Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 52 General Shafik, welcome to the East for inspection!

It’s a new day!
Before the sun had even risen in the east, a van painted with Egyptian tourism slogans drove into the Benisuev Air Base.

"Start the engine!"

"Thrust test!"

One by one, voices rang out, and everyone began their workday once again. Despite having only slept for a few hours, they were still full of energy.

"Old Tu, to speed things up, let's split up. Our 601 Institute and 112 Factory will be responsible for testing and disassembling this aircraft, while your comrades from 132 Factory and 011 Base will disassemble that MiG-21," Old Gu said.

"Okay." Old Tu nodded. For their side, there really wasn't much to study about the MiG-23. The radar in the nose might be more useful, but the radars were developed by other units and had nothing to do with the main engine manufacturer. Disassembling the MiG-21MF would also be somewhat helpful for improving the J-7.

Around noon, the rear fuselage was disassembled, revealing the R-13 engine inside. It has many structural differences from the R-11 engine copied by the J-7, especially the high-pressure compressor, which has been upgraded from three stages to five stages, improving the surge margin. However, the shape is similar and the installation method is exactly the same!
Qin Liang helped disassemble it, and then they started shouting loudly.

"Old Tu, this engine is the same as the one on our J-7!"

What do you mean, "same"? The thrust is completely different! What nonsense are you spouting?

Just as Tu Lao was about to retort, he saw Colonel Mustafa walking up from behind and instantly realized that this was meant for the other party to hear, but... if you speak in Chinese, will the other party understand? If they don't understand... then you've wasted your breath!

no no!

Colonel Mustafa was accompanied by several people, including a translator who was translating Qin Liang's words into Arabic for the higher-ranking person to hear. This…

After listening, the man looked curious and strode over.

"Can your Eastern countries produce this kind of engine?"

Old Tu was still a little uneasy. The one we produced was the R-11, which had a much lower thrust than the R-13!
"Of course!" Qin Liang immediately replied in Arabic, "Our J-7 from the East is actually a modified version of the MiG-21, although it's only an early model. But we are also using our own technology to improve the engine. For example, we have already used air-cooled turbine blades, which has increased the turbine inlet temperature by a full fifty degrees..."

He could certainly boast about these things, because he had heard about them at the Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and besides, the people around him couldn't understand his Arabic.

"Air cooling? That's a technology only found in advanced Western engines!"

"Yes, our Eastern aviation technology is no less advanced than that of the West!"

At this moment, Commander Tang also noticed the change in the situation and strode over: "Colonel Mustafa, who are these gentlemen?"

"Oh, let me introduce you all, this is General Muhammad Shafiq..."

The head of the Egyptian Air Force!

Commander Tang quickly reached out his hand: "Welcome, welcome!"

"I heard that you successfully repaired the broken landing gear of our MiG-23 yesterday using welding. This is of great significance to our Egyptian Air Force. I came here today to express my gratitude. I didn't expect you to have MiG-21 engines. This is wonderful!"

The Soviets packed up and left, leaving nothing behind. And since Soviet aircraft engines have a short lifespan, the Egyptian Air Force will soon face widespread grounding due to engine shortages!
Now things are great, the East has an engine!
"Oh... well, we do have them, but..." At this moment, Commander Tang was also a little flustered. The main reason we brought the MiG-21MF back was for the R-13 engines! Our own engines...

"Yes, that's good. Our air force plans to send a delegation to the East as soon as possible to inspect your aviation industry, hoping to continue providing military aid to us! Egypt and the East have a great friendship. Even now, after being abandoned by the Soviet Union and viewed hostilely by our brothers, the East has not treated us differently..."

Military aid? If it's military aid, Egypt shouldn't be picky, right? Commander Tang took a deep breath: "On behalf of Eastern Aviation Industry, I welcome your inspection!"

Standing to the side, Qin Liang knew that he had achieved his goal!
These guys went to the East with the intention of seeking military aid, since the East had not announced any arms sales.

Once we've convinced them to take a liking to the equipment, we can talk about money later! With this first arms sale secured, Factory 132's path will be open!
"Well, when I have time in the future, I'll visit your Eastern region... Now..."

Clearly, Shafik had only heard that the guests from the East were coming and was just showing up. If he left now, who knows when he would return? We have to keep him here!

Qin Liang's eyes darted around before he spoke up: "Commander Tang, our Egyptian friends treated us to meals all yesterday. It wouldn't be polite not to reciprocate. How about we treat our Egyptian friends to a nice meal today?"

eat?
We're all incredibly busy right now, where would we find the time for a fancy meal? You little rascal... wait, you little rascal, are you trying to keep the other person here and keep fooling them?
"Yes, indeed, General Shafik, on behalf of the East, I request that you come to Cairo at noon today..."

"No need, since you've come to Egypt, it's only right that we treat you, Mustafa!"

Mustafa frowned. They couldn't go to the mess hall; there might be KGB spies there. They were only eating flatbread to avoid being discovered. Now, they wanted to treat their Eastern friends to something good…

"General, how about we set up a barbecue grill here?"

"it is good!"

The aroma of meat wafted from the hangar.

The main dish was still American-style flatbread, but today we added a skewer of grilled meat. The meat and onions were skewered alternately and brushed with some kind of sauce, which was black, but it smelled pretty good.

Put the meat skewers into the flatbread, roll it up, take a bite, and the meat juices burst in your mouth. The aroma of meat, the aroma of flatbread, and the spiciness of onions... Mmm, it feels great!

"We're used to the bulky and rugged style of Soviet fighter jets, so it's best to continue using Soviet equipment." Qin Liang continued to brainwash the people next to him while eating.

After all, opportunities to chat with an officer of Shafi's rank are rare!

"Take yesterday for example, the landing gear broke, but we can weld it back up and it's usable. The engine life is a bit shorter, but it's not picky about fuel. If this were an American plane, it would be so difficult to maintain, it's like taking care of a woman in postpartum confinement..."

Well, I don't know what the customs are like here, and I don't know if my analogy is appropriate... But judging from everyone's expressions, they don't seem to feel offended.

"Unfortunately, the MiG-21 used a nose-mounted air intake design, which resulted in poor performance. It lacked a high-powered radar, making it unable to detect targets at long range or use medium-range air-to-air missiles..."

Clearly, Shafik is not so easily fooled.

The MiG-21 was developed in the 1960s, and it's already the late 1970s! Times are changing, technology is advancing, and our Egyptian Air Force is keeping a close eye on things!

"General Shafiq, I wonder if you have ever heard the saying that what determines the outcome of a war is people, not one or two advanced weapons! You should have learned that lesson from the four Middle East wars, right?"

Nearby, Old Tu stopped eating his flatbread.

You rascal, why are you bringing up something you don't want to talk about?

(End of this chapter)