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

Chapter 494 The British have arrived, and so have the Italians!
As early as 1974, major NATO countries hoped to jointly develop frigates. By 1979, seven countries, including five European countries, the United States, and Canada, began research on a new generation of general-purpose frigates.

The envisioned vessel is an all-around frigate capable of air defense, anti-ship, and anti-submarine warfare. Moreover, it is standardized, interoperable, flexible, and its cost can be reduced by 25%.

The first ship is expected to officially enter service in the 1990s, so they call this project NFR-90.
After repeated studies, the feasibility analysis was completed on October 29, 1985, and a project report of more than 10 pages was submitted.

However, after research, the British have realized how unreliable joint development is. The two sides have different needs, and in order to adapt to the needs of such a large vessel, multiple designs are required, and the displacement is an impossible specification to standardize.

Three monks had no water to drink.

Historically, the British were the first to lose patience. In September 1989, they withdrew from the NFR-90 program to work on their own Type 45 destroyers. In October, France and Italy withdrew, in December, West Germany and Spain withdrew, and in January of the following year, the Netherlands withdrew.

In the end, the plan was reduced to just the United States and Canada.

As everyone can see, this plan was actually joined by the United States with ulterior motives in order to monopolize warships in Europe.

For example, the main air defense system will use a scaled-down version of Aegis, namely the SPY-1 phased array radar with a smaller area, with both length and width reduced to 2.43 meters. In terms of missiles, the Standard Missile-2 has also been designated.

If things go this way, what will become of Europe? From now on, we'll be completely dependent on the Americans for weapons and equipment.

The failure of NFR-90 was due to a variety of reasons.

Some people wanted anti-submarine warfare, some wanted air defense, and some wanted general-purpose systems. Coordination was extremely difficult, and each subsystem required approval from all members, resulting in extremely low efficiency.

The idea that collaboration reduces costs is a joke; in fact, collaboration often results in even higher costs!

Now, the British can't wait any longer. After all, others can wait, but they can't. Their navy has very few usable ships left.

Even if the national economy is in a slump, they still have to squeeze out money to build a few ships. As long as the price is low enough, parliament can still approve it.

After a heated exchange, Robert Fulton finally spoke up: "How about we try going to the East first? Johns, go over there and take a look. It would be best if you could bring their design drawings back with you."

"it is good."

Eastward, Northwestern Polytechnical University.

The Spring Festival holiday was over, and Qin Liang and his family returned to Northwestern Polytechnical University. They had just arrived in Chang'an when news came from Datang Company. So, Qin Liang accompanied his father to the company first.

Adrian Johns, smoking a cigar, waited quietly in the reception room of the Datang Company.

"Mr. Qin, you've finally arrived." He smiled as he saw the people entering. "I'm here on behalf of the British Navy to discuss cooperation with you."

What?
British Navy?

When was the last time you collaborated? Was it when you sent the British Navy to the bottom of the sea? It was a really pleasant collaboration back then.

"What are your needs?"

“We have seen that you have built an air defense ship with a displacement of over 6,000 tons. We believe that this warship will be very useful to us, so…” Adrian Johnson looked at Qin Liang’s face: “We hope that you can provide us with the design drawings of this warship for evaluation. If it meets our needs, we may place an order with you.”

Should I submit this to you for evaluation?

Qin Liang smiled and said, "No need, it certainly won't meet your needs."

"why?"

The business was offered to them, but they didn't want it?
Could it be that the other navy does not allow the export of this warship?

"The experience of the Falklands War tells you that low-altitude interception is extremely important. Even one stray missile could deliver a devastating blow to a warship," Qin Liang said. "Therefore, your navy needs a warship with a tall mast, and to install the radar at the highest point of the entire ship, ideally... as high as a five-story building. This will significantly improve the search range for anti-ship missiles flying at extremely low altitudes."

What do the British need? Qin Liang knows, and here, Qin Liang doesn't mind saying it out loud.

Anyway... this kind of design is inherently useless.

Adrian Johnson's eyes widened. What are you saying?
A mast as tall as a five-story building?
"Wouldn't that increase the center of gravity of the warships? Our British warships are meant to sail in the Atlantic."

It's simply impossible for European countries to collaborate on research and development, since their needs are different.

British warships mainly operate in the Atlantic Ocean, where the winds and waves are high, while French and Italian warships operate in the Mediterranean Sea, where the seas are calm most of the time.

"Therefore, to reduce the radar's weight, either use a small-area four-sided phased array radar or a rotating two-sided back-to-back phased array radar. In short, the search range for ultra-low-altitude sea-skimming anti-ship missiles should ideally reach eighty kilometers, so that there are multiple opportunities for interception..."

Even if European countries have phased array radars on all four sides, they are not true air defense ships, because these four small shields are essentially used for low-altitude leak prevention.

The British Type 45 is even more of a rotating back-to-back radar!
That tall, spherical shape made everyone who saw it laugh; the Type 45 destroyer with a ball on its head became the funniest destroyer in the world.

But Qin Liang knew that this was the most suitable idea for the British, so... he would now give them a suggestion.

