Chapter 956 New Tank

In the last few days of 1962, good news came from the Prairie Tractor Factory.

"Deputy Chief Engineer Gao, you must come this time. Our second-generation tank is about to be finalized!" Mr. Luo, chief engineer of the second-generation tank, excitedly said to Gao Zhendong on the phone.

In fact, the Grassland Tractor Factory and the Defense Work Committee had already finalized the design of this tank, but that was just for the sake of fame. In fact, it was just to give some of the new technologies a background, not a complete version.

The only thing that had not been resolved at that time was actually the new engine and transmission mechanism.

Although the use of this tank is not urgent, the long delay in finalization makes the comrades of the Defense Work Committee very unhappy. We completed some new technologies two years ago, but just to wait for the engine and transmission, how long will their nominal use time be delayed?
No, let’s decide on one first!
Therefore, the Defense Work Committee and the Grassland Tractor Factory conducted a finalization of the model as early as the beginning of 62, and the finalized name was called Type 62 Main Battle Tank.

However, after being finalized, the tank was not put into production, but was left there, continuing to wait for its completion - a complete second-generation tank equipped with a horizontal top-impeded two-stroke diesel engine and a matching transmission system.

The name of this engine sounds a bit magical, but it doesn't matter, we can call it whatever we want, it's our freedom.

In fact, Engineer Lu, who was developing the horizontal top-impulse engine, moved very quickly. It took him only more than two years to actually develop this engine. To build an engine from scratch was truly amazingly fast.

The reason why the Defense Work Committee and the Grassland Tractor Factory felt that this thing was moving slowly was because other projects were moving too fast.

After all, a considerable portion of the technologies involved had already been developed and waiting when the second-generation tank project was not yet launched and was still in the preliminary research stage.

As soon as this two-stroke engine met the acceptance requirements, they immediately sent the meeting notice to Gao Zhendong.

Gao Zhendong actually felt a little embarrassed. It seemed that he had not done anything except participating in the overall plan demonstration, putting forward a number of overall suggestions, providing a number of technologies including firepower, fire control, sighting and protection, and proposing and determining the power route based on two-stroke engines.

At least he himself basically didn't take care of this matter this year. It was the comrades at the Grassland Tractor Factory who were working hard. He is ashamed of himself.

Grassland Tractor Factory: Shut the fuck up!

But let's put this shame aside for now. I must attend this finalization meeting. Once this thing comes out, combined with other equipment, it can completely solve the threat problem from the north.

The only problem is the quantity, but Gao Zhendong is not worried about this. If it is really good stuff, it will not be a problem for us to release a suitable quantity.

We were poor for decades in the 20th century, but no matter how poor we were, the number of tanks and armored vehicles that emerged was still terrifying.

The various high-tech weapons that Gao Zhendong saw in his previous life were expensive, but in fact not to an exaggerated degree. As for the ridiculously expensive high-tech weapons of the Citigroups that everyone saw... Haha, that’s actually something you should ask Commissioner Smith.

Moreover, given the performance of the second-generation tanks, they can be produced in smaller quantities than the original 5DL, and they may not be needed in large quantities under normal circumstances.

Besides, Gao Zhendong has a backup plan.

It's not like the T-54/55 is useless, right?

After bidding farewell to Lou Xiao'e, who was reluctant to leave, Gao Zhendong boarded the train to Jiuyuan. The distance to Jiuyuan was not particularly far, and the train was relatively safe. No matter how safe the An-2 was, it was not as safe as the train.

With the speed of trains in this era, even if they derail, as long as they don't fall off a cliff, the chances of survival are actually very high.

Amid the sounds of “What’s more…what’s more…”, Gao Zhendong’s train drove into the platform of Jiuyuan Station. Through the window, Gao Zhendong saw Mr. He standing on the platform at a glance.

He was very conspicuous. Where he was standing, there were almost no other people waiting for the arrival of the train except them, so he could be seen at a glance.

The train's parking position is not as precise as that of a high-speed train, or perhaps there is no such concept these days. The train stopped only after passing them, and Mr. He ran over with his men.

"Chief Engineer Gao, you're here. I've been waiting for you. Hahaha."

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "I came here as soon as I received the notice. It has been three years since we started working on armor. It can be considered as a result."

"No, Mr. Gao, armor and cannon were developed together in the beginning." Lao He was very persistent. In fact, armor was a little bit earlier than cannon. Lao He came to Gao Zhendong only after Mr. Guan, who was in charge of armor, shaved his head bald after seeing two new types of armor.

However, Gao Zhendong did not order his water, but Lao He liked it. After all, they were both made at the end of 59, so there was no difference.

"What's the situation now?" Gao Zhendong asked.

It's normal to know that there is definitely no problem, but still feel worried unconsciously.

