Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 595 Strategic Material 'Meat', Soviet-made RS-82 rockets and Taishan rocket launchers
After the interception operation was completed, Fang Wen went to the brigade headquarters to explain the course of the battle.

Colonel Yevgeny personally escorted him back to his dormitory.

He then returned to the brigade headquarters to prepare a report for his superiors.

Of course, it's not enough to simply recount the combat records; a more detailed battlefield analysis is also necessary.

Therefore, Yevgeny summoned the pilots who had participated in the previous launch of Soviet-made rockets, as well as Squadron Leader Vasily who had participated in the interception operation, for a comparative analysis and discussion.

"Vasily, recount the battle again, focusing on the rocket launches."

Vasily recounted the details of the interception operation once again.

Yevgeny looked at the other pilots: "Which do you think is better, the Taishan air-to-ground rocket or our RS-82 rocket?"

The pilots started discussing it amongst themselves.

"Judging from the launch results, the rockets launched from Taishan were more concentrated."

"Our rockets have a large scattering surface after launch. Although the coverage area is increased, the hit rate is reduced."

"I think the RS-82 is not as good as the Taishan rocket. The launch effect of a single Taishan aircraft is the same as that of a salvo from our entire formation."

Yevgeny raised his hand to stop the discussion.

"There was an element of luck involved; it just so happened to hit the center of the enemy formation. Of course, Fang Wen's aviation skills are undeniable. I will include all these details in the report and let the higher-ups make their judgment."

Pilots' quarters at a field airfield.

Fang Wen took the towel that Gong Xiuneng handed him and washed his face.

"Commander, how well are our rockets launching?" Gong Xiuneng asked.

Fang Wen put the towel in the basin, rubbed it, wrung it out, and handed it to Gong Xiuneng. "Very good. The Soviet side has already reported to their superiors, and we should have news soon."

Afterwards, he and Gong Xiuneng went to the field mess hall for dinner.

This time, because Sergei had already spoken to the people in the field mess hall, Fang Wen and his companion didn't need to find someone to guide them; they could simply line up to get their meals.

The pilots and ground crew in the lead group would occasionally turn around to look at him and whisper among themselves.

Clearly, news of the interception operation has already spread throughout the flight brigade.

But no one bothered Fang Wen because of this, which must have been instructed by someone above, saving him the trouble of dealing with it.

The group moved forward and soon arrived at Fangwen.

He looked at the food offered in the cafeteria.

Tonight's dinner includes potato balls and black bread as the main course.

There are also two kinds of soup: borscht (beetroot) and vegetable soup (cabbage).

There are also tea bags and canned goods that are heated in hot water.

Fang Wen was interested in canned meat products from other countries because he was preparing to produce them, so he took a can.

He and Gong Xiuneng, carrying their lunchboxes, sat down at an empty table and began to eat.

After eating some dry bread, Fang Wen picked up a can of food to look at it.

The brand name is: Tusanka.

It's an old brand that has been equipping the Russian army since the Tsarist era and has always had a good reputation.

During the Soviet era, it remained one of the important rations for the Soviet army.

Unlike American lunchboxes, Tusanka canned food was mainly stewed meat, including beef and pork. Due to its high fat content, it was very suitable for Soviet troops to replenish their energy when fighting in cold regions.

As far as Fang Wen knew, the Soviet High Command had a special order that each Soviet soldier could receive 112 grams of canned meat (one per day) to supplement their protein and fat needs.

After examining the outer packaging, Fang Wen pulled out a knife and pried open the lid by cutting along the dotted line on the edge of the can.

Beneath the seal, there is another layer of kraft paper. Peeling it off reveals white grease stains on the kraft paper.

Inside, there was a thick, yellow, viscous substance, and you could see chunks of meat and potatoes.

This doesn't look very good.

Fang Wen picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and tasted it.

It doesn't taste like beef, but it has a very strong spice flavor, including black pepper, bay leaves, and fried onions.

He pushed the food towards Gong Xiuneng: "This stuff is too oily, Gong Xiuneng, do you want some?"

"It's delicious! If you're not going to eat it, I'll eat it all." Gong Xiuneng took the can without hesitation and poured it into his lunchbox.

Watching Gong Xiu eat heartily, Fang Wen's thoughts drifted back to China.

Now that the country is facing invasion and various supplies are scarce, the soldiers have to fight hard while lacking various nutritional supplies.

That's why he thought of producing his own canned meat products to supplement his nutritional intake.

But meat requires breeding and raising livestock. Once the Xiangxi Airport makes the canned meat recipe, where will they get so much meat?
Fang Wen thought of a place.

That's New Zealand.

This area currently produces 47 tons of meat annually, with over 50% of it exported, including 80% to the UK.

In the lamb sector alone, New Zealand exports more than 900 million sheep carcasses to the UK every year.

Given his relationship with the British Governor of Rangoon, could he possibly purchase it from there?

Meat is a very important resource in wartime, and if it can be bought, it is advisable to stockpile more.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen urged Gong Xiuneng: "Eat quickly, I have something to send to Yangon."

