Chapter 113: Reforming Scientific Research

When Director Bai declined the post of chief designer, Yang Hui did not think much of it. If he did not want it, so be it. There were indeed others at the Second Institute who were suited to be chief designer, and it would not be a problem to recommend someone else. For now, they might as well hear him out.

Director Bai immediately named his choice. "I recommend Comrade Wen Junfeng from our institute. He has been working and struggling at the base ever since it was founded, and this year the turbojet 7B he led has passed technical appraisal. He is the perfect candidate to serve as chief designer for the new engine."

Wen Junfeng had once also been the chief designer of the turbojet 7B, and now that he had just freed up his hands, it looked as though he was exactly right for the new engine's chief designer.

The project team from the base that had come to the capital already knew about the chief designer from the Second Institute, and now that Director Bai mentioned him, everyone immediately recalled the man. Since he had already led the development of the turbojet 7B engine, his experience was naturally extensive. The leaders from the base's factories and institutes all nodded their approval.

Since everyone agreed that Wen Junfeng should be chief designer, Marshal Nie decided to see what he was really like.

"You say he has already finished his project. Where is he now? Bring him here so we can see what he is like. We cannot be careless about appointing a chief designer. Let him come and hear his own opinion as well."

After hearing this, Director Bai felt it was just as well. "It so happens that Wen Junfeng came to the capital a few days ago to attend the finalization report for the turbojet 7B. A call to the Aviation Ministry should be enough to get him here."

Hearing that it was such a coincidence, everyone was astonished. Director Yang smiled and stepped aside to phone the Aviation Ministry.

...

When Director Yang returned from outside, he said with a smile, "It really was a coincidence. The Aviation Ministry said their finalization meeting had just ended, and they have already notified Wen Junfeng to come over to us. He should be here in about twenty minutes."

There was little point in discussing anything else for just twenty minutes, so Marshal Nie объявized a brief recess and said they would look at the matter in detail once Wen Junfeng arrived.

Yang Hui, Chief Engineer Yu, and Director Bai stepped aside together. Director Bai teased Chief Engineer Yu, saying, "Now you are chief designer again, while I remain merely my institute director. I am always just a hair's breadth away from being chief designer."

Chief Engineer Yu, however, was somewhat troubled by the current situation involving the new aircraft.

"Do not envy me. Being chief designer for the new aircraft is no easy job. The technical requirements for this new machine are far higher than those of the old Jiao-7. Besides, I keep feeling that this chief designer role is not going smoothly at all. Everything is difficult, from top to bottom. Especially the subsystem projects belonging to the supporting factories. Our base is not as harmonious as it looks on the surface."

As he spoke, Chief Engineer Yu still felt vexed. The republic's aviation industry had many long-standing problems, and one of the biggest obstacles to the development of the new aircraft was that many factories took the money and did no work, while others did the work but ignored quality. It was an extremely troublesome matter.

Director Bai fully agreed. He was in charge of engines, so naturally he understood these issues Chief Engineer Yu mentioned all too well, but overcoming them was no easy task.

Looking at the directors of the base's aircraft manufacturing plant and subsystem factories standing far off, Director Bai lowered his voice and said, "For now, we can only take it slowly. This is no time for infighting."

Director Bai and Chief Engineer Yu were not yet in a position to tackle these old and entrenched problems directly, but Yang Hui could already guess that they would certainly deal with them when they returned. By then, with the internal contradictions within the base, it would be hard for anyone to keep arguing endlessly. Since everyone was still in the capital now, and foreign investment was also involved, these issues had to be solved. The problems to be fixed were not just this one.

Seeing that no one was nearby, Yang Hui lowered his voice and said, "It would be better to solve these problems now than after we go back. And if necessary, we can contact the foreign side and have them apply pressure. Just let Pakistan raise quality as the reason. They have experience using our fighters, so when they speak up like that, the other suppliers will not dare say much."

Yang Hui attached great importance to reforming these entrenched problems. When Chief Designer Song of Project Ten reformed the research and development system, he had support from above, but he was still criticized by the other supporting factories.

