Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2598 The Desperate Marshal (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
A black Seagull sedan was driving in the emergency lane in the center of Tverskaya Street in Moscow. Although it was rush hour, the emergency lane was empty except for this Seagull car speeding by.

Marshal Kozverev, sitting in the back seat, appeared calm, but his furrowed brows and solemn expression revealed his extremely bad mood at that moment.

After the military's emergency meeting, he returned to his office, where, as the deputy minister in charge of military industry, he finally received definite information from the technical department.

What bothered him even more than "Night Shadow" itself was this news.

His fingers unconsciously tapped his knees, the anxious and helpless explanation from the head of the technical department echoing repeatedly in his mind:

"Comrade Marshal, after repeated verification, we have determined that the core technology of the SEA stealth fighter is not their original creation, but rather originated from us..."

These words struck him like a thunderbolt, and they still resonate in his ears to this day.

Who would have thought that the stealth aircraft that could change the rules of war and render the Soviet air defense system useless was actually a Soviet invention?

“Through our analysis of its technology, we discovered that it utilizes an invention by Pyotr Ufimov, a scientist at the Moscow Radio Engineering Institute who published a paper more than a decade ago entitled ‘How to Calculate the Diffraction of Boundary Waves.’”

Marshal Kozverev murmured the name, his voice filled with bitter remorse.

"In his paper, Ufimshev demonstrates how to calculate the radar cross section of a given two-dimensional object, including the object's surfaces and edge lines, and he also explains how to use a computer program to parse this set of equations."

At the time, aviation experts believed that this paper lacked practical application value. After all, with the aircraft control technology available at the time, it was simply unrealistic to try to create a flyable fighter jet by adjusting the shape of the fuselage surface to scatter radar waves… After all, it violated the basic principles of aerodynamics and was impossible to fly.

"It can't fly..."

Marshal Kozverev repeated those four words, his chest churning with anger and helplessness.

The phrase "unrealistic" used back then has now become the biggest mockery.

SEA not only put these "unflyable" fighter jets into the air, but also deployed them in actual combat. The precisely dropped bombs not only shattered enemy air defense positions, but also jeopardized the security of the Soviet Union.

What he found even more unacceptable was that the Soviet Union's most advanced S-300 air defense missiles were completely blind in front of this fighter jet, failing to detect it at all.

What he didn't know was that the application of Ufimshev's stealth theory in the SEA was not without its challenges. The Defense Technology Development Agency—a department that has always been engaged in the research and development of forward-looking technologies—immediately formed a team to study the theory after it was discovered. The engineers carefully analyzed Ufimshev's paper and believed that this theory could turn the idea of ​​a completely stealthy aircraft into reality.

So they decomposed the radar cross-section of an aircraft into a series of triangular planes for calculation, and designed a rhombic octahedral aircraft model composed of 8 triangular planes. This model did not look like a flying aircraft at all, so they gave it a nickname: "Hopeless Diamond".

But the "hopeless diamond" is just a model after all. How can it be turned into a real airplane?

In the end, aerospace engineers managed to build it through their efforts.

To save costs and ensure the progress of development, the Defense Technology Development Agency adopted a large number of components from existing aircraft in the design, including the modified environmental control system of the C-1, the flight control system and computer of the F-3, the navigation system of the H-1, the ejection seat of the F-3, and the landing gear of the F-3.

The new stealth fighter officially underwent test flights. The military used various land-based and airborne radars that were in service at the time to verify its stealth effect. As a result, no radar could lock onto it, which meant that the concept of "Diamond of No Hope" had finally become a reality. The military named it "Night Shadow".

This is precisely the significance of the Defense Technology Development Agency—to conduct forward-looking research and turn the impossible into the possible.

The Marshal was unaware of all this, and at this moment, Marshal Kozverev's brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Damn it, that guy defected."

Thinking of this, he clenched his fists, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

He originally thought that since it was Ufimov's invention, and he was in charge of developing the Soviet Union's "Night Shadow," he would definitely be able to design the same aircraft in the shortest possible time, thus deterring NATO.

But who would have thought that he had fled to SEA through Hungary more than a decade ago and had been missing ever since? At the time, he was just another guy pursuing a comfortable life. Little did anyone know that he had taken away such deadly core technology.

At this moment, the marshal was not thinking about why that guy's discovery hadn't been applied here; the question he was considering was—how could he tolerate such a talented person escaping?
"How many of those who escaped were actually Ufimovs?"

