原创译文：二十年磨一剑：卡佛力发动机首次试飞整装待发

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Kavery jet engine finally poised For First flight
卡佛力发动机首次试飞整装待发
Ajai Shukla 作者：“哀家.熟客啦”
GTRE, Bangalore 地址： “印度涡轮燃气研究院”,班加罗尔
Business Standard, 7th Sept 09 刊登处：《渣打商业》20090907期刊

Photo: The Kaveri aero jet engine undergoing final checks before its despatch to Russia for flight testing.
图片说明：卡佛力航空发动机在运往俄国飞行测试前进行的最后检测



After 20 years in the making, the Kaveri jet engine will finally take to the skies.
研制20年之后，卡佛力航空发动机终于将要上天了。

In 1989, Dr Mohana Rao, then a junior technician at the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Bangalore, immersed himself in the ambitious Kaveri programme, which was designing a jet engine for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. After pushing the Kaveri through two decades of heartbreak and achievement, Dr Rao is now the Director of GTRE. And his baby, the Kaveri engine, is ready to fly.
1989年，“莫喊啦.闹”博士那时还是 位于班加罗尔的“印度涡轮燃气研究院”的一名初级技师。那时候，他正全心投入于雄心勃勃的“卡佛力项目”。该项目是LCA光辉战斗机的配套发动机。在经历了该项目20年的酸甜苦辣之后，“闹”博士已经是“印度涡轮燃气研究院”的主任。而他的“心肝宝贝”“卡佛力发动机”也已经准备好振翅待飞。

This week, a fully built Kaveri engine will be transported to a testing facility outside Moscow called the Gromov Flight Research Institute. Here, a giant IL-76 aircraft will have one of its four engines replaced with a Kaveri. Russian and GTRE experts will then evaluate the Kaveri’s performance while the IL-76 flies.
本周，一个已经完全造好的“卡佛力发动机”将运往莫斯科郊外的“割肉磨坊飞行研究所”的一处测试设施处。在这里，一架巨大的伊尔76飞机将把它四个发动机中的一个换成“卡佛力发动机”。当伊尔76飞行时，俄国与“印度涡轮燃气研究院”的砖家将对“卡佛力发动机”的性能进行评估。

Before the actual flight tests, Russian experts at Moscow’s Central Institute of Aviation Motors will run ground checks on the Kaveri’s performance, in conditions that simulate altitudes up to 15 kilometers (49,200 feet).
在实际飞行之前，莫斯科中央航空动力研究所的俄国砖家将对“卡佛力发动机”进行15000米高空的模拟环境下的地面测试。

Business Standard visited the Kaveri ground test bed at GTRE, Bangalore, where Russian experts are finishing “pre-acceptance checks” on the Kaveri engine that is headed for their facilities in Russia. The giant turbofan engine, suspended from a ceiling bracket, was being revved up gradually. As it roared to a deafening crescendo, engineers monitored the Kaveri’s power output, watching carefully from behind a bullet-proof glass window.
《渣打商业》参观了位于班加罗尔“印度涡轮燃气研究院”的地面测试平台。在这里，俄国砖家正在对将运往他们在俄国设施的“卡佛力发动机”进行“验收检查”。悬挂于空中支架上的这台巨大的发动机当时正在慢慢加速。当它咆哮到振聋发聩时，站在防弹玻璃窗户外仔细观察的工程师们开始检测其功率输出。

“The Kaveri’s development is complete”, confirmed Dr Mohana Rao, “In ground testing at GTRE it met the performance parameters laid down in 1998. The next step is to confirm that it performs during flight. A 50-person GTRE team will travel with the engine to Moscow and participate in the flight trials over the next 3-4 months.”
“卡佛力发动机的研发已经完成了”，“莫喊啦.闹"博士确认道：“在‘印度涡轮燃气研究院’的地面测试中,它达到了1998年所预定的各项性能参数。下一步是在空中测试其性能。“印度涡轮燃气研究院”一个50人的小组将随发动机一起前往莫斯科参与今后3-4个月中进行的飞行测试。”

