Chapter 86

"Huh?"

Hu Wenhui looked at the aircraft that had already begun its descent with some surprise and asked Lin Qianjun, who was equally incredulous, "Director Lin, isn't this the U.S. Navy's F-14? I remember we bought the latest model for $24 million this year. How did a used one suddenly fly back?"

"Cough, cough, it's like this..."

Lin Qianjun said somewhat awkwardly, "Several domestic research institutes heard that the country had placed an order for the F-14 and couldn't wait until next year to receive the new aircraft. So, they later negotiated with Grumman, and in exchange for the price of one new aircraft, they got two used ones that the U.S. military had been using for a few years..."

"The domestic authorities also considered that they hoped to quickly grasp the performance of the F-14 and the operational concepts of third-generation fighters, so they agreed to this exchange."

"Two used F-14s for one new one..." Hu Wenhui smacked his lips. Well, it's hard to say whether this deal is good or bad.

Of course, it's annoying to get used aircraft instead of new ones, but when the country buys weapons, they often don't consider this. As long as they work well, that's fine! New for three years, old for three years, patch and mend for another three years. Fighter jets, after major overhauls and life extensions, can still fly. The F-14s from the 1970s were still flying in Iran's skies in 2015, right?

But this is $24 million in 1985. Tsk, to be honest, in the 21st century, that would be equivalent to $240 million. The cost of an F-22 in 2009 was only $150 million!

Spending $24 million to buy two used aircraft, this looks like a loss no matter how you look at it. This isn't 1988 when we were waiting for the aircraft to fight the Vietnamese. In 1985, we still had at least four and a half years before parting ways with the Americans, enough time to steadily receive an F-14 squadron each year.

At least by four years later, China would have no fewer than 50 F-14 fighters. Why would we need to pick up the used junk from the U.S.?

Forget it, anyway, they are for research. There's no need to be too concerned about performance and newness. Hu Wenhui consoled himself. The Air Force won't shortchange me, so it's fine like this!

As the first F-14 fighter landed, many people on the side of the runway excitedly examined this legendary aircraft.

The F-14's reputation had already spread worldwide due to its outstanding performance in the Iran-Iraq War. Its majestic appearance was about to grace the screen. Once "Top Gun" hit the big screen, more people would surely become fans of the F-14.

The aircraft that had just landed had shark eyes and teeth painted on its nose, and a falling sun emblem on its tail.

Hu Wenhui immediately recognized it. Wasn't this the paint scheme of the Sunsetters squadron from the USS Carl Vinson? Tsk, the U.S. really went all out. This aircraft must have flown directly from the Hawaiian base, right?

Although the aircraft still retained its distinctive paint scheme, all U.S. military markings had been removed. The uniform gray low-visibility paint was much more stylish compared to the green-headed paint scheme favored by the PLA Air Force at the time.

As the first aircraft landed, soon the roar of another aircraft appeared in the sky. Before long, everyone saw the second aircraft gracefully tilt its wings, with its nose pointing directly at the runway.

Just as everyone thought it was about to land, the F-14, which had already entered the landing procedure, suddenly accelerated at a height of less than two meters from the ground! It roared back into the sky with a low pass, re-engaging afterburners!

"Oh, a touch-and-go!"

"Too beautiful!"

"The angle of attack was 30 degrees just now! Oh my God!"

The weather today was clear and cloudless, and there was no sudden strong wind in the sky. The F-14 was landing on a stable runway, not a wobbly aircraft carrier deck—anyone with a bit of knowledge would know that the aircraft didn't need to perform this action; the conditions were perfect for landing!

The Americans were showing off, flaunting the powerful combat capabilities of the F-14.

But no one in the crowd cared about the Americans' arrogance; they were genuinely impressed by the F-14's powerful performance.

The F-14 that performed the touch-and-go made a low pass, flew out of the runway, climbed in the sky, circled around, and finally landed smoothly on its second attempt.

The two F-14s came to a steady stop on the runway, and the ground crew vehicles hurried over. The cockpit canopies opened, and four American pilots descended from the aircraft, strutting arrogantly towards the crowd.

"Let's go, Director Lin." Hu Wenhai, having watched the grand show, felt dispirited and turned to leave with Lin Qianjun.

He thought that the military must have arranged for him to take a transport plane to the capital and see the F-14, which played a significant role in the introduction, for a reason.

It was a kind gesture, but from Hu Wenhui's perspective, it suddenly made him realize that this wasn't the era thirty years later when China's fourth-generation fighter was about to debut.

