In the 1950s, Lao Maozi developed the Mi-8 helicopter. During the long history of this helicopter, there were more than 50 modifications and more than 9,000 helicopters were produced. It is the largest number of helicopters in the world. Therefore, it is also

Known as the Kalashnikov of the helicopter world.

In the 1960s, as the Mi-8 gradually became obsolete, Laomaozi began to improve it, specifically to increase the engine power, increase the load capacity, and improve the helicopter's plateau performance. The Isotov Engine Design Bureau developed a 1,900-horsepower

The tv3-117mt turboshaft engine was installed on it and became the Mi-18, which was later renamed the Mi-17.

The two helicopters are almost identical in appearance. They are both called Hippopotamus in the West. If you distinguish them carefully, the Mi-8 tail rotor is on the right and the Mi-17 tail rotor is on the left. I don’t know what the designer of Lao Maozi thought. Could it be

Is it because of the two generations of designers before and after, one is normal and the other is left-handed?

In 1988, the Mili Design Bureau once again modernized and improved the Mi-17 helicopter. After the improvement, the Mi-171 helicopter was used until later generations. Of course, during this process, the Mi-8 was still in production.

After all, it's cheap. You can buy one for three to four million.

Standing in front of the Mi-171 helicopter, Qin Tao looked at this smooth-looking helicopter with a wide belly and was full of expectations. Although the navy did not use it, the army used it extensively and fully blossomed, becoming the backbone and main force.

However, after all, the technology is backward, so the country would rather survey and imitate the Black Hawk than have any thoughts about the Mi-171. At most, they only purchase the pieces in pieces and assemble a few.

"Can this helicopter have short wings on both ends and a rocket launcher nest or something like that?"

Zishenko wanted to shake his head, but then he nodded again: "This is not difficult. We can transplant the Mi-24 technology at any time. Do you need this kind of modification?"

Qin Tao shook his head: "We need to have this ability to improve."

Purchase these Mi-171s, which are all civilian models, so that the army does not have to come forward. After returning, you need to be able to modify them by yourself, hang a rocket launcher or something, and make a temporary appearance as an armed helicopter. After all, the army seriously lacks professional armed helicopters.

However, it cannot be modified here. In this case, the weapons and equipment produced here will have to be purchased, which is a huge expense. The army has no money.

What Qin Tao said was true, and Tishenko, Dmitry and others also listened carefully.

"Qin, as long as you need it, we can do it. When do you plan to buy it?"

"I will contact you when I get back." Qin Tao finished speaking and thought for a while: "However, I can buy two civilian models. How about one for three million?"

Two heavy-duty Mi-26 helicopters are enough, and more are useless. They are just like large trucks. They may not be used for half a year, but they may take half a year to open. Domestic power construction, emergency rescue, etc. all require meters.

-26 helicopter, but it must not be moved normally.

If Qin Tao has an emergency travel plan or other business for the transportation company, he will need a medium-sized Mi-171 helicopter. If he purchases two of these helicopters, he can build a large scale.

After returning home, how will Zhao Laosi and the others feel when they know they have a plane?

Planes are different from cars. It costs money to apply for flight training and pilot training. Therefore, we can only have a special relationship. I estimate that I will definitely be surrounded by people after I go back. When the time comes, I will ask my father-in-law to help.

, it shouldn’t be a big problem if it’s attached to the navy, right?

Three million dollars per unit is only half the price of the Black Hawk in the 1980s, but for the current Mili Design Bureau, it is definitely a timely help.

Qin Tao came over this time and placed a large order of 36 million US dollars. This was his first business since the collapse of the Red Empire!

In the future, it would be even better if we can sell hundreds of Mi-171s!

Therefore, there is nothing more to say about the price of the Mi-26.

After seeing the production workshop, Vitalia, who was accompanying them, warmly invited them to eat out. A banquet was prepared in the most luxurious hotel in the city. This was much better than eating in the factory.

Before the food was served, several plates of fruit and candies were placed on the table. Qin Tao picked up the plate with candies and said, "Tishenko, Dmitry, and you, you, you guys, put this plate of candies on

Divide it and take it back to the children to eat."

After saying that, Qin Tao grabbed the candies and stuffed them into several people's pockets.

This scene looks a bit funny. They are all big shots. Do they still care about these candies?

However, the eyes of several people were shining with emotion.

How long has it been since the children at home had candy?

Qin Tao showed Vitalia's generosity and won people's hearts, while Vitalia stood aside and just smiled and watched everything he did.

After the food was served, eating and drinking began, and everyone's chat became more casual.

"Our helicopter is indeed very heavy in terms of weight, but in terms of speed, it is still very poor." Qin Tao brought up a new topic.

In terms of weight, the 50- to 60-ton Mi-26 is superior to the others, but in terms of speed, it is not enough. The speed of the Mi-26 is not even 300 kilometers per hour, and other helicopters have not exceeded 400 kilometers per hour.

hourly.

Compared with ordinary airplanes, which can reach speeds of seven hundred, eight hundred or even thousands, this is indeed slow enough.

"There is no way. The large plate on the top of the helicopter gives it the power to take off, but at the same time, this large plate will also act as a hindrance when flying forward, so the speed of the helicopter will not be high." Ji Shen

Co said.

This is a congenital flaw of helicopters.

