Shared Brain: Father of Firearms, Gyrocopter Completed

Chapter 100 Shared Brain: Father of Firearms, Gyrocopter Completed

Of course, Jiang Fan was unaware of what was happening in the Middle East.

He and Shen Chun were in the workshop, looking at the layout diagram of the container cannon spread out on the table, pondering whether they could further optimize the pipeline of the hydraulic lifting system.

Just then, the watch on his left wrist, which had been dormant for several days, began to vibrate again.

Upon sensing this, Jiang Fan glanced sideways and then said to Shen Chun, "Section Chief Shen, you go ahead with your work, I have something to attend to."

Then he quickly went to a secluded spot, raised his hand, and looked.

It turns out a new character has been unlocked.

[Shared Brain: Joshua Stevens.]

Jiang Fan's pupils contracted.

It was him!

Joshua Stevens was a founding figure of the American firearms industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This man designed more than thirty different types of military and civilian firearms throughout his life, the most famous of which was the Stevens M1894 lever rifle.

With its extremely reliable feeding mechanism and simplified parts structure, this gun became standard issue for the US military during the Spanish-American War and the suppression of the Philippine Rebellion. It was later copied and improved by several European countries.

However, Stevens' real contribution was not in any particular gun, but in his pioneering introduction of the concept of standardized interchangeable parts in gun manufacturing, which completely changed the traditional model in which each gun had to be handcrafted from start to finish by a single craftsman.

The Stevens universal bolt action, which he designed, is known as the universal mother machine of modern rifles. It can be used to derive and modify bolt-action, semi-automatic, and even early automatic weapons.

Even the later renowned M-1 Garand rifle, in its locking mechanism and feeding system, vaguely shows the influence of Stevens' original blueprints.

After seeing it clearly, Jiang Fan was overjoyed:

Isn't this just a case of blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse?

He was worried about what else the arsenal could offer as a gift for the founding of the nation, besides container rocket launchers and gyroplanes.

Especially with firearms, it is completely impossible to remanufacture them from scratch.

Moreover, the Chinese military currently uses only captured weapons from various countries.

The weapons included Japanese Type 38 rifles, American Springfield M-1903 rifles, British Lee-Enfield rifles, and even a small number of Czech-made light machine guns and German Mauser rifles.

With a wide variety of calibers, ammunition resupply was difficult, and parts interchangeability was impossible.

These shoddy items were brought into the reviewing procession at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China. Not to mention Western journalists, even ordinary people felt embarrassed when they saw them.

Now that Stevens has joined the team, what will become of them?

Let alone the Type 56 assault rifle or the Type 81 bullpup rifle, given enough time and materials, even a rocket launcher like the RPG-7 could be manufactured ahead of schedule.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Fan immediately pressed his fingertip against the lit name on the watch face.

The familiar electric current surged into my brain along my nerve pathways once again, but unlike the previous two times, this time the impact was much gentler, without the dizziness and throbbing in my temples.

Extensive engineering drawings, metal heat treatment parameters, quenching curves for spring steel, details of barrel rifling drawing processes, and stress analysis of locking mechanisms —

It flowed into the depths of my memory like a gentle stream.

He even saw Stevens himself in those fragmented images, saying to him, "The reliability of any gun depends on that tiny screw."

The information transmission ended after about fifteen minutes.

Jiang Fan slowly opened his eyes, blinked, and felt that his mind was clearer than ever before.

He subconsciously stretched his neck and sighed with relief, "Sure enough, being a factory manager is great; I don't have to do things secretly anymore."

"If it were Anshan Iron and Steel, we would have to find a secluded place to receive knowledge first."

Now he's the head of this arsenal; once the doors are closed, it's his territory, and no one dares to disturb him.

He had just mentally reviewed Stevens' design concepts when he heard Shen Chun shout in an unusually loud voice, "Factory Manager, Factory Manager, the first rotorcraft is assembled! Come and see!"

They were clearly getting anxious because they couldn't find Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan perked up, immediately opened the door, and strode out.

At this moment, the courtyard of the arsenal was already surrounded by no fewer than twenty people.

Zhao Mengshan, along with several workshop directors, squeezed to the front, craning their necks to look into the center of the field.

