Tomcat is a project of Northrop Grumman, a rival that once wanted to merge with Lockheed Martin, but was fortunately stopped by the government, otherwise Boeing would have faced a behemoth.
Even with subsidies from the civilian market, they still can't beat such a formidable opponent.
Today, the F-14 has been ruthlessly abandoned by the Navy due to the collapse of the alliance, while its contemporary F-18 has evolved into the Super Hornet.
With new talent comes the old, and the F-4S project, an upgrade from the second-generation fighter, is a pity, but it's not wrong to throw it into the trash heap.
What if I'm interested in it?
Xia Yu spoke up.
Are you interested?
Jason raised his voice.
"Yes, this is the least expensive way to acquire a heavy variable-sweep wing fighter jet. With an additional investment of a few hundred million or a billion dollars on the prototype, it can be mass-produced and put into combat."
Xia Yu explained.
Starting a project from scratch is a no-go for your hometown; they won't be willing to let you mess around. But revitalizing discarded projects that have been tested in wind tunnels is a great way to practice and save money—there's no better option.
As for the engines that are compatible with the Ultimate Phantom, even if mass production is to be carried out, only a dozen or so aircraft will be produced, which would amount to twenty or thirty engines for a dual-engine aircraft.
Designing a dedicated product is not cost-effective; Xia Yu can also obtain shelving products like the F110-GE-400-Phantom and F110-GE-129 without system improvements for this quantity.
This engine's maximum thrust is not much higher than the old F110-GE-100, but the number of parts is reduced by 40% to 50%, which is very logistically friendly.
"Upgrading an old F-5 like the Tacair to a near-third-generation F-5AT seems like too much money!"
Jason said after he had finished processing what the other person had said.
"That's your company. My team's research and development costs are relatively low."
It's said that you can buy a new iPhone after working in the US for a week. However, that's about all the things that are cheap. Human resources and healthy food are much more expensive.
Not to mention that Boeing, as a private company, prioritizes profitability, and the contract prices they offer to the Navy and Air Force are generally quite high.
To restart the F-4S project, Xia Yu only needs a few hundred million or a billion yuan. Let's switch to Boeing and start with 5 billion yuan!
"You're right."
Jason found himself unable to refute the argument. He could tell clients that if they thought it was too expensive, that was their problem, but when it came to competitors, he should just give up and say, "We all know each other!"
"As a collector of Spey Ghosts, Navy Ghosts, and Xila Modern Ghosts, I really hope to see the Ultimate Ghost project come to fruition and take to the skies of Afica."
Xia Yu said sincerely and made a promise.
"I hope Mr. Jason can grant me this wish. I will be very grateful for the reward."
In his plan, this project could be secured for around eight figures, so spending seven figures on public relations wouldn't be expensive. Now it just depends on whether the other party can seize the opportunity.
“Since Mr. Sherlock has said so, it would be unreasonable for me not to help. I feel the same way as you, and I also want to see the day when the ultimate monster takes to the sky. It’s unlikely in the skies of North America, so it would be nice to see it in Afica.”
After Xia Yu hinted at that number, Jason demonstrated through his actions what it means to be a wise man who knows when to yield.
Anyway, these are all plans that were abandoned in the 1970s. After the millennium, even variable sweep wing technology was phased out, so they can be sold to raise some funds.
He's done a great service and should be legally entitled to a share of the profits, so why wouldn't he do it?
The CEO can earn tens of millions in salary, while subordinates like Jason only earn a little over a million a year. They don't even earn as much as Xia Yu and Thompson do selling a used fighter jet.
Having resources and connections means that working for someone else doesn't earn as much as starting your own business. Some people remain unmoved, while others want to make up for lost time.
Jason is the latter type, but he only takes jobs he's confident he can do. Compared to those reckless people in the military, Thompson is considered good, since they just want a bigger discount.
Xia Yu is even more concerned about doing them a favor; if the CIA wants to say something, they themselves are not clean.
…………
After finishing their conversation, the three of them left the aircraft assembly workshop and went their separate ways home. It wasn't until more than a month later that Jason sent back a message.
"Buzz"
The Fisher landed in Chicago, Illinois, a well-known inland city where Boeing's headquarters are located.
Xia Yu came to discuss a contract. Although it was a small deal, as long as it involved money, and with Jason, an insider, pushing things along, the efficiency was suddenly much faster.
They unearthed the prototype of the F-4S from a corner of McDonnell Douglas's old factory, and even a wind tunnel model of the F-4MS.
