Chapter 456

Chapter 456: Paris

The Il-76 transport plane features a pressurized cabin, allowing it to maintain an atmosphere equivalent to that below 3,000 meters even at an altitude of 8,000 meters (thus not requiring a separate oxygen supply). Therefore, as a transport plane designed for both people and goods, it may not prioritize passenger comfort like a commercial airliner, yet it can still boast decent carrying capacity despite a bit of turbulence.

Lin Mo was relieved to finally find someone to talk to. He quickly nodded and said, “Chinese, hitching a ride! Just like you, going to Paris!”

He had no intention of hiding his plan to hitch a ride; after all, the charter flight was still being funded by Sukhoi, and there was no way to conceal that.

The elderly Russian man stared at Lin Mo in surprise and asked, “Paris-Le Bourget International Aerospace Exhibition?”

“YES!” Lin Mo affirmed again, glancing at the man’s badge, which read “Senior Engineer.” It seemed he was a major figure in the industry. He was glad he hadn’t lied; otherwise, he might have offended someone important, and a couple of misplaced words could have meant jumping out with his parachute pack to find his way back home.

“China’s 112 Factory? Or 132 Factory?” The elderly Russian man inquired, his gaze filled with curiosity.

If it had been anyone else, they probably wouldn’t know what these factories represented, but Lin Mo, who had learned from retired expert Professor Yan Guoqiang of the 611 Institute, had a certain understanding of the aviation industry in China due to his professional focus.

These two numbers represented a reflection of the history of China’s aerospace industry.

112 Factory was the predecessor of Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.

132 Factory was the predecessor of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.

Regardless of the current competition between Shenyang and Chengdu for orders, both are ultimately subsidiaries of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, with internal competition helping to promote the development of several aviation firms.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China can entirely represent the strength of China’s aerospace industry, firmly belonging to the monopolistic sector.

In the face of such a giant, trusts and alliances are irrelevant; one must refer to numbers to understand subsidiaries, which is incredibly impressive.

Being able to mention the 112 and 132 factories indicated that the elderly man had a solid understanding of China’s aerospace industry and was considered an elder in the field.

Lin Mo immediately became respectful and replied, “I represent NDS, National Defense Star Aerospace Company.”

As for the background of “Night,” naturally, he avoided speaking about it to prevent any unfortunate incidents.

While the two spoke, the Il-76 transport plane finally entered the runway and, after taxiing for a thousand meters, lifted its nose and took off.

Perhaps considering that the passengers were all representatives of domestic aircraft manufacturers, including seasoned experts, the pilot operated the Il-76 with the precision of a commercial flight, completely different from Lin Mo’s first experience on an Il-76, where the climb felt like it was trying to assault the sky.

The elderly Russian man who conversed with Lin Mo and welcomed him to sit down was Sergei Sulotov, a senior engineer at Sukhoi and one of their third-generation engineers.

At Bourget Airport in Paris for the International Aerospace Exhibition, Sulotov was also one of the Russian technical experts to represent their side.

As someone semi-involved in the industry, Lin Mo and Sergei Sulotov had a very enjoyable conversation, as the experience of Chinese aviation industry inheriting from Soviet fighter aircraft provided common ground.

Lin Mo’s knowledge of aerospace made him seem more like a seasoned test pilot; most pilots would not reach his level of expertise.

Nearby, the Russian agents casually joining the exhibition did not notice anything odd, as their conversation primarily revolved around publicly available industry information and did not touch on any important secrets.

Based on the initial intelligence gathered, the behavior exhibited by this Chinese aircraft manufacturer’s pilot aligned closely with that of an aircraft manufacturer’s test pilot. Although it was unclear how his flying skills compared, the professional knowledge he displayed was undeniable.

The only regret was that they had no authority to detain Lin Mo for questioning; otherwise, they would certainly have made significant discoveries. However, it was precisely because they held back from rash actions that disaster was averted.

An hour later, the Il-76 arrived at a military airport on the outskirts of Moscow for a two-hour layover before taking off again directly to Paris.

Chen Haiqing arranged for Lin Mo’s personal documents to be sent directly from Beijing to Moscow through civil aviation and delivered to the Russian intelligence department via the Chinese embassy, ultimately placing them in Lin Mo’s hands.

At this point, he was no longer an illegal resident; he was officially a representative of the National Defense Star Aerospace Company (NDS), complete with identification. Although he stood out among a group of Russians, it could mistakenly appear that National Defense Star was a subsidiary or investment firm of Sukhoi.

