Eagle, I don't want to form an alliance anymore.

The Su-27's radar is still based on mechanical scanning, resulting in slow scanning speed and weak multi-target tracking capabilities, while the US F-15 has already begun to be equipped with active phased array radar. The most criticized aspect is that the Su-27's cockpit still uses a traditional instrument panel, which will eventually need to be replaced with a multi-function display to allow pilots to see an integrated battlefield situation map.

The results of the joint development will each produce their own tangible products a few years later.

China developed the J-11B based on the Su-27SK, replacing the original Soviet avionics and radar with domestically developed Chinese technology. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, referenced some avionics advancements from joint development and combined them with its own upgrade plans to create the Su-27SM.

The new aircraft was equipped with an active phased array radar, and the multi-function displays in the glass cockpit replaced many instrument panels. The data links introduced by the information technology reforms were also integrated into the C4I command system being developed by the Soviet Air Force. The new weapon systems could carry more advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and precision-guided ground-attack munitions.

It seems that the Su-27 can remain in service for at least another ten years before the fifth-generation Su-47 comes out.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On a clear October morning in 1991, a warship slowly entered the dry dock in the Vladivostok naval port.

The Varyag aircraft carrier successfully completed its final sea trials and officially joined the Pacific Fleet.

This aircraft carrier was laid down at the Black Sea Shipyard in Nikolayev. It was a sister ship to the Soviet Union's first regular aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, and belonged to the same Project 1143.5 class. In another timeline, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was sold by Ukraine to a Chinese businessman for scrap metal prices, supposedly to be converted into a casino. It was then towed halfway around the world and eventually became the Liaoning of the Chinese Navy.

The Soviet Union did not disintegrate along this line, and the Varyag was completed and sea trials were conducted as originally planned.

The Varyag uses conventional steam turbines, and its flight deck is a ski-jump type with a 12-degree ramp at the front, from which carrier-based aircraft take off.

This means that its carrier-based aircraft have limited payload capacity during takeoff, and heavy-load attack configurations are difficult to take off, which is its biggest disadvantage compared to the US Nimitz-class steam catapults.

But it was, after all, an aircraft carrier. It could carry more than twenty Su-33 carrier-based fighter jets and a dozen helicopters. It provided the Soviet Pacific Fleet with long-range air defense and air power for open-ocean operations, enabling the Soviet Union to successfully resolve the enemy across the Sea of ​​Japan in its next major plan.

Japan's shift to the right since the bursting of the bubble economy is a foregone conclusion. The United States has tacitly approved Japan's move toward defense autonomy, clearly intending to leave the trouble to Asia.

According to the Soviet military's plan, when jointly landing in Japan with China, the Soviet Union would need at least three carrier battle groups to guard against possible US support, and the Pacific Fleet must be able to break through Japan's naval defenses as quickly as possible!

In November 1991, another ship, much larger than the Varyag, slid off the slipway into the water at the Black Sea Shipyard.

That's the Ulyanovsk, a Project 1143.7, the Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Construction began in November 1988 and has now been completed. With a displacement of over 11 tons, its design is comparable to the US Nimitz-class destroyers. It is powered by four KN-3 nuclear reactors and can theoretically sail for hundreds of thousands of nautical miles without refueling.

It will require several more years of outfitting and sea trials before it can achieve combat readiness. According to the plan, the Ulyanovsk would be assigned to the Baltic Fleet after its outfitting was completed. However, due to the dramatic changes in the situation in Yugoslavia and the subsequent accession of Albania and the Yugoslav People's Federation to the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union established the Mediterranean Fleet and incorporated it into the fleet. This aircraft carrier would be responsible for projecting power in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.

Soon after seeing that the Air Force was going to develop new aircraft, the Navy Headquarters and the General Armaments Department jointly convened a conference on the development plan of carrier-based aviation in December 1991.

The core topic of the meeting was the selection direction for the next generation of carrier-based fighter jets.

Two proposals were laid out on the table.

Option one involves significant improvements to the Su-33, developing a catapult-launched version. This would include strengthening the nose landing gear, key airframe components, and replacing the engine with one that provides greater thrust.

The advantage is low risk; the Su-33 is already in service and its technology is mature, making upgrades faster than designing from scratch. The disadvantage is that even after modifications, it's still essentially an 1980s-era aircraft.

Option two involves modifying the MiG-29K. The MiG Design Bureau has been pushing its carrier-based version of the MiG-29, and the MiG-29K was designed with catapult compatibility in mind from the outset (the MiG Design Bureau recognized the trend of catapults and conducted preliminary research in advance). Its takeoff weight is lower than that of the Su-33, and its requirements for catapults are also lower.