"No problem, don't worry. Actually, the one who needs to be tested this time is Lao Lu. The others have been tested for a long time in multiple weapons test sites including Xuecheng. However, Chief Engineer Luo is responsible for the overall work of acceptance and cannot come to pick you up in person. He asked me to convey his message to you." Lao He was very confident.

Tanks are definitely not just about weapons and protection, so they are tested in multiple test sites in order to test as many environments as possible. In fact, for small countries, when they are unsure whether the weapons they buy are suitable, they should buy from large countries with vast territories, especially those that span hot, temperate, and even a bit of cold climate. Their weapons have extremely high requirements for adaptability and are less likely to go wrong.

The group drove back to the Grassland Tractor Factory. It was almost dinner time and a group of acquaintances gathered around them. Some called them boss and some called them teacher. Many of the young people here had studied with Gao Zhendong, especially those who had gone to learn about the tank artillery stabilization system.

There were also some from the Defense Working Committee. Gao Zhendong saw the leader and chief engineer of the Defense Working Committee from a distance. The two were standing next to a new tank, touching the tank. It was unclear what they were talking about, but they looked very excited.

The finalization meeting was held on time at 8:30 the next morning.

The first person to speak was the leader of the Defense Working Committee. He did not intend to be the last to speak, but instead wanted to speak out what was in his mind as soon as possible.

"...In fact, everyone knows that this tank has been finalized for the second time. This second finalization is not because it is not well made, but because it is too good! It is so good that we cannot tolerate any flaws in it. We would rather wait for a long time and let it appear in our troops in a perfect posture."

There was applause from the audience, and people were a little teary-eyed.

"In fact, when I say that it's a long wait, that's a bit exaggerated. The advancement of this tank is unprecedented! The speed at which it was developed is unprecedentedly fast. The not-so-objective statement of 'a long wait' actually represents our long-term expectation for domestically produced new advanced weapons..."

The conference hall was completely silent, as if everyone was recalling their anticipation for advanced equipment.

"...We should all remember that from the beginning of the fight against the Japanese, even when faced with their thin iron sheets, we had to pay so much blood and sacrifice to stop them from committing atrocities... Fortunately, our wait was not in vain. Now, it has come, and it has come to us with advanced technology and leading performance..."

The leaders of the Defense Work Committee can write poetry. Their level is really high, and of course they can really do it, so it is natural for them to express their emotions when they speak.

"Now, I declare that the final design meeting of the 1962 main battle tank will begin!"

"Wow, wow, wow..." applause broke out from below.

The palm wind stirred the venue, and the red flowers on a tank next to the venue were blown slightly.

This tank is very beautiful, painted green, and looks a bit larger than the 5DL overall. The easiest way to describe it is that it has an extra pair of road wheels.

The front of the tank is covered with thick composite armor and has no heading machine guns.

However, the difference between it and the 5DL can be seen at a glance. If it weren't for some familiar details on the body, no one would be able to tell that the two are two generations of tanks, because their turrets are completely different.

The 5DL has a round cast turret, while the second-generation tank has an angular welded turret with a certain inclination angle.

However, the inclination angle of the main armor on the front of the tank cannot be seen at all, as it is occupied by two wedge-shaped composite armor blocks, which completely block the main armor at the rear.

On the side of the turret, there is a fan-shaped smoke grenade launcher on each side.

The tail of the turret looks larger than that of the 5DL and is square in shape.

In front of the turret, there is a long gun barrel that looks even longer and thicker than that of the 5DL, with an obvious parallel machine gun hole next to it.

There is a crosswind sensor, a thermal imager window, two personnel entrances and exits and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun on the top of the turret. This machine gun is exactly the same as the one on the 5DL, with no difference.

The only difference from what Gao Zhendong had imagined was that there were some square armor blocks on the top of the turret that covered the blank area as much as possible. Gao Zhendong laughed when he saw this. It seemed that the armored soldiers had also seen the example of the dirty three this time, and they reacted very quickly.

Armored soldier: Why are you laughing? It's all your fault.

Mr. Luo, the chief designer of the Type 62 main battle tank, walked up to the reporting seat and reported in person.

Since most of the performance parameters and subsystems have passed the appraisal in the last finalization, the focus of this report is naturally not them. The situation of these subsystems can be slightly briefed, and a summary can be made at the end.

In fact, the most excited comrades at the scene were not those who were designing the second-generation tanks, but the representatives of the army. They had an expression on their faces that said, "It's finally my turn to show off."

There was a sense of relief amid the excitement and high spirits.

In fact, there is no need to do so. If comrades get the performance parameters of Hans Leopard-1, they may feel confused and look around. The second-generation tanks of Western countries after S2 are very poor.

But our target is not these weaklings.

(End of this chapter)