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

Chapter 320 The Layout of Beka Valley (Bonus Chapter)
How do I upgrade?

"We need to equip the F-4 fighter jets with advanced avionics, especially its radar equipment. We need to replace it with an F-15-level radar that has advanced anti-jamming capabilities and long-range missile launch capabilities, and it needs to be able to see farther than the Super-7 fighter jet," Harold said.

He couldn't just come up with the idea of ​​replacing radar with Eastern technology; he had to be strategic in his speech.

At this moment, he was filled with anticipation. As long as he could close the deal, President Qin from the East said he would give him 10% of the transaction amount as a kickback!
If upgrading one fighter jet costs four million US dollars, then the commission would be four hundred thousand US dollars. Forty jets would cost sixteen million US dollars! Is that expensive? Of course not! He believed that the modification price offered by the United States would definitely be more expensive than that!

“That’s right. While we can’t procure advanced carrier-based aircraft, our fighter jets’ avionics do need to be replaced,” Arthur Clarke said. “In modern warfare, the side with superior electronic technology gains the advantage on the battlefield.”

He had no selfish motives; he was purely considering it from a wartime perspective. The Super-7 provided by the East, although it was a modified MiG-21, had extremely powerful performance and could even carry anti-ship missiles. It was also said that its radar equipment was very advanced.

“Okay, then contact Hughes immediately!” Mike Cramp never procrastinated, and in this situation, he needed to speed things up even more and get right to it.

"Yes."

One day later, in the same meeting room.

"The avionics used on the F-15 fighter jet are world-class. Take the radar, for example. Our Hughes AN/APG-63 radar is the most advanced multi-function airborne fire control radar in the world. The mean time between failures for this radar is two hundred hours..."

In terms of search range, the AWG-9 radar on the Tomcat fighter jet is absolutely unmatched, with a maximum search range exceeding 300 kilometers, making it practically a natural early warning aircraft. However, comparing radar performance involves much more than just search range.

Many other data points are even more important, such as the mean time between failures (MTBF), which determines the maintenance workload of the airborne radar. The Tomcat's radar has an MTBF of only a few hours. Of course, the radar isn't always on in the air; it might only be on for ten or twenty minutes during a single operation, thus ensuring that it won't malfunction for ten days or half a month.

Two hundred hours is almost equivalent to a year without any malfunctions, and it's the kind of flight where the radar is on as soon as it takes off. After all, a typical fighter jet only flies two or three hundred hours a year.

Of course, this radar is advanced in more ways than that. It is the first pulse Doppler radar in the United States with a fully digital waveform design, and it has three pulse repetition frequencies: high, medium and low. The Tomcat radar, on the other hand, lacks the most critical medium pulse repetition frequency. Not to mention, the Tomcat radar also uses a lot of analog components.

It is fair to say that the AN/APG-63 radar is currently the most advanced radar in the United States, and this statement is not an exaggeration.

At this moment, Hughes engineer Bryant proudly introduced his company's technology.

"Yes, very good. We are very satisfied with this radar. May I ask, what would the price be if we purchased forty sets?"

"You are our best friend, so of course we will offer you the most favorable price: five million US dollars per set, how about that?"

"So expensive?" Harold frowned. "As far as I know, your radar costs the U.S. Air Force only $75 per set."

All the British people present turned pale.

A single radar system costs five million US dollars! And upgrading airborne avionics involves more than just fire control radar; it also requires ultra-high frequency communication, TACAN system, inertial navigation system, air data computer, central data computer, and so on.

Wouldn't all of this cost more than ten million US dollars?

Even if they don't change anything else but the radar, they still can't afford it. Britain has suffered huge losses and is tightening its belt to fight a second war. The US only provided a few warships? Everything else needs to be accounted for.

Moreover, it's obvious that this was all planned in advance by the Americans. They're giving away the aircraft carrier for free and then making money off the carrier-based aircraft? Just two E-2s cost a huge sum of money, and now, the cost of modifying these F-4 fighters will make them a fortune again?
No, absolutely not!
“Mr. Bryant, we are the best allies, and at this most critical time, we need your support!” Mike Crap said, suppressing his anger.

"Of course I know they are our best allies, which is why I quoted this price. Gentlemen, you should know that the price the US Air Force pays for its purchases is different from the price it sells abroad. Moreover, $75 was the price when the F-15 first entered service, which was ten years ago. You know how much the dollar has depreciated in recent years."

