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

Chapter 224 From Super 7 to JF-17
Most of the time in Pakistan is incredibly hot; only these few months are relatively cool.

Cheklara, the location of the Pakistan Air Force Command.

Harry Chiralk, the chief designer of the F-16 fighter jet and the founder of the Fighter Mafia, spoke at length.

"The modified Super-7 fighter jet from the East is indeed impressive, but no matter how it's modified, it's still a second-generation fighter jet and can't compete with a true third-generation fighter!"

"In modern air combat, there is only one reason why fighter jets can win: energy! Whoever has more energy will have the advantage on the battlefield. Our F-16 was developed based on this idea!"

"The leading-edge extensions are responsible for generating vortices in the wings, increasing their lift. The air combat flaps further enhance the lift characteristics of the wings. With the support of advanced technologies such as relaxed static stability, wing-body blending, and fly-by-wire operation, the aircraft's air combat performance has undergone a complete transformation, making it completely superior to other aircraft!"

"The F-16 is the most maneuverable aircraft in the world! The Super-7 can't compare at all!"

As he introduced himself, many people in the audience began to look at him with fervor.

Indeed, the F-16 is the most maneuverable aircraft in the world, which is undeniable. Its bubble cockpit, side-stick fly-by-wire control, and reclining seats under high G-forces are all designed for dogfighting! It can be said that the F-16's maneuverability has been recognized worldwide.

Now, Pakistan also has the opportunity to acquire advanced fighter jets like the F-16!
"Gentlemen, you can save the money you would have spent on upgrading your Eastern fighter jets and instead purchase our F-16 fighter jets. Congress has already approved the export plan to you, codenamed Peace Gate. We will export forty F-16 fighter jets to you at a price of thirty million US dollars per aircraft."

"This price may be a bit higher than that used by the US military itself, but you should know that this price is already very cheap on the international arms market. Moreover, you don't have to pay any money; it's entirely through military aid."

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a period of soaring prices for American arms.

In the late 1970s, the cheapest version of the F-16J79 originally cost only eight million US dollars, while the price of the F-16 used by the US military was only 14.6 million US dollars. However, in the early 1980s, the price of the F-16 soared to 16 million US dollars, and by 1983, the price had soared to 18 million US dollars, and this was still the price for the US military.

In the late 1980s, perhaps General Dynamics had a change of heart, and the price actually dropped again.

Export goods are never cheap, and the price also depends on the export destination. If it's for the United States, the price will definitely be based on the US military's internal procurement price. But for Pakistan, the price will be higher.

In any case, high or low, it's all just numbers. Right now, the US is providing military aid to Pakistan and the Peace Gate project, which doesn't require Pakistan to pay for it!
From the Americans' perspective, this deal is perfect for Pakistan. Pakistan doesn't need to hesitate at all; they can just buy it directly! These days, F-16s aren't something just anyone can buy!

"General Jamal, what do you think?"

After boasting, Chiralk looked at Jamal.

"Well, our Air Force still needs to conduct an assessment."

"What are you evaluating? Just buy it blindly! Fine, we'll fly an F-16 over as soon as possible so you can experience its performance firsthand!"

Chiralk believed that any customer who saw the F-16 would fall in love with it!

After seeing the Americans off, Jamal looked at his men and asked, "What do you think?"

"The F-16 is the most advanced fighter jet currently available on the international market, and we shouldn't miss this opportunity!" Brigadier General Haidar, Assistant Chief of Staff, said with anticipation, "Purchasing the F-16 will allow our air force to reach world-class levels!"

Although they still have big guys like the F-15, Pakistan is poor and simply cannot afford heavy fighter jets. The F-16, a medium fighter jet, is the best fighter jet they can get. They can't miss it!
"Sabil, what do you think?"

Sabil frowned: "The F-16 is indeed advanced and can help us improve the quality of our air force. However, if we only have forty F-16s, it will still not be enough to support our skies. We need a sufficient number. Therefore, I think that even if we choose the F-16 project, we cannot give up the Super-7."