Gong Xiuneng finished the beef from the two cans in large bites, then patted his bulging belly: "I'm done eating, my belly is full of oil."

Fang Wen smiled, got up, and left the cafeteria with Gong Xiuneng.

The two arrived at the parking area, and Fang Wen boarded the plane, set up the spare antenna, and used the plane's radio equipment to send a message.

His telegram instructed headquarters to contact the British to see if there was any way to secure meat deals in New Zealand.

Soon after the telegram was sent, a reply was received, indicating that someone would be sent to the Governor's Office immediately.

The Governor's Mansion was not far from the Taishan Airlines headquarters building, and it was estimated that the results would be available soon, so Fang Wen waited in the plane.

An hour later, the call came back.

[General Manager, we have clarified this. Currently, there are two main shipping routes between New Zealand and the UK: one via the Suez Canal and the other around the Cape of Good Hope. If using the Suez Canal route, ships typically pass through Southeast Asia, including Australia and Singapore, then through the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea before reaching the UK. If using the Cape of Good Hope route, ships pass through Australia and South Africa, then enter the Atlantic Ocean before finally reaching the UK.]

New Zealand meat will be transported to Europe via the Suez Canal, but will not stop in India or Myanmar.

In other words, British shipping companies transporting meat did not stop in British India or Burma, but instead crossed the Indian Ocean directly into the Red Sea. Fang Wen immediately understood why.

Meat preservation technology at that time could not keep meat fresh for long periods of time; the longer the meat stayed along the way, the greater the possibility of it spoiling.

It seems that we can only purchase through the primary markets of New Zealand or Australia.

Fang Wen kept this in mind and planned to find someone to handle it when he got back. He then left the plane and went back to the dormitory with Gong Xiuneng to rest.

The night passed.

At dawn, an airplane landed at a field airfield.

A major stepped off the plane.

Although his rank was not high, it was Colonel Yevgeny, the brigade commander, who came to pick him up at the airport.

After a brief conversation, the two went directly to the pilots' dormitory and knocked on Fang Wen's door.

Gong Xiuneng got up, peeked through the crack in the door at the person outside, and immediately reported to Fang Wen.

"The brigade commander is here."

"So early?"

Fang Wen got out of bed, quickly put on his coat, and went to open the door.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, Yevgeny immediately introduced him: "This is Major Raul, a staff officer from the military headquarters. He was sent by his superiors to gather information."

Fang Wen stepped aside. "Please come in."

The two entered the house and began talking with Fang Wen.

"Comrade Fang, after receiving the report from the flight brigade yesterday, the military headquarters decided to send me to understand the situation. The final result will be reported to Moscow by the First Far Eastern Army Group. As for whether to purchase your military equipment, that will be decided by Moscow."

This is the normal procedure, and the approval of the First Army Group in the Far East is crucial.

Fang Wen nodded calmly, indicating that he understood.

Immediately, the major staff officer took out a notebook and pen and began asking questions.

"The flight brigade's report states that your air-to-ground rocket launcher technology is superior to our RS-82 rockets. Could you provide some technical analysis from a technical perspective?"

"can."

Fang Wen got up and took out a folded sketch from his backpack, unfolding it in front of the two of them—it was a sketch he had drawn last night before going to bed based on the structure of the Taishan rocket launcher pod, with the flow channel, fixing buckle and buffer device drawn in pencil on it.

“To compare the differences between the Taishan launch pod and the RS-82, we must first look at the core issue of ‘launch stability’.” Fang Wen pointed to the 10 parallel guide tubes on the sketch. “Our launch pod uses an ‘independent guide channel’ design. Each channel has three spiral guide grooves on its inner wall. When the rocket is launched, the exhaust flame will rotate and be discharged along the guide grooves, which can reduce the interference of airflow on adjacent rockets and keep the projectile in a stable initial trajectory. Your RS-82 launcher is a ‘parallel’ type, with a relatively simple structure. When multiple rockets are launched at the same time, the exhaust flames will impact each other, causing the rockets launched later to be easily deflected by the airflow of the previous one. This is the key reason why you think the RS-82 has a large scattering surface.”

Major Raul quickly took notes with his pen, then looked up and asked, "What about the projectile itself? Our RS-82 rockets use steel projectiles, are yours the same?"

"The missile bodies are made of similar materials, but we have optimized the wing design." Fang Wen added a comparison of the two types of wings next to the sketch. "The tail fins of the Taishan rocket are 'folding delta wings,' which are close to the missile body before launch and automatically unfold after takeoff, which can reduce air resistance during high-speed flight; while the tail fins of the RS-82 are 'fixed rectangular wings,' which are prone to generating air vortices during high-speed flight, causing the trajectory to deviate."

Yevgeny nodded in agreement, recalling the pilots' feedback: "No wonder your rockets can accurately cover Japanese formations. Our RS-82s, at the same distance, have a scattering range of over 200 meters. Sometimes, even when we aim at a cluster of targets, only half of the rocket actually hits."

