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

Chapter 354 Our second-rate technology is the most advanced technology in the hands of the Russians.

A week later.

When Qin Liang saw Director Chen, he was startled. With those panda eyes, was he still the same energetic middle-aged man?
"Director Chen, what's wrong with you?"

"It's alright. We read the Russians' technical documents during the day, and at night we write down everything we remember. We've been busy like this for a while now, so... Don't worry, there's no problem. We're already very skilled at this job. I have to say, the Russians' design approach is quite brilliant."

"Really? Tell me about it?"

"Take missiles for example. The 5V55K missile they use only uses a single-stage rocket engine, and its range can reach 47 kilometers..."

Although our missiles have a longer range, they all have boosters. The Russian missiles, with only one stage, achieving this range is already quite formidable. If you add a booster to them...

"What? 5V55K?" Qin Liang's eyes widened. "These Russians really aren't afraid of losing face, bringing out their most primitive stuff for us."

There are many types of S-300, with vastly different differences between later and earlier models.

The original S-300P used the 5V55K, which had a maximum range of only 47 kilometers. It was not even up to the level of a regional air defense missile or a medium-range missile. Moreover, it used radio command guidance, which was essentially no different from the SAM-2.

However, the Russians also knew that the performance of this missile was insufficient, so they quickly improved it into the 5V55R missile. In addition to implementing TVM guidance system, they also improved its single-stage solid rocket motor, increasing the maximum range to 75 kilometers, which looks much better on paper.

However, the 48N6E missile, with a range of 150 kilometers, was truly groundbreaking and gave the S-300 missile system real significance.

Now, the Russians are clearly holding back, unwilling to give us the good stuff. Well then, let's... annoy them a little!
"What about their radar?"

"The radar model is 5N64, with a maximum search range of 200 kilometers. This radar is very interesting; it's back-to-back, a dual-faced radar, and the rotating target search refresh rate is doubled..."

Sure enough, the radar model is also the oldest!

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Yes, it is indeed very interesting. The feed source is still outside, and when it is unfolded, it looks like a big carrying pole."

"What? You know? It took us several people half a day to memorize all of this..."

"Director Chen, has our research yielded any results?"

"Yes, we've learned a lot. Originally, we were completely clueless about long-range air defense missile systems. This time, we've really broadened our horizons. Many of the design concepts have been very enlightening..."

"Now that we've thoroughly analyzed their data, let's give them a quote tomorrow," Qin Liang said. "None of the Russians' parts are usable; we'll have to develop entirely new ones for them, and the development costs will easily exceed one hundred million US dollars!"

Director Chen's eyes widened. One hundred million US dollars! If our Hongqi-9 had that much research funding... we would definitely be able to develop the project!

"Comrade Qin Liang, with such a high price, will they... agree to it?"

"Definitely not. If they want to lower the price, they'll have to bring out their truly advanced equipment!"

The cooperation between the two sides was fraught with various tests. Sigh, can we still be friends?

the next day.

"Mr. Benjing, after this period of research, we believe that your long-range area air defense missile system is severely outdated in all aspects of its technical specifications and is simply incapable of undertaking future air defense missions. Now, you want us to help upgrade it, but we believe there is absolutely no need for upgrades; it's all garbage..."

"what?"

"Mr. Qin, please don't go too far. Where is our missile system outdated?"

Although they had more advanced systems at their disposal, the system they handed over to the Easterners was already a mainstay of their air defense forces. How could they say it was outdated? The Russians were not convinced.

"Mr. Qin, are you saying that your equipment is far more advanced than ours?" Benjing wasn't angry; this was originally a test.

"That's for sure. Take air defense radar for example, its search range is only a mere 200 kilometers, it's terrible! Our radar of the same type has a search range of over 300 kilometers, and this missile's maximum range is only 47 kilometers, which is even shorter than the maximum range of our medium-range air defense missiles!"

Qin Liang looked at Benjing: "Your side asked us to help with the modification, but we think that your existing equipment is too poor and there is no point in modifying it. It would be better to adopt the equipment produced by our Northwestern Polytechnical University. The research and development cost of the whole system would be at least two hundred million US dollars."

"What?! You're robbing me!"

"That's right, we Soviets have our own research and development capabilities. We don't need your completely new research and development!"

"I originally thought that the Soviet Union's electronic technology was a bit lacking, but at least its other capabilities were not bad. Take the missile range for example. Even if you can't make the missile fly a high-trajectory trajectory, you can at least improve the missile's propellant. With a weight of one and a half tons, the range is only 47 kilometers. I'm not looking down on the Soviet Union, but your technology is indeed terrible."

"Of course we have advanced ones! Our 5V55R missile has a range of 75 kilometers!"

"Fyodorov, that's enough!" Benjing was furious. He had originally wanted to extract information from the East, but now, they had revealed the most advanced technology themselves.

