Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 260 The Fifth Generation Fighter Project is Launched
Chen Jiang had anticipated Mubarak's reaction. If the other party agreed so readily, Chen Jiang would most likely believe that he was an undercover agent on their side.

“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a closer look at the nameplate in front of Chen Jiang. He then realized that he had underestimated his opponent. “Mr. Chen Jiang, our budget is very limited. We cannot afford to buy so many JF-17 fighter jets.”

"Moreover, the F-16s are subject to a technology agreement with the United States. If we give them to you, we will be sanctioned. You know, that country is very domineering. If we anger them, we will be in big trouble. In your words, we will be 'out of luck'!"

Everyone stared at Chen Jiang, because they had scoffed at his suggestion in the small conference room earlier. He wasn't stupid; having risen to the position of vice premier, surely he had some sense of propriety.

There's no way they'd agree to our conditions.

Chen Jiang calmly took out a document and handed it over. Just as Mubarak opened it with some doubt, he spoke.

"This is an analysis of your and India's air force structures. Your main fighter jets are from the 70s, plus some overpriced, downgraded F-16 light fighters sold to you by the United States. Meanwhile, India's fighter jets already consist of a significant proportion of third-generation aircraft, including the Su-30 heavy fighter. Therefore, you urgently need to upgrade your fighter jets!"

Chen Jiang had done his homework beforehand, so his analysis was very logical and insightful.

"Not only that, you've also tried to buy fighter jets from other countries. The United States offered ridiculously high prices, and what they gave you were still downgraded versions. The worst part is that all the core components are subject to technology locks. Without their authorization, they're just a pile of scrap metal! As for the Russians, let's not even talk about whether they're expensive or not. Even if you bought them, they definitely wouldn't be a match for India, because India gives Russia far too much money. I don't need to elaborate on the principle of 'you get what you pay for.'"

Chen Jiang paid no heed to the other party's increasingly unpleasant expression. "The JF-17 fighter jets we provide you have no technology locks, and most importantly, the price is very reasonable. So what are you dissatisfied with? Do you have any other choice besides us?"

Chen Jiang's words were forceful, reasonable, and well-founded, leaving Mubarak speechless.

Because every word he said hit the nail on the head.
Indeed, although the requirements here are a bit high, they're not outrageous! The price offered isn't too unreasonable.

Seeing that the other party was thinking, Chen Jiang continued, "As for your technology cooperation agreement with the United States, that thing is a bullshit clause! Otherwise, they wouldn't lock up your engines so easily. Of course, we won't make things difficult for you. We'll just send our technical team to your air force base secretly to study it up close. It'll be completely unnoticed. Do you think the Americans don't eat, drink, and relieve themselves? Do they sleep with these fighter jets every day?"

Chen Jiang's words drew laughter from those around him.

Right now, their surveillance technology isn't as sophisticated as it is in later stages, so Chen Jiang is confident he can exploit a loophole.

This is why they can't install technology locks on the JF-17 Thunder. Firstly, these fighter jets will become relatively outdated in the future, and secondly, there isn't enough technology to lock them down or limit them. So, instead of being stingy, they might as well be more generous and gain some benefits elsewhere.

Fortunately, the other side was unaware of our true intentions, so they were completely bewildered by Chen Jiang's smooth talk.

In the end, they had no choice but to accept it.

After a series of arduous and complex negotiations, both sides ultimately made certain concessions.

The Pakistani side basically agreed to our demands, but the payment method included other comprehensive approaches such as mineral transactions.

Our side, on the other hand, reduced the number of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from 200 to 150.

On the surface, Pakistan seemed to have gained a great advantage from the negotiation, but Chen Jiang actually had his own plans. He intended to use these transitional weapons, which were destined to be obsolete in the future, to exchange for a large amount of research funding, thereby promoting the upgrading of Pakistan's equipment. He planned to package them up and sell them off to make money in the future, thus achieving a virtuous cycle.

This is where the real big profits come from!

After the contract was signed, the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet quickly entered the intensive production phase. Due to the highly skilled assembly line operation in our country, the production capacity is extremely high, and these 150 fighter jets will be fully delivered in no time.

