Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 249: Embarking on a New Path of Research and Development

After returning from his research trip to the East China Sea Fleet, Chen Jiang began to ponder how to solve the problems facing the navy.

After reviewing a large amount of information and visiting many senior colleagues in the General Armament Department, I finally figured it out and went directly to Minister Cao to report the situation.

"For a long time, our conventional weapons and equipment have lagged behind those of developed Western countries. I think there are three main reasons for this."

"Firstly, others are unwilling to help us. This is a truth that everyone understands."

"Secondly, there is a shortage of talent. Although there are elite talents like Qian Xuesen who are willing to give up the comfortable living and working conditions abroad and return to China, we should also see that every year there is a large outflow of talent, or rather, we cannot retain them."

"Third, there are drawbacks in our R&D model. Most of our existing equipment is imitation of Russia's. Although we have gradually begun to pay more attention to independent innovation in recent years, the efforts are still far from enough. If we want to take bigger steps in the R&D of weapons and equipment, we must take a new path that combines imitation with self-innovation. Moreover, innovation should be the main focus, and learning from others should be secondary!"

"What good ideas do you have?" Minister Cao greatly admired his capable subordinate, otherwise he wouldn't have transferred him here, so he immediately gestured for him to continue.

"Commander," Chen Jiang put down his own manuscript and began speaking extemporaneously.

"Regarding the three issues mentioned above, we won't discuss the first and second points for now, but for the third point, we must change our R&D approach. The most important thing is that we can't keep following in others' footsteps. Otherwise, we'll always be left behind!"

"For example, the Sovremenny-class destroyers we introduced, although large in tonnage and powerful in firepower, have very poor radar capabilities. This is not because Russia deliberately misled us, but because their radar capabilities are just so-so. Therefore, we should abandon their approach and take the initiative to align with, or even surpass, the world's advanced standards! With so many years of experience, we have the capability and the conditions to innovate and make breakthroughs!"

Hearing Chen Jiang's impassioned speech, Minister Cao also felt his blood boil.

Minister Cao secretly cheered, "Go on, how exactly do we do it? Let me make it clear first, our budget is limited, we can't cover everything."

"Sir, your thoughts coincide with mine. My suggestion is that we must concentrate our efforts and use our resources wisely. We should focus our limited funds on the most troublesome issues for our navy, resolve the most difficult bottlenecks and pain points, and then everything else will be easier."

"First, there's the issue of 'eyes' and 'brain,'" Chen Chenjiang explained. "The radar, electronic, and command and control systems of the Sovremenny-class destroyers, and even most of our main combat ships, lag significantly behind mainstream Western products. This is not only reflected in detection range, accuracy, and multi-target processing capabilities, but also in system compatibility, anti-jamming capabilities, and information technology levels. We must be determined to invest heavily in the independent development of a new generation of shipborne phased array radar and integrated command and control systems. Although we won't see a physical prototype in the short term, once we achieve a breakthrough, it will be revolutionary in enhancing the combat effectiveness of all active and under-construction ships."

"Secondly, there is the issue of 'fist'. Vertical launch systems are a hallmark of modern warships. We are still using external launchers, which are from Russia. They have slow reaction speeds, limited missile capacity, and cannot be compatible with multiple types of missiles, including air defense, anti-submarine, and anti-ship missiles. We must accelerate the development of a domestically produced universal vertical launch system. With it, the design of new ships can be completely transformed, and the retrofitting of old ships can also achieve a qualitative leap."

"Thirdly, the weakest link among the weak links is anti-submarine warfare. As I have seen in the East China Sea Fleet, our anti-submarine helicopters, hull-mounted sonar, towed array sonar, and even the stealth technology of our submarines are all technologically inferior to those of our adversaries. This weakness in anti-submarine capabilities makes our fleet, especially our strategic nuclear submarines, extremely vulnerable to the enemy's advanced attack nuclear submarines. I suggest establishing a special task force to integrate the strengths of the shipbuilding, aviation, and electronics industries to systematically improve our anti-submarine warfare capabilities."

