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

Chapter 441 Grumman is an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire

Qin Liang smiled and asked, "Boeing has a new project? What project?"

"The design is very avant-garde and unconventional. Come on, take a look."

It wasn't Qin Liang's business how the pictures were obtained, but when he saw them, he was still amazed. This... wasn't this the YF-118 Raptor?
When talking about Raptors, many people first think of the F-22 Raptor. In fact, in the development of American military aircraft, this unconventional design was also called Raptor.

With its unique shape and distinctive style, it is definitely an oddity. The design of the dorsal air intake is similar to that of the dorsal air intake of our later three-engine sixth-generation fighter jets. The shape of the wings is also unique, especially the downward bending. Is it to prevent scraping during landing?

In short, its appearance is very high-end. If it had been thirty years later, it might have really become a modern sixth-generation fighter jet.

Unfortunately, this aircraft was just a small experimental model and was never officially finalized and put into service. The Americans thought they could conquer the world with the F-22, and for decades they did not introduce any new models. In the end, it completely failed.

"Liangzi, what do you think of this plane?"

"Only if the Americans were blind would they choose this plane."

The U.S. Air Force has always been very conservative. Choosing the YF-23 was already the biggest risk they could take. How could they possibly choose an aircraft that only appears in Hollywood movies?
"It seems Grumman has no problem winning the contract," said Old Lin. "Now it's a competition between Northrop and Grumman. Who... do you think will win?"

"Grumman? It should be a variable sweep wing design, right?"

"Yes."

"That's probably hopeless. After all, the increased weight and reduced stealth capabilities brought about by variable-sweep wings are unavoidable. Even with the most powerful engine, Grumman's overall performance can't compare to Northrop's. In that case, Northrop's victory in the bidding is a foregone conclusion. However, if Grumman gets to the prototype stage, then the US Navy..."

The ATF project doesn't need it, but the NATF project does!

The US Air Force has advanced fourth-generation fighter jets, but what about the Navy? The Navy is still waiting!
Grumman has a good relationship with the Navy, so... if the US Navy gets an advanced variable-sweep wing stealth aircraft, then the threat we face will be much greater. No, we must find a way to stop it!

Qin Liang's mind raced, and then... a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Old Lin, how about we let Factory 320 show off their Q-7 fighter jet?"

"What do you mean?"

"They failed to win the bid for Grumman."

After thinking for a moment, Old Lin nodded: "Okay, then I'll listen to you. Anyway, there's a wooden prototype over there. We can show it off while the reconnaissance satellite is flying overhead. There shouldn't be any major problems."

"Uh-huh."

"So you mean Boeing is less reliable, and we should let them win the bid, right?"

Qin Liang smiled and said, "The US Air Force is blind, what does that have to do with us?"

Factory 320 was somewhat curious when they received the message from the capital, but since that was the order from their superiors, they complied.

Soon, an aircraft with its fuselage painted black and its canopy painted a golden-yellow wooden model was towed out of the factory by Factory 320 and onto the runway.

A reconnaissance satellite flew overhead.

San Diego, California, USA.

Overhead, a whooshing sound arose as fighter jets flew by, their wings sweeping backward in unison – a truly beautiful sight!
This is one of the main bases of the U.S. Navy and the location of Grumman Corporation.

Grumman Corporation, conference room.

"This time, our efforts didn't go well, resulting in the U.S. Air Force not fully supporting us. They actually received the same number of votes as Boeing, which is a disgrace!" CEO Jono Bryan looked grim. "Gentlemen, we must pull ourselves together and lobby more U.S. Air Force generals!"

"Yes, our previous relationship was mainly with the Navy. We didn't have many supporters in the Air Force. However, we don't need to worry too much. Even if we lose in the Air Force, the Navy will still like us."

“Kennie, your thinking is wrong. Wouldn’t it be better if we took orders from both the Air Force and the Navy? Just like with the F-4 fighter jet back then! Our Tomcat fighter jets are doing terribly in the export market. We need to work harder to sell more fighter jets in order to maintain the profits of our Grumman Corporation!” Jono Bryan said angrily.

“I think we should downplay Boeing’s products from a technical standpoint. Their planes are absolutely anomalies,” Pellehark said. “They’re best suited for reconnaissance; they’re completely unsuitable for fighter jets.”

"That's right, it's so bizarre in design. When the air force generals first saw this plane at the meeting, they all suspected it was from Hollywood. Our subsequent lobbying will start from this aspect."

Everyone got excited, as if they had found a way to defeat Boeing.

Thump thump thump... Just then, someone ran in.

"Report, report!"

"what happened?"

"The Pentagon just got a batch of satellite photos, and they have... they have..."

"What is it? Hurry up and tell me!"

“There was an aircraft that was almost exactly the same as the one we were bidding for.”

Click!

A thunderclap sounded, but it didn't kill everyone.

Why are Lockheed's projects rejected by so many people, even by many Air Force generals who originally supported them?

It's all because Lockheed and the East are getting too close!

