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

Chapter 480 The Skyrocket Arrives Safely

Afghanistan wasn't a pit dug by the Americans; the Russians jumped into it themselves.

However, the Americans seized the opportunity and turned the mud pit into a swamp, intending to trap the Russians.

The quagmire of Afghanistan will drain Russia's enormous national strength, gradually weakening them. Coupled with increased oil production and lower prices, a few well-timed moves will cripple or even destroy the Soviet Union.

And now?

The idea of ​​increasing oil production and lowering prices has become a joke, with no hope in the short term. However, if Afghanistan receives covert support from the Soviet Union, the difficulties of supplying and transporting goods will be greatly reduced. And then…

"Probably not. Langtuo accepted Soviet aid only to fight against us. Langtuo and the Soviets are definitely not of one mind. Besides, Afghanistan is their brother. After all, they share the same faith. They have no reason to harm their brother for the sake of the Soviet Union."

"So, the Soviets are actually paying for this?" Weinberg breathed a slight sigh of relief. The situation in Afghanistan absolutely could not be ruined by the Soviets.

Swift nodded: "If I'm not mistaken, it must have been the Soviets who offered to pay for it, and Lang Tuo had a need, so they hit it off. But Lang Tuo is still very proud and it's impossible for him to offer the Soviets any preferential conditions."

“That’s really good news,” Weinberg said. “Then let’s discuss the bombing plan. I think using the F-117 is the best option, after all, it’s the most advanced offensive force we have right now…”

Hunter Harris nodded: "Yes, it's a pity that our B-2 bomber has not been successfully developed yet, otherwise we would have a more powerful long-range bombing force!"

If we have to categorize them by generations, the F-117 would be considered a first-generation stealth fighter, while the B-2 would be a second-generation one. The latter's stealth capabilities, payload, and range far surpass those of the F-117. Unfortunately, it's still under development, and Northrop's R&D capabilities...

"They're demanding more R&D funding again—they're practically treating the military like a sucker! Northrop's cost control is terrible!"

Weinberg complained.

According to the initial plan in 1978, the U.S. Air Force planned to purchase 132 B-2 bombers. Including development costs, Northrop Corporation quoted $366 billion, which would make the price per aircraft only $2.77 million.

As a stealth strategic bomber, such a cost is acceptable.

But... this year alone, Northrop's total asking price has risen to $425 billion! Research and development spending has surged by more than six billion dollars!

Including the initial investment, their R&D expenses have already burned through tens of billions, while Northrop Corporation still hasn't produced a single physical product.

How much more funding will be needed later?

Nobody knows.

Upon hearing Weinberg's words, everyone fell silent.

"If we want to reduce R&D costs, the best way is..." Swift hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Find Eastern R&D."

"No, no, impossible! Our U.S. Air Force would never accept an aircraft developed by Easterners. Our Air Force would never be as disgraceful as the Navy!"

Swift smiled and said, "Alright, then when our A-12 is successfully developed and its cost is quite low, your Air Force can ditch the expensive B-2 bomber and choose our Navy's A-12!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Weinberger was a bit overwhelmed. How did this perfectly good meeting turn into an internal struggle between the Navy and the Air Force?

"Everyone, quiet down. We need to continue working on our plan to retaliate against Lang Tuo. This is crucial to our future strategy!"

The conference room fell silent again.

The atmosphere of war hangs heavy over the entire Persian Gulf, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

Meanwhile, on the Red Sea side, due to the blockage of the Suez Canal shipping route, most people have to detour, and they are also complaining.

The container ship Mediterranean Altair had no choice but to turn around and decide to detour around the Cape of Good Hope.

As it sailed out of the Gulf of Aden, a huge cargo ship was approaching from the opposite direction.

"What is that?" Crew member Pierce asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Judging from the outline of the hull, it should be an oil tanker, but judging from the cargo on it, it looks like a large cargo ship. This is…” Another crew member, Mark, was also a little confused.

"This is an oil tanker transporting bulk cargo." The captain, a seasoned veteran, remarked, "They're incredibly stingy! Cape-size tankers are clearly the most profitable right now, yet they're not even letting go of the empty return trip!"

"Yeah, these oil tankers are even stealing business from cargo ships... By the way, is this pipeline something that Sha is preparing to build an oil pipeline for?"

"Probably. We're a container ship, so let's not worry about that. Let's just head to the Cape of Good Hope."

Everyone looked on with envy; the other person was making a lot of money!

On the oil tanker Sea Giant.

As they drew closer to their destination, Zhao Dexing remained vigilant. He knew that the closer they got to success, the more careful they had to be, lest something unexpected happen at the last minute.

Beep beep, beep beep beep...

Just then, the Beidou terminal sounded again.

He picked it up skillfully, glanced at the screen, and then his expression changed slightly.

There is a situation!
Although the journey was calm, the oil tanker still attracted the attention of Mossad when it sailed near the man.
Mossad may carry out sabotage operations when their oil tankers dock!

What's next?
Zhao Dexing's expression turned slightly serious. The next moment, the beeping sound rang out again.

The next message is coming.

