176: Chapter 176 We'll make the F-22s dirt cheap.

Lockheed Martin had just left when Fu Haoran arrived on the factory shuttle.

"Huh? Where are the Lockheed Martin people?" Fu Haoran asked, looking at the empty workshop.

"They left. They left ten minutes ago," Li Jianguo explained.

Fu Haoran raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Why were they in such a rush to come and go?

But it was just as well that they had left; it saved him the time of having to put on a smiling face to deal with those arrogant white guys.

"Which areas did they look at?"

Sensing Fu Haoran's displeasure, Li Jianguo quickly explained, "They didn't stop in the first workshop. They had absolutely no interest in Soviet-style fighter jets and even said we were just... peddling Soviet junk."

"When they arrived at the second workshop, they felt that without precision machine tools, skilled technicians, or military avionics, it would be impossible for us to resume production within ten years."

Fu Haoran glanced at the fuselage moving along the rail. "You didn't explain?"

"I didn't. Some things... if they don't believe it, that's their problem." Li Jianguo paused, "However, I noted down every single point they mocked."

Fu Haoran wasn't interested in hearing them and instead asked, "Have the components ordered from back home arrived?"

"They have. The first batch of static test prototypes is finished and has passed ground structural simulation tests. But the core materials for the flight test prototypes are stuck."

The people from Lockheed Martin didn't know that while they assumed Fu Haoran and his team couldn't possibly finish within ten years, the first batch of fighter jets had already rolled off the production line.

"How is the efficiency of the pulse production line?" Fu Haoran asked with concern.

Mentioning this, Li Jianguo became somewhat excited. One must know that before this, the pulse production line was just a concept, but now it had become reality!

To understand the value of this production line, one must first understand the pain points of traditional aviation manufacturing.

In the past, building aircraft generally used "fixed-station assembly."

This meant fixing the aircraft in one place, much like building a house, where workers of different trades took turns coming in with tools and components.

This model was essentially aircraft-centric, where "the aircraft doesn't move, the people move."

Its drawbacks were tolerable in peacetime, but when facing large-scale production demands, it became a fatal bottleneck.

Various trades easily interfered with each other in the cramped space; even if a single bolt wasn't tightened, hundreds of people in subsequent processes could only wait.

Worse yet, those priceless large-scale mating jigs and highly skilled assembly workers were tied up inefficiently for long periods, keeping the production capacity ceiling firmly pressed at an extremely low value.

Under the push from Fu Haoran and Technical Director Karen, the pulse production line came into being.

This production line introduced the assembly line thinking of the automotive industry into the field of aviation manufacturing, realizing the shift to "the aircraft moves, the people don't."

This was something that was simply unthinkable in the past.

As the two were talking, the workers who had finished lunch returned one after another and began to work.

The F-22 airframe, under the control of traction equipment, "pulsed" regularly from one workstation to the next according to a set rhythm, much like a heartbeat.

As soon as the first workstation completed the skin riveting, the fuselage immediately slid to the second workstation, and the avionics bay assembly started simultaneously.

The assembly workers and specialized equipment at each workstation only needed to focus on completing their own process, with everyone carrying out parallel operations simultaneously without interfering with each other.

To an outsider, this might seem like no big deal.

But in the eyes of industry insiders like Li Jianguo, this was a revolution!

When fighter jets could roll off the assembly line like dumplings being dropped into a pot, production capacity would no longer be a constraint.

Even more terrifying was that this pulse production line was fully digitized, with over 90% of parts using automated processing and assembly, so even a group of fresh college graduates could handle it.

At the beginning, Li Jianguo was worried about whether these inexperienced college students could handle the job.

Now he realized his worry was unnecessary.

His boss had directly applied the same approach used to produce cars to the aircraft production line.

"According to our calculations, the current efficiency has directly tripled. With all four lines running, we can produce 144 aircraft a year, which means one complete aircraft can roll off the line in about 8 days."