However, the MiG-29K also has its drawbacks. It is smaller than the Su-33, has a shorter range, and a smaller payload. It is adequate as a fleet air defense fighter, but it is relatively weak as a long-range strike platform.

The discussion was very heated. Sukhoi advocated for the Su-33, while MiG advocated for the MiG-29K—this kind of competition between design bureaus was exactly the same as the T-72/T-80 debate in the tank field.

Ultimately, the General Armaments Department made the final decision:

"Let's just make do with this for now."

Therefore, according to the plan, the catapult-equipped Su-33 will be among the first carrier-based aircraft deployed on the Ulyanovsk within the next five years. The Ulyanovsk will be fully outfitted and begin sea trials in two to three years, and cannot wait for a completely new aircraft to be designed from scratch. While the Su-33 variant is not perfect, it can be delivered within the timeframe.

在7年内，米格29K作为第二款舰载机型列装。跟苏33弹射型形成高低搭配——苏33负责远程截击和舰队防空，米格29K负责近距空战和对海/对地攻击。

The coexistence of two types of aircraft on the same aircraft carrier is similar to the practice of the US Navy. US aircraft carriers do not only have one type of aircraft—the F-14 is responsible for long-range interception, and the F-18 is responsible for multi-role missions, with high and low configurations and each performing its own duties.

The long-term goal was for the navy and air force to cooperate, with the navy joining the air force's fifth-generation fighter jet project. The new fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft was to achieve stealth, supersonic cruise, and catapult takeoff. This was the ultimate goal of the Soviet naval aviation!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

With the issue of carrier-based aircraft resolved, the next big problem was the Soviet Navy's future shipbuilding program.

After receiving the report from the General Armaments Department, Slava summoned Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Nikolayevich Chernavin.

"How many aircraft carriers do we have now?" Slava asked.

“Strictly speaking, it’s two and a half,” Chernavin said. “The Kuznetsov is in service with the Northern Fleet, the Varyag has just been assigned to the Pacific Fleet, and the Ulyanovsk has just been launched and is estimated to take another two to three years to outfit.

"What happens after the Ulyanovsk is completed? Are three aircraft carriers enough?"

Slava considered it in his mind.

“Three is the minimum,” Cernavin said. “An aircraft carrier isn’t at sea 365 days a year; it needs maintenance, overhauls, and refitting. Generally, the rotation cycle for three carriers is one in deployment, one in training and preparation, and one in maintenance. If you want to always have one carrier at sea in a particular direction—you need at least three.”

“Okay, we have two directions—the north and the Pacific. We need at least six ships?” Slava said, somewhat troubled.

"Yes, General Secretary, developing an aircraft carrier battle group is not just about building an aircraft carrier. That will be a project that takes decades and costs hundreds of billions of rubles. And if we want to build the next generation of aircraft carriers, it may cost even more money."

“Then let’s trust the wisdom of future generations,” Slava joked. “Let’s finish the Ulyanovsk first before we discuss how to build the fourth one.”

An aircraft carrier needs an entire fleet to escort it when it sets sail. Cruisers in the escort group provide area air defense and anti-ship firepower, destroyers provide anti-submarine and air defense, frigates provide close-in defense and anti-submarine warfare, attack submarines are responsible for underwater escort and anti-submarine warfare, and supply ships are responsible for refueling and ammunition replenishment.

The Soviet Navy was not weak in terms of surface ships. The Soviet Union had Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruisers, Slava-class cruisers, Sovremenny-class and Udaloy-class destroyers. The combat power of these main ships ranked second in the world, second only to the United States.

However, the gap with the United States is still significant.

The US Navy had over a dozen aircraft carriers, while the Soviet Union at that time only had two and a half. The US Ticonderoga-class cruisers were reportedly equipped with the Aegis system—the world's most advanced shipborne air defense system, capable of simultaneously tracking hundreds of targets and guiding dozens of missiles.

The Soviet Union did not have anything at the Aegis level; its shipborne air defense systems were scattered across multiple ship types and did not form a unified, networked air defense system.

The Navy Commander-in-Chief produced a draft shipbuilding plan.

"This is the plan for the next ten years," he said.

Existing capital ships such as the Kirov-class, Slava-class, and Sovremenny-class will continue to serve and undergo mid-life modernization, primarily involving the addition of data links and upgrades to air defense systems. Newly built destroyers and frigates will be built to information-based standards—phased-array radar, vertical launch systems, and fleet data links.

