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

Chapter 322 We have to buy it even if it costs more, Sukhoi needs it!
Spring has arrived in Moscow, and the harsh winter is long gone. However, inside the conference room, many people's hearts remain as cold as winter itself.

Anger made Simonov's facial muscles twitch. He stared coldly at everyone present and said in an angry voice, "Bekirbayev, what did you say? The T-10 project has been going on for ten years, and your Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau still can't produce an advanced airborne radar?"

In 1972, the fourth-generation fighter jet design was officially approved. That's right, the Russians were putting on a brave face by calling the MiG-19 and MiG-21 second-generation fighters and classifying the MiG-23 and MiG-25 as third-generation fighters, so as to ensure that there was no generation gap.

However, when it comes to fighting against Western third-generation fighters, especially the F-15 and F-16, the gap in strength is still obvious. The Russians are well aware of this and are working intensively to develop a fourth-generation fighter that can truly compete with third-generation fighters.

The twin-engine medium-sized fighter jet option is the MiG-29. The project is progressing smoothly and has now entered production and service.

However, the twin-engine heavy aircraft project has encountered many setbacks.

The first designer was Nikolai Chernyakov, who had previously led the design of the T-4 strategic bomber, which was not very good. After some tweaking based on the shape provided by the Central Institute of Fluid Mechanics, four years later, Simonov, the deputy minister of aviation industry, came to the Sukhoi Design Bureau and took over the T-10 project, and then discovered... wasn't this nonsense?
This is what you think you can fight an F-15? No way, start from scratch!
Many people objected, but Simonov, with unwavering perseverance, revised it again, and then... everyone was happy.

The revised flight performance has finally achieved the set goals, with maneuverability even stronger than the F-15. Now, the test flights of the airframe are almost complete. Once avionics are installed, it will be a modern fighter jet that can surpass the F-15.

Back then, after the T-10 project was launched, the Instrument Design Bureau also began to develop airborne avionics equipment, especially the most critical airborne radar equipment. For this project, they even established the Sixth Research Office.

After ten years of tinkering, the conclusion is... we just can't figure it out?
“Simonov, relax, don’t rush,” Bekirbayev said. “It’s not that we’re not trying, but rather the gap in our overall technical capabilities. After ten years of exploration, we still can’t master the processing challenges of planar slotted radar antennas. Now, seeing that the T-10 project is progressing smoothly, let’s first replace it with an enlarged version of the MiG-29 radar to meet basic operational requirements, and then we can wait until later…”

"What are we waiting for! The radar on the MiG-29 weighs 500 kilograms. If we transfer it to the Su-27, increase the antenna size, power, and cooling capacity, wouldn't the weight be a ton? In our original design, we only reserved 500 kilograms of weight for the radar. Now it's exceeded the limit. How can we stay calm? Tell me, how can we stay calm?"

“Arguing won’t solve anything. In short, the most suitable solution right now is to use a Cassegrain antenna. Although it’s heavier, it’s better than nothing. Or, could your Sukhoi Design Bureau help us solve the manufacturing problems of the radar antenna?”

"Why don't we just build radar? What's the point of having your instrument manufacturing and design bureau?"

"Sure, that's not impossible."

The argument paused in the meeting room, and the two men sat down, their faces flushed and both panting heavily.

"Can we import technology from Europe to solve this problem?" asked Matishev, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union who chaired the meeting.

“Europe? Europeans don’t have similar technology either!” Bekirbayev said. “Currently, only the United States can process it.”

"Only the United States?"

"Well, not entirely, except for the United States..."

"Who else?"

"The East, and the East too, can manufacture these antennas. The French even purchased a batch of antennas from the East. It's said that the British Phantom fighters also want to be sent to the East to upgrade their avionics..."

If Europe can't process it, how could the Soviet Union possibly process it! Bekirbayev was very frustrated at this moment.

"Then, can we import it from the East?" Madyashev asked.

"If we're going to import them, we should also import the supporting computers along with them. We're also in that area..."

The N001 radar used on the Su-27 is outdated, not only because the inverted antenna is inefficient, but also because the post-processing circuitry is poor. Originally, they planned to develop a dedicated computer for the N001 radar, but now they have given up and decided to use the computer developed by the Electronic Technology Research Center for the MiG-29 as a makeshift solution.

At the same time, European radars also used inverted antennas, but their performance was still better than that of the Su-27, precisely because of their superior post-processing circuitry. The Russians lagged behind in this aspect.

"Hmph, from the East? Our relationship with the East has long been strained. How could we possibly purchase technology from the East?" Simonov's tone remained unfriendly. For the powerful Soviet Union, needing to buy technology from the backward East was an absolute insult.

These guys in China are all a bunch of good-for-nothings!
“I heard that Xu Tuo recently went to the East to buy equipment. Could we… use this connection to contact the people in the East?” a cautious voice asked.

Madishev nodded: "Okay, I'll make the contact right away."

Arguing is pointless; we need to find a way to solve the problem!
The East, the capital.

"Damn it, what did you say?" Khachalov's eyes widened as he looked at the man in front of him. "An Easterner, actually wanting to raise the price?"

