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

Chapter 352 Old Russians, I'll Guide You in Building the S-300 Missile
Hudong Shipyard, Guesthouse.

"Northwestern Polytechnical University is really something else, it has so many advanced technologies?"

"That's right. We didn't think much of it at first, but now that we've learned about it, we realize that almost all of the advanced technology in the East comes from them. The Super-7, that fighter jet that's been all the rage lately, was improved by them, and they also manufactured its avionics. They have advanced computers and top-notch CNC machine tools..."

"So, this 'cart-pulling technology' actually exists?"

"should be."

Pierre gritted his teeth: "Let's go talk to them! If we can import this technology from the East, then our Berthier CNC machine tools might become the most advanced in Europe..."

Despite their boasting, Bertier is not well-known in the field of CNC machine tools. The technology of Germany and the island nation is more advanced than theirs. Now, this may be their chance to turn things around!

Boom boom, boom boom!
"Please come in!"

Qin Liang had dinner at the Hudong Shipyard and stayed overnight, of course, to make things convenient for the French. Now that the French had arrived, he was extremely pleased with himself. How much could he squeeze out of them? Too much; this lousy company probably couldn't afford it.

"Mr. Qin, I'm very sorry, we didn't know you were from Northwestern Polytechnical University today. I apologize for my rudeness."

"No need, ignorance is no excuse, after all, your area is poorly informed..."

Is this a compliment, or a further denigration?
Pierre put his displeasure aside and said, "Mr. Qin, we would like to introduce your chariot-pulling technology. Please name your price."

"Well... I'm sorry, we don't sell these."

"why?"

"This is our patented technology, unique in the world. Diesel engine manufacturers from all over the world come to Dongfang to purchase equipment. Selling equipment is the most suitable solution for us. We don't need many; selling one unit for 80 million US dollars is enough."

The domestic supply is only ten million, but the overseas sales are eighty million, in US dollars. This profit would make even the most shrewd businessman envious.

“Even if we only sell two units a year, our net profit easily exceeds 100 million. If we sell the patent to you… wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”

The Frenchmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

What does this mean? This is an outrageous demand!

Over a decade, this patent alone would be worth a billion dollars. Even if you sold the entire Bertier company, it wouldn't be worth that much!
Pierre gritted his teeth: "If you are willing to sell this patent to us, we are willing to pay two hundred million dollars."

The moment those words left his mouth, the French were stunned. Pierre, are you crazy? Two hundred million! Where would our company come up with that much money!
"Only two hundred million... Sigh, forget it, let's just sell the equipment directly." Qin Liang shook his head.

"Three hundred million, three hundred million at most!"

“Pierre, our company doesn’t have that much money, and besides, you’re not a director of the company, you don’t have that authority!” someone nearby couldn’t help but say.

"Then let's go with 300 million. After you go back, report to the company and see if they agree. Besides, raising such a huge sum of money may take a long time. Don't worry, we can wait."

We can't rush things. If the other party decides to buy the patent, they will definitely have to see the car-pulling process running normally before they will pay! In the meantime, we also need to get this thing out as soon as possible.

Actually, this is mainly a matter of creativity, and with Northwestern Polytechnical University's capabilities, it's not difficult to do.

Next, it's time to go back and make some arrangements.

Time flies. When I returned to Northwestern Polytechnical University, it was just in time for the start of the new semester.

Countless students come from all directions to Northwestern Polytechnical University, and are filled with joy as they look at the brand-new campus.

This is their most coveted hall of fame, the best university in the country! Because so many people apply, the admission scores have been rising year after year, and this year it's even more outrageous, with scores higher than Tsinghua and Peking Universities. It can be said that only the most outstanding university students in the country can study here!

As for master's and doctoral degrees, they are even more impressive. Many students who could have gone abroad to study have chosen to pursue postgraduate studies at Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Looking at the bustling students, Qin Liang was filled with emotion. He thought that these students would definitely become outstanding talents in four years.

"Excuse me, senior, how do I get to the Aeronautics Department... Hmm, you look familiar? Qin Liang, are you senior Qin Liang?"

A student wearing glasses stopped Qin Liang. He had only asked for directions, but unexpectedly, he saw Qin Liang!
Wow…

The new students quickly gathered around.

"Senior Brother Qin Liang, I chose Northwestern Polytechnical University because I admire you!"

"Senior Brother Qin Liang, you are our role model!"

"Senior Brother Qin Liang..."

Qin Liang was completely baffled.

This scene is similar to the idol worship of later generations, except that people are not idolizing celebrities in the entertainment industry, but scientists. This is the most correct way to idolize!
"Senior Brother Qin Liang, please say a few words to us!"

Qin Liang could only stand on the flower bed by the roadside, watching the crowds keep pouring in.

"Students, back then, Leader Zhou said that we should study for the rise of China. Now, you have come to Northwestern Polytechnical University to study so that our Eastern science and technology can become number one in the world. Our mission is to catch up in various scientific and technological fields and reach the world's number one!"

The applause was warm.

