GBP #423 - The Other Vietnam War
#423 - The Other Vietnam War
A small interlude in the main world, without causing any ripples.
This kind of investigation didn't seem to affect Ren Zhong at all. He continued his work as a knowledge transporter between the two worlds, even though it was becoming increasingly difficult to acquire new technologies and knowledge. Ren Zhong had no intention of stopping.
IT technology was fine. The Liangjian world was just beginning to sprout. The things Ren Zhong was doing hadn't even reached the standards of the 1980s. Therefore, he continued to 'excavate' technology from the main world, obtaining some technical data. Even with this foundation, it couldn't be used directly and required a complete set of research and development in the Liangjian world.
Ren Zhong played the role of a knowledge bridge, able to transmit the overall architecture and key principles. Although he couldn't solve all the problems in the Liangjian world, he could overcome eighty percent of the technical obstacles.
In this way, the exploration that would have taken five to eight years in the historical timeline of the main world to find the correct path through numerous experiments no longer existed in Dongda. They could just sprint on the right path. It wouldn't be surprising if a major technological breakthrough occurred in a year or two.
Take aero-engines for example.
With the breakthrough in jet engines, starting from the WP-5 of the J-5A, the engineers at the Aero-Engine Research Center had complete R\u0026D and production experience. Evolving to the new J79 engine, they had the data from a complete J79 aero-engine that had been disassembled. Ren Zhong even brought most of the physical parts into the Liangjian world for them to reverse engineer.
With the foundation of the WP-5, plus Ren Zhong introducing the first-generation high-temperature alloy in advance, mass production and manufacturing processes were completed on the WP-5. Although the difficulty of the reverse engineering work was high, the progress didn't stagnate. By the end of 1955, the prototype of the WP-7 based on the J79 had completed the assembly of the entire engine.
After 120 hours of uninterrupted testing, the newly researched WP-7 was very stable, almost identical to the J79 that Ren Zhong obtained in the main world. The reverse-engineered standard parts of the J79 were reinstalled on the F4H Phantom engine that Ren Zhong purchased, and the two had almost the same effect.
The J79 engine performance parameters were fully realized: turbine inlet temperature of 1205K, pressure ratio of 13.5, thrust-to-weight ratio of 4.61, intermediate thrust of 53kN, fuel consumption rate of 0.87 kg/(daN·h), maximum afterburner thrust of 80kN, fuel consumption rate of 2 kg/(daN·h), engine length of 5.3 m, and diameter of 1m.
The J52P-8A engine based on the A-4 attack aircraft was conquered even earlier. After all, the production requirements of this engine were lower, close to the WP-5 technology. After using the first generation of high-temperature alloys, the turbine inlet temperature exceeded 1200K. The performance of the仿制 WP-6 model was even stronger than the original J52P-8A engine, approaching the J52P-40A engine parameters, with a thrust of about 45kN.
With its strong power, the仿制 A-4M attack aircraft was named Qiang-6 in Dongda! But its actual performance was much higher than the main world's Q-5.
In terms of empty weight, the A-4 attack aircraft was 4,750 kg, and the Q-5 was 6375 kg, but the maximum take-off weight was similar. The maximum take-off weight of the A-4 was 11,136 kg, and the maximum take-off weight of the Q-5 was 11,830 kg.
However, in terms of bomb load, the Q-5 only had 1500 kg, while the A-4M could carry a maximum of 4156 kg!
Moreover, after avionics modification, the weapons that the A-4M could carry included high-explosive bombs or cluster bombs, unguided rockets or missiles, such as AGM-12, AIM-65 Maverick missiles, and even AGM-88 HARM. To increase external weapons, the A-4 could also be equipped with triple or multiple launchers.
This made the A-4M a very useful combat platform. As a frontline support attack aircraft, it had a very powerful fire suppression effect.
On the A-4 models of the main world's Rogue Eagle, most had two 20mm Mk12 cannons installed at the wing roots, each with 200 rounds of ammunition. However, some countries used them for land-based frontline suppression, modifying them with two 30mm cannons and equipping them with 300 rounds of ammunition. This was not only aimed at attacking frontline trenches but also at anti-armor vehicle capabilities.
A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft (attack aircraft capable of carrying nuclear bombs)
For Ren Zhong, this fighter jet was a versatile model that could be introduced by both the army and the navy, which could greatly make up for the lack of armed helicopters for frontline fire support.