Bryant spoke with absolute certainty.

“If your offer is too outrageous, then we will have no choice but to choose Westinghouse Electric products,” Mike Crap said.

"Of course you can, but I must remind you that Westinghouse Electric's most advanced radar is the AN/APG-66 radar used on the F-16 fighter jet. I won't go into the search range, but currently, this radar doesn't even have the capability for medium-range air combat. If you use it, you'll be no different from a Sea Harrier."

The F-16 is an advanced fighter jet, an energy-maneuverable fighter developed by the Americans based on the theory of the fighter mafia. It was born for dogfighting. As a low-cost fighter jet to complement the F-15, early models did not even have a continuous wave illuminator, so... they could not launch medium-range missiles!

No one expected that fighter jets, originally designed for air combat, would eventually become dedicated bomb trucks.

At this moment, Bryant was extremely confident. The British wanted to replace the radar on their F-4 fighter jets, and Hughes Aircraft Company was the most suitable! Since it was a unique product, the price certainly couldn't be too low!
"Hmph, since you're so disrespectful, we'd rather use the radar from our own Tornado fighter jets than buy yours."

"Tornado? You mean that kind of radar that can't handle both ground attack and air combat? Does that mean your F-4 fighters will have to be split into two configurations?" Bryant said with a sneer. "Your British airborne radar is still too outdated! You only have one aircraft carrier and a few dozen carrier-based aircraft. If you have to split them up... it's definitely not enough."

Everyone present had an extremely gloomy expression.

This is mocking them, and they... are powerless to refute it.

The electronic technology of the whole of Europe is behind that of the United States! Most of their Tornado fighter jets are equipped with radars for ground attack, while only Britain purchased a batch of air defense interceptor versions, which are equipped with radars for interception.

"Hmph, even if we use them separately, we won't let you make money off our hard-earned wages!"

After seeing Bryant off, Mike Cramp gritted his teeth: "Hmph, what kind of best ally is this? Not only does he not fight alongside us, but he also makes money off us!"

"That's right, they sent us an aircraft carrier just to make money off our carrier-based aircraft!"

"How about...we consider other products?"

"The others... their performance is just too poor!"

While countless experts scorned the Su-27 for cramming a one-ton inverted radar antenna into its nose, causing a significant impact on the aircraft's performance, the European level was actually on the same starting line. They wouldn't overcome the manufacturing difficulties of planar slotted radar antennas until the 1990s.

Without such an antenna that radiates electromagnetic waves with high efficiency, it is impossible to integrate air combat and ground attack. Now... what should they do?
“How about we ask the Easterners?” Harold suggested. “Our shipborne early warning helicopter project relies on their advanced airborne radar, and their fighter jet airborne radar is also very advanced. In that war in the South Asian subcontinent, their J-8 fighter jets were able to guide the Phoenix missile with a range of over 100 kilometers…”

A few months ago, anyone who suggested importing equipment from the East would have been met with a torrent of criticism, but now, everyone is silent.

This fighter jet's onboard radar is the best in the US and second best in the East. It's also equipped with long-range missiles with a range of over 100 kilometers. If the British Navy could integrate this weapon system, it would be even more advanced than the F-15's. It could shoot down the crying country's fighter jets from 100 kilometers away!
It can't be attached to the Super 7!
“Harold, contact the East and see if they want to export similar equipment. What’s their quote?” Mike Crap said.

"Yes."

Harold immediately left his office to make an overseas call, and returned half an hour later, his face beaming with excitement.

"Everyone, we just received a reply from the Easterners. They're offering four million US dollars for their equipment!"

"How come it's only a million dollars cheaper than Hughes?"

"It's so dark in the east!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me explain. This four million isn't just for the radar; it also includes the inertial navigation system, the air data computer, and the central data computer. Two additional displays will be added to the cockpit... If it were just the airborne radar alone, the price would only be two million dollars!"

You can't just look at the price quote; you also have to look at what's included in it!
Can a full-service massage be the same as fast food?

Mike Cramp's expression was complicated: "Well, if that's the case, then the price is still acceptable to us, but... we don't have that much money."

The treasury has long been depleted. Where will this $160 million come from? When doing business with Easterners, it's always cash on delivery.

“We will continue to issue Falkland Islands bonds,” Harold said. “Now, the whole nation needs our strong support, and we need to issue at least £500 million in bonds for the next war.”