Even Tsinghua and Peking Universities wouldn't dare say that, but Northwestern Polytechnical University does!
What are Tsinghua and Peking University compared to them? How many university-run factories do they have? How profitable are they? How much advanced technology do they possess? Northwestern Polytechnical University is miles ahead of them!
"Four years ago, I came to Northwestern Polytechnical University with my luggage, just like you. Looking at my classmates, I wondered what kind of historical mission we, the new three classes, should shoulder? At that time, Professor Luo, who was the head of our fifth department, told me that we should strive for the development of science and technology!"

In the distance, on the office building, Principal Luo looked at Qin Liang speaking below with a complicated expression.

You didn't come here like that. You didn't bring much luggage, you were practically empty-handed. After you arrived, you started working on the technology. I never said these encouraging words to you.

However, these students were clearly spurred on! Just look at their expressions to see how excited they were!

Knock knock! There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

"President Luo, the Russians are here. They want to discuss cooperation with Northwestern Polytechnical University..."

"Discuss cooperation?" Principal Luo glanced down below: "Liangzi's return is just in time. Let's invite him over."

Currently, Northwestern Polytechnical University has two main companies: Pacific Company, which is responsible for import and export, but mainly for projects in the West and the Third World; and Datang Company, which is mainly responsible for coordinating various university-run factories.

There's really no direct contact with the Russians. The key issue is that relations haven't been normalized with them. There's not much business in this area to begin with, and it's currently only a part of airborne radar. Qin Liang personally negotiated it back then, and now, naturally, Qin Liang has to take over. Northwestern Polytechnical University, conference room.

Qin Liang looked at the Russians present and spoke calmly.

“Mr. Triyanovsky, if you have any needs, you can talk to CATIC. There’s no need to come all the way to Northwestern Polytechnical University. We don’t have direct flights to you, so you have to transfer flights, which is a lot of trouble and not worth it.”

“No, this time, I had to come to you.” Triyanovsky said, “China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation is only responsible for the aviation system… Come, let me introduce you, this is Comrade Boris Vasilyevich Bentin.”

Upon hearing this name, Qin Liang's eyes lit up instantly.

This guy is the chief designer of the S-300 missile!
In 1947, this guy completed his master's degree from the Moscow Aviation Institute and was assigned to the 108th Research Institute, where he was in charge of radar system research. The head of this institute was the even more famous Raspletin. That year, the Soviet government decided to establish the First Special Design Bureau and transferred Raspletin, who was also among those transferred.

This guy is amazing. In just three years, he joined a team of 30 experts and developed the SAM-1 air defense missile. After that, one advanced air defense missile after another came from their hands.

After the S-300 missile project was launched, the elderly Raspletin finally couldn't hold on any longer, so the old man took over the work.

This guy was really strong. At the time, many people were still clinging to the old ways and wanted to use vacuum tube technology, but Benjing could clearly see how wrong the vacuum tube approach was. He overruled the objections and used semiconductor materials exclusively, and even used some integrated circuits.

In 1980, the S-300P air defense missile system was finally successfully developed, becoming the most advanced air defense system of the Russian Air Defense Forces. Then, the Russians continued their efforts and developed its upgraded version, the S-300PM. According to the original plan, in addition to using missiles with longer ranges, the guidance system was also to be upgraded from TVM to active radar guidance.

However... the technical difficulty was too great, and the Russians simply couldn't handle it. Even with the S-300PMU, the one we purchased from the East, it still used the outdated TVM guidance system. It wasn't until the S-350 that they started using an active seeker. In this respect, it was far inferior to our HQ-9, which had an active guidance system from the beginning.

Right now, the other side is working on an upgraded version of the S-300PM, and they happen to be having problems with the active seeker. Then... in the Bekaa Valley, the Eastern HQ-16 has shown its prowess. Although it is also a semi-active guidance system, it has shown the Russians the advanced technology of the East, so they came to ask for help.
With such advanced weaponry, why would the Russians be willing to bow down and come to the East to find a solution to their problems?
However... considering that the Su-27 is already using our Eastern avionics, the S-300 is certainly feasible as well.

"Comrade Benjing, hello." Although Qin Liang guessed the other party's purpose, he was not in a hurry to get to the point and wanted to learn more about the situation first.

"Yes, in the Syrian Air Force's equipment, we saw equipment similar to the Tomcat fighter jet, which was also equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles. These missiles even use active seekers," Benjing began. "We are very interested in this technology. We wonder... if it could be exported to us? We need not only the technical data, but also the production data..."

"That's impossible."

"why?"

"The Air Force will not agree." Qin Liang directly passed the buck to the Air Force. If they have the guts, they should go find the Air Force and see how they deal with them. They've been in a standoff for decades, and now they still have the nerve to ask for technology?
"We know that our relationship was very strained before, but it has eased up quite a bit recently. Your side has even exported radar to Sukhoi, so why can't you export guidance head technology to our Diamond Design Bureau?"

"Okay, that's true. We can help lobby the Air Force to export this product to you, but the production line is definitely out of the question, don't even think about it."

