I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 86 The Positioning of the New Aircraft
Time always flies when you're focused on something.

When the leaders of the headquarters' ordnance department personally came to the aviation laboratory and found Chen Changzai.

Tell him that the new cannon has been completed, all the data is qualified, and it is waiting to be assembled.

This cannon was designed by Chen Changzai. It's such a significant event that the General Armament Department's first cannon should be included in the design, right?

At this moment, Chen Changzai finally realized what was happening.

In the blink of an eye, he has already spent ten days at the aviation laboratory.

Artillery assembly workshop.

All the components of the cannon designed by Chen Changzai were laid out on the workbench.

Each accessory has a small piece of cardboard attached to it.

The cardboard sign has the words "Certificate of Conformity" printed on it. Below it, a form is filled out with the part name, serial number, manufacturing date, and the signature of the person in charge.

This is the certificate of conformity system that is now being implemented throughout the factories in northern Shaanxi.

This certificate system was called "Wule Gongming" during the Warring States period.

In the late Qin and early Han dynasties, it was called a market pavilion stamp.

During the Tang Dynasty, it was called a certificate for verification of weights and measures.

Now it's called a certificate of conformity.

Chen Changzai looked at the long row of parts laid out on the workbench.

He carefully looked at each one one by one.

Then take the necessary measurements and inspect accordingly.

This is also a normal procedure.

Even products with certificates of conformity must undergo another inspection before assembly.

After he finished the inspection, he said to Master Zhang and Factory Manager Zhao, who were standing beside him, "It's ready, let's assemble it."

After saying that, he took out a pen from his shirt pocket and signed his name on the final acceptance form.

This 75mm mountain gun is currently only in parts.

However, the master chefs on site didn't even take an hour.

These scattered parts were assembled into a majestic mountain gun that gleamed with metallic luster.

Because the parts were not assembled before, and now they have just been assembled into a prototype cannon, it has not been painted yet.

Before this cannon leaves the factory, it will be sprayed with a protective primer according to the season, and finally sprayed with a camouflage paint suitable for the seasonal environment.

Just like the infantry guns and three-wheeled vehicles that have already been equipped by the troops.

However, this cannon will not be painted yet, only protected by a layer of oil film, because it is the first prototype cannon.

It will conduct many experimental procedures.

If paint is applied, it will affect the naked eye's ability to observe changes in the gun barrel components.

For example, things like cracks.

At the artillery test site.

The test firing command post received a wired phone call from the range clearing personnel, who were ten kilometers away.

The report over the phone stated that "the firing range has been cleared, the perimeter is secured, and all personnel have been evacuated to a safe distance and entered the artillery shelter."

Then the target range coordinates were confirmed once again.

The command post only hung up the phone after all the safety procedures for the test firing had been completed.

Then the command post reported to Chen Changzai and the headquarters leaders that the test run was ready and the cannon could be tested.

At this point, the 75mm mountain gun was pushed to its position where the trench had already been dug.

It was still Brother Zhao, a former member of the Guangdong Army, who personally operated the mountain gun with his testing team.

After the test firing team at the command post confirmed the coordinates of several target points for the last time.

Brother Zhao then began to personally direct the test firing.

Although Brother Zhao speaks fluent Cantonese normally, when he's directing artillery, his accent is so clear that everyone can understand him perfectly.

For the past ten days, their artillery crew has been practicing with that wooden model.

Today, when they finally got their hands on the real thing, they weren't rusty at all.

This test firing involved firing eight training rounds, starting from a distance and gradually moving closer.

Training rounds are shells whose warheads are filled with the same weight of sand instead of explosives.

The fuse in front is a lump of iron with the same shape and weight as a normal fuse.

However, its propellant was loaded normally.

These training rounds are used to test the trajectory and accuracy of artillery shells.

However, a total of ten shots need to be fired today, including eight training rounds and two live rounds.

One was a high-explosive grenade, and the other was a shrapnel grenade.

These two shells will explode in a target area with many wooden targets to test their power.

After Brother Zhao and his men finished loading their artillery and evacuated to the safe zone, they were able to complete the task.

Under the command of the commander, Brother Zhao pulled hard on the cannon rope from ten meters away.

After a deafening roar, a shell, accompanied by a long trail of flame, flew out of the cannon barrel and sped away into the distance.

In the blink of an eye, the shells disappeared from sight.

