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

Chapter 243 Three missiles combined into two, doubling the range

The capital of Yituo.

"Use our most advanced Eastern fighter jets to bomb the Tomcat fighter base?" Saddam Hussein immediately rejected the operational plan Hamid presented: "What is the Air Force thinking?"

Hamid was momentarily stunned. This plan was suggested by their Eastern friends. They had conducted extensive research, wargaming simulations, and combined various intelligence to finalize the plan. Yet Shadak had rejected it with just a single sentence?
"Where should we launch an airstrike?" Hamid asked cautiously. "Please advise."

"A bunch of idiots! Of course, we should bomb the enemy's capital! On the first day of the war, we need to drop bombs on the enemy's capital. That's what makes a difference!" Saddam Hussein gave him a disdainful look: "Got it?"

"Understood, we will revise the battle plan according to your instructions!"

The distance from Tehran to the Iraqi border is more than 500 kilometers, and the straight-line distance to each of Iraqi air force bases is 600 to 700 kilometers. The outdated fighter jets currently in Iraq cannot fly that far. Only the J-8 and Super-7 fighters purchased from the East can take off and fly directly to Tehran.

However… Hamid knew in his heart that dropping bombs on Langkawi’s capital was merely symbolic! It would have no effect on the war. Once the element of surprise in starting the war was lost, Langkawi would be on high alert, and it would be much more difficult to launch a surprise attack on Langkawi’s Tomcat fighter jet base in Isfahan in the future!

So, what to do?
Hamid returned to his office with a heavy heart. After thinking it over, he still had no clue what to do. Then... he slapped his forehead and quickly sent a telegram to Skyhawk Reyer, who was still in the East modifying his fighter jets, asking them to ask the East for help and see if they had a solution!
Dongfang, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Laboratory.

"Professor Lin, what you are seeing now is the first long-range cruise missile developed by our Department of Aerospace Engineering at Northwestern Polytechnical University. It has a maximum range of 1,700 kilometers and flies at extremely low altitudes throughout its flight. Its emergence will completely rewrite the nature of warfare!"

When Qin Liang was about to return from the capital, he received good news: after a summer of research and development, our first self-developed cruise missile has been successfully built!

So Qin Liang managed to persuade Old Lin and the others to come over.

The missile in front of us is 5.6 meters long, and about 6.3 meters with the booster. It is 0.52 meters in diameter and has a cylindrical body with a small folding wing in the center, a cruciform tail fin, and a foldable air intake on the belly of the missile in front of the tail fin.

"This thing is just a small airplane," Old Lin said. "Our air force has so many old fighter jets, can't we just modify them?"

"Of course we can modify our old fighter jets, but... fighter jets are huge and can't fly close to the ground, making them difficult to control. They can't compare to our specially developed cruise missiles." Qin Liang glanced at Old Lin: "Since the Air Force doesn't like them, we can just sell these missiles directly!"

"No, no, absolutely not! This is a valuable item, and our air force certainly needs it!" Old Lin immediately changed his mind.

Listening to the conversation between Qin Liang and Elder Lin, Professor Wang and the others were all somewhat moved. Who wouldn't report to an Air Force veteran of Elder Lin's caliber with utmost respect? Only Qin Liang and Elder Lin seemed to be old friends!
"Even if the Air Force wants it, they can't. Mr. Lin, we plan to sell this thing to make money."

"what?"

Old Lin's expression changed: "This is a deadly weapon! It can fly at extremely low altitudes, close to the ground, and still cover nearly two thousand kilometers, silently approaching the target and making it impossible for the enemy to defend against. We absolutely cannot sell such a good thing, we cannot sell it!"

Just as Qin Liang was about to say that they had something even better, he saw Old Lin's secretary rush in.

"Old Lin, news has come from Yituo..."

Old Lin's expression was complicated.

"Sigh, some people can't even copy homework properly. We've already prepared a complete plan for them, but they still won't listen! All for the sake of saving face... They're really hopeless cases!"

