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

Chapter 194 The test flight platform is here, and it's very powerful!

The conference room fell completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Tomcat, the most powerful variable-sweep wing heavy fighter of this era!
After the movie "Top Gun" was released, a large number of cat fans emerged all over the world. Some people even signed up for the U.S. Navy because of the movie, which solved the Navy's recruitment difficulties.

Although the movie hasn't been made yet, tomcats are still considered a symbol of strength by professionals!
There are many fighter jets with variable sweep wings, but there is only one Tomcat!
The Tomcat's wing boxes are wide, and the two rear engines are nearly a meter apart, making the Tomcat's fuselage look very large. The fuselage itself can contribute a large part of the lift, so in actual operation, there have been cases where malfunctions have occurred, resulting in different sweep angles of the two wings, but the aircraft still returned safely!
The Tomcat uses a twin-engine, twin-tail configuration, which looks very imposing. Other aircraft almost all have a single tall tail, which makes them inherently less imposing!
The combination of the Tomcat's AWG-9 radar and Phoenix missiles is something that people talk about with great interest!

Everyone has probably dreamed of being a tomcat, and now, that dream has actually come true!

"Langtuo's tomcat?" Old Lin took a deep breath and then asked.

Qin Liang nodded: "They are facing sanctions from the United States, which has led to a shortage of spare parts for their Tomcats, causing them to be grounded. So, they came to us, originally wanting to use us to buy a batch of Tomcats from the United States..."

"Great! Great!" Someone actually agreed!

"What's so great about it?" Qin Liang shook his head: "Why would the Americans sell us a powerful fighter like the Tomcat! Everyone, always remember, the Americans only want to incite us to fight the Soviet Union and be their cannon fodder. They will never watch us truly grow stronger!"

In later generations, Grumman Corporation earnestly marketed the Tomcat to the East, inviting them to visit their factory and even designing a paint scheme for the Tomcat incorporating Eastern elements, but...

That was just Grumman's wishful thinking. If the East had actually had the money to purchase them, the problem would have been the various obstacles from the US government! In the eyes of the Americans, the East only deserved defensive fighter jets, such as the F-16. They wouldn't sell offensive heavy fighter jets, whether the F-14 or the F-15, to the East! There would have been countless disputes, and it would have taken three to five years to deal with those politicians.

It's only 79 now, and the relationship between the two sides isn't good enough for them to buy heavy fighter jets!

“That’s right, Liangzi is right. The West is only developing relations with us now because of pressure from the Soviet Union.” Old Lin nodded. “We must always be vigilant. After all, imperialism will never give up its desire to destroy us. Anyone who naively throws themselves into the West’s arms would be the most foolish!”

Qin Liang glanced at Old Lin with a sigh. With the country's doors opened, a group of people will emerge in society who yearn for the West, constantly shouting that they want to follow the Western path. If they really do, they will become the second Yi Tuo, the second Xu Tuo, the second Er Mao! Wherever the winds of democracy and freedom blow, there will be turmoil and decline!

We in the East will not fall for their tricks, because we have a group of people with unwavering will!
"Liangzi, continue!"

"I rejected their proposal and instead suggested using our parts to modify their aircraft. For example, we could replace their TF30 engines with our WP-15 turbojet engines. Langtuo has nearly eighty fighter jets. Even if we only replace fifty of them, that would be an order for one hundred engines. If we add a backup, that would be two hundred engines."

Factory Director Duan was overjoyed.

The WP-15 turbojet engine has been built, and the next step is testing. Since it is a mature Russian engine, as long as the materials and manufacturing process are up to standard, there will be no serious malfunctions. The key is installation. Without a suitable carrier platform, this engine will be useless!

A few years later, our own aircraft was produced. The workers who produced the WP-15 turbojet engine had already gone to do other things, and their skills were abandoned!

The current order for two hundred engines is enough for their factory to produce for three to five years! With such a high production volume, the WP-15 turbojet engine can be fully matured!

Qin Liang is really amazing! As long as you do as Qin Liang says, you don't need to worry about the consequences; Qin Liang will take care of everything!
The visitors from Factory 410 all had complicated expressions.

