Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 596 Soviet-made weapons production line: [Unclear - possibly referring to a type of canned meat or luncheon meat]

As the commander of the aviation brigade, Yevgeny was very interested in any new equipment that could enhance the combat effectiveness of his troops, and he decided to test the weapon himself.

But how do we test it?
We are currently in a state of war, and our own aircraft cannot open fire near rear bases at will; this is an order from the military.

Moreover, the required aerial towed target was also unavailable.

In response, Fang Wen offered a suggestion.

"We can try air-to-ground attacks. The launch surface of the rocket launcher is relatively small, so you can choose a target range to use as a simulated enemy tank."

This proposal greatly appealed to Yevgeny.

The RS-82 rocket was originally also considered in this regard.

But the performance was not ideal; he still remembers the report he had read at the time.

When RS-82 rockets were launched from a distance of 500 meters, only 1.1% of the 186 rockets hit a single tank, and 3.7% hit a tank column.

In another test, 182 RS-82 rockets were fired at a stationary tank 500 meters away. Only 7 hit the target without causing any damage. When the firing distance was reduced to 300 meters, the accuracy improved slightly, but it was still only 3.7%.

These data indicate that the RS-82 rocket has poor accuracy, a relatively large and dispersed firing area, and in order to achieve a better strike effect, a large number of rockets are usually fired in a salvo to exchange damage for saturation.

What about the replaced rocket launchers?

He then agreed to Fang Wen's proposal and applied to the military for a temporary firing range.

The headquarters of the Soviet Far Eastern First Army had just sent a report on the military technology of Mount Tai to Moscow when it received a request from Yevgeny for live-fire rocket tests.

The military was very interested in using aircraft to launch air-to-ground rocket teams to attack ground troops.

He immediately agreed to the request and ordered the engineering corps to tow some scrapped military vehicles to a lawn behind the base and erect some tree stumps as soldiers to follow the tanks in their advance.

After doing all this, Yevgeny couldn't wait to take off in his Il-16.

The plane circled twice in the air to determine the target area, then adjusted its position and swooped down.

Yevgeny remembered what Fang Wen had said: the air-to-ground rockets brought this time were all delayed-explosion type with a range of 1000 meters, so the launch distance should ideally be kept at around 1000 meters.

He's an experienced pilot, so he's still good at judging distances.

The plane swooped down, and the several abandoned cars in front of it were a simulated tank force.

At a distance of 1300 meters, Yevgeny decisively pressed the rocket launch brake button.

As the brake lever was activated, the rocket launchers mounted under the wings of the aircraft rapidly fired a series of 82mm rockets.

These rockets were fired at the front, back, left, and right of the target, and exploded one after another.

Yevgeny did not see this because he was increasing the altitude of the plane.

But the observers on the ground recorded the situation.

Ground observers lay prone in makeshift shelters, holding binoculars and recording tablets, their eyes fixed on the firing range area.

Recording began as Yevgeny's I-16 dove down.

"1300 meters away, fire!" An observer stared at the rangefinder and whispered the data as the rocket shot out from under the wing, trailing a white plume of flame.

The 82mm air-to-ground rockets launched from the rocket launcher have a significantly smaller scattering angle compared to the RS-82.

The rockets flew rapidly toward the "tank cluster" made up of abandoned military vehicles.

Just a few seconds later, a series of explosions rang out in the firing range area, black smoke and dust rose into the air, and rubble and scrap metal were thrown everywhere by the blast wave.

Of the five abandoned military vehicles that were originally lined up neatly, two were directly hit: the truck in the middle had its cab dented by a rocket, and the metal of the cab was curled up like a piece of paper; the tracks of the armored vehicle on the left were blown off, and the vehicle was tilted and leaning to one side.

What surprised the observers even more was the extent of the explosion's reach—even military vehicles not directly hit were affected, their bodies riddled with shrapnel marks, tires punctured, and windows completely shattered. The tree stumps used as "simulated soldiers" were partially knocked down by the blast wave, some still embedded with small shrapnel fragments; clearly, even if a real person were not in the epicenter, they would have been injured by the shrapnel.

An observer responsible for recording accuracy quickly calculated in his notebook: "20 rockets, directly hitting 2 target vehicles, 2 hits (8 near misses, 10 completely missed the target! Compared to the RS-82's hit rate, this rocket's hit rate is 3 times higher!"

Another observer added, "Because it's an explosive projectile, its armor-piercing capability cannot be evaluated, but this impact effect is much better than expected when dealing with clustered targets!"