The Americans' goal is simple: to sell them the F-16 and get them to abandon the Super-7 project!

Even if the F-16 is excellent, we can only buy a few dozen. Moreover, this requires a large amount of military aid. Yes, they don't need to contribute their own money, but the amount of military aid is fixed! If a large amount of funds is put into the F-16, how can Pakistan support the Super-7 project?

As for the Super 7, they plan to purchase several hundred of them!
Jamal nodded; he had the same thought.

They need a certain number of advanced fighter jets as their trump card, but they also need a large number of fighter jets as their backbone; neither can be lacking!

"Report!" Just then, an adjutant walked in: "We just received news from the East that they will fly over here tomorrow to discuss the deep modification plan for the Super 7."

Is there going to be a major redesign for the Super 7?

Everyone's eyes lit up: "Okay, then we'll wait!"

1980, April 3.

Cecclara welcomed a new group of people.

"Actually, ever since the maiden flight of our Super-7, we have been planning a modification of the Super-7. After all, we also know that no matter how the Super-7 is modified, it will always be a second-generation fighter jet. We need a more advanced third-generation fighter jet to meet the new requirements. We call this new project the JF-17 Thunder!"

Inside the meeting room, Qin Liang spoke eloquently. After all, Elder Tu and the others had only recently seen the design drawings, which Qin Liang had spent several days and nights rushing to complete. Only he truly understood the design concept, so he decided to be the one to introduce it.

There was no need for a translator; Qin Liang explained it directly to the group of Pakistanis in English.

Qin Liang had mentioned the JF-17 Thunder countless times before, but he never had the time to get started. Now that the Americans have brought the F-16 over, the Super-7 must also be upgraded to the JF-17 Thunder!
"Let's first look at the overall design. It is still positioned as a light fighter jet, with an empty weight of about six or seven tons, a normal takeoff weight of about ten tons, and a maximum takeoff weight of about thirteen and a half tons. The specific data depends on the choice of engine. We have mainly worked on the aerodynamic layout design. Please look at the projection screen."

The slides were put on, and a beautifully designed three-view drawing of an airplane appeared on the projection screen, making the Pakistanis' eyes widen.

The aircraft's exterior does look very modern; if it weren't for the different air intakes, one might mistake it for a small F-16!
"Regarding the nose, we still use the two-side air intake design to raise the cockpit and give the pilot a good view. Above the air intake, we start to pull the leading edge wing to generate enough vortex for the trapezoidal clipped delta wing behind. At the same time, this wing will continue to the tail, and the entire fuselage will become a lifting body."

"The dual-wing air intakes are the best solution we've verified. They improve performance at high angles of attack, prevent runway debris from being sucked in, reduce the frontal area, and also shield the engine blades..."

"The horizontal stabilizer is a fully movable horizontal stabilizer, and it can also be differentially adjusted to improve the aircraft's roll performance!"

"The longitudinal direction is operated by electric drive, while other directions are controlled by hydraulics. This can improve maneuverability through static instability and reduce costs to the greatest extent."

……

As each technology was introduced, the Pakistanis present widened their eyes.

Is this an aircraft designed by Dongfang Energy?

This aircraft's performance is probably comparable to the American F-16, right?

Jamal's eyes shone with hope: "How much of the F-16's performance can this aircraft achieve?"

"It depends on the situation. If we only consider maneuverability, our aircraft can reach more than 90% of the F-16's. However, when combined with our helmet-mounted sight and short-range air-to-air missiles with a large off-boresight launch angle, we can also outperform the F-16 in close-range dogfights!"

Even the Super-7 can achieve 80% of the maneuverability of the F-16. Now that it has been improved into the JF-17, its maneuverability will definitely exceed 90%. The remaining 10% will be made up by advanced missiles and fire control systems!
The maximum overload of the JF-17 is +8G to -3G, which is somewhat different from the F-16's +9G maneuverability overload, but the difference is not significant!

