Chapter 162
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Chapter 162: Where is Your ‘Gold Coin’?
For domestic research capabilities, just one F119-PW-100 engine could meet development needs, but Lin Mo sent six at once, which was an incredible fortune. The speed of this breakthrough was beyond a mere sixfold increase. The packaging even included common consumables, indicating that even if Lin Mo actually used these two engines, the current technological level in China could handle the consumption.
While there were finished reference items, direct mass production was still not feasible. Lin Mo’s seized items could only provide references for future engine models, which was already a significant comfort for domestic aviation engine research companies.
“Unload them later, load them onto the truck, and send them to the highest level of the secure storage!” Lin Mo had no intention of leaving such important items here. Just the value of these two engines alone would not be less than ten million dollars each.
The J-8IIM was worth about that; the export price for the J-8 was around the same. Lin Mo effectively contributed six complete J-8IIs to the country, and its implications extended far beyond that.
Perhaps one reason for returning these two disassembled F119-PW-100 vector thrust engines to Lin Mo was to see how far his “genius” fighter aircraft could advance; after all, Lin Mo was not just theorizing on paper but had a real design expert and several aircraft designers backing him, along with ready access to powerful supercomputer systems and wind tunnel laboratories, while professional defense manufacturers were working tirelessly to develop and produce parts. Until now, the state hadn’t invested a penny. Even if it was unsuccessful, any small breakthrough would still be worth the investment.
The remaining four engines were already sufficient and even exceeded the expectations of national research institutions. It was noteworthy that they had previously relied on scraps for analysis, and now they had four complete, brand-new, intact engines waiting to be unpacked.
No one would believe that Lin Mo would return these two engines back to America, as that would be an undeniably dangerous move; the Americans were already frenzied, like mad dogs, barking at anyone they could catch. Recently, several terrorist organizations that were at odds with America had faced devastating strikes, eradicated completely. In China, people were secretly celebrating, knowing it would take fifty or sixty years before such high-level secrets might be declassified.
Returning these two engines to Lin Mo was, in a sense, an investment. The military leaders and the assembly department wanted to see just how far this young lieutenant, already labeled a future aircraft design expert, could go.
Lin Mo himself didn’t even realize that the combination of knowledge transfer from being an aircraft design expert alongside the rich combat experience of an ace pilot effectively paved a lifelong career path for him until retirement. The moment he retired as a pilot, he would go report to the aircraft design institute.
“Why are you just standing there? Unpack and send them away!” Old Pan was quick to act, stuffing the protective bubble wrap back into the boxes and shouting for the unloading and aircrew team to promptly unload the two F119-PW-100 vector thrust engines.
Captain Pan kept his lips sealed and mentioned nothing, so naturally no one knew what was inside the tightly-packed shipment, only that these two heavy items were significant. Some smart ones might have guessed, from the shapes, that they were fighter jet engines, but they would never have imagined they were F-22 engines.
Captain Pan personally covered them with a white cloth, and under the protection of internal security, they were sent to the high-security storage. Specialized fingerprint and facial recognition locks were installed; aside from Lin Mo, no one else could remove these engines from the storage.
Lin Mo once again pounced on his "genius" fighter jet. This hangar, surrounded by barbed-wire walls and covering nearly a hundred square meters, was the most important place in his eyes. However, this wasn’t a typical air force base. With Captain Pan overseeing things, the confidentiality and security were absolute. Aside from the aircrew colleagues monitoring it, no unauthorized personnel would dare intrude.
He turned on several lights and illuminated the LED lights arranged within the airframe; suddenly, the “genius” shone brightly. The complicated wiring inside was neatly tied with standard fastenings, contrasting beautifully with the incomplete airframe, creating a dreamlike scene alongside Lin Mo’s handcrafted wooden "genius" model and the already positioned J-10A, resembling a formation of fighter jets.
Three fighter jets lined up together, a spectacular sight.
A twelve-degree-of-freedom multi-joint intelligent robotic arm, which Lin Mo had ordered for nearly 1.8 million yuan, was positioned at the wing’s edge. Originally intended for industrial assembly lines, this robotic arm had become a great assistant for Lin Mo. Through optical recognition, high-precision positioning systems, and programmable interface drivers, it could now replace Lin Mo in completing many complex precision assembly tasks. This robotic arm, capable of stretching up to twelve meters, could cover a substantial portion of the airframe, supporting multifunctional modules for cutting, welding, and assembly, all while accurately scanning and locating positions to even screw in bolts and screws.