"There are also issues of 'loading efficiency' and 'compatibility'," Fang Wen continued. "The Taishan launch pod is a 'modular' design, and the empty pod can be disassembled and replaced as a whole. A two-person team can load 20 rockets in 5 minutes; while the RS-82 requires manual loading one rocket at a time, and it takes at least 10 minutes to load a 3-cell launcher. For the front line, the loading speed directly determines the efficiency of the second sortie—if we had completed the loading in 3 minutes after firing the rockets yesterday, we could have taken off faster and re-entered combat status."

Major Raul stopped writing and pointed to the buffer device on the sketch: "What is this black part? I haven't seen a similar design on the RS-82 launcher."

“This is a ‘hydraulic buffer’,” Fang Wen explained. “When rockets are launched, they generate enormous recoil. The RS-82’s launcher is directly fixed under the wing, and the recoil is transmitted to the fuselage through the wing. Long-term use can easily lead to wing structural fatigue and even affect the aircraft’s handling. Our buffer can absorb more than 60% of the recoil. Yesterday, my aircraft fired 20 rockets in succession, and the fuselage barely vibrated, and the accuracy of the subsequent cannon fire was not affected.”

Major Raul turned to a new page in his notebook, his tone becoming serious: "One last question: can this launch pod be compatible with our I-16 and I-153 fighters? If Moscow decides to purchase it, we need to ensure it can be quickly deployed to the troops."

“Absolutely,” Fang Wen said confidently. “The rockets used in our launchers are a secondary development based on your 82mm rockets, and the specifications are compatible between the two sides. We only need to replace the existing pylon connectors under the I-16's wings; no modifications to the fuselage structure are required. Moreover, we can provide the matching calibration tools, and ground crew can master the loading and calibration process after one hour of training—if needed, I can take you to the tarmac today to demonstrate how to install the launchers on the I-16.”

"It can be installed today?!" Major Raul exclaimed in surprise.

He didn't agree immediately, but instead asked other questions.

"I'd like to know, if we don't have you manufacture them, but instead purchase the technology directly, can you guarantee that our military factories can produce the same air-to-ground rocket launchers in a short period of time?"

“Sure, but that would come at a much higher price,” Fang Wen replied. Selling technology is a one-time transaction, so the price would definitely be much higher.

"Including the Taishan walkie-talkie technology?" Major Raul added.

The technology behind the Taishan walkie-talkie involved semiconductors, and Fang Wenke did not intend to share semiconductor technology with others during World War II.

He shook his head decisively: "The core technology of Taishan walkie-talkie cannot be sold, but we can provide a complete set of components and assembly processes for your factory to assemble, or you can buy the finished product directly from us."

At this point in the conversation, there was basically nothing more to ask. Major Raul put away his notebook and pen: "Then let's see how you modified your air-to-air rocket launchers on the Il-16."

"Then let's go."

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen and two officers left their dormitory and headed to the field airfield.

At the field airfield, combat aircraft continued to take off one after another, heading to the Nomonhan border for combat operations.

On the other side, at Fang Wen's parking spot, Vasily drove up in an Il-16 and parked next to him.

Three Soviet mechanics also came with them.

They were cooperating with Fang Wen, after all, loading and unloading rocket launchers is not a simple process.

After exchanging ideas with three Soviet mechanics, Fang Wen decided to first disassemble the RS-82 rocket launcher of the Il-16.

(RS-82 rocket)
For this relatively simple mechanical structure, disassembly is not difficult; you just need to cut off the mounting interface under the wing.

After dismantling the RS-82 rocket launch rails, Fang Wen dismantled the Taishan rocket launch pod.

Although the Taishan rocket launcher pod has a modular structure, the finished product cannot be disassembled and must be completely removed.

At its connection point with the wing, it consists of a bracket and multiple riveted parts. The bracket needs to be fixed to the wing keel of the aircraft to ensure that it does not fall or shake.

The wing structure of the Taishan first-generation fighter and the Il-16 is different, so Fang Wen needs to make some adjustments.

Fortunately, he was very familiar with the internal structure of both aircraft and easily found the best connection point.

More than three hours of modification time passed.

Fang Wen stopped working and said confidently, "It's done. I've connected the RS-82 rocket's launch brake lever to the rocket launch pod. Now, the pilot can control the rocket launch pod to launch using the existing RS-82 rocket control lever. However, because the two launch mechanisms are different, only salvo firing is possible."

Staff Officer Raul and Brigade Commander Yevgeny were surprised again.

They originally thought it was just a performance transplant and that it was impossible to fire live ammunition.

Unexpectedly, Fang Wen, who was proficient in mechanics, connected the braking and launching device to the rocket launch pod during the modification process.

In other words, this Il-16 possesses the same rocket swarm launch capability as the first-generation Taishan fighter jet.

Who should pilot it for the test launch?
Before Vasily could even ask, Yevgeny decided to personally pilot the aircraft to test the live-fire effects.

(End of this chapter)