Chapter 408 - 399: New Jianhong-1

The base needed time to digest new technologies, whether it was laser satellites or electromagnetic acceleration tracks, which were complex systems capable of giving rise to an entire industrial chain. Lin Ju gave them a week to conduct thorough discussions before summarizing their findings for his review.

The topic was too sophisticated for the chairman to chime in.

The only thing he could offer any advice on was the C810, which, after all, was his own jet; suggesting improvements was no problem.

But he was not alone. On his second day back at the base, several military green Changfeng Liebao vehicles drove into the compound.

The Navy—ah no, it should be called the General Equipment Department—had arrived.

After several reforms, the functions of different military departments became clearer and clearer, with specialists in charge of unified planning for each task, preventing the chaos of the last century.

The military was initially unaware of the C810; it was only after New Yuan chased the Civil Aviation Administration for an airworthiness certificate that the latter reluctantly sent a few juniors to military airports for research, preparing a report on the noise and operational issues of supersonic aircraft. Only then did the information pass on.

Upon receiving the C810 data, the military looked at its maximum speed of 3.3 Mach, cruising speed of 2.8 Mach, and range of 5000 kilometers, which all sounded very familiar.

Quick thinkers compared it to the SR71 Blackbird’s data: 3.3 Mach top speed, 3.0 Mach cruising speed, and a 5400 kilometer range—although not exactly identical, certainly similar and compatible.

Moreover, the SR71 had many issues; to overcome the heat barrier, even its fuel tanks weren’t sealed. It had to take off with less fuel and refuel in mid-air, and maintenance was extremely troublesome.

As a passenger aircraft, the C810 would certainly have much simpler maintenance. Despite slightly lower speed and range, it was second only to the Blackbird.

Considering New Yuan’s quite impressive high-altitude high-speed engine technology, the likelihood of the C810 being manufactured was high. The Navy was just about to inquire when they heard the big news from Rong City Military Region: a suspected C810 test aircraft flew at an altitude of 28,000 meters, even higher than the Blackbird!

The General Equipment Department immediately organized personnel, bringing together representatives of the Navy and Air Force to form an inspection group, and they hurried to the base, coincidentally running into Lin Ju.

He recognized the leader of the group as someone very familiar—Zhang Ju!

For security reasons, the vehicle convoy was directed straight to the hangar housing the first C810, because the project was forcefully pushed forward by the base, skipping a series of test aircraft steps and producing the final version right away.

Upon seeing the true form of the C810, Zhang Ju immediately went "heh" and pointed, saying:

"Isn’t this the MiG 35 modified business jet plan?"

As someone deeply immersed in the history of world equipment development, he naturally remembered the Union’s plans and recognized the C810’s dual enormous air intakes and large twin vertical tails at a glance.

"Ju has a good eye, the inspiration did come from that scrapped plan, though the C810’s specifications are a bit higher," Lin responded.

"Not just a bit higher, much higher!" exclaimed Zhang Ju.

He remembered the parameters of the C810’s test flight. The normal cruising speed of the MiG 25 was only 2.6 Mach, and it certainly did not have such a high range.

From 2.6 to 2.8 Mach is one threshold, and from 2.8 Mach to over 3 Mach is another. It’s increasingly difficult to raise the speed beyond twice the speed of sound.

He tapped on the aircraft’s body and inquired, "What material is this airframe made of?"

Lin Ju replied, "It’s mainly made of titanium alloy, with key parts manufactured using large forging machines. It’s very sturdy and not too heavy."

Zhang Ju nodded, walked around the plane, and saw that the 50-ton airframe was no small feat—it was bigger than both the MiG 31 and the J20.

Upon a detailed inspection, he confirmed there would be no problem accommodating two to four heavy load hardpoints under the belly; however, adding them to the wings would be a challenge, indicating that the original design indeed hadn’t considered military use.

With that thought, Zhang Ju inwardly grumbled with envy. It must be nice to have the money and technology to spare no expense in making a personal jet that could outperform military planes—a much higher status symbol than luxury cars or beauties.

What? He’s even been on a space shuttle? That’s even more infuriating.

After observing the exterior, Zhang Ju entered through the open cabin door to check the interior structure.

The fuselage of the C810 was rather narrow; the front cockpit, which accommodated two pilots side by side, was a bit cramped for civil aviation, but for military use, it was quite spacious, making long-haul cruising much more comfortable.

He wasn’t sure about the avionics, but they appeared to be very different from those of typical aircraft, undoubtedly advanced.