It wasn't the era when we had the J-10, J-11, J-15, J-16, the J-20 nearing completion, and the J-31 still in development!

In that era, Hu Wenhui could proudly call himself a Tomcat fan and appreciate the F-14's majestic flight with a peaceful mind.

But at this moment, Hu Wenhui felt only humiliation. It was like a city kid bringing a new toy to the countryside, and the country kids, eager to touch this never-before-seen treasure, even gave up their self-respect.

Just wait, you brats from the neighboring class, one day you'll be drooling over our new toys!

Hu Wenhui left the crowd without looking back. He now particularly hoped he could persuade those in power to make a decision so that one day he could see the Americans' "I'm stunned" expressions.

Lin Qianjun called out a few times, but seeing Hu Wenhui was determined not to turn back, he had no choice but to follow helplessly.

On the way out of the airport, Hu Wenhui was surprised to find that Zhai Youjiang had not stayed behind but had hitched a ride back to the capital with them.

"Heh, Comrade Hu seems to be a man of passion!" Zhai Youjiang said with a knowing smile, "It's good to be young, to have such spirit!"

"Old Zhai, sigh!" Lin Qianjun sighed repeatedly, "Commander Lin specifically wanted to meet Comrade Hu. Now we'll have to reschedule."

Hu Wenhui shook his head lightly, "It's better not to meet. Commander Lin's level is too high; he might just pinch me into two pieces with his crab claws!"

"Uh, what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing much, just a bunch of bullies, that's all."

...

Lin Qianjun drove to a large courtyard in a hutong near Guang'anmen in the capital. The two guards at the gate saluted and carefully checked the documents he handed over.

In lower-level cities, encountering an unknown institution with guards at the gate would make passersby hurry by.

But this is the capital, after all. Such unmarked large courtyards are everywhere. Hu Wenhui, seeing the passersby occasionally walking by the gate, was clearly already used to it.

After checking Lin Qianjun's documents, the guards waved the car through. The car drove into the courtyard and soon stopped in front of a small red building.

"Old Zhai, where are you going? Should I ask Comrade Hu to wait while I take you there first?" Lin Qianjun turned around and asked Zhai Youjiang.

"Me? Oh, I have nothing to do, why don't I listen to Comrade Hu's insights?" Zhai Youjiang, acting like a mischievous old man, jumped out of the car without hesitation.

"Hey, Director Lin, is my clearance not high enough?"

"Not at all, Old Zhai is an expert in aviation and is certainly qualified to participate in the discussion." Lin Qianjun, helpless, locked the car and led Hu Wenhui and Zhai Youjiang into the building.

"This is a research institute under the General Staff Department's Second Department. Many experts have been invited by the General Staff to make various speculations and studies about future wars. They have comprehensive information on the world's military forces and are considered a vanguard in the exploration of military theory."

As Lin Qianjun spoke, he pushed open the door to a meeting room. Inside, people were already seated around the conference table. There were a few elderly men with white hair, more middle-aged men in their forties, and only a few "young" men in their thirties.

The table was set with fruits, and each person had a cup of tea. The atmosphere in the meeting room was harmonious. The elderly men sipped tea and ate fruit leisurely, the middle-aged men engaged in heated discussions, and the young men listened humbly in the corners.

"I think the Iran-Iraq War can't continue. Both sides' economies are in very dangerous conditions, and a quick victory is impossible, so the possibility of peace talks is very high."

"Director Tan is right. Both sides in the Iran-Iraq War have invested so many advanced weapons, but the facts have shown that current high-tech weapons are not suitable for large-scale battlefields. The hope of quickly defeating the enemy is unrealistic, and peace seems to be coming. However, this also indicates that maintaining a large-scale military is necessary for our country, and the determination of the military to win is crucial to the outcome of the war."

"I think we should emphasize the firepower of the military. Only strong firepower can intimidate the enemy, crush their will to resist, and quickly decide the outcome of the war!"

"Right, right, maintaining the size of the military and increasing the density of firepower is the key to winning in war! Look at our fight against Vietnam; we advanced all the way with artillery. Without so many artillery pieces, the outcome of our early conflicts with the Vietnamese would have been uncertain!"

Hu Wenhui stopped Lin Qianjun from introducing him, suddenly slammed the table, and loudly said, looking around the meeting room,

"I think the Iran-Iraq War precisely proves that if the Chinese military does not upgrade its systems and improve its technological capabilities, it will end up like the two fools, fighting a low-tech war under high-tech conditions!"