Chapter 50

"An F-14?" Hu Wenhui pretended to be surprised, but his mind was racing.

Although he had already suspected it, when the truth was revealed, Hu Wenhui still felt a sense of unreality. He couldn't believe he was involved in such a historical event.

China importing the F-14 was just a legend in history. No one knew if it had ever really happened. On the internet, in military magazines, and through rumors, everyone had their own theories.

But when he thought about it, the United States was indeed willing to play with China at this time. For example, in the Peaceful Example Plan two years later, Grumman offered the APG-65, 66, and 67 radar models, allowing the J-8 team to choose freely.

On the other side, the Americans had also considered equipping the J-8 with the F404 engine and AIM-7M missiles.

In a way, with a look-down, shoot-down radar, the F404 engine, and the AIM-7M missile, it wouldn't be much different from directly selling the Tomcat, right?

So, from the perspective of the Americans' bottom line, Hu Wenhui didn't think it was impossible. However, who knew if William Mitchell represented the Pentagon or Grumman?

At this time, Grumman was very willing to sell anything to China. After all, the F-20, which Grumman spent ten years and $1.2 billion developing, had no takers. Without creating some additional income, it would be hard to explain to the board members.

If Grumman had privately spread rumors about the Su-27 to promote Sino-American military aircraft trade, Hu Wenhui wouldn't be surprised at all.

But whether this was Grumman's independent move or with the tacit approval of the Pentagon, the question was whether China really needed the F-14?

Although Hu Wenhui had been reborn, he didn't have the confidence to answer this question. No, he might not even have a fifty percent chance.

The F-14 was undoubtedly a classic. As a "Tomcat fan," Hu Wenhui naturally hoped to see the F-14 flying in China's skies. But rationally, the F-14 project was too complex.

First and foremost, the F-14 was not the most suitable for China at this time. It's important to note that the F-14 is a carrier-based aircraft! Any carrier-based aircraft makes certain compromises in performance to be able to operate from a carrier, and the F-14 is no exception. If it were the F-15, Hu Wenhui would have raised his hand without hesitation! Unfortunately, unless China submitted to the U.S., the Americans would never sell the F-15 to China. Just look at which countries have the F-15: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Without the courage to be America's lapdog, there's no F-15.

Secondly, the F-14 was too expensive. The procurement price in 1984 was $24 million, which China couldn't afford. Moreover, buying the aircraft meant buying maintenance services, and Grumman wouldn't play the role of a benefactor anymore.

Furthermore, the F-14 was designed for fleet air defense, originally to counter the Soviet Tu-22M Backfire. Its high-altitude, high-speed performance was excellent, which overlapped with the J-8.

But was the F-14 good? No one could say no with a straight face. For China, the F-14 was like a young man in his twenties who had earned some money and wanted to buy a car, but only had enough for a BYD or a Chery. Yet, seeing a Haval H6 would still make him drool. The key was that the Haval H6 dealer seemed very sincere, telling the young man that a road was about to be built near his house, and a mini-car couldn't handle the bumpy roads...

But the AWG-9 radar and the variable-sweep wing of the F-14 were also the Achilles' heel of Chinese fighters. Chinese fighter designers often claimed to compensate for insufficient power with aerodynamics, but they never managed to develop a variable-sweep wing. The F-14, with its variable-sweep wing, was indeed impressive. Of course, by the fourth generation, for stealth, the variable-sweep wing became less useful.

But no matter what, it was the F-14! The F-14! The F-14!

Hu Wenhui shouted in his heart. For a "Tomcat fan," the F-14 was a sentiment, a dream...

But in matters of national importance, there was no room for sentiment or dreams. Hu Wenhui didn't dare to speak recklessly in such a setting.

He thought carefully and cautiously, then said, "Personally, I believe the F-14 is an outstanding fighter that can be called a work of art. But whether a shoe fits, only the foot knows. As a carrier-based air superiority fighter for the U.S. Navy, I think it has its unsuitable aspects. On the other hand, the Tomcat is undoubtedly the most advanced fighter we can currently access. If it were up to me, I would introduce it on a small scale, to absorb and digest the technology, and to meet temporary needs."