Anchored near a US warship!
Although Saudi Arabia does not allow US troops to be stationed there, the US military will look for supply bases when it arrives in the Middle East. When the countries along the Persian Gulf cannot accommodate them, Saudi Arabia's ports on the Red Sea side are the best choice!
To bring an oil tanker alongside a US warship! That's quite a bold idea!
On the one hand, it can prove my innocence: See? I'm fine. Otherwise, I would definitely have sneaked into the port, avoiding the US Navy. Now, I'm swaggering into the port and docking near the US Navy. What could possibly happen?

On the other hand, it has a cascading effect.

If you dare to damage my ships, it might affect US warships. If the US warships sink, can you bear the responsibility?

The Davids of today aren't even the fathers of the Americans yet.

Zhao Dexing took a deep breath: "Attention everyone, we have half a day left to enter the port. Make all necessary preparations in advance!"

"Yes!"

The sailors were also excited.

After sailing at sea for about twenty days, they were all exhausted. Everyone was looking forward to being able to reach the shore and go for a walk on land!

The massive oil tanker continued its journey forward, passing through the Gulf of Aden and entering the Red Sea.

The dark red sea looked rather unique.

In reality, the ocean is still blue; the dark red color is not the color of the seawater, but rather a layer of red seaweed floating on the surface.

The sun rises into the sky and then gradually sets.

Jeddah Port.

The port is sparsely populated, and with the Suez Canal blocked, there are far fewer cargo ships in Chittagong.

Apart from two frigates, there were no other warships around the USS Yorktown cruiser, making the area appear quite empty.

The USS Yorktown, the second ship of the Ticonderoga class, was officially commissioned in July of this year. It is considered one of the most advanced warships in the US Navy. The four huge flat panels around the bridge are its proudest feature.

Phased array warships!
Although the ship was docked in the harbor, the sailors did not disembark due to the recent strained relationship with Sha. They remained obediently docked, and since they were about to set sail, they had to make various preparations.

On the bridge, First Officer Frank looked at the approaching oil tanker.

"The Sea Giant? The Easterners have been making waves lately, buying supertankers that can recoup their costs in just a few months."

"Yes, everyone thought they made a bad deal, but they made a fortune. Now, Northwestern Polytechnical University has the world's largest fleet of supertankers. I heard that freight rates are constantly rising."

"Yeah, shipping costs have gone up, so gas prices have to go up too. What happened to the promised drop in gas prices? I'm thinking of replacing my big-displacement pickup truck with a Japanese car when I get back. Speaking of which, Japanese cars are really fuel-efficient..."

Amidst the discussions, the massive oil tanker slowly approached the shore, and then... it began a two-pronged approach.

They connected to the oil pipeline and began filling crude oil, while simultaneously, the port cranes started working to lift the pipeline from above. They really did manage to do both at the same time!

"This ship, over 500,000 tons, is truly amazing!" Frank continued to exclaim.

At the port, several figures hid atop a pile of containers, observing through binoculars.

"It stopped next to a US warship!"

"The pipes are still being installed."

"It seems that Mossad's intelligence was wrong; there is definitely no special cargo on this tanker."

"Yes, let's retreat. Their relationship has been strained lately, and what if they find out about us..."

The agents retreated.

The hoisted pipes were loaded directly onto trailers by the roadside, one after another, in an orderly manner.

Night gradually enveloped the earth.

A much thicker pipe was lifted by a crane and loaded onto a trailer. The trailer started moving and slowly disappeared into the night.

The second one, the third one...

All thirty-five pipes were unloaded. At this time, there were very few vehicles at the port. After the convoy drove away, several armored vehicles followed along the roadside.

The entire convoy quickly disappeared into the desert.

Overhead, early warning aircraft were monitoring everything on the highway, and in mid-air, armed helicopters were circling.

All the equipment was sourced from the East, which ensures that no accidents will occur.

Dongfang, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Beidou ground station.

"David's agents withdrew before nightfall," a duty officer said. Although he was dressed in civilian clothes, his every move exuded military bearing.

"Yeah, when our ships docked next to the US warships, they knew they'd followed the wrong ship. Speaking of which, Mossad's nose is really sharp!" Qin Liang remarked.

The information couldn't have been leaked by our side. Mossad couldn't have infiltrated our side. Moreover, everything was fine along the way until the tanker got close to Sha's side, at which point the anomaly was discovered. This means that Sha's side had still been infiltrated.

Of course, it probably isn't anything particularly high-level. After all, we can't be sure if there's anything on the tanker; we just feel that there's something strange about it, so it's not a serious matter.

After transporting the thirty-five rockets, the rest is simple: the vehicles can be placed on the deck of the next oil tanker without any problem.

We in the East have provided Mr. Sha with a lot of advanced equipment, so naturally we need vehicles for logistical support. Transporting a batch of vehicles over there is not taboo at all; it can be done openly and legitimately!
"By the way, has the camp over there been built yet?"

"Yes, our engineers went there, and the construction is progressing quickly; the camp has already been built."

"I really want to go and see it," Qin Liang suddenly said.

"No, of course not, Comrade Qin Liang. There's going to be a war over there, it's very dangerous. You can't put yourself in danger."

