052C/052D Class Destroyers
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Most of the skills concerned are in the experience manufacturers of the the products and are not to be found by hacking. When a new manufacturing methods is developed, say 3D printing Titanium gear boxes for helicopters, China might well find itself near the top without having fully mastered the old technology.
Blackstone
Brigadier
That might be true for some sub-systems, but not for the system. Good example is China's jet engine struggles; it could do certain sus-systems very well, turbine blades come to mind, but it hasn't mastered the entire system and still can't build world-class turbofans. On the other hand, China has mastered the entire high-speed train technology/system, and now produces world-class, and in some cases, world-leading products.
manqiangrexue
Brigadier
I think your first sentence and your last sentence are in disagreement. You mean that it's true for some systems but not for others? As for your turbofan example... I think you have things backwards. It's the metallurgy and manufacturing process of the single crystal blades that is one of China's traditional weaknesses, not it's strengths.
You're mostly right but it is the quality of the turbine blades that determines the Turbine Entry Temperature and that determines the Specific Fuel Consumption and the Thrust Weight Ratio. And you cannot improve that by hacking the computers of GE or RR because it is too important to be kept on computers connected in any way to the internet if it can be held on computers at all.
antiterror13
Brigadier
I totally agree that Chinese gas turbines are not the best of the best ... the US, UK, France and Russia may have better technologies ... but I don't see any other countries can do better than China.
Not the best ... but GOOD enough to get the job done effectively and efficiently
antiterror13
Brigadier
the gaps is already narrowing every single day ... to the point that the gap is no longer relevant
Engineer
Major
Actually, China has mastered turbine blades as well as integration. The struggle has been quality control during high volume production, which is workers-culture related. Also, WS-10 is a world-class turbofan, with China being one of the three countries that can produce engine in such a class. Not even Europe can do it. So, your last statement is wrong as well. Really, all this shows you don't know anything about Chinese engine development.
Engineer
Major
Let's say someone from Newton's era was given equations for Quantum Mechanics, he/she won't be able to make sense of it. The mathematicians of the time would even have difficulties grasping the concept of Calculus. The same applies to technologies.
Espionage is just a lame excuse the West uses to belittle China's achievements. In reality, the knowledge and know-how must exist first, so as to allow false information can be filtered out from data obtained from espionage.
Engineer
Major
Comparison via standard only makes sense when all the participants have the same starting line. In the China vs. rest-of-the-world comparison, there are two starting lines.
When rest-of-the-world build a toaster, they simply need to put together off-the-shelf components made by different countries. When China builds a toaster, she must start from raw materials.
Ignorant people love to talk about the quality and performance of the finished product to feel smug. When the starting line is considered, China is actually ahead of every nation with exceptions to the US and former Soviet Union.