Qin Liang asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Let's go have a few drinks and talk while we drink."

It's inconvenient here, since even if the people here are all reliable, they are still strangers.

Inside the cafeteria, Qin Liang listened to Old Lin explain Shadama's choices, his eyes sparkling. The opportunity to make money for the Department of Aerospace Engineering had arrived!

“We can sell them the cruise missiles we just developed,” Qin Liang said. “Let them use the cruise missiles to attack Langtu’s capital, freeing up our fighter jets to attack the Isfahan airbase.”

Old Lin shook his head: "No, we can't sell it!"

"Old Lin, this thing was originally intended to be sold. We use it ourselves; it's an advanced cruise missile with stealth capabilities..."

Old Lin opened his eyes wide and listened to Qin Liang's introduction.

"Therefore, current cruise missiles are not technically advanced and can be sold to make money."

"no!"

Old Master Lin was so unreasonable that Qin Liang was helpless: "Why?"

"No means no, there's no need for so many whys!"

With a range of over 1,700 kilometers, this is a true weapon of mass destruction! Even without stealth capabilities, it is still incredibly powerful. This thing must be kept in our own hands; no neighboring country can have it!
Qin Liang is indeed very knowledgeable about military equipment and aviation technology, but he doesn't understand politics. In this respect, he still has a long way to go.

"So, will the Air Force make a large-scale purchase? We'll give the Air Force an internal price of 300,000 per piece, but the minimum order is 100 pieces, no, 200 pieces!"

Developing this missile requires expenditure, and building a cruise missile production plant also requires a large amount of money. The subsequent navigation satellites will also cost money. This cruise missile is a money-making project that Qin Liang has prepared for the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

but……

Old Lin shook his head: "No, the Air Force doesn't have that much money. Let's produce ten or eight first and let the Air Force test them. If the performance is good, we'll equip twenty or thirty of them first."

You won't let us sell, and you won't even buy in large quantities, you...

Qin Liang almost swore.

"Come on, drink!"

"Don't drink!"

Qin Liang's mind raced. Why did Old Master Lin disagree? What went wrong?

"Old Lin, cruise missiles need to be matched with a global satellite navigation system to unleash their maximum combat effectiveness. Right now, we only have inertial navigation and terrain matching, and the error is still quite high, similar to that of ballistic missiles..."

"Ballistic missiles are limited to 300 kilometers by international regulations, but your missiles are nearly 2,000 kilometers away, my goodness..."

Qin Liang then realized that the range was too long!

"Old Lin, that's simple. We can make the fuel tank smaller, shorten the missile length, and reduce the range from 1,700 kilometers to 500 kilometers. Wouldn't that make it easier to sell?"

"That won't work either. If you can shorten it, then won't the camel lengthen itself?"

Extended!

This thought flashed through Qin Liang's mind like lightning: "Oh right, how could I have forgotten this great opportunity to make money!"
"Okay, if they won't allow us to sell our domestically developed cruise missiles, then let's go to Izvestia and help them modify their Scud missiles. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Modify the speedster? How?"

"Combining three missiles with two, the range doubles." Qin Liang said, "Have someone pass a message to Hamid that attacking the enemy's capital is a major undertaking that cannot be done by fighter jets. Ballistic missiles are the most suitable. As long as they pay 20 million... no, 30 million US dollars in consulting fees, we will modify the Scud missiles they have!"

Old Lin stopped drinking: "Tell me more about it?"

"We won't tell! It's not some advanced technology. If we tell others, what if other companies go to Yituo for cooperation first? How will Northwestern Polytechnical University make money then?"

"Okay!" Old Lin nodded.

Yituo, the capital city.

"The new air raid report is ready. Please take a look." Hamid carefully handed over a report. Saddam glanced at it twice and nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent, excellent! Our most advanced fighter jets should be used to bomb the enemy's capital and teach them the most painful lesson!"

