Volume 1: The Empire Awakens Chapter 45: The Enemy's Challenge (Part 1)
The "Sparrowhawk" was like a light swallow. It glided on the runway for less than 500 meters before rising into the air. Then it began to rise slowly and circled over the airport.
The main purpose of the first test flight is to prove that the aircraft can fly, fly smoothly, and there are no problems with its components.
The test flight lasted only fifteen minutes and was very successful.
However, when the plane landed on the runway and finally stopped, the test pilot was already sweating profusely.
When Li Zhiyang took the engineering and technical personnel to collect the test flight data (several test recording instruments were installed on the aircraft), Liao Hanxiang called Tan Renhao aside.
"What do you think of the outcome?"
Liao Hanxiang asked directly and handed a cigarette to Tan Renhao.
"The first test flight was very simple, but if there were no problems, it was a great success."
Tan Renhao lit a cigarette and told the truth.
Liao Hanxiang nodded slightly, and then said: "You must ensure that the performance of the aircraft fully meets our requirements.
Give me a report as soon as possible after the first phase of the test flight.
Then I will immediately send an equipment application to the Navy Department. Is it possible to put this new fighter into service before the military exercise next spring? "
General Liao Hanxiang’s meaning was very clear, he wanted to make the Fifth Fleet the champion in the spring military exercises .
Of course, the report to General Liao Hanxiang could only be informal.
"It depends on the test flight, the most important of which is the second phase of test flight, and also the factory's production capacity."
Tan Renhao did not hide anything, "I will keep a close eye on this and try my best to communicate with the factory.
However, the Admiralty contract was the most important.
As long as the factory gets the order contract, its enthusiasm will definitely increase a lot.”
Liao Hanxiang nodded, thought for a while, and said, "Okay, you do your job well, and I'll find a way to solve the other problems."
Liao Hanxiang took Liao Yingyu back to the Weihai Naval Sanatorium that day.
After a brief meeting and then a hasty separation, Tan Renhao felt as if something was missing. He knew that this was the feeling of being in love.
As early as in middle school, Tan Renhao had a short first love that lasted for three months with his deskmate, a girl with many freckles on her face.
It's not that he doesn't know the taste of love, but now he doesn't have the energy to experience it carefully.
The entire first phase of flight testing lasted one and a half months, with eight test pilots taking turns flying four verification aircraft (another one was used for ground fatigue testing) two or three times almost every day.
Li Zhiyang also led a group of engineering and technical personnel to work day and night to process the data obtained from the test flight and make modifications to the design of the aircraft.
Later, Tan Renhao learned that after General Liao Hanxiang returned, he received support from Marshal Sajitin and obtained a sum of 15 million yuan in funds specifically for rewarding the researchers in the factory, otherwise Li Zhiyang and others would not have been so enthusiastic.
During this one and a half months, Tan Renhao was busy day and night. He not only had to supervise the test flight work, but also had to send the data obtained to General Yu Gengnian and complete the work report. Of course, he did not forget the informal report that General Liao Hanxiang needed.
After the test flight was successfully completed, Shenfei received the first order from the Navy, and then immediately organized personnel to produce the first batch of 24 improved formal production-type "Sparrowhawk" fighters.
At this time, the "Kingfisher" and "Osprey" fighters had already started their test flights, and the test progress of these two fighters was very fast, mobilizing almost all the research and technical personnel in the factory.
According to the plan, the first batch of small-batch-produced Sparrowhawk fighter jets will first undergo a second round of test flights at Shenfei.
However, this time General Liao Hanxiang once again exerted his influence. After receiving the report sent by Tan Renhao, Liao Hanxiang went directly to the general manager of Shenfei Factory and asked for 12 fighter jets to be taken back for test flight by pilots of the Fifth Air Wing. He also brought back more than a dozen technicians from the factory to report the test flight results to the factory to help the factory make small-scale improvements to the fighter jets in preparation for mass production.
Of course, Liao Hanxiang did this undoubtedly to allow the pilots of the Fifth Air Wing to become familiar with the qualities of the new fighter jets as quickly as possible, so that they could form combat effectiveness more quickly when they were equipped to the troops in large quantities.
Tan Renhao also returned to Zhoushan at this time. He originally wanted to stay in Songjiang for two days and then take a boat directly to Zhoushan, so that he could fulfill his promise to Liao Yingyu.
However, the transport plane took him directly to the airport of Zhoushan Naval Port, and an officer sent by General Yu Gengnian was already waiting for him there.
It was already the end of December, and Tan Renhao pulled his clothes tighter as he got off the plane.
Although the temperature in Zhoushan was much warmer than in Shenyang, the sea breeze was so strong that it almost blew him away.
"General, why are you so anxious to see me? Is there something important?"
Tan Renhao felt like he had become a machine that was always running, without even the chance to stop and take a breath.
"I don't know. The general just asked me to pick you up at the airport and ask you to go see him as soon as possible."
The captain shrugged his shoulders and drove the jeep out of the airport.
Tan Renhao didn't ask any more questions. It seemed that the officer next to him definitely didn't know what had happened.
After arriving at the equipment and technology building, Tan Renhao asked Du Xing to take the luggage back first, and then went to General Yu Gengnian.
Yu Gengnian faced the sea outside the window and turned around when Tan Renhao came in.
"General, is there something important?"
Yu Gengnian nodded, then made a clearing gesture and asked Tan Renhao to sit down.
"I have read your report in full. It is very detailed. If I had not known that you graduated from the Naval Academy, I would have suspected that you graduated from an aviation technical college. Well, now there is something new."
Tan Renhao smiled awkwardly, but Yu Gengnian didn't let him catch his breath.
“This is a piece of information we just received.”
Yu Gengnian handed Tan Renhao an envelope marked "Top Secret".
“You don’t need to know where the information comes from.
Now, what you need to do is to make an analysis and evaluation report and an equipment performance requirement report based on this information, and then hand it over to me.
You have five days to complete this task, and the information cannot be leaked. Is there a problem?"
Tan Renhao shook his head habitually. As soon as he saw the word "top secret", he knew that this was a big deal.