Like the Army and Air Force, Ogarkov's information technology approach will be implemented in the Navy.

Attack submarines were a traditional strength of the Soviet Navy, with the Akula and Sierra classes boasting world-class stealth and combat capabilities. The Soviet Union needed to maintain its underwater superiority.

Ballistic missile nuclear submarines, such as the Typhoon-class and Delta IV-class, constitute the sea-based portion of the Soviet nuclear triangle, and this part can only be strengthened.

Now the Soviet Union also needs to consider the issue of replenishment ships; a blue-water navy cannot function without replenishment ships!

The Soviet Navy has long been a force of "coastal defense plus long-range strike," using submarines and long-range anti-ship missiles to cut off NATO's maritime supply lines in wartime, rather than maintaining a continuous global presence like the US Navy.

It seems that having an aircraft carrier and achieving combat capability are two different things, and we can't rush it.

...

After the Navy Commander-in-Chief left, Slava sat alone in his office cleaning up the mess.

There were many things spread out on the table: naval shipbuilding plans, carrier-based aircraft selection reports, budget estimates for supply ships, feasibility analyses for ocean-going bases, and a large amount of stuff from the air force.

He stacked these items one by one into a pile, then opened the safe and stuffed it inside.

He then opened his terminal and pulled up the latest quarterly economic data.

National production data compiled by the information system showed that in the fourth quarter of 1991, the Soviet Union's national income increased by 4.3%, the supply of consumer goods continued to improve, and the digestion of Japanese-owned enterprises in the Far East Special Zone was progressing normally.

The economy is improving.

However, while the economy is improving, the areas where money is being spent are also increasing dramatically. Fourth-generation tanks, fifth-generation fighter jets, aircraft carrier battle groups, peacekeeping expenses in Yugoslavia, infrastructure investment across the country, nationwide expansion of information technology, construction of the new space station, GLONASS satellite network replenishment...

Every single item costs money, and none of them can be cut!

Slava knew that a country could do many things at once, but not all of them. He had to prioritize, and draw a line between where money should be spent and where money should be spent.

Aircraft carriers are important, but they are also very expensive. A single Ulyanovsk-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier costs billions of rubles—not including the accompanying carrier-based aircraft, escort ships, and supply ships. The total investment in three carriers could have built hundreds of information and computing centers, equipped all of the Soviet Union's industrial enterprises with new terminals, and double-tracked thousands of kilometers of railway!

It's simply a difference between the blade and the back of the blade.

He had to find a balance between bread and cannons, a balance that had never been found in the history of the Soviet Union.

Khrushchev cut down his army and smashed the bread; Brezhnev piled up cannons and forgot about the bread; Gorbachev wanted both, but ended up with neither.

Slava doesn't know if he can do better than his predecessors.

But he knew one thing—he would never know if he didn't try.

He picked up a pen and wrote the following instructions on the cover of the shipbuilding plan:

"The Central Committee of the CPSU has agreed to the plan in principle. It can be implemented in stages, with the funding for each stage linked to the domestic economic growth. There must be no short-sighted spending."

He closed the file.

Outside the window, it's winter in Moscow; the leaves have all fallen.

Christmas 1991 is just around the corner.

In that winter in history, the Red Empire collapsed, and now...

Slava drew back the curtains and gazed at the myriad lights of Moscow.

As he gradually distorts the history he once knew, his past memories will offer less and less help.

He will follow in the footsteps of his mentor and lead the alliance toward an unknown future.

Thousands of kilometers away in Nikolayev, the arc lights of welding still shone on the deck of the Ulyanovsk as workers installed the catapult rails.

Those rails are being welded one by one into the structure of the flight deck. Once they are welded, one day an aircraft will be launched from them, taking off from the edge of the deck and soaring towards the line between the sea and the sky.

Just like the future of the league.

Chapter 129 The Soviet Union's World Wide Web Goes Online

August 6, 1991, Geneva, Switzerland, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Tim Berners-Lee sat in front of his computer and made a momentous decision that would change the course of history—to submit the World Wide Web technology to CERN for his colleagues to use.

He first posted a thread on the CERN internal technicians' forum, alt.hypertext, with the gist of: "Hey, here's a project called World Wide Web, and I've made a hypertext system that lets you jump between documents on different machines via links."

