Chapter 12

Major Rana Muhammad Latif is a Pakistani Air Force pilot. He is thirty-seven years old, which is the prime age for a pilot.

Logically, Pakistan should have been a peaceful country since the end of the third Indo-Pakistani War in the early 1970s. However, this was not the case, at least not for the Pakistani Air Force.

After the third Indo-Pakistani War in the 1970s, Pakistan suffered unprecedented damage. The former eastern part of Pakistan, East Bengal, gained independence, and as the defeated country, Pakistan had to reluctantly recognize it. This was a great humiliation for any military personnel with a sense of honor.

Although the war ended, the conflict in Pakistan did not cease. After the war, India stopped its ground offensive, but the aerial friction did not stop.

The Pakistani Air Force could be said to have been in a constant state of war.

Of course, if it were just India, it would have been manageable. After all, they had been fighting back and forth for so many years. With India's conduct, Pakistan, known as the "Saudi Arabia's loyal servant" and "the world's strongest YSL fighter," could still handle it. However, since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan's strategic situation began to deteriorate.

At that time, India was not the democratic model of the future. It was not aligned with the United States but with the Soviet Union. However, due to its geographical advantages, the United States did not ostracize India but instead actively courted it.

During the third Indo-Pakistani War in the 1970s, the United States had once detained Pakistani imports of American weapons at India's request. As a result, Pakistan had to swallow the bitter pill of almost being destroyed as a nation.

In this Cold War world, where both the United States and the Soviet Union had abandoned Pakistan, it was at this time that Pakistan turned to China. For Pakistan, China's support was a matter of survival.

Therefore, in the 1980s, with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan, Soviet aircraft frequently entered Pakistani airspace to bomb Afghan refugee camps. These camps were almost entirely populated by people who had been displaced by the Soviet invasion, making them ideal recruitment grounds for Afghan resistance fighters.

For the Soviets, the bombing of Afghan refugees was not unjust. Armed refugees were guerrillas, and unarmed ones were potential guerrillas. As for Pakistan's sovereignty and intentions, were they really that important?

It was at this time that, to tie down the Soviets in Afghanistan, the United States decided to implement a plan called "Peace Gate." In simple terms, it involved selling forty F-16 Fighting Falcons to Pakistan to counter the Soviet MiG-23 fighters.

However, fighter jets, especially third-generation jet fighters, are always a seller's market, requiring payment before delivery. Even a seller who would accept payment and delivery simultaneously would be considered a conscientious one.

Pakistan's F-16 fighter jets were ordered in 1981 and began to be delivered in 1982. The first batch of forty F-16A/B fighters was delivered all the way until 1987.

Could Pakistan tell the Soviets, "My F-16s haven't arrived yet, so wait until I'm equipped before you attack?" The Soviets were not fools, and this was, of course, impossible. Therefore, Pakistan made a two-pronged preparation: negotiating the purchase of F-16s with the United States and seeking a fighter to counter the MiG-23 in China.

However, at that time, China's resources were not abundant, and there were only a few options. After much consideration, the J-7, which was both cost-effective and efficient, stood out. In terms of performance, the J-7 could complement the F-16, and its price was a pleasant surprise for the resource-strapped Pakistan.

Thus, Latif bid farewell to his outdated J-6 and came to China for J-7 flight training.

Originally, he was training in the south, but to promote the "air beauty," China invited several Pakistani pilots to Shengjing to test the J-8. Coincidentally, if Hu Wenhai had not been there at that time, he might have missed the Pakistani test pilots.

At an airbase some distance from Shengjing, which was actually farther from Shengjing than from another prefecture-level city, Tieshan, a light gray J-7 fighter landed gracefully on the runway, which would not appear on any civilian map.

With his experience in the Indo-Pakistani War and the constant confrontation with the Indian and Soviet Air Forces, Latif's tactical skills were, to put it bluntly, worlds apart from those of the Chinese pilots at this airbase.

However, Major Latif had no contempt for the Chinese.

To be honest, from another perspective, he even envied these military personnel who did not have to risk their lives, and he envied this country that did not have to worry about its imminent demise.

