Chapter 170: How to Balance Both

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With these orders, the new aircraft could spring a major surprise at this air show, and from then on, another formidable competitor would emerge in the international trainer market.

Speaking of trainer aircraft, there was another plane that could not be overlooked. Hongdu had already begun designing a new aircraft, but not a single order had been placed yet. That was unacceptable.

The base held a forty-percent share in the design of Hongdu’s new trainer, so this matter had to be taken seriously. Promoting it now was only the proper thing to do.

“Your Highness, Mr. Madad, our new aircraft is an advanced supersonic trainer designed for advanced flight-training programs. However, it is not suitable for elementary subsonic training.”

Yang Hui had now turned to the range of flight training for the new aircraft. What was he getting at? Madad and Sultan were both puzzled, and could only listen as Yang Hui continued.

“That is why our base joined forces with our country’s renowned manufacturer of primary trainers. Together, we studied the worldwide demand for trainer aircraft in this new era. In the end, we reached a conclusion: what we need is a jet-powered primary and intermediate trainer.”

At the mention of a primary trainer, Madad seemed to realize what Yang Hui was implying. He asked in surprise, “In other words, you intend to develop a jet-powered primary and intermediate trainer to make up for the shortcomings of our Super J-7 Trainer, thereby completing the entire training system?”

The Pakistanis were indeed clever. The moment Yang Hui mentioned a primary trainer, Madad was able to infer the rest. One had to admit that he was quite perceptive. It showed that Muslims who had embraced a more secular outlook could still possess remarkably sharp minds.

“That is exactly our plan. Our new trainer is a supersonic aircraft, and flying it requires a certain level of ability. Those thresholds naturally have to be crossed with the help of a primary trainer, allowing new pilots to build the necessary foundation.”

After hearing all this, Sultan naturally had his own thoughts, and he certainly had to ask about them. It was obvious that they were here to promote a primary trainer, but there was no harm in listening.

“Oh? Then tell us more. What exactly are your plans for this new trainer, and what unique design philosophy does it embody? If you can give us sufficient reason to be interested, perhaps we might purchase such a trainer as well.”

There it was—this was how the wealthy operated. Now Yang Hui had to introduce the aircraft properly and make the primary trainer sound as appealing as possible.

“Yes. In designing our new trainer, we have taken the design of our Super J-7 Trainer fully into account. It will completely cover the training areas that the advanced trainer cannot. As for the onboard equipment, we will not blindly insist on producing everything domestically. Certain systems—including the engine, environmental-control system, avionics, and ejection seats—will be procured through international tenders. The two trainers will share as much commonality as possible, so that a pilot stepping out of the primary trainer will be able to familiarize himself with the cockpit of our Super J-7 Trainer in the shortest possible time.”

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Yang Hui’s presentation was undeniably attractive. At the very least, he had already begun to sway Sultan and Madad. Given that they were certain to purchase the Super J-7 Trainer, there was a real possibility that they would buy the new primary trainer as well.

Setting down the glass of water in his hand, Madad was the first to offer an ambiguous reply. “The trainer you recommend is indeed quite appealing. However, Pakistan still needs to study the matter carefully. Any decision to purchase a new aircraft will require further consideration at home.”

Madad’s response was understandable. Purchasing a new aircraft was an extremely important matter, and it was perfectly normal for such a decision to require a lengthy study. Some procurement reviews took one or two years.

“Hmm, Mr. Madad is quite right. At present, we have not even seen the new aircraft’s basic specifications on paper, let alone its three-view drawings. It would certainly be impossible to decide on a purchase now. We should wait and see how things develop. Designing a trainer takes at least four or five years, so my own view is that we should observe it first. But rest assured: if your new aircraft has no major problems, then whenever we have a requirement, we will certainly give it priority.”

Although no definite answer had been obtained, those words were enough. Aircraft purchases had to be handled cautiously, and taking two or three years to make a decision was entirely normal.

For now, they were merely planting the idea. The rest could be dealt with later, one step at a time. Yang Hui believed that the K-8’s achievements in his previous life would be no less impressive in this one.

“Very well, let us leave it at that for now. Today is the grand occasion of the Super J-7 Trainer’s maiden flight. It is the star of the show today.”

What a divine change of subject. Yang Hui had smoothly redirected the conversation back to the maiden flight. His skill with words was truly remarkable.

A senior official was approaching. He was obviously coming to speak with Sultan and Madad, so Yang Hui tactfully withdrew.

When he saw the military representatives speaking with Chief Designer Yu, he walked over at once to join the discussion.

“Oh, right. Yang Hui, come over here. Let us discuss matters in detail with this military leader. The military has some unusual requirements this time.”

Unusual requirements? Those were certainly worth hearing and studying carefully.

“Oh? Then I will listen in. Perhaps I may have a few immature opinions to offer as well.”

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The military leader across from him nodded, granting Yang Hui permission to sit in. This was not particularly confidential; for the moment, they were simply seeking the development team’s opinions.

“So, we need the new aircraft to possess a night-combat capability. It must also have a relatively long range. The ability to conduct strikes against naval targets is essential, and a certain degree of self-defense capability is indispensable as well.”

Hearing this, Yang Hui had a fairly good idea of the man’s identity. He was probably from the navy. Otherwise, why would he demand maritime attack capability and the ability to carry out long-range missions? These were classic naval requirements for a military aircraft.

Yang Hui had only just joined the discussion and had not yet fully grasped the situation, so he continued listening obediently, intending to understand the problem before speaking. For now, the burden of answering fell to Director Bai.

“There is no need for me to say much about these requirements. First, we can guarantee the aircraft’s self-defense capability. As long as our domestic air-to-air missile technology presents no problems, we can equip it with radar-guided medium-range missiles. In Britain, the Blue Fox radar was already a powerful system capable of guiding Sky Flash missiles.”

Having addressed the fighter’s self-defense capability, he continued answering the more technical questions. Only someone with an in-depth understanding of aircraft development could respond so effortlessly.

“As for range, we could eliminate the rear cockpit. That would make the new aircraft more streamlined and reduce drag, while also creating room for additional internal fuel and extending its range. But even that would not be enough for large-scale long-distance strike missions. To put it simply, once anti-ship missiles are fitted, the aircraft would still fall short of the required range even with full fuel tanks. External fuel tanks are not practical either, because the few heavy-load hardpoints available would already be occupied by the anti-ship missiles.”

Chief Designer Yu’s answer left the naval officer deeply disheartened. A small aircraft was still a small aircraft. Demanding long-range maritime strikes, along with a measure of self-defense capability, was simply asking too much. Yet the project in Xianyang offered little hope at present.

Did they really have to stand by and allow those Vietnamese thieves to run rampant? Was it truly impossible to avoid having a sea without defenses?

At the thought, he could only lower his head in dejection.

“Perhaps we can find another solution. Our Super J-7 Trainer cannot conduct long-range maritime strikes, but if we free up the most important heavy-load hardpoints beneath the wings, we could provide long-range escort. Protecting heavy bombers in flight would be entirely feasible.”

To be continued.