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

Chapter 153 Dassault's business was poached?

Inside the Y-10 aircraft cabin, everyone settled down.

"As you all know, our Super-7 is an improved version of the J-7, so let's start by quoting prices for the J-7. The MiG-21s that you purchased from the Soviet Union must have cost no less than eight million US dollars, right?"

Shadama nodded: "That's right!"

"Our J-7s produced in the East are of better quality. For example, the engine only needs major overhaul after 150 hours, and this will be increased to 200 hours later. Its lifespan is three times that of the Russian engine! At the same time, we can modify the weapon interfaces so that it can be mounted on Soviet, French, or our own air-to-air missiles. This all-around J-7 only costs three million US dollars per aircraft!"

Hamid's eyes widened: "Only three million dollars per aircraft? That's incredibly cheap! Our Iraqi Air Force needs at least a hundred!"

We need both quality and quantity!
The Iraqi Air Force has long been a loyal user of Soviet-made fighter jets, possessing a large number of MiG-21s and a large number of pilots who fly the MiG-21s. Some of these aircraft have reached the end of their flight hours and can no longer be flown. If they were to switch to flying other advanced aircraft, it would be another expense.

Now, we can fill this gap by purchasing a batch of J-7 fighters from the East, and the price is cheap, only 300 million US dollars for 100 aircraft!

Old Tu was beaming with joy.

The sales target of 100 fighter jets has been achieved! It doesn't matter what kind of aircraft they are, as long as there's money to be made. From now on, Factory 132 will have to operate at full capacity, producing day and night. If they can't keep up with demand, they'll have to expand the factory or distribute some orders to other units…

Shadama nodded: "Okay, let's order one hundred J-7s first!"

"Our J-7 has two models, the same as the Soviet MiG-21, priced at three million US dollars. Because of our advanced Eastern technology, we've made some improvements to the J-7, replacing the avionics, modifying the cockpit, introducing a head-up display, and giving it hot-wire aiming capability for the cannon. These improvements make the fighter easier to fly, and the price has slightly increased to five million US dollars..."

“A cannon hot-wire? That sounds great!” Hamid took a deep breath. “I think those two million dollars are well spent! This upgrade will make flying much easier; the previous optical sights were just too difficult to use!”

Shadama nodded: "Okay, we're not short of money!"

Before the war, Iraq was quite wealthy, with foreign exchange reserves approaching 40 billion US dollars! Saddam Hussein was a daring and ambitious man who dared to spend money. By the end of the war, Iraq was burdened with foreign debt of over 70 billion US dollars!
Now, these hundreds of millions of dollars are nothing at all.

Old Tu was filled with excitement; three hundred million had become five hundred million!
"Okay, that's enough about the low-end fighter jets for now. Let's talk about the Super-7. The cheapest version of the Super-7 is a simple upgrade of the J-7: modify the nose, increase engine thrust, and install our Eastern avionics. This kind of aircraft only costs seven million US dollars..."

Shadama looked up: "We're not short of money, how about we upgrade the order we just placed to..."

Qin Liang shook his head: "No, no, the order we just placed was for low-end aircraft. We can't go too high, otherwise we'll lose our quantity advantage. A mix of high and low is the key. The Super 7 I just mentioned is just the basic model. We also have upgraded models."

In the future, someone only wanted to buy a bicycle, but ended up being tricked into buying a Mercedes... He couldn't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture; he had to sell both high-end and low-end aircraft! "An upgraded version?"

"That's right! We have to admit that we in the East are still somewhat behind in terms of aircraft engines. That's why we replaced the Super-7 fighter jet with the European RB199 engine. This engine is powerful and maneuverable. The fighter jets performing today are equipped with this engine. Because of its low fuel consumption, the maximum range can reach 3,000 kilometers, and the combat radius can exceed 1,000 kilometers. This kind of aircraft can take off from your airport, fly to the capital of Langtuo, circle for 30 minutes, and then return."

Shadak's eyes immediately lit up with excitement: "Good, great, excellent! We absolutely must use this version with the modified engine!"

"In that case, the price would rise to ten million US dollars. It has advanced avionics, ample power, and a first-class airframe. Its overall combat capability surpasses that of the Mirage 2000, but the price is much lower. More importantly, our aircraft is already in the final stages of flight testing and will soon be finalized and put into production. The Mirage 2000, on the other hand, has only just completed its maiden flight and is unlikely to be delivered within five years. I think your side may not be able to wait that long, right?"

Saddam nodded: "That's right, you're right! We can purchase... one hundred of these brand-new Super-7 fighters! We could only buy twenty Mirage 2000s originally, but now we can buy one hundred Super-7s, it's definitely a good deal!"

"If you are satisfied, then we need to sign the contract and pay the down payment immediately so that we can schedule production for you as soon as possible."

Standing to the side, Old Tu was completely shocked and speechless.

Another hundred aircraft, still sold for ten million US dollars each, that's a billion dollars. Add the J-7, and it's 1.5 billion dollars! We're rich!
Saddam hesitated. After all, this wasn't like buying cabbage, where you have to compare prices. He had only glanced at the airshow a few times before deciding to place an order worth over a billion dollars. Was that a bit hasty?
At this moment, Qin Liang lowered his voice: "Everyone, we are developing advanced air-to-air missiles for this fighter jet, with a maximum range of over fifty kilometers! With it, we can be assured of victory even against the Tomcat fighter..."

The Izvestia Air Force has a large number of fighter jets, but the performance of the accompanying missiles is generally poor. The Matra Super 530F missile, which is planned to be equipped on the Mirage F1 fighter jet, has a maximum range of only 25 kilometers, and it has not yet been finalized.

Here in the East, there are air-to-air missiles with a range of fifty kilometers! Although they can't compare to the Phoenix fighter jet's 100-kilometer range, they are still capable of fighting!
Hearing Qin Liang say this, Shadama no longer hesitated: "Okay, let's sign the contract now!"

Old Tu's eyes widened. This is allowed? Qin Liang, that missile is a secret research and development project of the Air Force. Is it appropriate for you to just say it out loud? But... these days, it seems there's nothing to hide. As long as you have it, you can sell it for money.

Besides, Qin Liang was talking about the future! How can the future be anything good?
At 5 p.m., the first day of the airshow came to a successful close. People left the venue and went to nearby hotels to stay overnight, while others went to restaurants to celebrate the day's achievements.

On the left bank of the Seine, in the Latin Quarter, in a quiet alley, lies a Michelin-starred restaurant.

"Come on, cheers!" Marcel Dassault, the elderly man who was old but still full of confidence, raised his glass: "Today, our Mirage 2000 made its debut at the airshow and also received nearly 100 letters of intent from eight foreign customers. This is truly a great event to celebrate!"

“That’s right, especially Ito, who purchased twenty aircraft at once, the most among these customers. Next, we will continue…” Jean-Jacques Samin was about to say a few more words when he saw someone rushing in.

"Everyone, we've just received news that Yituo has signed a contract with the East to purchase two hundred aircraft!"

What? Dassault Systèmes' biggest order was snatched away?
(End of this chapter)