"Seventy-five kilometers? Is it the high-trajectory version of this 5V55K missile? If not, as long as the fire control system is upgraded to fly on a high-trajectory trajectory, its range can be increased significantly. One hundred and fifty might be a bit far-fetched, but one hundred and twenty-five kilometers is a sure thing!"

The Russians' eyes widened.

A missile's range is closely related to its flight trajectory. For example, the Phoenix missile, after launch, can fly to an altitude of 28,000 or even 32,000 meters. In the thin atmosphere, the drag is very small, and the range is greatly increased.

What about surface-to-air missiles?
Semi-active radar-guided missiles need to keep an eye on the target at all times and maneuver with it, otherwise they will miss the target.

Even radio command guided missiles must keep their eyes on the target, because the radar not only needs to monitor the target, but also the flight of its own missiles, so that the two can make close contact.

Missiles guided by active radar rely entirely on inertial flight outside the range of the terminal guidance system. As long as the electronic technology is up to standard, they can not only fly towards the target, but also fly a high-altitude trajectory and use the thin air at high altitude to reduce drag, thereby greatly increasing the range.

If the maximum range during normal flight is only 75 kilometers, then with the same power, it could easily fly 150 kilometers at high altitude! Furthermore, during the terminal phase, a high-altitude dive could increase speed and maneuverability, thereby expanding the no-escape zone!

Moreover, with a range exceeding 100 kilometers, mentioning this data at a meeting in Moscow would be incredibly prestigious...

"Qin, if we have a missile with a range of 75 kilometers, can we use our existing missiles for the missile body?"

"Of course!" Qin Liang nodded: "In that case, the $50 million needed for the development of the projectile will be saved."

“Fifty million dollars for one missile? You Easterners are really greedy!” Fedorov blurted out.

“Okay, then it'll be thirty million dollars. You'll also need to give us 170 million in consulting fees.” “Damn it, that's not what I meant…”

"Fyodorov, shut your mouth now, no one will think you're mute!"

Fedorov lowered his head.

"Qin, even if this missile costs fifty million US dollars, if we can provide our own radar with a search range of 300 kilometers, can we reduce the R&D cost by another fifty million US dollars?" Benjing asked.

I just said 200 million, which is a lot. Now that we can cut it in half, exposing our advanced equipment for this is... acceptable, right?

Qin Liang shook his head.

"What, no?"

"To increase the search range of a radar, all you need to do is increase the transmitter power. The key is accuracy." Qin Liang's tone was laced with disdain. "Even if you replace it with an active seeker, the accuracy of the rear radar still needs to be high enough. The existing radar's accuracy is already poor enough. To increase the search range by another hundred kilometers, the accuracy simply won't meet the requirements. It seems like that's all you know how to do..."

"Of course, it's not just about increasing power. We will also use various technical means to improve radar performance, such as increasing receiver sensitivity and enhancing the processing power of data processing circuits, at the Tikhomirov Radio Research Institute..."

"Fyodorov!"

Honjing was utterly speechless at his subordinate's reaction; the other party had provoked him into revealing everything!

In fact, Qin Liang already knew all this. The upgraded version of the S-300's search radar is the 64N6. It is also a passive phased array radar, with the same number of phase shifters as the 5N64, and the radar aperture size is enlarged to be comparable to that of the SPY-1A.

The transmitter power was increased and the receiver sensitivity was improved, thus successfully extending the search range to 300 kilometers.

In the early 1980s, it was not easy to develop a radar to this level. After that, it was just simple repairs and maintenance, and it continued to be used. Even in the later stages, when intercepting ballistic missiles, this same radar was still used.

Although we will transition to active phased array radar, that is ultimately intended for the navy, and the initial production capacity will not be very high, nor will the price be particularly low. Therefore, it is necessary to reverse engineer this radar.

Qin Liang frowned: "Mr. Benjing, is this your sincerity in cooperating? All our work this week has been a waste of time! I think we should just give up. Northwestern Polytechnical University has many projects, we don't need yours. My time is precious, I can't waste it like this."

After saying that, Qin Liang stood up.

The people from Northwestern Polytechnical University present also stood up. Director Chen and others were slow to realize what was happening and then slowly stood up as well, clearly showing their reluctance to part with him.

If things fall apart, how will we even get to inspect the samples? While the 5V55K and 5N64 are less advanced than those from Northwestern Polytechnical University, they're still better than what they currently have…

"Wait!" Benjing was anxious. He seemed to see the scenes from his visit to the Northwestern Polytechnical University's factory again. The overall design there was a generation ahead of the Russians.

Although the Russians keep claiming that they have strong integration capabilities and that even with a bunch of outdated parts, they can still assemble a weapon of comparable quality to the West, well... that's just something they can't do. Now that they have something better, they naturally want it too!

In particular, the confrontation with the Americans in the space field is inseparable from advanced electronic technology. Russian engineers have been racking their brains all day about how to develop a system that can rival the American Star Wars. Now, I think we have found a solution: cooperate with Northwestern Polytechnical University!
"Mr. Qin, we were wrong before. We shouldn't have used an outdated system for your evaluation. Now, our cooperation is sincere. We hope to introduce Northwestern Polytechnical University's advanced electronic technology to upgrade our S-300 missile system. We..."