The Russian man's expression was complicated.

The product is in hand, but... without production capacity, doesn't that mean we'll always be at the mercy of others?
This advanced active radar seeker uses a flat panel antenna! Even for a small-diameter antenna, the technology is interchangeable, so the production technology certainly cannot be exported.

"Now that you've received our guidance heads, they can be easily paired with our radar, giving your fighter jets top-notch combat capabilities..." Qin Liang continued to boast.

"This guidance head can also be used on surface-to-air missiles, right? Like your HQ-16, which is an improvement on the SH-10."

Qin Liang nodded: "Yes, if this were our own equipment, it would be easy to match. Although it is an active seeker, its actual effective range is at most twenty kilometers. In the initial and mid-course phases of launch, it needs rear radar illumination. You don't have our electronic capabilities... Do you need technical guidance?"

The Russian's expression was complicated.

In fact, they should have used an active radar guidance system long ago, but they couldn't solve the technical problems, so they settled for TVM guidance. The missile receives guidance from the rear and can also receive radar reflection signals from the target. After processing on the ground, guidance commands are generated.

The biggest advantage of this guidance method is its simplicity, while maintaining accuracy even when attacking distant targets.

This technology is completely different from active radar guidance. They only introduced an active radar seeker, but the missile control still cannot be solved. How to solve the guidance in the first half?

But... how could they possibly bring themselves to ask for technical guidance from the East?

It's important to know that the development of air defense missiles in the East started with the manufacture of the Russian SAM-1 missile. For decades, there was only this one missile. Now, however, a more powerful missile has suddenly emerged that is even superior to the Russian product!

"Besides the integration of semi-active and active radars, there's also the multi-target interception capability, which requires an advanced computer processing system. I guess... your surface-to-air missiles are weak in this area, right? Oh, and there's also ballistic missile interception..."

The Russians all opened their eyes wide.

"What did you say, intercept ballistic missiles?"

The Americans have been talking about Star Wars lately, and one of the most important aspects of that is intercepting ballistic missiles!

What the Americans have, the Russians certainly want to have too. The Russians are genuinely aiming for dominance in the space domain, and they also have their own countermeasures for intercepting ballistic missiles.

The S-300 missile had this goal in mind during its development: if it couldn't intercept medium- and long-range missiles, it should at least be able to intercept short-range missiles like the Scud.

However, due to the high technical difficulty, the Russians split the project into two parts.

The S-300P used by the Air Defense Force was developed by Almaz Design Bureau, while the S-300V used by the Army, which intercepts aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range ballistic missiles such as Scuds, was developed by Antey Design Bureau. There was also a dedicated S-300F for the Navy, but due to insufficient technology, the S-300P was simply used instead.

Currently, the only S-300P that has been finalized and put into service is the S-300P. The S-300V is still under development. If the Almaz Design Bureau could integrate the ability to intercept ballistic missiles into it... wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Antey Design Bureau?

Despite the fact that the entire S-300 system emphasizes universality and seems like a family, the competition between the various design bureaus in Russia is actually very fierce!

At this moment, seeing the surprised looks on the Russians' faces, Qin Liang knew that it was almost certain to succeed!
In later generations, many ignorant keyboard warriors have been happy to find foreign "fathers" for Eastern equipment, saying that our Hongqi-9 is a copy of the Russian S-300. This is absolutely nonsense. The Hongqi-9 project was initiated earlier than the S-300, and its size, guidance system, and other aspects are different. How could it be a copy?

However, it's not entirely accurate to say there were no references. After all, you already have them, so why can't you take them apart and study them?

The Navy's air defense destroyers have now started construction, but due to the delays in the HQ-9 project, the multi-functional vertical launch system can only be equipped with the HQ-16 at present, which is still lacking in long-range area air defense capabilities. If we can take this opportunity to thoroughly understand the S-300 system, it will definitely help our HQ-9 project!
"That's right. Intercepting ballistic missiles is one of the main tasks of modern air defense systems. The Patriot missile system that the Americans are developing also has this capability, as do the Aegis warships of the US Navy. The Soviet Union... certainly wouldn't be left behind, right?"

“That’s right, we also need to have this capability. We… hope that you can serve as our technical advisor!”

In the conference room, everyone from the East was shocked.

Our weaponry has already made it so strong that French products can't be sold anymore. We thought that was already very powerful, but now, even the Russians are asking us to be their technical advisors!
"We hope that you can send a team to our design bureau to upgrade our existing air defense missile system using advanced Eastern electronic technology..."

"No." Qin Liang shook his head again.

"why?"

"The Air Force won't let me go."

"This falls under the Air Force's jurisdiction?"

“That’s right, anything that can fly is under their jurisdiction,” Qin Liang said. “You should send your equipment over here, and we’ll help you improve it. Besides, we have advanced electronic technology research and development capabilities here. If you send it over there, you might not have anything you need, and it will just waste time running back and forth.”

The most crucial thing is to trick the Russians into giving us an S-300! Once it's in our hands, we can decide how to study it.
On our side, we must take the lead!
(End of this chapter)