Source: Rednet Times  15^th Aug 2024

Lu Guangfeng at work (Photo provided by the interviewee).

208 was the laboratory number of the laser gyroscope team of the former National University of Defense Technology during its early development stage. It is also the starting point of the career take-off for Lu Guangfeng, a veteran and the chairman of Hunan 208 Advanced Technology Co., Ltd. "The company is named 208 to reflect our spirit of inheriting the original aspiration and continuing to devote ourselves to the inertial device industry. It is also to commemorate that period of my military service that I am proud of."

Hunan 208 Advanced Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "208 Company") is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the research and development and production of high-end inertial devices and their application products. Its core product, the laser gyroscope, is a key component of autonomous navigation systems and is hailed as the "sharp eyes" of modern high-precision weapons.

In November 2021, a large-scale laser gyroscope prototype with a side length of 2.5 meters was successfully operated in a closed loop in Hunan. This was the first time in China that a large-scale active laser gyroscope prototype with a side length of over one meter was constructed, which largely filled the gap in the field of large-scale laser gyroscope manufacturing in China.

This exciting new breakthrough was achieved by the team led by Lu Guangfeng.

The domestically developed large-scale laser gyroscope fills the market gap.

The laser gyroscope is a high-precision inertial sensor that can accurately determine the orientation of a moving object and is widely used in important fields such as modern aviation, navigation, aerospace, and national defense industries. Due to its early start, the most advanced laser gyroscope technology in the world is currently monopolized by foreign markets, and there are not many domestic enterprises specializing in research and development in this field.

In August 2020, the newly established 208 Company received a customer request to develop a prototype of a large-scale laser gyroscope. Although Lu Guangfeng had been engaged in laser gyroscope research at National University of Defense Technology for nearly 20 years, this demand still posed a significant challenge to him.

At present, the laser gyroscopes under research internationally are mainly divided into two categories. One is the small-sized laser gyroscope, which is widely used in the field of navigation; the other is the large-sized laser gyroscope, which has the characteristics of a large scientific device. 

Lu Guangfeng introduced that, "Small laser gyroscopes generally have side lengths ranging from a few centimeters to tens of centimeters, and their research and production are relatively mature. Large laser gyroscopes typically have side lengths of over one meter, with measurement accuracy far exceeding that of the former, and they have wide applications in science, technology, economic construction and other fields. However, as the size increases, the difficulty of their development also rises significantly."

It can be said that compared with small devices, large laser gyroscopes are an important technology of higher precision for measuring world time. Faced with the demands of customers, the young faces in the company were at a loss. Could they do it? Lu Guangfeng firmly said, "Soldiers are born to tackle tough problems and will never be knocked down; although I have been transferred to the civilian sector, I will lead everyone to rise to the challenge." 

At that time, although our country had limited experience in the field of large-scale laser gyroscopes, it had conducted research on small-scale laser gyroscopes for a relatively long period. Relying on years of working experience, the team led by Lu Guangfeng, after numerous trials and errors and working around the clock, finally came up with a creative solution for constructing large-scale laser gyroscopes based on modular assembly and a precise resonant cavity alignment system based on long-range zoom imaging, thus overcoming the challenges of processing super-large-sized materials and aligning ultra-long optical paths.

When it comes to the hardships, Lu Guangfeng always smiles it off. He jokes lightly, "We did encounter many difficulties during the research and development process, but there's a saying that goes, 'As long as your spirit doesn't wane, there are always more solutions than problems.'" 

With an unwavering original aspiration, shoulder the heavy responsibility of the times.

On the wall of the meeting room of the 208 Company, sixteen prominent characters are hung: "Boost the return of the Chinese nation to the top of the world with hard technology." This is the company's corporate culture and also Lu Guangfeng's lifelong pursuit. "Although I have left the military, I want to use this sentence to encourage myself and the team, and never forget the heart of a child who serves the Party and the country." 

In 1999, during his undergraduate studies at Nankai University, Lu Guangfeng was selected as one of the first batch of national defense students. In the summer of 2003, Lu Guangfeng was recommended to pursue a postgraduate degree at the College of Optoelectronics of National University of Defense Technology, thus embarking on his military career.

“In my hometown, joining the military to serve the country is the ultimate honor.” Lu Guangfeng still remembers the excitement he felt when he first went to the National University of Defense Technology for an interview. "The school gate was grand and imposing. The teachers were dressed in military uniforms, standing tall and firm with determined eyes. At that moment, I thought to myself, I must be like them." 

Lu Guangfeng has been engaged in study, research and work at National University of Defense Technology for 16 years. During this period, as an expert in the field of digital-analog mixed signal processing, he has been responsible for and participated in 11 national weapon equipment pre-research projects and 1 model engineering project. He has published over 20 high-level academic papers, with SCI papers having an impact factor of 3.5 or above (as the first author), and has been granted nearly 100 patents. 

On the stage of high-end inertial devices, Lu Guangfeng led his team to carry forward the spirit of never giving up in the face of difficulties cultivated in the military, and achieved breakthroughs in the development of a series of domestically first-of-a-kind functional chips for laser gyroscopes. They also innovatively completed the development of the first 100% domestically produced main control circuit for laser gyroscopes in China. 

Just as Lu Guangfeng said, the times have given us the opportunity to pursue our dreams, and we should shoulder the heavy responsibility bestowed upon us by the times.