Embarrassed.

Extreme embarrassment.

For a moment, Le Maire felt that he was alive, but he was dead.

He would very much like to retract all the statements he had just made, if he could.

This helicopter is clearly an improvement on the Dolphin, but there is no equivalent on Eurocopter's side.

The French side did consider designing an armed version of the Dolphin, that is, the AS365M.

The French themselves, of course, had larger Bobcat MK4 gunships and Tiger gunships.

But some are attractive to smaller countries with low need for armament, or for paramilitary forces such as the Coast Guard.

After all, the AS365 is sold all over the world, and more than half of the countries in which the military or government agencies are used in this model.

Therefore, it is easier to get started in pilot training, ground maintenance support, etc., and there is no need to build an additional logistics system.

The idea was really good, but in the end, it was abandoned due to the lack of size of the whole machine and too many places that needed to be modified-

Although it is theoretically possible to ignore manning, the increased weaponry and the additional drag can be a huge challenge for helicopter performance.

What's more, a considerable part of the tasks actually require a helicopter with both attack and transport capabilities to complete.

For example, the MH6/AH6 and MH60L used by the US special forces, as well as the more classic Mi-24.

In short, Eurocopter believes that the base of the Dolphin base model is not enough to support it in such a task.

Therefore, at this air show, Eurocopter still only brought the traditional model AS365N1 with the highest sales.

Of course, the AS365M was not completely abandoned, but it was delayed until it was finalized in the AS365N2, and the development continued on the basis of the new model.

Outcome......

He actually saw the improved armed version of the dolphin in advance on the Huaxia side?

Le Maire took two deep breaths to calm his mind, forced himself not to pay attention to the look and expression of Caron next to him, and strode forward to the helicopter's billboard.

After all, it's the Singapore Airshow, so all promotional materials are available in at least Chinese and English.

Caron also followed, adjusting the angle to include the Chinese helicopter and Le Maire standing in front of the display board in the cold wind.

The name of the photo is "AS365M Helicopter in Paris".

But Le Maire didn't pay attention to what was going on behind him.

His gaze quickly scanned the words in front of him, finding what he was most interested in.

The logic of using a helicopter is different from that of a fixed-wing aircraft, and values such as flight speed and ceiling are not very important in most cases.

Aircraft functionality is often constrained by data such as maximum take-off weight, as well as available hover time.

"The maximum continuous output of the engine is 496 kW, the maximum take-off power is 535 kW, and the maximum emergency power is 575 kW......

The performance in terms of power makes Le Maire look quite familiar.

It's basically the data of Arriel 1D1.

Huaxia has previously introduced the models with the helicopter as the Arriel 1C and the Arriel 1C1.

However, in the case of a basic model, everyone's improvement ideas are basically the same, so it is normal to make improved models with similar indicators in the end......

Unconsciously, Le Maire's perception of the level of Huaxia's aviation industry has changed dramatically.

It seems less surprising that a modified version of a turboshaft engine was created on its own......

However, as a former senior executive of Eurocopter, Le Maire knows very well that the Dolphin helicopter is not a solution that can be solved by changing to a more powerful engine -

If it were that simple, several new models were planned to be made long ago.

Glancing over a few less core performance figures, continue downward.

"Maximum usable power of rotor 452kw*2......"

"Take-off power, maximum duration: 5 minutes......"

Lemaire's heart fluttered violently.

Just as there is a gap between the power of the wheel end of the car and the output power of the engine, the power output of the helicopter to the rotor end cannot be the sum of the power of the two turboshaft engines.

One of the most frightening aspects of the AS365 helicopter is that the drivetrain design limits power output.

The Aje 1C engine has a maximum take-off power of about 470 kW, but due to the limitations of the drivetrain, the power output to the rotor end is only 390 kW*2.

However, if you rush to replace the engine with higher output power, it will lead to a decrease in the available power of the rotor due to the mismatch of the transmission system.

This is also the main reason why the AS365M was shelved back then.

And now, since the Chinese people have written this kind of detail clearly on the display board, it is obvious that they are not hastily instigated with the two new engines.

Instead, the transmission mechanism, which is at least part of the final reducer, was redesigned.

Otherwise, there would be no emphasis on the maximum available power of the rotor.

This stuff is usually in the technical manual, along with the power output envelope.

It's data that only insiders will pay attention to.

And in most countries, especially small ones, the people in charge of equipment procurement are not experts......

"But how is that possible?"

Le Maire couldn't help but be a little skeptical about life.

Changing the MiG-21 to something that no one else recognizes, although it is surprising, is also quite reasonable.

After all, Huaxia has obtained some of the technical information of the MiG-21 since the 60s, and has always been inextricably linked with the MiG Design Bureau before and after.

Moreover, the Soviets did not change the MiG-21 not because they could not change it, but because it was not necessary.

The first prototype of the MiG-25 was a large MiG-21......

But the Dolphin helicopter is another matter.

The French don't change the dolphins, not because they don't want to, but really because they can't do it......

Le Maire, who was in a mess in his head, didn't even notice that the helicopter was slowly pushed backwards by several people after removing the rainproof cloth.

It wasn't until the Caron reporter walked to the side that he noticed that the helicopter called HC (Helicopter-China) 9WY in front of him was already on the tarmac a little farther away and ready to take off.

Cuarón raised his camera and pressed the shutter, while Lemaire continued to look down at the panels.

At the same time, they are mentally prepared to endure the violent air currents and noisy noises of the helicopter during takeoff.

However, the shutter sound in my ears kept ringing, and it was not drowned out by the noise of the helicopter.

Voice, of course.

But overall it is softer.

Only a high-frequency and stable humming sound is still relatively friendly to the eardrum.

"Why haven't they taken off yet?"

"Is there something wrong?"

A moment before raising his head, Le Maire even began to expect the helicopter to make a public fool of himself at the air show.

However, the next second.

He saw that the helicopter had not only taken off, but was even hovering in mid-air, nodding in his direction.

“？？？”

Le Maire, of course, knew that this was just a routine greeting before the helicopter flight show.

But in this situation......

It all feels like a provocation.

The more I thought about it, the more angry I became.

"President Le Maire, I have a question."

Caron looked at the helicopter that had already begun to move rapidly in the sky, and suddenly said:

"They put this model on the air show, apparently preparing for export."

"So, in the contract we signed back then, was it authorized to them along with the export license?"

(End of chapter)