Chapter 185: Lifting Your Red Veil

Although it was only a sequence of a few seconds, it still sparked a lively discussion among the audience.

Of course, the discussion did not last long as the promotional film continued to play. On the screen now was the assembly site for several prototype aircraft of the new model. The assembly workshop was not as high-end and grandiose as those of European aircraft manufacturers, yet it possessed another unique aesthetic charm.

The assembled aircraft were then subjected to static testing. The airframe was densely covered with high-strength test tapes, and various mechanical equipment was connected to these tapes, exerting tremendous tensile forces. This scene was recorded and incorporated into the promotional video, projecting an image of professionalism and high-level capability.

Aircraft static testing requires the evaluation of various stresses, including tension, compression, bending, shear, and torsion. With so many tests to conduct, it was certainly impossible to feature every single one of them in the promotional video. Due to time constraints, the footage shifted to the painting and coating process of the test aircraft. Under a long take, while the full view was not entirely clear, the paint scheme and styling of the new aircraft were finally revealed.

The Super JL-7 was a trainer aircraft, and its fuselage cross-section was naturally larger than that of the older J-7, giving it a somewhat fuller overall appearance. Paired with a yellow primer, it would have looked quite ordinary, but the addition of green panel framing turned out to be an absolute stroke of genius. It instantly overshadowed the paint schemes of all other test aircraft, making it look simply extraordinary.

"Tsk tsk, this kind of paint scheme is unheard of and unseen; it must be their exclusive trick. Putting aside the practical function of this paint scheme for a moment, at least it is very pleasing to the eye."

Sean did not take his eyes off the screen for a single second, and similarly, Lance kept his gaze fixed as well. The aircraft offered too many surprises, and Lance was terrified of missing even a single detail.

"Indeed, this paint scheme is quite remarkable. Paired with this aircraft, it has left a deeply profound impression on me. I am certain this will become yet another legendary aircraft."

Just as he finished speaking, the screen finally exploded with the most explosive news—the very thing all the onlookers cared about most.

"Look, the full view of the aircraft is coming!"

Inside the hangar, a large group of ground engineers and maintenance personnel were bustling around the new aircraft. Engineers were conducting final adjustments in the cockpit while ground crew performed inspections, and subsequently, the plane was towed onto the runway and parked securely.

Ground power was connected, a small amount of fuel for test flying was loaded, and then the chief test pilot appeared on screen to sign off on the aircraft before firmly climbing aboard.

From a bird's-eye view, looking down from the sky onto the test aircraft on the ground runway, the aerodynamic layout of the new aircraft could finally be seen with absolute clarity. Sure enough, major modifications had been made to the aerodynamics. Although eagle-eyed observers had already noticed significant similarities between the new aircraft's rear fuselage and the MiG-21 (J-7), it no longer mattered at this point.

Impulsive reporters could no longer restrain themselves; they picked up their cameras and began shooting directly at the screen, completely unconcerned about how degraded the footage would become after being re-recorded.

Flashbulbs were terribly annoying at a time like this, firing repeatedly at the screen and causing immense dissatisfaction among the audience. Just as an outburst seemed imminent, these reporters thankfully dared not provoke the public wrath, and they settled down to quietly watch the promotional film once more.

The most thrilling moment had arrived. The on-site audio equipment finally exerted its full potential, transmitting the roar of the engines straight into everyone's ears.

This was the most wondrous sound. The roar of the engine, combined with the flames erupting from the exhaust seen on screen, was practically intoxicating. In terms of detail, this promotional video had surpassed the fighter jet promotional films of all previous Western companies.

There was only one thought in the minds of these viewers: once this event concluded, they had to find a way to acquire a duplicate copy of this promotional video. Put in the context of thirty years later, their mindset would simply be: "Need a magnet link, need a magnet link. Grabbing the pictures without saving the source is sheer folly..."

This sentiment grew increasingly intense as the promotional video progressed.

