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

Chapter 375: The H-6 Begins to Sell Well!

The East, the capital, CATIC.

"Mr. Salah, welcome to CATIC. The Iranian Air Force has been a traditional customer of our Super-7. Are you here again to purchase our Super-7 again?" Manager Liu said with a smile.

A customer has come to the door! This is great news!
"No, Super 7 can no longer meet our needs!"

Manager Liu still had a faint smile on his face. Since the Super-7 wouldn't work, then let's use the JF-17. This low-cost fighter jet was also specially developed for export. Its performance is first-class and it is perfectly suitable for use by these countries.

To his surprise, the procurement requirements that the other party put forward next gave him a huge shock.

“We want to purchase H-6 bombers, the kind of bombers your side used to drop large quantities of bombs on the battlefield,” Salah said. “We also hope to acquire these aircraft, as well as the bombs that come with them.”

We need to buy H-6 bombers!

The British came last time, but they couldn't reach an agreement after a long discussion. After all, to buy weapons, political demands had to be met first, and besides, the British country was almost bankrupt, so where would they get the funds to purchase them?

The British failed to buy it, but unexpectedly, this camel actually came!

"This..." Manager Liu hesitated.

Selling bombers to Iraq might create an imbalance of military power in the region. The H-6 is different from other aircraft; it's a strategic weapon. With the H-6, Iraq could project its military power over a radius of three to four thousand kilometers, threatening Saudi Arabia.

"We know you've marketed to Britain, and our relationship with you is certainly better than your relationship with Britain, isn't it?"

Salah was prepared; he came here specifically to buy these powerful bombers! Then he can drop bombs on Tehran!
Although they managed to stabilize the air situation briefly with their Super-7 fighter jets, they were at best evenly matched and did not truly gain the upper hand. This time, watching the Eastern bombers relentlessly bombing the Monkey's side and destroying the entire industrial base, they were very envious.

Unlike other Middle Eastern countries, Langkawi has an industry, and a well-developed one at that!

Therefore, destroying Langtuo's industrial base is the next target for the Yituo people, and the H-6 bomber is their inevitable choice!

Salah is determined not to go back until he can buy a H-6 bomber!

Just as Manager Liu was wondering how to explain, footsteps sounded outside.

“Mr. Salah, it’s not that we don’t want to sell, it’s that you don’t have the conditions to use it.”

General Manager Qin is here! Manager Liu was overjoyed; at this crucial moment, General Manager Qin stepped in!

"Why?" Salah looked at Qin Liang with some confusion.

"Because precision bombing is required, the Beidou navigation system is needed. Currently, our system can only cover East Asia, not the Middle East. You can buy H-6 bombers, but they can only drop ordinary iron bombs."

Salah was taken aback.

The East's precision bombing capabilities have spread throughout the world, shocking countless people. They soon learned that this was due to the cooperation of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System!

The H-6 bomber is just a platform, like a body, while the BeiDou navigation system is the nerves, the eyes, and the central nervous system!
Without BeiDou, the bombs won't hit their targets accurately!
and many more!

Salah seemed to have another thought.

"President Qin, didn't your side say that you wanted to cover the entire globe with BeiDou?"

“We did say that, but… we don’t have the money! The coverage in the Americas was achieved because American university professors helped us raise funds to launch two geostationary satellites over the Americas to complete the navigation mission in the region. As for the Middle East… only one satellite is needed, and our Beidou-1-2 satellites can cover that area.”

"So... how much does a single BeiDou navigation satellite cost?"

"Including launch costs, a satellite costs $50 million, which is actually quite cheap compared to a bomber that costs $80 million."

Qin Liang really didn't ask for much. He quoted the Americans one hundred million US dollars for two pills, and quoted Yi Tuo five thousand US dollars for one pill. He was honest and fair.

Fifty million US dollars... doesn't seem like much... wait a minute!
"A bomber costs $80 million?"