How about taking off and landing vertically, relying on the big plate above your head, and flying forward? Just tilt the propeller blades forward. In this way, the rotor not only provides lift to overcome gravity, but also provides forward thrust.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Although the large plate can carry the helicopter forward, this large plate also gains huge resistance. In this case, the speed of the helicopter is

It can't be too fast.

"So, how about turning the big plate to the front while the helicopter is flying forward?"

Qin Tao spoke carelessly, but several helicopter experts present were stunned.

"Qin, are you talking about the tilt-rotor aircraft? This kind of aircraft is technically too difficult and has no chance of success. Just a few days ago, the American XV-15 prototype crashed."

"Yes, Kamov Design Bureau also tried it before, but finally gave up."

A new and complex technology may take a long time, cost a lot of money, and be pursued with determination.

At that time, helicopter technology had just stabilized. After the solution of a large plate on the head and a small plate on the back became the consensus of various helicopter designers, the development of tilt-rotor aircraft began.

By 1951, Bell Helicopter Company, with the support of the military, began to develop

xv-3 tilt-rotor aircraft.

It seems simple. Isn't it just turning the large plate from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction? In fact, just the aerodynamic problem has troubled Bell Company for many years, because the technical problem of aeroelastic instability has not been verified in the wind tunnel.

During the test, the rotor separated from the fuselage, making the attempt of this aircraft a complete failure.

However, Bell did not give up. In the 1970s, NASA and the Army launched a new tilt-rotor aircraft program driven by a turboshaft engine. Bell immediately took action, obtained a development contract, and began a new project.

In this attempt, this prototype was named XV-15, which was also the prototype of the famous V-22 "Osprey" aircraft in later generations.

Although in 1981, the first XV-15 prototype performed brilliantly at the Paris Air Show, which made people's eyes fall out of surprise, but after all, it was just a prototype, and it was still early to enter service.

, just this year, the prototype also crashed.

Mili Design Bureau did not start, on the one hand because they had a hunch that this method was too complicated and the chance of success was very small, and on the other hand, because their colleagues had already failed decades ago.

The Kamov Design Bureau has also waded through troubled waters before, and this is the Ka-22.

In 1951, they proposed the concept of a composite helicopter. The plan was to install two rotors on the basis of the Li-2 transport aircraft, and then match it with the TB-2 turbine engine. After blowing through the wind tunnel, they modified some shapes, and finally in the 1960s

Test flights began in the 1990s.

Compared with the American Osprey, its biggest feature is that it cannot rotate. Lao Maozi used the most crude method to solve the problem: an engine is installed at each end of the wing, with a large helicopter plate on the top, and a normal one on the front

propeller!

Instead of solving the problem of the engine and propeller rotating together, they simply made two. The large plate on the top was only responsible for taking off and landing, and the propeller in the front was responsible for providing forward thrust. Now, everything was solved.

The people at Kamov Design Bureau are smart, and they have already foreseen that rotation would be very complicated.

Their hunch was correct. During the decades of development of the Osprey, this tilting process was the most dangerous. Even when it was in service, accidents occurred during this process.

If there was no tilt, things would be very simple.

However, even if there is no need to tilt, it still needs to be converted from vertical take-off and landing to normal flight. This is the biggest technical problem for this kind of aircraft.

After several years of testing, problems continued that could not be solved, so the project was finally abandoned.

"Technology is constantly improving." Qin Tao said: "Back then, in order to study helicopters, weren't there many aviation engineers who racked their brains to find ways to mature this technology? Now it seems that tilt-rotor aircraft have

There are many problems, but they will mature in the future. If they mature in the future, this kind of aircraft will completely replace helicopters."

The biggest advantage of helicopters is that they can take off and land vertically, but the biggest disadvantage is that they fly slowly. Tilt-rotor aircraft perfectly solves these problems, so it is considered the best alternative.

It's a pity that in later generations, there is only the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and the sky is too monotonous. Therefore, Qin Tao is just idle here, so he might as well fool these people. If they can be tempted,

Maybe it can actually be done.

Technology is constantly improving! If Mili Design Bureau wants to sell large quantities of aircraft to Europe in the future, it must innovate!

Zishenko was a little tempted.

"Especially now, electronic technology is developing rapidly. The most difficult flight control system of this kind of aircraft can be completed by electronic technology. In the future, there may not be a need for pilots at all, and unmanned flight will be completely possible," Qin Tao continued.

Drawing the pie: "For this kind of aircraft, the mechanical problems that need to be solved are definitely not a problem for the Mili Design Bureau."

One of the biggest mechanical problems for this kind of aircraft is how to ensure flight safety when one engine fails.

The helicopter's two or even three engines are arranged side by side. If one of them stalls, the other one will explode quickly, even at super power output, allowing the rotor to continue rotating to ensure emergency flight to a safe area for landing.

Tilt-rotor aircraft are not easy to deal with. After all, the engines are on both sides, at the end of the wings, and the distance is too far. Bell has designed a complex transmission system with a drive shaft inside the wings. Normally, there are two engines, each doing the same thing.

Each, but once one of them stalls, the engine on the other side will output power through the transmission shaft.

This can ensure safety. If only one propeller continues to rotate, the aircraft will rotate around the longitudinal axis and fall.

For Lao Maozi, they are the best at playing with these machines, and maybe there is a way to solve the problem in the simplest way.
To be continued...