India has no facilities for altitude-testing and flight-testing jet engines. GTRE estimates it will take several hundred crore rupees to create such test facilities in India. Meanwhile, each test campaign in Russia costs Rs 50-60 crores.
印度尚没有进行高空测试与飞行测试的设施。“印度涡轮燃气研究院”估计在印度建立这样的设施的投资数十亿卢比。与此同时，在俄国进行的每次测试都将耗资5至6亿卢比（大概8000-9000万元人民币，诸位大大说说看俄国人黑不黑啊？）

For the DRDO (GTRE is a DRDO laboratory) even a successful Kaveri flight will be a bittersweet end to one of India’s most savagely criticised development programmes. A measure of success, on the one hand, in an ambitious technological leapfrog to building a modern jet engine, something only a few countries can do. On the other hand, the Kaveri has failed to provide an engine for the Tejas, even after spending Rs 3000 crores.
对于“印度国防研究和发展组织”（“印度涡轮燃气研究院”是其下属的一个研究院）而言，作为印度最饱受指责的项目之一，“卡佛力发动机”的飞行即使成功也只是个苦乐参半的结果，一方面，它是一个成功的标志，意味着（印度）完成了制造现代发动机的雄心勃勃的技术飞跃，而目前仅有少数几个国家掌握该技术。但另一方面，“卡佛力发动机”尽管已经耗资300亿卢比（大约45亿人民币），却未能为LCA“光辉”战斗机提供动力。（译者注：由于进度落后，LCA已经放弃“卡佛力发动机，而采用美国或俄国发动机）

“The reason was two-fold”, explains Mohana Rao. “The Kaveri turned out 15% heavier than we planned. From the planned 1100 kg, its final weight has gone up to 1265 kg.”
“原因有两个”，“莫喊啦.闹”博士解释道：“‘卡佛力发动机’比原来计划的1100公斤超重15%。它的最后（定型）重量为增加到1265公斤。”

Meanwhile, the Tejas fighter also turned out heavier than planned, demanding a more powerful engine; the Kaveri’s maximum thrust of 65 Kilo Newtons (KN) is simply not enough. The air force has chosen American GE 404-IN engines, which produce 80 KN at full power, to power the first 20 Tejas fighters. And subsequent Tejas will get about 95 KN of thrust from a new-generation engine: the General Electric GE-414 and the Eurojet EJ200 engines are currently being evaluated.
与此同时，光辉战斗机也比原先的计划要更重，这就要求为其配备更大推力的发动机。“卡佛力发动机” 65千牛的最大推力已经不够用了。因此（印度）空军已经为首批20架“光辉”战斗机选择了美国通用电气的GE-404-IN，该发动机全开后可以提供80千牛的推力。以后批次的“光辉”战斗机将获得大约95千牛推力的新一代发动机。（印度空军）正对将美国通用电气的GE-414与欧洲喷气涡轮公司的EJ200进行评估。

But GTRE is undeterred, having produced a high-tech turbofan jet engine in a country that has never produced even a motorcycle or car engine.
但“印度涡轮燃气研究院”并为气馁，因为它应经在一个从未生产过摩托车与汽车引擎的国家里生产出了高技术的涡轮风扇发动机。

“We need more thrust without increasing the size of the engine”, says Mohana Rao. “That means getting better technologies from a more experienced foreign partner. We have chosen (French aero-engine major) Snecma. The Defence Ministry has approved the tie-up.”
“我们需要在不增加发动机尺寸的情况下提高其推力”，“莫喊啦.闹”说道：“那意味着需要从更有经验的外国伙伴哪里获取更好的技术。我们已经选择的（法国的主要航空公司）斯耐克码。国防部已经同意了该项协议。”

Business Standard has learned that Rolls Royce, and General Electric declined to partner GTRE, apparently unwilling to part with cutting-edge technology. US major, Pratt & Whitney, was willing only to provide consultancy. With only Russia’s NPO Saturn and Snecma in the game, the MoD has opted for Snecma.
《渣打商业》已获知劳斯莱斯与通用电气已经拒绝与“印度涡轮燃气研究院”合作，显然它们不愿（与“印度涡轮燃气研究院”）分享尖端技术。而美国的主要厂商普惠公司只愿意提供咨询服务。在仅有俄国的“土星科学生产联合体”与斯耐克玛竞争的情况下，国防部选择了斯耐克玛。