Thinking of this, Marshal Kozverev frowned even more deeply.

Over the years, the shadow of exodus has never dissipated. From ordinary people to scientific research experts, including many technical backbones, a large number of people every year took core Soviet secrets and fled to the West.

The emergence of stealth fighters has now laid bare the disastrous consequences of this brain drain for everyone.

"We must stop this! We must close the door on Hungary!"

Marshal Kozverev considered Hungary because, as a former Warsaw Pact member and current observer state, while Eastern European countries generally have strict controls on international travel, travel to neighboring Eastern European countries is relatively easy, although procedures are still required. However, these procedures are relatively simple, so for many years, people from Eastern European countries have been using Hungary as a route to escape to Western countries. Furthermore, Hungary, which had already aligned itself with the West more than twenty years ago, was very willing to assist those fleeing the region.

Over the years, a large number of people have fled overseas through Hungary. How many of them were talented individuals?

"Hungary……"

Leaning back in his chair, Marshal Kozverev wearily closed his eyes. Although he was aware that Hungary's existence was causing a brain drain from the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, this was clearly not something he, as a marshal, should be concerned with.

At that moment, images of the worries of the people at the meeting, the strange outline of the Night Shadow fighter jet, Ufimov, and the brain drain flashed through my mind...

All of these factors combined to weigh heavily on his mind.

After an unknown amount of time, the car slowly came to a stop, and the driver softly reminded the driver:

"Comrade Marshal, you've arrived home."

Marshal Kozverev opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly regulated his breathing. Then he reached out and rubbed his furrowed brow, suppressing all his anger, regret, heaviness, and anxiety deep into his heart.

Unlike most Russian men, he never brings his negative work emotions to his family. The moment he opens the door to his home, he must be the steady and reliable husband and father, as well as the kind and amiable grandfather.

He was not a marshal.

The moment the car door opened, the gloom on Marshal Kozverev's face vanished, replaced by a barely perceptible gentleness. He stepped out of the car and walked towards his home.

As soon as he opened the door, he heard the laughter of his grandson Andrei and several other grandchildren. Hearing the sounds coming from the television, Marshal Kozverev frowned slightly; they were clearly watching an animated series called SEA.

Well, that's quite interesting.

As he was thinking this, he saw his daughter and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Nasha, I heard you signed a big contract with a foreign game company, is that right?"

Natasha is now in charge of the Cultural Liaison Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she has already delivered a satisfactory report card since taking office – she is about to reach a contract with SEA's game company worth several million South Korean dollars.

“We are still in talks,”

Natasha didn't hide anything; she told her father:
"Compared to a one-time license purchase, I prefer revenue sharing. I talked to a few friends at SEA, and they believe that revenue sharing based on sales volume can bring more returns."

Because he was unfamiliar with business, Kozverev didn't know what a one-time license or revenue sharing was. He simply nodded slightly and said:
"Just do what you think is right. But I'm curious, why would a seemingly unremarkable video game cost millions? That's even more expensive than a fighter jet. Are those SEA people crazy? Spending so much money on some game?"

In response to her father's question, Natasha replied:

"This is precisely the difference between them and us. In our view, playing video games is a waste of time and energy, but they see it as entertainment, a necessity of life. That's why there are millions of arcade machines and tens of millions of computers in SEA—almost every child and young person has their own computer..."

Before Natasha could finish speaking, Kozverev exclaimed in surprise:
"What? What did you say? They have tens of millions of computers, and all the children have one?"

He was so shocked because in the Soviet Union, only research institutions or schools had electronic computers. In the Soviet Union, electronic computers were not ordinary commodities; they were research equipment and teaching tools, but not consumer products sold on the market.

"Yes, Father, that's why they're willing to spend a lot of money to buy the game 'Tetris,' because they have tens of millions of users."

Even if only a few million people spend ten yuan to buy a single game disc, the market would still be worth tens of millions of yuan. Compared to that, what are a few million yuan?

Almost instantly, his daughter's words stunned Marshal Kozverev, who was also a father.

He stood there, looking at his daughter with some surprise, seemingly not quite believing what she was saying.

what did she say?
After a moment of surprise, the marshal shook his head and said:

"No, that's not what I care about. What I care about is... do they really have tens of millions of computers?"

He emphasized the importance of tens of millions of electronic computers when he mentioned them.

The number was so astonishing that the marshal thought it was a joke.

(End of this chapter)