Chapter 1224: Arms Race in the Field of Aviation Power

It is obvious that although both parties in this meeting appeared sincere on the surface, neither of them had even the slightest sincerity towards each other.

They all wanted to find out each other's background, so they chose to play along.

This is a high definition remake of World War II on the Western Front.

However, MTU is obviously much more promising than Abwehr and other German intelligence agencies.

Due to a series of coincidences, this round was considered a small victory over the opponent.

Not only did he get the information he wanted, but he also tricked the Luo Luo delegation.

Of course, it has no practical effect.

As planned, the details of the cooperation between MTU and Pratt & Whitney will soon be announced to the world, and there is nothing worth keeping secret about this news itself.

What the former is worried about is that Rolls-Royce has obtained the details through some channel.

But it turned out to be completely unfounded worries.

The British were not completely unaware of it.

Even when Bodie returned to his residence, he still felt that there was something strange about today's meeting.

Not to mention between two companies, even between two departments of the same company, such smooth information communication rarely occurs.

For a seasoned man, Winkler's entire conversation seemed a little too frank.

But the other party's conclusion coincided with what Patridge had said before.

He couldn't help but believe it...

In short, with such twisted thoughts, Bodie ended his three-day trip to Germany, and then reported the talks and visits to Watson one by one.

The latter was relieved.

Two independent sources came to the same conclusion.

Could it be all wrong?

No way?

Although Bodie did not forget to express his concerns to Watson, he said that Winkler's attitude seemed a little too cooperative.

But the latter was not at the scene after all, and there was really no reason to doubt him.

The only answer I can give is that it’s probably because Bodi used to be a technical person and this is his first time to be in charge of a large project, so he’s a little worried.

So, this matter just passed by peacefully...

temporary.

Bodi returned to his post and began to lead the NGME project team to conduct performance demonstration.

If nothing unexpected happens, this project, which is expected to be named Trent 300, should officially enter the research and development stage before the end of 2007, and then serve as one of the alternative power sources for Airbus A320neo, helping Rolls-Royce to further gain a foothold in the largest aviation engine market...

Everything seemed to be quietly back on track.

Until one morning a month later.

Bodi walked into the office after breakfast as usual, and opened his email as usual to plan his schedule for the day.

But as soon as the page loaded, he saw an email forwarded by his secretary in his inbox.

There is also a red word "Breaking" on the front.

Bodi clicked it subconsciously.

Then his right hand shook violently, and he almost threw the mouse away——

There was a piece of news on the screen.

十五分钟前，MTU公司与普拉特惠特尼公司共同宣布，将在PW1000G/1100G发动机的基础上，共同开发全新的PW1000系列发动机，包括推力120-150kN的PW1200、推力95-115kN的PW1500等四个子系列……

There were also some statements from both sides, as well as some purely polite words such as development vision.

But Bodi only felt dizzy and couldn't see the words on the screen clearly...

At this moment, only one sentence echoed in my mind:

"Brother, I give you my heart, but you play tricks on me. I was fooled by the damn Germans!"

Although objectively speaking, it was Watson and Bodie who first thought of this, and MTU was just acting in self-defense.

But people can't help but show double standards at times like this.

After a long buzzing in his ears, Bodie finally recovered from the emotion that was hard to tell whether it was anger or shame.

The brain that had almost lost its ability to think started working again.

Right.

All right.

No wonder Winkler's old man seemed so proactive at the beginning, but in the end he rejected the cooperation proposed by his side without any reluctance.

No wonder the Germans, who have always been secretive about technical issues, not only decisively admitted that there were problems with the CLEAN plan this time, but also specifically explained where the problems lay.

No wonder……

With the benefit of hindsight, it all seems so obvious.

But there is no regret medicine in the world.

The only thing we can do now is to think about how to make up for it.

Bodi sorted out his thoughts a little and felt that he should first contact Watson to determine the more specific details of the cooperation between PW and MTU.

However, before his fingers touched the receiver, the phone rang.

As expected, it came from the secretariat.

Ask him to go to the aerospace development department's meeting room immediately.

……

When Bodie hurried into the conference room on the top floor with the printed news report, several executives, including Watson, were already sitting there.

“Tim.”

As soon as Watson opened his mouth, he saw the paper in his hand.

Although the content above cannot be seen clearly, at this time, it is obviously not some irrelevant news.

"Well, it seems you already know..."

He pointed to an empty chair next to him and asked Bodie to sit down first:

"At the moment, I'm afraid we've been tricked by Pratt & Whitney and MTU, two old rivals... and of course old partners."

"In the research and development of the next generation of aviation power, we are still half a step behind our competitors..."

Watson's expression was somewhat complicated when he spoke.

As the number one troublemaker on Blue Star, they calculated everything this time and ended up getting themselves involved.

In fact, from receiving news about the new generation A900 during the first flight of the Trent 320 to selecting Bodie and others to form the NGME project team after the test flight of the A380 was stabilized, Rolls-Royce's efficiency was not slow.

But Pratt & Whitney, as the original advocate of the joint establishment of International Aero Engines Corporation, was obviously the first of the four brothers to decide to split up.

With the advantage of being the first mover, plus the fact that they already had the PW1000G foundation, their actions were naturally much faster than Rolls-Royce's.

Thus, overnight, the NGME project's original leisurely and carefree situation disappeared.

The burden on the R&D team also increased instantly.

"I saw the news from an online news report. There wasn't much detail..."

As the person in charge of the new model, Bodi didn't care about the red tape:

"So first of all, is there any more accurate information, such as what is the specific goal of this cooperation between PW and MTU?"

Watson opened the folder in front of him, which contained a document about a dozen pages thick:

"In accordance with the principle of information disclosure, they shared some information after the press conference."

"In fact, after the EU's CLEAN project started, MTU had been simultaneously promoting another highly secretive CLAIRE project, which started around 2003... The cooperation between them and PW also began at that time."

"There are four research goals for the whole program. The first is the gear-driven fan engine, which aims to reduce fuel consumption by 2500% and pollutant emissions by 10% compared to the current technology level of the V15 "SelectOne"... They are almost achieving this."

"The second is the counter-rotating turbofan engine, which will further reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 10% based on the previous ones."

"three……"

At this point, Watson's voice suddenly stopped.

His face also became a little ugly.

After a few seconds, he sighed and continued:

"Third, the turbofan engine with intercooler regenerator reduces fuel consumption by 20% and pollutant emissions by more than 35% compared to the current model."

“Finally, by combining all of the above technologies, the goal is to halve the fuel consumption per unit of thrust compared to the current level, and reduce the emission level calculated as nitrogen oxides to a quarter…”

"As for more specific details of the cooperation, such as the tasks undertaken by both parties, the form of cooperation, the expected timetable, etc., we currently have no reliable information..."

"..."

After saying this, Watson closed the folder somewhat helplessly.

"But……"

Bodie subconsciously wanted to say that Winkler had previously made it clear that indirect cooling and heat recovery technology, especially independent indirect cooling technology, was not suitable for the working environment of aircraft engines.

But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he realized that the other party was obviously lying to him.

As for Partridge...

The probability that he is a German spy is indeed low.

The probability is that it is simply a misjudgment.

Finally, it was Watson who broke the silence with a serious face:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I estimate that General Electric will respond soon."

"The arms race for the next generation of aviation power has begun..."