"Back in the day, the peak production capacity of Lockheed Martin's F-22 was only 2 aircraft per month; our single line's efficiency has already matched their entire factory's peak."

Fu Haoran nodded. He was not satisfied with this production volume, but right now, the most important thing was the cost issue.

In Fu Haoran's plan, this current model could eventually be replaced directly by Servitors instead of manual labor.

Servitors didn't need to rest; once given instructions, they could work around the clock.

"The F-22 fighter jet isn't considered advanced at all in the Warhammer World. Once full-scale war breaks out, the losses will definitely be huge. Therefore, the cost of the F-22 fighter jet must be compressed further, and the R&D of a new generation of low-cost fighter jets must also be put on the agenda."

Just then, crates of components were delivered.

"How are the results of this batch of components from back home?" Fu Haoran asked.

Li Jianguo patted his chest and guaranteed, "Don't worry, Boss Fu. I found manufacturers I used to cooperate with at the state-owned enterprise to produce these components. They are from major manufacturers; it's guaranteed."

Li Jianguo thought Fu Haoran would be very satisfied, but he saw Fu Haoran shake his head. "Finding them for this kind of small batch doesn't have a price advantage. In the future, just switch to ordinary factories. As long as the price is right, the requirements can be appropriately lowered."

"Huh?" Li Jianguo didn't react for a moment. For a high-tech, sophisticated product like a fighter jet, shouldn't it be as reliable and durable as possible?

Fu Haoran knew what Li Jianguo was thinking, but he couldn't exactly tell him that these fighter jets were all consumables in another dimension, and that he, a "private entrepreneur," had to bow to reality.

However, he couldn't say these things out loud, so Fu Haoran could only give another reason: "We are making an export version, and price is an important consideration for our customers."

"We need to bring the price down first so that customers can afford it, and then use after-sales service to lock them in and keep them bleeding."

"Remember, our profit point isn't selling the product, but the subsequent maintenance. The more we sell, the more we will earn in the future."

Li Jianguo was stunned for a long while before it dawned on him.

"That's right, why didn't I think of that!"

Li Jianguo was suddenly enlightened.

"We are just a new company without reputation or influence. We can only rely on price advantages to open up the market, and then rely on subsequent maintenance and upgrade services to earn profits."

"Boss Fu is truly a businessman; you think much further ahead than I do."

After figuring it out, Li Jianguo nodded heavily. "Alright, Boss Fu, I will contact acquaintances back home to find a batch of substitutes."

"If that doesn't work, I'll take a trip back home to inspect and find suitable manufacturers myself."

"No, after you go back, you need to establish a set of standards. From now on, follow the standards. We can't just rely on experience; that's not conducive to our procurement," Fu Haoran said solemnly.

In the subsequent full-chain cost reduction transformation, Fu Haoran directly moved the mature supply chain of DYB Company's electric vehicles onto the F-22 production line.

The core avionics used a substitute solution from the electric vehicle's electronic control platform, the batteries were automotive-grade solid-state batteries, the millimeter-wave radar algorithms directly reused the core code from the electric vehicle's intelligent driving system, and even the thermal management system was a mature solution used on the electric vehicle mass production line.

It was originally just to reduce costs, but they unexpectedly discovered that this thermal management algorithm from the electric vehicle, which had been verified by millions of mass-produced units, was 40% more efficient than the original Lockheed Martin avionics thermal management system, directly fixing a cooling bug that had plagued them for four years.

The full-chain cost was directly reduced by 70%, while the core performance actually surpassed the original factory version.

Li Jianguo unfolded the report: "Currently, a single line produces two aircraft per month. If we optimize the workstation rhythm further, producing three per month is no problem. However, I'm worried that if we build so many at once, if they don't sell, the inventory backlog will be too severe."

"There won't be a backlog," Fu Haoran said with a firm tone. "Only when production volume goes up can costs come down."

"Currently, the cost per aircraft is 70 million USD. If production goes up, and if all four lines are fully operational with maximum annual capacity, the cost per aircraft can be compressed to under 40 million."