"As for medium-range air-to-air missiles, our fighter jets can suppress them in all aspects," Qin Liang said. "After all, the F-16 lacks medium-range air combat capability." This is indeed the case. The F-16 is an aircraft designed according to the theory of energy-maneuverable air combat. During its design, maneuverability was considered the most important indicator, even at the expense of other performance aspects. For example, in medium-range dogfighting, although this aircraft uses advanced radar, it lacks a continuous-wave illumination system, making it unable to guide medium-range missiles. Therefore, it can only launch short-range air-to-air missiles!
This defect was not remedied until the F-16C/D model. However, by then, the purpose of the F-16 had changed. Originally a fighter jet for dogfighting, it became a dedicated bomber, with its total weight increasing and even conformal fuel tanks being used, completely contradicting its original design intent.

Everyone was stunned: "What? The F-16 doesn't have medium-range interception capability?"

"Yes, don't you know?"

The old guys were all a bit disappointed.

For the Americans, a dedicated dogfighting fighter jet might be affordable, but not for Pakistan. They have limited funds, and even military aid has to be spent sparingly. If the F-16 can only engage in close-range combat, what about medium-range air combat?
To avoid losing precious fighter jets, if you can take down the opponent at medium range, there's no need to fly to close range! In the past, Pakistan's fighter jets didn't have much medium-range combat capability, so it was fine. But now, the Super-7 can fire skyflash, which is a huge improvement. Pakistan has praised this capability highly. Why would they want to go back?

“But your aircraft model only exists on paper!” Brigadier General Haidar frowned.

After all that talk, it's just a PowerPoint presentation, while the US F-16 is something that can be obtained anytime. There's really no comparison between the two.

Qin Liang smiled and said, "The orders for the American F-16 are already booked until the year after next. Even if you place an order now, you won't get it until 1983 at the earliest. Our Super 7 variant, on the other hand, will definitely be able to complete its maiden flight by 1983, and may even be able to complete most of the test flight subjects."

Qin Liang looked at everyone and said, "More importantly, our aircraft can be produced in your aircraft factory. I believe that your company needs at least two hundred of these fighter jets!"

Your foreign purchases are subject to restrictions; you still need to produce them yourself! For Buffett, being able to produce aircraft domestically is extremely tempting!
As expected, everyone present had complicated expressions.

"Also, I heard that the Americans will be sending over F-16s soon, and we will also be sending over a newly modified Super-7, so that everyone can see that in the face of advanced fire control and missiles, the F-16's proud maneuverability is actually not that important."

Without needing to build a completely new JF-17, a modified Super 7 with a helmet-mounted sight and PL-8 missiles can directly confront an F-16!

“Good!” Jamal nodded. “As long as this latest modification can hold its own against the F-16, we will support this new project!”

"No, our goal is not just to avoid defeat, but to completely suppress the F-16s!"

Old Tu was a little worried. "Liangzi, you've made such a big promise. If you can't deliver, you'll lose face big time!"

Qin Liang was full of confidence. Even if there were six games, as long as he won one, the F-16 would lose face. If he won three, the F-16 would have to get out of there. The Pakistanis would definitely not like that.

Qin Liang was confident of winning more than half of the matches. After all, when East and West Germany reunified, the F-16 had fought against the MiG-29, and the F-16 silenced the West. The superior performance of the helmet-mounted sight and the high off-boresight missile launch capability allowed the F-16 to lose five out of six encounters!

How is this still playing?
With the development of missiles and fire control technology, close-range dogfights will gradually become a thing of the past. The battle in later years has profoundly illustrated this point. Whoever can see and shoot further will have the right to fire first, while those who are slow to react may not even know that their own brothers have been shot down.

On March 20, Kamra Air Base, 75 kilometers northwest of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Amidst the roar of engines, an advanced fighter jet with a belly air intake and large leading-edge extensions slowly descended onto the runway.

The outward-pointing main landing gear made contact with the runway first, followed by the nose landing gear. The fighter jet came to a stop, and everyone rushed onto it.

"Gentlemen, this is our F-16. After your purchase, it will become the largest fighter jet in your possession!"

