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

Chapter 238 The WS-12 turbofan engine is here; the Europeans can forget about playing the supply cut-off trick!
Factory Director Zhao gritted his teeth: "Alright, it's settled then!"

"Well, that's the price. As for the quality, your factory has to guarantee it. Otherwise, it's not just a matter of returning the goods; there will also be triple compensation. If our export products are dragged down by engine quality issues, it will ruin the reputation of our entire Eastern military industry."

Factory Director Zhao gritted his teeth: "We'll follow the standards of the Capital Aviation Academy! The quality problems caused by their design flaws are theirs, but the quality problems in production are ours!"

"Okay, let's move on to other performance aspects. In terms of lifespan, the first batch of refurbished models should have a lifespan of at least 500 hours, the revised models three to five years later should have a lifespan of at least 800 hours, and the third batch should have a lifespan of at least 1,000 hours."

"How is that possible? Even the total lifespan isn't that long!"

"Let's forget about it then! Let's find another factory!"

"and many more!"

Factory Director Zhao gritted his teeth again: "We accept these conditions!"

"Director Zhao, the turbojet 7 we produce only has a 50-hour overhaul lifespan, and this has suddenly been increased to 500 hours..." Old Li was anxious. "Aren't you just bragging? If the lifespan isn't met, they'll not only return the goods, but also offer triple compensation!"

Factory Director Zhao smiled wryly. Is there any other way?

If they don't agree, they'll turn around and go find other factories in no time! Right now, even if Factory 410's new turbojet project gets approved, it won't sell! They can only run to their superiors in despair to ask for funding to maintain research and development, improve, research and develop again, improve again, while the military... has long since switched to this new turbofan.

By then, Factory 410 would have become a laughing stock!

What kind of No. 1 aircraft engine factory is this? The higher-ups will get tired of them one day. When they can't get funding anymore, they'll go bankrupt.

This is the last chance, we must seize it!
"If the technology isn't good enough, we'll improve it! If the production equipment isn't good enough, we'll introduce new equipment! If the raw materials aren't good enough, we'll coordinate better raw materials from our sister factories! In short, we'll tackle this tough challenge!" said Factory Director Zhao.

Upon hearing this, Qin Liang smiled with satisfaction.

That's right, this is exactly the effect I wanted!
Factory 410, the first aero-engine factory in China, is such a long-established enterprise. It would be quite a pity if it were to be completely buried in the dust of history. After all, the factory has historical significance and still has many first-class workers. It's just that over the decades, problems arose in its work style.

If you stimulate them and let them revitalize themselves, they are still very capable! After all, the WS-10 turbofan engine of later generations was also produced by them.

They're doing well right now!
The other leaders in their seats were also very pleased.

"It's great that Factory 410 has this kind of awareness! As long as you are willing to reform, there is still a lot of hope."

"That's right, Factory 410 will definitely rise again through this project... By the way, now that we've decided to do this new project, shouldn't we have a name for it?"

The WS-9 turbofan engine is the Spey, the newly pre-researched high-thrust military engine is the WS-10, and next up is...

"Then let's go with the WS-12!"

"Leader Duan, what about the WS-11?" Qin Liang asked curiously.

Now it was the leaders present who were surprised: "The WS-11 is a small-thrust missile engine developed by your Northwestern Polytechnical University, isn't it?"

Cough cough... Qin Liang was extremely embarrassed.

When he went to the United States, he obtained the engine for the Tomahawk missile. After that, Qin Liang didn't ask much about it. He hadn't been to the engine department at Northwestern Polytechnical University much either, so he had no idea that the engine had been approved by higher authorities and already had a corresponding number!

The new medium-thrust turbofan engine is the WS-12, which corresponds to the historical model. Qin Liang smiled and said, "Then let's go with the WS-12. This engine will support the future of our aviation industry!"

High thrust is essential; it's the best choice for heavy fighter jets. As a major power, the East must have high-thrust engines.

Medium-thrust engines are also very important! Light fighters use one, medium fighters use two; the J-35 developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation later adopted a medium-thrust twin-engine configuration. Besides these, they are also the best choice for other aircraft, such as drones!

For example, the Attack-11 UAV uses the non-afterburning version of the WS-19 turbofan engine, which is a medium-thrust engine.

Whether it's mapping and imitation or independent research and development, it doesn't matter. Let's solve the problem of having or not having it first!
"Hmm, I forgot. Let's call it WS-12 then. We still need to apply to the Air Force for approval. That would be more formal. I hope that the Capital Aviation Academy and Factory 410 will work together to develop this advanced medium-thrust engine as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, our Capital Aviation Academy will do everything in its power!"

"Our Factory 410 will also work hard to show all our brother factories in China the strength of Factory 410!"

"Qin Liang, Qin Liang!" Just then, someone ran in: "News has come from Factory 132. United Turbine Company has formally sent a letter to Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group stating that due to insufficient engine production capacity, they will be unable to continue fulfilling the contract. Their representatives are planning to go to Factory 132 to explain..."

So fast!
Qin Liang smiled and said, "Tell them to wait a moment, I'll be right there!"