Is it possible to repay the loan later if it's issued now? However, considering he wouldn't need to repay it himself, Mike Crap nodded: "Okay, Harold, go to the East again and discuss this deal in detail. Try to lower the price as much as possible. Also, you can fly an F-4 over for them to modify, but the subsequent modifications need to be done in the UK, and it should take a maximum of three months..."

"Yes."

Harold was overjoyed; he was finally going to get that kickback!
East.

"Liangzi, with Northwestern Polytechnical University's current profitability, do we need to make money off the British?" Director Luo, no, Principal Luo, asked.

"Principal Luo, we can't look at this from a profit-making perspective now. We have to look at it from a symbolic perspective. Think about it, since the country opened its doors, how many people have been blindly worshipping foreign things, believing that the moon is rounder in foreign countries and that even foreigners' farts smell sweet. Now..."

Principal Luo nodded, immediately understanding the significance of this matter: if Britain also needs to purchase equipment from us, it means that our technology is even stronger than that of the West. In this way, the blind worship of foreign technology will naturally be greatly reduced, with fewer people admiring foreign things and more people striving for the country's technological development!
"So...won't this strengthen Britain's power, and even affect the equipment of our army?"

"Of course not." Qin Liang smiled. "Planet slotted radar is outdated. You should know that our materials science department has developed advanced gallium nitride materials. We are currently using these materials to manufacture T/R modules. In the future, our radar will fully enter the phased array era, completely crushing the opponent by a level."

To see how advanced the active phased array radar is, just look at the export version of the JF-17. Previously, it used a planar slotted radar antenna, and the search range was only 70 to 80 kilometers. The new model, which uses air cooling due to limited space in the nose, has seen its search range soar to 170 kilometers!
This is a complete crushing force against the opponent!

"Yes, the speed of technological iteration at Northwestern Polytechnical University is indeed quite fast. By the way, the shipborne version of our Lightning-10 missile has also been developed. I heard from the relevant team that they can easily modify the shipborne air defense missile into a land-based version..."

"Really? That's great news! We have to go check it out!"

"When?"

"Just now."

Located in the suburbs of Chang'an, the former Air Force Factory 202 is now a factory affiliated with Northwestern Polytechnical University under the Datang Group.

As Qin Liang's sidecar motorcycle entered the factory gate, he saw a heavy truck driving out of the workshop.

With its flat-top design and six mahjong tile-patterned tires, it's clearly designed for heavy labor. The front of the vehicle prominently displays the words "Yan'an" and below it, "SX250".
Currently, Steyr has not yet officially started production in Dongfang. Dongfang's heavy trucks are still the same three models: Yellow River, Yan'an, and Hongyan.

In the 1960s, the army's 152mm artillery was powerful and had strong firepower, but when towed by a Liberation CA30, it was obviously like a small horse pulling a large cart, struggling on slopes and moving as slowly as an old ox panting.

The country is in a hurry and must solve the problem of heavy artillery towing!
Thus, the technology of the French Berriere GBC heavy-duty off-road vehicle was introduced to the East. In the remote mountains of Qishan, Baoji, a heavy truck factory was built. After countless hardships, they finally copied the vehicle and gave it a resounding name: Yan'an!

This vehicle, once it came out, easily towed heavy artillery, solving the military's urgent needs. Furthermore, due to its excellent chassis, it had great modification potential and could be upgraded in various ways. For example, Factory 202 has now taken a liking to this chassis and modified it into…

Anti-aircraft missile launcher!
Because it was designed for vertical launch when on board, the heavy trucks now carry the vertical launch tubes!

Putting missiles inside launch tubes is a great invention. Exposed missiles are exposed to the sun and rain and are prone to various problems. But if they are put into a fully sealed launch tube and stored inside for five or ten years, they will still look brand new.

During launch, the launch tube can be detached, giving it omnidirectional launch capability, a hundred times better than the previous launcher.

Because the missiles are not very big, this vehicle can carry eight launch tubes, so the firepower density is also excellent!
"Old Jin, have you already developed the land-based version?" Director Luo shouted as he got out of the car.

The vehicle stopped, and an engineer got out, beaming. "That's right, the army's need for field air defense is also urgent, so we..."

"With this chassis, it's not suitable for field air defense, is it?"

"President Qin, you're right, but what's easiest for us in Chang'an to coordinate is this kind of base..."

