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

Chapter 276 Mi-24 in hand, let's get the attack helicopters moving!
The Imperial Graveyard is difficult to conquer because it is surrounded by the Hindu Kush Mountains, with only a small plain in the southwest, which borders Langtuo.

Kandahar, the capital of the Imperial Graveyard, is separated from several Soviet republics by these rolling mountains, making the transportation of supplies a major problem even if they occupy the Imperial Graveyard! Air transport is too expensive, and ground transport has to pass through those mountains, which are home to countless guerrilla groups!

What's even more infuriating is that these guerrilla groups often receive support from Pakistan. The West uses Pakistan as a springboard to continuously send them all kinds of weapons and equipment, such as the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which pose the greatest threat to them!

Faced with the elusive guerrillas on the ground, armed helicopters are the best option, so this unit has a lot of combat missions.

Initially, these helicopters were flown by Soviet pilots. As losses increased, they quickly trained local pilots to reduce their own losses. The role of cannon fodder had to be taken on by the locals, just like it is now.

Hamidullah and Momanchi, dressed in the camouflage of ground troops, climbed into the cockpit. The synthetic fiber flight suits were indeed a disgusting thing. Once a fire broke out, the burning material would stick to the skin, causing the pilots to die in great pain. Originally, those flight suits were issued only for their coolness and lack of sweat absorption, but in reality, they were quite useless.

Hamidula skillfully turned on the various switches in the cockpit, and overhead, the auxiliary power unit quickly generated compressed air, which was then blown towards the engine on the left.

The turboshaft engine emitted its distinctive roar. At 30 percent speed, Hamidura pressed the start button, starting the left engine and then the right engine.

Both engines reached 60% speed, the auxiliary power unit was turned off, and the engines started successfully!
Momanchi activated the cockpit pedals and cyclic pitch lever, and the two worked in perfect harmony, completing the takeoff process in one go.

Ordinary helicopters usually take off directly from the ground, but the Mi-24 helicopter has short wings on both sides, so in daily operations, Russian pilots have explored a completely new way of taking off.

Hamidula pushed the control stick, and the tail of the Mi-24 began to tilt upwards at about ten degrees. The rear wheels had already left the ground, while the front wheels were still gliding on the runway. After gliding forward for more than fifty meters, the front wheels left the ground, and the aircraft took off smoothly. The advantage of this operation is that it does not require a vertical takeoff and transition to level flight; it can fly forward directly.

Following that, the other three helicopters took off in the same manner, forming a formation and flying towards the mountains to the northeast.

Hamidullah and Momanchi's helicopter flew at the very front of the formation, the first to plunge into the mountains, and another dangerous hunting expedition began.

At an altitude of only a few dozen meters above the ground, their flight was thrilling; a slight misstep could have resulted in a crash into a mountain. However, the pilot, Hamidullah, was highly experienced and, despite dancing on the edge of death, managed to perform exceptionally well.

Whoosh! Hamidula pushed the control lever.

The mountain peak ahead quickly disappeared to the right, and the target was about 20 kilometers ahead!

Just then, Hamidullah suddenly turned on a switch on his right, and the turboshaft engine above his head roared as if it had been injected with adrenaline!
Whoosh!
The female deer No. 4 quickly rose from the ground and climbed upwards.

"Oh, damn it! The engine's gone berserk again!" Hamidullah exclaimed.

The crew members in the three Hind helicopters behind watched with complicated expressions as the helicopter suddenly pulled up and flew over a mountain peak on the right, its view blocked by the peak.

The engine malfunction was not an inherent problem of the original Mi-24, but rather a result of additional devices added after its combat deployment in the Graveyard of the Empire.

Because they were frequently attacked by Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, engineers made improvements by installing large mixtures of exhaust gas and cold air at the exhaust ports of both engines. This reduced the high temperature of the turboshaft engine exhaust to three or four hundred degrees Celsius, which greatly reduced the probability of being targeted by Stinger missiles.

This is the most effective way to deal with infrared missiles.

