Chapter 771: Aftermath (Chapter 6K)

A large group of students were gathered in a small auditorium of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics to watch the military parade.

There was no live broadcast on the Internet these days, and there was no TV signal in the dormitory. If you wanted to watch the live broadcast, you could only go to a few specific places in the school.

People in their early twenties were the most energetic and concerned about national affairs, and the special nature of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics increased the proportion of this group of people.

Therefore, even before the military parade began, the place was already crowded.

So that those who came later could only sit on the ground.

In the end, it was Tang Lintian who personally came forward and asked each dormitory building to open the activity room equipped with TV, which stopped the surging crowd.

And the content of the live broadcast of this military parade did not disappoint them for getting up so early -

For students who have not yet entered the aviation industry system and have not been exposed to too much confidential information, except for the J-7E in the middle of the formation, which was really unremarkable, the other models were still quite surprising.

However, the auditorium is a public area after all, it is not suitable for loud noises, and no one wants to miss any words of the commentator.

So, at the beginning, everyone was able to suppress their emotions.

Only some whispers were heard from time to time.

"I say, Brother Zhou."

Li Yan looked at the double-delta-wing J-7 flying on TV, leaned over, and whispered to Zhou Shuwan who was sitting next to him:

"I remember Brother Nan... No... When Professor Chang went to school with us, didn't he design an improved version of the J-7 with a lower jaw air intake in class? Why is it not equipped?"

Both of them were classmates of Chang Haonan when he was an undergraduate, but now the latter has graduated with a doctorate and become a professor, while they are still in their third year of graduate school and are preparing their master's thesis.

Zhou Shuwan frowned slightly and glanced at Li Yan next to him:

"Your father is in the Air Force, why are you asking me about this?"

Having said that, he continued to answer:

"Besides, I remember Professor Chang said at the time that that model was still relatively backward, so we would equip it with something better."

"It seems that he did say that, but I thought he was just pretending?"

Li Yan scratched his head.

His father was indeed in the Air Force, but he retired two years ago.

"..."

Zhou Shuwan was silent for a moment:

"Actually... I thought so at the time."

Then he changed the subject:

"But considering that he has really become our professor now, I think back now... he may have planned everything at the time. Look at the many J-8Cs that flew over just now. They have obviously been equipped in large quantities to the troops."

The two people's chat obviously disturbed the surroundings. Soon, someone in front of them turned around angrily and signaled them to be silent.

"The Su-27 is coming, look!"

The auditorium returned to its original silence, leaving only the rhythmic voices of the two commentators.

Even among the students of the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, very few have seen the Su-27 with their own eyes.

I saw a lot of them on the news in 1996, but the signal quality at that time was even worse, and they were all cut into fragmented and scattered pictures (in order to piece together enough shots), which is definitely not comparable to the military parade.

In addition, there are a few fixed pictures on military magazines.

Therefore, everyone wanted to hold their breath and didn't want to miss any shot.

After all, they didn't have the conditions to record the scene and watch it slowly, nor did they have a search engine that could find pictures by typing a few words.

Once you miss it, you don't know when you can see it again.

But Zhou Shuwan is an exception.

His mentor is a famous domestic aviation safety equipment expert. In Project No. 11, he participated in the technical absorption of the K36D ejection seat.

Of course, as a junior master, he didn't have the opportunity to participate directly.

But at least, he had seen a lot of photos and materials.

So, among the audience, only Zhou Shuwan seemed very calm.

He even unscrewed the thermos cup and drank a sip of water, and pointed at the students who were surprised in his heart.

But before he took the cup away from his face, he heard the man who had just turned back to condemn them roar.

"Fuck?"

He was about to condemn him in the same way, but then, there were voices coming from the auditorium.

The content was basically the same -

There was no real meaning to the exclamation.

Zhou Shuwan put down the cup and refocused his eyes on the TV screen.

Then, his pupils shrank suddenly.

Fortunately, the teacher on the podium reacted quickly and raised his hand and pressed it down quickly:

"Quiet, quiet! Listen to what the TV says!"

It took a long time from the first exclamation to this time, but only a few seconds in total.

Therefore, they were lucky not to miss the commentator's voice.

"The next to be reviewed is the domestic third-generation fighter formation..."

At that moment, Zhou Shuwan's mind was blank.

He didn't yell like others.

But he didn't know what his mood was.

Calm?

Absolutely not.

Although he still looked calm on the surface, his heartbeat and rapid breathing betrayed his inner feelings.

