Chapter 907 The postponed Paris Air Show (there should be more after 0:

Although Chang Haonan has already made a lot of plans, this kind of thing cannot be rushed.

Thanks to the French's good basic technological level and the high performance of the CFM56 core engine itself, the M88 engine's foundation is actually not bad.

It can even be said to be very good.

It may not be as good as the EJ200 designed according to the fourth-generation engine standards, but it is at least better than the F404 and RD33 of the same level.

It's just that the French lacked experience in twin-rotor engines, and their previous lack of vigilance and over-reliance on General Electric as a "partner" led to the project being lame. In the end, they had to turn to the Chinese for help with the mentality of trying their best.

Fortunately, Chang Haonan was an excellent medical practitioner and was able to save the patient in a very short time.

However, despite all the twists and turns, after a round of design modifications and solving some of the most serious pain points, the M88-2 engine still showed its excellent potential, and the testing progress was extremely fast.

短短几个月时间里，阵风战斗机的全部四架在飞原型机——C01、B01、M01和M02都已经换上了M88-2，一起进行密集试飞。

Especially the carrier-based M02, which has even performed dozens of takeoffs and landings on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

In fact, compared to the French Air Force, which at least has the Mirage 2000 for use, and Dassault, which still has at least the Mirage 2000 for sale, the French Navy, which officially took over the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier three months ago, is the most anxious to put the Rafale fighter into service.

It is already 2001, and their carrier-based fighter jets are still the F8 Crusader designed nearly half a century ago.

That was even a model with a machine gun as its main weapon...

In short, it is impossible for the French to agree to make any major changes to the M88-2 at this juncture.

Therefore, whether it is optimizing the air film hole design or having the turbine blades manufactured by the Liming factory, we have to wait until the M88-3.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Chang."

After recording the experimental data, Zhong Shihong raised his head:

"This weekend, the Paris Air Show will open. I don't think we've heard of any plans for our group to participate in the show."

"Well, this was decided at the meeting at the beginning of the year."

Chang Haonan replied without even raising his head:

"The models we have on hand, the WS-10, are not convenient to be used for the time being, and the WP-14 and QC130 are a bit behind the times, which affects our current image."

"As for other models, they are either produced under license from foreign engines or are still on paper. In short, no matter how they are set up, they are not suitable. So this year we simply did not bring the real thing to the exhibition, and asked the publicity department to make a few display boards and large-scale models to take up space."

"But you don't have to worry. After all, this air show is held in France, so our group has arranged some small surprises for our colleagues. Even the domestic exhibition team didn't know about this..."

At first, his answers were very smooth.

But as he spoke further, his voice gradually faded away.

Something seems wrong.

"No, just wait a moment..."

This time, Chang Haonan finally raised his head:

"The Paris Air Show... shouldn't it normally be held in June? Why is it this weekend?"

As he spoke, he took a special look at the calendar hanging next to him.

It is August 8th, for sure.

Because the Aviation Power Group had no formal plan to participate in the exhibition this year, and because it had been extremely busy before, Chang Haonan had not paid attention to this matter after the Spring Festival. He always thought that it was handled directly by the deputy general manager in charge of publicity in the group.

It turns out that it hasn’t opened yet?

Zhong Shihong, who was not far away, was also confused by this question. He hesitated for about half a minute before speaking:

"Well... in April this year, the French Aerospace Industry Association issued an announcement saying that because Le Bourget Airport was undergoing hardware upgrades and routine maintenance, the air show was forced to be postponed until the end of August..."

"Are you kidding..."

Chang Haonan was almost amused by this remark:

"The Paris Air Show has been held for nearly 100 years, but they didn't realize that airport renovations should be done in June of odd-numbered years?"

"Well... that's what the French officially say anyway."

Zhong Shihong touched his chin:

"But we generally think that if the event is held in June as scheduled, they will not be able to show off several key models."

"If the air show in Paris gives the British the limelight, it might be better for the French not to hold it at all."

This explanation is reasonable.

In June, the M6-88 should have just been installed and tested according to the plan.

For safety reasons, it is unlikely that a model that is still in the early stages of testing will be allowed to perform directly in a flight show.

But the EF2000 next door is definitely flyable.

"Like a gust of wind?"

Chang Haonan asked with a smile.