"Yes, they said that if we want it now, it can only be transferred from other customers' orders, which will increase the price; otherwise... we can only wait."

"Hmph, we absolutely will not accept a price increase. We need to get the plane as soon as possible and tell the Easterners that if they don't accept our demands, then we're done. We're not going to beg them for anything..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone rushed in: "Comrade Kachalov, we just received a message from Moscow asking us to try our best to maintain good relations with the East and see if we can buy advanced airborne radar technology from there!"

What?
Khachalov's eyes widened. Did he really have to beg an Easterner?
"Damn it, why do we need airborne radar?"

"The Sukhoi Design Bureau's T-10 project is experiencing slow development of its accompanying airborne radar. At a recent meeting in Moscow, the Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau requested a simple enlargement of the MiG-29's radar, which greatly angered Comrade Simonov..."

After a long pause, Khachalov sighed.

"Alright, since Moscow has this need, let's do as they say. However, the extra funds... will be provided by your company, Xu Tuo."

"what?"

Kadura looked at Khachalov in surprise. "We'd rather not buy it than spend so much money. We're friends! You can't cheat us!"

"You still need to buy anti-aircraft missiles from the Easterners, so it seems you're not short of money..."

Kadura couldn't continue speaking. Yes, they had bought too many anti-aircraft missiles, so... they had to accept the loss.

CATIC.

"Comrade Qin Liang, why don't you stay a few more days? Xu Tuo hasn't left yet, and things could change at any time..."

"Manager Liu, I have a lot of things to do when I get back. I'm from Northwestern Polytechnical University, not China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation..."

"We at CATIC also sell equipment for your Northwestern Polytechnical University! We help you make money, so if you stay and help us, that's..."

"Manager Liu, General Manager Qin, Xu Tuo's people have arrived!"

So fast?
Qin Liang smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll stay here and see what Xu Tuo wants."

Last time, they went to the relevant departments; this time, Xu Tuo came in person, which is enough to show how much Xu Tuo values ​​this cooperation.

After welcoming the guests in and exchanging pleasantries, we got down to business.

"After some negotiations within our country, we believe we can agree to your conditions, as long as we can obtain the fighter jets and early warning aircraft as soon as possible. After all, war could break out at any time, and we need to be prepared. We can also agree to your demands for a higher price..."

"This money is so easy to earn!" Manager Liu exclaimed.

"Okay, we have fifty Super-7s now. How many early warning aircraft do you plan to get? I suggest at least four."

"Cough cough cough..." Kadura almost spat out a mouthful of blood. One is already extravagant enough, and you actually want four!

“We only need one for now,” Mossarak said.

Four are simply unaffordable; even this one is extravagant enough. "Hmm, no problem. We'll include three years of service. Within those three years, if any problems arise, we'll come to your location to help resolve them. So, for three years, you only need to operate the equipment; leave everything else to us. You'd better not touch the equipment yourself..."

“No, no, it’s not necessary. We can manage on our own,” Kadura replied guiltily.

What a joke! Once they get their hands on the plane, the Russians will definitely take it apart and study it. They really don't have the chance to get their hands on it, but the Russians will!

If an Asian helps with the maintenance, what if they put a seal on the door after each maintenance to prevent the Russians from touching it?
"This...this isn't a good idea, is it? If you mess it up, you'll blame us for quality issues...No, we have to go."

"No, really no need."

"Then... we'll have to sign a liability waiver."

"it is good."

This saves so much trouble!

"Next, let's talk about the missiles. The Super-7 can only be equipped with the Lightning-9 and Lightning-10. How about you purchase 500 of each?"

Another sum of money!

This is why many air forces, once they've chosen a particular country's products, don't easily switch. If they do, the entire supporting system and even the missiles have to be replaced!

Now, we have no choice but to buy them. Without missiles, are we supposed to fight with machine guns?

"Under the command of the AWACS aircraft, fighter jets only need to launch missiles from a distance, especially when facing F-16s, which do not have medium-range missiles; encountering them would be a one-sided massacre..."

"Yes, of course we have to buy them. Shall we... each buy two hundred?"

"No, that's too few! You have fifty fighter jets, and you can only carry four missiles on each takeoff. What about the second time? How are you going to take off and fight? Don't be like the Crying Country, who bought ten Super-7s the first time, and when that wasn't enough, they rushed to Iran to beg for a transfer after the war broke out. Speaking of which, the markup they offered was much higher than yours..."

“Alright, then five hundred each.” Kadura nodded. “We have another matter to discuss with you. We heard that you are upgrading the airborne radar system of the British Phantom fighter jets. We wonder if you could help us with that as well?”

It really is airborne radar! Manager Liu looked at Qin Liang with admiration; he was practically a prophet.

Qin Liang was also a little curious. He originally thought that the Russians would only come to buy the aircraft after they had received the batch of Super-7s and the early warning aircraft and studied them. He didn't expect that they would come to ask for it before the contract was even signed.
However, considering the progress of the Su-27, now should be the time when the advanced radar project falls through and Sukhoi's sky collapses!

Therefore, it is understandable that they came to the East for help.

