latelenovela Chapter 343: Taking the R-1830 Engine
Chapter 343: Taking the R-1830 Engine
As a classic in White Eagle aviation power, the R-2800 double-row 18-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engine can be regarded as its last masterpiece.
其可靠性一流，净重1073kg，功率高达2000马力以上（后期改进型加力情况下能到2400马力），装配在F6F、B-26、P-47、P-61、F4U等经典的螺旋桨飞机上。
Although these military propeller aircraft were quickly replaced by jet aircraft after the war, the R-2800 engine still plays a role in civil aviation and helicopter power.
Although Zhang Chi has a system that allows him to continuously spend Silver Lion coins or exchange silver for Silver Lion coins to purchase aircraft such as P-47, P-61, and F4U in the system, he still wants to establish a basic aviation industry.
After all, healthy people walk on two legs, and the same goes for the country. Over-reliance on the system will only make it lame.
After receiving Zhang Chi's order, Yegorov initially planned to set up a subsidiary called "New Era Power", obtain authorization from Pratt & Whitney, and then switch to the production of this type of engine. Finally, he would secretly copy the engine production line bit by bit through ant moving and send it to Pegu.
Unexpectedly, in order to monopolize the profits, Pratt & Whitney was unwilling to authorize other companies to produce R-2800 even with the Pentagon's coordination.
Zhang Chi had no way to deal with Pratt & Whitney's situation.
After all, in history, General Motors had planned to switch to the production of R-2800 through its subsidiary "Eastern Aircraft Corporation", but it eventually came to nothing.
It can be said that all 125,334 R-2800 engines during World War II were produced by Pratt & Whitney itself, making it a huge profit.
Then Zhang Chi tried to use official channels to ask Pratt & Whitney to help him build an engine overhaul shop in Pegu. After all, he had received a lot of aircraft with R-2800 engines as aid through Stevenson, so it was reasonable for him to ask for an overhaul production line.
However, Pratt & Whitney seemed to be very cautious about its own technology, constantly making excuses and procrastinating, and ultimately Zhang Chi did not find any opportunity.
In the end, Zhang Chi had no choice but to settle for the second best and asked Yegorov to transfer funds to buy back the complete design and production line of R-1830 from Pratt & Whitney.
作为R-2800的上一代设计，R-1830是一款双排14缸星形气冷活塞式发动机，在安装2级涡轮增压器后可以达到1200马力的最大输出。
包括P-36、B-24、PB4Y、C-47、DC-3、DC-7等多款飞机在内都使用这款发动机作为动力。
Zhang Chi felt that it was okay to use the imitation production of this engine to lead his aviation industry into the new era.
In particular, although the R-1830 has much less horsepower than the R-2800, its weight is reduced to 567 kg.
If it is used for civilian purposes, it can be modified and used until the 60s.
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After obtaining the R-1830, Zhang Chi decided to go to the First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant in Myitkyina for inspection.
On a rainy day, Zhang Chi's convoy once again drove into the mountainous area north of Myitkyina.
After several months of construction, Bago has basically settled down. The wealthy businessmen, led by Huan Borong, chairman of the Bago Guang Province Chamber of Commerce, naturally had the tact to donate a batch of luxury cars.
However, those luxury cars were transferred to Zhang Guangsong by Zhang Chi as official vehicles, and he still drove the bulletproof Cadillac.
The convoy moved along the winding mountain road, its wheels rolling over the muddy dirt road, occasionally falling into potholes, stirring up a pool of dirty water.
The surrounding rainforest is lush and green, with branches and leaves covered with crystal raindrops, and occasionally one or two towering ancient trees can be seen.
Zhang Chi sat in the back seat, looking at the trees flying past outside the window, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
It has been more than two years since I traveled through time, but I still feel novel when I look out the window at the tropical trees that can never be seen in the northern part of China.
Lowering his head, Zhang Chi began to think about the wind tunnel laboratory he was about to see.
Since the liberation of Myitkyina, the newly established Myitkyina First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant has been secretly building this wind tunnel in the mountains while constructing the factory building.
If you want to build a good aircraft with a good aerodynamic shape, it is of course necessary to blow it in a wind tunnel.
During World War II, White Eagle, John, and Hans built a number of wind tunnels to develop new aircraft. Hans, who was particularly good at black technology, even built a supersonic wind tunnel to test jet engines and high-speed aircraft.
In 42, NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) built a transonic wind tunnel (Mach number 0.75, 920 km/h) for jet aircraft research.
The wind tunnel at the First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant in Myitkyina is a replica of the NACA one. The test section has a diameter of 4.9 meters and a maximum wind speed of 0.7 Mach.
In order to build this wind tunnel, Zhang Chi recruited almost all the relevant talents he could find.
The team of experts, including interdisciplinary experts and engineers in aerodynamics, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, etc., totaling more than 30 people, can even be pulled outside to establish a special science and technology college.
Another 1500 soldiers were drawn from the Engineering Corps and the Construction Corps to form a construction team. In addition, 1500 million US dollars were spent to import high-performance fans, large motors, precision measuring instruments and other equipment from White Eagle.
Today, he is going to see with his own eyes whether this huge project is worth it.
Soon, the convoy entered an area surrounded by barbed wire.
When the soldiers at the sentry post saw the special pass, they immediately stood at attention and saluted, then opened the iron gate and let the convoy in.
Raindrops slid down the car window. Zhang Chi looked out the window again. Several huge factory buildings were vaguely visible in the distance, and a building half-buried in the mountain in the middle was the destination of this trip.
After Zhang Chi got off the car, a middle-aged man in a blue work suit and with an unprepossessing appearance came up to him. He was Lei Xuelin, the chief engineer of the Myitkyina First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.
Faced with this master-level synthesizer who had spent 2 tons of his own gold to exchange from the system for both aviation and engine fields, Zhang Chi did not bother to be polite with him and followed him directly into the wind tunnel laboratory inside the mountain.
As soon as he walked in, Zhang Chi felt a slight smell of metal and lubricating oil coming towards him.
Huge ventilation ducts were laid along the ceiling, and the low roar of the machines could be faintly heard.
Directly in front of us, a huge wind tunnel device stands proudly, and its huge air intake is like the bloody mouth of a beast.
"What's being tested in the wind tunnel right now?" he asked.
Lei Xuelin raised his chin and signaled the operator to open the wind tunnel.
As the power was turned on, the fan began to accelerate slowly, and the smoke flow device in the test section started. Wisps of white smoke were evenly sprayed into the airflow, forming clear streamlines around the model.
Zhang Chi looked at the beautiful airplane model with a round hole in the nose for air intake and raised an eyebrow:
"Didn't I ask you to research short takeoff and landing transport aircraft? Why is this a jet interceptor?"