Western missiles are typically deployed on trailers to carry out air defense missions in key locations, with little emphasis on field air defense, because they have absolute air superiority on the battlefield.

The Russians are different. They don't trust the air force with their army, so they have to do everything themselves. Many of their missiles are mounted on tracked chassis so they can move forward with the tank units.

Of course, there were also off-road truck chassis. The S-300s that Dongfang later bought were all based on the MAZ 543 chassis. Dongfang's independently developed products almost never used tracked chassis, mainly because conditions had improved at the time, with roads everywhere, and using road-mobile vehicles allowed for rapid response.

Now, Qin Liang only made a few jokes.

"President Qin, if you suggest using a tracked chassis, then we..."

"No need, this is fine. If the military has needs, let them make the requests. Northwestern Polytechnical University doesn't have any bases anyway..."

Thinking about this, Qin Liang suddenly felt that Northwestern Polytechnical University should set up a car factory. Even if it wasn't ordinary heavy trucks competing with other companies for the civilian market, just special multi-axle launch vehicles would be fine. If we waited for China to develop them ourselves, it would be after the 1990s, and we definitely wouldn't be able to catch up.

"If it were any other research institution, the military would definitely make a lot of demands. However... the military's attitude towards Northwestern Polytechnical University is different. They want whatever products we produce and never complain."

Qin Liang's expression was complicated. The favorable conditions that the army provides for us are not necessarily all good things, and our judgments are not necessarily entirely accurate.

At this moment, the roar continued, and the radar vehicle drove out from inside. Judging from the folded objects on the truck bed, Qin Liang knew that it was a phased array radar.

"Do we have a target illumination radar on our launch vehicle?" Qin Liang asked.

This anti-aircraft missile is a modified version of the Lightning-10 missile. Its technology is derived from the British Skyflash missile and uses semi-active radar guidance technology. It requires a target illumination radar. Even if a phased array radar can replace the target illumination function, what if the radar antenna is hit?

It's important to know that there was another war in 82!

In the Bekaa Valley, the Syrian SAM-6 missiles once gave the Eagle of David a sound beating. However, the people of David are a very studious people. They learned from their previous experience and found many solutions.

First, drones were used to lure the Syrian radar into turning on. Then, electronic warfare aircraft were used to collect frequency characteristics. F-16s carrying Shrike missiles were then used to destroy the radar of the SAM-6 missiles. After that, all the missiles lost their combat capability. Subsequent fighter jets came and destroyed the entire missile site.

On the first day, they bombed several missile battalions, but the Syrian army was not satisfied. That night, they sent out several more and bombed them as well. Now, the Bekaa Valley was completely undefended.

The air battle ended in a complete victory for the Davidians. Although the Davidians' claim of zero casualties was largely exaggerated, the Syrians certainly suffered greater losses. This is the consequence of using second-generation aircraft against third-generation aircraft.

The most important reason for the failure of the SAM-6 was that it relied entirely on radar vehicles and did not carry its own radar.

Many military magazines say that the Russians learned from this experience and developed the SAM-11, whose biggest feature is that each missile launcher is equipped with radar, so that each missile launcher can be an independent combat unit in critical situations.

Actually, this underestimates the Russians. The SAM-11 missile began production at the Ulyanovsk Machine-Building Plant in 1979, and the Bekaa Valley was not attacked until 82. This timeframe speaks volumes. It's unclear when the Russians will change their tradition of exporting low-end weapons.

Hearing Qin Liang's words, the metalworker shook his head: "No need."

"Why?" "Because we already have an active radar seeker."

What?
Qin Liang's eyes widened. Our technology has advanced to this level? We didn't even know it, and we've already developed this active seeker? But... he quickly thought of something else.

"Inherited from the seeker of the Lightning-20?"

The Lightning-20 is a copy of the Phoenix, with an active radar guidance system, only it's a bit large. With the continuous development of our microelectronics technology, miniaturizing the seeker head is not a big problem.

"Not entirely. Our Department of Electronic Engineering at Northwestern Polytechnical University has developed a power amplifier using gallium nitride components. We can create equipment with the same performance as the Lightning-20's seeker, within the size of the Lightning-10's seeker. The active radar search range is about 20 kilometers. Since the missile's own range isn't very long, it can first fly inertial and then activate the radar at the designated location..."

Gallium nitride again! Breakthroughs in this material can bring about huge performance improvements!

