In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 291 The Air Force is abandoning the PL-4 and preparing to import it from abroad? Then don't blame me for selling it.
"Xie Rou, is your brother back?"

Just then, Du Guowang's voice came from outside.

"Mom, Uncle Du is back. I'll think about this."

Liu Mei nodded, composed herself, and walked outside with a smile.

Du Guowang met Liu Mei when he went to Chengdu to pick up Xie Wei, and they even ate the fried egg noodles that Liu Mei cooked, so they were quite familiar with each other.

"Director Du, Xie Wei and Xie Rou are here. We're sorry to trouble you."

“Mother-in-law, what are you saying! I am Xie Rou’s godfather! Let me introduce you, this is Xie Rou’s god-uncle…”

Du Guowang introduced Liang Hongbin, who was sitting next to him, to Liu Mei.

Liu Mei expressed her gratitude to Liang Hongbin again, making Liang Hongbin feel a little embarrassed.

"Mom, is dinner ready? I'm starving... I have to go back to school soon!"

Seeing that things couldn't continue like this, Xie Wei urged his mother to hurry up and cook, as Liang Hongbin and Du Guowang both had important projects to work on and were busy.

"Okay, okay, just stir-fry a dish."

Liu Mei also knew that Du Guowang and Liang Hongbin were both school leaders and very busy.

The dinner was sumptuous.

Xie Wei and Xie Rou ate until they were very full, and Du Guowang and Liang Hongbin also ate quite a bit, but the atmosphere wasn't as lively as when they ate with Xie Jianguo before.

After the meal, Du Guowang told Liu Mei to stay there without worry and to tell Xie Rou or Xie Wei if she needed anything. After giving these instructions, he prepared to leave.

Fearing his mother would bring up personal matters again, Xie Wei simply said he had school business to attend to and left with Du Guowang and the others.

Xie Rou, feeling resentful, stayed at home with Liu Mei.

"Didn't I tell you to call Xiao Mo?"

After they came out, Du Guowang asked Xie Wei why Mo Lingyu hadn't come.

"She promised to come yesterday, but said she was busy today."

Xie Wei replied.

That's the truth. Mo Lingyu changed her mind today after learning that Xie Wei's mother was here.

"Uncle Du, I'm really sorry to have troubled you."

"When did you become so polite, kid? Teacher Liang doesn't know when she'll be finished with her work, and I can't cook... With your mother taking care of her, Xie Rou's health will improve a lot. She suffered a lot when she went out before, and she's at the age where she needs to grow!"

Du Guowang glared at Xie Wei.

“Indeed, it would be a good thing if your mother could take care of Xie Rou here. Xie Rou is at the age where she is growing rapidly. Although the school's conditions are better now and the food is more oily, it is very different from your original tastes…”

Liang Hongbin also spoke up from the side.

He preferred Xie Rou to Xie Wei.

Xie Wei didn't study his major. Although Xie Rou was on Fang Pengju's rocket artillery project, she also studied mechanics and high-energy physics, and was also Liang Hongbin's student.

"I don't think my mom will stay here for very long."

Thinking about what his mother had said, Xie Wei figured he would have to go home after Yitzhak left.

I don't know if my mother is unaware of the situation, or if my father has really become too arrogant.

Hongguang Factory cannot afford to have any problems.

"The temperature will drop below zero in just a few days, and your mother really won't be able to adapt well to the environment here. Many students from the south are unwilling to choose the Northeast because the winters are too cold, which is a big reason for this."

At this point, Du Guowang sighed.

Going to university is a dream for all young people.

The problem is that Harbin Institute of Technology now only wants the best students, and the admissions office staff are constantly out searching for promising candidates.

In the south, there are universities like the National University of Defense Technology and the University of Science and Technology of China, while Tsinghua and Peking Universities, which are further north, are more famous than Harbin Institute of Technology, which is located far in the northeast.

Even though the admissions office has been traveling all over the country for the past two years, they haven't achieved much.

Many people are unwilling to come to Northeast China after they learn that the winters are cold.

Comparatively speaking, the University of Science and Technology of China, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and even the National University of Defense Technology are more attractive than Harbin Institute of Technology.

"It's not a climate problem."

Xie Wei shook his head.

He didn't know what was going on with his cheap old man, and he wouldn't make a judgment based on just a few words from his mother.

"Spend more time with your mother during this period. I doubt you'll have time to go back for the New Year."

Neither Du Guowang nor Liang Hongbin asked Xie Wei any further questions.

Since they were all highly educated intellectuals, they naturally wouldn't press Xie Wei for details.

Xie Wei nodded.

Upon returning to school, Xie Wei did not go directly back to the Civil Engineering Building, but instead sought out Liu Debao.

"Yzak is estimated to be away for a while longer."