"You want to help with the equipment too? No problem. Your MiG-23s, MiG-25s, etc., are outdated. We'll help upgrade them and refit them with our Eastern missiles. That way, the number of missiles will increase..."

"No, no, we only want to purchase radar, with an antenna size of 960 millimeters and a transmitter power of less than 1.6 kilowatts..."

Qin Liang frowned.

"What's wrong?" Kadura asked anxiously. Had they figured out that they were buying from the Russians and therefore didn't want to do the deal?

“We haven’t studied radars of this size before. It’s even bigger than the Tomcat’s radar. We have to develop one from scratch, so…”

"We'll cover the R&D expenses!"

This guy really knows what he's doing!
Qin Liang nodded: "Then give us 50 million in research and development funding."

"So expensive?"

If they go back and report to the Russians, the Russians will be furious and yell at them, saying it's another fifty million!

"This is not expensive, it's very cheap. If it were a different customer, we would ask them for at least one hundred million US dollars. How could the development of this kind of radar be cheap? Take radar antennas for example, we may have to process dozens of them to produce one finished product. Tell me, should we charge for just one, or should we take all fifty?"

The people of Xutuo do not speak.

"I'm not bragging, but with our technology, the Russians won't be able to catch up for twenty years! We've developed this radar with a search range of at least 200 kilometers, capable of guiding six missiles simultaneously to attack six targets! And it weighs less than 500 kilograms."

This amount of money is really not much. The Russians spent more money to develop radar for the Su-27, and the development still failed!
The inverted CAR-T antenna has very poor performance. For a target with a radar cross-section of three square meters, the maximum search range is no more than 100 kilometers, and in actual use, it is only about 80 kilometers. Moreover, the inverted CAR-T antenna has a high sidelobe level, resulting in very poor look-up and look-down capability on land.

Now that the performance has doubled, do you think the Russians wouldn't pay for it?
"Okay, I need to report back to the country."

They couldn't make the decision themselves and had to go back and ask the Russians for their opinion. Kachalov, too, couldn't make the decision and continued to report to Moscow.

Moscow.

"A search range of 200 kilometers, and the ability to guide six missiles simultaneously... this Eastern technology is truly extraordinary!" Simonov exclaimed excitedly. "Especially since it weighs only 500 kilograms, it's perfect for mounting on our T-10!"

"But they want fifty million dollars!"

"Fifty million isn't much. Over the years, our R&D expenditure has been at least twice fifty million, hasn't it?"

"Simonov, the price the Easterners are offering is only for research and development costs, not technology transfer fees!" Bekirbayev warned. You think it's cheap? If you get on this pirate ship and pin your hopes on the Easterners…

"Yes, there are no technology transfer fees, but if we get the prototype produced by Dongfang and still can't replicate it, then there's no point in our relevant departments working on it. We might as well just purchase directly from Dongfang!"

Simonov was putting pressure on the Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau! He didn't care about precision machining capabilities; he only knew that if the Easterners could manufacture it and had a prototype, the Soviet Union had to manufacture it too! Otherwise…

The original designers will likely face trouble. Although they won't be forced into heavy physical labor like during the major purge, there's a high chance they won't be able to stay in the department.

"We can't get American equipment, and Europe doesn't have similar technology. Now, our only option is to find a way from the East," Matyashev said. "Gentlemen, the East has modern industry thanks to our help. What they can do, we can definitely do too, so... let's do our best!"

He also supported the plan. Since there was hope, they should strive for it. The outdated inverted antenna was really not worthy of the Soviet Union's most powerful fighter jet!
East.

After Qin Liang finished dealing with the matters at AVIC, he was about to return to Chang'an when he heard that the British had flown in a Phantom and asked him to modify it. The plane had already arrived at Factory 132, so he immediately coordinated a flight to Chengdu.

Originally, the Chang'an Flight Test Institute could also modify it, but the Flight Test Institute has many key projects and we can't let the British see them. So, we simply sent it to Factory 132. Anyway, there are many teachers and students from Northwestern Polytechnical University there, so modifying avionics is a piece of cake for them.

Factory 132, hangar.

When Qin Liang walked in, he saw many people busy at work. The radar dome on the nose of the aircraft had been removed, exposing the radar in its entirety. The radar antenna was the most conspicuous part; it was just a dish lid, not even turned upside down!

"This radar is so outdated! It should have been upgraded a long time ago!" Qin Liang said as he strode over. "Our advanced airborne radar from the East will definitely improve the performance of your Phantom fighters by a lot!"

"President Qin, you've finally arrived! Our radar has a 32-inch aperture. Is the radar you provided a bit too small?"

When the Phantom was first developed, it was equipped with the An/APQ-50 radar with a 24-inch antenna, which is 61 centimeters. Later, the production version was changed to the AN/APQ-72, with the aperture increased to 32 inches, which is 81 centimeters. The radome became much larger to accommodate it.

Now... what the East is providing is a radar for a medium-sized fighter jet, with a radar antenna only a little over 600 millimeters in size, and they are not satisfied!

　PS: The top picture is of a Su-27, and the bottom picture is of a Phantom.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)