"Yes, since you've already found out that Britain wants to buy bombers from us, haven't you inquired about the price of the bombers?"

They plan to buy ten, which is eight hundred million US dollars. Add the satellites and accessories, and this cooperation will be heading towards a price of one billion US dollars.
Is this too expensive?

"Actually, our Super-7 can also carry bombs. Each of the inner heavy-load pylons can carry one, and the destructive power is not small. Strategic bombers are not something that ordinary countries can withstand. You..."

"We, the world's fourth-strongest military power, can withstand this!" Salah retorted, getting even more enthusiastic!

"We need ten H-6 bombers, and we also need to purchase a satellite... By the way, if we buy this satellite, can we monopolize the satellite navigation system in the entire Middle East?"

"Of course not." Qin Liang shook his head: "This was originally for civilian use, open to the world. We didn't originally intend to use it for military purposes. Even if you use it, you can't make a fuss about it. Of course, since you paid for this satellite, we can... name it 'Sadamu-1,' how about that?"

You pay money and all you get is naming rights! We're still the owners of this satellite!

For Yituo, this was a very bad deal, but Qin Liang also knew that Shadama would definitely like it. He didn't care about anything else; just the name of the satellite would make him very satisfied. He would probably look at the sky for a few minutes every day, grinning like an idiot and even drooling.

Salah nodded: "Okay, it's settled then. Let's sign a letter of intent first, so I can report back to Baghdad... Also, I need to take a copy of the H-6's data with me. Of course, it would be even better if you could fly a prototype over..."

"We don't have any prototypes. Our aircraft are still in use on the battlefield. Even if you order now, it will take two years to deliver. We hope you can understand..."

"Yes, all of these should be written into the contract terms."

After signing the letter of intent, handing over the H-6 bomber data, and seeing Salah off, Manager Liu turned to Qin Liang and asked, "Are we really going to sell this powerful bomber, which can also be equipped with precision-guided bombs, to Iraq?"

"Yeah, why not make money if you can?"

"But……"

"What we're giving them will definitely be of lower quality. For example, the bombs won't have hang gliders, so they can only be dropped from above. Given Langtuo's powerful air force, Yituo's bombers might not be able to get there. Moreover, this will encourage Langtuo to purchase more equipment from us. Also, they won't set up differential stations over there, so the accuracy will be insufficient..."

We definitely have to sell; it'll make us money and allow us to seize market share!

It's just a matter of controlling Ito's actual combat power, which isn't difficult!

"Don't they complain?"

"The reason they can't bomb accurately is because their ground crew isn't skilled enough, their target measurements aren't accurate enough, etc. It has nothing to do with us. Besides, even an error of fifty meters is already quite high for them."

"Alright, by the way, Mr. Qin, what brings you here today?" Qin Liang's visit here was definitely not because he heard that the Yi Tuo people were here; it must be for something else.

"Oh, I'm here to coordinate with CATIC to help us promote our civil aircraft," Qin Liang said. "The supersonic cruiser aircraft that we're developing in collaboration with MIT and Boeing has completed all its research and development work and is about to begin trial production. We need to promote it to the outside world and see if we can find potential buyers."

Initially, this project was something Qin Liang tricked Boeing into thinking he was using American money to develop Eastern technology. This was a plan he had never changed. However, Qin Liang wasn't very confident about developing a passenger plane that had never existed before in history.

So, the research and development was lukewarm at first, but the Americans were very serious! This was a major project for MIT, and their research workload was several times that of the East. With the added financial support from Boeing, they actually managed to complete the initial research and development work.

Now that all of this has been done, the next step, of course, is to conduct trial production.

To be fair, the technology developed for leaders' overseas visits had many flaws: high fuel consumption, heavy weight, and short lifespan, making it unsuitable as a mainstay commercial airliner. In contrast, the Super Cruiser was developed in collaboration with Boeing and uses American standards. It can be said to be an advanced airliner that can rival the best of our time!