The J-7 he flew was indeed a good aircraft. Although it could not match the F-16, it was far superior to the J-6. The Chinese, being good friends of Pakistan, sold the J-7MG, the latest model of the J-7, to Pakistan. Equipped with the WP-13FI engine instead of the WP-7 used in the standard J-7II, the aircraft's performance was significantly improved. Additionally, the avionics system was relatively luxurious, featuring an Italian-imported Grifo-7 multi-functional radar, a head-up display, a curved windshield, and maneuvering flaps.

The J-7MG, like the legendary BYD F0, was designed for extensive modifications. Sitting in the cockpit, one did not feel the ruggedness of Soviet aircraft but rather a sense of the F-16.

Latif skillfully taxied the aircraft into the hangar, opened the canopy, and jumped out. Ground crew in dark blue work uniforms quickly ran over with inspection equipment, followed by the base commander, Colonel Gao Ying.

Colonel Gao Ying's fighter regiment belonged to the 4th Air Division and was equipped with 28 J-7II fighters. Additionally, there were a few test J-8s. As an important strategic partner and ally of China, he took the reception of Pakistani pilots very seriously.

"Major Latif—" Gao Ying extended his hand, hesitating for a moment.

"Colonel Gao, is there something you need?" Latif, as a representative of the test pilots, had no problem with communication, speaking Mandarin fluently and more standardly than many Chinese.

"Well, it's like this. One of my teachers, along with his students and a J-7 fighter designer, wants to meet you." Gao Ying's tone was somewhat uncertain. "This is not an official meeting. If you are tired and want to rest, I can explain to them."

Latif smiled and nodded, "No problem, I would also like to exchange ideas with my Chinese counterparts."

...

Although Pakistan's reputation in China is good in the modern era—being one of the few countries that did not become ungrateful after receiving aid—its citizens have a low presence in Chinese society. Hu Wenhai usually saw more Indians on the streets, and this was the first time he saw a real Pakistani.

When Major Latif walked in, his posture was very straight. Although Pakistan is a Muslim country, it was quite different from Hu Wenhai's modern impression. At that time, terrorism was not primarily associated with the Middle East but with groups like the Red Brigades and the Red Army, which were more feared.

In terms of personal appearance, Major Latif looked quite good. His mustache was neatly trimmed, and his deep-set features and large ears were quite in line with the Chinese concept of a "blessed appearance." His skin, though somewhat dark, was not the black of Africans but the brownish-black of someone who had spent a lot of time flying and being exposed to the sun.

Latif smiled before speaking, revealing a mouth of white, even teeth, and performed a chest-touching salute, "Hello everyone, I am Latif."

"Major Latif, let me introduce you. This is the former principal of my flight school, Principal Si Xingu, this is the director of a certain research institute, Director Wang, and this is Principal Si's student..."

Gao Ying hesitated when introducing Hu Wenhai. He had not heard of any young students at Si Xingu's flight school, and this student looked quite young.

Without giving Gao Ying time to react, Latif shook hands with them and nodded, "Principal Si, Director Wang, what brings you here?"

Si Xingu and Director Wang exchanged glances, and finally, Si Xingu stepped forward and said, "Major Latif, to be honest, we are here to do business with you."

People of that era, especially employees of state-owned enterprises in Northeast China, were still ashamed to talk about money. Moreover, since Latif was a foreigner, this was even more sensitive for those who emphasized that "diplomacy is no small matter."

However, Latif was not surprised or impatient. Pakistan practiced a capitalist system, and doing business was not unusual. He was just curious about what kind of business a principal and a director wanted to do with him.

"Here's the thing, we have developed a simulator that can mimic aircraft operations. We heard that Pakistan plans to purchase our J-7 fighters. Are you interested in this simulator?"

"Simulator? What is that?" Latif shook his head in confusion and asked, "I have never heard of a simulator. Can you show me your product? If it is indeed useful, I can try to persuade our procurement team to add this equipment to the list."

No one buys fighter jets without also purchasing various accessories and services, which are a significant source of profit. China sold a large number of J-7 fighters to Pakistan, nearly two hundred in total.

Even if the price of a single product was "cheap," the quantity would still generate considerable profit. However, after Latif's question, both Si Xingu and Director Wang turned their attention to the young man standing beside them.