Chapter Eighty-One: Old Friends

Watching the colossal 747 fly low overhead, and then looking at the equally massive craft riding on its back, Yang Hui couldn’t help but sigh, “A beast of burden carrying the Angel of Death.”

There was truth in those words. Although the space shuttle might sound like nothing more than a launch vehicle for satellites, in reality, anything capable of launching a satellite could also carry weapon payloads. The difference between an intercontinental missile and a launch rocket was minimal—almost eighty percent the same. In fact, the space shuttle was essentially a long-range intercontinental space bomber, able to cruise for days in orbit with a dozen warheads, manned and adaptable—once in space, it could strike swiftly. This fit perfectly with the American plan for “global strike in one hour” proposed in the new century. The X-37B was, after all, just a variation on the space shuttle.

Yet the idea of the space shuttle wasn’t originally American. The earliest concept came from the doomsday toy of the great Leader—his “Silverbird” bomber. In the latter days of the war, in 1943, the Leader demanded a high-speed, long-range bomber capable of hitting the American mainland. Ordinary bombers couldn’t meet that requirement, so the great “bomber engineer” Eugen Sänger proposed the concept of an orbital plane.

At that time, Sänger and Bredt described their ideal bombing route to Hitler like this: the Silverbird would take off in a short run, reach orbital space, and then undertake a long-range, high-speed strike across the US and the Soviet Union, destroying military bases and factories. If it carried atomic bombs, a single drop could turn Washington into a wasteland. This was the final pinnacle of Germany’s doomsday technology, though it existed only on paper. Yet the design profoundly influenced the American and Soviet shuttle programs.

In other words, Sänger’s “Silverbird” was designed to deliver weapon payloads, so of course the shuttle would be, too. The Americans and Soviets just preferred to be more discreet about it.

“A beast of burden for the Angel of Death—what is that thing? Yang Hui, do you know what’s mounted on the back of the 747?” Yang Yue, who had remained silent until now, was curious about the aircraft atop the jumbo jet and naturally turned to Yang Hui, who had just spoken.

No one knew about the ultra-secret space shuttle before it was unveiled, let alone those in aviation engineering. If Yang Hui hadn’t come from a future era flooded with information, how could he possibly know? Still, he had to say something now, so he chose to keep it simple.

“Look at that engine and the aerodynamic shape of the craft. I’ve worked in aerodynamics, so I can tell at a glance what kind of environment this thing is designed for.”

Yang Hui’s words finally caught the attention of those nearby, who gathered around. Look, a professional is about to explain—clearly an expert of the highest order.

Seeing the crowd, Yang Hui didn’t mind. After all, the Americans had already put their craft on public display, so he might as well help stoke the fire a bit—today he’d play the role of an encyclopedia, even doing the Americans a favor.

After organizing his thoughts, he began, “This big fellow uses rocket engines and has a distinctive delta wing design—clearly built for high-altitude, high-speed performance. The rocket engines mean it’s meant to fly in outer space, so we should call it a space shuttle.”

A space shuttle—what a lofty concept! A plane that could fly to outer space. The Americans’ technology was truly something else.

“The Americans are incredible—building a space shuttle! They’re set to break free from Earth and conquer the universe!” One man, after hearing Yang Hui’s explanation and filling in the details with his imagination, made such a declaration.

But his words clearly displeased the MBB Aerospace staff who had just exited the exhibit hall. The shuttle was powerful, but it was something the German genius Sänger had already conceived—they saw no reason for Americans to boast. Still, with the whole of Germany reflecting on the war, it would be inappropriate to mention the “Silverbird,” that Nazi toy. All they could do was sigh, recalling past glory, and mourn for the state of German aviation today.

Watching the MBB staff walk away, Yang Hui guessed what was on their minds and decided not to keep praising the American shuttle. Dusting himself off, he prepared to leave with the director and the others.

“Hello, are you participants from the Eastern Republic?” someone called out in Chinese, then switched to English. Yang Hui was momentarily confused. Turning around, he saw a bearded man—clearly Middle Eastern, or perhaps a Pakistani from South Asia.

Judging from their friendly demeanor, Yang Hui couldn’t tell which Middle Eastern country they were from. It could be Jordan, Iran, Iraq, or Pakistan—any of which had decent relations with the Republic.

“Yes, we are indeed part of the Republic’s delegation. And you are…?”

Having confirmed their identity, the bearded man wasted no time. “Hello, we are from Pakistan, also here for the airshow. It’s a pleasure to meet you—we have a question for you.”

An old friend from Pakistan—this called for attention.

“A friend from Pakistan! Welcome, welcome. If there’s something you wish to discuss, let’s step aside and talk.”

At commercial exhibitions like this airshow, there were usually complimentary areas for business talks—though the free spaces weren’t luxurious; anything better would cost money. Both China and Pakistan were still poor, with no money to waste, so of course they chose the free tables.

Once seated, the Pakistani delegate introduced himself and got straight to the point. “Hello, you can call me Madad. I’d like to ask, are you from the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation?”

This Pakistani friend really knew how to hit a nerve—why bring up the big export company right away? They looked nothing like the well-dressed representatives of that firm.

Yang Hui had already suggested to Xie Lianfa that he consider working for the import-export company, and Xie seemed interested, already slipping into the role. Before Yang Hui could answer, Xie Lianfa chimed in.

“No, Mr. Madad, we are not from that company. We are from the newly established China Aviation Policy Development & Technology Import & Export Company—let’s call it AVIC PolicyTech for short. We also have the right to trade, so you can do business with us.”

A newly established import-export company? That was fine—he was just gathering information for now. Whether anything would come of it would depend on his report when he got home.

“I see. I’d like to ask if you have a two-seater trainer version of the F-7. Training our F-7 pilots is proving very troublesome.”

Yang Hui and Director Bai were both taken aback—this was their specialty, the very project they worked on: the JJ-7 trainer. They had come to the right place.

“Yang Hui, you’re good with words and your English is excellent—introduce our project to our Pakistani friends,” the director said, knowing Yang Hui’s abilities. At such a crucial moment, Yang Hui was the man for the job.

Yang Hui didn’t decline—this was a golden opportunity. If they could establish a connection with Pakistan, many things would become easier.

“Hello, Mr. Madad. Let me introduce myself: my name is Yang Hui, and this is Director Bai, and… As for our workplace, we’re from Base 0011 of the Republic. Our current project is the two-seater trainer version of the F-7, which we call the JJ-7.”

With that introduction, Madad understood—he’d found the right people. These were the experts on the F-7 trainer.

“That’s excellent! Praise be to God for letting us meet here. Is your JJ-7 available for export?”

Seeing Madad’s hopeful expression, Yang Hui wanted to say “yes,” but at present, the aircraft was still undergoing flight tests. In the original timeline, it wasn’t finalized until 1988. Even with the accelerated progress brought by his arrival and improved funding, it would be impossible to finish the JJ-7 before 1985.

“I’m sorry, but our JJ-7 is still in development and not yet available for sale.”

What? Still in development? That complicated things—the F-7 trainer would have to be a long-term project.

Madad’s expression betrayed his disappointment, and Yang Hui immediately threw out a tempting offer.

“Mr. Madad, the fact that it’s still in development is actually good news. Since the plane isn’t finalized yet, if you need, we can tailor it to better suit Pakistan’s requirements.”