Integrating multiple tasks such as frontline bombing, anti-armor vehicles, and frontline fire support, it could also take off from simple airports and sea-based aircraft carrier platforms. At this stage, it was the best aerial firepower output platform after gaining air superiority.
Adding the localization research of the Yak-38, the Air Force's fighter jet research was equivalent to three main models being carried out simultaneously.
Although the external environment of Dongda has greatly improved now, relying on the air superiority created by the J5A, Ren Zhong knew that it wouldn't last for a few years. Therefore, he has been tilting resources in this area, including collecting and purchasing these currently top-notch fighter jet data and prototypes in the main world, making it impossible for our three major aviation research centers in Taiyuan, Jingcheng, and Fengjing to be idle at all.
Now that we have finally taken a lead, what Ren Zhong has to do now is to further widen the technological gap with other countries in the aerial combat platform!
As a person from the main world, no one in this world understands how much influence air superiority has on future operations more than Ren Zhong.
At the end of 1955, the North and South Anhou, who had long been at odds with each other, finally started fighting.
Unlike the historical timeline of the main world, the strength of both North and South Anhou was almost the same this time.
In this way, after the two sides fought each other, it can be said that the fighting was lively.
"What kind of position should we take in this war?" Staff Officer Ye knew that Ren Zhong had his own unique views on war.
In dealing with Anhou, influenced by Ren Zhong, although he still helped the northern Anhou drive away the Gaulish colonists and allowed the north to establish its own regime.
However, Ren Zhong had no interest in the unification of Anhou's north and south.
Maintaining the existence of two Anhou was actually the most ideal in Ren Zhong's view.
So facing such a problem, "Try to restore them to balance!" Ren Zhong said without hesitation, "Of course, it's useless for us to say these things now. We'll talk about it after they beat each other's brains out. Any supplies we support to the north should be sent out through lease or loan. Although Dongda doesn't lack these things now, we don't support idlers!"
Staff Officer Ye shook his head. He obviously understood Ren Zhong's unspoken words about not supporting idlers and quickly grasped the point.
"It's not a good thing for us to be fighting at our doorstep all the time." Staff Officer Ye said, "It's also a threat to the development of these two southern provinces."
It can be seen that Staff Officer Ye didn't want these wars at his doorstep. Indeed, their chaotic fighting made this area in the south, plus the South China Sea, a little unsafe.
"It's okay, we'll just set the rules for them," Ren Zhong said dismissively. "For example, we can designate 19 degrees North latitude as a no-combat zone. If the South crosses this line, we'll give them a heavy aerial strike. At sea, they're forbidden from fighting in international waters. If they violate this, we have the right to sink any warships or aircraft from either side that enter the restricted zone. Wouldn't that limit the area and scale of the fighting?"
If the unified An Monkeys are being unruly, then so be it, they won't be unified.
With these conditions in place, the An Monkeys basically have no hope of unification, which is a great thing in the eyes of their neighbors. No one in this region wants a little tyrant to emerge.
"Will that work?" Staff Officer Ye clearly lacked an understanding of hegemony.
"Of course, it will. Whoever has the biggest fist makes the rules. As long as our fist is big enough, they'll have to listen to our rules." Having been immersed in the concept of no-fly zones in the main world, Ren Zhong was extremely familiar with it.
The current Dongda is no longer a weakling.
Thanks to Ren Zhong's decade-plus of painstaking effort, Dongda's land, sea, and air forces have all advanced to the forefront of the world.
Even if the navy is still a bit lacking, it depends on who you're comparing it to.
In this Bright Sword world, it now possesses over 40 Jianghai-class and Luhai-class destroyers, 4 attack nuclear submarines, and 2 Dongting Lake-class amphibious assault ships about to be commissioned. This scale of navy is unique in Asia, and sending out a single destroyer squadron would be enough to crush the An Monkeys' pitiful assets.
"That's right, our fist is very hard now." Staff Officer Ye was stunned for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly after realizing it. "Suddenly waking up in my dying illness, the great powers are now ourselves. It's a bit unsettling, truly unsettling."
"Our high-level officials need to adapt first, so we can open up to the global landscape. Now, through the Non-Aligned Movement, we should naturally become the leader of the vast Third World countries and regions, promoting world peace and development," Ren Zhong said.
