Chapter 268: with translation of chapter title

In later generations, when talking about Star Wars, many people speak with certainty, praising President Reagan's strategic deception without cease.

The question is, is this really strategic deception?

President Reagan at the time boasted of investing ten trillion, and when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Star Wars project was terminated, audits showed that the Americans had already spent one hundred billion dollars; using such a huge sum to play strategic deception with the Soviets?

Now that we have come to this era, Qin Miao actually wants to see whether the so-called Star Wars is really a scam, and whether the words spoken today can push the Americans to invest in this bottomless pit of a space arms race!

"Well, no matter what, it's good for us." Lao Lin said: "Then let's talk about what the Air Force values—bringing back the Mirage 2000 and the Wild Wind Fighter; what do you plan to do?"

"Lao Lin, Ha Gong Da doesn't have an airfield either; surely this is prepared for the Air Force—just give us the corresponding funds… Ay yoh! Why are you hitting my head?"

"The stuff is what you brought back; how to handle it is naturally up to you! Do you still want the Air Force to rack its brains? Don't keep secrets from me!"

Up ahead, the driver glanced at the rearview mirror, feeling deeply moved.

This isn't Lao Lin bullying people; it's entirely a sign of closeness. When dealing with ordinary folks, Lao Lin at most offers a few compliments, but never lays a hand on them. Now he's treating Qin Miao as one of his own.

"Cough, cough, alright." Qin Miao said: "First, given our industrial base, fully copying it is likely difficult; after all, our industrial base is still too weak."

This is also why they are willing to send over such an advanced aircraft; they clearly believe that Easterners cannot copy it!

Take the Mirage 2000 as an example: when the Eastern delegation went to Europe for inspection and saw the Mirage 2000 land, our test pilot ran up and touched the brake disc with his own hand, and it wasn't hot!

We use iron brake discs; when landing we must deploy a drag chute, reduce speed then brake, and in this way the brake disc may even be ground red-hot.

But the French use composite-material brake discs; after touchdown, they press the brake pedal all the way down until stopping, and yet the brake does not get hot!

With this materials technology, our side simply cannot reach it!

And there's the servo actuator.

The Mirage 2000 uses a tailless delta-wing layout, fly-by-wire control, with only a brick‑sized servo actuator at the rear that can provide sufficient torque to deflect the control surfaces to the required angle as needed.

And us? Even if we enlarged it to the size of a suitcase, we might still not meet the requirement!

This is determined by basic industry; even if Ha Gong Da is capable, it must break through each technology one by one—you can't become fat in one bite.

"The Mirage 2000, for us, the most important parts are the fly‑by‑wire system and the engine; therefore we need to master these two systems, assigning the fly‑by‑wire system to us and the engine to domestic relevant units."

Objectively speaking, the M53 engine used on the Mirage 2000 is not very good.

In the aircraft engine field, the French have always been in the second tier; after the two giants' engines entered the turbofan era, SNECMA could only take its own turbojet engine, make slight improvements, add a bypass duct, and turn it into a turbofan.

The most bizarre part is that it has a single‑spool structure.

In an aircraft engine, the compressor is at the front, needing stage‑by‑stage pressure‑ratio increase; the front and rear blades would have mismatched speeds, so most engines are twin‑spool, with a low‑pressure compressor up front and a high‑pressure compressor at the rear, rotating at different speeds.

The French lack this technology, so they can only make a single‑spool engine, resulting in too low a pressure ratio, poor engine performance, fuel consumption comparable to a turbojet, and maximum thrust unable to break the ten‑ton limit for a long time.

But there are advantages: the structure is simple, and high‑altitude, high‑speed performance stands out—after all, it's a turbojet within a turbofan, lacking the high‑altitude weakness typical of turbofans.

And these are exactly what the Eastern Air Force needs; our primary task is to intercept bombers that may fly in from the north at any moment, so high‑altitude, high‑speed performance must be considered!

"As for the Wild Wind Fighter‑Bomber, the main points are its avionics and variable‑sweep wing." Qin Miao continued: "We lack avionics for ground attack; our Strong Five doesn't even have radar, so using the Wild Wind Fighter‑Bomber's avionics for improvement is a task we can take on, and as for the variable‑sweep wing, domestic relevant departments will surely like it."

The earliest aircraft used straight wings, giving high maneuverability; in the jet age, wings began to sweep back, which helps increase speed, but early jets had poor maneuverability.

Is there a way to have the best of both worlds?

That is variable‑sweep wing! Let the wing change its sweep angle according to need!

In the 1960s‑70s this technology was all the rage, giving rise to many famous aircraft, such as the Tomcat, which, thanks to the film Top Gun, attracted countless fans.

Actually, by the 1980s the new direction in aerodynamics was the utilization of vortex lift, whether it's leading‑edge extensions or canards, they all rely on vortex lift.

Domestic Factory 320 has been researching variable‑sweep wing all along; the project codenamed Strong Six never came to fruition in later generations. Now let them study it—whether they can succeed… Qin Miao doesn't know either.

"What about the engine?" Lao Lin said.

"The Wild Wind's engine? Don't even think about it!"

RB199, length 3.6 meters, diameter 0.72 meters, dry weight under one ton, afterburner thrust 7.5 tons—it's an excellent medium‑thrust engine; if we could reverse‑engineer it, the J‑7, J‑8, J‑7 upgrade, F‑7… we'd have engines for them all, and even in the twenty‑first century drones could use it!

But……

This advanced engine from Rolls‑Royce uses a three‑spool design—high, intermediate, and low shafts; with our Eastern industrial base… don't even think about it, unless we were reborn with a system……

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Lao Lin's face broke into a grin, this fawning manner… left Qin Miao somewhat speechless. "Lao Lin, don't be like this, okay? I'm overwhelmed by the favor!"

"With these technological foundations, we will rely on our own industrial base to develop our third‑generation fighter." Qin Miao continued on the main topic.

Historically, the J‑10 project has gone through many setbacks; fly‑by‑wire and the engine are the two major hurdles. Now, by introducing this project and mastering the relevant technology, the J‑10 could come out even earlier!

Without realizing it, the car stopped; Qin Miao glanced outside and furrowed his brows: "Lao Lin, shouldn't you be sending me back to my father‑in‑law's house?"

It's still early; let's go up and have a drink……

Just then, a sharp car braking sound came from behind.

"Old Lin, we've finally caught up with you! San Shui, the south needs your help!"