

Now that you're here, it's most likely for the Qiangliu project, right?

Before Director Duan could finish saying "Please invite him in," Qin Liang strode out beside him: "I'm going to pick up Old Master Lu!"

We must go and greet such a highly respected elder as Elder Lu!

At the entrance of Factory 420, an old man stood there. He was not tall, with a thin face and a bald head. His eyes were bright and piercing. Beside him were several subordinates, waiting for the gatekeeper to let them through.

"Hmph, Factory 420 is going too far! They won't let us in!"

"They just took on a key national defense project, so it's normal for them to raise the level of secrecy," the old man said. "Besides, we didn't give them any advance notice and just came over...it was actually our fault."

Just then, a young man ran out from inside, panting heavily.

"Mr. Lu, hello! I've come to take you inside!" Qin Liang said excitedly.

(End of this chapter)