In any case, given the current capabilities of the British, developing their own would be extremely expensive, and they probably wouldn't even be able to afford to build one. In the end, they might have to ask the East for help.

Sure enough, Adrian Johns' eyes widened as he heard Qin Liang's explanation.

"President Qin, your design sounds really good!"

"That's natural, I understand your pain."

These words left the British with mixed feelings. Do they understand our pain? It was you who hurt us first!
"If you are interested, you can entrust Northwestern Polytechnical University to help with the design. The design fee is only three million yuan, and we can provide you with detailed drawings."

"The British pound?"

"US dollars." Qin Liang waved his hand.

The pound sterling was once worth more than the dollar, but in recent years, due to the sluggish British economy, the pound's exchange rate has fallen sharply!

The British pound, once a currency circulating worldwide, is now unwanted even by the British themselves. Upon receiving it, they immediately exchange it for US dollars, marks, and francs, further contributing to the pound's decline.

A design fee of three million dollars is actually not expensive at all!
However, this is different from what Adrian Johns originally thought!

He originally wanted the Easterners to give them the design drawings for free so they could review them. Now, they've commissioned the Easterners to create a completely new design...

Adrian Johns had a complicated expression.

“We understand that you are short of funds right now. There’s no rush. You can come back to us for design when you have more money.”

Qin Liang's words thoroughly provoked the fragile Englishman.

What did you say
We don't have money?

We, Britain, were once the British Empire on which the sun never sets. Even though we no longer have colonies, we still have our own foundation. How could we possibly be poor?

So Adrian Johns puffed out his chest and said, "Three million is nothing to us. I'll go back and apply for funding."

"it is good."

After Adrian Johns left, he realized: Why should I pay? I came here to get something for free.

He is still very arrogant.

"I've heard that your warship is planned to be equipped with four phased array radars, and that you've even overcome the challenges of active phased array radar. Is the warship you designed for us suitable...?"

Adrian Johns then moved on to the second question.

Having design drawings is not enough; you also need various subsystems, and developing these takes time and, in particular, a lot of money.

and so……

He needs to explain all these subsystems clearly as well.

"Of course, no problem. Our HQ-9 was showcased at last year's military parade. It used a flat-panel phased array radar, didn't it? We can modify this radar and install it on the mast!" Qin Liang said. "At the same time, our HQ-9 can also be used for air defense missiles."

The HQ-9 comes in two versions: one for domestic use is an active phased array radar with an active seeker, and the other for export is a passive phased array radar with a TVM guidance system.

Since the secret will be leaked anyway, I don't care if others learn it.

Therefore, Qin Liang can make the decision!
Just imagine the Type 45 destroyer equipped with Eastern weaponry; that's fascinating enough.

Do you still dare to drive here and show off like this? Believe me, we can easily interfere with, and even control, missile flight. "This...this radar is a passive phased array, right?"

"That's right, doesn't the American Aegis system also use a passive phased array radar? Please trust our Eastern technology; our electronic systems are very advanced, and the post-processing data capabilities of this radar are extremely powerful!"

Qin Liang patted his chest and said, "Our air defense system is definitely a generation ahead of the United States! It also has the capability of ultra-low-altitude sea-skimming interception. If the experimental performance does not meet the standards, we will not charge you!"

Passive phased array radar uses ferrite phase shifters, which are very heavy, and then installing it so high up... I wonder if the waves of the Atlantic Ocean will blow it over.

In later generations, the British Type 45 destroyers used their own Sampson radar, but for missiles, they used the Aster, which was jointly developed by Europe.

This missile is quite bizarre.

The different ranges are achieved by adding boosters, and the boosters are of different thicknesses, which means it has no universal launch capability and is absolutely useless. What's more, this is an air defense missile that was only developed in the late 1990s, and the UK probably doesn't have the funds to support the project's development now.

Adrian Johns' mind raced. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Could we be authorized to produce those missiles?"

"Of course, no problem. It's just that... the licensing fee is particularly expensive. If you're buying in large quantities, it's definitely cheaper to produce it yourself. But if you're buying in small quantities, I think it's cheaper to buy directly from us. After all, you're on a tight budget, so you need to be careful with your money."

“No, we have the money. We must bring it in!” Adrian Johns said with a serious expression.

Qin Liang chuckled inwardly.

In reality, the British might not necessarily adopt their own system. They might take their own design blueprints and go to purchase American radar and missiles. After all, the NFR-90 project mainly used American radar and missiles.

Moreover, it not only has the Navy's scaled-down Aegis and Standard Missile-2, but also land-based Patriot radar and its accompanying Patriot missiles.

In the future, when they want to buy American goods, they'll have to think about what they said to me.

Licensed production... the licensing fees are definitely not low! Anyway, once the British get their hands on it, their own production costs are also very high, so they can only use it themselves. They simply cannot compete with the high-quality and inexpensive Eastern goods on the international market.

There's no need to worry about them taking away market share.

As for technology leaks... the Russians should be the ones to worry about.