Well, back then, when the Navy was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, Old Mack thought of tricking the British into becoming guinea pigs, getting them to buy at least 200 Spey Phantoms with variable sweep wings, thereby reducing production costs and tempting the Navy.
The British weren't buying it; they had the Harriers, and the variable-sweep wing project only invested in the Gale.
Ultimately, the F-4MS only had a wind tunnel test, and no prototype was ever built.
However, for the $10 million price tag, Boeing also included its wind tunnel model.
The concentrated fire defense is useless anyway, but Xia Yu can modify one just like that and collect both versions of the ultimate ghost.
After signing the contract and paying the final payment, in addition to the prototype and wind tunnel model, he also received a container full of paper documents.
After all, the third generation of computers had just come out at that time, and the hard drive capacity was also quite limited. Although paper drawings were primitive, they were very practical.
By the time the two-seater Warthog arrived, technology had advanced rapidly, and a single portable hard drive could hold all the data.
However, if it's all paper materials, we definitely can't just take it back like that, because the content on it is just a relatively complete original F-4S.
In addition to avionics, we also need to find ways to incorporate the optimized details of the system version.
Xia Yu took the container directly back to the barn on the Seattle farm.
This month, he and Liv have found a suitable target and plan to tear down their original wooden house and build a brick-and-mortar one.
The barn remains, and the container and tractor unit are parked inside it.
Xia Yu waved his hand and put it into the subspace garage. Then, he used the system to photocopy all the blueprints and compared them with the technical data of the ultimate ghost. He supplemented and modified 50% of the missing and different parts and then saved them to the hard drive.
This is based on data. In reality, the prototype was also taken into the hangar, modified to some extent, and then shipped to the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
“Honey, things are mostly done in North America, but it’s a bit early to go back home. Let’s go back to Afica first.”
Looking at the country villa whose foundation was already being laid, Xia Yu asked his wife for her opinion.
During this time, he kept an eye on the museum, while Liv acquired a small farm of 120 acres, 25 kilometers from Paine Airport. The price was reasonable; there were larger farms for sale further away, but they weren't really coming to the US to farm, so a smaller farm would be easier to manage.
As for returning to China, Liv is already showing her pregnancy. The due date for twins is half a month to a month earlier than for a singleton. Dichorionic diamniotic twins are usually full term at 36 weeks, unlike Little Yuzu who didn't come out until more than 40 weeks.
However, it's still a bit early to go back home. They can still find time to go back to Afica first to check on the situation in Kidal.
"I'll listen to you. We won't be short a week or two. Let's get everything settled before we go back."
She agreed to her husband's arrangement. The FHC museum business was on track, the farm was just a place to stay, and there was no need to keep an eye on the progress of the villa and outbuildings.
On the contrary, I have to take another look at the aircraft graveyard in Mary, with its expanded runway and newly built hangars and bunkers, before I go back.
Of course, there's also the main building of the Cold War-themed pavilion, which is currently under construction.
Xia Yu plans to put the site into operation no later than next year, that is, 2020, and he must keep a close eye on the project's progress.
"There are also new fighter jet orders. First, I'll fly to Konluga, then to Kedar, then north to Europe to check on the construction of the French office, and finally back to Asia."
Xia Yu arranged the entire itinerary for her return trip to China.
He sent his wife back to China first, as he wouldn't be able to stay for more than two weeks before heading to the Asian branch.
If everything goes smoothly, Xia Yu will be able to return in two or three months to welcome the arrival of two new lives.
If things don't go well, then he'll have to come back.
After all, even if you lose a little profit, you can earn it back. And when your wife gives birth, whether it's the second or the third child, the husband has to be there.
Another evening, the couple boarded the Fisher and flew directly to Konluga without stopping for refueling in New York.
Lao Qian and his team flew the entire way in 10 hours, slept until they landed in Xia Yu, and first sent Liv back to Boge Village.
His words then led to Pointe-Black Harbor, where he waved and released the Zubr-class hovercraft, which had been prepared during his time in the United States.
The upcoming Southeast Asian deployment will be led by the Red Mustang, while the Resilient-class has been integrated into unmanned combat vessels, so there is basically no need for a vessel as large as the Bison.
So let's stay in Guoba until the team is fully staffed!
They will be launched together after the F-14D is officially in operation at the aircraft carrier museum.
As Xia Yu thought this, her eyes also turned to the other end of the warehouse.
There was a Tomcat fighter jet parked there, with a fuselage length of 19.1 meters and its wings retracted.
