The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

The office building of the Red Star 787 Factory looks even more dilapidated.

The red brick walls, weathered by time, are now covered in patches of dark green moss on the first floor.

The wooden ceiling with protruding eaves at the top has some areas where the wood has begun to age. The thick layer of putty applied on it has peeled off, and the tiles above can even be seen through the gaps.

With its cracked cement shell, it has gradually become a dilapidated old building.

Time has changed more than just the appearance of the cadres; the people coming in and out of this building are getting younger and younger.

Like gold being sifted from sand, batches of cadres have retired from this building, while batches of young cadres have taken their place. Although the building itself is old, its internal organs are being revitalized, like withered trees coming back to life.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, the college graduates who entered the factory gradually filled the framework of the Hongxing Factory, from being clueless at the beginning to moving up to middle management positions.

Back then, they were outsiders and generally lacked experience. The subtle sense of exclusion they felt at the time is no longer a problem ten years later.

The succession system for cadres was disrupted for a while, but with the care of the Security Department and the military leaders, it has returned to normal in recent years.

The large iron gate at the north gate had been opened, and the train of the times, billowing thick white smoke, entered the factory area amidst the friction of iron wheels against steel rails.

After several renovations, the freight station is now more rationally laid out than it was during the steel rolling mill era, transforming from a hub for coal and steel to one for trucks, heavy artillery, armored chassis, and tank chassis.

The Transportation Department underwent an expansion during this period, but it still did not reach the level of a division-level department, although it was undoubtedly much larger than a normal department.

Previously, it was necessary to draw on transport drivers to unload the trucks. After the adjustment, there are now dedicated unloading personnel who also have the skills to drive armored vehicles and tanks.

Another batch of Sichuan Automobile Hongyan off-road heavy trucks, loaded onto cargo flatbeds, were delivered to the freight station.

Compared to ten years ago, when the factory was assigned an off-road truck and the drivers in the transportation department had to fight tooth and nail to get one, now all the trucks have been replaced with slightly different models, but they are all products of the Hongyan Factory.

"It seems like there are more this time than last year, Captain Jia?"

Looking at the unloaded train flatbed outside the north gate, which clearly needed to be reconnected and transferred by the locomotive, the driver under his command curiously chatted with Jia Haijie.

The security personnel had already left through the north gate and begun patrolling along the railway line. Captain Jia stroked his stubble and nodded.

"There are a bit too many, everyone hurry up, it'll be unbearably hot at noon, and please be careful!"

"The first thirty trucks, drive to the road in front of the final assembly workshop and wait for the second shift. In the afternoon, move the ones from the parking lot to the flatbed, and then unload the rest!"

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel, Jia Haijie was a little anxious. He was an impatient person by nature, having worked his way up from a long-haul truck driver to a fleet management position.

With more trucks arriving, they take up more space. We have to make the most of the limited space, moving around like blocks, unloading one batch, loading another, and then unloading the next, making the most of the space provided by Station Master Ma at the dispatch station.

As the flatbed of the train was slowly poured into the designated position, the drivers unloading the train began to help lift the tarpaulin and remove the triangular wheel chocks. Jia Haijie took one last deep drag of his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and walked towards the front of the train.

"Everyone hurry up! There's extra food at the cafeteria for lunch, with meat. If you're late, there'll only be soup left. After you finish eating, quickly bring the food from the transportation department's parking lot over!"

The process began in an orderly manner. After receiving instructions, the team leaders started assigning tasks. After Jia Haijie signed for and received the car keys at the freight station, he began distributing them one by one.

After the soldiers in charge of escorting the goods and the workers from Hongyan Factory completed their handover at the freight station, they all headed to the Fifth Canteen. After eating, they were given a dormitory room to rest.

In the past, trucks had to be parked sideways on freight flatbeds. If the driver wasn't skilled enough, or if they were careless, the front wheels could easily fall off. This required someone to direct the unloading from below, and the unloading speed was also very slow.

After the modification, the unloading method changed a lot. There was no need to turn the steering wheel; the trucks simply reversed down the concrete ramp at the rear of the train.

This location, however, occupies part of the firing range. The T-54 chassis that came off the range, with the turret removed, revealed a large, dark hole when viewed from above. Even this area has been converted into a parking lot. The semi-underground half of the range has been completely transformed into an underground firing range. The original precast concrete slabs have been replaced with poured concrete, and the noise from gunfire and even rockets during testing has been controlled to an extremely low level.

Above, not only are the chassis of self-propelled artillery pieces that have not yet been modified, but also some that have already been modified. They are just to be transported in batches, as the production of one batch has not yet been completed.

The Type 65 37mm anti-aircraft gun, which was originally standing on the firing range, was installed on a Type 63 armored vehicle by the workers in the R&D workshop, which fully utilized their creativity and became another branch product of Factory 787.

