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

Chapter 377 Rolls-Royce bows its head; bomber engines are in hand!
The Shanghai Aircraft Factory, a guesthouse.

"President Qin, what did you and Schroeder discuss?"

"We didn't say much, just chatted about everyday things."

"And you chatted for so long?" Old Ma was quite surprised.

“Yes, you can tell that the topics I discussed with the other party were quite unusual, so the British will definitely find out as well.” Qin Liang smiled. “In that case, Schroeder might be ostracized by them, or even leave Rolls-Royce. At that time, we can recruit him at a high price. He will definitely be happy working at our Northwestern Polytechnical University.”

Mr. Ma then realized, "President Qin, is this a tactic to sow discord?"

"Mr. Ma, don't put it so harshly. I was just having a heart-to-heart talk with Schroeder. As for what others think, that's not my business."

Mr. Ma nodded: "Yes, yes, President Qin, you're right. We at Dongfang are aboveboard and would never use such methods. By the way, what should we do tomorrow?"

“Take them to the production line so they know we weren’t lying. A production capacity of over a hundred aircraft a year means at least two hundred engines are needed. That’s a huge business! Building a factory in the East is their wisest choice!”

"it is good."

the next day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is our newly built Factory No. 2. Equipment is currently being installed. To increase the speed of aircraft final assembly, we have designed six different work positions here..."

"Positioning?"

"Yes, in the past, the assembly of large passenger aircraft was fixed in place from the moment the structural frame was placed. This obviously could not improve efficiency. We believe that aircraft assembly can also be made to move, so that it can play a role similar to an assembly line and improve installation efficiency."

As Mr. Ma spoke, he pointed to one of the workstations.

"For example, here, at position 51, is the docking position for major components of the fuselage. The nose, mid-fuselage, rear fuselage, wings, and tail are all docked here, which means that the entire skeleton is assembled here."

"Weren't there supposed to be six stations in total? How come there are more than fifty?"

“There are six groups of positions, with nine people in each group. For example, these positions are from position 51 to position 59, and they are all used to do the same work.”

Mark Robertson's eyes widened: "Does that mean we can assemble multiple aircraft at the same time?"

"Yes, we can produce over a hundred aircraft a year. This is just a preliminary estimate. Once we've broken in the process, producing two hundred or even more aircraft a year shouldn't be a problem," Mr. Ma replied.

This is not a lie; it is indeed produced in the hundreds annually, but whether they are supersonic cruisers is unclear.

"Come on, this is station 41, responsible for system installation and debugging. Station 51 is like building the skeleton, and these 41 stations are like filling in the blood vessels and nerves..."

The modern factory impressed the British, who were used to an entire aircraft being manufactured, from the first structural frame to the last skin panel, all at the same workstation. Now…

The assembly efficiency of this aircraft must be extremely high!
So you're planning to mass-produce it!

"Yes!"

Mark Robertson took a deep breath: "Could we continue our discussion in detail this afternoon regarding the construction of a factory in the East?"

"Of course!"

Rolls-Royce had no other choice! To secure the massive orders from the East, they had to manufacture there! It was either a win-win situation, or their products would be copied by the East, allowing them to profit alone. What was the choice? Was there even a question?
The annual demand is several hundred engines, making it worthwhile for them to set up a factory!

meeting room.

"What? You want to produce not only engines, but also blanks? No, no, absolutely not! You're using our British blanks, that's the bottom line!"

Robertson shook his head repeatedly.

They can move engine production to the East, but they can still control the supply of raw materials! As long as the East cannot produce blanks, the output of engines in the East will still be controlled by the British. How to produce them and how much to produce are all up to the British.

"First of all, in terms of raw materials, we have reached a cooperation agreement with the Russians, and we can import large quantities of sponge titanium from them."

Qin Liang's words stunned the British.

Manufacturing aircraft requires titanium alloys, an excellent material. With the upgrading of aircraft technology, the amount of titanium alloys used is increasing. As for engines, they require a large amount of titanium materials.

Looking at the world, the Soviet Union was the world's largest producer of sponge titanium, and its production capacity of titanium ingots and titanium alloys was also very strong. The world's largest titanium alloy processing plant with the most complete process flow was the Soviet Union's Avisma Titanium Plant.

Because of the abundance of titanium, the Russians can luxuriously use titanium alloys to build the hulls of their nuclear submarines and equip their infantry with titanium alloy bulletproof vests, something other countries can only envy.

The Americans' awesome Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft, with its titanium alloy shell, was also imported from the Soviet Union. Without the Soviet Union, the Blackbird would never have been able to fly!
It's truly enviable that people from the East can actually obtain sponge titanium from the Russians!
"Secondly, we in the East have advanced die forging presses. In order to build the Y-10, we developed a 65,000-ton die forging press. The fuselage beams, landing gear, etc., were all forged on this die forging press. We can also use it to make powder metallurgy blades and other materials. I believe that the quality will be better than Rolls-Royce's domestic products."

"Finally, the price of what we produce ourselves is at most one-fifth of what you British produce. We must be out of our minds to buy your raw materials!"