"Okay, let's talk about other subsystems, such as anti-submarine warfare and the shipborne helicopters we produce..."

"We British have our own shipborne helicopters!"

"Okay. Then you'll have to open up the weapon interfaces for us, otherwise we can't connect to the shipborne combat command system."

"This……"

"Of course, it can work independently without any problem. Your system is far behind ours. If we integrate it, it might reduce the smoothness of the entire system."

"No, ours is very advanced!"

"Alright, let's talk about the other subsystems. As for the power system... we have the RB211 engine developed in cooperation with Rolls-Royce. Developing a gas turbine based on this engine is easy. However, to improve efficiency, we can use an intercooled regenerative cycle to improve combustion efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by more than a quarter..."

Adrian Johns nodded.

He didn't know there was a huge pit there.

The later WR-21 gas turbine, the one used on the Type 45 destroyer, was developed based on the RB211 engine. It improved combustion efficiency by using a supercharged intercooler and a reflux heat exchanger, reducing fuel consumption by 27 percent compared to traditional gas turbines!

Each unit has an output power of 25.2 megawatts, and two units can meet the needs of 45 destroyers. However... this system cannot perform its missions in hot regions; it breaks down in the tropics!

The current design certainly requires our support. We're manipulating things here without the British knowing, but what will happen when we get to the Middle East…

I can't wait to try it!

There's nothing to worry about; they were going to use Rolls-Royce products anyway.

"To reduce the size of the power system, we can try using an integrated power system and all-electric propulsion for the entire ship, which would eliminate the need for auxiliary machinery," Qin Liang continued.

No matter how efficient a fuel is, it will still consume a lot of fuel.

Therefore, on destroyers, it is common to see alternating diesel and gas turbine systems, or alternating gas and gas turbine systems.

Using one power source at low speeds and switching to another at high speeds results in a very large power compartment.

How to improve?

A comprehensive power system for the entire ship can solve this problem!
Only two gas turbines are needed: one for low speeds and two for high speeds!

Adrian Johns looked complicated: "A fully integrated electric power system? Electric propulsion? Isn't that a bit too advanced?"

"We're not pushing the limits; current technology is sufficient! This not only saves on engine room space but also provides a foundation for future equipment upgrades. For example, when laser weapons mature, they can be installed. Ordinary warships might not have enough power supply, but now, the ship's integrated power system can coordinate power supply, which is more than enough to meet the needs!"

This is for the future!

"Okay, Mr. Qin, I will give you a full report on your technologies. Please wait for me!"

Adrian Johns left, and Qin Baomin asked curiously, "Liangzi, I'm afraid we don't have any of the technologies you mentioned, do we?"

"Yes, Dad, why don't we hurry up and make the arrangements?"

Qin Baomin nodded: "Good, good, good!"

After fooling the British for a while, what happened next...

Qin Liang hadn't left when the phone rang.

"Hey, Italian guests are coming? Great, welcome, welcome!"

After hanging up the phone, Qin Baomin looked at Qin Liang: "Liangzi, the Italian guests are also here for the warships. Should we tell the Italians about the proposal we gave to the British?"

Qin Liang shook his head: "No."

Qin Baomin was taken aback: "Why?"

"Because the needs are different."

After the NFR-90 program ended, the demand for frigates in Europe remained. As a result, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy joined forces to develop a new generation of general-purpose frigates, codenamed Project Horizon.

However, the two sides still had significant differences, and the British withdrew from the project, thus settling down to develop the Type 45 independently.

Since the warships only roam the Mediterranean Sea and have not been attacked by ultra-low-altitude sea-skimming missiles, they do not need a high freeboard, and their susceptibility to sinking can be reduced, all of which can reduce costs.

As for the powertrain...

The same tricks you use to fool the British won't fool the Italians, since they are more pragmatic and don't pursue advanced technologies.

Different clients require different solutions!
Qin Baomin quickly took notes.

He could handle all the previous projects, but this warship is only the second one. The first one he sold was a frigate with a displacement of three or four thousand tons. This one is over six thousand tons. There are many intricacies involved, and he needs to figure them out quickly!

"Okay, Dad, that's all for now. If you can't handle it, just call me over."

"It's alright, it should be fine. I'll try not to bother you. By the way, what if the French come?"

Qin Liang shook his head: "The French are in a tough spot. After all, the French are very arrogant. They haven't let us help with their fighter jets so far, let alone their warships."

Qin Baomin nodded, "That's indeed true."

The Department of Navigation at Northwestern Polytechnical University quickly received a call from Datang Corporation. Without hesitation, they got to work and revised their design according to President Qin's instructions!

Although the large sphere on top sounds bizarre, ... it's arranged by Principal Qin, so there's definitely no problem!
At the same time, news that Northwestern Polytechnical University was helping Britain and Italy design warships spread like wildfire!

The NFR-90 project was naturally the first to be affected. When the news came, the arguing in the project meeting room immediately stopped.

American representative Fowles looked at the British and Italian representatives present: "So, you want to go it alone and leave us out?"

(End of this chapter)