Liu Debao hadn't expected that Xie Wei, instead of spending time with his mother, would come to him so late to ask when Yitzhak would leave.

"I did the math. When they left, besides taking four rocket launchers, they also took 96 rockets. Enough for three salvos..."

He thought Xie Wei was asking how many rockets the other party could take away.

"so much?"

"At the Changzheng factory, production started immediately after the first contract was signed. If it had been a month later, they could have supplied at least 150 units. The timeframe was too rushed."

Liu Debao sighed.

Production capacity is too low.

Although the technology for producing 150 rockets is much less difficult than that for missiles, the rocket engine and solid fuel are both brand new.

In the beginning, it was all small-batch trial production.

"No problem, once another batch is produced, we'll ship it over..."

Xie Wei said, "Anyway, we must make sure they have enough ammunition when they use the rocket launcher for the first time!"

"This is not a problem."

Liu Debao understood Xie Wei's idea: the lack of ammunition should not lead outsiders to believe that Harbin Institute of Technology's rocket launchers were not powerful enough.

He then looked at Xie Wei and asked, "You came to see me so late, it wasn't just for this, was it?"

"What's Yitzhak's stance on the air defense missile system?"

"That kid has been working on the air-to-air missile project all this time. You should ask Lai Guichang and Shi Hongwei instead of me; they know more about it."

Liu Debao shook his head and said.

Liu Debao did not support Xie Wei's desire to sell air defense missile systems to Iraq, especially the idea of ​​having Iraq help test the prototypes after they were produced.

The school is well-funded now.

He doesn't want to sell all the good stuff, does he?
They didn't even have to use their own troops!

"However, it seems that Yitzhak is eyeing the PL-4."

"PL-4?"

Xie Wei was taken aback. "They want to equip the J-7 with the PL-4?"

"They didn't purchase J-7s!" Hearing Xie Wei's words, Liu Debao was puzzled. Had Xie Wei gotten confused?

The weapons that Iraq is currently procuring domestically are all developed by Harbin Institute of Technology.

"..."

Xie Wei immediately realized that he had blurted out something again.

"However, if you have connections, you could try to communicate with them. The Third Ministry of Machinery Industry negotiated with Marconi for 16 months and finally persuaded them to export some advanced electronic equipment and radar to China for upgrading the J-7 fighter jets. They paid an initial payment of £600 million..."

Liu Debao told Xie Wei about the J-7 improvement project he knew.

"That's great! Marconi is a veteran giant in radar and fire control systems. And they're also familiar with the MiG-21."

Xie Wei answered casually.

Iraq purchased 80 J-7 fighter jets from Jordan, and these aircraft were delivered 85 years ago.

Is it possible that the project hasn't been finalized yet?

It seems there has been no news of Jordan coming to China.

Could it be that because I, like a butterfly flapping its wings, caused Iraq to purchase hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rocket launchers and advanced tanks, I personally stepped in to purchase J-7s?

That's possible!

"What's so good about it? Every year, military spending will be further cut, and the Air Force won't have enough money to upgrade the J-7. If this contract cannot be fulfilled, not only will the 600 million pounds paid by the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry not only be lost, but we'll also have to pay them 2500 million pounds in breach of contract penalties..."

Liu Debao said.

"You mean you want to find a way to help the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry sell these fighter jets to the Iraqi Air Force?"

Xie Wei was stunned.

Is this Li Rui's idea or Secretary Liu's idea?
"Weren't you already planning to sell them H-5 bombers?"

Instead of answering Xie Wei's question, Liu Debao countered with, "The J-7 is more advanced than the H-5, no matter what, isn't it?"

Can it be the same?
The H-5 is a light bomber, while the J-7 is a fighter jet.

Xie Wei felt he couldn't continue talking to Liu Debao, so he made up an excuse and left.

"This boy!"

Watching Xie Wei leave, Liu Debao could only manage a bitter smile.

Relatively speaking, through Li Rui's channels, his information was very readily available. Anyway, he leaked the information to Xie Wei according to Principal Li's instructions, and he couldn't interfere with how Xie Wei handled it.

After leaving Liu Debao's office, Xie Wei felt increasingly uneasy.

It was Sheve's deliberate attempt to gain knowledge of the school's anti-aircraft missile program in order to sell the missiles and also to provide samples directly for battlefield testing.

The improved PL-4, and the PL-4 project which is still being improved, are certainly not something that Yitzhak could access.

Having already reached the foot of the Civil Engineering Building, Xie Wei simply turned around and went to find Lai Guichang and Shi Hongwei, wanting to find out the inside story.

"J-7s carrying upgraded PL-4 missiles for target practice? It hasn't continued since that incident you know about..."

