20: Sudden enlightenment

Usually, there are troops stationed near military factories, but the 316 Military Factory is an exception.

Xu Ning had the same doubts before, but his busy schedule left him no time to investigate further.

Xu Ning rubbed his head, feeling that this issue was not urgent, and the top priority was to solve the problem of special steel.

So, he pulled Mr. Xu and walked towards the factory.

"Let's put this aside for now, I'll take you to see my new work."

Mr. Xu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and the two walked together towards the temporary laboratory.

When Mr. Xu saw the helicopter frame that Xu Ning had specially displayed in the center of the laboratory, he was completely stunned.

"Is this what you wanted me to see?"

"Yes, what do you think?" Xu Ning nodded with a smile, knowing that he had successfully piqued Mr. Xu's interest.

Mr. Xu began to meticulously inspect the helicopter frame.

At this time, the fuselage was not yet covered with steel plates, and only some electronic modules were installed on the iron frame.

"This shape, why does it look so familiar?"

"Wait..." He suddenly had a flash of inspiration and turned his head sharply to look at Xu Ning.

"You don't mean you're trying to imitate the Black Hawk, do you?"

"I'm not imitating the Black Hawk, I'm surpassing it."

"Whether it's maneuverability or firepower, it will reach twice that of the Black Hawk!"

Mr. Xu was slightly relieved when he heard the first half of Xu Ning's sentence, but the second half completely shocked him.

"Can this kid really do it?"

He recalled the advanced electro-optical sight and micro-fire control system on that gun, and the words he originally wanted to use to dissuade him were swallowed back.

If it were Xu Ning, it might really be possible to achieve it.

His gaze inadvertently swept towards the iron frame next to him, and he suddenly felt a moment of confusion.

"Something's not right, this material isn't special steel, is it?"

The strength and weight of ordinary steel cannot be used as a helicopter frame at all."

Mr. Xu seemed to have discovered something new and asked suddenly.

However, when he saw the half-smile on Xu Ning's face, he suddenly understood.

"You little rascal, you were waiting for me here."

Xu Ning responded with a smile: "It's really out of necessity, otherwise I wouldn't have come to trouble you."

We have contacted many steel mills, but as soon as we mention the parameter requirements, they directly shut us out."

"Indeed, this kind of special steel, currently only one steel mill in the country can produce it, and even if we want to obtain it, we have to go through two cumbersome approval procedures."

He glanced at the design drawings in his hand and said with a smile: "However, for the sake of these detailed drawings, I am willing to help you apply for a batch of special steel."

You've come to the right person this time."

"Chen Dongchao can't even help you with this."

The production technology for special steel is not yet mature, and the annual output is very limited."

"Ah? Is the situation this tense?"

Then if I plan for large-scale production, what should I do?"

Xu Ning asked with slight anxiety.

Mr. Xu's eyes widened, "What are you talking about? Do you know how difficult it is to build an armed helicopter?"

I've been studying the Black Hawk I'm currently riding in for so long and still haven't completely figured it out, and you, this kid, are already thinking about mass production?"

However, he did not completely dismiss Xu Ning's idea.

After a moment of thought, he suggested: "If you have the opportunity to cooperate with the Russian people in the future, that might be the easiest channel to obtain special steel."

Xu Ning nodded seriously, engraving this valuable information in his heart.

Since he was already here, Mr. Xu was not in a hurry to leave.

After visiting the laboratory, he wandered around the workshop.

Having stayed in the Academy of Sciences for too long, he also wanted to understand what level the equipment used in military factories had developed to now.

When he saw the CNC machine tool, he didn't pay too much attention at first.

As a Senior Engineer at the Academy of Sciences, he recognized the model of this machine just by its appearance - it was the domestically produced Z80 model, which was quite old, and its speed and operational convenience were far inferior to the new Z90.

Unfortunately, the core technology of CNC machine tools has not yet been overcome to this day.

"If only one day, these factories could use the CNC machine tools we developed ourselves, how great would that be."

A hint of disappointment welled up in his heart.

Just then, a prompt box suddenly popped up on the operating screen of the CNC machine tool, attracting his departing footsteps.

He turned his head, his gaze locked on the Chinese characters displayed on the screen, speechless for a moment, his face full of confusion.

"What's going on with these Chinese characters?"

"Hey, this is our Factory Director who modified the machine, and using Chinese characters is necessary."

A worker nearby enthusiastically explained to this unexpected visitor.

"It's not just changing the Chinese interface, this CNC machine tool is now very easy to use, the speed is lightning fast, and the precision is extremely high."

"The factory I worked at before, even if they spent a lot of money to buy a Z90, it wasn't as good as this one."

"Modified?"

CNC machine tools can still be modified?

And can they improve speed and precision?"

"Your Factory Director can even crack the system of a CNC machine tool?"

Mr. Xu was so astonished that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets; he had never heard of anyone in the country being able to crack and upgrade a CNC machine tool system, which was practically no different from independent research and development.

At most, they can only replicate some functions through reverse engineering and have not yet fully mastered it, and he has actually cracked and upgraded the system?

How could the Academy of Sciences maintain its dignity...

He suddenly turned around, tightly grasped Xu Ning's shoulder, his expression unusually serious.

Xu Ning was startled by his action.

"Are you really not going to consider the Academy of Sciences' invitation anymore?"

...

Mr. Xu finally left, but before leaving, he reached an agreement with Xu Ning: exchange one modified CNC machine tool for three of the latest battle-vehicle country's CNC machine tools, which would be delivered along with the special steel.

Xu Ning thought for a moment and felt that this deal was quite worthwhile, after all, there was also extra special steel as a gift.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

Just yesterday, the special steel had been delivered to the factory.

And before that, Xu Ning was not idle.

He seemed to be rooted in the temporary laboratory, spending almost every day there.

Although helicopters require the use of special steel, the manufacturing of tanks does not require this material.

Therefore, in the past week, the development of the tank progressed rapidly, almost reaching completion.

News began reporting [Eagle Country condemns Iraq and begins assembling troops to form a coalition], and the clouds of the Gulf War were already gathering.

Xu Ning understood that he had to seize the time to catch this wave of military sales.

More than two weeks had passed since the last shipment of CNC machine tools, but the second batch of CNC machine tools agreed upon earlier had not yet been delivered.

In desperation, Tang Ziwei had no choice but to file a lawsuit with the court.

As it involved official industry, the handling of this incident was quite fast.

Although they were unable to personally apprehend the second-hand dealer, the court had already seized his assets.