After returning to the research institute, Lynch sat in the conference room and listened to the researchers talk about the characteristics of the aircraft.
This was the power of the boss. When he called out the name "airplane", the chief engineer could do nothing but praise the name with, "A very appropriate name, a machine that can fly, it is very appropriate."
"I already know the specific parameters, so can anyone tell me, if we produce it through an assembly line, how much can we control the cost?"
Most of these researchers were poached by Lynch from major heavy industry companies. They weren't popular, but they were really capable people.
This was a common situation in scientific research institutions. Some people had never been involved in the research projects in the institute, but every time there was a result, their name would always be at the top of the list.
On the contrary, those who promoted the progress of the research and really contributed to the research would be at the bottom.
Was it fair?
Some people might think it was unfair, but it was very fair.
Many researchers' life trajectory was from school to the research institute. They had always been in the research environment and had never been in contact with society.
They didn't know that they accidentally messed up an experiment that shouldn't have gone wrong last week. This made the balding director of the research institute, who was strong internally but submissive to outsiders, feel distressed for a long time.
Researchers never cared about how much money they had wasted. They only cared about how much progress they had made in their research. However, what they had neglected was the core of their research — funding.
Lynch found a relatively "simple" engine engineer to be the chief engineer. In addition to design, his job was mainly management and scheduling.
He knew what the real core of a research institute was.
It wasn't the seemingly precious researchers and the knowledge in their heads. It was the kind of money that the research institute could take out for the researchers to "waste" and use.
As long as there was enough money, with Lynch's status and reputation, what kind of scientists couldn't he invite?
Of course, in addition to those researchers who were trained in professional courses, there were many civilian scientists here. They also knew the pain of not having enough funding for research. Compared to simple researchers, they not only had to manage the allocation of funds and the use of resources, but they also had to pull in investments themselves. They were also easier to contact.
The chief engineer and a few researchers who were obviously more active quickly calculated and gave Lynch a price that he could accept.
"In terms of engines, we can reduce the price to around 20,000 yuan per unit."
When he said this, the Chief Engineer's heart was thumping wildly. Those civilian scientists were also flushed with excitement. 5% of the sales would be their reward. Even if it was 20,000 RMB per engine, 5% of the sales would be 1,000 RMB.
If they sold one engine, they would get 1,000 yuan. If they sold 100 engines, they would get 100,000 yuan!
The entire Federation was so big. Even if they didn't use it for military purposes, they could sell it to the Federation or even to the aviation enthusiasts all over the world. At least a thousand units could be sold, right?
This was one million, and everyone could get at least a few thousand to tens of thousands. How could they not be excited about this extra income?
And this income would continue until the engine was completely retired from the stage of history. The profit was so huge that they were a little short of breath.
Lynch nodded and memorized the figure in his mind. He then asked, "If we use an all-aluminum body with all the spare parts, how much will it cost?"
The chief engineer and the researchers did another round of calculations. "Probably less than 40,000 RMB..."
At this time, the price of many goods had not risen yet. For example, gold. Gold had been rising in price, but even so, the price of an ounce was now more than 50 RMB per ounce.
Even a ton of gold would only cost a little more than a million Federation Sol. This was also the reason why gold products could be bought and sold in any roadside antique shop at this time.
Aluminum alloy was indeed not cheap, but this was only relative to pig iron. It was still cheaper than gold and other things.
A body that cost more than 10,000 RMB plus other spare parts would total less than 40,000 RMB. The first thought that came to Lynch's mind was that it was too cheap.
Just as he was about to talk about the additional cost of the product, Austin coughed. "Mr. Lynch, there's a call for you."
Lynch nodded, excused himself, and left the conference room.
The moment the door of the conference room closed, the chief engineer and the researchers couldn't help but smile.
They would also get a share of the money for the entire machine. They could already imagine the beautiful future that was waving at them.
Of course, there were also researchers who thought that the chief engineer's price was too high.
"Actually, you can give a more accurate price, no more than 35,000 RMB..."
The chief engineer was a little helpless and a little impatient, but there was still a lot of work that he needed to rely on these academic researchers. "We have to take into account the waste rate..."
The researcher who voiced his opinion was stunned. He felt that the chief engineer was wrong, but he did not know what was wrong, so he could only keep his mouth shut.
On the other side, Lynch walked into the side hall. He was the only one in the room.
The phone was on the coffee table next to the sofa, and the receiver was placed to the side. It was obviously connected.