Professor Lai looked at Xie Wei with a puzzled expression.

Why did you come all this way so late just to ask me this?
"That doesn't make sense. During the target practice, the PL-4 was tested mounted on a J-7."

Xie Wei frowned.

I'm increasingly confused about Liu Debao's purpose in telling me those details.

"That's right. The J-7's radar can no longer demonstrate the performance of the improved PL-4. The Third Ministry of Machinery Industry is negotiating with Marconi to import 124 sets of avionics systems to upgrade 100 J-7s..."

Is it this news again?
"I heard the Air Force is out of money for upgrades?"

Xie Wei asked tentatively.

"I haven't heard any news."

Shi Hongwei shook his head, then his expression changed. "Xie Wei, what news have you heard?"

"No."

Xie Wei denied it outright.

He was well aware that the J-7's imported flat-panel displays, new radar, and simplified fire control computers from Marconi were not cheap, costing nearly £80 per set, equivalent to RMB 280 million.

Compared to the $10 million price tag per set for the AN/APG-66 radar and related fire control system imported from Westinghouse in the United States for Project 82, this was much cheaper.

However, the radar provided by Marconi for upgrading the J-7 was only a partial improvement over the one currently used by the J-7.

It can't compare to the radar used in third-generation fighter jets.

"If the Air Force really abandons the modernization plan, our PL-4 orders will also be affected! I was wondering why the Air Force hasn't placed any PL-4 orders for so long! I heard that the military is in contact with Israel, preparing to import their Python-3 air-to-air missiles..."

"What the hell?"

Xie Wei doesn't usually pay attention to this news, so he really didn't know about it.

Looking at the two with disbelief, he said, "The PL-4's performance far exceeds the design specifications, especially its aerial maneuverability and detection range. Did they have too much money?"

He was resentful when he said that.

The reason why they directly used the high-purity indium antimonide seeker, which is the third-generation guidance technology, was to prevent the Air Force from introducing the Python-3.

The acquisition of the Python-3 cost a whopping $5.5 million!
If this money weren't spent, it could have been used to manufacture hundreds of J-7 fighters!

Xie Wei felt that the matter was becoming increasingly complicated.

"We've only heard rumors so far. Xie Wei, if you have time, you should inquire more about the relevant information... The Air Force hasn't been equipped with any new air-to-air missiles for over twenty years... The PL-4 hasn't undergone much testing yet..."

"I heard that Yitzhak is inquiring about the PL-4 air-to-air missile?"

Xie Wei did not inquire further about the Air Force's attitude towards PL-4.

The PL-4 was developed starting in 66, and it has been 15 years since then. Even with improvements to the seeker, many leaders in the Air Force probably still consider it outdated technology.

Given this, it will be very difficult to persuade the air force leaders who are preparing to spend a lot of money to import advanced foreign air-to-air missiles!

From the beginning, the PL-4 was designed to be used with the J-9 fighter jet. Now that the J-9 project has been cancelled, the development of the 205 fighter-attack radar has also stalled.

"Correct."

Professor Lai Guichang nodded seriously, "After he found out, he asked... This is the most advanced air-to-air missile in our country. Even our own air force doesn't have it, so we definitely can't sell it!"

Xie Wei frowned.

He did not refute Professor Lai Guichang.

More than a year has passed since the Air Force last tested it, and there has been no follow-up!
If the Air Force has no orders and can't sell its products, is it supposed to rely on other projects to make up for its losses?

Definitely not.

"You must really want to buy air-to-air missiles! Thanks, your J-7 is a copy of the MiG-21, and the MiG-21 is our air force's main fighter jet... You should know the performance of the K-13 air-to-air missile that the Soviets equipped with this fighter jet."

When confronted with Shevchenko's question, Yitzhak did not hesitate at all.

"As you know, war has broken out between us and Iran! Iran possesses the world's most advanced F-14 fighter jets and equally advanced air-to-air missiles... If it weren't for Khornei's purge of the air force, with a large number of air force officers arrested or leaving the service, our air force would be under even greater pressure..."

In terms of advanced fighter jets, Iraq cannot compare with Iran.

Yitzhak had come to learn about the anti-aircraft missiles that Shewe had mentioned.

Knowing that anti-aircraft missiles were modified from air-to-air missiles, but that there were no prototypes yet, they couldn't help but have this idea.

Xie Wei's military construction plan included the Air Force!

He doesn't need advanced fighter jets, but he needs an air force that can guarantee air superiority and prevent his armored forces from being bombed by the Iranian air force, and that has more advanced air-to-air missiles.

The PL-4 air-to-air missile is fire-and-forget, with a range of up to 18 kilometers. For Yitzhak, it is definitely more advanced than all the air-to-air missiles currently in their air force!
(End of this chapter)