Kristoff frowned. The Soviet Union's most advanced missile technology, still under development, was to be opened up to the East? This was tantamount to treason!

However, given the current situation, he couldn't voice his opposition. Besides, it wasn't time to formally sign the contract yet; he could always go back and discuss it later.

“We have many projects we can cooperate on,” Benjing continued. “For example, have you heard of the A-35 anti-missile system around Moscow? We are currently planning an upgrade to this system to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles, and it needs to be able to intercept them with conventional warheads, not nuclear warheads. We need technical support from the East! Another example is anti-satellite technology…”

"Enough, Benjing, you've said enough. Many secrets cannot be leaked. Now, I have any reason to arrest you at any time!" Christopher said impatiently.

Even asking the East to help upgrade the S-300 is an overstepping of boundaries. Last time, we were talking about using outdated equipment to cooperate with the East, but now it's about using the most advanced equipment. And that's not enough, we also want to cooperate with the East on anti-missile, anti-satellite and other projects. If we cooperate with the East on these projects, how can the Russian engineers still have any face?

Sincerity appeared on Benjing's face: "Christopher, believe in us, we need Eastern technology! It's the most powerful punch we can use to defeat the Western world led by the United States and shatter their monopoly on space!"

Benjing then looked at Qin Liang: "Comrade Qin Liang, please give me some time. I need to go back to Moscow. When I return, I will bring many cooperative projects. Now, I hope we can reach an agreement on cooperation on the S-300 project..."

Qin Liang took a deep breath: "Okay, Comrade Benjing, I await your answer. For the upgrade of this S-300 missile project, we can propose some targets, simultaneously search for three hundred targets, track one hundred of them, and transmit the most threatening targets to the fire control radar for interception from one hundred kilometers away. It can also deal with missiles like the Scud. As for the research and development budget, it's one hundred million US dollars!"

"Okay!" Benjing nodded.

The atmosphere was harmonious in the end. Qin Liang personally saw the Russians off to their car, his warm smile making him seem like a friend he would go to great lengths for.

Watching the car drive away, Director Luo asked, "Liangzi, are we really going to share our most advanced technology with the Russians?"

"Of course not," Qin Liang said. "As long as we give our second-rate technology to the Russians, it will already be the most advanced technology for them. Moreover, in the process, we can learn a lot of experience from the Russians, such as anti-missile systems, where our technological reserves are almost zero, and anti-satellite systems..."

Qin Liang was familiar with these systems.

Back then, the Russians deployed an anti-missile system in Moscow, which made Khrushchev extremely happy. He shouted every day: "We have shot down a fly in space!"

In reality, using nuclear bombs to intercept nuclear bombs is an act that would harm the enemy a thousand times while injuring eight hundred of your own. Moreover, what's even more critical is that the A-35 anti-missile system only has two launch sites, and can intercept less than ten missiles at the same time!

It was sufficient at the time, but with the further increase in the number of US nuclear weapons and the development of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology, this anti-missile system is no longer adequate.

1975年，苏联部长会议决定研制A-135反导系统，包括两种导弹：代号为53T6的大气层内导弹拦截弹，和代号为51T6的大气层外导弹拦截弹。

Due to the extremely high technical difficulty, even with the use of nuclear weapons to intercept them, progress was still slow. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the entire A-135 anti-missile system had not been formally networked, let alone improved its accuracy or replaced the nuclear warheads with conventional warheads!
If Eastern technology is used, then the A-135 can be switched to a conventional warhead! This is very tempting for the Russians. As for anti-satellite systems... the Russians didn't go into details. If I remember correctly, it should be the 30P6 anti-satellite system.

The Russians developed a high-precision ground-based radar to track satellites in outer space. As long as the orbit of a satellite can be determined, its next position can be accurately predicted. Then, they used MiG-31s ​​to carry anti-satellite missiles into the air, sending the missiles to an altitude of 30,000 meters for launch. The missiles flew out of the atmosphere and destroyed the satellites with fragments.

These projects... Dongfang doesn't have any of them yet!

The Russians provide the funding, we contribute some second-rate technology, and we help the Russians mature these systems, so that we can have the same systems ourselves...

"Liangzi, have you ever considered that even second-rate technology could significantly improve the performance of Soviet weapons and equipment?" Director Luo said with a complicated expression, "Now, the Russians seem much more docile, but no one can guarantee that they won't reveal their ruthless side again..."

We've been raising a tiger only to have it come to our own!
Qin Liang smiled and said, "So... the chips we provide to the Russians must be specially treated. They have to have backdoors inside so that if the Russians use weapons made with our Eastern technology against us, all of these weapons will be rendered useless!"

　PS: 5N64 on top, 64N6 on the bottom.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)