Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

Capital City, Old Mo Restaurant.

Recently, Qin Yang had been busy with work and hadn't enjoyed a meal at Old Mo Restaurant in a long time. This time, returning to the restaurant and sitting in his usual spot with his wife, Nie Xiaoqian, by his side, Qin Yang felt a surge of contentment.

"President Qin, I've been wanting to treat you to a meal for a while, but every time I called, your company said you were busy, on a business trip. Although you're young, you have to take care of your health. Don't ruin yourself by working too hard." Across from him, Raphael raised his glass and said to Qin Yang, "Life and work must be balanced. As you say, it's called work-life balance. Come, I'll toast you!"

"Cheers!" Qin Yang raised his glass and drank it in one gulp. This wine was truly excellent.

"In the Falklands War, the British provided the money and effort, but you French got all the glory! Your Exocet missiles became famous in this naval battle. You'll definitely be able to sell a lot of missiles in the future, right?" Qin Yang raised his second glass: "Come, I wish you great sales of French weapons!"

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became harmonious.

"By the way, what brings you to me this time?" Qin Yang asked.

Thomas began, "President Qin, your navy has already installed the Crotale missile system we provided on your warships for testing. They've expressed great satisfaction with the test results. Moreover, the recent naval battle has shown the unreliability of the Sea Dart missile. So, shouldn't your navy be determined to place an order?"

"That's right, President Qin, as long as your navy places an order, your six million dollars will arrive soon."

Qin Yang realized, "You mean you want me to urge the navy to place an order as soon as possible?"

"Exactly, President Qin. With the outbreak of this naval battle, our French weapons have gained the favor of many countries' navies. We have to work overtime to produce them. The quantity you need is very large. If you don't place an order quickly, it's estimated that we won't be able to complete the delivery to you for three to five years. You should also know that relying on anti-aircraft guns for air defense is outdated and has no chance of winning in modern naval warfare."

"Okay, I'll take care of this matter." Qin Yang looked at his wife beside him: "Xiaoqian, please ask the old man to arrange for me to visit the navy. It would be even better if I could board that refitted warship."

"Okay." Nie Xiaoqian nodded obediently.

"President Qin, shall we meet on the 105 ship?" Thomas asked.

"Okay, I will do my best to persuade those people then. French goods are the most advanced in the world! Whether it's the French Exocet missile or the French Crotale missile, but there's a question you need to consider in advance."

"What question?"

"If someone asks, if you use an Exocet missile to attack a warship equipped with a Crotale missile, who will win?"

The two men were stunned. Yes, who would win? This question was unanswerable.

"You have to answer: That depends on the skill of the operator. After all, what determines the outcome of a battle is not the weapon, but the person. People are always the most important factor."

"President Qin is right. Come, cheers, and thank you for the reminder!"

...

The construction of the motherland's navy was a difficult journey. In the early days of the founding of the country, the focus was on air, submarine, and fast attack craft, but there was also a need for large warships to maintain presence. Therefore, a huge amount of money was spent to purchase second-hand Type 07 destroyers from the old Maozi. Some say it cost seventeen tons of gold, and others say it was sixty million rubles per ship. In any case, the price was not cheap.

Buying them only solved the problem of having something. The navy still needed to develop its own. This plan started in the 1950s, especially after 1957, when the East obtained some technical data on the Type 56 destroyer. The self-developed destroyer project began. Later, various things happened, and in 1967, the project officially started. In 1968, the first destroyer officially started construction, and it was completed and commissioned in 1971. This was the 105 ship.

It has been more than ten years since then. Under the careful maintenance of the naval soldiers, the condition of this warship has always been very good. There is no sign of rust on the warship, just like when it was first launched.

Its freeboard flared outward, and its length-to-width ratio was very large, bearing the shadow of World War II warships. If it weren't for the two triple anti-ship missile launchers in the middle of the hull, it would be indistinguishable from a World War II warship. In the middle were two large smokestacks. Because the boiler had enough steam, it once reached a maximum speed of 37 knots during sea trials, which was one of its few commendable performances.

Looking at the other weapons: the twin 100mm naval guns at the bow and stern were completely manually controlled, and the Type 61 anti-aircraft guns in the middle of the hull were simply half-exposed, making people sigh at its obsolescence.

At this time, standing on the pier, Qin Yang looked at the 105 ship and felt a sense of urgency deep in his heart. The navy's renewal was imminent!

Hearing his words, Raphael frowned and then said, "We can not be on-site to direct, but we have to go out to sea with you. In case there is a problem, we can immediately troubleshoot."

"Didn't your side guarantee that there would be no problems?" a naval leader asked.

"Of course, but no weapon can guarantee 100% reliability. Anyone who says that is a liar."

"Alright."

"Let's go, let's board the ship." Qin Yang said, "Come, Mr. Raphael, please introduce me to the Crotale first. I haven't seen it yet. Where is it installed?"

"At the stern of the warship." Raphael said, "After all, this is just a simple modification, so we directly removed the twin 37mm naval guns on the second deck at the stern of the warship, which is just enough to install our eight-unit launcher there. Of course, when it is officially equipped in the future, it will still be installed in the front. On the rear mast of this warship, we modified a Sea Tiger sea-to-air search radar to provide target data. At the rear of the warship, we added a console..."

Thomas was currently behind, re-inspecting the weapon system. As a technician, he was meticulous. When he saw Qin Yang coming over, he also enthusiastically introduced it.

Qin Yang listened very carefully.

"Sealed in the launch box, it can prevent sea salt corrosion, not bad."

"It can also automatically reload, amazing!"

Just as he was marveling, a sailor hurried over: "Report, the boiler won't light!"