Chapter 1055 Are business jets used for military purposes?


    ?However, Robb Boudin apparently did not notice Ed Steiner’s emo.


    ??For him, who is only responsible for test flight missions, his lifelong interest is focused on exploring the performance limits of a model, and he is not very willing to care about the entanglements of interests in the research and development process.


    Therefore, after a brief pause, he continued:


    “In fact, as far as my personal feeling is concerned, this aircraft is far from reaching its limit. If a shallow dive is carried out during the test flight according to the original plan, it should be able to break through to a higher speed..."


    Robb said as he stretched out his hand and made a downward diving motion in mid-air.


    ??This somewhat crazy proposal made Ed Steiner tremble with fright, and he said in his heart that you guys who are doing test flights are really not afraid of death——


    He did initially think about making a shallow dive as a disadvantage, but that was because according to estimates at the time, the Falcon 8Z was too large and had a thick fuselage. The maximum airspeed and Mach number in level flight were 0.9 can’t even be reached.


    ?In this case, if you take advantage of the tailwind and engage in shallow dive acceleration, the risk is still within control.


    But now, the actual flight result is almost 40km/h faster than the original calculation.


    ? Don’t look at it, this number is not too high in proportion, not even a 5% deviation.


    ??But this is the transonic range.


    It is no exaggeration to say that every 1km/h speed change will have unpredictable effects on airflow and structure.


    At least for Ed Steiner, it was unpredictable.


    As long as you keep flying level, that''s all.


    After all, there is no longitudinal overload. Even if the speed is found to enter the danger zone, you can achieve gentle deceleration just by slowly closing the accelerator.


    At least there won’t be any big problems like machine destruction or human death.


    But if it enters a dive state, it will be difficult to tell when it needs to level out.


    ?In case of rudder lock or even wing breakage...


    ?Ed Steiner felt a chill running down his spine just after thinking about it for a moment.


    ?Unsurprisingly, Falcon Z will be the last important project he is responsible for in his career.


    Since the pie that was drawn back then has now come full circle, the remaining task is to ensure that the model can be launched smoothly and achieve commercial success.


    The old man is too old to do risky things.


    “It’s still not necessary.”


    ?Ed Steiner decisively refused:


    “The maximum speed and minimum speed tests are both up to standard. Now that the design indicator of 0.92 has been exceeded, the focus of subsequent tests should turn to the allowable envelope range at this speed, rather than blindly continuing to accelerate.”


    “Furthermore, according to our flight control program settings, no matter if the aircraft’s airspeed exceeds Mach 0.9 under any circumstances, it will sound an alarm and automatically enter the deceleration program.”


    While speaking, he connected the data recorder that Robb had just brought to the special reading device, preparing to confirm the test flight data himself, and then cut out a more eye-catching section from it to use as promotional materials.


    "Um?"


    Robb couldn’t help but be stunned:


    “Is there such a restriction?”


    “Well…it was specially added after learning lessons from some typical air crashes that occurred in the past.”


    ?Ed Steiner’s answer was somewhat ambiguous, and he obviously didn’t want to dwell on this topic any further:


    "Of course it was not installed during the test flight. You test pilots definitely don''t need these... But it''s hard to say for commercial airline pilots... Including the dive you just mentioned, in the future, large-angle climbs and dives may also be restricted from the flight control level. action."


    Robb next to him suddenly showed a look of enlightenment.


    We are all in the same circle.


    At this point, it’s hard to guess what the reason is.


    “Anyway, please remember to make arrangements as soon as possible...”


    Just when Ed Steiner was about to end the conversation, another voice came from behind:


    “Actually, Charles, based on our analysis of the engine operating data during this test flight, the SeA650 has the potential to further increase thrust...”


    The two of them turned around and saw Ian Vista coming out of a small cubicle next to them.


    “Of course I know that.”


    ? Ed Steiner had a matter-of-fact expression:


    “But the Falcon 8Z is already the largest model in the entire series. Even if an aircraft engine with greater thrust is redesigned, I am afraid it can only be reserved for regional passenger aircraft..."


    Obviously, he was mistaken.


    I thought the other party was saying that based on the same core machine, products with a higher thrust level could be designed.


    This is indeed a reasonable thing.


    After all, the SeA650 can essentially be regarded as a non-afterburning model with a small bypass ratio.


    ?Even if nothing else is done, just replacing it with a larger fan can increase the thrust to 9-10 tons.


    It’s just that there is no suitable installation target.


    But Vesta shook his head:


    “It’s not a redesign...I mean, judging from the performance, the SeA650 itself can also squeeze out some extra thrust, but it is currently limited by the engine control program.”


    “Of course, what I see here can only be regarded as some superficial symptoms. For specific situations, I still need to seek the opinions of China’s partners...”