Once this batch of fighter jets is delivered, the production line will also be transferred to the other party. During this period, it will not only be necessary to help Pakistan become familiar with the production process, but also to help them train pilots for the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet, as well as the use of advanced equipment such as the PL-11 air-to-air missile and radar.

Of course, producing so many aircraft also allows us to accumulate a wealth of experience, which is very worthwhile.

What Chen Jiang valued most was the fact that our side sent a team of experts to Pakistan to secretly investigate F-16 technology.

Although the United States has implemented a series of secrecy measures and so-called technology locks, can this stump our great scientific researchers?

Chen Jiang gave them two tasks: first, to acquire as much F-16 technology as possible to accumulate experience for the development of new fighter jets in the future; and second, to understand their technology locks so that the country could follow this path when selling advanced weapons in the future. Giving them away for free or at half price would be a loss and would not be fair to the hard work of the researchers.

He is not worried that Pakistan might deliberately leak his actions to the United States, thereby halting this learning and reference trip, because the terms clearly state that if Pakistan is responsible for the incident, they will bear the corresponding responsibility!

At the same time, he felt that people were still quite afraid of the United States. Even though it was known as the little tyrant of the Middle East, it was really no match for a world-class power.

However, these are no longer things that Chen Jiang needs to pay attention to. He is too busy with domestic military research and development work, which makes it unlikely that he will go abroad to do these things again.

Given his outstanding achievements during his time working in the Equipment Department, his superiors issued another personnel appointment and dismissal order: Chen Jiang became a leader of the General Armament Department.

Although his position and rank remained unchanged, everyone could see that he was now very close to becoming a general.

Among the senior colonels who also advanced at the same time was He Yuanchao.

He was very well-informed and immediately came to congratulate Chen Jiang, saying that he used to be Chen Jiang's superior, and now they were on the same level.

He Yuanchao's feelings were very complicated. Although he had also joined the team and had a high probability of further advancement in the future, Chen Jiang's potential was obviously greater. Now the country was paying more and more attention to the research and development of military equipment, and the importance of the Equipment Department was self-evident.

Although I have been doing very well in the logistics department, otherwise I would not have been given this important position, in the long run, logistics is definitely not as promising as military equipment development.

Therefore, he even had an impulse to leave the headquarters and develop his career in the front-line troops. Chen Jiang only exchanged a few pleasantries on the phone, encouraging each other; he was simply too busy.

First and foremost, we need to focus our efforts on revising the "Regulations on the Administration of Licensing for the Research and Production of High-Tech Weapons and Equipment." These regulations further standardize the research and development and production processes for weapons and equipment and establish a classified management mechanism.

Once implemented, the defense science and technology industry will see significant improvements in areas such as information-based design capabilities and modular production capacity.

At the same time, he also needs to promote the construction of experimental facilities such as digital simulation and semi-physical simulation. These tasks require his personal involvement, keeping him so busy that he rarely even goes home.

However, the most crucial task is still to finalize the design of the J-10 fighter jet and achieve combat capability.

This is the most advanced fighter jet that my country is about to put into production and service, representing the highest level of national defense technology.

Just as the J-10 project entered its most intense flight test and certification phase, an unexpected challenge quietly arrived.

One late night, Chen Jiang was still in his office studying a test report on the new J-10 radar when the red telephone on his desk suddenly rang urgently.

The caller was his deputy in the Pakistani cooperation project, whose voice carried an undisguised anxiety.

"Director Chen, there's a problem. Our technical team sent to Pakistan to study the F-16 may have been exposed."

Chen Jiang's heart sank, but his voice remained calm: "What are the specifics? Tell me slowly and clearly."

"Based on our initial assessment, it is highly likely that spies planted by the United States inside the Pakistani air force base have caught wind of this. Although they do not have direct evidence, they have already exerted tremendous pressure on Pakistan, demanding an immediate investigation of all 'unregistered foreign technical personnel' within the base. Under the guise of a 'temporary security check,' they have dispatched a technical team that is scheduled to arrive tomorrow! Pakistan is very nervous and has implied that our personnel must be evacuated immediately."

