Great warships

Chapter 204 London International Defense Exhibition

London International Defense and Equipment Exhibition venue.

Although the empire on which the sun never sets has gradually declined after World War II, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Britain is still a developed country in the West, and many of its military equipment is still advanced.

Taking maritime power as an example, after World War II, the inclined decks, steam catapults, Fresnel landing aid systems, all-combustion propulsion systems, etc. of aircraft carriers were first developed by the United Kingdom, reflecting their strong scientific research capabilities.

Therefore, although this kind of international defense exhibition is held in the UK, it is also a defense event for the whole of Europe. Other countries in Europe will participate, or exhibit their own products, or come to inspect and purchase. It is quite lively, especially in the UK. The hardcore support and the vigorous participation of American military manufacturers make this exhibition even more beautiful.

Only professionals are invited to participate in the venue, and it is impossible for ordinary people to see the grand occasion of these exhibitions.

Qin Tao and Zhao Ling followed Vitalia. When they arrived at the entrance, Vitalia took out several press cards by magic, so the three of them walked in without hindrance.

Zhao Ling was a little worried: "Weina, will we be found out if we do this?" (Weina is Vitalia's pet name, abbreviated)
"Of course not." Vitalia said with a smile: "Our press credentials are genuine. This Liberty Newspaper was founded by my father. Who of you can take pictures?"

Vitalia raised the camera in her hand.

Sure enough, Vitalia's father had already started making various arrangements. If he wanted to gain power, he had to do publicity. If he wanted to do publicity, he had to have a newspaper office, a TV station or something. In this day and age, newspapers and TV It is the most important form of publicity.

"It's better for you." Qin Tao said, he didn't want to use the camera as a burden, his hands, Zhao Ling's hands, needed to hold a lot of things.

"Wow, tank!" Zhao Ling shouted.

As a person engaged in naval equipment, Zhao Ling had only seen the Navy's Type 63 tank, which was very backward. Now, when she saw the majestic Challenger, she immediately became excited.

The most conspicuous position at the entrance is the booth of the United Kingdom.

The first is Army weapons.

In the battle at the beginning of the year, although the Challenger tank was not as famous as the M1 tank, it had a remarkable record after all. At this time, right next to the tank, someone was holding a microphone and watching people introduced.

"In Operation Desert Storm, we participated in the battle. Just on February 2 this year, our tank unit drove the Challenger tank and successfully advanced nearly 24 kilometers in 66 hours, destroying 300 armored divisions. In particular, During the battle, our Scottish Guards Dragoons eliminated a tank at 3 meters, setting a record for the furthest sniper kill of an enemy tank!"

Speaking of this person, it is a pride.

In the era of the second-generation tanks, the L7 tank gun made by the British became the standard tank gun for the entire NATO, but it was a pity that the caliber was small, only 105mm. Guns have gradually become a trend, and even the United States has introduced technology to produce them.

However, the British are still proud. When Western countries began to build smoothbore guns, they still held on to their rifled guns.

The era of rifled guns is very old. Pulling out the rifling in the gun bore makes the shells spin and fly out, increasing the accuracy of the shells' flight. It has a history of hundreds of years and was also invented by the British.

However, with the gradual increase in the bore pressure of the gun, the wear and tear of the rifled gun began to become more and more serious. After hundreds of rounds were fired, the bore of the gun became bald.Therefore, when it evolved to 120 mm, all countries began to develop smoothbore guns. The inside of the gun bore was smooth, and the shells relied on the tail to maintain flight stability.

In this regard, the British Army scoffed. They insisted on using rifled guns because they were very stable. When ordinary tanks extended their firing range to 2000 meters at most, British tankers were able to accurately aim at 3000 meters away. The goal is to kill the opponent. Of course, there is an element of luck in destroying the enemy 5000 meters away, but it is inseparable from their sophisticated weapon system.

The British are proud.

Qin Tao has already squeezed to the front, and said to the staff: "I am a reporter from Free Press, and I want a detailed promotional material."

"Of course no problem." The staff was very enthusiastic and put a brochure in Qin Tao's hands.

The surface of this brochure is colored coated paper, with the majestic appearance of the Challenger tank printed on it, and the inside is ordinary paper, with a full dozen pages. Qin Tao simply flipped through it, and the content was very detailed. He took the promotional book with satisfaction. The brochure left this stand and rushed to the next one.

When Qin Tao kept collecting other people's brochures at various booths and filled a bag full, Vitalia finally asked curiously: "Qin, why are you collecting this?"