It can be used not only in radar antennas, but also in radar power amplifiers and other components!
The Lightning-10 missile, used in-house, employs a dual-pulse engine and has a range of up to 70 kilometers. However, the actual operational range is halved. Its own seeker can search a distance of 20 kilometers, so the remaining distance of about 10 kilometers after launch can be covered by inertial flight.

The biggest advantage of not needing target illumination is that it allows for unlimited multi-target attack capabilities!

The American Aegis system claims to be saturation-resistant, but in reality, the standard missiles guided by TVM are still limited by the target calculation capabilities of the warships behind them. Even after being improved to a semi-active system, it is still limited by the number of target illumination radars. Even if there are four, it can only intercept a maximum of four targets at the same time. If four missiles are launched in advance and guided alternately, it can only intercept a maximum of eight targets.

We use active radar guidance, and once launched, we don't need to worry about it. The number of interceptions is limited to the number of missiles carried by our side!
Qin Liang's eyes were filled with excitement; this was another major breakthrough!

"Well done, metalworkers!"

"Ahem, I didn't design the seeker head. Engineer Dong is really amazing..."

Just then, Engineer Dong also ran out of the research and development room next door.

"Mr. Qin!"

Director Luo's expression was complicated. These people were interesting; they didn't recognize him, the university's principal, and their eyes were only on Qin Liang! If it were anyone else, they might feel uncomfortable, but Director Luo was different. He had personally watched Qin Liang grow up, and Qin Liang would definitely be the future principal of Northwestern Polytechnical University. The higher his prestige was now, the less objection there would be from others when he took over at a young age.

"Yes, Engineer Dong, you did a great job!"

"President Qin, I received a call from CATIC requesting that you return to the capital."

"What happened again?" The most likely explanation now is that it's a purchase from the UK. Although it's being bought from Northwestern Polytechnical University, it's for the Air Force, so it will definitely have to go through the procedures of China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC).

"A high-ranking Syrian official named Qadura is about to pay a friendly visit to us, and it is said that he has ideas about purchasing weapons..."

How could this be? Qin Liang frowned: "Aren't all of Xu Tuo's weapons Soviet-made? Why would they want to buy them from us?"

"It must be due to the impact of the last naval battle. It's precisely because Syria has never purchased our weapons that CATIC hopes you can go there..."

Qin Liang thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

The capital city, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC).

Manager Liu paced back and forth. He had never been so anxious before. In the past, when someone came to buy weapons, he would happily receive them. It was a profitable business, so why not take advantage of it?

However, this time it wouldn't work. The enemy that Syria was facing was the Davidians, whose main force consisted of F-15s and F-16s. When facing these aircraft, their own fighter jets would still feel powerless.

Moreover, his relationship with David has been quite good over the years. If he sells the plane to Sutto, his relationship with David will likely be strained.

Jingle Bell!
"Hey, what? President Qin is here? I'll go pick him up right away!"

"no need!"

Qin Liang had already gone upstairs and arrived at Manager Liu's office door.

“I said, Manager Liu, you have to pay me an extra salary.”

"Of course, if you need it, I'd even give you my manager's position."

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Forget it, my Datang Company is no worse than CATIC. By the way, what's the situation?"

"Recently, the Syrians have noticed that the Davids are making moves. They sense that a new war is about to break out, and it is very likely that when the British go south again, the world's attention will be drawn to the South Atlantic, and they will officially start fighting."

It can be said that this premonition was indeed correct. After all, historically, the people of David took advantage of this opportunity to make their move. This time, when the British marched south, they must have been preparing for war. Unfortunately, before the battle even started, the British were defeated. They were hesitant to act and remained on the sidelines.

Seeing the formidable military strength of the East, Syria also set its sights on it. Coincidentally, at that time, Syria was still a relatively wealthy country.

They have abundant oil and natural gas reserves, as well as manufacturing, construction, and mining industries. Their domestic political situation is stable, and the people are united – this is undoubtedly Syria's golden age! Therefore, they also have the financial resources to purchase weapons from abroad.

Unfortunately, their foreign purchases mainly come from Russia, which has been their political choice for many years. Now, to turn to the East, it can be said that they have taken a lot of courage.

"President Qin, do you think we should sell weapons to them now? No matter what kind of weapons they are, if we sell them to them, they will definitely end up in the hands of the Soviet Union."

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Manager Liu, it seems you're not quite there yet..."