The reason why everyone else needs to go to the safe zone when the shelling starts is because...

One reason is that this is a test firing of a new cannon.

Another reason is that even with ordinary artillery, people need to take cover before the first shot is fired.

Because this first shot was called a "warm shot," which had the potential to explode.

After the first shot, the barrel temperature rises, making the next shot relatively safe.

Not long after, a report came back from the firing range ten kilometers away.

The report stated that "the shell landed accurately within the target area and was close to the center point."

When the news came back, cheers erupted at the test firing range.

So preparations began for the second salvo.

The initial goal was 9,000 meters, then 8,000, 7,000, and finally 4,000 and 3,000 meters.

Up to one kilometer.

The two 5,000 and 6,000 meters in the middle are reserved for those two live rounds.

After firing three shells.

Observers at each impact point called back to confirm that the target ring had been hit.

At this point, Zhao Laoda and his men stopped, because after three shots, they could begin preliminary testing of the cannons.

After the initial inspection.

The main load-bearing components, such as the gun barrel, recoil mechanism, breechblock, gun carriage, and gun legs, were all in good condition, and the test firing continued.

After the last two live rounds were fired, the range reported that the shells were extremely powerful and the wooden targets in the target area were severely damaged.

At this moment, Chen Chang and the others inspected the cannon again.

There are still no problems.

Amidst applause from everyone, this first test firing could be temporarily concluded.

After the barrel cools down, the cannon will undergo further inspection.

Then, over the next five days, various experiments were conducted continuously.

The tests, including towing and transportation, dismantling and transportation, mountain shooting, simulated high and low temperature shooting, and shooting in harsh environments, all need to be completed within five days, which is a very tight schedule.

So this time, Brother Zhao's artillery crew and Chen Changzai's students started experimenting with this mountain gun in various environments.

Chen Changzai returned to his aviation laboratory and, together with Su Zhihong and others, began a relentless struggle with the new V-type aircraft engine.

Once all the testing work on the new cannon was completed.

Chen Chang and his team then conducted a final disassembly and inspection of the cannon.

After confirming once again that the cannon had no problems and fully met the original design requirements,

The leaders of the headquarters' ordnance department happily returned to headquarters to report on the newly cleaned, reassembled, and camouflaged cannon, which had been sprayed with primer and camouflage paint and looked brand new.

Meanwhile, Director Liu of the headquarters ammunition factory and Director Zhao of the ordnance factory...

They also started moving truckloads of equipment back to their factory. The assembly lines that the machine tool factory and the machinery equipment factory had manufactured for them were all moved back with them.

Looking at their faces, their eyes crinkling into slits with laughter, Chen Changzai wanted to laugh along.

However, he needs to keep a close eye on those two spots.

These two old folks are probably addicted to moving things.

They actually asked Master Liu from the ordnance factory, "Can we let them move that seamless steel pipe rolling mill?"

Master Liu was so angry that he chuckled.

Then he said to the two men, "Look, why don't you take over that steel plant that has a 300-ton blast furnace and three steelmaking converters?"

There is also a forging plant that currently has three 500-ton forging presses, seven 150-ton forging presses, and will have a 1,000-ton forging press in the future.

We'll also move our machinery and equipment factory and machine tool factory over there for you.

These are all配套 (matching/complementary); it's inconvenient to be without any of them.

"Is this okay with you guys?"

The two men immediately slipped away when they saw Liu's expression.

Master Liu here is older than them, more experienced, and more skilled.

Even though they're not at headquarters, their rank is still higher than theirs.

If they really angered Master Liu and he gave them a good scolding, they would have to put up with it.

It's their fault for constantly eyeing the person's current prized possession, the seamless steel pipe rolling mill.

Well, let's just wait and see. Once they develop a better pipe rolling mill, they probably won't care about this one anymore.

After all the relocated workers had left, Chen Changzai returned to his aviation research lab to continue his work.

Everyone else's work schedule is also packed, and no one has a moment of leisure.

Before we knew it, it was July.

When that event happened—everyone knew it was going to happen, but no one knew when it would happen.

It finally happened beside that ancient stone bridge.

The small stone lions on the stone bridge no longer frolicked, and the large stone lions lowered their heads in sorrow.

That night, Chen Changzai stood in the courtyard, looking towards the northeast.

He smoked two cigarettes in a row with a serious expression.

When Wang Ling saw him, she asked him what was wrong.