    ?Ed Steiner couldn''t help but curl his lips, subconsciously wanting to complain about whether it was a bit inaccurate for the other party to call China a "partner".


    But as he spoke, he thought of the Falcon 8Z situation, and felt that he had no position to speak out against others.


    Finally, I swallowed it. Next to him, Robb immediately began to look forward to the opportunity to further achieve a higher level flight airspeed, but he remembered that Ed Steiner had made it clear that there was no need for this, and he didn''t know what to say for a moment...


    The atmosphere between the three people actually fell silent...


    …


    Fortunately, just when Vesta felt a little embarrassed because of the cold scene, another figure appeared at the door of the hangar and walked in hastily.


    Cao Cao has arrived.


    It was Liu Yongquan who came to inspect the test flight on behalf of China.


    ?Vestal breathed a sigh of relief and rushed forward to ask about the feasibility of further increasing the thrust of the SeA650 engine.


    “Liu, take a look at this data.”


    He thrust several charts into Liu Yongquan’s hands:


    “Even at the very edge of the flight envelope, the peak vibration data measured by the sensor is still only about three-quarters of the maximum allowable amount. In this case, why can’t a higher speed limit be opened at the control program level?”


    ?The latter came here this time because he received news from Chang Haonan and was going to discuss the feasibility of expanding the Falcon Z market with Ed Steiner.


    ?As a result, as soon as I entered the door, I was asked a technical question in front of me.


    So much so that I was a little confused at first.


    It wasn’t until I took the chart and looked at it for a while that I finally came back to my senses.


    Immediately afterwards, he showed a slightly embarrassed expression——


    Because this speed limit was specially added by Chang Haonan.


    Under normal operating conditions of the SeA650, because the rotor bearing at the No. 1 fulcrum is replaced with a non-contact magnetic bearing, the vibration situation has indeed improved. As Vesta said, the engine speed can be increased by another 5 %about.


    Considering that this is the first time that magnetic bearings have been put into practical application, in order to ensure foolproofness, backup rotor bearings and corresponding mechanical actuation systems are installed.


    ??And if the speed is further increased, the magnetic bearing does not matter, but this set of mechanical backup is likely to be unable to withstand it.


    But the fundamental reason for such a slightly awkward design is that Chang Haonan regarded SeA650 as a guinea pig for technical verification.


    How can he explain this to the other party?


    “Ahem—”


    Liu Yongquan looked away with a guilty conscience. At the same time, his brain was spinning rapidly and he began to formulate words:


    "The design indicators of the SeA series engines are set based on the needs of Party A...that is, Dassault. When the performance is sufficient, the main purpose is to retain a larger safety margin. There is no need to pursue more extreme paper data... "


    Speaking, he looked at Ed Steiner not far away:


    “Is that so, Doctor?”


    ??The latter was a little surprised to be cueed suddenly, but Liu Yongquan’s answer was exactly in line with his request of not wanting to get into trouble, so he nodded immediately;


    “That’s right.”


    “In the just-completed test flight, the Falcon 8Z has already reached an airspeed of Mach 0.92. Further increasing the thrust will reduce the cost performance and have a negative impact on safety..."


    …”


    ?The two struggled for a while, and finally managed to deal with Vesta and Robb, who were obsessed with pursuing the ultimate.


    ?


    Ed Steiner sighed and shook his head helplessly:


    “How come these people who are engaged in aviation development have no concept of risk control in their minds...”


    After finishing speaking, I realized that the situation seemed not quite right, so I quickly added:


    “Oh…Sorry, I’m not talking about you…”


    "It doesn''t matter…"


    Liu Yongquan didn’t care about these minutiae. After confirming that there was no one else nearby, he quickly switched to the main topic of his trip:


    “Doctor, I came here specifically because I received a request from my superiors to ask if your company has any plans to enter the Falcon 8Z into the military market?”


    According to his opinion, his hint was already very obvious.


    When business jets enter the military field, apart from changing them into special aircraft platforms, is there another way?


    It should be said that if Ed Steiner were from another company, there is a high probability that he would indeed understand what Liu Yongquan meant.


    However.


    He is from Dassault.


    Dassault, business aircraft, military.


    ??These three keywords were put together and instantly led the other comrade in his sixties astray.


    “Military market?”


    ?Ed Steiner had an expression on his face that said, “I’m afraid you’re not kidding me”:


    “Falcon 8Z can indeed be equipped with an all-weather optoelectronic system, but that is...”


    At this point, he subconsciously glanced in both directions, and then lowered his voice a bit:


    “That’s to transfer the technology of the Damocles pod to you... No normal users will choose to install it... And in the 21st century, there will no longer be madmen who install two missiles on business jets for low-altitude penetration..."


    (End of this chapter)