Hamid was utterly speechless. The most advanced fighter jets should be used in the most critical situations.

Seeing that Saddam was in a good mood, Hamid continued cautiously, "However, we always feel that long-range airstrikes with fighter jets can't teach the enemy the most profound lesson. If only our Scud missiles could reach the enemy's capital." "Yes, Scuds are uninterceptable. Unfortunately, the Scud missile's range is only 300 kilometers. The Soviets have never been willing to sell us their most advanced missiles! By the way, does the East have any more advanced missiles?"

The range of exported missiles is limited to within 300 kilometers. This rule was established in 1987. However, before that, the ballistic missiles available on the international arms market were limited to the Scud. After all, more advanced missiles are national strategic assets and no country would export them.

The 300-kilometer limit is actually based on the Scud missile, which is just an improved version of the German V2 missile technology from World War II.

"The East... I don't know either, but... the East people say that we can improve our Scud missiles and increase their range to 600 kilometers."

"What did you say?" Saddam's eyes lit up instantly. He loved weapons of mass destruction, and ballistic missiles were his favorite! It was a pity that he couldn't buy those with a longer range, otherwise he would have had them long ago.

"They will use technical means to turn our three Scud missiles with a range of 300 kilometers into two missiles with a range of 600 kilometers. It only costs 30 million US dollars to modify them..."

"Okay, sign a cooperation agreement with them immediately! They need to complete the renovations within half a month!"

"Yes!" Hamid was pleased, but then... a worried expression appeared on his face: "If we use these long-range missiles to launch an attack, it might clash with our fighter jets, so perhaps we should..."

"If we had a hundred modified missiles before the war, what would we need fighter jets for!"

"Yes!" Hamid was finally relieved. He ordered the missiles to bomb Tehran, while the other fighter jets continued to operate according to the original plan, striving to destroy Lang Tuo's most advanced Tomcat fighter jets as soon as possible and eliminate the problem once and for all!
Northwestern Polytechnical University, Department of Aerospace Engineering.

"Gentlemen, this is a $30 million order. Let's see if you dare to take it. Suddenly, the Department of Aerospace Engineering will have a lot of money. If you don't have the ability, then you'll have to give it to other units in the aerospace sector."

"Take it, why wouldn't we!" Professor Wang said, "It's so rare to find a business opportunity that makes money, of course we should do it! It's just..."

"Just what?"

"This missile has been lengthened, and we need to do all sorts of tests. These two weeks are going to be quite tight!"

Qin Liang smiled and said, "It's alright! Just weld it on easily! Russian products have a lot of margin, so there won't be any problems."

The simplest way to increase missile range is to lengthen it, but this can also cause serious problems, such as insufficient missile strength or resonance. Therefore, capable R&D units will develop new high-thrust rocket engines and thicken the missile body. Only those with insufficient technology will take the simple route of lengthening, such as India.

Although the East has never encountered the Scud missile before, this three-missile-in-two-missile scheme has been historically proven and has no problems.

Cut one of the missiles in half, weld the outer shell in two, and attach it to the other two missiles. Also cut the fuel tank and oxidizer tank in half, weld them together, and attach them to the other two missiles. This increases the fuel and oxidizer of the other two missiles, increases the engine's combustion time by more than 100 seconds, and naturally increases the range.

"Increasing the fuel by only half and doubling the range seems... impossible!"

"That's simple, just reduce the weight of the warhead!"

There are different accounts of the warhead weight of the Scud missile, some say one ton, others say 770 kilograms. However, after being improved into the Hussein missile, the warhead weight was reduced to just over 300 kilograms!
"What if Yituo gets upset?"

"If the warheads aren't powerful enough, make up for it with quantity. Just get more, right?"

"Okay, one last question. The accuracy of the missile seems to be low. After the modification, the accuracy will probably be even worse."