"Isn't that a compliment?" Qin Liang stammered, too embarrassed to continue, while Manager Liu had a complicated expression.

"Yes, I'm not stupid. Of course I can see that if it weren't for the Soviet Union's instructions, why would Syria come to us to buy? Now, the Russians must be very curious about how our technology has developed so rapidly, even faster than theirs. So... can we sell to them or not?"

What does "the above" mean?

"It's boring up there."

What do you mean by "it's meaningless"? If you keep asking this question, it really will become meaningless.

"If they want to buy, of course we can sell. However, the quantity cannot be too small. It must be at least fifty aircraft, preferably a hundred. Otherwise... we cannot arrange production here. We only accept orders from large customers now. Orders from small customers will have to be postponed indefinitely."

Fifty!
Manager Liu's eyes widened: "Then... what if the Russians find out our secret...?"

"The Russians can't copy our advanced electronic technology. Their microelectronics technology is not up to our level. They can't even manufacture our flat panel slotted radar antenna. So, what can they use to copy it?"

The Russians' inverted pot lid will still be in use for more than ten years. They only mastered the processing of this kind of radar antenna in the mid-1990s. Now... take it back and take it apart at will. If you can copy it, that's your skill!

"No, it's not electronic equipment, it's... the engine." Manager Liu said somewhat embarrassedly.

The engine used in the Super 7 is no longer the WP-7 turbojet engine; the domestic military considers it outdated.

Internationally, the RB199 engine is still the primary engine used, since many countries have friendly relations with the West and are not subject to restrictions. However, some countries cannot obtain this engine, so they naturally equip their vehicles with domestically produced, reverse-engineered versions of the RD33.

"What's wrong with the engine? We developed the engine ourselves, and the bypass duct is from the F404. If the Russians dare to say we copied their engine, then we'll have a good discussion with them..."

This is actually a necessary path. Even if the Super-7 continues to use the RB199, what about the JF-17? It will still have to use domestically developed turbofan engines. Once it's sold, the ever-present KGB will eventually find out. But so what? As long as we insist that it was manufactured by ourselves, what can the Russians do?

The Russians often copy Western things too, so there's no reason for them to criticize us!
"Okay, let's do it your way, but... what if our plane comes head-on with David's plane..."

"It doesn't match up. Our existing orders will take at least two years to produce, and the planes from Syria won't be delivered for another two years. By then, the conflict will have long been over."

"Oh."

Although during the sales pitch, they repeatedly claimed that the Super-7 could achieve 80% of the performance of the F-16, in reality, it still depends on the pilot's skill and the coordination of the entire system. Qin Liang was not at ease with Xu Tuo, as the Soviet-style training system could not produce top-notch pilots.

"Also, we can trick them into buying more products... We only get this much profit this time, so we should squeeze as much as possible out of them..."

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door.

"Xiao Wang, what's the matter?"

"We've received a message from Zhonghai South requesting that our CATIC (China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation) go there..."

So fast?
Manager Liu took a deep breath: "President Qin, let's go together. We can continue our conversation in the car."

"it is good."

This wasn't Qin Liang's first time here, but each time he felt a sense of solemnity and reverence. After all, this was the heart of the East, the place where important national affairs were decided!
The atmosphere in the meeting room was quite harmonious.

"Come, Mr. Kadura, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Liu from CATIC and Mr. Qin from Datang Corporation. If you want to purchase air combat weapons, you can talk to them."

Kadura nodded: "This naval battle in the South Atlantic has shown us the power of Eastern weapons, and we also want to possess advanced Eastern products..."

"What do you consider to be the key to this naval battle?"

“Of course, it’s the advanced aircraft! The Super-7’s performance surpasses that of the Sea Harrier, and the C801’s penetration capability has shocked the world…” Mosharak, who was in charge of the military, said from next to Kadura.

"No, no, you're all wrong. The key to naval warfare is detecting the carrier battle group at sea! If you don't detect it, how can you even think about attacking?"

The person on the other side was silent.

“Modern warfare is no longer won by a few advanced weapons, but by a victory of a combat system.” Qin Liang looked at the other party: “Gentlemen, if I may be frank, in terms of air power, the Davids are the strongest, and there is a big gap between you and them.”

