"A US reconnaissance plane once again broke into a sensitive area and approached 20 nautical miles from the coastline!"
"The communication channels may have all been intercepted. Do we still have secrets in front of them?"
"Protest, protest, what else can we do besides protest?"
"The bottom line is lowering step by step. When will it end?"
"The suspension of AL-31FN procurement may have serious consequences. The coastal defense line will be further emptied, and the Republic's air defense will be ineffective!"
"Over the South China Sea, the J-8 was tricked by a propeller plane!"
.....
Lin Yongming, who was sitting in the office, frowned as one piece of news came out.
He expected that the United States would take advantage of this opportunity to take action, but he did not expect that the other party's actions would be so radical.
Arrive directly at the territorial sea line!
Yes, the actual distance that the EP-3E reconnaissance plane reached was not 20 nautical miles, but 15 nautical miles.
They even took a leisurely stroll around the 15-nautical mile boundary line for two times before leaving under the "escort" of three J-8 fighter jets.
In a military confrontation, the humiliation caused by such a provocation is self-evident.
If it were not for the strict discipline of this army, some unpredictable consequences might even occur on the spot...
But what can we do?
The United States had just won the war in Iraq, and morale was high at this time, but we didn't even have a single aircraft to fly.
For them, the deterrent effect is almost zero.
Is there really going to be a war?
It is definitely not difficult to shoot down an EP-3E, but if we become the one who fires the first shot, all subsequent actions will be passive.
After all, there is no air defense identification zone established in the South China Sea. According to international legal principles, the other party does not violate the rules.
I just disgust you, do you still dare to hit me?
What to fight with?
Use those few to defeat the J-8?
It’s so uncomfortable!
In the past few days, Lin Yongming has faced unprecedented pressure.
I don’t know how many different departments called him to question him and questioned his previous decision to suspend the purchase of AL-31FN.
Among them, an old man’s earnest advice is very representative:
"Yongming, I know what you want to do, but the problem is that we don't have the conditions now."
"It is absolutely impossible to aim too high in aviation. Many times, we have to drink some rice porridge mixed with sand first."
“Only when you are full can you have the strength to farm.”
"As for whether the sand in the stomach cuts the intestines or wears the stomach, it doesn't matter. We have to survive first..."
Lin Yongming was extremely moved by these words, so much so that he almost couldn't help but call his superiors again to renegotiate the AL-31FN purchase.
But if that's the case...
Then wouldn’t all the previous efforts have been in vain?
He sighed heavily and looked at the schedule aside.
In two hours, the third discussion meeting of Project 22 will be held.
Different from the previous two purely technical discussions, this time many senior experts, scholars, and leaders in the confidential field have signed up to participate.
And their purpose is self-evident:
Convince Lin Yongming to abandon Singapore Airlines and restart AL-31FN procurement!
When the time comes, it is still unknown whether I can convince them, or whether I can resist being convinced by them...
He clenched his fists slightly, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a number...
...
On the other hand, Chen Nian had finished his morning material science lesson. Through discussions with Hu Xu, he once again reduced the analysis consumption of ceramic-based TBC materials to 0.03 source points.
Afterwards, he completed the analysis non-stop and began to output the material formula and manufacturing process on paper.
This material is not too complicated, so it doesn't take much time.
It was at the same time that he made the final stroke that he received a call from Lin Yongming.
The content of the phone call asked him to remotely participate in the later discussion.
According to Lin Yongming, no matter what the outcome is, Chen Nian is one of the promoters of this project, and he must be given an explanation.
Chen Nian heard that Lin Yongming's tone was a bit pessimistic, but he didn't take it seriously at all.
Because he knows that with these things in his hands, it is absolutely impossible for this project to be canceled...
...
Two hours later, the Project 22 discussion meeting officially began.
As soon as the meeting started, even before Lin Yongming had time to make an opening, a storm of questions came.
"Lin Yongming, do you watch the news?"
The speaker was an old man with gray hair. He stood upright with his hands on the table and stared sharply at Lin Yongming on the podium.
"Mr. He, I know what you are going to say, but..."
"But what but?! Do you know that because of your decision, people have bullied us!"
"The reconnaissance plane flew close to the coastline, flying blatantly!"
"The door to the South China Sea is about to be kicked open! Do you know what this means?!"
"In your eyes, Lin Yongming, does it mean that as long as your position is important, the face of the country is not important?!"
"What kind of new engine and what kind of new plane are we going to make? Have you finished it?"
"Jian Shi is about to fly. Because of your words, it will be delayed again!"
"Delay, delay, how long will it be delayed? Do you have to wait until other bombers land at our airport before your plane can take off?"
The old man was shaking all over, and anyone could tell that what he said to Lin Yongming was not a dispute of temper, but a concrete statement of the fact that he was most worried about.
Yeah, the reconnaissance planes flew right in the face.
Who can swallow this breath?
But what should I do if I can’t swallow it?
Most people have an answer in mind:
At least let the third generation aircraft fly first.
In other words, at least put the AL-31FN on the aircraft first.
In this way, at least we can reach a higher level in terms of deterrence...
So, before Lin Yongming had time to answer, more echoing voices began to appear.
"Yes, there is no need to build a new aircraft so quickly. Doesn't Chengdu Aircraft have a project there?"
"Not to mention the engine, the WS-10 is completely unable to meet the usable standards. The AL-31FN is the best choice now."
"Mr. Lin, please restart the introduction of AL-31FN. We all know what you want to do, but if you can't do it, don't do it at a later date..."
"Project No. 22 is not progressing very fast either, so why not just cancel it too..."
...
Lin Yongming looked at everyone present sadly. Even the core members of the No. 22 project team were a little shaken at this moment.
They don't know if their choice is right.
They don't know if they can see hope if they continue on this road.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Yongming, looking forward to his answer.
Lin Yongming took a deep breath, suppressed his slightly fluctuating emotions, and said in a calm tone:
"Project No. 22 is unquestionable. We have made significant progress so far. A series of designs, including the body structure diagram, have been verified and are about to enter the experimental manufacturing stage."
"At the same time, we have also successfully verified the industrial production methods of several new materials, including new titanium-aluminum alloys, new nickel-iron alloys, etc..."
"What is the use?"
Before he finished speaking, someone immediately interrupted.
"What we are discussing now is not the problem of your aircraft, but the problem of the engine!"
"What we ask for is to restart the introduction of AL-31FN and let the J-10 fly!"
"Can your structural diagram and your new materials make the Jian Shi fly?"
"Are you going to fight the Yankee planes with the structural diagrams, or are you going to use your new materials to shoot them down?"
"Without an engine, what's the use of materials? You don't know how long it took to design the WS-10? Tell me, how long do you plan to spend on building a new engine?"
"Ten years, twenty years?"
"Will China still be there by then?"
The series of questions left Lin Yongming almost speechless. He subconsciously wanted to lower his head, but the reluctance in his heart stopped him from doing so.
"It won't take that long. Our plan is to give everyone an explanation within a year..."
"Are you kidding me? In one year? In one year, you can't even come up with data! You don't even have basic data, how can you build an engine?"
Lin Yongming wanted to continue speaking, but the noisy questioning quickly drowned him out.
At this moment, he felt a desperate suffocation.
----But this suffocation only lasted less than half a minute.
Because, in the corner, there was a red phone. After being amplified by the loudspeaker equipment, it gave a clear answer:
"We have the data."