Chen Jiang paused for a moment, then summarized: "My suggestion is that in the near term, we should focus on the development of new general-purpose destroyers and frigates (Type 054A), integrating the aforementioned key technology breakthroughs into the model development process, using the models to drive technological breakthroughs. At the same time, we should initiate preliminary research on the 'mid-term modernization' program for existing main warships such as the Sovremenny-class destroyers. Once the new technologies mature, they can be used to upgrade older ships and quickly form combat capability. In the long term, we must target all the key technologies required for aircraft carrier battle groups, including carrier-based aircraft, large surface platforms, and integrated replenishment."

Minister Cao pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "The idea is clear and hits the nail on the head. However, Chen Jiang, you must understand that behind every project lies an astronomical amount of funding and the hard work of countless researchers. Any one of these projects you mentioned would be a major project that could affect the entire situation. The argumentation must be thorough, and the plan must be foolproof."

“I understand, sir.” Chen Jiang nodded solemnly. “I will immediately organize a capable team to establish special research groups for these areas, hire academicians and experts as consultants, and produce detailed feasibility reports and technical roadmap plans as soon as possible.”

"Good!" Minister Cao gave his full support. "Let's proceed according to your plan. To tell you the truth, your previous idea of ​​prioritizing naval development has been approved by the higher-ups. The leadership strongly supports your approach to military building. Go ahead and do it boldly! If you need to coordinate resources or smooth things over, report directly to me. The General Armaments Department is responsible for providing the best equipment to the troops. We must shoulder this leading role!"

Having received approval from his superiors, Chen Jiang felt as if he had been granted a powerful sword.

Upon returning to his office, he immediately took swift and decisive action.

Senior experts and technical backbones from various fields were selected to establish a joint research mechanism with the Naval Equipment Research Institute, major shipbuilding groups, and related military electronics companies.

For the next few months, Chen Jiang practically lived in his office.

His schedule was packed: in the morning he might discuss the standardization of vertical launch systems with the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation; in the afternoon he would fly to another place to discuss the technical difficulties of the new phased array radar T/R components with experts from the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation; and in the evening he would chair a video conference to discuss the preliminary design of the new ship type with the shipyard's designers.

The workload is extremely heavy, and challenges are everywhere.

There are technological barriers and vested interests between different industrial sectors; some units are accustomed to imitation and are hesitant about high-risk independent innovation; there are also challenges in allocating funds, deploying personnel, and controlling progress.
Unexpected difficulties may arise at any stage.

Chen Jiang demonstrated remarkable coordination skills and unwavering will.

He respects scientific principles, but he also knows that time waits for no one.

During a heated debate about a new radar design, faced with the conservative view of "gradual improvement," he resolutely stated, "We can't always think that the first nine steamed buns were a waste just because we're full after the tenth one! The old path of simple research and development has reached its end. We must dare to break through, even if it involves some risks, and aim to tackle the world's most advanced level! If problems arise, I will take responsibility!" His sense of responsibility and vision gradually inspired everyone involved in the project.

Everyone realized that this young senior colonel was not only a manager, but also an "insider" with clear technical judgment and a strong sense of mission.

In between his busy schedules, Chen Jiang would also make a phone call to Wu Zhe.

Wu Zhe told him over the phone that everyone was looking forward to the new equipment projects that the Navy was about to equip.

He jokingly added, "Chen Jiang, hurry up, my Sovremenny-class destroyer is waiting for your new radar and new vertical launch system!"

Chen Jiang replied with a smile, "Don't worry, there will definitely be good stuff. The only problem will be a shortage of naval officers. But you have to make sure you take good care of the crew and officers. Don't let the new equipment and warships fail you because of a lack of key personnel!"

Under Chen Jiang's strong promotion, the Navy's military equipment research and development finally got on the fast track. However, he also paid close attention to the Air Force's equipment and listened to the Air Force's research and development of new fighter jets many times, especially the "bottleneck" engine technology.

The AL-31F engine was purchased from Russia. According to the air force test pilots, although this engine was ridiculously expensive, it was very poorly made, had a high failure rate, high maintenance costs, and most importantly, its service life was far shorter than that of similar Western products.

Even so, it remains our extremely precious "treasure" because only this company in the world can obtain a vector engine with the same thrust. Other countries, such as the United States, are too lazy to even negotiate and are unwilling to sell it no matter how much money is offered.