Now, at this crucial moment, the East's brand-new aircraft has been revealed, and it's almost identical to the one Grumman was bidding on. What does this mean? It means that Grumman is also cooperating with the East, and perhaps even on a broader scale!
"Damn it, these damned Easterners! Their new aircraft project, shouldn't it be absolutely confidential? How did it leak out and let us know?"

"Boeing, it must have been Boeing that leaked the information. They have a very good relationship with the East and have been jointly developing passenger aircraft. In order to win the bid, they deliberately used this method to smear us! Quickly, mobilize all our connections and make this judgment!"

Pentagon.

“This Grumman project is exactly the same as the one in the East. What does this mean?” Benny Davis’s face was very ugly. “Grumman’s project must also be a collaboration with the East. The East’s twin-engine Q-6 is almost a carbon copy of the Tomcat, but they said it had nothing to do with the Tomcat. Now it seems that the technology for the twin-engine Q-6 might have been provided by them! They must also be collaborating on stealth aircraft!”

"Yes, we absolutely cannot choose a fighter jet that has no secrets from the Easterners!"

Almost everyone's opinion was unanimously in favor of the other side.

"Gentlemen, isn't it a bit too hasty to draw conclusions now? After all, we haven't received any news from Grumman yet. Shouldn't we give them a chance to explain?" Hunter Harris said.

"Hunter, you didn't take money from Grumman, did you?"

Hunter's face darkened. "You're talking about taking money? Who here hasn't taken money? That's how it is in the US military research and development. Military companies collude with military officials; otherwise, how could they win the bid?"

It would be too unethical to discuss this kind of thing openly.

"Benny, what do you mean by this? Did you take money from Boeing?"

Benny's expression changed as well: "Hunter, what do you mean by that?"

“Alright, alright, we need to figure out what’s going on here. Eastern aviation technology has grown rapidly in just a few years, and now it’s even stronger than ours. To the point that we need their help with many of our designs. If this continues…” Weinberg said, “Stop arguing here!”

"It's simple. The East has advanced electronic technology, especially supercomputers. We need to test them in wind tunnels and electromagnetic laboratories, but they can do the calculations on computers. Therefore, their development cycle is short and their projects have fewer defects. However... fortunately, the East doesn't have advanced aircraft engines."

This is their only advantage now.

The airframe is inferior, the avionics are inferior, but fortunately, the engine is something that requires industrial accumulation. The main fighter jets of the East are still using turbojet engines, while the United States not only uses turbofan engines, but will also have the world's most advanced fourth-generation fighter jet with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 10, and even variable cycle engines!

"Report: Grumman has clarified that the aircraft appearing at Factory 320 in the East has nothing to do with them. Grumman has always been independently developing fourth-generation fighter jets..." "Good, that's a good clarification..."

"Hmph, this is clearly a sign of their guilty conscience! If I'm not mistaken, they'll definitely turn around and accuse Boeing!"

Sure enough, the person giving the report continued, "If we're talking about close cooperation with the East, it's definitely Boeing. Boeing's latest supersonic cruiser aircraft was developed in cooperation with the East..."

"Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Grumman is definitely problematic. We shouldn't have used Grumman products. Choosing Boeing would have been better than choosing Grumman!"

So, another argument broke out in the meeting room, but... in the end, they actually reached an agreement.

YF-22, assigned to Boeing!
When they received this news, everyone at Grumman was stunned. It was truly a case of disaster falling from the sky when they were just sitting at home. Those damned Easterners…

A sneeze!

Qin Liang sneezed loudly.

"Brother Liangzi, what's wrong? Did you catch a cold? It's a bit chilly here on the dam, wear more clothes..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Qin Liang waved his hand: "Come on, let's continue chatting."

The house was packed with people!

My uncle's whole family has come! My uncle's wife, my uncle's children... The villagers originally wanted to join in the fun, but seeing that the house was crowded, they just came to visit briefly and then went home. Now, the family is sitting together, chatting and laughing.

There were once four brothers, but now only two remain. Time has passed, and it's truly a sad story.

“Third brother, Daming is now studying at Northwestern Polytechnical University. He’s very happy here, so I’ve decided to move back home too!” Qin Baoguo suddenly said.

"Great!" Qin Baomin said excitedly, "Big brother, we have land in our village. We'll build you a house... But the village is still too backward. If you want to go to a big city, you can choose the capital or Chang'an."

Qin Baoguo nodded: "There must be houses in the village, after all, this is our root. But if we want to develop, we really have to go to big cities, the capital and Chang'an. We haven't decided yet, after all... doing business on the mainland is probably not easy."

"Uncle, if you encounter any problems, just tell me. One phone call will solve them." Qin Liang patted his chest: "There shouldn't be any problem here that I can't solve. If there is, then no one else could probably solve it either."

This is Qin Liang's confidence!

Just as he finished speaking, the rather large Beidou terminal on the windowsill started beeping. Instantly, Qin Liang's eyelids began to twitch. Could it be that something had happened again?
Qin Liang glanced at the screen, which displayed a line of text.

