Chapter 162: The Vicissitudes of the National Military Standard Over Time

Page 1 of 3

The engine test was about to begin. A large crowd had gathered at a distance around the test stand, while the members of the investigation team stood far away in the designated safe zone, clad in thick protective gear, despite the excellent safety measures surrounding the test area on all four sides.

Although the Test Center had already conducted one trial, everyone still felt uneasy as the moment approached. Director Bai, Chief Engineer Wen, and Chief Engineer Yang were the most concerned of all, yet at a time like this, there was nothing they could do but sit quietly to one side and wait for the test to begin.

Every necessary condition was in place. This time there was no stirring countdown, nor reports from each station announcing that preparations were complete. Everything was already ready. All that remained was to issue the order to begin.

“Testing begins. All units, start the core engine test sequence in order.”

The announcement was delivered in a flat, emotionless voice, yet everyone present felt their hearts suspended high in their chests. As the core engine’s shriek gradually rose in pitch and it settled into smooth operation, a burst of cheering erupted from the crowd and continued for a long time.

After so many years of design work, Chief Engineer Wen was still somewhat anxious about the new design process. But when the core engine successfully began operating on its own, he wept with joy.

“Excellent, excellent. We’ve taken the first step. From here on, everything will depend on our real strength in design and manufacturing. Now all we need to do is wait.”

The excited Chief Designer Wen and Chief Engineer Yang embraced each other, their happiness plainly visible. Only Li Jufeng, standing nearby, remained worried. The high-temperature turbine had yet to complete its final testing, and it had now been put directly into the core-engine test. He still felt uncertain.

His concern was written all over his face. Chief Engineer Yang walked over to reassure him.

“Old Li, there’s no need to worry. The high-temperature turbine you were responsible for was the first major project to produce results. The fact that we haven’t yet determined its final service life doesn’t mean the new high-temperature turbine has any problems. That’s something we ought to be celebrating.”

“You’re right. I was overthinking it. I care too much about this project, and that made me lose my composure. Our high-temperature turbine has already operated for at least five hundred hours. By the end, it will certainly exceed the combustion chamber’s initial overhaul interval. If everything remains satisfactory, we can set the core engine’s first overhaul at five to six hundred hours. That figure already far surpasses that of our Turbojet Seven.”

For a core engine’s first test run, successfully operating under its own power was enough to count as a success. Three hours later, the core engine was shut down. Since the first test had not been conducted at full power, none of the various readings could be considered particularly conclusive.

Nevertheless, the core engine’s successful operation was the best news of all. The investigation team temporarily forgot the original reason for their visit and offered their congratulations on the successful test.

“Excellent. This is the first step toward success, and I still want to congratulate you. If this new core engine can produce convincing results, there may yet be room to resolve the matter of your unauthorized revision of the national military standards.”

Team Leader Zhang was speaking from the heart. In high-technology projects such as aviation and aerospace, even a single breakthrough was worth celebrating for a long time. Though their positions were different at present, their joy was the same.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

After a brief rest, another core engine was installed on the test stand. With the experience gained from the first test, the power would be increased further this time.

At the same time, the first core engine was dismantled for inspection. If it passed, it would be reassembled. When the second core engine was shut down for testing and inspection, the first would be mounted on the test stand again and testing would continue. This arrangement would save as much time as possible while making maximum use of the test stand.

After five days, the core engine tests reached maximum power. The testing achieved its expected objectives, and all the data was laid out on the office desk.

“Take a look, Team Leader Zhang. These are the figures for our new core engine. Judging from them, its thrust should already meet the requirements of our new engine.”

Team Leader Zhang could not make much sense of the data for this unfamiliar new component, but that did not prevent him from forming a judgment. He glanced over the core engine figures and compared them with the data for the Turbojet Seven core engine beside them. The improvement appeared substantial, and that was enough for him.

“Yes, I’ve looked at it. As far as the core-engine data goes, it can barely be considered satisfactory. But this does not reflect the overall level of the engine. With an aircraft engine, we still have to look at reliability, service life, and other factors.”