“We know that the Davids’ main fighter jets have been replaced with F-15s and F-16s, giving them a generation of superiority over us,” Mosharak said. “That’s why we decided to purchase the Super-7, to complement the MiG-29s in a high-low mix…”

"No, no, you don't understand what I mean. The advanced technology of the Davidians is not just about a few fighter jets, but about the entire system!"

In later generations, Soviet weapons were outmatched in every war and gained a bad reputation. This was not the fault of the aircraft. When East and West Germany reunified, the MiG-29 had a clear advantage over Western fighters.

Being crushed on the battlefield is purely because there is no combat system; fighter jets alone cannot exert their advantages.

"What do you mean?"

"Gentlemen, let's do a war game and imagine what we would do if the Davidians were to bomb the Bekaa Valley."

"We have SAM-6s; they won't come back alive..."

“Mosalak, let’s listen to President Qin’s advice,” Kadura said.

Before the war in the South Atlantic, no one was optimistic about the Weeping Nation. But what happened? The Weeping Nation won! The East played a part in this, and in fact, they certainly made many tactical decisions.

Now, with the battle in the Bekaa Valley imminent, it's wise for them to listen to the opinions of the Easterners.

"Suppose I were David, I would first use drones to fly over the Bekaa Valley and lure your radars into activating. It doesn't matter if they get shot down, as long as they can transmit the radar signal data back. Then, F-16s carrying Shrike missiles of the corresponding frequency will fly over and destroy all the radars of your SAM-6 missiles. Once the radars are destroyed, your missiles can't be launched. Next..."

Sweat was already pouring down Mosharak's forehead.

The previous victory filled the Syrian army with optimism from top to bottom. They believed that the Davidians would be soundly defeated by the 2K12 missiles again, just like last time. However, they never expected...

"We still have an air force, we still have a large number of fighter jets!"

"That's right, you still have fighter jets, but you lack effective command. The Davids, on the other hand, have advanced E-2 early warning aircraft, and they can even receive command from E-3 early warning aircraft before the battle begins, allowing for reasonable deployment and maximizing their effectiveness. As for the performance of your fighter jets..."

"We need to purchase the Super-7. With the Super-7, we can confront David's fleet head-on..."

"Gentlemen, even our Super 7 might not be able to withstand David's well-developed air combat system... You still don't understand what I mean!"

"You mean, if we want to confront them, we need the same system?"

“That’s right. You need advanced early warning aircraft. Only under the command of early warning aircraft can your air combat power be fully utilized. Considering the distance between you and the Kingdom of David, you can detect the David people’s fighters as soon as they take off, which will give you a higher chance of winning.”

Buying a few Super-7s wouldn't cost much. Since we're here so often, we should buy more!
"Our Y-10 early warning aircraft is the most advanced early warning aircraft we have just successfully developed. I suggest you purchase two of them. Only in this way can you win the war against the Americans. Of course, you can also go and see the Russians to see how their early warning aircraft perform..."

The Russians had outdated electronic technology, and their early warning aircraft were ridiculously poor in performance. Not to mention the older Tu-126, which had no ability to detect very low-altitude targets, even the latest A-50 had very poor performance. After evaluation, our Eastern Air Force resolutely abandoned it.

"How much did your early warning aircraft cost?"

"It's not expensive, only four hundred million US dollars per aircraft."

The original Super-7 cost ten million US dollars per aircraft, so purchasing fifty would only cost five hundred million. Now, with the victory in the naval battle, the price of the Super-7 has risen to twelve million US dollars, but even so, it's still only six hundred million. An early warning aircraft, on the other hand, costs four hundred million US dollars per unit—that's definitely the fastest way to make money!

“This…this is way too expensive!” This time it was Kadura who spoke up.

"Expensive? Modern warfare is won by throwing money at the problem! Take the naval battles in the South Atlantic, for example. Why did Britain lose? It was because Britain was too poor! They didn't have large aircraft carriers, only useless Harriers, which couldn't even beat our Q-5 fighters. Meanwhile, the crying country was willing to spend money to buy fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft from us... Gentlemen, no money, no victory! If you're unwilling to spend money now, you'll have to spend more on compensation later!"

　PS: The triple-mounted version on top is the SAM-6, and the quad-mounted version on the bottom is the SAM-11. These are NATO designations, abbreviated as SM, a name that gets used repeatedly by the "Hero of East China" (a nickname implying its influence is waning). Below that, in front of the turntable, there's a coffin-like device; inside is its built-in target illumination radar. At the very bottom is the Yan'an SX250.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)