Discussing the Design Plan for a New Main Battle Tank

As Lin Chenran stepped into his office, he hadn't even had a chance to sit down before a rapid knocking echoed through the room.

"Come in!" he called out.

The door opened, and Song Xiyun hurried in.

Seeing who it was, Lin Chenran quickly went to greet him with a warm smile. "Old Song, it's you! Please, come in, come in!"

"Sit, sit, sit! Here, have a seat!" Lin Chenran said, ushering Song Xiyun towards a nearby sofa, and they both sat down.

Immediately after, Lin Chenran turned to his assistant. "Go get us two cups of hot tea."

There was no helping it. For the past week, Lin Chenran had been "rooted" in the laboratory of the 077 Machinery Military Factory, not leaving even once. Naturally, he hadn't...

"Old Song, you were in such a hurry to see me. Is there something important?" Lin Chenran asked, taking a sip of his hot tea.

"You rascal, did you forget about this?" Song Xiyun immediately grumbled upon hearing this.

Suddenly, Lin Chenran had a flash of inspiration. An important piece of information surfaced in his mind: before he had traveled to the Wakanda Kingdom, he had specifically instructed Song Xiyun to design and develop a brand-new Main Battle Tank.

And now, Song Xiyun had personally come to visit, likely concerning the design and development of this tank.

"Hahaha, I'm truly sorry, Old Song! I've been incredibly busy these past few days."

"I just got back from the factory's lab, I haven't even warmed my seat yet, and you've already 'stormed' in," Lin Chenran joked with a laugh.

Song Xiyun didn't waste time with pleasantries. He got straight to the point, quickly taking out the original design blueprints for the new Main Battle Tank, which represented the culmination of his and many engineers' hard work at the 077 Machinery Military Factory.

"Chenran, take a look!" Song Xiyun carefully unfolded the original design blueprints for the Main Battle Tank.

Following this, Lin Chenran began to read through them intently, his full attention focused.

Due to the tight deadline of just one week, the original design blueprints were relatively rough and hasty.

Despite this, all the parameters marked on them were still clearly discernible and easy to understand for Lin Chenran.

After careful observation, Lin Chenran discovered that Song Xiyun and the other engineers at the 077 Machinery Military Factory had made substantial improvements and revisions based on the Type 59 Tank.

Even with the large-scale modifications, Lin Chenran could still discern the familiar silhouette and essence of the Type 59 Tank from these original blueprints.

Upon seeing the original design blueprints for the new tank by Song Xiyun and his team, Lin Chenran's deep eyes lifted slightly, and he asked in a calm tone, "Old Song, is this new tank a large-scale improvement based on the Type 59 Tank?"

Hearing Lin Chenran's question, Song Xiyun did not deny it. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. "That's right, this new Main Battle Tank is indeed based on the Type 59 Tank, with extensive modifications and refinements."

Song Xiyun then elaborated, "We've not only comprehensively upgraded key areas such as the power system, artillery, and armor protection, but we've also incorporated unique innovative technologies from our 077 Machinery Military Factory."

In fact, the 077 Machinery Military Factory knew the Type 59 Tank inside and out.

It was precisely because of this familiarity that they were able to successfully convert it into civilian engineering vehicles, earning enormous profits and accumulating substantial capital for the company's development.

Lin Chenran nodded slightly in agreement. "Old Song, you're absolutely right. As a classic product, the superiority of the Type 59 Tank is undeniable. Although times have continuously advanced, making it unable to keep up with the trends and gradually fall behind."

"I personally strongly agree that our 077 Machinery Military Factory's new Main Battle Tank design should be based on the Type 59 for in-depth modification work."

"After all, this approach not only maximizes the utilization of existing mature technologies and resources but also reduces development costs and risks."

"Even if the military doesn't adopt our 077 Machinery Military Factory's new Main Battle Tank in the end, we can still push it onto the international market for export."

This way, we can showcase the strength of our 077 Machinery Military Factory and earn a large amount of foreign exchange. It's a win-win situation.

Song Xiyun's face broke into a brilliant smile upon hearing this.

He had initially thought that his factory director, Lin Chenran, wouldn't support their idea, which was why he had rushed over with hastily drawn designs seeking advice.

He hadn't expected Lin Chenran to fully agree with using the Type 59 Tank as the design blueprint for the new Main Battle Tank, and even offered reassurance that if the Yan Country's military didn't procure it, they could simply export it.

Although Lin Chenran agreed with Song Xiyun and the engineers of the 077 Machinery Military Factory using the Type 59 as the basic blueprint for the new tank design, he still offered some of his own unique insights.

Firstly, regarding the artillery and armament, the previous Type 59 Tank was equipped with a 100mm smoothbore cannon. In the fifties and sixties, this firepower configuration was considered more than sufficient.

However, times have changed. By the eighties, it was clearly becoming inadequate.

Keep in mind that both the Eagle Country's and the Bear Country's Main Battle Tanks had already upgraded to 125mm smoothbore cannons.

Furthermore, the Bear Country was about to equip its latest Main Battle Tank with an even more powerful 130mm smoothbore cannon.

If the Yan Country's new Main Battle Tank continued to use a 110mm or 115mm smoothbore cannon.

Then, in future tank engagements, we would be at an extreme disadvantage, and would undoubtedly suffer losses.

While the caliber of the cannon isn't the sole determinant of victory or defeat in a tank battle.

It cannot be denied that tanks equipped with larger caliber cannons are indeed more capable of penetrating the armor of tanks with smaller caliber cannons.

"Indeed, we were too conservative!!!" Song Xiyun couldn't help but exclaim.

According to their initial plan, the new Main Battle Tank would be equipped with a 115mm smoothbore cannon.

If that were the case, the Yan Country's military might not be interested in the design and development proposal from the 077 Machinery Military Factory.

"I recall that there are factories domestically that seem to be working on designing and developing a 120mm smoothbore cannon."

Lin Chenran suddenly turned, his gaze falling on Song Xiyun, and asked inquiringly.

"That's right, the 212 Machinery Military Factory is indeed developing a 120mm smoothbore cannon."

"But as far as I know, due to the severe funding shortage at the 212 Machinery Military Factory, the 120mm smoothbore cannon development project is currently almost at a standstill."

Song Xiyun waved his hand helplessly.

Currently, the 115mm smoothbore cannon technology in the country is relatively mature.

This is why Song Xiyun himself, along with many engineers at the 077 Machinery Military Factory, chose the more stable 115mm smoothbore cannon when designing and developing the new Main Battle Tank.

It was an important reason for not choosing the unattainable and elusive 120mm smoothbore cannon.

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