However, this device not only caused a power loss of about five percent, but also added several hundred kilograms of weight. To compensate for this loss, the Russian engineers casually installed a methanol injection system, which is the same as the water injection afterburner of the MiG-25.

In actual use, this thing always malfunctions, often suddenly going berserk with its power increasing rapidly, leaving the pilot unprepared.

Helicopters fly at the height of a tree; if they suddenly climb higher, they could easily alert the enemy.

On the helicopter behind, Viktor, who was personally leading the team, was almost cursing.

"Quickly, hurry up and rush up there!"

"That female deer number four?"

"Don't worry about him, we'll wait until we get back..."

I'll deal with this guy when we get back. I was just praising him for flying so well, and now he's made this kind of mistake.

A sudden surge in power, followed by a sharp drop in power and a sudden fall, can easily cause rotor malfunctions and could potentially lead to a crash!
Thank goodness no one was on his plane, otherwise...

Viktor looked towards the other side of the mountain. There was no smoke rising, so it shouldn't have crashed. He should be able to get back soon, right?

If the enemy weren't right in front of him, he would definitely have sent a plane over to check.

Now... he didn't know that the Doe No. 4 had already sped along the valley at extremely low altitude and high speed.

The methanol injection system was running at full power, and the engine was constantly revving up. This huge doe was speeding through the valley at more than 300 kilometers per hour, and it could crash into the mountain at any moment. However, it had no choice but to get away as quickly as possible and prevent the other side from catching up!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The mountains kept disappearing behind him, and Momanchi was so terrified that he wanted to close his eyes, but he opened them again as soon as he closed them. He had to keep an eye on Hamidula and make sure he didn't make a mistake.

Half an hour, an hour...

The mountains flashed by, and finally, a flat clearing appeared. This is it!

Hamidullah pushed the control stick and flew over, lowering the collective pitch lever to the bottom, and slowly landed there. Then... many militiamen with guns appeared all around.

"Everyone, I have turned away from darkness and come to the light. Please inform your government immediately!"

Half an hour later, the helicopter took off again and, escorted by several American-made helicopters, arrived at Karachi Air Force Base. A telegram was also quickly sent to the East.

East, capital, airplane terminal.

"Old Ba is really generous. He always thinks of us first when he gets something good!" Old Lin said excitedly. "Currently, armed helicopters have always been a weak point in our air force equipment. Now, we're going to make up for that weakness!"

"Yes, the Mi-24 is a modified 10-ton class helicopter. Once we get our hands on it, we can reverse engineer it to solve our helicopter shortage. For years, we haven't had a suitable helicopter..."

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country introduced the Russian Mi-4 helicopter, marking a breakthrough for this industry in the East. However, with its piston engine and wooden rotor, this helicopter was, in any case, a synonym for backwardness.

After that, China began to target new technologies from around the world and developed the WZ-5 turboshaft engine to power the Z-6 helicopter. Later, the large Z-7 helicopter was further developed.

However, for various reasons, these helicopters did not have sufficient reliability and had to be abandoned in the end.

In the 1970s, France began to introduce helicopter technology. In order to solve the problem of retrieving the recovery capsule when launching carrier rockets into the Pacific Ocean, the French Super Frelon helicopter was introduced. It was well received, so it was copied and named Z-8.

Then came the Dauphin helicopter, which was negotiated with the French in the late 1970s. The production technology was also introduced, eventually leading to the large Z-9 family.

The Z-8 is too heavy, and the Z-9 is too light, so there's no suitable one. Now, the shortcomings are finally going to be addressed.

Qin Liang was a bit overwhelmed. "Leaders, aren't you being a little too optimistic? You think you can just copy it once you get a prototype?"
"These Russian attack helicopters are taking a different route than the Western ones, Liangzi, what do you think we should do?"

Okay, now it's my turn to ask myself!

"The Russians' approach was wrong," Qin Liang said. "They simply modified the airframe of a transport helicopter, resulting in a bulky airframe that earned it the nickname 'Hind.' On the battlefield, this means a large area exposed to bullets, reducing its survivability."