"It's okay, let's use the Russians' modified version first. When they complain that the accuracy is not good enough and want to improve it, we'll recommend our inertial navigation system to them and make some money off them then!"

As honest people, we all looked at each other and felt that what we were doing was a bit unfair!

"What's wrong? Everyone, that's how it is when you do business internationally! Think about it, how much money would it cost us to develop the BeiDou navigation system! There's oil right under Yituo's feet, and we can sell it for money as soon as we extract it! Why not make money off them? It's for the technological development of our country, not for ourselves."

"Alright!" Professor Wang nodded. "Let's set off right away!"

Half a month is a tight schedule, but... Qin Liang has already finalized the renovation plan. When they arrive, they'll just be getting to work.

In particular, the data on the steel composition of the Scud missile's outer shell, as well as the material composition of its fuel tank and oxidizer tank, are readily available, allowing for the most suitable cutting and welding process without wasting any time.

Yituo, the base of the 224th Missile Brigade.

In 1974, Iraq introduced more than 800 Scud missiles and 36 launch vehicles, and established its first missile brigade. After six years of training, they have grown into Iraq's most elite force!
Brigade Commander Mustaf was a middle-aged man of short stature with a straight mustache and bright, alert eyes.

He stared wide-eyed as the engineers from the East completely cut open a Scud missile, splitting the fuel tank and oxidizer tank in two, and then cutting open two intact Scud missiles and beginning to reassemble them.

The sparks from the electric arc caught his eye.

It's that simple?
Half a month? Not at all. The new missile was welded in just three days. The missile body was increased to 13 meters in length, making it look more imposing and powerful. When placed on the missile launcher, it even protruded a part of the front of the vehicle.

On the day the missile was completed, Saddam Hussein himself came to the site and grinned foolishly at the missile.

"Excellent, truly excellent! This is our real weapon of mass destruction, a weapon capable of striking Tehran!" Saddam Hussein exclaimed repeatedly. "Now, I've decided to name this missile Hussein!"

Under Saddam's watchful eye, several missile soldiers wearing gas masks began fueling the missile. Half an hour later, the missile completed all preparations and slowly rose into place.

"Target: Persian Gulf, maximum range mode!"

"The program has been bound!"

"The spinning top is activated!"

"ignition!"

A blazing flame rose up, and the missile, painted milky white, began to slowly ascend, its speed increasing until it disappeared from everyone's sight, with only the radar still firmly tracking the target.

"425 seconds, missile engine shut down!"

"The missile has reached its highest point and is beginning to fall!"

"The impact point is 595 kilometers from the launch site!"

Although it didn't reach a distance of 600 kilometers, it could still hit Tehran, which is 500 kilometers away.

"Excellent, excellent!" Saddam was very satisfied: "Next, please modify our Scud missiles as soon as possible. Within half a month, you must modify at least one hundred of them!"

Professor Wang took a deep breath: "Our previous contract was only to help you complete the improvements, not a large-scale renovation. If you want us to continue to stay here and help... you'll have to pay more!"

There's no other way; research and development requires money, so I have to earn more money here.

"Okay, how about a $100,000 modification budget?"

In this way, modifying one hundred of them would cost another ten million US dollars!

Professor Wang nodded: "Of course!"

"Once the modifications are complete, I wonder if you could help us design a new ballistic missile with a range of... 1,000 kilometers!"

Professor Wang was taken aback: "Well, I'm very sorry, we can't agree to that yet, after all..."

"The research and development funding is fifty million US dollars," Shadama said. "If you can help us develop it, we'll add another ten million US dollars as a bonus!"

Before the war, Iraq had a foreign exchange reserve of $370 billion, making it very wealthy. Saddam Hussein, on the other hand, valued ballistic missiles highly, so he offered such an astonishing price. He believed that there was nothing he couldn't do, and if there was, he would just add more money!

Professor Wang swallowed hard: "We need to submit a report back..."

　PS: Scud missile.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)