Qin Liang knew that it would be difficult for him to go out. The only time he went out this year was with a high-ranking leader.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. I can only admire it from afar.

"Report, Comrade Qin Liang, we have just received orders to go to the capital."

This means I need to analyze myself again!
Qin Liang was somewhat helpless. "I have to get involved in everything. I am the president of Northwestern Polytechnical University, a president who is extremely busy!"

With this sense of helplessness, Qin Liang arrived at the airport and boarded a comfortable delta wing passenger plane.

The C929 passenger aircraft has officially entered the market!
This is a passenger plane jointly developed with Boeing. As long as the production process is followed, there will be absolutely no defects. At this time, Boeing is still trustworthy. In addition, with Mr. Cheng becoming the head of civil aviation, he naturally has to provide strong support.

With so many international purchasing clients, if domestic companies don't dare to fly, how can we inspire confidence in international clients?

And as it turns out, the increased speed of the plane does have its advantages. The normal flight time from Chang'an to the capital is about two and a half hours, and even choosing the nearest Daxing Airport, the flight time is still two hours. Now, it only takes one hour and fifty minutes to get there!

As soon as I got off the plane, someone came to meet me and took me straight to the airport terminal.

"Liangzi, you're here! It looks like the real show is about to start on Langtuo's side. Next... can you analyze for us how this battle will unfold?"

"The Americans' first wave of attacks will definitely be F-117s."

"With the support of our early warning aircraft, we should be able to detect this type of aircraft in advance, right?"

"It should be possible, but... since it's not a phased array airborne radar, even if it detects something, it will be somewhat blurry."

The biggest advantage of phased array radar is that after detecting a target, it can radiate more radar waves, increasing the power of the electromagnetic waves and thus improving the detection of the target.

Without this feature, even if our own early warning aircraft has high power, it will still be searching in circles. Therefore, it can only obtain the approximate location of the target and cannot lock on accurately.

"This should be fine, as long as our early warning aircraft can detect the target, then we can call in fighter jets..."

"According to the plan, the Su-27 is the closest and will definitely take off to intercept the enemy as soon as possible. However... the Russian fighter jets have not established a data link with our early warning aircraft, so the actual situation is still unclear."

Qin Liang analyzed: "If there is an accident during the call, the Su-27 will miss it. Next, we still have to rely on the air defense missile system, especially our HQ-9. When the F-117 flies over and drops bombs, the bomb bay door will open, which is the best time for the HQ-9 to launch."

Old Lin nodded: "Speaking of which, the threat posed by these stealth aircraft is indeed quite significant."

"It's alright, our airborne phased array radar has been fully developed. In the future, our fighter jets will also be equipped with phased array radar, which will allow us to better detect stealth aircraft and easily intercept them."

Mr. Lin nodded: "With the development of active phased array radar, our airborne radar has finally become number one in the world."

Back then, the air force was in a terrible predicament. They watched as Western fighter jets continued to develop, while they could only use outdated aircraft and didn't even have a medium-range interception capability.

Now, we have everything!

The WS-10 turbofan engine solved the engine problem, and its avionics are already world-class. As for the airframe... airframes have always been our strength!

Our Eastern Air Force equipment is already number one in the world!

Putting everything else aside, we will definitely be the first to put fourth-generation fighter jets into service in China to do so, before the United States!

“Liangzi, I understand now. You got the Russians to provide equipment so you could attack them,” said Leader Wang with a smile.

Qin Liang quickly shook his head: "No, no, I don't have those thoughts. The Russians have never paid much attention to electronic systems. Even now, they've only bought radar from us, and they haven't bought many frequency-hopping radios. We need to let them know that they need to continue buying more equipment from us."

If the Russians' fighter jets also need product support from the Northwestern Polytechnical University's school-run factory, can the Russians still stand tall in front of us?

Everyone nodded in agreement. Qin Liang's tactic of slowly boiling a frog in water was brilliant!

Langtau, Hormozgan Province, 120 kilometers northwest of Bandar Abbas, is an air force base.

An air force base was once built here, but it was later abandoned. In later generations, Lang Tuo carved through the limestone mountains here and created an air force base codenamed Eagle 44. He then proudly declared that with it, the Davids could not bomb it.

When it comes to verbal sparring, Lang Tuo has never lost; but in actual combat...

Now, this abandoned air force base has been temporarily used by the Russians.

That's right, it's borrowing.

Flying over from Afghanistan would be too far a detour, so in order to prepare for the upcoming conflict, the Russians decided to deploy the Su-27s here. At the same time, this is also a good way to demonstrate to the Americans, after all, Russia has a blood feud with the Americans, but not with the Soviet Union.

Taking this incident as an opportunity, in the future, Lang Tuo's stance may become closer to that of the Russians, and eventually, he may even help the Russians solve the problem in Afghanistan.

Twelve Su-27s were parked on the runway; this was the strongest combat force the Russians could currently muster.

Commander Varisi stood in the pilots' preparation room, briefing his men on the situation.

"Gentlemen, according to intelligence, the Americans have deployed F-117s to Oman, and this will be their first bombing force..."

(End of this chapter)