Some people even asked Chief Designer Song to his face: new aircraft development takes ten years or eight; you are already over fifty, so there was no way the new aircraft could be finalized under his hand.

The implication was blunt enough: Song Wenchong would die before ever completing the new fighter. It was naked provocation. In a state-owned enterprise system that prized moderation and harmony, to tear the mask off so openly was only because Chief Designer Song's reforms had touched their vested interests.

When the base later established a company in the form of a consortium, if they still followed Chief Designer Song's approach, it would certainly do great damage to internal unity. So now, under the banner of reform, they had to find a way. Using foreign requirements as a pretext was an excellent choice.

Hearing Yang Hui's suggestion, Chief Engineer Yu became interested. If they could use the foreign side as a pretext to reform the research and development system, then the contradictions within the base could at least be effectively controlled. The factories and institutes at one base had to see one another every day, and they still had to be careful about how they handled things.

Chief Engineer Yu was tempted, but at this point he still wanted to hear more opinions. Since they were all engaged in scientific work, he asked Director Bai what he thought.

"What do you think of Yang Hui's proposal? If it works, we can contact the foreign side and have Pakistan help raise the issue of quality. Then it will be much easier for us to push through reforms."

When Yang Hui put forward his idea, Director Bai had already thought it through carefully and now made his decision.

"That will do. Yang Hui, contact the foreign side now and speak with the Pakistanis. They can raise it in a proper and legitimate way, and since this concerns the development of the new aircraft, they should be willing to help us push through the reform."

Since both chief engineers agreed, they would contact the foreign side and bring up the quality issue there, making it easier to put reform squarely on the table.

...

The meeting resumed, and Chief Designer Wen Junfeng had already arrived. Wen was in his fifties, wearing glasses, tall and broad-shouldered, a typical northerner.

He was currently reviewing the improvement measures for the new engine, and the more he looked, the more excited he became. If this engine were built, it would be an excellent thing indeed. Though the changes were substantial, after assessing the risks, Wen felt the plan was feasible.

Putting down the technical proposal, Chief Designer Wen said firmly that the improvement measures were workable. As long as the funding was in place and the supporting test equipment could keep up, he could take on the project. The plan was solid, and the chances of success were very high.

Since the recommended designer agreed to take on the project, Marshal Nie also reviewed Wen Junfeng's file and found that he was indeed very suitable to serve as chief designer for this engine.

"Very well, let it be so. Once the two chief designer appointments are reported, that will be enough. As for the chief engineer, you can submit your own candidate later."

They continued discussing the matters below, and Yang Hui glanced at Chief Engineer Yu and gave a slight nod, indicating that everything was proceeding according to plan.

Just as they were about to continue, Madade suddenly spoke up.

"Now we must raise an issue. The quality of your fighter aircraft does need to improve. I am not talking about the design, but about the quality of the finished product coming off the line. This must change in the production of the new aircraft."

It had begun. The real drama had arrived, and the curtain on reform was about to rise.

Being called out on product quality, everyone present felt embarrassed. Even Marshal Nie wore a dark expression. If quality problems had still not been corrected by now, then the fault clearly lay with the management at every level.

Pakistan was the republic's closest friend and one of its important arms importers. Their opinions had to be taken seriously. Since there were quality problems now, they had to be thoroughly investigated.

Marshal Nie had once been in charge of aerospace. After the decade of the Great Revolution, when he later oversaw the cleanup of aerospace enterprises, he had ruthlessly weeded out quite a few. Since then, quality control in aerospace products had been extremely strict, and by later years the republic's aerospace industry was known for being meticulous and reliable.

Now that Marshal Nie heard that the aviation system was still in such disorder, he immediately demanded a strict rectification.

"Did you hear that? The foreign side is dissatisfied with the quality of your products. You must carry out a thorough overhaul. Any system that is not compliant must be reformed, and the leaders must bear primary responsibility. Think about how you are going to handle this."