Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

A temporary film developing and editing area had been set up in a warehouse at the base. When the developed film was played, everyone became excited.

"Great, this shot is fantastic!"

"I never thought our pilots could fly so well!"

"The cameraman is also great, capturing the middle finger gesture perfectly. I didn't expect us to succeed on the first try! We saved a lot of film!"

"Who cares about the cost of film? Think about how much it costs for a single flight!"

"Putting this clip at the beginning will definitely attract a large audience! This will be a successful modern air combat film, the first of its kind!"

Everyone already felt that once this film was released, it would create a new history. Before this, there had never been a movie primarily featuring modern jet fighters. The most recent air combat film was a World War II movie made more than twenty years ago.

They didn't know that this was not only unprecedented but also likely to be the last of its kind. Later air combat movies were all made in studios, combined with some edited footage of aviation training, full of loopholes: the wings are empty during takeoff, but they start dropping bombs as they fly! It takes off as a single-seater, but returns as a two-seater.

There was no way they could film everything with actual flights; the cost would be astronomical! No film crew could afford such expenses or the risks. It's much easier to have a backdrop and actors striking cool poses in front.

Only Top Gun used real footage from beginning to end!

"Director Qin is a genius. By the way, where is Director Qin?" Pellehark asked.

The plot and the shots were all designed by Director Qin. Now, the shots were thrilling and perfectly showcased the F-14 Tomcat's powerful performance and the pilots' superb skills, as well as the most important element: individual heroism. Pellehark knew who the biggest contributor was.

"Director Qin is over on the tarmac."

"It seems he's still very interested in our aircraft," Pellehark said. "It's strange, if they like it, why don't they just buy it?"

On the tarmac, a large group of maintenance personnel were busily working. Some of the aircraft's skin panels were open, revealing the equipment inside.

Elder Tu and Qin Yang stood outside the cordon, watching the large group of people maintaining the aircraft from a distance, and marveling at how advanced the aircraft's design was.

"Leaving openings directly in the fuselage makes maintenance very convenient."

"That's right. We can also develop in this direction when improving our aircraft." Qin Yang looked at the tail of the F-14 Tomcat. "Especially the engine, with the opening directly below the tail, making it easy to install and remove. A new engine can be replaced in an hour. Our J-7 fighter requires removing the rear fuselage, and it takes several days to replace an engine."

"Yes, these design concepts are very advanced. There's a lot we can learn from, even if we don't touch it, just watching from a distance is very beneficial."

As the two were talking, Pellehark walked over. "What do you two think of our aircraft?"

"Your aircraft is very good, we like it very much," Qin Yang said. "It's a pity we can only look at it now. If we could help with the maintenance and upkeep with you, that would be even better."

"I'm sorry, before we came, we received instructions that we must not reveal any secrets of this aircraft before your side decides to order it," Pellehark said. "Actually, I personally hope that you can have better access to it and understand it, so that your side will definitely like it more, and then place a purchase order."

Qin Yang nodded. "That's right, even just looking at it from a distance, we already like it."

As the few were talking, several pilots walked over. Maverick Scola had his arm around Sun Tianqing's shoulder, talking loudly, looking very intimate.

"Director Qin, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, we like the American F-14 Tomcat fighter. I wonder if our American friends like our J-7 fighter. When you train in the future and do simulated combat, wouldn't it be more appropriate to use our J-7 fighter? After all, it is a real MiG fighter."

Snodgrass's eyes lit up. "That's right! That's how it should be. Our Blue Force unit should be equipped with a batch of J-7 fighters, so that students can have better simulated training!"

Sun Tianqing breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Director Qin had other intentions. After all this, he just wanted to sell the J-7 to the Americans.

Elder Tu's eyes were filled with gratitude. Director Qin had already helped them sell the J-7 to Jordan, and now, he was trying to sell the J-7 to the United States, the world's leading aviation power. Anyway, this fighter was originally a copy of the MiG-21, there was nothing to keep secret, selling it to make money was the key.

"Okay, this needs a report," Pellehark nodded. "Snodgrass, you write a report. By the way, Director Qin, can you organize a test flight here? Let our pilots fly your J-7 fighter once to get a feel for it?"

Selling aircraft requires the buyer to test it, right? This request was normal.

Qin Yang nodded. "Of course, but you have to go through training. After all, our aircraft doesn't have a two-seat trainer yet. Lao Sun, you should communicate with the Americans more in the next few days to help them master the operation of our J-7. Whether they can fly solo depends on you."

The JJ-7 was not developed until the 1980s, and first flew in 1985. It is now only 1981. The J-7 only has a single-seat fighter. For Eastern pilots, converting to it is nothing, because from the J-5 to the J-6 to the J-7, the cockpit has not changed much, but for the Americans, they need to be trained before they can fly it.

Sun Tianqing nodded.

This was normal work, not his special opportunity to approach the Americans, but something done openly and legitimately.

"I almost forgot the purpose of my visit," Pellehark said, remembering something. "Director Qin, today's shots were very successful, and we are all very satisfied. Can you add some more brilliant shots to the script's combat footage?"

"This..." Qin Yang thought for a moment. "I don't have any other inspiration at the moment, but if I could sit inside and fly around once, maybe I would have some inspiration."

Seeing Qin Yang's finger pointing at the F-14 Tomcat, Pellehark smiled. "Director Qin, you really never miss an opportunity. We have to fly the J-7, and you want to fly the Tomcat."

"I don't need to fly the plane, I just need to sit in the back and feel it," Qin Yang said.

"In that case, we have to report to the higher-ups, it will probably take a few days."

An eternal classic