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

Chapter 319 Technical Support Package for the UK
“No, no, we’ve already given enough funding for research and development!” Harold Brown said. “Besides, it’s not very technologically advanced. It’s essentially our helicopter’s airborne radar; you’ve just attached it to a balloon.”

"Alright, then I'll give them to you as gifts, but... you'll have to figure out how to use the balloons yourselves, we won't interfere."

"Of course, no problem! By the way, what mounting solution do you plan to use for this airborne radar?"

Weapons have all matured to a point where it's not easy to find alternative paths. Take helicopters, for example. Their basic design is already established, and radar is usually added to the nose. Unfortunately, space is limited, making it impossible to install large radars.

As for shipborne helicopters, it is possible to add a large disc under the front of the fuselage, which will slightly increase the search range, but it is still not enough for large shipborne helicopters to carry.

When the British were building the Neptune early warning helicopter, they installed the radar on the side. Normally, it would flip to the side, and after takeoff, it would flip down. The radar dome was still a plastic bag that could be inflated and retracted.

When doing homework, one side is normal, while the other side has a large ball hanging on it, which looks particularly strange. I don't know how they solved the balance problem.

In contrast, the Russian Ka-31 is more distinctive, using a large fly swatter, which is actually a waveguide antenna from a warship. It is retracted under the belly and can be placed there when needed, then rotated for searching.

Compared to the two, it's clear that the Russian solution is more perfect. All they need to do is replace the waveguide antenna with a planar slot antenna, which would be much more efficient!
"This mounting solution must take into account the aircraft's balance and the fact that it is large enough, so we chose to mount it under the fuselage."

Below?

Everyone's eyes widened; this plan was completely different from theirs.

How will the issue of carrier-based aircraft takeoff and landing be resolved?

"This is a flat-panel radar antenna that can rotate 90 degrees and be retracted horizontally into the belly of the aircraft. When in use, it is released and rotated vertically to search the surroundings."

Everyone's eyes widened, then they nodded in agreement. Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This plan is clearly much better than theirs! The antenna area can be several times larger!
"Will this antenna interfere with the aircraft when it rotates?"

Qin Liang rolled his eyes at Harold Brown, thinking to himself, "This guy is really smart; he actually thought of the most crucial thing!"
In later years, after the East repainted the Varyag and turned it into the beautiful Liaoning, they also considered the need for carrier-based early warning aircraft and purchased a few Russian Ka-31s. However, they were hardly used and were all sent back to land.

A radar antenna that rotates six times per minute can cause significant instability problems for helicopters, especially in windy weather. This can lead to flight instability, compromising flight safety and making it impossible to carry out any missions.

Therefore, when the Z-18J shipborne early warning helicopter suddenly appeared, everyone was surprised to see a third layout for the early warning helicopter radar: placed at the tail, in the shape of a cylinder!
This is also a product of the development of electronic technology in the East. Inside the cylinder is a phased array radar antenna that we have made at a very low price. We can design it however we want!

Now, even if we have this product, we absolutely cannot sell it to the British!
Under the belly, you can just put a regular airborne radar, such as the 900mm caliber flat panel antenna developed for the twin-engine Q-6, or just stuff the radar antenna of the Y-10 maritime patrol aircraft in there. No need to modify the post-processing circuitry, just transplant it to the warship. It's just a matter of adding a data link for signal transmission in the middle.

That's right, just do it this way, three months, no problem!
"Hmph, how to keep the aircraft stable is your business, it has nothing to do with us." Qin Liang's answer was very straightforward and irresponsible, and the other party couldn't find fault with it. If the plane was wobbling in the sky, then it really was Westland Company's business!

"Gentlemen, airborne early warning aircraft are of paramount importance. These early warning helicopters alone are not enough. Have you not considered fixed-wing early warning aircraft?"

Previously, we tried to sell the Super-7, C801, and H-6 bombers to the British, but all of them failed. However, the influence was still subtle, and now the British are willing to buy equipment from the East, which is a huge step forward!

Next, let's keep up the good work!

The British have done research in this area.

In 1971, Marconi-Elliott Avionics Systems developed a frequency-modulated intermittent continuous wave radar. After ground testing, the British Ministry of Defence decided in 1973 to develop this radar into a long-range airborne early warning radar. As for the carrier aircraft, looking at their own equipment, they could only choose their own Nimrod anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which was developed based on the Comet airliner.

Unlike the passenger planes that are common in later times, it has a wing root engine layout. At the junction of the wing and the fuselage, there are two cylinders on each side, which contain engines with a thrust of just over two tons. For the early 1950s, this kind of aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of fifty tons was quite good.

However, for an early warning aircraft, this platform is far too small, pitifully small. The early warning aircraft developed based on this platform is quite an anomaly.

Conventional early warning aircraft have a mushroom-shaped dome on their backs, but the British Nimrod early warning aircraft has a big nose and a big rear, with a radar antenna crammed in at the front and back. What's even more bizarre is that the two radars share a single transmitter and alternately output through a waveguide.

Therefore, this radar often malfunctions, with waveguides frequently burning out.