Fu Haoran silently added to himself, "Afterward, by localizing the entire industrial chain, using mature domestic automotive supply chain capacity for non-core parts, and producing all complex parts and special materials in the Warhammer World, the cost can be reduced by another 30%."

"Lockheed Martin's bare-bones F-35 sells for 120 million. My F-22 must have its price suppressed to 60 million USD to have an absolute price advantage."

Before leaving, Fu Haoran instructed, "Prepare yourself. I have already registered for the Zhuhai Airshow at the end of next month."

"This airshow is the first shot in opening up the global market. To be safe, we must sell off-the-shelf products; we absolutely cannot give America any room to throttle us."

Li Jianguo gasped. His boss's plan, in ancient times, would have been a capital offense.

Li Jianguo even wondered if, after completing this mission, he should consider applying to stay in the country.

Meanwhile, Washington.

Lockheed Martin headquarters boardroom.

Hendricks and Gregory had just gotten off the plane; without even changing their suits, they rushed straight into the boardroom.

"Gentlemen, I can say responsibly that DYB Company's F-22 production line is a complete and utter scam."

Gregory slammed the assessment report onto the table, his tone resolute.

"There are no precision machine tools, no skilled technicians, and no military-grade avionics."

"They cannot even build a single airworthy prototype."

The board members nodded one after another.

Hendricks adjusted his glasses and added, "I have submitted a formal report to Congress recommending the total abandonment of the F-22 resumption plan and full-force promotion of F-35 global procurement."

However, these were all just excuses.

Everyone present knew very well that the reason the F-22 could never be put back into production was not just a matter of money.

You see, as the first fifth-generation fighter, the F-22 project was initiated very early, and the blueprints were still in traditional paper format.

Now, these blueprints were scattered across the archives of hundreds of departments throughout America, with no unified index and no digital backups.

To find all the blueprints would take at least ten years and cost over five billion USD.

No one was willing to pay that amount.

Secondly, the startup capital was too high.

Lockheed had calculated internally that restarting the F-22 production line would require at least 30 billion USD, equivalent to the cost of two Ford-class aircraft carriers.

Even if they restarted, if production volume couldn't be scaled up, the cost per unit would exceed 300 million USD, and the masters in Congress would absolutely not agree.

Finally, the industrial chain was completely broken.

Of the 1,127 suppliers that provided parts for the F-22 back then, half had gone bankrupt, and the rest had long since switched to other products.

Rebuilding the entire industrial chain was almost impossible.

Now, apart from the Great East, there was no second country with a complete industrial chain.

There was a chorus of agreement in the boardroom.

Gregory picked up his coffee and took a smug sip. "In this world, no one else can produce the F-22 anymore."

"Even if you laid the full set of blueprints in front of that Chinese man and gave him ten years, he couldn't build a single airworthy complete aircraft."

"The future of the skies belongs to the F-35."

Everyone laughed.

No one knew that, at the same time they were meeting, in an inconspicuous café in Los Angeles, an old engineer with graying hair, Richard, pushed the last encrypted hard drive to Jimmy.

"All the tooling parameters, process documents, and coating formulas for the F-22 are all here." His voice was slightly hoarse. "I've worked on the F-22 my whole life; it shouldn't be left to rot in an archive."

As he spoke, he quickly pulled the suitcase full of cash by his feet toward himself, his eyes guarded.

"Is it all here?"

"Yes, this is the final payment of 1 million in cash." Jimmy nodded.

Richard picked up the suitcase, walked out of the café without looking back, and disappeared around the street corner.

He had dedicated his life to Lockheed Martin, and in the end, he sold his life's work to a company he had never heard of.

While he said the F-22 shouldn't be buried, his hands were counting the money without pause.

You say betraying national interests is illegal?

Richard scoffed.

"When they laid me off, no one sympathized with this old geezer. Rather than holding onto my principles and ending up on the streets, I might as well take a gamble."