"Sigh, they even come to me with such trivial matters!" Qin Liang said helplessly, "They can't even let me have a peaceful New Year!"

"What's wrong?" Yang Duo'er asked.

"Guests came from Northwestern Polytechnical University and asked if I could go back to receive them."

"Since they need us over there, let's hurry back. As for us here..."

"It's alright, I don't need to worry about such a small thing. I just need to tell them what to do."

As Qin Liang spoke, he pressed a series of keys on the Beidou terminal's keypad.

Everyone else was shocked. What kind of high technology was this? It could communicate over long distances without any cables.
Is this too strong?

Everyone's eyes were filled with envy.

Northwestern Polytechnical University.

"President Luo, Qin Liang said he's busy and can't come over for the time being. As for what he was bluffing about with the Russians, Professor Song from Institute 611 listened to the whole thing. Just have Professor Song send a few people over to work on it with our Northwestern Polytechnical University students."

Principal Luo nodded with a wry smile: "Alright, it's really not worth bothering him with such a small matter. Let's receive him ourselves. This time, it's someone who was once a teacher of our Eastern Aviation Industry."

"Yes, now we have surpassed our teachers."

The Russians don't celebrate the Lunar New Year, and given the tense relationship with the East in recent years, they're not very familiar with the East's holidays. So, without much thought, they came directly after completing the approval procedures. Unexpectedly, they arrived on Lunar New Year's Eve!
"Mr. Mikoyan, welcome to Northwestern Polytechnical University." President Luo and others stood at the school gate to welcome the Russian, their faces full of enthusiasm as they looked at the person getting out of the car.

"Yes, I am honored. Your uncle once came to the East and brought advanced MiG fighters to protect our Eastern skies. Today, we will cooperate again!"

“That’s right. More than a dozen people in our team came to the East before. Let me introduce you. This is Nikolai Nikitin. He came to the East before.”

"Mr. Nikolai, hello!" A man stepped forward from behind Principal Luo: "Do you remember me?"

"Xu, I really didn't expect to meet you here." Nikolai Nikitin looked at the person who appeared in front of him with great excitement.

Xu De was born in 1939. After graduating in 1961, he participated in the research and development of various aircraft, including the J-5, JJ-5, and J-7. He was also a key figure in the 611 Institute. Since Song Lao and others were too busy to receive the Russians, they sent him instead.

When Xu De was working on the J-5 fighter jet, he was a strong young man, but now he's approaching middle age! Meanwhile, the Soviet engineer on the other side has a full head of white hair.

"Yes, I didn't expect that either. Welcome, welcome!"

Xu De stepped forward to shake hands, but Nikitin had already given him a hug.

After so many years, we're working together again. This is a moment worth celebrating!
So Xu De could only step forward and hug him.

Applause erupted, and everyone knew what this hug meant.

“We heard that you have advanced computer-aided design capabilities, so we came here specifically to take a look,” Ivan Mikoyan said.

"Okay, then let's go to the computer room we prepared for you first!"

Having learned from past experiences, visiting guests are provided with dedicated computer rooms, and even ordinary microcomputers cannot be used together. As for supercomputers used for critical work, they are absolutely not allowed to see them.

Inside the computer room, Xu De began his introduction.

"We can use advanced computer-aided design software. The drawing board here is long gone. Here, I'll give you a simple demonstration..."

The Russians watched in utter astonishment as various tools were used to rapidly create a mechanical part on the computer screen…

"In terms of computation, parts can be pre-assembled and even simulated on a computer, which can minimize production problems. Thanks to computer assistance, we can even skip the process of building metal prototypes..."

“Excellent, excellent, this technology is truly advanced. Our Mikoyan Design Bureau should also introduce these devices…” Ivan Mikoyan said with great enthusiasm.

This falls under the category of detailed design, and the Mikoyan Design Bureau doesn't want to rely on the East forever. The fact that they've only helped design the exterior has already dissatisfied many bigwigs in Moscow! If the detailed design were to also take place here, then…

“Of course, no problem.” Principal Luo nodded in agreement: “Next, I will take you to the Materials Science Department. We have already begun some preliminary research on plasma stealth technology…”

"Good, good, good!" Ivan Mikoyan exclaimed excitedly.

"By the way, regarding that single-engine light aircraft that Comrade Qin Liang mentioned last time, a model has already been developed on our computer. You can take this model back with you..."

On the Russian side, the plan was to complete the most important MFI project first, but Qin Liang had always been preoccupied with tricking the Indians, so after Qin Liang made the arrangements, they ran a model as instructed.

With this model, you can fool the Indians!

Ivan Mikoyan was beaming: "Great, fantastic!"

I've heard that Dassault Systèmes has been keeping a close eye on Indian projects lately, and Mikoyan Design Bureau needs to seize the opportunity; they can't let Dassault Systèmes snatch it away.

(End of this chapter)