What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 570 The Black Bird Arrives
Blair asked Terren so many questions in order to resolve one issue:
Is the royal family truly well-off?

The consequences of running away are undeniable, but what if we don't run and something goes wrong...?

If the Third Fleet were to accomplish what millions of Hans couldn't achieve back then, the blow to the cabinet and the royal family would be far too heavy.

Don't be fooled by Hans's current silence; if the Third Fleet successfully lands, who knows if they might suddenly turn against us!
In reality, if you include Hans and the forces that are holding him back, even 400 enemy planes could hold them off. But no one can be at ease, and this pincer movement from the north and south is very unsettling.

Blair confirmed with Terren again:

"Can ground-based air defense forces intercept them?"

Terren fell silent. The only thing the Empire could use was the "Longsword" air defense system, but there were only 34 of them, and they were all protecting the major cities and airports in the south, since that was the direction from which the hypothetical enemy would attack during the Cold War.

The North? Does that mean polar bears have grown wings and are invading?
When the Third Fleet actually heads south, these "longsword" defense systems will be unable to relocate within a few hours.

The silence conveyed a message to Blair, who then avoided the topic and said:
"At the very least, the fighting cannot take place on home soil."

Teren lowered his head even further.

"Wait, can't you even do homeland anti-combat?!"

"It's shameful, but I still have to say it," Teren said, mustering his courage.
"The Gripen and F-15 support may not be timely. Relying solely on the 80 hastily assembled fighter jets on the mainland to fight would result in a high casualty ratio. If they land on the mainland... at least the search and rescue will be easier."

Have you forgotten how many elites we have lost! 12 Nimbus, 22 Harriers, and 6 Tornadoes, especially the Nimbus, which carried the most people. In just a few hours, the Royal Air Force has lost 178 people!
Many of them survived, but with no one to rescue them, they froze to death at sea!

This number made Blair's scalp tingle. It was 178 people in the Air Force establishment. Even if two-thirds of them were not pilots, it still meant extremely high compensation, a huge shortage of elite personnel, and corresponding public pressure.

He closed his eyes and seemed to immediately see a vast array of fighter jets skimming the sea surface, their silver wings reflecting a sea of ​​light—a metallic sea that replaced the ocean, just like Hans's usual rigid and indifferent demeanor.

Above this moving sea of ​​metal is a countdown timer. When the countdown reaches zero, this endless silver ocean will destroy the United Kingdom.

"Making contact? Is there any way to make direct contact with Hans? Ideally, I could negotiate with them directly."

Blair's idea shocked Terren, yet he also found it reasonable:

Military force is merely a means; the foundation of the British government always lies in its ingenious position. Strictly speaking, the Prime Minister's eloquence is the most powerful weapon.

Teren thought about it seriously, and after a moment, he said in a deep voice:
Do you know the Stasi?

Blair frowned:
"Didn't they disband a long time ago?"

Teren: "I have some unconfirmed rumors that they seem to have rebuilt and are operating very cautiously."

When the Stasi disbanded, one of its agents defected to us. Of course, he has since left, but recent reports indicate that he seems to have re-emerged, and his employer is not us, nor the IAA, nor the KBG, but a secret intelligence agency based in Russia.

"That doesn't prove it's the Stasi. Everyone has their own shady organization."

Teren shook his head and said:
“You don’t understand. An organization… I can’t explain it, but anyone who’s been in contact with it for a while can immediately tell. Many veteran intelligence agents have reminded me of this.”

"Okay, so what?"

"In Holland, Groningen appears to have frequent U-boat activity, and it is very likely under Stasi protection."

Teren's meaning is clear:

Hans did indeed establish contact with the Lost Empire and rebuild the Stasi, and through Groningen, it's very likely that they can directly contact the Lost Empire's high command. "Then let's try to make contact in Groningen, the sooner the better!"

Blair made his decision without hesitation because he also gleaned something from Terren's words:
The reason why the Fiery and the Empire were so wary of Hans was probably partly due to the reconstruction of the Stasi.

Rebuilding the Stasi, once a powerful organization second only to the KBG, would require considerable effort and would not gain the consent of most people without special interests involved.

Moreover, whether or not to expose the prismatic building is a tricky issue:

If the other party denies it after it's been exposed, it could push them to the opposite side.

While not exposing them is risky, it is undoubtedly a great opportunity for the IAA, which has always been trying to infiltrate the Lost Empire. At least, it is still possible to infiltrate the Stasi.

It's so deep, so unfathomably deep!
……

Huai En felt that everyone was a son of a bitch.

Peanut Village is 5 hours behind Daiying in time. He set off in the morning and arrived in Daiying in the evening, which meant he lost almost half a day.

This is the speed he was traveling at in a B1B bomber, cruising at 1100 kilometers per hour and flying directly to his destination, saving a lot of scheduling time. Otherwise, a commercial airliner would have taken an extra 2 hours.

Before takeoff, he was told that the situation was not optimistic, but after Mark launched a counterattack, everyone told him that the situation was very good. Most of the enemy had been annihilated, and his side had only suffered two casualties, which were negligible.

A score of 2:160 is indeed something to be proud of, so much so that compared to his performance in Nanmei, Huai En is somewhat insecure.

But just an hour before his arrival, Mark, who had just sent several victory telegrams, timidly sent an urgent telegram informing him that most of the Allied aircraft had been wiped out.

The Empire was fortunate to have only lost 11 F-15s (which is acceptable compared to usual), while the United Kingdom suffered a devastating blow.

The dramatic reversal almost made him wonder if he was dreaming while asleep on the plane, and that the situation was even worse than when he boarded.

Information with absolutely no timeliness was extremely infuriating, and Wayne couldn't help but ask:
Has the Blackbird arrived yet?

As the fastest and highest reconnaissance aircraft of the Cold War, the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, with its Mach 3 speed, was extremely famous. However, due to the difficulty of maintaining the airframe and the high cost, it was always regarded as a thorn in the side of Congress. They preferred to give the Air Force the old U2 to cancel the Blackbird and retired it in 90. Of course, all the aircraft deployed overseas were also withdrawn.

However, the appearance of the Third Fleet immediately exposed the weakness:
Although the weather is alright today, the climate in Northern Europe is definitely not peaceful. The reconnaissance satellites can't see very clearly, especially those damned high-speed smoke generators. We urgently need to send more reconnaissance aircraft.

U2 dared not step forward, and after much thought, it turned out that SR71 was the only one capable of taking on the important task.

But now the entire Blackbird fleet has been disbanded, with only two prototypes still flying in the country. The remaining mothballed aircraft will need several days of repairs to continue operating.

Left with no other choice, the two Blackbird prototypes were immediately transferred to the UK, accompanied by Lockheed engineers providing support.

And the answer given by the subordinate was also very satisfactory:

"They arrived an hour ago, but they need some time for maintenance and refueling. They should be able to carry out reconnaissance missions before 8 o'clock!"

This is actually related to the characteristics of the Blackbird. In order to prevent the skin from disintegrating due to the heat and expansion caused by friction with the air at three times the speed of sound, the SR71's skin is designed with large gaps, which will leak oil at low speeds (600 liters/hour).

Only by maintaining high-speed flight can the skin be heated and expanded to seal, which is relatively more fuel-efficient.

因此特性SR71即使跨洲际飞行也能轻松超过2马赫时速，而这次2架黑鸟从纽约起飞，只用了1小时52分钟就跨越5600公里抵达论顿。

If it weren't for the urgent need for maintenance and another reconnaissance mission, the pilots could have gone even faster if they had put in their best effort!
(End of this chapter)