Hearing General Crook's words, Fang Lang smiled, but did not rush to answer. Instead, he picked up the cigar and took a deep puff. He found that General Crook still did not seem to think that the destroyer could develop in that direction.
He didn't keep the secret, took a sip of the tea and said:
"I wonder if the general has paid attention to the V2 rocket invented by the Germans in the later stages of this war."
As the Secretary of the Navy, General Crook was a rare pragmatist. He was also very concerned about the new weapons that emerged during the war. Hearing this, he immediately understood what Fang Lang meant.
Blurt out:
“You mean, in the future the enemy will use missiles to launch direct attacks from a long distance?
But how can we ensure the accuracy of the missile to hit the warships sailing in the sea?"
Fang Lang looked at General Crook, who was full of surprise, and said with a faint smile:
"In fact, the HS-292 missile invented by the Germans had already proved its practical value at the end of the war.
...
...
This anti-ship missile sank several Allied transport ships in actual combat.
Since he can sink transport ships, he can naturally sink warships.
From this we can see that missiles will become the key weapon that determines victory or defeat on future battlefields.
So, looking back at our warships, do we have any means to deal with missile attacks?"
General Crook's face changed drastically when he heard this. He stood up from his chair with a bang, and the cigar in his hand fell to the ground. But General Crook seemed not to notice and began to pace back and forth in the office.
Seeing his performance, Fang Lang did not say anything, but continued to take a puff of his cigar slowly and blew a smoke ring into the sky, watching the smoke ring grow bigger and bigger in the air, and finally slowly dissipate.
General Crook, who was horrified by the scene Fang Lang had just described, suppressed his restlessness after seeing Fang Lang's movements, and turned to Fang Lang and asked:
"Fang, do you mean to research a destroyer that can defend against missile attacks?"
Fang Lang was stunned when he heard this, and after a long while he shook his head and said:
"No, General, with our current technological capabilities, we are not yet able to intercept missiles. But we must have the right to launch missiles."
It is certainly possible to intercept missiles, as we can see from the various anti-missile systems in the future world. But it is definitely not possible now. If we take intercepting missiles as a research goal now, it will probably take decades to succeed.
In this case, the time for the shipyard to produce large warships would be postponed indefinitely. This was not the result Fang Lang wanted.
However, directly researching warships carrying missiles is not an impossible task. You should know that the first missile destroyer "Mitchell" class built by Americans in later generations began construction in 1950.
Officially commissioned in 1953, the destroyer was initially equipped with only one "A weapon", the MK-108 Alfa anti-submarine rocket launcher.
Later, it was replaced with 8-mounted Asroc anti-submarine missiles and MK13 single-arm missile launchers for launching Tatar air defense missiles. It became the world's first missile destroyer.
The warship that was actually equipped with anti-ship missiles was the U.S. Navy's Coonds-class destroyer, which began construction in 1957 and was an excellent warship that served until the 1990s.
Fang Lang’s current goal is to be the first to propose the concept of missile destroyer, and then, with the support of the Brazilian Navy, invest funds to start research.
After all, it would be unacceptable for him to develop this kind of project entirely with his own private funds. Why not use the country's money to research new products for himself?
As for whether it can be exported after the research is completed, it depends on whether everyone can sit down and discuss it properly.
Fang Lang believed that given the character of Brazilian government officials, as long as the money was in place, nothing would be impossible.
After hearing Fang Lang's words, General Crook immediately grasped the key point.
"You are right. Regardless of whether we can intercept the missile attack or not, we must first have the right to launch missiles."
Then he seemed to remember something and said:
"But we don't have the ability to develop missiles!"
Hearing this, Fang Lang smiled and said:
“General, as long as the government can provide sufficient support, I can organize manpower and start researching missiles.
Whether it is an air defense missile, an anti-ship missile or a ground-to-ground missile, if one method is mastered, all methods will be mastered.
Only when we master this new weapon can we have our own voice in the world. Otherwise, we may have to purchase missiles from European and American countries.
But a strong national defense cannot be bought. My idea is that we must independently own our own national defense industry, and our Fangyuan Group is willing to take on this responsibility.
However, all this must be supported by the country.”
General Crook understood Fang Lang's meaning, and also knew Fang Lang's personal selfishness in this matter. But it must be said that what Fang Lang said made a lot of sense.
If Brazil can really have its own defense industry, then Brazil's international status will inevitably be rapidly improved. This is an opportunity that no patriotic person is willing to give up.
General Crook was just such a patriot, so he was very excited after hearing Fang Lang's words.
Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, General Crook slowly sat down on his seat, picked up the tea in front of him, drank it in one gulp, then looked at Fang Lang and said:
“I agree with what you said, but this matter is obviously beyond my authority. I need to discuss it with Marshal Moraes and President Dutra before making a final decision.