Hu Wenhui knew that the Soviet Union was about to decline, and the military pressure on China would only decrease. In five or six years, there would be no need to worry about the Soviet Tu-22M Backfire coming south. At that time, the main pressure on China would come from the U.S., and using the F-14 against the Americans would be like showing off a big sword in front of Guan Yu.

So his opinion was that it could be introduced, but not as China's main third-generation fighter. Honestly, if China had introduced the Su-27 in the 1990s and used the F-14's avionics to upgrade the Su-27, or the AL-31F engine to upgrade the F-14, it would be too beautiful to imagine!

Lin Qianjun just nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Hu Wenhui didn't expect his words to influence national policy, so he didn't say much more. He simply pulled Hu Jiefang to go to Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The prosperity of New York was a real eye-opener for Hu Jiefang. The clean and tidy streets, the constant flow of traffic, and the colorful, fashionable clothing of the people on the streets.

"Wow, this is America!" Hu Jiefang felt a bit overwhelmed, looking at the scenery flashing by the car window, his brain almost unable to keep up.

Xiucheng was just a small city in China, and in the 1980s, even the provincial capital Shengjing didn't have as many high-rise buildings.

"The only thing is that there are too many cars on the streets, and the drivers are very patient." The road system in New York clearly left a deep impression on Hu Jiefang, a common sentiment among Chinese people visiting America at that time. The huge gap made everything seem good, even traffic jams were seen as evidence of the high quality of American life.

The taxi stopped at a green, tree-lined area in the city.

"Is this where you live?" Hu Jiefang looked at the magnificent building in front of him, his face turning sour.

Hu Wenhui paid the fare and turned to see Hu Jiefang frowning, exclaiming, "Why are you so wasteful? How much does it cost to stay here for a night? Even if you have money, you shouldn't spend it like this!"

Hu Wenhui shrugged, saying innocently, "I'm not staying in a luxury suite. A standard room here costs only $128 a night, which is quite cheap."

"Over a hundred!" Hu Jiefang did a quick conversion in his head. Over a hundred dollars was more than two hundred RMB, which was the monthly salary of three or four workers in China.

"Nonsense, you should cancel this room and find a cheaper place!"

Hu Wenhui sighed helplessly. He hadn't actually been staying here but in a four-star hotel in the Upper East Side, where a standard room cost only a few dozen dollars a night. This Central Park Hotel was famous in New York, with a view of the famous Central Park and many amenities.

He had thought about how "Old Man" had hardly traveled abroad in his lifetime. Before he was reborn, he had been too busy with work to pay much attention to Hu Jiefang's life, and this time he wanted to make up for it.

But he had forgotten Hu Jiefang's "high-minded" temper, which wouldn't allow him to stay in such a luxurious place.

"Okay, okay, let's go to where I stayed before." Hu Wenhui raised his hands in surrender and pulled Hu Jiefang to turn around.

But before he could take two steps, he heard someone calling his name from the hotel.

"Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu Wenhui! It's me, Douglas!"

"Mr. Douglas!"

Hu Wenhui turned in surprise and saw Douglas from Scholarly Publishing coming out of the hotel. "What are you doing here? What a coincidence."

"Indeed, it's a coincidence. I'm here because of you, and I'd like to invite you to join us." Douglas was also surprised and pointed to another person coming out of the hotel. "Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Clark, pen name Sonata, who will be responsible for revising and completing your manuscript."

"Sonata!" Hu Wenhui quickly extended his hand, exclaiming, "I didn't expect Douglas to have invited Mr. Sonata to revise my manuscript. It's a great honor."

Although Hu Wenhui had only been in the U.S. for a short time, he knew Sonata's name. "The Saintly King Geoffrey," which ranked third on the 1983 U.S. bestseller list, was his work, and it was very popular at the time.

Douglas could invite such a renowned person to revise his manuscript, which was truly surprising.

"No, after reading Mr. Hu's novel, I can only be proud of my English writing skills. In terms of thoughtfulness or readability, I can't compare to Mr. Hu."

"Oh, who is this?" Douglas noticed Hu Jiefang beside Hu Wenhui and asked.

"This is my father, who just arrived in the U.S. today."

"Ah, Mr. Hu's father, please come in! Is this your first time in the U.S.? I must treat you well!"