"At least my retirement life is guaranteed now."

Scenes like this didn't just happen with Richard.

Jimmy, through the various shady characters he knew, began searching across America for those involved with the F-22 fighter, buying the F-22 blueprints from them.

The data Lockheed thought was safely stored had long been sold to DYB Company by their own people for a price that wasn't even very high.

However, things were not all smooth sailing.

Late that night, just as Fu Haoran returned to the domestic headquarters, Li Jianguo rushed into the office with a material list, looking worried.

"Boss, we have encountered two problems."

"We don't have the formula for the raw materials for the F-22's special stealth coating, and it cannot be provided domestically."

"In America, this is a military-controlled item, and we can't buy it at all."

"Additionally, we are lacking the carbon fiber that meets the requirements."

This was what Li Jianguo was most worried about.

The carbon fiber needed for the F-22 was not ordinary.

Don't underestimate it; this type of carbon fiber is lighter than aluminum, yet its hardness is over ten times that of steel.

Let's put it this way: the T1200-grade carbon fiber used to manufacture the F-22 fighter can lift a fully loaded main battle tank.

Not only that, but carbon fiber is also highly resistant to high and low temperatures, capable of withstanding anything from minus 180°C to 3000°C, while also possessing excellent properties such as oil, acid, and corrosion resistance.

Therefore, it is an ideal material for lightweighting and reinforcement.

And in the manufacturing of military fighter jets, especially for stealth technology, carbon fiber can effectively absorb radar waves, thereby reducing the probability of the aircraft being detected by radar.

It is an important structural support for the F-22 fighter, but although carbon fiber is good, it has one drawback: it is expensive.

Therefore, it is also known as "black gold" in the sky and is a bona fide strategic material.

"Are there no other channels to purchase it?" Fu Haoran asked.

"As far as I know, the Mishima Company in Japan has stock; they control 85% of the global market share, but they refuse to sell."

Fu Haoran knew a thing or two about the Mishima Company; they were a well-deserved giant in Japan, yet he didn't seem to have offended them.

"Did they give a reason?" Fu Haoran asked.

"It's not that they won't sell, but the price is too high. They seem to have found out that we are manufacturing the F-22 fighter, so they are selling it to us at a price 250% above the market rate." Li Jianguo hurriedly explained.

Fu Haoran was so angry he laughed; they really took him for a sucker.

You see, the selling price of T1200-grade carbon fiber is 4500 USD per kilogram.

If you calculate at 250% of the price, that's 11,250 USD per kilogram!

They were just trying to rip him off; only a fool would buy it!

However, Fu Haoran had to admit that the Japanese were indeed capable, actually managing to find out that he was manufacturing the F-22 fighter.

But this appetite...

Fu Haoran checked some information and found that the Mishima Company had a history of doing this.

Since the 1980s, when they were the first to master T300 carbon fiber mass production technology, that thing had become their "money printer."

For the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, 50% of the fuselage materials were supplied by Mishima.

For the Airbus A350, carbon fiber usage accounted for 52%, still Mishima's territory.

In terms of global market share, Mishima alone held 80%, and the rest was carved up by Japanese enterprises like Mitsubishi Chemical and Teijin.

It seemed this was an unavoidable mountain.

However, when Fu Haoran thought about how, in the future, the aircraft engine blades, missile casings, and deep-sea submersibles he needed would all depend on their whims...

Want to buy?

Add 250% to the price.

Want to buy more?

Sorry, limited supply.

"I understand. Don't worry about this matter; I will solve the raw material issue."

After Li Jianguo left, Fu Haoran opened the system panel, his fingertip landing on the exchange button.

Carbon fiber? Stealth coating?

The plastiform from the Warhammer World is lighter and stronger than T1200 carbon fiber, and it inherently possesses broadband radar stealth performance.

"The Japanese want to make dirty money by throttling us? Then I'll just smash their rice bowl entirely!"