Since finishing the African order mission, Lin Mo had devoted himself entirely to this still-unfinished fighter jet, and now that the two most important engines were installed, it was like seeing dawn breaking. Yes, the completion of the actual product was almost in sight.
He carefully marked the engines’ positions and dimensions, connecting them to the fly-by-wire system, control system, and navigation system. A real fighter jet was finally taking shape, but it still had a long way to go compared to the preset parameters of the “genius.”
Whenever he had free time, Lin Mo poured all his energy and time into this unfinished fighter jet. Although Old Pan would occasionally comment, he no longer dared to say that Lin Mo was simply dreaming; at the very least, the parts equipped for this fighter jet were substantial enough to say that replacing it with another J-10 was definitely possible.
More than 40 million was indeed a huge investment.
The airframe was gradually taking shape day by day, surrounded by numerous workstations and processing stations. While it wasn’t as complete as a standard production workshop, every component and tool was neatly organized, resembling a small-scale aircraft assembly area.
Old Pan directed the crew to close the hangar doors and activate the security system to maintain the armed helicopters. Although tasks were few, the daily workload was not light. Whether it was the armed helicopters or Lin Mo’s J-10, regular maintenance and preparation of spare parts were no simple tasks; every minute spent flying in the air required at least an hour of checks and prep work on the ground.
Just as Captain Pan finished up, he saw Captain Feng and other high-ranking personnel from the Night Special Forces accompanying an important figure from a large bus.
The primary base of the Night Special Forces was connected to the aircrew group’s hangar by a 15-kilometer underground tunnel, which not only concealed the valley airport but also served as a bomb shelter. This vast space could accommodate many people and even function as a temporary lodging area.
“Reporting, Captain Feng, the aircrew group is assembled!” Old Pan hurriedly gathered his subordinates and lined them up to welcome the guests, suddenly recalling Lin Mo was missing. He thought, Oh no, how did I forget this little guy? He quickly added, “Uh, all personnel are 21, with 20 present!”
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the assembly area surrounded by barbed wire was flashing with lights, and odd frequency signals were audible. Lin Mo was busy leaning over the airframe.
“General He, Colonel Huang, this is our aircrew group’s leader, Major Pan Rongyong, code-named ‘Captain,’ and he is in charge of our aerial forces!” Captain Feng introduced the aircrew members to the high-ranking officials visiting this top-secret base.
At the same time, Captain Feng introduced the arriving leaders to the aircrew members, “Captain Pan, this is our Special Operations Unit’s commander, General He, and this is Chief of Staff Colonel Huang.”
“Welcome, sir!” Captain Pan saluted. The last time General He visited was two years ago. It was typical for the higher-ups to send new political officers for rotation around this time each year, assessing the state of the base and unit. No one expected the highest leader himself would come.
“Hmm, I remember you! Ha-ha, Captain Pan! Your fiery temper precedes you!” General He, with his partially gray hair, let out a hearty laugh, returning the salute alongside Colonel Huang.
General He clearly remembered this aircrew group leader, who had a scar resembling a centipede on his face. The aircrew group of the Night was one of the most prominent in the country among several special operations units, even overshadowing the reputation of actual combat units.
This began to change in the latter half of last year.
“Thank you for your concern, sir!” Captain Pan smiled in surprise; it was no small feat to be remembered by the highest command.
With so many special operations units across the country undertaking various tasks, each one was a hero safeguarding national security. Every person, every team, and even every day’s work could be written into a legendary novel, making it challenging to stand out.
"By the way, where is your ‘Gold Coin’? Which one is it? Introduce him to me! This young fellow has become a celebrity now, and suddenly there are over a hundred pilots with the code name ‘Gold Coin’ in the country. They even established a new ‘Money’ squadron with various names like copper coin, iron coin—just a whole bunch. It’s hard to believe even for our own people; no one can figure out who the real ‘Gold Coin’ is. Now that we’re here, let’s see what’s really going on."
General He’s gaze swept across the aircrew members behind Captain Pan, trying to identify the young ace pilot. Lin Mo’s achievements could almost qualify him as an ace, but he had yet to fire a single shot; instead, he had managed to bring down four fighter jets and multiple armed helicopters, a legend that probably only existed in storybooks.