Team Leader Zhang’s meaning was unmistakable: they needed to examine the engine’s service life and reliability. Testing those matters would take a very long time.

That was not a problem. If the investigation team was willing to wait, then they could wait. It was not long after the New Year, and nobody had any particularly urgent business. They could simply proceed with the tests.

Life testing was an exceptionally troublesome process. There were no shortcuts. They could only grit their teeth, burn fuel, and keep the engine running relentlessly. Based on the institute’s projected first-overhaul service life of five to six hundred hours, the test would take considerable time.

An engine could not simply be started and left running without interruption. A military aircraft would normally operate for only a few hours at most before landing and shutting down, at which point the engine would stop as well. Even at the absolute maximum, it could run for only twenty hours a day. Even using five hundred hours as the target, reaching that figure would require an entire month.

Once the testing had continued for that long, the theoretically projected first-overhaul interval for a core engine designed according to damage-tolerance principles would have been reached. The base had many things to do during that month, and none of that time could be wasted.

From the outset, the new engine had not been designed according to the old national military standards. Instead, it followed a new standard incorporating many elements of British military specifications. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Britain naturally had its own approach to industrial standards.

The investigation team had been at the base for more than ten days. Having witnessed the use of the new standards firsthand, they did not strongly oppose the revisions themselves. Naturally, they had no grounds to halt development of the new engine. They possessed the authority to investigate, but not the authority to make decisions.

“Director Bai, bring out the British standards you’ve been using. Our investigation team is entitled to examine them.”

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

When he heard that the investigation team wanted to examine the British standards, Director Bai did not know what to do. The materials had been handed over to the institute by Old Wu, so it would be best to consult him first.

When Bai Kang turned his gaze toward him, Old Wu understood what Director Bai was worried about. He nodded firmly, indicating that the British standards could be brought out.

A wooden crate was carried over. Inside lay several sets of British military specifications that had already been used. The older version of the national military standards, revised on the basis of those specifications, had already been completed, so the crate also contained the revised national standards.

As the director of the office responsible for revising the national military standards, Team Leader Zhang naturally possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to such documents. He compared the old military standards, the British military standards, and the new standards. After a thorough comparison, he had to admit that the new standards indeed possessed many advantages.

Confronted with these newly taking shape military standards, Team Leader Zhang fell into deep thought. As the official specifically responsible for revising military standards, he had access to some fairly reliable inside information about the matter.

In fact, during the early 1980s, voices within both the aviation sector and the armed forces had already called for revisions to the old military standards. Their obsolescence and inadequacy were not concerns seen only by this base; numerous aviation-related organizations had recognized them as well.

The problem was that, although everyone had seen the flaws, there were several different opinions about which path should be followed in revising the military standards. The conservatives advocated revising the old standards according to Soviet specifications. Soviet military standards would be relatively easy to integrate with domestic military standards, and the Soviet specifications had already been obtained through special channels.

There were also those who advocated adopting American standards. Their argument was that American military engines were currently the most advanced in the world. If one wanted to learn, one naturally had to learn from the most advanced experience. Now that relations between the Republic and the United States had begun to thaw, importing American military standards was not impossible.

Finally, there were those who advocated adopting British standards. Their reasoning was simple: they valued the fact that the Republic had already begun experimenting with British standards during the acquisition of the Turbofan Nine. Experience had shown that the approach was genuinely feasible, and Old Wu was one of its leading representatives.

At present, the authorities were still arguing over which path to take, while research institutes below had already begun privately experimenting with British standards. This naturally drew the attention of those above and led to the investigation team’s visit. Their purpose was to investigate the actual progress of the new engine’s development.

If the approach proved feasible, then there would be no need for further debate. The British path would certainly be adopted. In the previous timeline, the argument over which direction the Republic’s national military standards should take was ultimately won by the American camp. Thus, in 1987, the General Specifications for Aviation Turbojet and Turbofan Engines, GJB241-87, were promulgated.

That standard overturned the Republic’s original military specifications at their foundation and turned completely toward American military standards. This was how the saying arose that “the Rabbit is the world’s biggest America fan.”

To be continued.