The group of young people from the machinery factory had faces full of longing and admiration, their gazes towards Wang Ye resembling those directed at an idol.
In the next moment, Wang Ye turned to look at Xu Yingchang, then smiled and said, "Speaking of which..."
"I participated in internal mechanical components; however, I've never seen the assembled fighter jet, let alone a test flight."
"So, Xu Yingchang, could we go take a look?"
"I believe the landing aircraft must be our J-8, right?"
Without hesitation, Xu Yingchang readily agreed to Wang Ye's request, saying, "Of course!"
After all, the secrecy rules weren't as strict during that era, even military dependents could visit the base, children could get up close to see the fighter jets, sit in the cockpit, and even take photos.
Moreover, since Wang Ye, as the factory manager of the machinery factory, could be present here, it indicated no issues with his background.
After a while, they arrived at the airstrip.
At this moment, only about ten minutes had passed since the aircraft landed, and the ground crew was busy. Xu Yingchang proudly introduced the neatly arranged fighter jets to Wang Ye, saying, "I believe you know better than I do."
"The J-8, currently the most advanced fighter jet domestically, far superior to the J-7, let alone the J-6!"
"This is a genuine heavy fighter jet, with more payloads, faster speeds, and higher altitudes."
"Unfortunately, our troops don't have many of these yet. It's still in the testing phase and hasn't been officially deployed!"
"You're lucky to see it! It's a significant asset for protecting our airspace, a globally leading fighter jet!"
"If you join the military and pass the Air Force assessment, you might get to fly one of these."
"I have no hope anymore! Sigh!"
Perhaps because Wang Ye showed no reaction, Xu Yingchang's final introductions shifted to the group of young people from the machinery factory. Excitedly, they looked like they were itching to enlist immediately.
Meanwhile, as Wang Ye heard Xu Yingchang's proud words, he felt a deep sense of bitterness. Wang Ye knew more than what met the eye!
The J-8 he saw was still the initial model, with an intake in the nose and no radar. Among second-generation aircraft, it was relatively inferior. Internationally, groundbreaking products like the Soviet Su-27 had begun mass production, and the American F-15 had been in formal service for over seven years!
What was even more terrifying was that while China's second-generation aircraft were still in testing, the international community was gradually equipping themselves with third-generation jets, and the U.S. was already developing the fourth-generation F-22! (Using the original American generational naming convention)
So, for the next thirty years, countless Chinese Air Force soldiers would be piloting jets lagging behind their enemies by one or even two generations, sacrificing their lives to defend their homeland!
And Wang Ye knew.
Twenty years later, on a domestic military forum, a post that would be circulated for decades would appear.
The poster asked: faced with attacks from fourth-generation jets like the F-22, could we defend against enemy invasions using a massive fleet of second-generation J-8 fighter jets in a saturation attack, sacrificing ourselves in suicide missions?
When this question was posed.
One could gauge.
The level of despair among military enthusiasts of that era!
In the face of a fighter jet akin to science fiction, only despair remained!
A saturation attack was the last resort they could think of, their final hope!
And this hope was shattered when China's J-20 'Black Ribbon,' the nation's Eight-Winged Angel, was officially commissioned. With the accompanying public data, all military enthusiasts understood that facing such a fighter jet, many second-generation aircraft would be useless!
At that moment, the post became a joke, but everyone knew how bitter those years had been!
Yet, no one knew how agonizing those years were for aerospace engineers like Wang Ye!
"I'll tell you, becoming a pilot isn't easy..."
Xu Yingchang's voice echoed in his ears, and Wang Ye, looking at these old friends who would only be brought out during Chinese New Year visits in forty years, felt a profound sense of sadness.
From backwardness to advancement, China had walked forty years!
During these forty years, due to the strengthening of military power, the country endured so much injustice, yet could only swallow their grievances. Criticisms and protests, even ten thousand times over, were no match for a single strategic bomber taking off. Didn't the leaders understand this truth?
Of course, they did! But without a strong military, there was nothing they could do!
Thinking of this.
Wang Ye no longer had the mood for a nostalgic revisit, forcing a smile, he said, "It's getting late, and the aircraft will be taking off again. How about we go for a meal?"
Hearing Wang Ye's suggestion, Xu Yingchang, who had been enthusiastically explaining to the young people, grinned and said, "Sure! Let's go!"
Lunch consisted of ingredients brought by the trucks, and although the portions were meager, with the stewed meat mostly being potatoes, the soldiers still enjoyed it. Seeing this scene, Wang Ye felt even more uneasy because the country lacked funds, and now even the army's rations could only ensure they were fed. Compared to the military exercises and maneuvers in later years, where even the cooks would create gourmet dishes, it was worlds apart!
The meal was tasteless.
At around five o'clock, amidst warm farewells, the group from the machinery factory left the base.
Finally, nearly five o'clock, the two cars returned to the machinery factory.
Wang Ye, feeling unusually heavy-hearted, returned to his office after getting off the car, sat in his chair, remained silent for a moment, then took out the tools for mechanical drawing, preparing to start working.
Seated in his chair, Wang Ye focused his mind, no longer pondering over what had happened earlier.
"I didn't expect to start mechanical drawings again..."
"I really need to develop computers quickly!"
Looking at the array of mechanical drawing tools and the spread-out drawing paper, Wang Ye couldn't help but smile wryly and scratch his head. In the future, drawing would be mostly done on computers, and hand-drawing would become less common. Now, picking up these tools again, he felt somewhat uncomfortable!
Muttering a few words, Wang Ye began to busy himself.
Of course, the initial drawings weren't good, and several sheets of drawing paper were scrapped. But as he became more familiar with the tools, the feeling gradually returned, and the drawings became more orderly.
And what Wang Ye was drawing was none other than a steel pipe rocket.
Although gas cylinders had great power, their significant drawback was their short range. If shot on the same horizontal plane, the range wouldn't exceed two kilometers.
So, Wang Ye chose a steel pipe rocket with a caliber of 120 millimeters, which could achieve a range of fifteen kilometers even when using homemade propellant. As the second product of the machinery factory, in Africa, this range was already considered a strategic weapon.
Before Wang Ye's rebirth, this kind of weapon had already achieved remarkable results in Africa and Central Asia, proving its market value.