"Of course it is to promote these Western weapons." Qin Tao said: "Vitalia, can you use the name of the newspaper to mail all these brochures to our country by tonight?"

"Of course there is no problem." Vitalia said.

Although Zhao Ling had some doubts in her heart, she soon understood Qin Tao's intentions.

The gap between domestic military technology and the West is too great. Although these brochures are only used for publicity, the technology revealed in them is also very inspiring to the country.

There will be no technical details in the brochure, and there may even be bragging elements, but many principle descriptions in it are still useful. Domestic technicians can be inspired after getting these promotional materials.

When Qin Tao went to ask for information, every booth would enthusiastically give Qin Tao a copy of the information, and Qin Tao was very happy.

This method can last for more than ten years. After entering the 21st century, domestic military technology has continued to develop, and more and more advanced weapons have emerged. It was not until this time that Western countries suddenly discovered that, no, this weapon , isn't it what we exhibited at the defense exhibition?I remember that at that time, the Orientals came here enthusiastically to ask for materials!They must have obtained the technology from the data!
Then, a strange scene appeared at the defense exhibition.

"Excuse me, do you have brochures?"

"No, please look at our big promotional screen."

Various manufacturers unanimously set up projection screens to promote directly. If you want to see it, you can, but if you want to take it away, there is no way!
"Why don't you print brochures?"

"To save paper, we must love nature, and we must protect the environment."

When those people talked about this excuse, they were justified. They couldn't say that we were afraid that you would go to the cottage with the brochures, right?They will also feel ashamed if they say it like this.

At this time, this is the first time that people from the East have come into contact with the defense exhibition. If they want information, these people will of course give the information very enthusiastically. Can the reporter friends not give it?These materials, in the hands of reporters, are a kind of propaganda.

"209 submarine!" Originally, he was still wandering around the British booth, but when he saw the submarine at the German booth over there, Qin Tao couldn't help turning around and rushing towards it.

The domestic naval technology is quite backward, and even the air-submarine fast plan proposed back then is now outdated.

As for the air force, only Eighth Master is the leading role. When encountering the advanced third-generation aircraft of potential enemies, it can only be exhausted.The power of the submarine is still an extension of the old World War II submarine technology. The shape of the submarine is still based on surface navigation. In terms of speedboats, only the 022 missile boat built by Qin Tao can be regarded as catching up.

Now, seeing the German submarine, Qin Tao is very excited.

Mingzhou Shipbuilding Industry Group has not tried to build a submarine yet. Now get some information and go back to the design department for research.

When it comes to building submarines, the Germans are definitely the best. After all, during World War II, the wolves in the Atlantic Ocean made the Allies suffer enough.

After the end of World War II, for a long time, Germany was prohibited from manufacturing submarines. Germany could have tanks. After all, it was necessary to block the torrent of armor from the West on the ground. However, German submarines brought too much shock to other countries. No, they don't want to see Germany have a strong underwater wolf again.

It was not until 56 that Germany joined NATO that it obtained a license to manufacture submarines. However, the displacement was limited to five or six hundred tons. The Germans developed small submarines such as 205 and 206.

After entering the 70s, the submarines of World War II in various countries began to retire one after another. They were looking for their own alternatives to submarines. The countries of the third world also began to develop submarine forces. The excellent German submarine designers began to move around.

Although Germany was prohibited from obtaining submarines with a displacement of thousands of tons, it did not stop them from selling them!German submarines were already famous, and at the same time, they lost the United States, a strong competitor.

The Americans are no longer interested in conventional diesel-electric submarines, and all of their underwater are nuclear submarines.The U.S. Navy no longer wants conventional submarines, and the U.S. shipbuilding conventional submarine industry is abandoned.

The U.S. Navy does not have one, and it is even more impossible for other countries to buy it from the United States. Therefore, after the Germans designed the 209 submarine, it immediately became an evergreen tree in the international arms market.

How popular is it?
从二十世纪70年代开始，209潜艇一直卖到了2020年！（虽然21世纪已经有了212和214，但是还是有客户采购209.）

Therefore, Qin Tao is very interested in this submarine. Now that he is here, he must take away the information of this conventional submarine.

"Our largest model is Type 1500, and the underwater displacement of this submarine has increased to 1860 tons." Helmut, an engineer from the Lübeck Engineering Design Institute, looked at the people in front of him with a smile on his face: "From the Type 1207 with a displacement of 1100 tons to the Type 1500 with a displacement of nearly [-] tons, there is always a model that is suitable for the navies of various countries."

