The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 538 Too anxious to eat hot tofu

Liu Hua slapped him on the back.

"Does it hurt?"

Sun Guangming shook his head: "It doesn't hurt, but my head feels buzzing and I can't feel anything."

"That's it, this guy's done for." Ma Shan said with a laugh, "He's never seen anything like this before. He said he wanted to make a knock engine, and we even sent experts to him. How come you weren't prepared at all?"

"He didn't say that the detonation engine could fly that high."

Liu Hua laughed and said, "I didn't tell you that a detonation engine can't fly that high. You're supposed to be the director of the General Logistics Department, and you only have this much knowledge?"

Sun Guangming did not answer Liu Hua, but pulled Ma San aside to whisper to him. After a while, he turned back to Liu Hua and said, "This thing is top secret. Not a single word is allowed to be uttered without permission from above."

"Are you kidding? Do I need you to remind me?" Liu Hua said directly, "The kids we're developing are very tight-lipped. Do you see any rumors about this outside? In fact, apart from their lab, no one else knows anything, including the lab that's working on fifth-generation fighter jet engines."

While the staff were still waiting to recover the engine and collect some test data, Ma Shan and Sun Guangming couldn't sit still any longer and took the helicopter that had been provided as supplies directly to Beijing.

Now, no matter what the situation, even if your unit urgently needs this helicopter, you have to give way to these two people. They must bring this news back as soon as possible.

Upon hearing their report, the leaders were shocked. This was far too advanced. The fifth-generation fighter jet hadn't even taken to the skies yet, and the engine for the sixth-generation fighter jet was already flying. This wasn't just a fantasy; it was like something out of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

"Did you bring back the specific data?"

Ma Shan took out a few sheets of paper from his briefcase: "We brought back another part, and we are still collecting the rest."

The leader picked up the papers, looked them over carefully, sighed, didn't say anything, paced back and forth a few steps, and then laughed.

"Great, that's wonderful." The leader said proudly, "Can we say that we've caught up? The Americans have been harassing our skies for forty or fifty years. In another ten years, at most another ten years, I'm afraid they'll have to be afraid."

“They must be apprehensive. The US doesn’t even have a sixth-generation fighter jet program yet,” Sun Guangming said with a smile. “Their fifth-generation fighter jet hasn’t even officially entered service yet, and judging from their smug attitude, I reckon it’s impossible for them to start developing the next generation of fighter jets anytime soon.”

The leader frowned and asked, "What made you this judgment? It must be accurate."

"Because globally, apart from the United States, no other country has a fifth-generation fighter jet program. Although Russia has a similar program, it has not had the capability since the 90s, nor does it have sufficient funding. As for European fighter jets, the latest ones are fourth-generation designs."

Ma Shan smiled and said, "Our third-generation fighter jet has just entered service, which is the fourth-generation fighter jet according to the American standard. They would never think that we have the capacity to develop a fifth-generation fighter jet."

Sun Guangming nodded: "That's right. They have always looked down on us, but that has also given us an opportunity. Our fifth-generation fighter jet development is going very smoothly. Sooner or later, we will give them a surprise."

Ma Shan suddenly said, "I once talked to Liu Hua, and he believes that if the US doesn't encounter an opponent in the short term, the number of fifth-generation fighter jets produced will be very small. They might even dismantle the production line after meeting current needs." The leaders all shook their heads: "Impossible. If the fighter jet production line is dismantled and then restarted, it will cost even more money."

"That's what Liu Hua said: their F-22s will definitely be very expensive. That's their usual practice. When they haven't encountered any competitors, after producing a certain number of aircraft, they will think that they have met their current needs."

The leader shook his head: "Even if they meet the requirements, they won't dismantle the production line. Aren't they considering the potential losses?"

"But they're too expensive, so they'll turn to aircraft with slightly lower specifications. And just last year, Lockheed Martin's X35 won the bid. It's a bit inferior to the F-22, but the price is definitely much cheaper."

The leader nodded: "So Liu Hua's idea is that after meeting the needs of high-end warfare, they will seek a general-purpose fighter jet, namely the mass production of the X-35, and in order to save money, they will dismantle the F-22 production line."

“That’s possible.” Ma Shan nodded with a smile. “Of course, Liu Hua only said that it’s possible. There are still some steps involved. For example, we shouldn’t rush to unveil our fifth-generation fighter jet. We should also conduct some strategic deception against them.”

The leader smiled and said, "It's no big deal. If we can really cut off one of his arms, our fifth-generation fighter jet will be delayed by two years. We can take the opportunity to make more modifications."

The leader rolled his eyes: "Strategic deception? Does that mean we have to praise it to the skies? There's nothing wrong with that. The F-22 is indeed the pinnacle of global fighter jets right now. Let our military commentators and experts sing its praises, and let the online military forums buzz with excitement. As the saying goes, 'When the sky is too high, rain will fall; when people are too arrogant, disaster will follow.'"

Ma Shan whispered to Sun Guangming, "Our old leader is pretty bad too."

"What are you saying, you little brat?"

Ma Shan immediately stood at attention: "No, I was saying the old leader was very wise."

Sun Guangming sarcastically remarked, "He said the old leader was quite wicked."

The leader glared at Ma Shan and said, "I hate soldiers like you the most. You don't know how to be bad when you should be. When facing the enemy, you should be as bad as you can be. Only when they are uncomfortable can you be comfortable."

After saying that, the leader pointed to the door and said, "You go back to the test site right now and bring all the data back to me. I want to see all the data on my desk tonight."

Ma Shan glared at Sun Guangming, then gave a helpless salute before turning and leaving. The helicopter that had just arrived had already taken off, and on his way to the airport, he immediately made a phone call to arrange another helicopter.

After he arrived at the airport, he called Liu Hua: "Hey, Lao Liu, where are you now? I need to come to your place to get the complete data."

"I'm on my way back by helicopter," Liu Hua said with a smile. "The local military leaders knew I was in a hurry, so they specially arranged a helicopter for me."

"Thank goodness," Ma Shan said happily. "Tell the pilot to fly directly to my side; the leaders need to see all the data as soon as possible."

"You two were in such a hurry just now, you could have stayed for a couple more hours," Liu Hua joked. "Haste makes waste."

(End of this chapter)