The WP-15 turbojet engine has actually taken off, and it has even found a foreign heavy fighter jet to equip with it. If only this opportunity could have been given to the WS-6 turbofan engine!

They still fondly remember the WS-6 turbofan engine, but they know they can't go back. After all, Qin Liang was a staunch opponent of the WS-6! Now, the development of the WS-10 is also indefinitely delayed, and they can't get their hands on it!
"You're quite something, kid. You must have already figured out that batch of tomcats, right?" Old Lin said with a smile. "It's a win-win situation. It allows us to test our engines in practice, making them more mature, and we can also earn valuable foreign exchange."

Qin Liang shook his head: "Of course not, it was just a chance encounter when we went to the Crying Country. It's only because we've successfully gone international that we've gained the recognition of our international clients..."

"Can the modification of this aircraft be done at our Factory 112?"

Looking at the expectant gaze directed at him, Qin Liang shook his head: "Over the years, Factory 320 has been researching variable-sweep wing technology, so this project is most suitable for Factory 320. They can also find more inspiration from the Tomcat, which will greatly promote the development of the twin-engine Q-6."

Qin Liang looked at Elder Lin: "Our navy and air force's heavy attack aircraft depend on this plane!"

"Yes, that's right, let's put it in Factory 320!"

This business was brought in by Qin Liang. Wherever Qin Liang said to place it, that's where it will be placed. Besides, the reason was quite valid.

The person from Factory 112 couldn't help but sigh.

All the other sister factories are thriving. Factory 132 has the Super-7, Factory 320 has the Q-6 and the Tomcat improvement project, while our own Factory 112, the big brother of China Eastern Airlines, is getting nothing! It's really frustrating!
The problem with the WP-15 turbojet was solved just like that! All that effort from everyone else was less effective than a few words from Qin Liang!

"Liangzi, you are the backbone of our aviation industry!"

"Ahem, Mr. Lin, please don't praise me too much, or I'll become arrogant. By the way, Mr. Tu, during this sales trip, the customer raised the requirement for improvements to the trainer aircraft. Our Factory 132 should put in a little more effort and finish modifying the trainer aircraft as well..."

This is just a normal arrangement; it's based on Super 7 with slight modifications, but...

Why did such a complicated expression appear on Old Tu's face?
"Old Tu, what's wrong?"

"Liangzi, you're still a college student after all, and you haven't been directly involved in our defense industry. Besides, you've been running around a lot lately, so you probably don't know that the mission for the trainer aircraft has been handed over to Base 011. They're having a tough time!"

011 Base!

A flood of memories instantly rushed into Qin Liang's mind.

In that special era, the slogan "Good people and good horses go to the Third Front" was shouted by the country. As a result, a large number of passionate builders of the motherland responded to the call of the country and went deep into the mountains.

Guizhou was a key area for the Third Front construction. Here, there were the 011 Aviation Industrial Base, the 061 Aerospace Industrial Base, and the 083 Electronics Industrial Base. These three bases were distributed in a triangle, almost covering the entire mountainous region of Guizhou.

At that time, the country had already prepared for the possibility of the entire north falling to the enemy. Therefore, during the construction of these third-line bases, concealment was repeatedly emphasized, and they had to be located in the mountains and valleys.

Now, the Third Front bases have been built, but... the national direction has changed! The Third Front bases in the remote mountain valleys are inherently disadvantaged. Not to mention anything else, just transporting materials is much more difficult than factories in big cities, which leads to high production costs and makes it impossible to adapt to market competition.

The passionate young people of that time were completely dumbfounded!
Third-tier factories had to find their own way out, some even had to transition from military to civilian production... Those that failed were laid off! They lost their jobs!

With the Third Front project on the verge of collapse, many people were getting anxious. The head of the 011 base went to the capital multiple times to ask for projects. As a result, the capital hinted that the trainer aircraft imitation project of Factory 132 could be taken over, but they would have to fight for it themselves!
So the leaders of Base 011 came to Factory 132. They were all old acquaintances. After a good talk, Tu Lao let them off the hook and gave them the task of imitating the trainer aircraft. With a model development, they would at least not starve. Factory 132 was already making money through exports, so they had to help their brothers out.