Surprise?

It seems so.

But not completely.

He had heard about the No. 10 project that developed the third-generation aircraft independently, and he also knew that the prototype had made its first flight two years ago.

Now that he saw the real body publicly unveiled, he was certainly happy, but it didn't seem to be the main tone of his emotions at the moment.

If I have to describe it, it can only be...

It's hard to say, mixed feelings.

As a generation born in the 1970s, Zhou Shuwan has always had a contradictory mentality.

He knows that China's weapons and equipment are generally more than one generation behind the world's mainstream.

He knows that China's armored forces are even worse than the monkey version of the T72 that was slaughtered in Operation Desert Storm.

I know that by 1996, there were still a few fighters that could launch medium-range missiles.

I know that the Sovremenny-class destroyer is not an "aircraft carrier killer".

These are the things that people like Huang Zhiqiang often talk about to mock.

But, they are all true.

However, he also knows that our army has always been good at fighting when the enemy is strong and we are weak, and when the enemy is more numerous and we are fewer.

He also knows that from Chishui River to Sansoli, what we are best at is turning the impossible into the possible.

He has no reason to doubt that in the new era, the People's Army can continue to create miracles.

Whether this is despair or hope, even Zhou Shuwan himself has never been able to tell clearly.

Therefore, he almost never argues with those people, and even never thinks about this issue in detail.

Because he is afraid.

Afraid that he will be convinced.

It was not until Zhang Man went abroad that he gradually began to think and discuss with some like-minded people.

About how to find hope in despair.

Actually, to put it bluntly, it is YY.

But it is always a slightly more reliable YY.

So, the conclusion is nothing more than -

Just like countless times in the past, a tragic victory was achieved with great sacrifice.

Of course, there may be many ideas about the specific way to win.

But no one has ever thought that they can rely on technology and equipment, even if it is the same generation of technology and equipment as the opponent.

Suddenly, Zhou Shuwan seemed to have returned to three years ago, when he had just teamed up with Chang Haonan to do coursework.

After finally confirming the seemingly crazy plan, several people went out for a roast duck meal.

That night, they talked about fighter jets and the Air Force.

As usual, they talked about every subtle improvement of the J-8II and the mass-produced F22 that was about to fly for the first time.

At that time, Chang Haonan once said to him:

"Don't worry, there will be, there will be."

At that time, he just thought it was just a casual remark from the other party.

But looking back now, it may not be the case.

The J-10 did appear 20 years later than the F16.

But after all, it appeared before the F22 entered service.

There is no generation gap.

They really have all of them...

When Zhou Shuwan came to his senses, the only thing on the TV screen was the last helicopter formation rumbling away from Chang'an Avenue.

The military parade has ended.

But the impact of the military parade is far from over.

In the auditorium, the emotions that the students had just suppressed finally burst out.

"Just now... just now was the J-10, right?"

A considerable number of people have heard of the existence of this model.

Some people even saw photos of the test flight on the Internet.

But that is not public information after all.

Who dares to guarantee that it is true?

Or, who dares to believe that it is true?

You know, six years ago, the J-7E was equipped with troops.

Two years ago, the J-8C was equipped with troops.

But this time...

The public appearance at the military parade, and the direct confirmation by the commentator...

"How could it be false?"

Someone on the other side of the auditorium quickly stood up and answered loudly:

"It was already said on TV that my country has independently developed and produced, what else can it have besides the J-10?"

"And I saw that it is still equipped with missiles, does it mean that it has been equipped with troops?"

Others speculated.

"Since it has been on the military parade, it should be in service, right?"

"But I heard that the J-10 seemed to have made its first flight the year before last, and it has been in service for two years... Isn't this unreasonable?"

After all, everyone present was studying aviation, and at this point, their minds were still relatively calm.

"Well... at least it will be soon, otherwise who would dare to bring an unreliable aircraft to the military parade?"

"Indeed..."

"Makes sense."

Obviously this statement has been recognized by the vast majority of people.

However, the discussion will not stop because of this...

The model has been determined, and the performance will be discussed next.

"I think that since the country has decided to make this model public, it is estimated that there will be more detailed reports on TV soon."

These days, in order to meet the people's growing interest in military and weapons and equipment, CCTV has launched a series of programs such as "Military World", and the ratings are quite good.

But soon, someone cast his eyes on the teacher on the podium:

"Teacher, analyze it for us?"