We asked for two engines. We'll leave one for them to copy, and the other, of course, we'll take with us to show off!

At Factory 132, everyone felt like the sky was about to fall.

"Mr. Tu, I am very sorry. Recently, due to the severe restrictions on the supply of several rare metals, our engine production capacity is seriously insufficient. This is a force majeure event in our contract. Therefore, we are unable to continue to provide you with new engines. Please understand."

Stefan, the blond-haired, blue-eyed representative of United Turbine Company, had a serious expression. If the Easterners were not satisfied, then all sorts of excuses would follow. Anyway, he had already prepared them. As for compensation... hehehe, how could that be possible! These kinds of lawsuits are fought in London courts, and the Easterners have no chance of winning.

The Asians present remained silent.

There are still twenty engines in the warehouse, enough for two or three months of production, but what about after that?
Just then, a voice rang out from outside.

"I never expected you to be so short-sighted! You abandoned your cooperation with us just because of pressure from the United States. Do you even know that we have other engines available even if the RB199 engine supply is cut off?"

Stefan's expression changed. They also had their pride; how could they say such things carelessly!
"Mr. Qin, you've arrived? I think you must have misunderstood. We haven't been under any pressure. It's really just... insufficient production capacity."

"Alright, since that's the case, then compensate us for our losses according to the contract. The inability to fulfill the contract due to your reasons is not some ridiculous force majeure. Considering that you may transfer assets and refuse to compensate, we will also apply to the court to freeze your funds. By the way, we will file a lawsuit in the United States."

Stefan was instantly startled.

If they go to Europe to litigate, the East will definitely lose. If they go to the US… the East will still definitely lose. But… the Americans will still do dirty tricks; they're capable of freezing funds! After all, in the international arms market, European and American products are competitors!
Even the European market is something the US wants to penetrate! Look at how many European countries have their eyes on the F-16! If the Americans freeze their funding, the production of the RB199 will be affected, and the Tornado fighter-bomber won't be produced either!

Wait a minute! The most important thing now is to join forces to crack down on the East's military aircraft exports. The Americans wouldn't be that short-sighted, would they?

"Mr. Qin, please don't scare us. You don't have any new engines available. You're not going to say you'll replace the RB199 with the F404, are you? Apart from Pakistan's planes, the US certainly won't allow other planes to be replaced with the F404."

This guy has actually stopped pretending!
Qin Liang smiled and said, "We have many choices, not just F404 and RB199."

"What else could it be? The M88?"

The Gauls' M88 is only just getting started; they haven't even built the core engine yet. By the time they get their engine, it'll be too late!
"Of course it's not that kind of useless thing. Your thinking is too rigid. Alright, no need to guess anymore, you can leave! Elder Tu, let's discuss the matching of the new engine. The diameter of this engine is a little large, but fortunately we have already left some margin..."

"Hey, these people aren't leaving yet. Let's go somewhere else to talk."

Qin Liang left with the others, leaving Stefan and the others still frozen in place. What kind of engine could it be? Not American, not European... wait, the diameter is rather large... could it be...?

Stefan's heart pounded violently. If it was a Soviet engine, then things would be very serious!
In the 1970s and 80s, the West was on the defensive during the Cold War, while Russia was on the offensive. It was under these circumstances that the Western world, led by the United States, tried to win over the East, especially hoping to divert the conflict eastward and cause a conflict between the East and the Soviet Union. In this way, if a war broke out, the East could share the firepower of the West.

The honeymoon period between the two sides was also built on the Americans' ulterior motives. Of course, we in the East aren't stupid; we would never fall for the Perry Plan. In this special period, they want to use the East, but they don't want the East to become too powerful, and they certainly don't want to see the East's relations with the Soviet Union normalize, because then the East would lose its value.

No, we have to find out the details!

"Let's go to the production workshop!"

"What are you going to the workshop for?" the engineer next to him asked.

"Although we can no longer supply RB199 engines, they still have a batch of RB199 engines on hand. As the engine supplier, we are qualified to inspect their production and offer some guidance if necessary."

Seeing that his men were still not moving, Stefan said helplessly, "Let's go see if they have any brand new engines, or if they got them from the Russians! Once inside, keep your eyes peeled!"

The Russian engine? Everyone else was stunned; they really hadn't expected this angle!
"go!"

Factory 132 was bustling with production. Inside the huge factory, two rows of Super-7 fighter jets were laid out at an angle, and at each workstation, Super-7s were being assembled. There were at least twenty of them. This scene made the blond-haired, blue-eyed Westerners very envious. No factory in Europe had such a production scene. After all, as the performance of aircraft improved, the price also skyrocketed!
During World War II, the production cost of fighter jets was roughly the same as that of tanks. Now? It's probably ten times higher, or even more!
The group walked slowly forward, greeting some acquaintances along the way. They often wandered around here before, pointing out the engine installation, so their presence here didn't seem so abrupt.

Everything was normal as I walked from one end to the other!
“Let’s go check out the engine warehouse!” Stefan continued.