He walked over, sat down, and picked up the receiver. "I'm Lynch..."
Then, Mr. Trumann's familiar voice came from the phone. He sounded a little helpless. "What the hell are you doing now? The Safety Committee, the Military Intelligence, the Ministry of Defense, and the Internal Affairs Department are all here. You have to explain yourself, or you'll have to watch your ass this time!"
The news that two "mass-produced" aircraft, possibly of the same model, had appeared outside the city of Bu Payne quickly alarmed the higher-ups of the Federation. This was not a good time to hold an aviation expo.
The weather was cold, and the expensive fuselages would become more brittle than in the summer, making it easier to break the wings during high-angle turns.
It was also not friendly to the pilots. The colder air temperature was unbearable, and they might even suffer frostbite.
In addition, the word "mass-produced" was sensitive. Soon, the Ministry of Defense took the lead to form a military investigation team, ready to investigate whether this was an "accident" or a "story".
The safety of Bu Payne was too important to be lost.
The Federation had spent twenty years fantasizing that a non-existent enemy could attack Bu Payne at any time, and it finally came into play at this moment.
But soon, news came from the security zone. Lynch's aircraft research institute was conducting a test flight of a new aircraft, and accidentally broke into the security zone.
If an ordinary person said that they accidentally broke into the security zone, it would be bullshit. But if Mr. Lynch said that it was an accident, then it must be an accident.
Although the matter seemed to be over, people's attention remained on the word "mass-produced."
The Guevara People's "ultra-fast submarines" were always a huge threat to the Federation Navy. Now, the only anti-submarine method was to observe the sea through a person at a high altitude and at a small angle.
Because the submarine could not sink too deep, the metal and structural design could not achieve deep dives, so looking down vertically, one's gaze would not be blocked by the light reflected from the sea. One could see the dark shadow slowly moving in the sea.
Anti-submarine research had become the most important work at present, and anti-submarine hot air balloons were also one of the most popular military equipment.
Considering that the sea was made of water, those military scientists thought that it was possible to raise the altitude of the hot air balloon to more than 100 meters, such as 150 to 200 meters, and have a speedboat tow it for fast anti-submarine reconnaissance on the sea surface.
To be honest … Although this idea was stupid, it was the only feasible way at present.
If the hot-air balloon scouts were equipped with equipment to slow down their fall, they would not die immediately after falling into the sea. They could wait for rescue. This way, the scouts would not become a disposable item, and they could also take care of the anti-submarine reconnaissance in the larger sea area. This was very good!
Although it was a little slow and was greatly affected by the climate, this was the only solution at present!
Until today … Lynch's test flight of the aircraft seemed to be very successful. According to the lieutenant colonel, the two aircraft landed smoothly without any accidents. People's thoughts began to change again.
People were like this. When they only had one choice, even if it was a mouthful of feces, they would swallow it.
But as long as there was a choice, even if there was only one other choice, they would not swallow that mouthful of feces directly, unless the other choice was also a mouthful of feces.
Some of the benefits of the aircraft quickly appeared in the minds of these people.
It was efficient, fast, and had a wider range. It could even penetrate deep into the enemy's rear. It was unlike the high-speed hot air balloons, which could only be observed in a safe range under suitable weather conditions.
Most importantly, the main reason people were interested in the aircraft was that it had offensive capabilities.
Thus, everyone discussed whether or not they should take this matter out and study it.
If you asked who had the best relationship with Lynch, it would definitely be Colonel Trumann.
This "First Minister", "Military Colonel", and "Mr. President's close friend and aide" could play a role.
Lynch expected Mr. Trumann's "accountability" to come so quickly. He said with a faint smile, "I apologize for the negative impact I may have caused. I did not notice that my pilots actually flew over the warning area."
"Fortunately, they returned in time and did not cause any negative impact or follow-up events. For what has happened, I am willing to take responsibility."
He said it as if he had really forgotten that he ordered the pilots to fly over the warning area.
Mr. Trumann was silent for a moment. "We want to see your aircraft, and we want to see it immediately. Mr. President is also going."
Lynch felt that it was normal for other people to come. It was not strange that the president was coming, but he did not understand.
"Should I know something in advance?"
Mr. Trumann understood the meaning of his words. "Security measures. If you know that the president was pushed into the safe house by two agents, you will understand why he is curious about what caused him to be treated like this!"