The 209 submarine is just a unified model. In this model, there are five models, ranging from 1100 to 1500. There is always one that can be selected by users. The Germans are also very shrewd in this regard.

Qin Tao squeezed in and said to the other party: "Please bring me a file."

Although the development of domestic submarine technology is still in the same line as Lao Maozi, after purchasing Kilo-class submarines from Lao Maozi, he began to improve his own submarines. , is also good.

Helmut saw Qin Tao, with a smile on his face, he picked up a thick and beautifully printed brochure, and was just about to hand it to Qin Tao, when suddenly, a voice came.

"Don't give it to him, he is a competitor!"

Nima, where did the demolition come from?

Qin Tao looked over curiously, and then his heart skipped a beat, what is this called?The enemy's road is narrow, isn't it because the enemy doesn't get together?

The owner of that voice is walking quickly, and it is Rodriguez, the representative of Bazin Company!

When he was bidding in Siam, Qin Tao vomited blood from Rodriguez, and he never saw him again. Who would have thought that their Bazin company would come to this famous defense exhibition in London, England? up.

What's more, by coincidence, Rodriguez accidentally spotted Qin Tao at the venue, so he followed him all the way until now, and finally spoke to stop him.

In Qin Tao's mind, a thought flashed like an electric spark, and he must not admit it, otherwise, it would be difficult to get the materials again.

How to do?
At this moment, Vitalia, with a camera hanging around her neck, had already walked up and looked at Rodriguez with a little pride: "Sir, did you recognize the wrong person? He is a reporter from our Liberty Press. How can it be a competitor?"

"Reporter? How could he be a reporter? He is the head of Dongfang Mingzhou Shipbuilding Industry Group! He once went to Siam to bid for an aircraft carrier. I recognize him!"

Rodriguez's eyes were gloomy. If he could speak Chinese, he would definitely use the famous saying: Even if he is burned to ashes, I will know him!

"Our Free Press is a Russian newspaper. This gentleman is our employee. You must have misunderstood the person. After all, in the eyes of us Westerners, people with eastern faces are roughly the same." Vitalia continued. .

"When I mentioned the Siamese country's bidding, I remembered that there is a Spanish company, what is it called? By the way, Bazin Company, they actually plagiarized the design drawings of the East, sir, you know about it ?"

Rodriguez immediately became furious: "That's not the case. How could we, Bazin, plagiarize other people's design drawings? We improved them based on our own aircraft carrier design drawings."

"Really? It turned out to be a misunderstanding." Qin Tao continued: "Then, how do you explain that your design drawings are very similar to the Eastern ones, and that your design drawings were completed later than the Eastern ones?"

"There is no such thing!"

"Really? Then let's go to the booth in the UK to verify it? It is said that Vickers also sent personnel to participate. They must know the whole story at the scene, and they don't need to lie, right?" Qin Tao said, "Sir, how about we go and have a look together?"

"No, damn it, you are still so quibbling!" Rodriguez said: "This way, every time you go to a booth, you will ask for the information there. I have been watching it all the time. It is unmistakable. , I guess that's how you stole it."

Who knows if this guy was present at the British Defense Exhibition last year and the French Defense Exhibition last year?Did you steal information?

"Really? You mean, every time I pass by a booth, I will ask for information?"

"Yes, that is, you are a shameless thief!"

"Okay, you just said again, who am I to bid for an aircraft carrier?"

"Yes, it's you!"

"Then I just need to visit the shipbuilding industry. What's the use of me asking for information on those tanks, aircraft, and cannons? Do I have to copy all the weapons? Please comment, we only need a brochure to be able to Duplicating various weapon systems?"

Rodriguez suddenly realized that he had nothing to say.

That's right, why does the other party want those tanks, planes and cannons?Is the other party an all-rounder?
Don't be kidding, how is that possible? There is no company in the world that can take everything from sea, land, and air. Taking all the information can only show that the other party's identity is a reporter!
What the hell is going on here? Could it be that he really admitted the wrong person?
"You Bazin Company, this kind of nonsense is really good." Qin Tao said: "Everyone can see clearly, the two of us, who is lying?"

"Bazin's clown!"

"That's right, they didn't win the bid, so they came here to vent their anger on people with eastern faces!"

"That's right, it's time to find security and throw him out!"