Why don't we return to the issue of destroyer construction? If I understand correctly, you want to directly develop a guided missile destroyer, right?"
Facing General Crook's gaze, Fang Lang did not dodge, but nodded firmly and said:
"Yes, General.
I think we should not limit our own efforts by being too self-deprecating. We can simply abandon the current old-fashioned destroyers and embark on the track of developing new missile destroyers.
This way we can overtake others and avoid the embarrassing situation of lagging behind developed countries in Europe and America.”
Looking at Fang Lang's determined eyes, General Crook showed a relieved smile on his face. After relighting a cigar, he took a deep puff, feeling the fragrance of the cigar smoke left between his lips and teeth, and his mood was calmed down a little.
After exhaling the cigarette in his mouth, General Crook, who had become a little agitated after hearing Fang Lang's words, slowly said:
"I understand your feelings and thoughts, but I believe you also understand that missile engineering research is obviously not something that can be completed in a day.
It's true that you want to overtake others, but I don't think we need to rush.
Even though we have seen through the inevitable trend of the development of war weapons, we don't need to be impatient for quick success and want to achieve it all at once.
Instead, you should proceed steadily and step by step. So, my opinion is that your shipyard can use the construction task of this new destroyer to start with imitating the US "Fletcher" class destroyer to exercise the shipyard's construction capabilities.
At the same time, a missile research team was established to research and manufacture missiles while designing a new missile destroyer.
Fang Lang understood that what General Crook said was all out of good intentions. But Fang Lang was a little worried because the current Brazilian government had close relations with the United States, the economy was developing rapidly, and the domestic economic strength was also steadily improving.
Moreover, the president was born as a military general and attaches great importance to military construction. He has both the strength and the willingness, and may be able to agree to this series of military expenditures.
But after the change of government, the current policies may not be as good as they are now. By then, it is unclear whether we can still get financial support from the government.
This is also the reason why Fang Lang rushed over and hoped that the Navy Department could resubmit a new performance requirement.
In Fang Lang's view, as long as a clear guiding document is issued or a formal document contract is signed during the term of this government, no matter how the subsequent government wants to deal with it, at least he has a legal advantage.
But General Crook obviously did not have such concerns, which is why he repeatedly emphasized the importance of stability.
Seeing that General Crook had spoken to this extent, Fang Lang certainly couldn't be too stubborn. After all, being an official was ultimately about dealing with the ways of the world.
After pondering for a while, Fang Lang poured himself a cup of tea and thought quickly:
"Your Excellency the General is right, I was indeed a little too hasty.
Thank you very much for your care for Fangyuan Shipyard. If I understand correctly, you mean that we should start the preliminary research of the next generation of guided missile destroyers while imitating the Fletcher class destroyer, right? "
General Crook was very pleased to hear Fang Lang admit his mistake. He had to admit that Fang Lang was indeed the best naval officer he had ever promoted.
Before he could be happy for long, Fang Lang's next words stunned him.
What do you mean? When did I ever say that we would conduct preliminary research on the next generation while imitating?
Just as he was about to ask, Fang Lang slapped his thigh, stood up from the sofa, and said in surprise:
"I understand. What the general means is that our future military equipment must achieve 'one generation in service, one generation in development, one generation in pre-research, and one generation in exploration.' Is that right?"
We are now commissioning the American-made "Fletcher" class destroyer, while at the same time conducting research and imitation, and also starting pre-research on missile destroyers and exploring the interception of anti-missile destroyers.
Oh my God! This is the law of development of our military equipment manufacturing summarized by the General, right?
This is really forward-looking. I think it should be written into our "White Paper on National Defense Equipment Development". In the future, all military equipment development of our army should follow this law.
My God! General, you are so far-sighted. "
General Crook, who was listening to Fang Lang talking to himself, seemed a little confused at the moment, with unfocused eyes. Looking at Fang Lang in front of him who was excited and couldn't express his feelings in words, he didn't know what to say for a moment.
As Fang Lang finished summarizing the four generations and even mentioned the "White Paper on the Development of National Defense Equipment", his eyes slowly began to focus, his expression gradually became interesting, and later, his face turned red.
I have to say that the four generations summarized by Fang Lang are indeed very forward-looking. They almost point out the development direction for the entire national defense industry. It would be brilliant if I put forward this at the meeting of the Ministry of National Defense.
Such an insightful summary and extremely practical development ideas alone will surely win everyone's recognition. Once it can be passed at the National Defense Conference, it will be the most representative political proposition in his personal military career.
With this political achievement, it will be a significant political asset whether he wants to be promoted or go into politics in the future.
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