Chapter 63 Improving Electronics Technology

"Young man, you did a good job in the Far East. You have made a great contribution to our national defense, especially the EP-3, which allowed us to learn about the advanced electronic technology of the West." Ustinov said, "Moreover, you shot down the traitor with your own hands to prevent the secrets of our latest fighter jets from falling into the hands of the Americans."

"Everything is for the benefit of the motherland. The United States is our enemy. We must always remain highly vigilant. As a pilot, I will have no regrets even if I shed blood in the sky," said Andre.

"Yes, we must have this fearless spirit!" Ustinov said, "Now, the Americans are still putting pressure on us diplomatically, trying to make us hand over the EP-3 and the pilot on it to the Americans, but we will not compromise easily. However, as we continue to study these electronic technologies, our researchers are becoming more and more divided."

Of course there were differences. Andrei knew that many Soviet technicians still held on to the idea that vacuum tubes were omnipotent and looked down on the advanced electronic technology of the United States. At the same time, some scientists had realized that vacuum tubes were outdated and hoped to vigorously develop microelectronics technology and apply it to weapon systems.

Later generations have proved that the path of electron tubes was a wrong one, and the gap between the Soviets in this regard was gradually widening.

Although Andrei knew that the Soviet Union now had a gap in electronic technology, this was not something Andrei could control. Although he had been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, he was still far from the decision makers. He was not in the position to make decisions. Andrei remembered Ekaterina's words to dissuade him and thought it was better to say less.

"Young man, what do you think of our existing equipment?" Ustinov was obviously very satisfied with Andrei, and as a pilot equipped with the most advanced MiG-25 fighter, it was very necessary to ask him about the front-line personnel's experience in using it.

Since the other party asked him, Andre no longer needed to be polite: "Our fighter jets can fly to an altitude of 30,000 meters and can reach a speed of Mach 3. This has caused great psychological pressure on the Americans. It can be said that we can go to the sky of the island country whenever we want and come back whenever we want. The fighter jets of the island country can do nothing to us."

During the Cold War, the MiG-25 put unprecedented pressure on the Western world. Andrei was right. He entered the airspace over Hokkaido several times, and the Americans could do nothing about him.

"However, our fighter jets also have weaknesses. For example, the high-thrust R-15B-300 engine we use has an overhaul time of only 150 hours. Normally, it needs an overhaul every six months and a new engine has to be replaced once a year. This will cause a great burden on logistics and maintenance. If we can extend the life of the engine, we can effectively improve our attendance rate." Andre said.

The Soviet Union's equipment was developed based on the experience of World War II. Even the best pilots would be shot down after flying for less than a hundred hours, and the average life of a fighter plane was only a few dozen hours. Therefore, the plane did not need to be built to have such a long lifespan; a few hundred hours would be enough.

However, it is the Cold War era and no real conflict has broken out. The short lifespan will cause great waste. In comparison, the J-79 engine mainly used by the US F-4 fighter jets at this time has a lifespan of up to 4,000 hours. The engine does not need to be replaced almost throughout the entire life of the fighter jet, greatly reducing the cost of use.

Of course, for the Soviet Union, which had a planned economy, cost was not important at all. In today's society, waste exists everywhere.

"Also, our electronic technology needs to develop faster." Andre changed the subject to the main topic. Andre could not reveal the dispute between vacuum tubes and transistors. He could only explain what kind of electronic equipment would be needed in the future from his own perspective as a pilot.

"The Tornado-A radar we used to be equipped with, although it is large in size and power, has a search range of no more than 100 kilometers, and a lot of energy is used for heat consumption. Now we use the improved Sapphire-25 radar, which finally has the ability of pulse Doppler, but the processing system is limited. For example, when it is on the sea, it can still detect warships, but when it is on land, the screen is full of clutter." Andre continued: "At the same time, the R-40 missiles we use with the semi-active radar seeker always malfunction, so when mounting, I always choose the infrared seeker model. And in the briefing we sent, the American F-14 fighter can already use the fire control radar to lock six targets at the same time and control six missiles to attack at the same time. This is something we dare not even think about. In terms of electronic technology, the Americans are far ahead of us."

In 1973, the United States' Tomcat fighter jets carried Phoenix missiles and conducted a test launch at the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Within 38 seconds, six AIM-54A Phoenix missiles were simultaneously launched at six target aircraft 50 to 80 kilometers away. Four missiles hit the target directly, one was not scored due to a target failure, and another missed the target. The Soviet Union had already obtained this information, and all aviation regiments knew about it.

At that time, the Soviet Union was not very stable even if it controlled only one missile, let alone six at the same time!

Andre's meaning is very simple. The electronic technology of the United States is indeed advanced, and the electronic technology route chosen by the United States is correct.

Ustinov nodded. The combination of the American Tomcat fighter and the Phoenix missile was simply the nemesis of the MiG-25. In the face of the attack of the Phoenix missile, the MiG-25's disadvantage was obvious.

"So how do you think we can quickly improve our electronic technology?" Ustinov asked Andrei.

In the field of electronic technology, the Soviet Union was indeed far behind. Even if it tried to catch up, it would be a long process. How could it quickly improve its own electronic technology level? Ustinov was also troubled by this problem.

Looking at the man in front of him, with a cold look in his eyes, Andre knew that he was an iron-blooded soldier. He also had his own answer: "If you want to improve quickly, I have an idea. We can get it from the island country!"

Under the enslavement of the Americans, the island nation quickly adapted to its status as a lackey. Moreover, its economy developed very rapidly, its science and technology were very advanced, and its electronic technology was first-class.