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

Chapter 214 David's Lion Fighter Jet, designed by Northwestern Polytechnical University!

Aviation building, computer room.

"Huh, didn't everyone go to take the exam?" Qin Liang looked at the students in Class 5381, who were all busy in front of their computers, and was very curious.

Yang Wei, his eyes bloodshot, turned his head, saw him, and let out a long sigh of relief: "Qin Liang, you're finally back! We can't care about final exams right now, our project has run into a big problem!"

"what is the problem?"

"Alas, this problem was caused by our modification of the design plan." Old Song sighed: "Our J-9 fighter jet was originally designed with air intakes on both sides. Now, in order to improve maneuverability, we finally adopted the design with air intakes on the fuselage. After we continued to blow air in the wind tunnel, we discovered a big problem."

Over the course of more than 10 years of research and development, the J-90 has gradually evolved into a hodgepodge.

It has a normal aerodynamic layout, a delta wing layout, and a canard aerodynamic layout. It has side air intakes and belly air intakes. It has single-engine and twin-engine configurations.

Back then, the Air Force kept talking about high-altitude and high-speed, things like double 2.6 and double 2.5. Now, the Air Force has finally changed its thinking. Those technical specifications are useless. Now, the West's third-generation fighters know that maneuverability is what determines everything!

Based on the existing technological foundation, the final specifications for the J-9 were set at using a single WP-15 high-thrust turbojet engine, under-fuselage air intake, canard aerodynamic layout, and a top speed of Mach 2, but maneuverability must reach 9G!

"what is the problem?"

"When the air intake is switched to the underside of the fuselage, at supersonic speeds, the shock waves from the canards interact with the shock waves from the air intake lip, causing a significant increase in drag," said Mr. Song. "Previously, our supersonic wind tunnel was relatively small, and we didn't test the underside air intake much, so we didn't notice it. Now, when we're developing the flight control system, we've started testing a lot of 1:1 scale wind tunnel models, and that's when we discovered this major problem!"

I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it's just this. Simple!
It is said that when the Europeans were developing the Typhoon fighter jet, the canards were originally designed to be positioned relatively far back. However, they discovered this problem and had no choice but to move the canards to the front of the cockpit, resulting in a long-distance coupled canard configuration.

Qin Liang said, "Our canards need to both generate vortices and act as control surfaces, so a mid-range coupling solution is the most suitable. As for the problem of the canards and air intakes affecting each other, we can raise the canards to create a certain height difference between them and the main wing!"

"Okay, let's revise the design right away!"

The sound of keyboards clicking filled the air. Modifying designs on the computer is so convenient. An hour later, the exterior design was complete. Then, I went to find a carpenter to modify the shape and blow the wind tunnel! Northwestern Polytechnical University has its own wind tunnel. Doing designs here is definitely more convenient than in Chengdu!
Qin Liang found an empty seat and began designing the airplane. By nightfall, his model was almost finished.

Old Song passed by his camera, glanced at it, and then frowned.

"Qin Liang, you just said that the canard and the wing should have a height difference, but with your design, why is the distance between the canard and the air intake lip so close?"

Qin Liang smiled and said, "This is just to fool foreigners. When they find out the problems and need us to make changes, we can ask for more money."

Look at those software companies in later generations, they deliberately made their programs extremely slow, and when customers couldn't stand it anymore, they asked for optimization, and then they ripped them off.

Now, our design is the same! We should make money off the Davids, even if it's a waste!

"Liangzi, Liangzi!" Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside: "IAI Company has contacted Northwestern Polytechnical University and they will be coming here soon!"

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Great! We welcome it!" Perfect timing, the exterior design is already done. Next, we'll make a model... let's make one out of plexiglass.

A few days later, in the conference room of the aviation building.

"Let's give a warm round of applause to our colleagues from David Aircraft Company for a visit and inspection at Northwestern Polytechnical University!"

After Director Luo finished speaking, he was the first to applaud.

“We’ve heard that you have accumulated a wealth of experience in canard-layout fighter jets, so we’ve come here specifically to ask you for advice on aircraft design.” Ovadia Harari, the head of the David Lion fighter jet, said with a complicated expression, “We are very envious of the progress of your Eastern aviation technology. Our David Kingdom and your country have many similarities, and we hope that we can make progress together in the future.”

"In response to your needs, we have designed a completely new aircraft shape. Due to time constraints, the shape is a bit rough. Now, please let our comrade Qin Liang introduce it to you."

Qin Liang walked to the projector, took out a model of plexiglass, and placed it on it. As a result, a beautiful model airplane appeared on the projection screen in front of everyone.

David looked over and his eyes widened instantly.

This model is almost exactly the same as their current planned project!
The nose section is almost a direct copy of the F-16, with a slightly flattened nose and a flat bottom, allowing for pre-compression of the air. The pitot-shaped air intakes are simple, direct, and weight-saving. On either side of the cockpit are their favorite canards, with the tips of the canards almost overlapping the wings, a typical close-coupled layout. The effect of this is that the vortices generated by the canards act on the main wing, maximizing the utilization of vortex lift.