"We set the rules, and whoever doesn't listen gets dealt with. Isn't that a natural logic?"
Ren Zhong spoke such domineering words without sounding out of place at all.
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"Our Super-7 fighter jet is about to come out, so exporting the J5 and J5A doesn't matter anymore. Strictly speaking, Dongda currently only has the J5A as a cutting-edge fighter, but with the end of the Cold War, the fighters we produce are now mainly for export. According to plan, the air force will naturally be larger than its current scale. The reason for maintaining a low level of active air force personnel is to save the fighter slots for the Super-7 after fully understanding the F-4 Phantom."
"Our Super-7 will surpass the current top level in the world. Its heavy weight, long range, and large payload are weaknesses that the J5A cannot match."
"Is selling the J5A a bit too early?" Staff Officer Ye frowned. This is currently one of the world's top fighters.
It can easily defeat the old generation fighters of the Rogue Eagle.
"It's not too early. We'll need money for the new Super-7 fighter to come out and be deployed. A single Super-7 is much more expensive than a J5A. If we don't sell some J5As early to raise funds, where will the money come from?
Shouldn't we seize the opportunity to sell a batch of J5As first?
"As for the price, let's quadruple our production cost. The An Monkeys can't afford many if it's more expensive. For example, let's sell them a squadron (20-24 aircraft) for $500,000 USD per aircraft. With such an air force, I believe the North won't have to worry about their air superiority."
"If they want cheaper goods, that's fine too. We'll sell the P51D for only $80,000, but ten P51Ds can't beat one J5A. You get what you pay for. Don't expect everything. That's just dreaming."
"In addition, our Zhi-5 helicopter has also been finalized and put into production. Now there's another flying thing in the sky. The role of the Zhi-5 helicopter on the battlefield is also quite important. Although its positioning is different from modern fighters, the tasks performed by these two weapons do not overlap. Helicopters have strong flexibility in jungle warfare, making it very convenient to transport special forces. Isn't it reasonable to charge $300,000 USD per Zhi-5?"
Staff Officer Ye's face twitched. You don't think that's excessive? The production cost of a Zhi-5 is at most 200,000 yuan, but now you're selling it for $300,000 USD, which is almost five times the cost price.
"I'm afraid the An Monkey North can't afford many. They're currently dirt poor, and even eating is a problem," Staff Officer Ye said slowly after calming down for a while.
"If they don't have the money now, they can owe it. They can repay the debt with resources later, such as iron ore. There are plenty of mineral resources in the An Monkeys' home, and we don't have to worry about not having what we want."
After Ren Zhong choked off the An Monkey North's lifeline in this way, we indeed negotiated several very good deals afterward.
According to the principle of reciprocity, the Rogue Eagle also stuffed a bunch of junk into the South, and the two sides fought fiercely back and forth between 17 and 19 degrees North latitude.
However, after both sides strengthened their forces, their strength was still mysteriously at about the same level.
After suffering in the air during the Cold War, the F-86D finally evolved one generation, possessing combat power similar to the J5A. Now, mass production of the F-86D has begun. However, the Rogue Eagle is unaware that Dongda has begun to phase out the J5A and sell them abroad.
However, although these weapons are advanced representatives of this era, the An Monkeys are in dire need of pilots, especially in the air force.
The pilots of a squadron were trained hastily in the mainland with great difficulty. If they could fly and fight, they were required to take up their posts, which was not much different from the crash-course pilots of Dongda in the main world timeline.
However, under the threat of war, where is there much time to grow calmly? Everyone is equally ignorant, and if they can fly, they must take to the air to fight the enemy.
As a result, many dogfights between rookies began to appear in the skies above 17 degrees North latitude.
Relying on the powerful combat capabilities of the J5A, the Northern Army gained a lot of advantages in this round of aerial combat, achieving a loss ratio of almost 1:3. In this way, despite not having an overall advantage in strength, the North withstood a large-scale armored offensive from the South.
Although the scale of both sides was only about ten thousand people, this was a battle that these countries had dared to fight after accumulating for a long time.
Ren Zhong watched the good show next door round after round in his spare time, selling off his inventory and some second-hand commercial goods.
Some countries become poorer the more they fight, such as the Great Bear, but some countries become richer the more they fight, such as the Rogue Eagle, which made a fortune through World War I and World War II. With such an opportunity at his doorstep, Ren Zhong was of course unwilling to let it go easily.