Chapter 169: Another Air Show

"Great news! Fantastic news! We have a double celebration today, a double celebration indeed!"

Yang Hui, brimming with irrepressible excitement, sprinted into the crowd gathered in front of the viewing platform. Seizing the moment while everyone was in high spirits, he couldn't wait to share the scoop; it was truly a day worth celebrating.

His breathless, animated state made it impossible for him to go unnoticed. After catching his breath for a brief moment, he felt ready to speak.

"The good news is that we just received word from the UK. Through the coordination of Ferranti and Marconi, they have helped us secure a spot in the main exhibition hall for the Farnborough International Airshow. In the past, those booths were reserved exclusively for British aircraft manufacturers."

It was indeed excellent news. Securing a spot at this year's Farnborough Airshow was no small feat. Initially, they had only expected a remote corner of an auxiliary hall, so obtaining a position in the main exhibition hall was a remarkable achievement.

The Farnborough Airshow holds international prestige on par with the Paris Air Show. The two events were established following negotiations between Britain and France. Initially, both were held annually, but due to various factors, they were later scheduled biennially, alternating between the two countries—a pattern that continues to this day.

Odd-numbered years belong to the Paris Air Show, while even-numbered years are naturally the domain of Britain's Farnborough Airshow. As it was 1984, it was once again Britain's turn to host.

In 1984, while getting a spot at the Farnborough Airshow wasn't overly difficult, securing a place in the main hall was incredibly challenging—especially for an entity hailing from the distant socialist republic. Such participants were rarely welcomed by the show's organizers.

In its early days, the Farnborough Airshow was defined by intense nationalism; calling it the "British Aviation Products Exhibition" would have been more accurate back then. During that period, the show was fiercely "patriotic," with the protection of the domestic industry as its central theme. Every aircraft displayed had to be British-made; if an aircraft carried the lineage of another nation, it was politely shown the door.

This situation didn't improve until 1966, when foreign-made aircraft were permitted for the first time, provided they utilized British engines, other critical equipment, or had the support of British suppliers. In 1972, the event evolved into a European airshow, allowing any product from Europe to participate without restriction. Two years later, in 1974, all restrictions on the origin of exhibits were lifted, and Farnborough officially became a truly international airshow.

Now in 1984, one might assume the gates were wide open for exhibitors, but that was not the case. While the explicit barriers had vanished, a host of strange, invisible hurdles had taken their place. Non-British manufacturers could participate, certainly, but the prime locations with the highest foot traffic remained the exclusive territory of the British. Foreign exhibitors were left to fend for themselves in some obscure corner. Thus, the base’s success in securing a booth in the main hall was truly hard-won.

The reasons for this were clear. On one hand, the base had established cooperative relationships with several British aviation system suppliers, and one had to respect those ties. More importantly, however, British aircraft manufacturers were facing mass bankruptcies and mergers, leaving a void in the number of domestic exhibitors that needed to be filled.

Hearing that the Farnborough Airshow was settled was indeed cause for celebration, making the "double celebration" claim quite fitting.

The senior leaders at the base had known that the British side would invite them to Farnborough—this had been decided during the negotiations for radar imports. They weren't overly surprised by the main hall placement, as they had never participated in Farnborough before and were largely unaware of the intricate industry politics involved.

Though I was already privy to this information, I had to be mindful of the many distinguished guests attending the maiden flight; it was necessary to play along and act as if I were hearing it for the first time.

What was the Farnborough Airshow, after all? In our country, it was viewed as a high-end, prestigious event. Having a booth in the main hall of such an international stage meant our aircraft were recognized and respected by the Westerners.

"Oh, really? That is truly wonderful news. Participating in an international airshow like Farnborough is a significant boost for the new aircraft, and it also indirectly proves that the technical capabilities of your 0011 Base are quite impressive."

While our technical prowess might not compare to major international aviation manufacturers, it was certainly commendable by domestic standards, placing us firmly in the top tier within the country.

This was another shot of adrenaline for the team, and the entire group was jubilant. With the maiden flight successfully completed, it was time to return for a small victory banquet; celebrating the success of the first phase was essential.

"Your Highness, may we proceed with the disbursement of the subsequent funds? The flight test phase is extremely capital-intensive. If we are short on funds, we will only be able to build one or two test aircraft, which will significantly delay the finalization process."

"So, you see..."

At the celebration, everyone else was laughing and chatting, but poor Yang Hui had been saddled with the arduous task of asking for money. It was never a pleasant job—as they say, discussing money only damages relationships.

Prince Sultan, seeing that the base had already exhausted the first batch of funds and that the maiden flight had been a success, proved quite generous.

"Ah, the funding issue. I understand. That is exactly why I am here. When you mentioned the Farnborough Airshow earlier, I had intended to wait until then to announce the follow-up funding. However, seeing as you are spending faster than expected, I shall provide the subsequent funds now."

Did the timing of the funding transfer have anything to do with the Farnborough PR campaign? Not at all. Providing the money now and announcing a massive procurement order at Farnborough would achieve the same promotional effect, wouldn't it?

The tycoon was keen to build momentum for the new aircraft at the airshow, an opportunity that could not be missed.

"Yes, we can handle the funding transfer now. We can also explore other ways to create buzz at the Farnborough Airshow—for instance, by announcing a procurement project."

Is it really appropriate to announce a procurement project so soon? Wouldn't it look like we're using shills? Of course not. Placing orders during the development phase of a new aircraft is perfectly normal. Nearly 80 percent of aircraft have a stack of orders even at the project approval stage.

This is standard practice in aviation manufacturing. The projects that fail to secure orders long after design and test flights are the ones with real problems, and they rarely end well.

The most classic example to bring up and "flog" is the F-20—that American imperialist aircraft must be dragged out for a good thrashing whenever the chance arises.

Speaking of procurement, the Saudis did have some ideas. Although their current T-38 trainers still had some service life left, for a tycoon, a bit of indulgence is no problem at all.

"That is no problem. We in Saudi Arabia can place an order for twenty aircraft. Furthermore, we can help connect the new aircraft with Iraq and Jordan; they also need the Super J-7 trainer, and I believe their orders will be substantial as well."

Orders for trainers are usually not massive—twenty or thirty is considered a lot, after all, as they aren't primary combat aircraft.

While the demand per country isn't huge, the global demand for trainers is rigid. This means one can sell in small batches to many customers, and the total volume ends up being quite impressive.

"Yes, we in Pakistan can also order thirty. We have a significant need for this new trainer. Not only do our J-7 pilots need it, but our F-16 pilots do as well. We could even use them for northern patrols; trainer patrols are far more moderate than fighter patrols and won't be quite as provocative to the Soviet side."