The self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, however, is something that the Red Star Factory has been working on. Compared to the Soviet Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, it has two fewer anti-aircraft gun barrels, and its air defense radar is still under testing and has not yet received a production batch number.

Even if we obtain it, due to the inherent inadequacy of its anti-aircraft firepower, it will be far inferior to the Soviet Union's Shilka River. It can be considered as collecting various data in advance for further research and verification.

According to the technical department's idea, or rather, Director Li's idea, this type of multi-barrel artillery will be replaced by Gatling rotary cannons in the future.

As for the Gatling rotary cannon, a certain domestic unit is still developing it, and in accordance with local custom, it is called the Gatling anti-aircraft gun.

Director Li isn't focused on this yet. Anti-aircraft guns are just a small category within artillery; the mainstream and future focus is on anti-aircraft missiles. The inherent limitations of anti-aircraft guns mean they can only form an anti-aircraft fire network at low altitudes.

It's worth noting that the MG-25 (Foxbat) from a few years ago could already fly to an altitude of 30,000 meters. At that altitude, you could see the outer contour of the Earth, a height that artillery shells couldn't reach.

"We don't need to target ground-based systems at 30,000 meters altitude. For vehicle-mounted systems, we should at least be able to reach 10,000 meters. For personnel-portable air defense missiles, we should at least be able to reach the take-off and landing altitude of helicopters, around 5000 meters, right?"

"Ouyang Yi, you're familiar with the rocket fuel for the SAM-3 and PL-2. Fuel is one of your strengths. The long-range rocket artillery has met the range specifications, so you can temporarily switch over there. This can be your next research direction!"

"Currently, the mainstream research in China is on air-to-air missiles, but we can also get involved in surface-to-air missiles, especially portable ones, which have great potential for the future. Individual soldier air defense is one direction. Our semiconductor research institute has a radar factory, and we will gradually occupy a major share in the sub-field of air defense in the future!"

Li Feng, who was giving the lecture, tapped his pointer on the blackboard. The elite troops withdrawn from the long-range rocket artillery (missile) sector were about to start working again.

Limited by technology, the development of long-range rocket artillery has gradually reached a bottleneck. It is no longer related to fuel, but mainly to the reduction of the hit range. This is difficult to overcome in the short term and requires the support of semiconductor computer technology and the refinement of the operation and control system.

Li Feng took time to teach them, using the same approach as before: focusing on specific areas while others tackled the bigger picture, and Factory 787 would then combine the technologies of its sister units to conduct in-depth research and development.

The main focus is on reducing the size, refining the seeker head, and further developing it in conjunction with vehicle-mounted radar for low-altitude operations.

"We also need to consider the economic aspects. So far, our military has been streamlined seven times. Controlling military spending and streamlining and reorganizing is the general trend going forward!"

"Just like truck-mounted artillery, compared to self-propelled artillery developed using tank chassis, it is cheaper and more durable. From the military's perspective, they simply like it. It takes up less defense budget and has a greater effect, so it can get the opportunity for large-scale deployment!"

"Portable air defense missiles are destined to become a mainstream technology in the future. In terms of deployment, I think they should even be deployed to the battalion or company level to form a front-line air defense network with anti-aircraft guns."

"The process will definitely be difficult, but once we get a foothold, it will become another flagship product of our factory, just like truck-mounted artillery, bulletproof vests, and long-range artillery."

Everyone present took notes of what Li Feng said. The reason why Hongxing 787 Factory has reached its current position is because of the work that Director Li has done one by one.

Especially under the general trend of streamlining and reorganization, many military factories have gradually become barely able to survive, and wages have gradually become unstable.

However, Hongxing Factory maintained its momentum of development and did not try to make a living by producing electric fans or ice cream. Wages were paid on time because of these flagship products, which were irreplaceable by other factories.

"Comrades, we have made it through the last stage. The factory respects the technical staff and protects everyone very well. One product after another has been launched and we have received many commendations from the military."

"But we cannot rest on our past laurels. It is true that military enterprises are supported by the state, but we must also be aware of the crisis. With the development of the times, outdated production capacity will gradually be eliminated, which means that one military factory after another will face closure and bankruptcy!"

"I'm not talking big or empty words. This is the trend under the new situation and the new era. An overly bloated enterprise will only know how to eat from the same pot, bury itself in production according to the quota, and not look up and think about the future in research and development. When the pot-eating can no longer be eaten and the defense budget can no longer be afforded, they will be the first to face elimination."

The technical staff attending the meeting all looked serious. They frequently visited other units to learn from each other in order to overcome the factory's technical difficulties, and they were quite perceptive of changes outside the factory. (End of Chapter)