With this passenger aircraft, the civil aviation industry in the East can truly be compared with the world and reach international standards!

“Sell it? Then Boeing…” Manager Liu frowned.

It's fine for us to use it ourselves, but if we export it, it means we'll be taking away Boeing's market share. Competitors are enemies, so wouldn't that lead to a conflict with Boeing?

"Here's what I'm thinking: Currently, our relations with the Soviet Union are beginning to ease, so we should focus on the Soviet passenger aircraft market. The Russians' passenger planes are of poor quality and have high fuel consumption, so they're destined to be no match for ours. Perhaps we can't open up the market in the Soviet republics for the time being, but the Soviet satellite states still have a great chance, such as Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia..."

Although the Soviet Union swept all the way to Germany and victoriously joined forces in Berlin, after World War II, it did not directly annex the Eastern European countries and incorporate them into the Union. Instead, it allowed them to establish their own governments, which meant they became satellite states.

There are many problems with doing this, especially for countries like Poland, which has always been at odds with the Russians and will never genuinely follow the alliance. It will only lead to a lot of trouble. Moreover, is the so-called liberation from the Nazi regime just a return to the era of Soviet enslavement?

They certainly wouldn't want to, so they are all independent countries. Of course, this independence is only on the surface; the power to appoint personnel is still in the hands of the Russians. These countries certainly have ulterior motives and dare not buy Boeing airliners. However, the Eastern Airlines, whose relationship with the Russians has eased, might be able to buy them with more courage.

There are also countries with even worse relations with Russia, such as Yugoslavia and Romania, which are more likely to make purchases.

"You mean, we should first open up markets that Boeing can't access?" Manager Liu's eyes slowly brightened.

"That's right, that's exactly what it means. It avoids any conflict of interest with Boeing, and in fact, it's already built up the reputation of our Eastern Airlines. And then..."

Now it's time to seize Boeing's market share! Once the two sides turn against each other, they're capable of anything!

Manager Liu nodded. Qin Liang's arrangement was the most reasonable, and the civil aviation industry in the East would also see further development!

"Manager Liu, let's lay the groundwork here first. Next, I need to go to Shanghai to check on how production is going there."

"it is good."

Shanghai Aircraft Factory.

This place was once on the verge of collapse, unable to even afford the fuel needed for the Y-10 test flight. Now, it has become the largest aircraft factory in China and is well-known throughout Asia.

When Qin Liang arrived, he saw a bustling construction site.

"Currently, our Y-10 is well received by users both at home and abroad, and we have over a hundred orders on hand." Old Ma greeted Qin Liang warmly and introduced, "The existing final assembly plant is no longer sufficient, so we have decided to build a second final assembly plant. Once this plant is completed, we can increase monthly production to ten aircraft!"

This is a huge number. You have to understand that before, not to mention the monthly output, the annual output was only in the single digits, since it was all purely handmade assembly.

Compared with international advanced levels, there is a huge gap. For example, Airbus produces dozens of aircraft per month. We don't need to blindly pursue such high numbers now. Producing ten aircraft per month is already a major breakthrough.

"Moreover, the brand-new Sonic Cruiser passenger plane will also be produced in this brand-new factory. We are even more confident in this new passenger plane... By the way, the Boeing people have also come and are discussing the specific production issues of the passenger plane with us."

Qin Liang nodded: "Okay, I'll go join in the fun too."

meeting room.

Boeing engineer Dick Taylor is talking non-stop.

"We are now in an era of globalized industry. We need to leverage our respective strengths in our fields. In terms of airframe production, the East has an advantage. Our supersonic cruiser design requires the extensive use of composite materials, so we can produce the airframe and wings here, and then ship them to the United States for final assembly..."