Qin Liang shook his head with a complicated expression: "If it's a MiG-21 trainer, then forget it!"

Most fighter jets require corresponding two-seat trainer aircraft for pilots to use when transitioning to other types of flights after joining the military. The J-5 had the JJ-5, the J-6 had the JJ-6, and the J-7 also had the JJ-7. This aircraft was a trainer version of the MiG-21 fighter jet, which was imported from abroad. It was created by extending the MiG-21 cockpit backward, taking up part of the fuel tank space, and adding a second instructor cockpit.

This solves the two-seat problem, but... the instructor's view in the back seat is extremely poor, since it's all blocked by the back of the pilot's ejection seat in front!

It's manageable in the air, but the risks during takeoff and landing are extremely high. The Russians' solution was simple and brutal: install a periscope on the rear cockpit canopy of the instructors. During takeoff and landing, they can open the periscope and see the runway!
How to put it... this method is in line with the Russians' usual standards, but it will definitely not be welcomed by any customer!

Moreover, the J-7 has now been upgraded to the Super-7, and the number of J-7s in the domestic air force will be greatly reduced. The Super-7 will definitely be the main aircraft. Using J-7-modified trainer aircraft to train Super-7 pilots? That would be met with fierce criticism from the pilots in the military... The Super-7 has a pointed nose, and the two-seat cockpit can be extended forward to occupy the original radar position, thus forming a two-seat layout with the front lower and the rear higher, providing good visibility from both the front and rear!

"never mind?"

"Yes, that's a project with no market potential. Even if they manage to develop it, they won't be able to sell it..."

Qin Liang said there was no market, so there definitely wasn't a market! Everyone present fell silent. Many people in the third-tier base had been transferred from their factories, and they didn't want to see the third-tier factories go bankrupt. The older factories like Factory 410 and Factory 112 were also silent at this moment. They were envious of the development in Chengdu, but they also felt sympathy for the third-tier base.

Those who left back then were all the factory's elite!

"Liangzi, if you have a way... please help them out. The third-tier factories are among the best." Old Tu's gaze was complicated. He knew Qin Liang's position. Back then, after negotiating so many projects with Marconi, he didn't directly give the benefits to the third-tier factories, but instead let them compete!
Those are all subsystems. Some parts manufacturers can raise their own funds and use the data they have to do imitation. But what about aircraft factories? How can they do that? Aircraft factories can't raise their own funds to develop an aircraft!

"Well..." Qin Liang thought for a moment: "The trainer aircraft project must be modified based on the Super-7. If you, Elder Tu, are willing to give up some of the profits, we can hand over the production of the Super-7 trainer aircraft to them."

The demand for trainer aircraft is not very high. Generally speaking, in large Western formations, a fighter squadron with 24 aircraft can only have 4 two-seat trainer aircraft if it can be matched with them. Most of them are still ordinary fighters. Moreover, the demand for the Super-7 is very large. Factory 132 is now working overtime to produce, and it is estimated that there are no extra workshops to produce two-seat trainer aircraft.

Qin Liang decided not to be generous with his own money; he left the choice to others and let them be generous of themselves!
Hearing Qin Liang's words, Old Tu said almost without hesitation: "Okay, let them copy the Super 7 trainer! Get any materials they need from our Factory 132!"

Qin Liang smiled. He knew that Old Tu would make this choice. Even though Factory 132 had embarked on the path of a market economy, they would still not forget their past friendship. Who said that the capital market is all heartless and cruel? In the East, there is still warmth!
"Old Tu, I must remind you, you gave the Super 7 data to Base 011. Who knows, one day they might be able to build their own Super 7, and sell it for less than you, thus taking away your market share."

"We're not afraid. Since Factory 132 has chosen the path of market economy, we're not afraid of competition! It's just... how to modify this trainer aircraft still requires design drawings from Northwestern Polytechnical University!"

"Well, hand over the design drawings to us. Since your Factory 132 is so selfless, Northwestern Polytechnical University should also show its appreciation. The design fee is ten million yuan, which will be paid after their aircraft is sold."