But that's not the worst part. What's even more problematic is that the radar signal repetition frequency is too low, the signal processing is too simple, and the antenna sidelobes are too large.

Ahem, this might be hard to understand, so to put it simply, this thing can't handle fixed targets like cars on the road or drilling platforms at sea. This results in a lot of false alarms. When the radar is turned on, there are often hundreds of targets on the screen. Moreover, the computer can't process them all, so some are lost. When the radar refreshes for the second time, it will treat the lost targets as new targets and re-enter them...

In March 1983, the first Nimrod AWACS aircraft took to the skies, and the Royal Air Force began a long period of testing, which continued until 1987. The Air Force was completely disappointed and decided to purchase the E-3 AWACS aircraft.

Now, although the Falklands War is far from the British mainland, fixed-wing early warning aircraft deployed on Asunción Island can actually fly over to help. After two aerial refuelings, they can even patrol over the Falklands for six or seven hours continuously, which can completely make up for the lack of E-2s.

"Of course we have fixed-wing early warning aircraft, it's just that our Nimrod early warning aircraft is still in testing."

Seeing that the other party remained stubbornly defiant, Qin Liang spoke up: "Gentlemen, in the last naval battle, our Eastern equipment shone brightly, inflicting heavy losses on the British Navy. This was not our intention. In fact, I recommended that you purchase our Eastern equipment back then, but you didn't take it seriously. Now, I would like to recommend our Y-10 maritime patrol aircraft to you again. With it, you will be better prepared for the next war..."

In the East today, in order to develop the economy, they'd love to sell all their equipment. Both sides in the conflict? Of course they can sell it all; just ask Yituo and Langtuo.

Now that we have given the crying country the magic weapon to win, if Britain has a need, we can sell it to them. Moreover, selling equipment to Britain will better demonstrate the strength of our Eastern products and attract more buyers.

"I'm sorry, we're only here to discuss cooperation on shipborne early warning helicopters. Other projects are none of our concern."

Harold Brown turned it down!
In his view, the Nimrod AWACS was just one step away from completion. Perhaps in a few months, the Nimrod AWACS could even be used to support the battlefield. Therefore, there was no need to seek cooperation with the East.

Although Britain has declined, it still retains its self-respect.

"Alright, I hope you convey our goodwill. Besides the Y-10 maritime patrol aircraft, we also have your F-4 fighter jets. Their onboard equipment is too outdated; they could easily be equipped with our Eastern radar and avionics..."

The British were furious. They complained about how outdated their technology was, and how British technology was so advanced…

They really wanted to explode, but considering that they still needed to rely on Eastern avionics to complete the development of the Sea King early warning aircraft, they held back.

"Mr. Qin, we will convey your goodwill. We will discuss the details of our contract as soon as possible and then sign it. At the same time, we hope that your side can send someone to our UK..."

"No, we don't have time. You need to send the helicopter over. Northwestern Polytechnical University is also developing its own helicopters and has enough experience. Also, send us your helicopter data in detail... By the way, if you want us to help modify F-4 fighter jets to carry long-range air-to-air missiles, the kind that can shoot down MiG-25s, we hope your country will seriously consider it..."

The British F-4 fighter jet was actually outdated.

In the 1960s, as the colonies gained independence, Britain’s decline became increasingly apparent. They had to cut military spending, and at the same time, their navy and air force faced an urgent need to replace their equipment.

The original P.1154 supersonic vertical takeoff and landing fighter and the TSR.2 project were both canceled, so the British had to turn their attention abroad and set their sights on the American F-4 fighter.

In 1965, Britain decided to use the F-4J as a basis to have McDonnell Douglas produce its own Phantoms, named F-4K and F-4M.

According to the plan, there would be 140 of the former and 260 of the latter, but the final total was only 170, especially the F-4K, which only produced 48.

Because these aircraft incorporated a large number of British products, their appearance was quite different. For example, the fuselage was 1.7 meters shorter and more robust, due to the replacement of the Spey engines.

At the time, 48 F-4Ks were deployed to the USS Eagle. In 1978, with the decommissioning of the aircraft carrier, all the aircraft were transferred to the Air Force.

Overall, these aircraft were only at the level of the late 1960s. Their airborne radars were destined to lack planar slotted radar antennas, and instead had old-fashioned dish antennas with a conical scanning system and pulse plus continuous wave operation. Most of them used vacuum tubes, and the accompanying ballistic computers were also analog.

The British had never upgraded these aircraft, after all, in their eyes, there were already gales, and typhoons were to follow. The F4 was such an old aircraft that it would be phased out sooner or later. But unexpectedly... now, the East has shown goodwill and is willing to help them improve their avionics!
"Ok."

"Well, a set of avionics equipment similar to our J-8 only costs four million US dollars, which is definitely cheaper than importing it from the United States. You should think about it carefully..."

At the door, Qin Liang warmly shook hands with Harold to say goodbye, even giving him a hug, and then whispered something in his ear.

Harold's body jolted.