As this voice howled, the auditorium was silent for a moment.

Everyone reacted immediately-

Talking about aircraft at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, isn't there a ready-made expert?

"Yes, teacher, tell me about it?"

The person in charge of the TV on the stage was a young lecturer who had just been employed for less than two years. He was so busy that he was numb.

Although most of the people in the auditorium were undergraduates, there were also many masters and old doctors. His age was not necessarily older than some of the doctors who had delayed graduation, so he had never seen such a scene.

Besides, he knew nothing.

How could anyone guess the performance by just looking at the appearance - or even just looking at it on TV?

Fortunately, at this time, the door of the auditorium was suddenly pushed open:

"The planes in the military parade just flew past our school, and someone took a photo!"

The whole room was instantly in an uproar.

Feeling that the situation was a little out of control, the teacher quickly found an opportunity, took out the mobile phone he had just bought, and called Tang Lintian, asking the principal to find a way to control the students' ignited passion...

...

In fact, the shock caused by this military parade was far more than just in China.

Due to the limitations of broadcasting technology, the "live" signals received by countries and regions outside China have a considerable delay.

Even most countries will not specifically broadcast live.

After all, even in today's timeline, China in 1999 is still not a country that attracts much attention and topic for most foreigners.

But for overseas Chinese, this meaning is completely different.

Birmingham, England.

Zhang Man and her roommates sat in a bar opened by Chinese people, watching the broadcast of CCTV International Channel with the few local Chinese people.

Compared with the jubilation and national celebration in China, here, even in this bar full of Chinese people, the atmosphere is much more dull.

The reason why most people gather here is more of a nostalgia for their hometown, or a sense of ritual.

Only Zhang Man was very fascinated.

Even the hand holding the wine glass turned slightly white because of too much force.

Two years ago, she graduated from Beijing Aviation University and came to Birmingham to study for a doctorate.

At that time, neither Zhang Man herself nor her family naturally thought of letting her go back.

However, after more than two years of studying for a doctorate, her thoughts began to loosen up-

As a smart person, she soon discovered that as a Chinese, she could not possibly get in touch with any core projects here. Although she had no worries about graduation, it would be difficult for her to find a truly suitable job in the UK.

The way for most "seniors" to stay here is to marry a foreigner directly.

But Zhang Man is a white, rich and beautiful woman in China. If she wanted this, why would she go abroad? She could just find a rich husband in China.

Moreover, there is discrimination.

It may not even be intentional.

But unintentional strange eyes are sometimes more difficult to accept.

"Huh..."

Zhang Man looked at the screen on TV and drank the wine in the glass.

She is still not interested in the military. Her current research is also a very marginal direction that has nothing to do with aviation. Therefore, she has no idea about the equipment that appeared in the military parade.

What she misses more is the mass celebration that follows closely and is not paid much attention to in China.

Since going abroad, she has not experienced such a lively scene for a long time.

"Maybe... it would be nice to go back after graduation?"

She thought so.

Compared to Zhang Man who was just daydreaming, there were people who paid attention to more professional areas.

Although ordinary people would not pay attention, researchers in related fields would not miss this opportunity.

Especially Europeans who have been cooperating with China.

Whether it is because their interests are tied to cooperation with China, or simply out of rational analysis of China's scientific research level.

In short, at least some people have begun to try to look at this familiar yet unfamiliar country again with a rational eye.

About an hour after the military parade ended.

Charles Edelsteiner strode into the office of Serge Dassault, the second-generation head of Dassault.

He was holding a newly printed document in his hand.

"Mr. Dassault, I think you should take a look..."

Edelsteiner was halfway through his words when he found that the TV not far away was actually playing the content he wanted the other party to watch - China's National Day celebrations.

"What's wrong, Charlie?"

Dassault turned his head and looked at his old friend with some curiosity.

"Since you are watching it, it's easy to say."

The latter pointed to the TV screen.

"Are you talking about these performances?"

Dassault's eyes returned to the TV:

"It was boring at first, all... you know... unoriginal flattery, but the latter part was wonderful, especially the dance, which was very creative."

Edsteiner waved his hand helplessly:

"Of course not... I mean the parade in front."

He put the folder in his hand on the desk:

"The Chinese exhibited two new fighters."

Dassault looked down, but did not open it:

"I saw that one is the Su-27 produced by them with Russian technology, and the other is a light fighter that is somewhat similar... uh... at least similar in size to the F16. Of course, it should be larger than the Mirage 2000."