The rear fuselage has a curved shape, a modification made using the supersonic area rule. The planned tail section houses the F100 high-thrust engine…

Mr. Song, who was attending the meeting, felt that the design was refreshing. If he hadn't already known about a major flaw in the design, he would have thought it was almost perfect.

Qin Liang began his detailed introduction, and the group of David employees listened attentively.

"Our design has a high lift coefficient, allowing it to carry a large amount of equipment. Its maximum external load capacity reaches 7 tons, making it a bomb truck. This is 1.5 tons more than the F-16A's 5.5 tons external load capacity. Especially during long-range strikes, large-capacity external fuel tanks can be mounted under the wings, ensuring a maximum range of over 3,500 kilometers, which meets your long-range strike needs."

This design features a huge wing area, which can store a large amount of fuel. At the same time, the longitudinal length under the wings is relatively long, which can carry large external fuel tanks. Just look at the external fuel tanks of the Rafale fighter jet. Although the internal fuel is only a little over four tons, each external fuel tank has more than one ton. With three external fuel tanks, the fuel capacity is nearly doubled!
David's eyes gleamed with excitement. Yes, they needed long-range attack capabilities! Take the current situation, for example. To launch an airstrike on the nuclear reactor of Yituo, a round trip of 2,500 kilometers would require aerial refueling tankers. If they had the planes in front of them, they could take action immediately!

"As for maneuverability, the delta wing plus canard configuration is lacking in stable turn rate, reaching at most 80% of the F-16's. However, its instantaneous turn rate can easily exceed the F-16's by more than 20%! In modern air combat, instantaneous turn rate is more important than stable turn rate, as it allows the pilot to quickly point the nose at the target and then fire."

"That's right, you're absolutely right!"

The Davidians began to chime in!

An hour later, Qin Liang, his mouth dry, finally finished his presentation.

“We are very satisfied with this design.” Harari nodded. “We hope you can provide us with all the design materials; we are willing to pay for them.”

These guys never mention the solutions they promised to design for them; they just want to buy materials!

"Well," Qin Liang smiled, "no problem, one million US dollars."

"Okay!" This amount of money is nothing to them! Harari quickly wrote the check and handed it over.

"Where's the information?"

"Here you go!" Qin Liang said, handing over the plexiglass model.

David and his men were stunned. What did that mean?
"Mr. Qin, is this the model you're referring to?"

"Yup!"

"That's impossible! Where are the blueprints? Where is the wind tunnel data?" "You can take this model back, blow it up, and you'll have the wind tunnel data, right? Oh, I forgot, you don't have a wind tunnel, so just send it to America to blow it up."

The Davidians may indeed be advanced in some areas, such as their Phalcon early warning aircraft, but overall, their technology is severely lacking. They don't even have a wind tunnel, yet they want to build airplanes?
No one spoke, knowing that Qin Liang was trying to fool David again. One million dollars for just a plexiglass model?
"Anyway... you don't trust us, so we still need to find an American to lead the design," Qin Liang said. "This model is enough."

David, who was initially very angry, now looked embarrassed.

That's right, Qin Liang is right!

The Davidians do not have an independent national defense. If they want to develop fighter jets, they need the approval of the United States because... their research and development funding comes from US military aid!
Although it's aid, the majority ends up in the hands of American arms dealers. The research and development funds don't even leave the US; they go directly into the hands of the American aerospace industry. If it's later discovered that this aircraft poses a threat to the F-16, they will immediately sever cooperation!
"Gentlemen, there is an old saying in the East: 'He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's money is bound to do his bidding.' If you cooperate with the Americans, this project will be completely controlled by them. As long as the performance of this aircraft poses a threat to the F-16, they will exert all kinds of pressure and ultimately kill the project before it even begins."

Qin Liang looked at everyone: "So, you'd better think this through!"

The men looked at each other, their expressions complicated.

“That’s right, you’re right. We do want to cooperate with the United States. After all, our research and development funding comes from US military aid, and we can’t bypass the United States.”

"Hey, guys from Raphael Corporation, I don't know if you've clearly conveyed my message. You can totally collaborate with us! We'll provide the entire design! And it'll only cost forty million US dollars, less than a tenth of your expected investment!"

"Yes, we know, but design alone isn't enough. We still need to order many of the fuselage's components from the United States..."

Their initial budget for the Lion fighter jet was $580 million, but it kept rising, reaching $2 billion by the time they started building the prototype in the 1980s.

Now, forty million US dollars for design is an incredibly cheap price!
They were indeed interested, but what if they designed it? They still had to purchase it from the United States. The fuselage and wings all had to be manufactured by American suppliers and then shipped over!

"If you can't build it, leave it to us. Our manufacturing costs in the East are only half of those in the US! We have aluminum alloys and composite materials," Qin Liang said. "If you're interested, I'll take you to our aircraft factory in the East! I guarantee you'll be amazed."