He found that his influence on the timeline had gradually seeped into these unimportant details.

However, precisely because it is not very important, it can be viewed from a more relaxed perspective.

But Zhong Shihong shook his head gently:

“Mostly, definitely, but not entirely.”

"Last month, Airbus announced the overall design of their super-large passenger aircraft, which will have four engines, 4 seats, and a range of 555 kilometers. It is scheduled to make its first flight in 15000 and be put into commercial operation before the end of 2005... And they officially changed the name of A2007XX to A3. I guess part of the reason is that they are waiting for this. After all, it is a model that surpasses Boeing 380 and is enough to subvert the status quo of international air transportation."

Speaking of the Airbus A380, Zhong Shihong still showed a hint of envy on his face.

After all, even if the models that have been approved for research and development are included, the largest aircraft that China can build is the 110-ton C909.

The largest aircraft designed by China is the 90-ton Y-9.

The A380's empty weight alone is 245 tons, and its maximum take-off weight is even 575 tons.

A true behemoth.

Once it goes into production, it will become the largest aircraft currently in production.

"Just take it one step at a time."

Chang Haonan also heard some clues from the other party's tone:

"In a few years, when the situation of WS-20 stabilizes, we should be able to preliminarily approve a 200-ton model, similar to the Il-76. Later, we will plan for a 300-ton or even larger aircraft."

After all, he has lived two lifetimes, so he was relatively calm about this kind of news.

Anyway, compared to the hellish state in 2001 of my previous life, the current situation is already many times better...

Moreover, the Airbus A380 model as a whole feels a bit like it was born at the wrong time.

When the project was officially launched, the super-large passenger aircraft actually already had a sense of sunset.

By the time it was put into operation in 2007, it had completely missed its golden age.

Of course, Airbus may not be unaware of this, but after all, it has to consider things other than commercial operations.

They needed a model to rival the 747 as a symbol of their challenge to Boeing.

Therefore, even though we know there are uncertainties, we have to go ahead with the A380...

……

Almost at the same time, Chang Haonan and Zhong Shihong happened to talk about the Paris Air Show.

Northeast suburbs of Paris, France.

An air formation consisting of five aircraft disbanded over Bushehr Airport and entered the landing route separately according to the air traffic control instructions.

In fact, as a large airport with three runways, the route management here should have been more efficient.

However, due to renovation, the longest concrete runway 07/25 was temporarily closed, leaving only the asphalt runways 03/21 and 09/27 available. Coupled with the dense influx of aircraft coming to the air show, some air congestion was caused.

In an Airbus A320 passenger plane that was relegated to the back of the landing order and was therefore still circling in the air, Guo Ruiqing, director of the Science and Technology Development Department of Aviation Industry Corporation of China and leader of the Chinese exhibition delegation, opened the sunshade and looked under the wing through the window glass.

Where his sight was focused, a nimble fighter jet had already opened the speed brake at the tail and aimed its nose at the shortest runway 09/27.

It was the J-10E fighter jet that participated in the air show for the first time.

The weather in Paris is unusually sunny.

From Guo Ruiqing's perspective, he could even vaguely see the two Air Force emblems above the plane's triangular main wing.

Although both models of J-10 have not yet officially entered service in the Chinese Air Force, it is a common practice in the aviation industry to pre-paint the aircraft on display with the country's or target customers' livery and emblems.

As a puff of blue smoke rose between the rear wheels and the runway, two parachutes were pulled out from the root of the vertical tail, bringing the plane to a stop in the shortest possible time.

The entire landing process went smoothly.

"Speaking of which, we should thank the French for accidentally helping us..."

Yang Quanzhi, the representative of Rongfei Group, who was sitting next to Guo Ruiqing, looked at the J-10E that had successfully landed, and his tense body finally relaxed:

"If they hadn't suddenly postponed the air show for two months to allow the J-10E to complete the last few test phases, we would probably have to bring the old three to the exhibition again this time..."

"Yes."

Guo Ruiqing said as he sat up straight again:

"The Aviation Power Group didn't bring any real stuff this year. If we fail again, it will be a mess..."

Although he said so, he actually had another sentence hidden in his heart:

"If Aviation Power Corporation of China really brings the real WS-10, then we will become supporting roles again..."