Amidst the accusations from everyone, Rodriguez blushed, and then walked away dejectedly.

After watching the whole process, Helmut felt amused in his heart. This Bazin company is going to become a joke at the defense exhibition!He still holds the brochure in his hand. Now, he handed the brochure to Qin Tao, and said, "Here, Mr. Reporter, I hope to promote our products."

"Definitely." Qin Tao said: "I am a reporter, and I am also a military fan. I am very interested in sea, land and air equipment. Later, I will write a special report on your 209 submarine."

"Do you have a deep knowledge of submarines, too?" Helmut asked.

Qin Tao nodded: "Of course, take Spain as an example. They don't have the strength to build submarines at all. The three latest submarines they entered into service in the 80s were all purchased from France. They are really stupid. Why don't they choose reliable German submarines? Woolen cloth?"

Helmut agreed deeply: "Yes, French submarines are expensive and poor in performance, and they cannot be compared with our submarines at all."

"However, as far as Spain is concerned, it is the most correct choice for them to buy submarines. If they build their own submarines, it will be even more ridiculous. Maybe the submarines they build are overweight and cannot float when they are launched into the water."

"That's right, that's right!" Helmut knew that Qin Tao was angry because he was admitted and blamed, and he was talking bad about the Bazin Shipyard. However, 20 years later, when the Spaniard built his first Helmut only recalled this passage when he was exposed to the sun and rain for seven years on the berth.

God of prophecy!

But at this moment, Helmut was a little curious. Qin Tao seemed to be going around all the time, and didn't mention the submarine technology!

At this time, Qin Tao had already opened the brochure, looked at the structural diagram inside, nodded very satisfied, and then said: "Now, all countries are starting to study the AIP system. If the 209 submarine can add an air-independent propulsion system The compartment is fine."

Upon hearing this, Helmut's eyes showed surprise. Just last year, they began to plan to use the 209-1200 submarine as the parent model, and design the world's first fuel cell equipped with a fuel cell AIP system by adding a fuel cell AIP system. The submarine with the battery AIP system, and the sonar, periscope and weapon system with better performance, etc., in their plan, this is named the brand new Type 212 submarine.

It is still under secret research and development, and the person in front of him actually proposed it, so far-sighted!
So, Helmut couldn't bear it anymore, and continued to ask: "So, what kind of AIP system do you think is the best?"

"The Soviet Union has experimented with fuel cells before, but I don't think that kind is the best." Qin Tao said nonsense: "I went to the island country to interview, and the Sony company in the island country has already produced 18650 batteries, and it is expected that in the near future It can be commercially produced on a large scale. If this lithium-ion battery is used in submarines to replace the existing lead-acid batteries, it should be the most suitable."

There is nothing wrong with this technical route.

In later generations, lithium-ion batteries were widely used in automobiles. Although Tesla was the first to eat crabs and saved them with Panasonic batteries, this technology developed rapidly and slowly Mature.

Compared with lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries are light in weight and high in capacity, so they have broad prospects. Of course, their defects are also obvious, for example, they are easy to catch fire once they are hit. (There was a lithium experiment in high school. Before the get out of class was over, the chemistry teacher took the lithium out of the kerosene, and then cut a small piece for us, and told us not to grab it with our hands. We used paper pads, went straight to the toilet, and then, boom There was a sound, and then the cleaning aunt scolded for a day, that scene was spectacular.)
With the gradual maturity of electric vehicles, submarine engineers have also taken a fancy to them. What AIP is needed, just replace the battery!The islanders were the first to act and built this lithium-ion battery submarine, which tripled the battery life compared to the previous lead-acid batteries.

As for whether it will catch fire and explode?Anyway, if it is hit on the battlefield, the lead-acid battery will catch fire and explode. If sea water pours in, the lead-acid battery will decompose and release hydrogen gas. Since it will explode, it doesn't matter.

"Lithium-ion battery?" Helmut was very surprised. This proposal is definitely the first of its kind in this era!
"That's right, lithium-ion batteries must be the new star in the future. Sir, thank you for your brochure, see you later!" Qin Tao waved his hand.

"and many more!"

At this moment, Helmut stopped Qin Tao, and then took out a business card: "This is my business card, welcome to our Lübeck Engineering Design Institute for an interview, so that you will be able to write a good one. Here comes the manuscript."

The other party is so polite?

Qin Tao had a smile on his face: "For sure, after a while, I will go to Germany."

(End of this chapter)