After exercising the control surfaces, the aircraft began its ground run. Of course, Yang Hui certainly would not use actual footage from the maiden flight at this point; during the maiden flight, the pilot had not dared to perform any large-scale maneuvers, making it appear mundane and unsuitable for a promotional video.

The footage now on the screen was specially filmed after Yang Hui consulted with the flight test team. Although the takeoff pitch angle was not extreme, it definitely exceeded that of the older J-7—a breakthrough that was immediately obvious to industry insiders.

"The high-pitch performance of this aircraft has already surpassed the MiG-21, and this high-angle-of-attack flight is probably not even the limit of this aircraft. It will definitely be capable of flying at even greater pitch angles in the future."

Lance thoroughly agreed with Sean's assessment, nodding heavily in concurrence.

Seeing that the aircraft on the screen had successfully taken off, the first climax passed. The flight in the air did not feature any jaw-dropping maneuvers, but in every aspect, it was clearly vastly superior to the MiG-21.

After a few maneuvers, the flight approached its conclusion. At this point, the footage shifted to a low-speed flyby recorded during the maiden flight. When viewers saw a large crowd standing by the runway, among whom were figures in iconic white robes, everyone understood that a clip from the maiden flight was about to be shown, though they wondered what tricks could still be pulled off during a first flight.

And when they saw the aircraft fly at low speed past the grandstand, everyone realized that this was a low-altitude, low-speed flyby performed during the maiden flight.

These Republic pilots were truly extraordinarily daring. To perform such a maneuver during a maiden flight left nothing more to be said. It could only demonstrate that the aircraft possessed truly excellent performance, and that both the designers and test pilots had complete confidence in it.

There was no longer any need to keep watching; after this maiden flight footage, there obviously would not be anything more spectacular to see, and indeed that was the case. The screen displayed the aircraft landing safely before entering the ending credits.

Seeing the screen turn black, realizing that the promotional video had finished playing, the audience nodded with a lingering sense of satisfaction, sighing inwardly that it was indeed exceptional, which was immediately followed by a wave of heartfelt applause. Whether this applause was in celebration of the aircraft's successful maiden flight or in praise of the brilliant promotional film, it converged to drown out all other sounds in the exhibition hall.

At this moment, the honor belonged to the Super JL-7—a validation that transcended national borders.

The leaders standing behind the exhibition booth clearly relished the applause, especially Jiang Min, the heavyweight official from the Ministry of Electronics Industry who had traveled alongside them to Britain, who looked on with intense envy. This applause belonged to the aviation industry. He wondered when the electronics industry under his jurisdiction would ever break onto the world stage and receive such passionate applause.

This enthusiastic applause served as a strong motivation for Minister Jiang Min. He decided that this trip to Britain must be used to conduct a thorough investigation and select a promising proposal. Upon returning, he would dig deep into potential and figure out a reliable project—not for political achievements, but simply so he could experience such heartfelt applause on the international stage for once.

While a great many people attended the airshow, very few leaders from the base had actually made the trip. Among the management committee, only Director Bai had managed to put aside technical concerns and carve out time to attend. Initially, the base had intended for Yang Hui to host this airshow entirely, but out of lingering caution, they ultimately dispatched Director Bai as well.

Now seeing that Yang Hui was managing the airshow quite capably, Director Bai simply decided to take a hands-off approach and let Yang Hui take charge of the subsequent events, including pushing Yang Hui to the forefront now.

Seeing someone step out to make the introduction, the cordon line stirred once more. Fortunately, Yang Hui did not put on any unnecessary airs and directly introduced the project in a single sentence.

"I believe everyone has already watched our promotional video. We come from the Republic of the East, and our participation in the Farnborough Airshow this time is to contribute our own strength to the global aviation industry. Next, I will unveil the biggest star of our exhibition."

With that, Yang Hui stopped speaking and strode toward the model. Amidst the gazes of everyone present and countless camera lenses, he took a deep breath, gathered his internal energy, and abruptly whipped away the red veil covering the Super JL-7.

As the red velvet cloth slid to the ground, a myriad of camera flashes dazzled everyone at the scene—including Yang Hui, who could not possibly hog all the limelight.