The three explanations completely baffled the British!

Of course, the raw materials must also be manufactured domestically! Only in this way can we have complete production technology!
When we first introduced Spey, we were deceived by the British. They promised that all the technology would be included, but when it came to production, they brought up issues such as third-party patents and the need to spend money to produce it. Historically, Spey only produced prototypes using British blanks and then hastily ended the project, partly because of this.

Raw materials are very important. With advanced raw materials, we can not only produce the RB211, but also other engines. The entire aviation engine industry in the East will take off as a result. Even... we will have the technical reserves to reverse engineer the F100 engine!
Introducing a product that drives the progress of the entire industry is the safest approach!
"Actually, I think that your British factories could also use the blanks we produce. This cost-saving solution would also increase Rolls-Royce's profitability, right? As far as I know, Rolls-Royce is not in a good position either, and you need to make more money."

This move is even more insidious; it not only involves importing British engines but also crippling their domestic production capacity!

Mark Robertson's expression changed again.

This proposal is very attractive. The cost of producing raw materials here is only one-fifth of that in the UK, which means that profitability could be several times higher...

"Let's talk about this later. Let's talk about cooperation instead. From raw materials to engines, the entire production line can be exported, which is a significant investment."

“Mr. Robertson, as I have already said, you British will provide the technology, and we will provide the production equipment and factory buildings. We will each take half of the shares, how about that?”

"No, in that case, we're clearly at a disadvantage. After all, such a massive amount of technology patents is worth at least a billion pounds..."

"One billion pounds is about five hundred million RMB. We will also need to invest five hundred million RMB. Don't worry, we won't let you suffer a loss."

Mark Robertson's face darkened again.

The British pound used to be very valuable, even stronger than the US dollar. However, since Britain's defeat in World War II, the pound has plummeted. Not only is it no longer worth as much as the dollar, but now it's even trading at a rate of 2:1 with the Chinese yuan!
In reality, the exchange rate in the East was still highly inflated. After all, during the planned economy era, everything was arbitrarily determined. However, the British were unaware of this!
A sense of humiliation welled up in the hearts of the British. They really wanted to say that Britain's difficulties were only temporary, and that they would surely rise again! As the former British Empire, they had a rich history!
However, they couldn't say these words aloud, fearing the even more contemptuous look they would receive from the East. "Considering our domestic restrictions, joint ventures can't be majority-owned by foreigners. Therefore, our shareholding must be 51%. This means we can invest an additional 10-20 million RMB as start-up capital. After all, a large number of British engineers will be coming to work in the East; they need settlement allowances and basic salaries. By the way, can your Rolls-Royce's local engineers receive their salaries on time? If not, we…"

"Yes, of course we can! Rolls-Royce is still a shining company, and we have the capability!"

Mark Robertson almost swore. What do you mean? Are you saying we're going bankrupt and can't even pay salaries?

However, it seems we often fail to pay wages on time, all because of that damn government... Once the factory here starts production, we must falsify some accounts and reserve some funds, otherwise the company's operations will definitely run into problems. Those damn politicians treat Rolls-Royce like a goose that lays golden eggs.

"Okay, then we won't worry about it. If you have no problems with these conditions, we'll start drafting the contract."

Wait, what did we just say? Equity? Wait, why should you own 51%?

"Mr. Qin, we have a guest, you..."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Qin Liang looked at everyone and said, "Excuse me, I must take my leave."

Everyone watched Qin Liang leave, their expressions complex. Wait a minute!

Mark Robertson thought of something and walked a few steps to the window. He saw a car stop below and several tall white men got out, but unfortunately, he couldn't see who they were because of the angle.

Could it be... someone from General Electric?

Although Boeing won't let them sell, they're not willing to give up. Are they coming here this time to try some roundabout way?

No, we absolutely cannot let them succeed!
Mark Robertson took a deep breath: "Gentlemen, let's draft the contract details according to the terms that President Qin just discussed."

Old Ma was utterly shocked. "Well done! Hiring these foreigners as shills only cost a few hundred dollars. And the British, it seems they're really desperate. Their days are numbered; it's quite pitiful..."

Inside the conference room, Qin Liang leisurely sipped his tea, and sitting opposite him was... Old Lin!
That's right, he really did come out to meet guests, but they weren't foreigners, but rather air force leaders!

"So, in that case, we have all the technological reserves for the new passenger aircraft!"

“That’s right, we have them all.” Qin Liang nodded. “Our large passenger aircraft in the East has truly developed. However, I think it’s no longer appropriate to call it the Y-10. We need to give it a new name.”

All aircraft starting with "Yun" are transport aircraft, with the exception of the Y-10.

"Well, the name doesn't matter, you can come up with one yourself. I'm saying, could this passenger plane be converted into a bomber?"

With a maximum takeoff weight of 254 tons and a curb weight of 115 tons, even if it carries about 80 tons of fuel, it still has a payload of 60 tons left!

Our H-6 bombers can only carry a maximum of nine tons of bombs!
Therefore, the Air Force has long had its eye on this large passenger aircraft! This is a true strategic bomber!