The third-tier base is still waiting. They've only built a few two-seater Super 7s, which isn't much. If they can get the contract from David Nation, it can support the further development of the third-tier base!
"Everyone, you are the smartest people in the world, you will definitely make the right choice!"

Harari took a deep breath: "Mr. Qin, the canard configuration has an inherent instability and requires the use of electric actuators. We still need to purchase these systems from the United States..."

"Gentlemen, why don't you trust Dongfang?" Qin Liang sighed. "What's so difficult about fly-by-wire operation? We're already working on fly-by-wire flight control systems. You can purchase both the software and hardware from us."

The other person's eyes widened.

"Can we take a look?"

"Well, alright, we'll get a servo motor and show it to you!"

Soon, an object the size of an aluminum alloy lunchbox was placed on the table, with only cables and a spool exposed on the outside.

"This is the canard's drive servo, using the 1553B data bus to connect directly to the flight control system. There are four sets of input lines because it uses a quadruple-redundant digital fly-by-wire system. Internally, it uses an electro-hydraulic drive method, which can respond quickly and has sufficiently high torque..."

"Can we open it up and take a look?"

"Originally, it was not possible, but seeing how sincere you are, we'll give it a try."

So, a group of engineers picked up screwdrivers on site. After they took it apart, they looked at the bright green circuit board, the exquisite motor, and the hydraulic actuator, and nodded repeatedly. This technology is no worse than that of the United States!

"Alright, Mr. Qin, as you said, we'll use forty million US dollars to ask you to help us design the aircraft. However... our project is very secretive, so we hope that your engineers can come to work in our Great David Country. Rest assured, the compensation will be absolutely generous!"

These guys were definitely up to no good. They went to the Kingdom of David, of course, to trick those people into staying!

The people of David are rich, so they can fool some people. Even if they go to work in the Kingdom of David, as long as they stay for a certain period of time, the government will give them extra money when they leave. Naturally, the workers will think the Kingdom of David is good. As for the people who are bullied by them... those people are very poor, and those people may even rob and steal, so they will naturally despise them.

Qin Liang shook his head: "That won't work. Our people are very busy and don't have time to travel back and forth. Besides, we've taken on more than one secret project. We have several cooperative projects with the United States, some of which are highly confidential, but they're still being carried out here, aren't they?"

What is your little project compared to our supersonic cruiser? The stealth shape we calculated for Lockheed was all developed here.
"Then we need to leave a group of engineers behind to work on the design."

"Of course, that's no problem!" Qin Liang nodded. "However, we are using the most advanced computer-aided design, so there are some rules and regulations in the computer room that you need to follow."

Computer-aided design? What software do you use?

"It's our own CAD system from Northwestern Polytechnical University!"

David was stunned once again: "Can we...go and take a look now?"

"can."

Half of the computer room on one floor was already full, so the other half of the computer room on the other floor was also equipped with computers, which effectively separated these people from each other, preventing them from engaging in espionage activities. As for hacking through the network... the Internet wasn't popular in this era; it was all about local area networks (LANs). Each computer room was a LAN, physically isolated from the outside world.

The group of David employees arrived at the separate computer room, turned on the computers, and saw the design software on the screen. Their expressions were complicated: "I never expected that this kind of software could actually run on a computer!"

"Yes, our IAI company also wants to import this type of computer and software in its entirety!"

In this era, aircraft design had just entered the stage of computer-aided design. Almost all design software was done on servers, or at least on minicomputers. It was incredible that a microcomputer could run CAD software!

"Well... the computers themselves aren't that expensive, only a few thousand dollars each, but we don't plan to sell our design software."

"Money is no problem!" the other party said with a wave of his hand.

"Since you're so sincere, then we'll sell you the computers with software for $20,000 a set! Minimum order of 100 sets."

The computer science professors nearby were stunned. This computer, with software, could sell for 20,000? And at least 100 copies? They made two million dollars just like that?

So far, the microcomputers produced by Northwestern Polytechnical University have only met the needs of domestic users and have not been sold internationally, so they have not earned foreign exchange. Now, it's finally their turn!

"One hundred sets aren't enough, we'll order two hundred sets!"

The people of David are discerning; they can see at a glance that this combination of microcomputer and CAD will rewrite history!

In the past, many people had to share one set of minicomputers, but now one person can use one microcomputer, which will greatly improve work efficiency!
No one knew that this marked the arrival of a new era! Eastern computer operating systems and software had gone beyond national borders and entered the world market, and the standards in this field were being set by Northwestern Polytechnical University! In reality, piracy was temporarily irrelevant; the priority was to seize the market and establish an ecosystem! In this field, latecomers had no chance of survival!
　P.S.: J-9 and Lavi fighter jets. We at East China are utterly disgusted by claims that the J-10 copied the Lavi fighter jet, so let's design the squid instead!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)