Pakistan's resources are too limited. Its main force is still the J-6. Even if it has some Super-7s, they are just ordinary light fighters, an order of magnitude smaller than the F-16.

Chiralk had no doubt about securing the order from Barack Obama, and as the plane landed, he launched into a long and detailed presentation.

"Come on, open the nose section, let me show you. This is the world's most advanced planar slotted radar..."

"Excuse me, can this radar guide medium-range missiles?"

Hearrike was taken aback and turned to look at the speaker: "General Sabil, based on our experience on the Vietnam battlefield, the actual combat effectiveness of medium-range air-to-air missiles is not strong. On average, it takes more than ten missiles to shoot down one aircraft. This is the publicly released data, but the actual results are even weaker."

"Perhaps it's because we don't have advanced missiles. The Skyflash missiles we have use inverted launchers and a single-pulse system, which have strong anti-jamming capabilities. Whether we're firing targets or in actual combat, our hit rate can exceed fifty percent..."

Chiralk frowned: "What do you mean by that? Please don't question our authority! We, the Fighter Mafia, have been researching aircraft for many years, and our theories are the most advanced!"

So the old generals fell silent.

"Come on, let's take another look at the cockpit. This is a real bubble cockpit. There's not a single partition in front, giving the pilot the best view!"

Even a small piece of glass can reflect a country's technological strength! In this era, most fighter jets still have a three-piece windshield, with a flat glass panel on the front, mainly to prevent optical distortion, otherwise the aiming of machine guns and other weapons would be inaccurate.

The flat glass can't be directly connected to the rear canopy, so a curved glass panel has to be installed on each side. These glass panels also need to be connected by frames, resulting in a large blind spot in the front view.

With the addition of a cannon hot-wire aiming, the three front windows can be replaced by a single curved glass panel, a standard feature on most advanced fighter jets. The F-16, however, completely removes the windshield, requiring the cockpit canopy to be closed to cover the front. Once opened, the cockpit is completely exposed!
"Is fire control radar the only way to lock onto this missile?"

“Of course, what else can we use besides fire control radar?” Chiralk looked at Sabil: “The F-14 fighter jet was equipped with an electro-optical targeting device, but it has been proven that the device is unreliable.”

"Helmet sights!"

Chiralk frowned: "That thing is also useless in actual combat, it's too worthless!"

"Whether it's useless or not, you'll only know after you try it."

Chiralk's gaze gradually turned cold: "You mean you want our planes to compete with those from the East? Are you sure the Easterners will agree?"

In his view, the F-16 would be overwhelmingly superior to any aircraft from the East, even the most advanced Super-7! So... the Easterners would probably disagree, right?
"Don't worry about what Easterners think. We have Super-7s at our base. How about we have an air combat exercise between our Super-7s and your F-16s?"

"Alright!" Chiralk nodded. "Then let our F-16s defeat the Eastern aircraft with overwhelming superiority, and let you know that in modern warfare, quality is everything; quantity is meaningless!"

They originally wanted the F-16s to perform aerial displays and showcase their maneuverability advantages, but now... they're ready for actual combat too!
At this moment, on the tarmac at Peshawar Air Force Base, a group of technical experts from the East were diligently maintaining a Super-7 fighter jet that had just arrived the day before.

"Liangzi, are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Old Tu, we must have confidence in our aircraft! Simply put, even if we lose, it won't be a disgrace. After all, we have a second-generation aircraft, and we're going to fight their third-generation aircraft! As long as we win one battle, we can show Pakistan how weak the F-16 is."

"But you said our planes could crush them!"

"Old Tu, we can't afford to lose in terms of momentum!"

"Report! News from Kalam Air Force Base! The combat exercise will begin in fifteen minutes!"

　PS: The development process of the Super-7, and a comparison of the leading-edge extensions of the JF-17 and the F-16. The top one is the F-16 with its slender leading-edge extensions, and the bottom one is our JF-17 with its large, outward-convex elliptical leading-edge extensions. This leading-edge extension has the best aerodynamic performance.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)