However, the Taihang engine, which they developed themselves, is always unsatisfactory and its reliability is not as good as this one. How can it be used in the new fighter jet that is about to enter service?
Chen Jiang led a team of experts to the site to discover and study the problem. They started with the details and the materials, scrutinizing the problem bit by bit. He refused to believe that this problem could stump them!
However, what pleases him most is that the KJ-2000 has performed well since it was put into use. It is a large-scale integrated electronic information equipment that integrates intelligence detection, command and control, communication and navigation, electronic countermeasures and information transmission. It is an important means to enhance the low-altitude and ultra-low-altitude early warning detection and air command and guidance capabilities in homeland air defense.

Moreover, the new "Balance Beam" early warning aircraft is also under intensive development, which signifies a qualitative leap in my country's airborne early warning capabilities.

With this, in conjunction with ground-based air defense missile units, the ability to protect the motherland's airspace will be greatly enhanced.

Of the three branches of the armed forces, the Army certainly had the strongest opinion.

The shift in research and development focus has forced the Army to "slow down" its new equipment development.

When Chen Jiang returned to his old unit, the C Brigade, Brigade Commander Long Kaifeng still gave him a warm welcome.

Although the old unit's equipment has not changed much, its combat methods have become more modern and information-based, especially with a significant increase in digital equipment, which has made the entire unit more energetic, making Chen Jiang feel very gratified.

However, when it comes to equipment, C Brigade is an elite unit and naturally receives priority support. Some officers transferred from other units frankly admitted that there are still many old tanks and equipment in China that have not been phased out, and some units are still using Type 81 automatic rifles.

Chen Jiang was also helpless in this regard, because the cost of replacing the army's equipment was extremely high. How much would it cost to replace all of the hundreds of thousands of army soldiers in the country with new equipment at once? This was simply unrealistic. The only option was to address the issue in batches with a focus on key areas.

Moreover, as far as he knows, main battle tanks that rely solely on firepower and armor to win will become increasingly outdated in the future. In fact, main battle tanks weighing over 70 tons will be gradually phased out due to limitations in terrain and transportation conditions. Medium tanks that incorporate high technology will be the mainstay of the army in the future.

Therefore, he can only learn about these situations; he has no way to resolve them in the short term.

"We need to vigorously develop drone technology, especially make full use of the technological achievements of civilian drones. On this basis, we should accelerate the research and exploration of small military drones, as well as equipment such as robot dogs. The investment in this area is small, but the results are quick and worth trying."

Even while Chen Jiang was in Brigade C, he still offered his opinions and suggestions.

"Drones and unmanned ground platforms are indeed one of the key factors in changing the rules of future ground battlefields." Brigade Commander Long Kaifeng agreed with Chen Jiang's point of view. "Each battalion in our brigade has already established a drone unit, mainly using some civilian modified models for tactical reconnaissance and fire correction training, with very good results. However, it is still lacking in terms of endurance, anti-jamming, and payload."

“This is the direction we need to tackle next,” Chen Jiang continued. “The General Armaments Department has already noticed this trend and is planning to initiate a project to focus on developing small and medium-sized reconnaissance and strike integrated UAVs, swarm UAV technology, and unmanned ground vehicles that accompany infantry. The technical threshold for these equipment is relatively low compared to main battle equipment, and my country has a global leading advantage in the field of civilian UAVs. It is entirely possible to achieve rapid breakthroughs and low-cost mass production and equipment, and prioritize their distribution to key units like the C Brigade for combat testing.”

Hearing this, Long Kaifeng's eyes lit up: "That's great! If it can be achieved, then the reconnaissance, firepower, and urban warfare capabilities of our battalion-level units will be able to take another big step forward! This is much more realistic and faster than waiting for new tanks and new infantry fighting vehicles!"

“That’s right, this is the idea of ​​‘asymmetric’ development. Given the long replacement cycle and high cost of main battle equipment, we first use these ‘force multipliers’ to maximize the potential of the existing equipment system.” Chen Jiang affirmed, “Brigade Commander Long, you can first explore tactics and methods, and produce a requirements report and trial feedback. This will give me more confidence in the project demonstration and advancement.”

This trip back to his old unit solidified Chen Jiang's belief: the army's equipment upgrades cannot focus solely on "major items"; it must find a new path, taking a "light cavalry" route that is intelligent, unmanned, and information-based, to quickly build combat capability.

(End of this chapter)