Just to generate some blueprints on a computer, and it costs ten million? That's outrageous...

The people from Shenyang were a bit unhappy. "You're asking for too little! How much did you charge for just a nose modification? Now, with such a major change to the trainer version, you're only asking for ten million?"

This is not fair!
However, they dared not mention it, after all, it had nothing to do with them!

"Okay, then that's settled. To support the third-tier bases, as long as their trainer variants are modified, our Air Force will also buy a batch!" Old Lin nodded.

The Air Force needs to transition its existing fighter jets to third-generation aircraft as soon as possible. The JJ-5 and JJ-6 trainers are too old, and a brand-new trainer is needed. The Super-7 is cost-effective and can be converted into a trainer without too high a procurement cost. The Air Force needs it.

Qin Liang yawned: "Leaders, is there anything else? If not... I'll go back to sleep."

"That's all for now, but... everyone's hungry, we need to go get some food and drinks."

"Ahem, eating is fine, but let's skip the drinking."

Qin Liang still has a psychological aversion to drinking with Old Lin.

"Well, eating is the main thing. As for drinking, it's just for rinsing your mouth."

Factory 420, staff canteen.

"Come on, Liangzi, you've done us a great service this time. Although the navy profited the most, the air force also benefited. Come on, let's have a toast!"

"Old Lin, didn't you say you wanted to rinse your mouth?"

"That's right, let's rinse our mouths with this first drink, and then we'll drink the second one properly!"

"Mr. Lin, this is my only drink!"

"Okay, let's drink this first, and then we'll talk about the rest."

Qin Liang was helpless. What was wrong with this old man Lin? He seemed to enjoy getting himself drunk. No, he had to change the subject.

"Old Lin, air forces around the world are rapidly transitioning to third-generation fighters. We need to hurry. By the way, Old Song, how is our J-9 project progressing?"

"The airframe design is complete, and we are currently studying the flight control laws and preparing to write the flight control program, but we still feel it's not safe enough."

"Well, we need to build an iron bird testing platform," Qin Liang said.

Old Song's eyes lit up instantly: "Tell me more about it?"

"Digital fly-by-wire flight control is blazing a trail that no one has ever walked before. We must establish a system testing environment on the ground to comprehensively test the various performance indicators and control functions of the flight control system. This testing equipment is the Iron Bird Test Bench..."

When the J-10 fighter jet was developed, a testbed like this was built, with ten subsystems, thousands of control units, and nearly a hundred kilometers of connecting cables! You can imagine the scale of this thing.

In fact, to develop this system, the relevant personnel wrote a system definition report of more than 400 pages, more than 300 technical documents, and the production drawings alone were more than 2,000 pages!

The significance of this system was demonstrated during the J-10 test flight. At that time, all the third-generation fighters of all countries that used fly-by-wire control crashed during test flights. Even the Su-27 designer Simonov shamelessly said: "Good planes are made by crashing."

Our J-10 completed all its test flight missions without a single crash! That's all thanks to this iron bird test stand!

"Digital fly-by-wire flight control is used in only a handful of aircraft worldwide. It's the most cutting-edge technology. You guys..." The people from Shenyang widened their eyes, feeling incredulous.

The F-14 used hydraulic control, the F-15 used hydraulic control, and it wasn't until 2011 that it switched to digital fly-by-wire. Even in the United States, the first fighter jet with fly-by-wire flight control was the F-16! These are all new fighter jets developed in recent years.

"What we're going to do is develop the world's most cutting-edge technology!" Qin Liang said. "If we're going to do it, we'll do it the best!"

In the past, everyone would have scoffed at this, thinking it was just a ridiculous claim, but when Qin Liang said it, it was a different story!

They have the capability!
“That’s right, if we’re going to do it, we’ll do it the best in the world!” Old Song nodded: “Liangzi, tell me more about it!”

Here we go again! This conversation lasted for more than two hours, which was a disguised meeting, but... it was still better than being forced to drink by Old Lin.

　PS: The picture above is of the MiG-21 trainer jet. The rectangular thing on the top of the rear cockpit is the periscope. The picture below is of our Mountain Eagle trainer jet.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)