Chapter 57: Design Speed Mach 8
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After Tang Rui came to the company on Monday, he gathered all the staff.
“Today’s meeting is to determine the company’s main tasks,” he announced.
A 3D model of a drone appeared on the projection screen in the conference room.
This model was an enlarged version of his drone.
Its size had increased from two meters to twelve meters.
He had already conducted the wind tunnel simulation test.
Last night, while he was sleeping, he had asked Celia to assist him in testing it.
This endeavor had consumed his efforts since Friday night when he was left trailing behind Yingjiang’s Black Swift until he could no longer even see its navights.
First, he had to work out the engine structure, then proceed with designing the body.
If not for Celia’s assistance, he could have burned the midnight oil for a month, and yet it would still be questionable whether he could complete it.
“This drone is our next target,” Tang Rui pointed at the three-dimensional model of the body and concluded, observing the reactions of everyone present.
Tang Rui didn’t grasp the technicalities; he just found this drone visually appealing. Those who were genuinely knowledgeable about the field were left in astonishment.
“Share your thoughts,” Tang Rui prompted the individuals who were dumbfounded.
“President Tang, what’s the maximum speed of this drone?” one of them inquired.
“In my vision, this drone can reach a maximum speed of Mach 8,” he disclosed.
Gasps filled the room, and the crowd fell silent.
“President Tang, what materials do you intend to use for this drone’s body?” another inquired.
Tang Rui brought up the issue of material availability, recognizing that it was a key concern.
The problem was not that these materials didn’t exist.
Indeed.
It was that these materials were highly classified.
This was due to the fact that this material was exclusively employed in the construction of intercontinental ballistic missile warheads.
“Material concerns aside, you don’t need to worry about the materials, engine, or equipment. Your next step is to complete its internal design. Any questions?” Feng Yuanxing inquired.
“President Tang, have you secured a buyer for this drone?” Feng Yuanxing further probed.
“No need to fret. Once it’s built, buyers will naturally emerge,” Tang Rui calmly reassured.
Tang Rui held no apprehensions about this aspect.
Even if no one made a purchase, it was fine.
After all, he could generate income from alternate sources. He wasn’t solely dependent on this venture for revenue.
What he aimed to do was establish the company’s reputation through this drone.
Feng Yuanxing seemed to have more to say, but ultimately withheld his words.
And so, the meeting promptly concluded.
Everyone returned to their tasks.
The design process for a drone, particularly its internal structure, was far from straightforward.
Tang Rui provided structural details for the body, and nothing more.
This team of individuals had to contemplate the internal layout.
Center of gravity allocation.
Symmetrical equilibrium along the central axis.
Equipment functionality under conditions of high speed and temperature.
Numerous factors necessitated consideration.
Even a single aspect was capable of causing them a headache.
Tang Rui paid little mind to this.
Following the delegation of tasks, he left the company premises and went to share tea with Senior Zhang.
The tea consumption was a guise.
In actuality, he had placed an order for parts.
“Senior, I trust I haven’t disrupted your work,” Tang Rui greeted Zhang Zhipeng with a smile.
“Alright, what’s the matter this time?” Zhang Zhipeng inquired, seemingly resigned to the fact that Tang Rui’s visits were never trivial.
Zhang Zhipeng had indeed made some profits from the police drone project.
However, the issue was Tang Rui’s apparent indifference to every other aspect.
Training police drone pilots, drone maintenance, and part replacements—Tang Rui took care of it all.
To be honest, was the profit from these operations even worth the trouble?
If it weren’t for Tang Rui diverting all the post-production requirements from the police to their company, their earnings from this endeavor would have been meager.
“Senior, can’t 1 pay you a visit without any ulterior motive?” Tang Rui remarked while taking a seat.
“A visit? Didn’t you say something similar the last time you visited your teacher?” Zhang Zhipeng recalled.
“All… You’re right, I did,” Tang Rui admitted.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries.
Tang Rui presented Zhang Zhipeng with a list containing an array of accessory models.
There were landing gear components.
A uniquely shaped fuel tank.
Furthermore, there was an elaborate structural beam.
These items were all related to aircraft components and parts.
Next to these components, their performance specifications were listed.
“Senior, take a look at these components. Can your factory manufacture them?” Tang Rui inquired.
“Sure, let me examine this,” Zhang Zhipeng agreed, taking the list and scrutinizing it.
The more he examined it.
The deeper his frown became.
After a while.
He looked at Tang Rui with a perplexed expression, asking, “Junior, are you here to make a mess of things?”
“No, why would I create chaos? 1 genuinely wish to order these parts,” Tang Rui responded, feigning innocence.
“You’re pretending. Are you not aware that only Xi Fei has a hydraulic press of this caliber? Do you think Senior owns a hundred-thousand-ton forging hydraulic press?” Zhang Zhipeng retorted irritably when referring to the immense requirements of the structural beam.
“Not at ail,” Tang Rui maintained a facade of ignorance.
“You’re playing innocent. Do you not understand that this level of hydraulic press exists solely at Xi Fei’s facility?” Zhang Zhipeng persisted.
“You’re right, my mistake,” Tang Rui conceded.
Zhang Zhipeng’s frustration continued as he went through the list, pointing out the performance requirements and lambasting Tang Rui for his audacious demands.
True, it was accurate.
Tang Rui did not contest it; instead, he listened with a smile, occasionally nodding in agreement.
“You must be bored and decided to have some fun at my expense,” Zhang Zhipeng concluded, observing Tang Rui’s smile.
“No, truly, that’s not it. This is the latest drone design from our company,” Tang Rui stated, producing his phone and displaying the three-dimensional structural blueprint of the body to Zhang Zhipeng.
Upon viewing the blueprint, Zhang Zhipeng fell silent.
The blueprint was meticulously professional. All parameters were meticulously detailed.
It even included wind tunnel simulation data.
Given the exhaustive nature of the parameters, the wind tunnel simulation alone would have incurred a cost of millions.
“Junior, are you serious?” Zhang Zhipeng inquired, genuinely puzzled about Tang Rui’s intentions.
Which private company would be researching a hypersonic stealth drone of this caliber?
“Absolutely. Why else would the parts I require necessitate such high performance? The performance must be superior. Beyond Mach 6, inadequate performance would lead to disintegration,” Tang Rui responded.
He had no alternative.
While he could manipulate the other materials for the body and reinforce it using the system interface, he was determined to construct an authentic version.
This was no minor drone.
Small and large drones demanded drastically different material performance for the body.
Material procurement was manageable for his smaller drone; laboratory resources were sufficient.
For a drone of this magnitude.
The one-piece forging technique was indispensable to withstand supersonic flight.
Few such machines existed nationwide, and their usage was meticulously documented.
Hence, a transparent approach was crucial.
“Let me assess this,” Zhang Zhipeng stated after processing Tang Rui’s explanation.
He contemplated which components could be sourced and which were unattainable.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Zhang Zhipeng retrieved a pen and began to annotate the list..