Chapter 13

An F-14 fighter jet appeared over a certain air force base outside Shengjing City. The roaring engine and the unique design, distinct from the fighter jets of the Heavenly Dynasty, caused a wave of exclamations from many corners.

As a fighter pilot, Latif was well aware of the F-14, which had been mythologized by Iran during the Iran-Iraq War and was known worldwide. When the familiar variable-sweep wings made a wide turn in the air and then changed the wing angle to achieve the best straight-line acceleration at a small sweep angle, it almost screamed as it flew low over the field.

Currently, the well-known variable-sweep wing fighter jets in the world were the American F-14 and the Soviet MiG-23. From an aesthetic perspective, the American F-14 undoubtedly had a significant edge.

Orange-red flames spewed from the engine nozzles of the fighter jet. This F-14 model aircraft was somewhat different from the one Hu Wenhai had assembled before. Originally, it used a small turbojet engine to simulate a twin-engine setup, but now it had been equipped with two real engines. It trailed two plumes of flame, and after a short acceleration of just a few seconds, its speed had already exceeded 900 kilometers per hour.

The two newly made high-power turbojet engines used air bearings as suggested by Hu Wenhai. The two engines could provide a thrust of 80 kilograms, sufficient to increase the maximum level flight speed of the F-14 model to 1.4 Mach. However, this also shortened the takeoff time and required strengthening the aircraft's structure. The ten liters of mixed gasoline and diesel fuel it carried could only provide less than 30 minutes of flight time.

However, such changes in the data would not be evident in the demonstration. In reality, operating a supersonic model aircraft at a flight altitude of less than 1,000 meters was extremely demanding. Even Latif, who was watching Hu Wenhai operate the remote control, was already struggling to keep up with the rhythm of the aircraft in the sky after just ten minutes.

At this moment, in the control tower of the air force base, a group of Chinese air force controllers had expressions that looked as if they had seen a ghost.

"Commander, is this thing really a model? It can fly at 1.4 Mach!"

For heaven's sake, none of the J-6 fighters in the base could reach that speed.

Gao Ying glanced somewhat unexpectedly at Hu Wenhai, who was operating the remote control by the window, and then gave a look to the people below to be quiet. The 4th Air Division was the first air division of China, and in March 1956, due to its outstanding contributions, it was awarded the honorary title of "1st Air Division" by the **. By now, China had over a thousand fighter jets, and the so-called 4th Air Division was actually the 1st Air Division.

With such an honor, he did not want people to think that the soldiers of the 4th Air Division were a bunch of country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

However, not only the air force controllers in the control tower, but even Latif, who had fought against Indian and Soviet aircraft in the sky, had an incredulous expression on his face.

"If I'm not mistaken, it uses a jet engine, right?" Latif asked in a low voice. "May I ask how much you plan to sell this realistic model for?"

Sixin and Director Wang exchanged glances, and the former hesitantly held out his open palm and said, "Five thousand..."

"Five thousand dollars!" Hu Wenhai, while operating the model, drew attention away from Sixin's bid and firmly said, "Our F-14 realistic model is priced at five thousand dollars, but we can provide customization for various fighter jets. The specific price of the fighter jet will be adjusted based on the base price."

"Five thousand dollars..." Latif stroked his beard and fell into thought, but Sixin and Director Wang were both getting anxious.

According to Sixin's estimate, the production cost of this realistic model, excluding the ground control station that had not yet been developed, was at most a few thousand RMB. He was already a bit nervous about quoting five thousand dollars.

But who would have thought that Hu Wenhai would insist on five thousand dollars! After all, it was just a model aircraft, and the cost was right there for everyone to see. Who couldn't tell how much it was worth?

As Sixin kept giving Hu Wenhai meaningful looks, Latif shook his head and said incredulously, "Five thousand dollars, isn't that a bit too cheap? The Chinese brothers are really taking care of us in Pakistan, but we can't agree to this price. In any country in the world, five thousand dollars can't even buy a single fan blade of a turbojet engine. We in Pakistan can't take advantage of our Chinese brothers."