The rear seating area consists of staggered single-row seats that are a bit smaller than those on a typical small private aircraft, but seating for nine is still quite comfortable. The refreshment area and lavatory are fully equipped with all the necessary luxuries.

"Huh? No need for a pressure suit?"

It seems the cabin design doesn’t take into account the air pressure at altitudes above 20,000 meters. Could it be that the entire cabin is pressurized?

He got a definite answer from New Yuan’s engineers—the entire cabin is indeed pressurized and temperature-controlled, which is even more astonishing.

The other final assembly workers followed suit, touching here and there, often exclaiming in surprise.

After a while, a middle-aged man wearing glasses approached Zhang Ju:

"I’ve checked—the nose can fit a one-ton radar at least. If we reduce the size of the cabin, we can decrease the pressurization slightly and reduce the weight by at least half a ton. We just need two radar operators. We can stuff two tons of electronic warfare equipment into the plane’s belly. The remaining space can hold several tons of fuel, and the power supply is more than sufficient.

"By then, increasing the range to 5,500 or 6,000 kilometers is entirely feasible. Plus, with aerial refueling, it could easily serve as electronic warfare and intelligence reconnaissance aircraft. It could comfortably cover the surrounding area. At a push of the throttle, it can reach 3.4 Mach at 30,000 meters and missiles won’t be able to catch up!"

The middle-aged man was from the Navy and was obviously very satisfied with the C810’s airframe.

For a long time, they had been in a defensive posture, but with a large-range high-speed aircraft like the C810, they could skirt or even breach another country’s air defense identification zones without need for weapons, much like the SR71 did back in its day.

Take the SR71, for instance; missile technology was mature enough during its operational life, yet it was never shot down throughout its service.

He also remembered a retired engineer from the Skunk Factory revealing some stories about the Blackbird. With a push of the throttle, the pilots could overshoot an airport, and by accelerating just a little, they could outpace radar detection. The C810 might lag slightly behind the Blackbird in cruising speed and stealth capabilities, but it surely exceeds in maintainability and safety.

After exchanging opinions for a while, Zhang Ju raised several questions for improvement, which the C810’s design team all said were feasible.

Once the technical issues were resolved, it was time to talk about orders.

Zhang Ju, "I’ve just asked my comrades for their thoughts. The Navy needs 14 reconnaissance/electronic warfare models and 10 attack models capable of carrying three to four heavy anti-ship missiles. The Air Force needs six of each type. That should cover the first batch. What’s the estimated total cost of the order?"

Lin Ju, knowing the production cost and R&D investment for the C810, and considering it was a long-term deal, thought for a moment and gave a figure:

"For 36 aircraft, excluding electronic equipment and weapons systems, it’s about 800 million per plane, totaling 28.8 billion Yuan. We can also throw in an additional 10 spare engines."

million? The inspection team exchanged looks. The price wasn’t considered expensive since the C810 extensively used titanium alloys, already making it a pricy aircraft. New Yuan was only manufacturing the base airframe; the final unit price was estimated to be over 1 billion anyway.

Although the performance data of the J20B was similar, the C810 served a different purpose—it was meant to be frequently visible, existing to make a statement. Its strategic role was distinct, and there was no conflict in function.

"What about the production rate? How many of these planes can be delivered in a year?"

"Well, as you know, we have many production tasks at hand, not just making planes. At most, we can deliver one plane per month.

"But we could authorize other manufacturers to produce some parts, which should bring us up to three or four planes a month. However, we’ll need a bit more time for initial preparations."

Zhang Ju wasn’t surprised by this answer and found it acceptable. After all, it wasn’t a main combat aircraft type, so completing the delivery in one or two years wasn’t bad.

Lin Ju, "By the way, Commander Zhang, have you decided on a designation for it?"

Zhang Ju, "Since it still has combat models, I suppose it should have a fighter or fighter-bomber designation, with the electronic warfare and reconnaissance as variants."

Lin Ju looked around and saw that everyone else was standing at a distance. He cleared his throat, a bit excitedly asked:

"Commander Zhang, can you tell me anything about the next-generation bomber’s development plan? I should have the clearance, right?"

"Ah?" Zhang Ju appeared perplexed, and after a few seconds he realized and said, "Ah, that, I’m not too clear on it since I’m about to retire."

"..."

Perhaps realizing he had inadvertently spoken out of habit, Zhang Ju continued with an evasive gaze and whispered:

"It’s in progress, it’s in progress..."