Speaking of this, he was still quite irritable.

Originally, his father, Marcel Dassault, had presided over the development of the heavy Mirage 4000 fighter, but the French Air Force was not interested in it.

However, after the project was terminated, the Ministry of Defense actually proposed to launch a research and development plan for a 9-ton fighter that is common to both the navy and the air force.

That is the Rafale fighter jet.

Originally, the development process was smooth, and the mass-produced Rafale C was scheduled to enter service in 2001.

But at the last minute, the Snecma Group, which was responsible for providing power, suddenly failed.

Because General Electric suddenly decided to withdraw the technical support provided during the development of the M88, about 15% of the parts could not be delivered on time.

The entire plan is now almost at a standstill.

On the other hand, the EF2000 that they withdrew from that year has been singing rapidly all the way, and it is about to catch up.

If this continues, they will lose to the United States (F15), Russia (Su-27), Britain (EF2000), and China (J-10), and finally there will be nothing to lose.

This wave of General Electric's withdrawal from the bottom is not a slap on the French Air Force, but a slap on the face of Dassault.

But no matter how annoying it is, there is really nothing to do.

He had said all the good and bad things, but the other party was stubborn. He couldn't just lower his face and buy the British EJ200, right?

Then how could he be French?

He could only wait and see when Snecma could solve the problem alone.

However, Edsteiner took the initiative to open the file.

Inside was a color-printed picture.

It was a three-plane formation.

It was taken from the back.

Of course, it was obviously cropped and enlarged.

"I'm not talking about the plane itself."

He pulled over a stool, sat down on his own, and said to Dassault:

"Our reporters in front took a photo with a good angle."

Edsteiner stretched out two fingers and tapped the engines of two of the planes.

"According to our analysis, the plane in front should be the basic Su-27 assembled by China using Russian parts, while the one behind, and of course the other one that was cut off, were produced by the Chinese themselves. Of course, the electronic equipment may have undergone some improvements, but that's not important."

"It can be seen that the engines of these two planes are completely different."

Serge Dassault's professional skills in the field of aircraft design may not be as good as his father's, but he is not a complete novice who does not understand technology to maintain such a huge family business as the Dassault Group.

In fact, he graduated from the French Higher School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and participated in the design of aircraft from the Super Mystery to the Mirage 4000.

Therefore, when Edsteiner pointed out those two places, he had already seen some clues.

Dassault picked up the remote control and turned off the TV:

"The model outside uses an ejector nozzle."

At this time, he had already vaguely understood the key points in Edsteiner's words.

Snecma is almost the only company in the world that is keen on using ejector nozzles on fighter engines, reducing engine weight at the expense of some low-altitude performance.

But it seems a bit far-fetched.

After all, it is just a nozzle design.

What does it mean?

"That's right."

Edsteiner replied:

"It's hard for me to explain why I have this idea, but anyway, I just contacted Snecma Group and asked them if they have any relevant information about China's third-generation turbofan engine."

"And the answer they gave me was that about 10 years ago, the Chinese started a third-generation turbofan engine project that was benchmarked against the F110 engine with CFM56 as the core engine. At first, they even tried to seek some technical help from Snecma, but soon, due to the cooling of the relationship between us and China, there was no follow-up news."

"So you think..."

Dassault frowned slightly:

"It took the Chinese ten years to install a high-thrust turbofan engine on a mass-produced aircraft?"

Although he didn't say it directly, his expression was obviously unconvinced-

CFM56 was a joint development of the United States and France. Even so, it took Snecma almost 20 years to develop a medium-thrust engine based on it, and in the end, many parts still needed to rely on the United States for production.

On the other hand, the CFM56 data obtained by the Chinese were all from unknown sources. It took them 10 years to tinker with a high-thrust engine that could match the F110 from scratch?

Playing?

"Not that I think..."

Edsteiner shook his head:

"I also think this is unrealistic, but these four engines are obviously different from any known models in the world."

"If it is made in Russia, there is no need to replace a tail nozzle, and according to the news from Sagem, the engines exported by Russia to China in recent years are almost all high-bypass models, such as PS90A and D436T."

Clear and logical.

Dassault was speechless.

"So... you mean, maybe the Chinese have the key technology to mass-produce CFM56?"

"At least there is this possibility."

Edsteiner replied.

In fact, his entire analysis process can be described as irrelevant.

But because there are so many mistakes, they offset each other in the end, and he got a conclusion that is very close to the correct one...