The remaining two are in the warehouse next door. The three F-14Ds promised by the US Navy have finally been delivered, but it will be at least another six months before they are put into service on ships.
Pilots and maintenance personnel all need training. Even hiring experienced personnel from that year would require adapting to the São Paulo, which is, after all, a German aircraft carrier.
Fortunately, they only operate two. The one in front of them is a backup, and Xia Yu will disassemble it and print one out as a collectible.
[Project: F-14D]
Completeness: 99.5% (Ready for repair)
The fact that the US removed sensitive devices such as IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) is not 100% complete; however, the AN/APG-71 pulse-Doppler radar and IR/TCS tactical electronic eye system, which are digitally upgraded from the AN/AWG-9, were not removed.
There's no other reason than that these days, phased array radars and even more advanced electro-optical targeting pods are used, and the advanced equipment of yesteryear can no longer meet the needs of actual combat.
Let alone using an F-14A to take down a Su-57, even sending an F-14D would be self-deception.
However, by releasing it to the civilian market, it will still allow ordinary people to catch a glimpse of the Tomcat's former glory.
A good gun needs good ammunition, and air-to-air missiles, known as the Phoenix, are also indispensable.
Xia Yu looked toward the side of the fighter jet against the wall, where several large boxes contained spare F110-GE-400 engines.
The numerous smaller boxes contained 100 AIM-54C missiles that were 28 years old and nearing the end of their service life.
In the arms trade market, there are also older missiles that are still in service, such as the Persian Cat's AIM-54A.
But before the F-14 was retired, the US Navy had already retired all the Phoenix fighters. Over the years, half of them were dismantled and destroyed, and the rest were stripped of their solid fuel and left to gather dust in warehouses.
Xia Yu only managed to buy 100 rounds today, or rather, he originally didn't want to buy any at all, but he had no choice but to buy a batch to cover his tracks.
Fortunately, the price wasn't high either. In the 1990s, the cost was less than 500,000 per missile. With the supplementary clause for three F-14Ds, it only cost 100,000 per missile. Of course, there was no guarantee that these old missiles would fire, and you would have to find a way to change the propellant yourself.
Xia Yu said he would replace it himself, and while he was at it, he would also maintain the guidance head, warhead, cooling system, and engine to ensure that there wasn't a single dud.
However, even the newly manufactured AIM-54C could only aim at large bombers.
Tom Cruise shot down the MiG-28 using a Sidewinder, not a Phoenix. More maneuverable fighter jets can outmaneuver such missiles.
Xia Yu collected all 100 AIM-54C rockets into the system for maintenance, and the raw material reserves for synthesizing solid propellants in the storage depot were also rapidly decreasing.
In addition to the 100 copies he purchased, he also needs to print another 100 copies as a backup, in case business is too good next year.
After all, an F-14D can carry 6 rounds per sortie, so 200 rounds would only take about 30 sorties.
The Phoenix was priced slightly higher than the AIM-120, at $3 million per unit, roughly the price of a Bugatti, which translates to a revenue of 600 million.
With the addition of target drones and other consumer products, reaching 1 billion or more in revenue is not a problem, especially with the filming of "Top Gun 2" starting last year, which will also bring a huge wave of traffic.
However, it was originally scheduled for release this summer, and it's almost April now, with no promotional activities yet. I'm afraid the release might be postponed.
Actually, it's fine. The postponement to next year means they can catch up just in time.
Xia Yu's left eyelid has been twitching, and it's unclear whether there will be any further complications.
Without much thought, he turned around and went to the last raw material warehouse to replenish the chemical raw materials that were in high demand.
After working at the port until night, Xia Yu returned to Boge Village to rest for the night.
He stayed in Komluga for less than a week. On the morning of his journey to Marie, he made one last trip to the cave sub-base and temporarily stored the fourth F-14D that had been disassembled and printed there.
The extended launch range of the steam catapult can launch the ultimate monster, and naturally it can also launch a fully fueled and loaded tomcat.
After Liv gives birth, I'll bring her here again next year around this time so she can experience what it means to "fly wing to wing".
Thinking of this, Xia Yu went to the corner and released all the tens of thousands of shells that had been printed over the past few months.
The same goes for the AIM-54C, which we don't need right now; we'll pick it up when we need it.
Before leaving, he glanced around one last time, finally storing the fully prepared Type 206 spare parts boat in the subspace berth. Then, he waved goodbye and returned to Pointe-Noire Airport, his next stop being Mari.
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