Chapter 297: Three Moves to Reform the Aviation Industry

Section Leader Du also cast a doubtful glance.

"Comrade Qin Miao, could you speak more clearly about that?" Section Leader Du asked.

"If we don't reform our current R&D system, the projects at Institute 611… will never succeed!"

Old Song realized, his eyes full of emotion—this Qin Miao was paving the way for him; to do something that offends people… and it's him doing it!

"San Shui, let me say it." Old Song said; he was old, had some standing in the aviation system, they could scold him and he could take it, but he couldn't let Qin Miao incur hatred.

Qin Miao smiled: "Old Song, our Harbin Institute of Technology has no aerospace department; if it weren't for Old Lin pulling us together, we'd have no contact with the aviation system. These words are better said by an outsider like me."

Qin Miao looked at the others, his face turning serious again: "Now our country wants reform, to take the market economy road. What is a market economy? Simply put, the customer is God, the client is Dad! But in our research field? Clearly we are hired help, yet we ride on the client's dad's head!"

Qin Miao's words were full of sarcasm, while Old Lin… laughed brightly.

Exactly, our Air Force is the customer; we must be high and mighty—we are… the client's dad, while you researchers often ride on our heads, pointing and gesturing!

"When developing a product, superiors assign a task to a specific research institute and allocate funds. After receiving the R&D budget, how much of it actually goes to R&D is unclear; anyway, if development fails, you can just keep asking superiors for more. Development timelines can't be guaranteed, nor can product quality. If superiors aren't satisfied…"

Qin Miao lowered his voice, speaking gruffly: "Damn it, what I've researched is like this—love it or leave it!"

"Haha, exactly, that's how it is!"

Old Lin almost wanted to slam the table and cheer, but… his laughter was hollow, because… nobody else could laugh.

This isn't just the state of the aviation system; it's the state of all state-owned enterprises—those who spend money are grandsons, those who do R&D are grandfathers!

"If we keep the status quo, I can guarantee that the development of third‑generation aircraft using lots of advanced technology will be severely delayed, R&D funds will be over‑consumed, and in the end we'll get some freakish hybrid."

Saying this, Qin Miao glanced toward Institute 601, unsure whether he was saying, "Look, the Jian‑8's development is just like this—what's the result?"

"San Shui, what do you think we should change?"

"What's there to say? Of course we implement a brand‑new system! Competition has already begun domestically! Research institutes need to take the initiative, using competition to win R&D tasks and orders! After lying idle for decades, it's time to move—or else… we die!"

Section Leader Du took a deep breath: "Comrade Qin Miao, can you lead this reform of our aviation industry system?"

The automobile industry is already reforming! A brand‑new collective enterprise can link with foreign firms, bypassing the state to form joint ventures! This is practically an earthquake, shocking everyone.

Now it's the aviation industry's turn for reform!

No reform, only death!

Qin Miao shook his head: "I don't have that authority!"

"Unless you give me your current position, I need to become the head of the Third Machinery Ministry!"

Section Leader Du felt a bit embarrassed.

"However… we could actually use the development of the third‑generation aircraft to launch reform in parallel; this reform is a bit complex, and it's getting late today—how about we discuss it another day?"

"Let's say it today, right now! Comrade Qin Miao, if you don't speak up, we won't be able to sleep!"

"All right, first, we establish a chief designer system, divided into model chief designer, system chief designer, and aircraft first‑time matching new product chief designer. This way, designers from different industries and departments are all brought under our systems engineering management."

Under the current chaotic domestic R&D system, achieving anything would be miraculous!

Old Lin's eyes lit up: "Exactly, every item needs someone in charge—aside from problems, they bear responsibility; if they succeed, they earn merit!"

Before it was a sloppy ledger—success meant everyone shared the credit, failure meant everyone shared the blame; now… responsibility must be pinned on a specific individual!

Qin Miao nodded: "That's the idea; of course we also need to add that a person in charge, once assigned, must see the project through to the end—they can't walk away if it's unfinished."

Old Lin nodded: "Exactly, this is necessary too! Otherwise, when something goes wrong, we'd blame the predecessor! Many of us are experts at passing the buck; now we must nail it down! San Shui, keep going."

"Second, we stipulate a concrete development procedure: each product must first undergo theoretical experiments, then single‑unit tests, then ground‑system tests, and finally airborne tests and flight trials. These five steps must be strictly followed—no adding, subtracting, omitting, or skipping."

At that moment the meeting room fell silent; to them, all of this was completely new!

"In parallel, we also need reviews—from scheme demonstration to preliminary design, to releasing drawings, all the way to manufacturing and final assembly; every stage must have a review, and only after passing can we move to the next. As for this review system… Old Lin, could you say a few words?"

Old Lin's attitude turned serious as well: "This procedure is to prevent data fabrication, prevent laziness and omission, prevent haphazardly rushing time and schedule. Your method is excellent—where did you learn it?"

"Western project management experience, for example the U. S. F‑15 development, uses exactly this approach—fast progress, low cost."

These two reform proposals—one pursues accountability, the other eliminates R&D fraud; together they're a double‑blow, absolutely an earthquake for the aviation industry!

"Last point, more important, of course also the strictest: we must enforce full‑process quality control. Even a tiny problem must be swiftly resolved, absolutely not overlooked—this supplements the previous two points, but it's the hardest to implement; yet if we carry it out, we can completely overturn the current chaotic and inefficient state of the aviation industry system."

Qin Miao looked at everyone: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is my personal opinion; of course there will surely be people who scold me, even throw bricks at me… but if we want to take big strides, to keep pace with the world and even surpass it, the only way is to overhaul the entire R&D system."