Initially, in order to achieve the goal of reducing weight, Qin Liang suggested that the supersonic cruiser would make extensive use of composite materials. This was also Qin Liang's own selfish motive, as it would make Boeing dependent on Dongfang, and make it easier for Dongfang passenger planes to apply for airworthiness certificates in the future.

Boeing, of course, also considered these issues. They simply let Dongfang manufacture the equipment, which would further reduce costs. However, they demanded to control the final assembly process, which meant they wanted to turn Dongfang Aviation Industry into one of their downstream manufacturers!
“Mr. Taylor, if you have any needs for aircraft production, we would certainly be happy to undertake the manufacturing. However, our Shanghai aircraft factory also needs to have final assembly capabilities. This was agreed upon when we first started cooperating, and it is a prerequisite for our cooperation.”

You're in charge of final assembly, so what about us? Are we going to lose our qualification to produce large passenger aircraft again? Become a supplier for Boeing? Hahaha, McDonnell Douglas's top executives haven't even gone to Boeing to cause trouble yet, and you're still playing this kind of business maneuver.

"President Qin, that's what we initially proposed, but..."

But we're worried you'll steal Boeing's market share. Products manufactured in the East are inexpensive; if you export them to the international market, how will we compete? However, it's not convenient to say this outright!
Dick Taylor's eyes darted around, and then he seemed to realize something.

"However, Mr. Qin, your side does not have advanced engine production technology. According to our design, this aircraft needs to use an engine with a thrust of more than 35 tons. Your modified Spey engine only has a maximum thrust of about ten tons, which is simply unusable. We have a complete industrial chain in the United States. Send it to our US assembly plant. Only in this way can we take advantage of international cooperation!"

In later generations, those traitors loved to shout about the global industrial chain, saying they only needed to do what they were best at!
What does the East excel at? Agricultural products and light industrial products. What does the United States excel at? High-tech products!

People who say this are either stupid or malicious. We are at the downstream end of the industrial chain, earning hard-earned money, while developed Western countries produce high-tech products and easily make big money.

Moreover, the global supply chain is constantly at risk of being cut off, with upstream companies threatening to cut off supplies at the drop of a hat!
What we need to control is the entire industry chain. As for the so-called technology that knows no borders, get as far away from it as possible.

The people from the Shanghai Aircraft Factory present all looked grim.

Yes, the Americans are right.

The East's Achilles' heel is its engine! To date, the development of high-thrust engines for fighter jets has only been underway for one or two years, and countless problems have been encountered. Moreover, even if high-thrust engines are developed, using such a high-thrust core engine as the core engine for passenger aircraft would only result in a maximum thrust of about fifteen or sixteen tons.

To produce an engine with a thrust of more than 35 tons, one must develop the core engine independently, which China currently lacks the capability to do!
There are probably no more than five companies in the whole world that can develop this kind of engine!
"In the past year or two, we have coordinated with two domestic aero-engine companies. General Electric has further improved the performance of the CF6 engine and increased the bypass ratio, creating an engine with a maximum thrust of 36.4 tons, which has been selected by Boeing as the best power system..." Dick Taylor introduced at length.

Back then, when Douglas began developing its three-engine long-range passenger jet, the DC-10, General Electric also started developing the CF6 engine to support it. The initial power of this engine was only about 20 tons; for example, the CF6-6 had a thrust of 23 tons, which was considered quite large at the time.

With continuous improvements, the thrust had increased to 27 tons by the time of the CF6-80, and in the 1980s, the latest model had a thrust of 31.63 tons.

In the 1980s, this engine was absolutely the most popular. Now, to meet the needs of the supersonic cruiser, this engine has been further optimized, and the thrust has been increased to 36.4 tons, which fully demonstrates just how advanced American technology is!
It's something to be envied!
"Because this engine is too advanced, it can only be assembled at Boeing and cannot be exported overseas. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not Boeing's fault; it is Congress's fault..."

Qin Liang smiled and said, "It's alright. We won't use GE engines. We'll coordinate with other engines."

(End of this chapter)