The gyroplane was placed in the center of the yard. Its fuselage was made entirely of welded silver-gray steel pipes, and its structure was extremely simple.

The front section features an open driver's seat, while the rear is equipped with an engine supplied by Ansteel, which drives a two-bladed propeller.

The rotor head at the top is connected to the control stick by a steel cable. The two narrow rotor blades are spread horizontally in a cross shape. The entire body is unskinned and unpainted.

The whole machine looks like just a steel pipe frame and a propeller. It is not very big. The fuselage is about three meters long and the rotor diameter is less than six meters. The cockpit can accommodate a maximum of two people, and they are the kind of seats that are squeezed together side by side.

Zhao Mengshan circled the gleaming silver iron frame twice, a look of doubt on his face.

"This thing looks way too small, doesn't it? Can it even fly?"

Several experienced fitters nearby nodded in agreement, but they all had their own doubts:

Compared to the fighter jets flying in the sky, this thing is really too pathetic.

Hearing their discussion from behind, Jiang Fan squeezed through the crowd in three quick steps, walked to the gyroplane, patted the main beam, and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, pretty much what I thought." Then he turned around and grinned at the onlookers.

"Everyone, don't let its small size fool you, this thing is surprisingly strong."

He pointed to the reserved mounting point behind the driver's seat.

"Look, a lightweight cargo basket can be installed on the bottom of this fuselage. Theoretically, it can carry about 100 kilograms of supplies. If it is used to deliver ammunition and medicine to the front line or to transfer seriously wounded soldiers, it can fly 100 or 200 kilometers in one go without any problem."

Zhao Mengshan and the others still looked at each other, clearly still doubtful.

Jiang Fan didn't waste any words. He simply pulled open the thin driver's seat, flipped himself over, and sat down, gripping the control lever connected to the steel cable with both hands.

The control lever is linked to a steel cable via a set of pulleys to directly control the tilt angle of the rotor head.

The structure is extremely simple, yet it is also very reliable.

Even if it takes a few bullets on the battlefield, as long as the steel cable doesn't break, the plane can continue to fly.

Jiang Fan tested the feel of the steering wheel and then stepped on the pedals. Feeling confident, he leaned out and shouted to the crowd, "If you don't believe me, let's go for a spin. Anyone want to come with me?"

Zhao Mengshan instinctively raised his hand, but before he could speak...

Shen Chun had already stepped to the side of the gyroplane and nimbly climbed into the co-pilot's seat, fastening the seatbelt that had taken the most effort to put into it.

"Factory manager, I'll take over."

"I oversaw the entire riveting process for this aircraft. If anything goes wrong, I'll be there for you."

Jiang Fan: "..."

Can't you say something nice, you little brat?

However, Jiang Fan looked at Shen Chun's gentle yet stubborn appearance.

It makes me think: she really has been spending all her free time these past few days assembling this gyroplane.

Shouldn't we give her some tangible reward?

In fact, Jiang Fan had long wanted to implement the "two participations, one reform, and three combinations" approach in the arsenal.

However, having just arrived and not yet established a firm foothold, coupled with preparations for the founding ceremony, there hasn't been a moment to spare. Now it's time to put things into practice.

"Okay, then you'd better sit tight."

Under the watchful eyes of Zhao Mengshan and the others, Jiang Fan pulled the control lever and adjusted the initial tilt angle of the rotor.

He then pushed the throttle lever, and the engine behind him immediately started working, propelling the propeller to spin.

It started slowly, then gradually accelerated, creating a gust of air.

"My goodness, it moved!"

"Make way, everyone make way!"

Zhao Mengshan stared wide-eyed as he maintained order below.

Meanwhile, the rotors on the ground were caught by the oncoming wind and gradually began to rotate, making a soft whooshing sound.

When the rotor speed reaches the critical value, the lift instantly exceeds the weight of the fuselage, the entire gyroplane pauses slightly, then lifts off the ground and rises straight into the air.

Jiang Fan immediately manipulated the rudder, and the fuselage gracefully turned an arc, flying towards the large wasteland surrounding the arsenal.

Shen Chun, who was sitting in the passenger seat, initially gripped the steel pipe on the edge of the seat tightly with both hands.

