Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 107 Old Pakistan, first purchase fifty J-7M fighters!

Qin Liang said sincerely, "General Jamal, the test flight of this aircraft will take at least five years. If you can wait, then we have no objection. We heard that India is already inspecting the Russian MiG-29 fighter jet. Once this fighter jet is mass-produced, India will definitely be able to equip itself with it at the same time. At that time, your aircraft will be outdated!"

Jamal took a deep breath: "Yes, by then our planes will really be outdated, but the J-7..."

"The J-7 can also be upgraded using the technology of our Super-7. For example, this double delta wing can be installed on the J-7, as well as a modified engine. The improved J-7M will have everything except beyond-visual-range air combat capability." Qin Liang continued, "Besides, in this era, beyond-visual-range air combat is not necessarily very effective. Ultimately, it still comes down to close-range dogfighting. A highly maneuverable fighter jet is more important than anything else."

Jamal nodded: "That's right, you're right. If we can put the double delta wing and the modified engine on the J-7M, we can buy it! Let's start by buying... fifty aircraft!"

Another deal!
The Super 7 airframe was originally a modified J-7. Replacing the wings with the J-7 airframe wouldn't be a big problem. At most, it would just require recalculating the data. Anyway, Northwestern Polytechnical University has the most advanced computers, so calculating these data wouldn't be a big deal. With this modification, the J-7's maneuverability would be greatly improved!

Qin Liang's thinking is really flexible!
This is, of course, the technological roadmap of later generations. The improvement of the J-7 was carried out gradually. The double delta wing J-7E was the best J-7 modification! The current Super-7 is mainly to meet the Air Force's desire for an all-weather fighter jet, thereby replacing the unreliable J-73 project.

If we proceed gradually, we will definitely upgrade the J-7 with a double delta wing, giving it 80% of the maneuverability of the F-16 and enabling it to engage in close-range dogfights with the F-16!

The Pakistanis understand air combat, so naturally they like this kind of aircraft!

That's it!

There was a hint of doubt in Tu Lao's eyes. On the way to the canteen at noon, Tu Lao found an opportunity to ask Qin Liang alone: ​​"What does the M in J-7M mean?"

Letter designations only came into use in the mid-1980s. The current J-7 uses numbers after the letter designation. Qin Liang just casually mentioned an "M," which might not conform to the naming rules for the J-7.

"Well, of course it means 'sell.' This modified aircraft is designed to be sold overseas; it means selling the J-7."

Old Tu looked at him suspiciously. Really? Anyway, he'd already told Old Ba, so there was no way to change it. It just meant to sell, right?

The export of the aircraft was a task assigned to CATIC. Fortunately, CATIC's manager, Mr. Liu, was already on his way. That afternoon, Mr. Liu and his team arrived at Factory 132, bringing with them the standard contract that Qin Liang had written.

"We sold the early J-7 fighter jets to Egypt for three million US dollars each. However, Pakistan is our best friend, and we will never treat our friends unfairly. So... we will still sell this improved J-7M fighter jet for three million US dollars each! After this deal, if you think this aircraft is good, you can continue to produce it in your factory, and the price will be reduced significantly."

After Qin Liang finished speaking, he lowered his voice and said, "So, you must keep the purchase price a secret. You absolutely cannot leak it to Egypt, otherwise, we'll be in big trouble!"

“Okay, then three million dollars per aircraft!” Jamal readily agreed. “You need to modify one aircraft within three months, fly it to our country for a test flight, and once we are satisfied, we will immediately pay the deposit.” Old Ba was very pragmatic. Even if the purchase agreement was signed now, the payment would only be made after the aircraft was modified and the test flight went smoothly. The previous modifications would all be advanced by Factory 132!
In the past, Factory 132 would have struggled financially, but things are different now; they have plenty of money!
"no problem!"

“Okay, the agreement is signed, and I will travel to Europe and the United States to coordinate the engines and avionics for the Super 7.”

For Pakistan, the most important thing is naturally the Super-7! In their eyes, the Super-7 is a modern fighter jet that can meet their needs for the next twenty years!

The old men left in the evening, while Qin Liang stayed in Chengdu. In addition to coordinating the modification of the J-7, he had another task: to go to Factory 420 to see the WP-15 turbojet engine!

The iconic twin overpass was built in the early 1990s. Factory 420, located in Wuhou District, has been rooted here for 30 years, and the area has been transformed from farmland and cemetery into a modern factory area.

Qin Liang arrived at Factory 420 that morning, during working hours. The streets were filled with a vast army of bicycles, all wearing blue factory uniforms and beaming with pride.

"Our Factory 420 has 20,000 workers, and with their families, the total is close to 100,000." On the bus, Director Duan, who had come to pick up Qin Liang in person, was full of pride. "Even residents of nearby towns prefer our workers' children when looking for partners. Even among workers, our factory is a classified unit, so workers of the same level can receive an extra five yuan a month in confidentiality fees."

Qin Liang nodded.

Factory 420 declined completely in later years. After all, their main product was the WP-6 turbojet, which was used by the J-6 fighter jet. After the J-6 was retired, Factory 420 had no more flagship products and could only convert from military to civilian use. Unfortunately, the transformation was difficult and they could not compete with private enterprises. Later, a large area of ​​land here was sold to developers to build houses. After all, this place is located in the second ring road and is not remote.

"One hundred thousand people, that's one hundred thousand mouths! When the country started to carry out reforms, we were still very worried, after all, our factory's products were already outdated. Fortunately, we managed to secure the WP-15 turbojet project. Comrade Qin Liang, don't worry, no matter how many difficulties we encounter, our Factory 420 will be able to replicate this engine!" Director Duan said, puffing out his chest and patting his chest to make a promise.

As they were talking, the car drove into the surveying and replication workshop.

The R-29 engine has been completely disassembled into individual parts, which are neatly arranged. Each part will be precisely measured, from its shape and internal structure to its materials and strength. After these data are measured, domestic technology will be used to reverse engineer and produce it.

Meanwhile... at the nearby desk used for recording data, two groups of people were having a heated argument.

"Our task at Factory 420 is to reverse engineer and replicate the engine. Right now, the most important thing for us is to complete the reverse engineer and replicate the engine as soon as possible and provide the aviation industry system with a qualified high-thrust engine." Guo Yihai, director of the R&D department of Factory 420, earnestly advised: "Professor Ning, I know that our relevant departments have the most advanced air-cooled turbine blades, but if we make a change, the characteristics of the engine will change. This may have a ripple effect."

“That’s right, we do need to do surveying and replication, but we have better materials that we can definitely make use of! Professor Liu, what do you think?”

(End of this chapter)