When the smoke of battle had completely cleared, Yevgeny's I-16 had already landed at the field airfield.

He hurriedly drove Fang Wen to the temporary firing range to inquire about the situation.

"How was the result?"

"Comrade Yevgeny! The results far exceeded expectations! Twenty rockets effectively covered a 30m x 30m area, directly destroying two simulated tanks. The accuracy is three times higher than our RS-82!"

The data was more convincing, and Yevgeny said with some excitement, "Good! Excellent! Compile the detailed data immediately and send it to the brigade headquarters in half an hour—I want to submit this test report and the air combat report to the army headquarters again!"

The observers immediately sprang into action. Some used measuring tapes to measure the diameter of the crater, others recorded the distribution density of shrapnel, and still others photographed the damaged military vehicles—these real images and data were far more convincing than any verbal description. Meanwhile, on the firing range, the several abandoned military vehicles riddled with bullet holes lay quietly on the grassland, serving as the most direct evidence of the Taishan rocket launcher's performance.

The supplementary report was sent from the Far Eastern Army Group to Moscow.

Fang Wen needs to wait for feedback from Moscow before he can leave.

In the past few days, he was unable to participate in the air battle between the Soviet Union and Japan at the border of Korla, as the Soviet Far Eastern Army did not want him to be put in danger.

The remaining rockets were not used and were placed in a corner of the hangar.

With nothing to do, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng could only wait.

They eat the same rye bread, potato balls, and borscht every day, with an extra canned food for dinner.

Three days later, the Soviet Union finally replied, and the First Army Group of the Far East immediately invited Fang Wen to the military headquarters for a meeting.

In the conference room of the First Army Group in the Far East, a large map was laid out on a wooden table, with the defensive deployments of both sides in the Nomonhan area marked in red pen, and a telegram was placed next to it.

The officers collected the map and took it out, just as Fang Wengang walked into the conference room from outside.

The Chief of Staff of the Army stood up to greet him. He was wearing a crisp dark green military uniform, and the Major General star on his shoulder insignia was particularly eye-catching under the lights.

He reached out and shook hands with Fang Wen.

"Comrade Fang Wen, I am Andrei Petrov, Chief of Staff of the First Far Eastern Army. Moscow has received two reports from the Yevgeny Brigade, which attach great importance to the military technology of Mount Tai. Please have a seat."

Fang Wen shook hands with him and sat down, with Gong Xiuneng standing behind him.

Major General Andrei didn't beat around the bush, directly opening the telegram and speaking frankly: "Moscow's demands are clear. We want the complete technology for air-to-ground rocket launchers, including design blueprints, production process parameters, and the corresponding rocket propellant formulas; at the same time, we need you to supply 1000 Taishan walkie-talkies, to be prioritized for the Far East Air Force and armored units. In exchange, we can provide you with the weapons and ammunition you need, aviation fuel, and even some maintenance parts for fighter jets—you can state your specific requirements first, and we will try our best to coordinate."

Fang Wen pondered the Soviet Union's response. The conditions were clear; some could be agreed to, while others needed to be changed.

He replied, “We can only trade rocket launcher-related technologies, not the rocket propellant formulas. I believe you can make better rockets even without our formulas. 1000 walkie-talkies are too many. This kind of technology and equipment has more complex processes. In order to ensure the quality of military products, the production volume is not large to begin with, and we also have to meet domestic demand. Therefore, we can only provide 400 units.”

The major general was not dissatisfied with the reduction in the number of walkie-talkies. "400 units is acceptable. This kind of short-range real-time communication device is suitable for special operations, large-scale corps-level wars, and, more importantly, strategic command. We can do without walkie-talkies. We can also do without the rocket propellant formula, but we absolutely need the complete technology for the air-to-ground rocket launcher. What are your conditions?"

What requests should be made?

The Soviet Union had previously signed a $2.5 million loan agreement with the Nationalist government, and a steady stream of military supplies were transported into China through the northwest border transport line, making it China's most important arms supplier at present.

This military supply transport only decreased after the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, and shifted entirely to the China-Myanmar transport route in South Asia.

Therefore, purchasing large quantities of Soviet-made weapons now would likely result in a lack of follow-up supplies once the Soviet Union and Germany went to war soon. It would be better to purchase their production lines and materials and establish actual arsenals in Yan'an and the Taihang Mountains.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen smiled and said, "I want your Mosin-Nagant rifle and 7.62mm bullet production line, as well as the right to purchase the corresponding production materials."