High-ranking officials in the Russian military also breathed a sigh of relief, calling it a special procedure. In less polite terms, it was regulatory impropriety. Only when the documentation was complete did they relax.

If the political figures became aware, they would surely face a torrent of annoying accusations.

However, for National Defense Star, there was no need to mobilize excessive connections; a few dollars could settle the matter easily as it involved only one person, not an entire unit.

After the Il-76 transport plane took off, it flew over Belarus, Poland, and Germany, heading straight to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, a major hub for international flights in France. Clearly, it was much closer than returning home, as the Ural Mountains separated Europe from Asia.

Following the designated flight path, the aircraft crossed various countries’ airspaces. Aside from some radar tracking along the way, the Russian Il-76 faced no obstacles. Although it was not a regular international flight and could not enjoy the transit privileges under the Chicago Convention, the Russians had obtained temporary passage rights after securing advance approvals from the countries.

Several buses waited at the special passage entrance of Charles de Gaulle Airport, with hundreds of buses seemingly ready to receive teams of exhibitors from various countries.

As Lin Mo disembarked from the plane, he even spotted representatives from Rolls-Royce, the British company that produced the Harrier fighter jet, and from the Italian firm Finmeccanica, known for its Typhoon fighter. These two teams arrived one after the other.

At Charles de Gaulle Airport, Lin Mo already saw numerous advertisements from aerospace manufacturers, large-scale displays everywhere.

Overwhelming!

That might be the only word to describe the overwhelming presence of ads, akin to the coverage of cluster bomb explosions: banners, colorful flags, vertical signs, stickers, vehicle advertisements, and countless logos, including advertisements from domestic companies like Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, and National Defense Star.

An incredible amount of money was spent—not just to gain familiarity, but to constantly remind everyone of their strength and that their products were the best.

Every exhibitor knew that investing a hundred million dollars here could yield returns of a billion dollars or even more in the future.

Nearly 2,000 exhibitors would turn the Paris-Le Bourget International Aerospace Exhibition into a grand event in the aerospace community, welcoming hundreds of thousands of industry professionals and ordinary visitors. It was also the longest-running aerospace event in the world.

Together with the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom, the Paris-Le Bourget International Aerospace Exhibition served as a barometer for the global aviation industry.

The number of orders placed during the airshow, along with other developments in related industries spurred by the exhibition, provided insight into the state of the global aviation industry.

No aerospace company could miss out on such a grand event. Bourget Airport, which had served primarily as a cargo airport, had begun emptying out six months prior to the exhibition to prepare for it.

Three months ago, all the exhibition booths had been fully booked, with exhibitors simultaneously beginning to set up their displays. Each carefully designed booth was constructed piece by piece.

Thousands of trucks transported equipment, thousands of telephones were set up, and dozens of kilometers of communication fiber were laid out for static showcases and flight demonstrations.

This was an unprecedented grand event in the aerospace industry, with the manpower and resources invested amounting to astronomical figures.

One could even say, without exaggeration, that the total expenses from all exhibitors could easily arm the air forces of any second or third-tier countries to the teeth and defeat nearby equally matched small nations.

The representatives from Sukhoi were welcomed by a bus arranged by the Russian embassy. As the people from National Defense Star had not yet arrived, Lin Mo naturally followed the Russians.

Just as Lin Mo was about to board the bus with others, Engineer Sergei Sulotov stopped him and, dragging his luggage, led him to the last bus.

With his bag slung over his shoulder, Lin Mo locked the buckle, feeling a bit puzzled by the senior engineer’s actions. He asked, “What’s going on, Engineer Sulotov?”

“Could you help us out a little?” chuckled the elderly Russian man, as if he had something else in mind.

“Help? What kind of help?” Lin Mo was pushed onto the last bus by this senior Sukhoi engineer.

Once inside, Lin Mo noticed that the group of passengers already on this bus was different from those on the previous ones.

Most of the passengers were young, some of whom looked like soldiers, and six of them radiated a spirit that made Lin Mo think they were likely fighter pilots like him.

Earlier, while seated in the Il-76, even during stops, he hadn’t had such a close encounter.

As Lin Mo glanced at them, they noticed him too.

Fellow pilots!

Lin Mo’s gaze collided with theirs, a hint of provocation brewing in the bus—a gesture not intentionally made by either side, but an unconscious reaction.