Unlike some later internet giants who hold press conferences for every little thing, with their CEOs standing on stage announcing, "Today we have changed the world! In the future, everyone will either join us or be left behind!", this was just an ordinary British physicist posting a message on a forum from his particle physics lab office.

Berners-Lee was only 36 years old. This young Oxford graduate had worked at CERN for several years, responsible for solving information management problems for particle physicists—CERN has thousands of researchers spread across different universities and laboratories around the world, and the data and documents they generate are piled up and difficult to share.

He came up with a solution: if each document has an address, and certain words in the document can become links, clicking the links will jump to another document—then all the information can be strung together like a spider web!

This is the World Wide Web.

Its core consists of three things: HTTP protocol—Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which defines how information is transmitted between machines; HTML—Hypertext Markup Language, which defines the format of documents and the structure of links; and URL—Uniform Resource Locator, which defines the unique address of each document.

When November arrived, the world's first webpage and first web server were successfully running on a computer at CERN. Berners-Lee posted a note on that computer, which was being used as a temporary server:

"This machine is a server, do not shut it down!!"

This was the whole spectacle when the World Wide Web was born. Soon, a Soviet scientific team took notice of the technology and reported it to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

CERN was bustling at the end of August. In 1990, the Large Electron-Positron Collider, a joint investment between the Soviet Union and Europe, had just been built and put into operation, and the Soviet Academy of Sciences sent many teams to work at CERN.

Because the Soviet Union had built and designed a large number of information centers and computing centers for the national automation system during its many years of informatization reforms, it had accumulated a wealth of experience. As a result, major scientific research organizations around the world were using Soviet mainframe computers and employing Soviet computer engineers.

Therefore, Berners-Lee quickly caught the attention of the Soviet scientific team responsible for maintaining the CERN mainframe computer.

This Soviet engineer graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and worked at the Computing Center for three years before being sent to CERN to work on data processing system integration. He was good friends with Berners-Lee, so after realizing the potential of this technology, he immediately went to Berners-Lee.

When he entered the office, Berners-Lee was demonstrating his World Wide Web to another colleague—a page was displayed in a rudimentary browser window on the screen, with a few lines of text, some of which were underlined in blue. Berners-Lee clicked on one of the blue words with the mouse, and the screen quickly jumped to another page.

“Look,” Berners-Lee said to his colleague, “I call it a link. You no longer need to know which document is on which machine; you just need to click on it. Isn’t that convenient?”

What would happen if this were applied to OGAS? The Soviet Union's national economic information network had developed over the years, with factories, agricultural research and production complexes, large warehouses, and transportation nodes throughout the Soviet Union connected to local computing and information centers via terminals.

This production data is collected from the bottom up at the region's computing center, where it is used to complete some of the material allocation functions under the control of automated algorithms designed by the Soviet Union's best mathematicians and engineers. The production information is then immediately transmitted upwards until it reaches Moscow, where the planning committee issues instructions.

In this system, information flows vertically, from the grassroots to the central government and back again. But Berners-Lee's World Wide Web allows information to flow horizontally!

Information travels from machine to machine via links; anyone can create a page, and anyone can link to anyone else's page. What if... what if this hypertext architecture were applied to the OGAS data center?

Currently, while Soviet universities can exchange information horizontally, and scientists have been able to access each other's papers by drawing inspiration from the "cellular telephone network" in Europe, horizontal communication is very difficult between grassroots production units.

For example, if a factory in Ukraine wants to know how many parts are in a warehouse in Kazakhstan, it has to report the information to a central computing center for relay. This is slow and increases the workload on the central computing center.

What if we added routing between all the information nodes across the country, allowing each node to access data from other nodes at any time?

"Bernas Lee, could you explain this to me in detail?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two weeks later Moscow

A report was sent from CERN to the USSR Academy of Sciences: "A Survey and Analysis of the Application Prospects of CERN's World Wide Web Technology".

It devoted dozens of pages to describing the technical architecture of the World Wide Web and how it integrates with information systems. Its core conclusion can be summarized in one sentence:

"This hypertext architecture can be easily integrated into the OGAS information center, transforming the original planning and command network into a system with horizontal information flow."

The Soviet Academy of Sciences held a meeting to discuss the report and quickly concluded that the technology was extremely useful to the Soviet Union!

The value of horizontal information flow is immense not only in academia but also throughout the national economic information system. Currently, one of the bottlenecks in the national automation system is the excessive load on the central computing center—because all information must pass through the central hub.

If direct horizontal connections are established between grassroots nodes, the central load can be significantly reduced, while the speed of information flow can be greatly improved.