As he spoke, the F-14 operated by Hu Wenhai had already made a short run and smoothly stopped at the end of the runway. Two air force ground crew members in dark blue uniforms excitedly ran onto the runway and pushed the "tiny" model aircraft off the runway...

Only then did Hu Wenhai focus his attention on the conversation. It had to be said that operating this jet model on the ground with the naked eye was extremely difficult. A slight mistake could result in more than just damage to the aircraft. At 1.4 Mach, if it hit a valuable target, it would be no less destructive than a missile.

"Major Latif, your feelings about the friendship between China and Pakistan are touching, but you don't need to worry that five thousand dollars is too low," Hu Wenhai placed the remote control on the table and pointed to it, saying, "Actually, the current realistic model can only be considered an incomplete initial version. As you can see, its maneuverability and realism are still quite low. The five thousand dollars actually refers to the price of this incomplete version."

"On this semi-finished realistic model, we will continue to make improvements in the future. We will add cameras in the cockpit, improve the ground flight control system, adjust the engine flight parameters, and make the density and center of gravity of the realistic model as close as possible to the real aircraft. These step-by-step improvements will eventually result in a final product that will likely cost much more than five thousand dollars..."

Normally, what Hu Wenhai said would sound like a price hike to most people. So, the five thousand dollars was not a fixed price, and the initial low price was just to sell a toy-like item, with the real money to be made through upgrades and maintenance later. This approach was clearly the way the American Empire did things!

However, the person speaking was not a businessman but a soldier, and a soldier who had been in combat. To Major Latif, money was just a number. But the performance improvements Hu Wenhai mentioned immediately made him realize the practical application of this realistic model.

"Oh? If it can be made almost identical to the real aircraft, or even if it can only simulate some of the real aircraft's performance at a lower speed range through technical means..."

Latif's eyes grew brighter as he nodded vigorously. "This thing can not only be used to train new pilots, but its value for air combat replays and tactical drills is immeasurable. If it has a video transmission system, it could even be used as a front-line reconnaissance aircraft. These functions can greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the military, and that's not something money can buy..."

He wasn't just flattering. In an era without flight simulators, the risks of developing new air combat tactics were very real. For example, no one knew if the famous Pugachev Cobra maneuver could be safely performed by the Su-27 fighter jet on its first attempt. In the absence of simulators, no one could answer this question.

If a new tactic exceeded the aircraft's limits, the loss of an aircraft or even a pilot would be more than just a financial loss for an air force; it would also affect the courage and morale for exploration. The appearance of this realistic model would greatly reduce the risks associated with developing new tactics, thus increasing the enthusiasm for exploring new tactics. The significance of this cannot be overstated.

Latif, a warrior who had grown up in the midst of war, was different from the casual Hu Wenhai or the office-bound Sixin and Director Wang. Even Gao Ying, a Chinese soldier in peacetime, probably did not have such a keen sense. From just a few words Hu Wenhai had said, he had already seen the greatest value of this realistic model.

"Hey, this realistic model is not just worth five thousand dollars; I think it's worth fifty thousand dollars!" Latif nodded excitedly. "Please rest assured, Chinese comrades, I will strongly recommend that the procurement team prioritize the purchase of this realistic model equipment. It has significant implications for the development of our air force!"

Beside Sixin, Gao Ying had already come over at some point. He tugged at Sixin's sleeve and whispered, "Old Principal, why didn't you think of us first with such a good thing? I took a risk introducing you to Latif, you can't leave me out, can you?"

Sixin's eyes narrowed into slits as he joked, "You, Gao Ying, are a bandit. Do you really think you can take a cut from something so expensive? Didn't you hear? A semi-finished realistic model costs five thousand dollars. Do you have that kind of money?"

"Hey, I think the cost of this thing is less than five thousand RMB. You're just taking the foreigners for a ride! I'm telling you, Old Principal, you can't leave me out!"

"Alright, just wait. You might get it sooner than you think."

Gao Ying was not an outsider. As the commander of the 4th Air Division's fighter regiment, he was a key player, and the organization would not forget him when it came to good things. Once Hu Wenhai finished developing the realistic model system, if Gao Ying's regiment really wanted it, they would definitely get it.