Qin Liang almost spat out his tea.

What a joke!
Converting bombers into passenger planes was once a favorite of the Russians, but as it turns out, this approach was unsuccessful. Similarly, converting passenger planes into bombers is even less likely to work!

In that era, there seemed to be no precedent at all. Only later, when the Russians were almost out of resources, did someone propose converting the Tu-214 passenger plane into a cruise missile launcher. However, it was just a proposal and was never actually implemented.

"Mr. Lin, this plan is simply impossible. In order to reduce the weight of passenger planes, the structural components have very little load-bearing capacity and redundancy." Qin Liang explained, "To convert it into a bomber, the fuselage would have to be opened, the hardpoints would have to be reinforced, and the entire aircraft would have to be recalculated. It's no different from developing a completely new aircraft."

"Then let's develop something entirely new?"

Qin Liang then realized that someone like Old Lin couldn't possibly be unaware that passenger planes couldn't be converted into bombers. He was just using this as an excuse; his ultimate goal was to get Northwestern Polytechnical University to develop a bomber!

"Ahem, Mr. Lin, if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. The development cost of this bomber is at least 500 million. If the Air Force provides that money, then we'll..."

"The Air Force has no money."

I knew you guys were going to cheat!

"But now that the H-6 bomber has started selling arms, why not use the money earned from the H-6 to invest in the research and development of a new bomber? And coincidentally, the cooperation with Rolls-Royce has been finalized, so we will have advanced engines. With these engines, designing a modern bomber shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?"

The Air Force is here because they're attracted by Rolls-Royce! Qin Liang exclaimed with a touch of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and awe). But it's actually quite possible!

For the aviation industry in the East, the first thing to do before deciding what kind of aircraft to develop is to see what kind of engines they have on hand.

With medium-thrust engines, we can have light fighter jets!
With the Spey engine modified, the 10-ton class engines for passenger planes will be available, the H-6 bombers can also have their engines replaced, and even brand new transport planes can use the Spey engine.

But what about even bigger ones?
Medium and heavy fighter jets still need to use turbojet engines, while large passenger planes and bombers... don't have engines yet!
The arrival of RB211 completely solved our needs!
For bombers, a high bypass ratio is not required, so the engine thrust must be further reduced.

If we don't pursue supersonic bombing capabilities and instead build a stealth bomber similar to the B-2, then reducing the bypass ratio to around 1 would allow for a single engine thrust of approximately 18 tons. One engine would be equivalent to two F118 engines used in the B-2. We could build a behemoth like the B-2 with just two engines.

To achieve supersonic speeds, the bypass ratio needs to be further reduced, for example, to below 0.8. This would prevent the thrust of a single engine from exceeding 15 tons. However, an afterburner can be added later, and the maximum afterburner thrust can still exceed 25 tons, making its performance comparable to the NK32.

The Russians are so proud of their NK-32s, thinking they're incredibly awesome. Some even say they'll never sell them to us. Haha, we don't even consider them! We have our own advanced bomber engines!

The biggest gains from this collaboration with Rolls-Royce were!

We have all the technical data. We can design whether the bypass ratio is large or small. We just didn't have the production capacity before. Now that we've solved that problem, everything will fall into place naturally!
"Ryoko, Ryoko?"

"Yes, Mr. Lin, you're right. Developing a strategic bomber shouldn't be a big problem. Now, it just depends on what kind of bomber the Air Force needs."

"Similar to the B-1B and Tu-160!" Old Lin said with anticipation.

In 1965, the U.S. Air Force was looking for a replacement for the B-52 bomber. Rockwell's B-1 won the bid, and in 1974, the prototype B-1A made its maiden flight. Unfortunately, just as it was about to complete its test flights and be finalized, the Carter administration cancelled the project!

Fortunately, four years later, President Reagan took to the skies and reactivated the project, renaming the aircraft the B-1B.

In 1967, the Soviet Air Force put forward a requirement for a multi-purpose intercontinental bomber. The Tupolev Design Bureau ultimately won the bid. After several years of research and development, the technical design was finally frozen in 1975. It featured variable-sweep wings and four wing root engines. By 1981, the prototype was finally built, shocking the world.

Currently, these two bombers are arguably the most advanced, with similar appearances. They are capable of high-altitude bombing and low-altitude penetration, and their variable-sweep wing design gives them first-class performance. Now, through the joint Q-6 project, China has also mastered the design of variable-sweep wings and has developed a qualified engine, so it can be said that this is a natural progression!

"Yes, these bombers are good, but... times are changing, and technology is constantly advancing. Mr. Lin, you should know that stealth technology is the future trend, right?"

Old Lin's eyes widened: "You mean, this kind of huge thing can become invisible?"

Lancers are very useful, and White Swans are very imposing, but in front of Ghosts, they all have to take a backseat!
Even after Qin Liang's rebirth, the H-20 project remained shrouded in mystery. However, Qin Liang firmly believed that if we had a bomber of this caliber, then we must have something even better!
　PS: Above is B1B, below is image -160.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)