Although I'm not that optimistic, the process needs to be explained clearly.

“Even if we get the Hind helicopter, for us, only the engine, gearbox, tail rotor and other mechanisms are useful. As for the fuselage, we still need to redesign it to reduce its size and use the weight saved to increase armor protection…” “Hmm, not bad. It seems that this project can be completely handed over to Northwestern Polytechnical University!” Old Lin’s face was full of smiles.

Qin Liang quickly shook his head: "Northwestern Polytechnical University has no experience in developing rotorcraft. I've already explained this to Professor Liu..."

"No? We didn't have it before, but we had it after the research and development was completed. If you're willing to accept it, we'll directly transfer the Chengdu 5701 factory to Northwestern Polytechnical University!" Old Lin said.

Factory 5701, the Air Force's helicopter maintenance plant in Chengdu, was almost abandoned because the Z-5 helicopter was already severely outdated and the Z-8 and Z-9 helicopters had not yet been deployed on a large scale. Now, as long as Northwestern Polytechnical University is willing, it can take over the plant!

"Given the distance, our Northwestern Polytechnical University has more than enough school-run factories..."

"Comrade Qin Liang, as you know, the western part of our country is all plateau. For a long time, the air force's presence there has been almost zero. It was only when the Q-6 helicopters went up to the plateau that we finally gained control of the airspace over the plateau. However, the helicopters needed on the plateau have always been a blank."

Old Liu's words were heavy.

"How many border guards, protecting the borders of our motherland, have lost their lives because they couldn't be taken to the hospital in time after falling ill? And how many herders suffer heavy losses from snow disasters every winter? Our country needs advanced helicopters, especially high-altitude helicopters!"

Qin Liang's expression gradually turned serious.

Old Liu is right!
Neither the Z-8 nor the Z-9 could fly over high-altitude areas, let alone the Z-5. This is why, in the mid-1980s, Dongfang was willing to spend 150 million yuan to purchase 24 civilian S-70 Black Hawk helicopters from the United States. These aircraft were assigned to the Chengdu Military Region and have been flying over high-altitude areas ever since.

What now?
Two helicopters can be purchased from the United States through Yang Duo'er's Pacific Trading Company. The entire airframe can be based on the Black Hawk, since the airframe of this aircraft is already very mature. Our Z-20 helicopter in later generations also uses this design.

We have advanced electronic technology, so we can handle the avionics in the cabin. As for the high-tech components like the engine, we can copy the Mi-24, since the Russians' engine technology isn't very advanced. Although it can't compare to the later WZ-10 turboshaft engine, the current issue is simply whether we have it or not.

Moreover, the TV3-117 engine on the Mi-24 has an initial power of 2200 horsepower, which is 200 horsepower more than the GET700 engine used in the early versions of the Black Hawk!

If the aircraft's weight were the same as the Black Hawk, it would definitely have more reserve power to reach high altitudes!

Going to the plateau sounds challenging, but in reality, it's just because the air is thin at high altitudes, which reduces engine power. If the engine itself has a large reserve of power, then of course it's enough!

Think of the herders affected by the disaster, and think of the soldiers who are standing guard for the motherland!

At this moment, Qin Liang also felt a surge of heroic spirit.

"Alright, leaders, Northwestern Polytechnical University will take on this task!"

Old Lin glanced at Old Liu with a complicated expression. Well, experience counts, and he had finally figured out the right way to deal with Qin Liang!
"However... this is a completely new project, and Northwestern Polytechnical University is facing a shortage of manpower, so..."

"Let's make this clear first: our domestic helicopter research and development and production institutions really don't have time right now."

The Aviation Industry Helicopter Research Institute, codenamed 602, is a major domestic institution responsible for developing helicopters. Located in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, next to the Changhe Helicopter Factory, it is currently responsible for the research and development of the Z-8 helicopter. The Harbin Aircraft Factory is currently responsible for digesting and absorbing the technology to produce the Z-9 helicopter.

Neither of these two institutions could help.