This requirement is not high.

Andrei was surprised.

It's like exchanging advanced military technology for ordinary firearms production lines.

"you sure?"

Fang Wen affirmed, "I'm certain. These are the things we need. The effects of new military technology are probably not as effective as equipping soldiers with weapons."

"Alright, I can report this to my superiors."

In the following time, Fang Wen and Andrei discussed more details.

July of the 39th year.

The Japanese 7th Division crossed the Khalkha River upstream and entered Hamadaba Mountain on the west bank, attempting to attack the Soviet-Mongolian army's rear artillery positions.

At the same time, the 23rd Division, the 1st Tank Division, and the Xing'an Cavalry Division launched a frontal attack on the Soviet-Mongolian forces on the east bank of the Khalkhin Gol River.

This move was an attempt to create a pincer attack from the front and flanks, inflicting heavy losses on the Soviet army.

But things went counterproductive.

The tank units of the Soviet Far Eastern First Army were far superior to those of the Japanese.

Tanks and armored vehicles from both sides engaged in combat in the Nomonhan area.

The Japanese 1st and 4th Tank Regiments were ambushed by Soviet armored forces, resulting in the loss of more than half of the Japanese tanks and all of their armored vehicles.

The heavy losses suffered by the mechanized forces forced the Japanese army to end the offensive prematurely.

This battle will then come to an end.

Neither side had any intention of continuing the fight.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen also concluded his military technology transaction negotiations and took off back to China with his fruitful results.

Three planes came, but only the Taishan first-generation aircraft returned.

Because the Il-16 was not accompanying him, Fang Wen actually flew even faster.

At a speed of over 500 kilometers per hour, it quickly swept over Chahar and flew directly towards Yan'an in northern Shaanxi.

At such high speed, it took only two and a half hours to complete the more than 1300-kilometer journey and arrive over Yan'an.

The plane circled high in the sky, and Fang Wen picked up the microphone and switched frequencies.

"Taishan Fangwen requests to land."

Shortly after, the ground response came: "Landing approved."

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen piloted the first-generation aircraft to land at Yan'an Airport.

Once the plane came to a stop, Fang Wen threw down the rope ladder and slid down it, followed by Gong Xiuneng from the rear cabin.

Inside the airport, someone was already waiting for him and took Fang Wen directly into the city for a talk.

"Mr. Fang, we are aware of the telegram you sent to Bai Yunfei. What are the specific details?"

"I have reached a military technology deal with the Soviet Union, exchanging new air-to-ground rocket launchers for the Soviet Mosin-Nagant rifle and a 7.62mm ammunition production line. These supplies will be transported via the Northwest Transportation Line, mixed in with the Nationalist government's procurement materials, thus bypassing the Nationalist government's informants in the Northwest. Of course, these supplies can only be transported to Lanzhou in the end, where I will complete the transaction. Next, those supplies need to be transported from Lanzhou to northern Shaanxi, and you will need to handle that."

Fang Wen brought very good news, it's extremely important.

In the past two years, although we have escaped the predicament of the Long March, the shortage of resources in all aspects is still a major problem.

Compared to the Nationalist government's army, the New Fourth Army and the Eighth Route Army in Yan'an were in dire need of military supplies.

Standardized weapon configurations are crucial for improving the combat effectiveness of the military.

Compared to all this, what does it matter to move the entire production line from Lanzhou back to northern Shaanxi?

Subsequently, Fang Wen no longer needed to handle this matter; he could simply go to Lanzhou to complete the transaction with the Soviets.

Having discussed the matter to this point, Fang Wen did not linger any longer and immediately returned to the airport, piloting the plane that had been fully fueled back home.

Fang Wen, who was piloting a high-speed fighter jet and soaring through the air, felt unrestrained because he was flying alone.

He flew directly from Yan'an to Xiangxi Airport, intending to stop there to learn about the research and development of canned meat products, in order to prepare for future negotiations on overseas meat procurement.

An hour and a half later, the plane crossed the Yellow River and the Yangtze River and arrived at Xiangxi Airport.

Shunzi had already been waiting with his men by the airport runway.

After Fang Wen landed, he came over with a big smile on his face.

"General Manager, it's done. We've improved upon the method of making braised meat and created our Taishan luncheon meat."

"Really? It's done so quickly. I have to try it."

Fang Wen smiled and walked towards the food factory with Shunzi. He not only wanted to taste the food, but also wanted to see how it was made.

(End of this chapter)