The British left Datang Company with mixed feelings. Although a cooperation had been reached, they felt no excitement whatsoever.

Now they've realized that Britain has really fallen behind!
The last naval battle ended in defeat because we underestimated the advanced nature of Eastern products. Should we continue to be arrogant and ignore Eastern equipment this time?

After seeing the British off, Qin Baomin asked with some curiosity, "Liangzi, aren't we supposed to be giving our full support... Is it appropriate for us to get even closer to the British?"

"Dad, in this world, there are no permanent friends or unchanging enemies, only permanent interests. Do you understand?"

On the one hand, we made money off the British; on the other hand, we maintained good relations with them, letting them know that we in the East were not their rivals, but their friends. That way, if the Queen Elizabeth was attacked later, they wouldn't suspect us in the East, and we would certainly never admit to it...

Qin Baomin nodded, his expression complicated. It seemed that his thoughts were not profound enough and he still needed to continue learning!
In London, England, a light rain was falling. At the airport, a large group of people stood, some wearing raincoats, some holding umbrellas, and some... simply getting soaked in the rain.

The rain stopped overhead, and the Iron Lady looked up to see her bodyguard offering her an umbrella again. She immediately shook her head and said, "Take it!"

Having an umbrella but not using it, deliberately getting soaked in the rain, that's just plain crazy. But... everyone around her knows the Iron Lady's intentions.

The Iron Lady bears a great deal of responsibility for the defeat in the first naval battle, after all, it was she who made the decision to use force. Fortunately, the whole of Britain was in an uproar, calling for war. If it had been anti-war, the Iron Lady would have stepped down immediately.

What were these captured soldiers thinking?

The Iron Lady deliberately got soaked in the rain to leave a special impression on the soldiers, which can be considered a political tactic.

A deafening roar echoed in the sky.

The first Boeing 707 appeared in the rain, aligned itself with the runway, landed, and then taxied onto the tarmac.

The cabin door opened, the gangway connected, and the first rescued soldier peeked out before cursing.

"This damn rainy day!"

"Yes, I didn't expect that we would be greeted by rain..."

They were cursing, and then... they froze.

Below, a large group of people stood, all of whom were important figures that one could only see on television. Now, these people were standing in the rain. The Iron Lady at the head of the group was soaked through, and rainwater slid down her cheeks. Was it rainwater or tears?

"Welcome home, children. In my eyes, you are all heroes!"

Just that one sentence brought tears to everyone's eyes once again.

"The defeat in this war was not your fault, it was all my fault! I misjudged the situation at the time..."

"No, it's our fault. Fighting is a soldier's job!"

"The war is not over yet. We must get up from where we fell..."

The Iron Lady launched into a long and eloquent speech, concluding with a resounding voice.

"Victory will forever belong to Great Britain!"

"Victory will forever belong to Great Britain!" The crowd roared in unison, their voices deafening.

The second passenger plane also landed and taxied to the tarmac. The people on board didn't hear the previous speech, but they heard the last sentence clearly and all shouted along with it.

Victory belongs to Great Britain!

Morale has finally been boosted; now it's time to see how our team plans its strategy and tactics!
Whitehall, Westminster.

Woodward was not among those who returned. As the commander of the task force, even if he had returned, he would not have fared well. Fortunately, the other high-ranking officers were still there. Captain Robert Morrison of the HMS Hermes stood on the platform, looking at the vast crowd.

His voice was somewhat low: "The situation was like this..."

Viewing this war from the perspective of an aircraft carrier captain has important guiding significance.

"First of all, there was a major deficiency in the intelligence system. We didn't know beforehand that the Crying Country had a second batch of Super-7 fighter jets, nor did we know that the C801 missile was so powerful..." Mike Crap began to summarize as he watched him leave.

No one speaks.

They actually knew the performance parameters of the C801 missile, but they didn't believe it; they always thought the Easterners were just bragging!
"Secondly, there is a huge gap in equipment. Our light aircraft carriers, carrying Harrier fighters, are simply no match for modern fighter jets, and cannot even launch medium-range missiles... Our shipborne air defense missiles also severely lack the ability to intercept sea-skimming anti-ship missiles..."

Everyone nodded. If the Sea Dart missiles had been more effective, the annihilation of the entire group wouldn't have happened!

"Now, those gaps have been closed. We have the advanced Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, the Kidd-class destroyers capable of launching advanced Standard anti-aircraft missiles, and the Phalanx close-in weapon system. This time, we will absolutely not fail..."

“But our F4 fighter jets are too outdated,” a voice said.

Mike Crap frowned. Why talk about being discouraging at a time like this? But... he was in charge of the upcoming battle, and he couldn't ignore other people's opinions.

"Harold, continue."

"The main problem is the inferior avionics. I've compared them, and they don't have much of an advantage over the Super-7. If our F-4s were to be wiped out in an air battle..."

Everyone frowned. Before a battle, people might say discouraging things, but... after the last defeat, they were truly afraid.

"What should I do?"

"Complete an upgrade before launching the attack..."

　PS: Ka-31, Aquaman, and Nimrod early warning aircraft.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)