This was undoubtedly a blow to the head.

The acquisition of F-16 technical data was crucial for subsequent research and development, and this operation was top secret.

If the personnel are discovered on the spot, it will not only trigger serious foreign affairs disputes and cause changes to previously agreed contracts, but also destroy the newly established mutual trust and strategic cooperation. The United States will never let go of this opportunity to suppress them.

"Understood." Chen Jiang's voice was as cold as iron. "Activate the emergency plan and authorize the on-site supervisor to make decisions on the spot. Tell them that the primary task is to ensure the safe evacuation of personnel and the core data already obtained."

"Yes!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Jiang took a deep breath and immediately dialed several more numbers, mobilizing all available resources.

He especially hoped to provide maximum assistance through his connections with the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

Fortunately, Chen Jiang had foreseen this risk from the very beginning of the plan and had developed a detailed contingency plan.

The technical team members are all carefully selected elites, who are not only technically proficient but also have extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities.

After receiving the order, they used multiple pre-planned evacuation routes and, with the help of local friendly people, successfully completed the mission.

Hours before the arrival of the American technical team, they safely and completely left the target area and successfully brought back most of the critical data and imagery.

These data and information are of great reference value for the J-10 fighter jet, which is currently under development and finalization. Since both are light fighter jets, they are very compatible in many aspects.

Researchers, building upon the existing foundation of the J10, repeatedly refined, modified, and verified it.

Finally, on a bright and rosy morning, the latest upgraded J-10 fighter jet roared into the sky and perfectly completed a series of high-difficulty tactical maneuvers in the air. After landing smoothly, the test pilot excitedly reported: "This upgraded version has much better handling. I dare say that it is in no way inferior to the fourth-generation fighter jets of Western countries!"

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Chen Jiang looked at the warplane that embodied the hard work of countless people, and his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

This means that the Chinese Air Force has officially acquired a fourth-generation fighter jet that has been independently developed and has reached the world's advanced level!

The success of the J-10 was like a shot in the arm, greatly boosting the morale of the entire defense industry. Chen Jiang seized the opportunity to vigorously integrate R&D resources, eliminate outdated production capacity, and guide leading units to focus on high-end equipment, thus elevating the efficiency and innovation capabilities of the entire military industrial system to a new level.

At an internal strategic seminar, Chen Jiang pointed to a comparative chart of global military equipment data on the blackboard and said firmly:
"The success of the J-10 is just the beginning, solving the 'existence problem'. Next, we need to solve the 'surpassing problem'. The world's military powers have already begun the development of the next generation of air superiority fighters, namely stealth fighters. We must catch up and even strive to lead the trend in the future."

Hearing Chen Jiang say this, the attendees were excited, as his words clearly targeted the fifth-generation stealth fighter project.

More than a month ago, when Chen Jiang attended a high-level research meeting, his superiors listened to a feasibility report on my country's independent development of a fifth-generation stealth fighter.

At the time, there were differing opinions in China. Many felt that China had not yet fully understood and mastered its fourth-generation fighter jet, so was it too hasty to blindly launch a stealth fighter project?
The higher-ups hesitated and sought Chen Jiang's opinion in person.

Chen Jiang then passionately declared: "The world's leading military powers are now dedicated to developing fifth-generation fighter jets. Fifth-generation fighter jets involve many cutting-edge technologies, specifically including the following standards: supersonic cruise, high stealth, super maneuverability, and super information superiority! Achieving even one of these is incredibly difficult, but we cannot give up just because it is difficult! You must understand that on the future battlefield, once there is a generational gap in equipment, countless lives and deaths will be lost, and there is no guarantee of success!"

His words brought tears to the eyes of many of the older generation of experts present. Everyone knew how much the Chinese army had suffered from its lack of weaponry and equipment when it was weak in the past. Did they want to repeat the same mistakes now?
Therefore, the higher-ups immediately made a firm decision: China's fifth-generation fighter jet must be planned ahead of schedule and test-flown as soon as possible!
(End of this chapter)