Chen Changzai simply shook his head, said nothing, and went back to his cave dwelling to continue drawing.

Wang Ling simply assumed that Chen Chang was thinking about his hometown in Northeast China.

That night, Chen Changzai's mind was exceptionally sharp.

He suddenly abandoned all his previous conservative ideas about aircraft engines.

This sparked a bold new idea.

Although this idea was mentioned during World War II.

However, due to the different battlefields and tactical objectives, this approach was not developed on the European battlefield.

However, Chen Changzai was very clear about his weaknesses when facing the Japanese air force.

First, our own aircraft production capacity is weak.

It is impossible to produce a large number of aircraft in a short period of time.

Secondly, we don't have any excellent pilots with years of training experience like the Japanese.

Third, strategically, we must adopt a defensive posture in the short term.

This is not a matter of sentiment, but a real issue of industrial scale and war preparation.

This is something that cannot be avoided.

So what I need most right now is one of these.

Extremely safe, with excellent handling, and its power is comparable to, or roughly the same as, that of the Japanese.

A combat trainer aircraft.

The required functions for this combat trainer aircraft are as follows.

First of all, it is a two-seater, which can be used to train fighter pilots.

Secondly, he possesses a certain level of combat ability.

Third, it must have an operational radius of at least 300 kilometers to protect the airspace over northern Shaanxi.

Fourth, it also needs a certain ground attack capability to provide air support to its own army.

Fifth, it must have good armor protection.

If compared to later models, this fighter trainer should be similar to later ground attack aircraft.

However, it is a piston-engine, two-seat trainer aircraft.

To meet the requirements mentioned above, many things will inevitably have to be sacrificed.

For example, long range, and high-altitude, high-speed performance.

However, now that Chen Changzai has chosen the air force's initial strategy of focusing on defensive operations and ground support operations.

So, long range and high-altitude, high-speed flight can be temporarily sacrificed; what he needs is low-altitude performance.

After determining the positioning of this new aircraft, he also incorporated his bold ideas about the engine.

A new aircraft gradually took shape in his mind.

By then it was already broad daylight.

He finally put down his drawing pen only after Wang Ling brought him the food.

At this time, a biplane with a large horizontal tail, a small vertical tail, and a large tail rudder had already appeared on his drawings.

Although this design is very similar to the Soviet U-2, they are completely different aircraft.

Chen Changzai merely borrowed the safety layout of the U-2 aircraft to compensate for the lack of combat experience among his pilots.

Chen Changzai used I-beam-shaped aluminum-magnesium alloy as the main beam of this aircraft.

This strengthens the main body of the aircraft while minimizing its weight.

To prevent the aluminum-magnesium alloy from potentially burning after being hit by an armor-piercing incendiary projectile.

Chen Changzai added a layer of phosphate fire-retardant coating to the surface of the aluminum-magnesium alloy.

Phosphate extraction is simple; it can be extracted by wet extraction by simply decomposing calcium phosphate with sulfuric acid.

This is not something rare.

Chen Changzai also wanted to develop an aluminum-copper-magnesium alloy or an aluminum-zinc-magnesium alloy.

However, these two alloys are too difficult and too expensive to manufacture.

Chen Chang cannot achieve this for the time being.

And the low-load-bearing parts of an aircraft.

Chen Changzai chose a laminated board combining phenolic resin and birch wood as the main material for this aircraft.

Phenolic resin was synthesized in the chemical laboratory more than a year ago, and it has been in use for some time now.

Birch trees are abundant in northern Shaanxi.

This type of laminated board will be used in 90% of the materials used in this aircraft.

Its characteristics include light weight and flame retardancy.

This type of laminated board was also one of the main materials used in the famous Mosquito fighter plane.

In addition to the tricycle landing gear, the aircraft uses medium-carbon steel-based molybdenum alloy steel in key gravity-connected parts.

Medium carbon steel-based nickel-chromium alloy was used around the driver.

The fuel tank uses an aluminum-magnesium alloy combined with a rubber-lined hemp self-sealing interlayer.

The rest are all made of wood.

Its engine, which Chen Chang used in a groundbreaking manner, is a V8 turbocharged direct injection engine with a coupled air-cooled/water-cooled cooling system.

Even after the water-cooling system is damaged, it can still provide the engine with about an hour of flight time, enough for the pilot to fly back.

This structure is most commonly found in later sport aircraft.

(End of this chapter)