"Sigh, if you guys won't provide personnel, you should at least provide research and development funding, right?"

"Well, we can't let Northwestern Polytechnical University work for nothing. We'll allocate a few million yuan to you first, and the follow-up funding will definitely be in place. Don't worry, we will definitely give you our full support!"

"Alright." Qin Liang nodded. "I won't get involved in coordinating the helicopter from Lao Ba's side. Next, I need to go to Nanjing."

What are you going to Nanjing for?

"Looking for alumni from Northwestern Polytechnical University!"

In 1957, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) established a helicopter major in its fifth department, almost simultaneously with the introduction of the Mi-4 helicopter. Unfortunately, in 1970, the entire major was transferred to Nanjing Aeronautical Institute. In the past, NPU could have taken on this task on its own, but now... it has to ask Nanjing Aeronautical Institute for help!

However, the old professors in this helicopter major must have graduated from Northwestern Polytechnical University and have an emotional connection with it. So, I have to go there this time to build that connection; otherwise, I really won't be able to get this project done. After all, it's like being in a completely different field.

"You little rascal, you just said you were short-staffed, were you trying to suggest bringing in people from China Southern Airlines?"

"Of course... no! I just want money!" Qin Liang said bluntly.

Founded in 1952, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics was originally named Nanjing Aviation Industry College. Unlike those prestigious universities with long histories, it was one of the first batch of universities independently established after the founding of New China.

Although it started as a junior college, it was upgraded to a university in 1956 and renamed Nanjing Aeronautical Institute. Later, the Suzhou Aviation Industry Junior College was merged into it, which improved the overall strength of the school. In 1970, it also absorbed the helicopter major and corresponding faculty and staff from Northwestern Polytechnical University.

In later years, in 1993, the school will be renamed Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The Jade Belt River flows gently through the campus, with lush green trees lining its banks. From the two-story red building next to it, one can hear the sound of students reading aloud.

"Class, in this lesson, we'll talk about the helicopter rotor system, which is also the most crucial part of a helicopter. Let's start with the materials. Early rotors were made of wood, which had a very short lifespan and needed to be replaced frequently. Later, a steel-aluminum hybrid structure was used, with steel beams inside and aluminum alloy on the outside. However, in extremely cold regions, it may face the problem of icing..."

"Teacher, what is the most advanced rotor material currently available?"

Professor Zhou Xu looked at the student below who had asked the question. It was a female student named Cao Lijuan. She was cheerful and was pampered as the most beautiful girl in the department, but she studied very hard and always ranked among the top three in the class in every exam.

"The most advanced technology is, of course, composite materials. Currently, the Dolphin helicopters that Harbin Aircraft Industry Group has introduced use fiberglass composite material structures..."

"Teacher, shouldn't the most advanced material be carbon fiber? Isn't the carbon fiber produced by Northwestern Polytechnical University more advanced than the materials used in France?"

This……

Zhou Xu adjusted his black-rimmed glasses: "Carbon fiber is indeed advanced, but... I haven't seen it yet... Classmates, let's continue. Next is the rotor's cross-sectional shape, which is very important. We need to use aerodynamic formulas..."

Just then, out of the corner of Zhou Xu's eye, he caught sight of a young man standing in the direction of the door.

"Excuse me, are you from another class? If you want to come and listen to the lecture, then come in."

"okay."

The young man walked in, found an empty seat, and sat down. Zhou Xu continued his explanation.

Now that we've covered the rotor cross-section, let's move on to the helicopter's rotor band. The rotor band varies depending on the number of rotor blades; the more blades there are, the more complex it becomes...

Just as Zhou Xu was speaking enthusiastically, spittle flying everywhere, a voice rang out from the doorway: "Old Zhou, Qin Liang from Northwestern Polytechnical University is here at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics! We were going to greet him at the door, but we missed him. Have you seen him over here?"

Zhou Xu looked over and saw the department head, who was covered in sweat, and then glanced at the young man listening to the lecture below.

"Young man, what's your name?"

　PS: China Southern Airlines campus.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)