But as they climbed higher and their view suddenly opened up, her body tensed up even more, and she involuntarily grabbed Jiang Fan's clothes.

But her curiosity made her squint and look outwards.

Fortunately, the flight altitude is not very high, at most three or four meters.

From there, one can see the fields, villages, dirt roads, and the arsenal compound below.

Jiang Fan operated the control lever, feeling her gripping the hem of his clothes. He glanced at her briefly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

degree.

"Even the most aloof female engineering student is just a little girl when she's in the sky."

Soon, Jiang Fan circled in the air, keeping his altitude below five meters.

Since it doesn't have a skin yet, safety comes first.

This height allows for a panoramic view without being threatened by the treetops on the ground.

But as his gaze swept over the dilapidated factory area, Jiang Fan felt a little ashamed:

This factory area is really too shabby.

Once the production lines for gyroplanes and container rocket launchers are rolled out, the existing workshop layout will simply not be enough.

It seems that after this mission is over, we will need to apply for special funds from the Northeast Bureau to renovate the arsenal.

At the very least, a modern assembly workshop and a standardized firing range should be built.

Not long after, the gyroplane circled once, and Jiang Fan slowly reduced the throttle, causing the aircraft to decelerate and descend. Finally, to everyone's astonishment, it landed in the courtyard.

After the engine shut off, the gyroplane idled for a while before slowly coming to a stop.

Shen Chun was also excited. She hadn't noticed any unusual noises from the gyroplane, and immediately unbuckled her seatbelt, heading towards...

Jiang Fan smiled.

Zhao Mengshan, however, hurriedly interrupted the conversation between the two, circling the iron frame and examining it closely: "My goodness, it really flies! This thing made of welded steel pipes can actually fly!"

The group of veteran military workers behind them surged up, bombarding them with questions, each eager to climb up and experience it for themselves.

Jiang Fan looked at Shen Chun, then glanced at the group of veteran military workers who had gathered around, and shook his head helplessly.

"Let's talk about the problem later."

After saying that, Jiang Fan immediately jumped out of the driver's seat and smiled as he tried to dampen their enthusiasm.

"Alright, alright, stop worrying about this iron frame. We have a lot of important things to do."

"That's it for now. Let's see if Section Chief Shen has any further modifications. If not, then we'll prepare to deliver it to the Air Traffic Control Bureau."

Everyone turned to look at Shen Chun, who was coming down from the other side, following the sound.

Shen Chun shook his head: "Hmm—I didn't sense any problem, but the color of the skin hasn't been finalized yet. Everyone can think about it."

Jiang Fan made a decision without the slightest hesitation regarding the skin: "No need to overthink it, just use camouflage."

After all, this thing can protect you during combat and prevent you from being discovered by the enemy.

However, since it's for the Air Force, we still need to use blue-gray!

As for their mention of red and yellow, those were naturally rejected one by one.

Therefore, with Jiang Fan's decision, the color of the skin was finalized.

Then, taking advantage of the large crowd, Jiang Fan looked at Shen Chun and Zhao Mengshan, his expression becoming more serious: "Everyone, since you're all here, I have a question for you."

The group was still excitedly discussing it.

Upon hearing this, everyone quieted down, waiting for Jiang Fan to continue.

"If our arsenal were to manufacture guns, what do you think of the feasibility?"

Are there any suitable factories nearby that can process the parts?

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Mengshan spoke up: "To be honest, our factory's current equipment is indeed insufficient when it comes to manufacturing guns."

"If we really want to do this, we need to bring in the Shenyang No. 1 Machine Tool Factory. They have a few special broaching machines that they received from the Japanese. Although they are old, they are still usable."

Shen Chun immediately added, "There are also heat treatment and surface treatment processes. Our factory's existing carburizing furnace has too small a capacity; it can only process a dozen or so gun barrels at a time, which is too inefficient."

"If it's for mass production, it's best to have a chemical plant in Dalian do the surface phosphating treatment. They have readily available bath equipment and mature processes there."

As Jiang Fan listened, he nodded and secretly memorized the names of these factories.

The steel supply came from Shenyang No. 1 Machine Tool Factory, Dalian Chemical Plant, and Ansteel.

A rudimentary military industrial chain seems to be taking shape and can be spread across Northeast China.

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