It's normal that they don't have it here, since they just received the new engine and need to match it before installation, so it's more likely that it's in the warehouse!
The warehouse is right next to the production workshop, which makes production convenient. They also frequently visit the engine warehouse, so they can continue to put on airs!

As soon as I got to the warehouse entrance, I saw an old Jiefang truck parked inside. The overhead crane was hoisting goods from the truck's cargo bed, and the boxes were sprayed with various Russian characters!

The largest line of text reads PД-33!

boom!
Now it was Stefan's turn to be struck dumb!

He actually guessed right!

If the US doesn't provide it, then the East's Super-7 fighter jet won't have a suitable engine, and the Super-7's export will fall through. Now, the Russians have provided the engine! So the Super-7 can continue to be produced and exported.

If that's the case, what's the point of cutting off supplies? Isn't that just handing the market over to the Russians? Besides, arms exports have always been linked to politics. If Easterners can get their hands on these engines, does that mean the Russians are starting to try to win over Easterners?
No, we absolutely cannot see what happens. This engine must be supplied to the East openly so that we can drive the Russians away!
Those Americans are really stupid. They actually tricked us into cutting off supplies. Isn't this just driving Easterners to the side of the Russians?
No, we have to change our minds immediately!

and many more!

Why are the Russians so aggressive, trying to win over Easterners? Could this be a conspiracy?

Click!

Just then, for some unknown reason, the rope of the overhead crane suddenly snapped!

As a result, the box, which was several meters high, immediately fell down!

Boom!
Click!

The box slammed heavily to the ground and shattered instantly, revealing the outline of the engine inside.

On the air intake side, there are four support brackets supporting the large central shaft, behind which are titanium alloy fan blades. Above the engine is a massive mechanical adjustment mechanism. Its shape, its size… and then look at the exhaust nozzle…

That's right, I've seen photos of the RD33 taken by spies, and it looks just like this. This is definitely not something that Easterners could fake; it's a genuine engine!
"We're doomed! This is the engine we just got! It's been smashed! We're going to be punished!"

"Quickly, find a way to put the box back together, before Comrade Qin Liang finds out..."

The warehouse manager and the people unloading the goods were extremely anxious, and no one noticed the group of uninvited guests who had arrived at the door.

Stefan sighed helplessly and gestured to the person behind him.

"Let's go back and quickly discuss this with the company. Under the current circumstances, we can't afford to do anything foolish like cutting off supplies again. We have to open up the supply chain!"

"It really is the RD33 engine, no doubt about it. Those old Russians actually secretly contacted the East! Luckily, we discovered it early, so we can try to win them over in the future. All of this was orchestrated by General Dynamics, in order to sell their F-16s and change the entire landscape! If they were to push the East to the Russians' side, it would definitely cause a major disaster!"

Once the British left, Qin Liang and his group rushed over from a corner of the warehouse.

"Quick, let me see if the engine is broken! You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, this is really making my heart ache!"

Standing nearby, Old Tu sighed, "Liangzi, now that we've put on this show, those Europeans won't cut off our engine supply?"

"They should resume supply in the short term, and we will receive a few more batches. However, they will also investigate. When they bribe the Russians and get accurate intelligence that we just bought two engines to fool them, they will probably cut off the supply completely."

"Then..."

"What we lack now is this time. In a year or two, we will have our own engines. At that time, even if they cut off the supply again, we will not be afraid. We must have control over these engines."

"Oh, then we'll just have to wait for our own engines." Old Tu nodded. "Buying from outside is never a good idea... Comrade Qin Liang, thank you for your help."

Qin Liang smiled and said, "It just so happens that we've come at the right time. Otherwise... we would have had to make a model to fool them. By the way, I heard that a wooden model of the J-9 has been made. Is it in our factory?"

"Comrade Qin Liang, we have started building the metal prototype."

"So fast?!" Qin Liang's eyes widened. "Okay, let's go take a look!"

Inside a standalone factory guarded by sentries, a group of highly skilled workers are busy at work.

Old Song and others were also giving pointers from the side. When they saw Qin Liang come in, Old Song had a big smile on his face.

"Liangzi, you're here!"

Qin Liang looked at everyone present with a complicated expression.

It's already June, and the weather in Chengdu is extremely hot. Working in the enclosed workshop means you'll be sweating buckets, so... most people are only wearing vests.

Old Song was only wearing a vest, which was riddled with holes, indicating that he had worn it for many years and washed it countless times...

Seeing Qin Liang's gaze, Old Song felt a little embarrassed.

"This vest only has some holes in the top, the bottom is still fine. I thought it would be a waste to throw it away, so I continued to wear it... It's a bit hot here, wearing this kind of vest will keep me cool."

The bottom is fine, but you can't touch it; if you do, it will definitely create a huge hole.

“Old Song, I have to say, you guys are really something. Even if there’s a shortage of funding for the J-9 development, you don’t have to be so hard on yourselves. You’re donating your salaries and you can’t even afford to buy new vests.” Old Tu chimed in from the side, “I’ll notify our factory’s logistics department to send you a batch.”

　PS: Back when the J-10 was undergoing test flights, the man wearing the blue vest was the chief test pilot of the J-10. They were the backbone of our motherland's skies.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)