Robert Wilson is nominally a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, but he also has an identity as a CIA periphery. It can be said that during the Cold War, journalists in the United States and the Soviet Union basically conducted espionage training. During Reagan's visit to the Soviet Union, the future Russian leader also made a cameo appearance as a journalist.

When Robert Wilson returned to Washington, he found more than just CIA leaders waiting for him in the conference room. It was also seen that representatives of Boeing, Lockheed, General Dynamics, Pratt & Whitney and other major enterprises were also discussing topics related to ground effect aircraft in the conference room.

William Casey's power as CIA director is astonishing, but sometimes he has to take into account the interests of big American business. Especially since each of these military-industrial giants is a master with amazing energy, he really can't afford to offend.

Now it is not only the major US military-industrial giants waiting for intelligence, but even the president's special envoy Wainwright has come to the CIA. You don't have to think about it to understand that Reagan is also paying attention to this matter at this moment, after all, this is a new type of transportation, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a new type of weapon.

William Cassie must speak first, after all, this is his territory. smiled and said to Robert Wilson: "Robert, what have you gained in Xiangjiang this time, I heard that you are one of the few people who have personally experienced the Xiangjiang monster ground effect aircraft." ”

Robert Wilson also knows that with so many people coming here today, it seems that the president has taken this matter very seriously. Isn't this just an opportunity to prove yourself! So he straightened his clothes and said, "Your Excellency, the director, and the representatives of the enterprises. This time I took the ground effect aircraft to give me the feeling that it was very shocking, the Xiangjiang monster basically uses computer control during operation, and the degree of automation is very high. ”

"Since we only flew for an hour, we didn't fully experience his combined performance. Although Heiyun Group announced that the maximum take-off weight of the ground effect aircraft is 800 tons, I think it can do better, but it is still in the test flight stage, and Heiyun Group does not dare to say too much. ”

After hearing Robert Wilson, many people know that this flying machine already has strategic value. It seems that the United States also needs to carry out relevant research and development, otherwise it will be completely backward in the ground effect aircraft project.

Special Presidential Envoy Wainwright said: "During the test flight of the Xiangjiang Monster Ground Effect Aircraft, did our radar deployed in Asia find any targets. ”

The military representative said embarrassedly: "Since the early warning aircraft was not deployed during the test flight of the Xiangjiang monster, it is difficult for the ground radar to detect low-altitude aircraft. As a result, none of the radar stations deployed in Asia have found targets, and not only us, but even the British troops stationed in Xiangjiang only discovered targets when they saw the aircraft with the naked eye, and the radar could not scan them at all. ”

These words made the faces of everyone present solemn, because they knew that the Soviets had already developed a ground-effect aircraft. If the performance is similar to that of the Xiangjiang monster, then once the war breaks out, it will be very troublesome for them to attack the mainland of the United States with ground effect aircraft.

William Cassie: "As you may have heard, our satellites have filmed Soviet aircraft in the Caspian Sea. Now it seems that it can be concluded that it is a ground-effect aircraft of the Soviets. The United States is already in a completely backward position in the ground effect aircraft project, the ground effect aircraft of the Black Cloud Group is a means of transport, and the aircraft of the Soviets are equipped with missiles. If the United States does not have the corresponding counter-attack weapons, then the outbreak of war in the future will be very passive. ”

At this time, the representative of Lockheed said: "Mr. Wilson, what is the altitude of the aircraft during the test flight, or at what altitude the aircraft flies most smoothly. ”

Robert Wilson: "Since the weather in Xiangjiang was very good during the test flight, my watch has a altimetry function. The aircraft is most stable when it flies at an altitude of about 8 meters, and I feel that it is also the fastest time I can fly. ”

Hearing this, the representative of Lockheed said: "The wingspan of the Xiangjiang Monster ground effect aircraft is 42 meters, and we have calculated that when the ground effect is the strongest, it is when the height of the aircraft and the ground is about 15% of the wingspan. However, there are other factors involved, such as the length of the aircraft and the wing area, but the general proportion is not too different.

As an old rival of Lockheed, Boeing will not let them get their wish. Looking at the posture, the US military will definitely launch a ground effect aircraft, so the most likely to develop and produce this product is none other than Boeing and Lockheed, as for General Dynamics and Pratt & Whitney, it is more to provide engines for the two of them. Now that Lockheed representatives have expressed their views, then they must not lag behind, otherwise the ground effect aircraft will have nothing to do with Boeing.

The biggest markets for the emergence of ground-effect aircraft are large passenger aircraft and transport aircraft, which are precisely Boeing's traditional areas. It can be said that it is an invincible existence in this world, and now that a more efficient flying machine appears, then everything becomes confusing.

A representative from Boeing said: "It's just a simple formula that any college student who has studied aerodynamics can figure out. What I am most concerned about is the LCD screen and computer control system inside, it can be seen that the technical advantages of Heiyun Group in these two aspects have been very obvious, if we can't catch up, it will definitely be very passive at that time. ”

"Also, you noticed that there are no exhaust holes next to the external engines, and looking at this arrangement reminds me of the aerodynamic layout of the British Harrier fighter. If the Xiangjiang Monster can achieve vertical take-off and landing, then his combat power will rise by more than one level. However, looking at the layout of the engine, it is not impossible to do so, and this is what we have to worry about. ”

After listening to the Boeing representative, everyone carefully looked at the pictures brought back by Robert Wilson. They are all professionals, and they really see some clues.

Presidential Special Envoy Wainwright suddenly said at this time: "Can General Dynamics and Pratt & Whitney make a three-rotor turbojet engine similar to the Black Cloud, and can they achieve the effect of vertical take-off and landing." ”

The competition between General Dynamics and Pratt & Whitney is also very fierce, compared to Boeing and Lockheed. Now that the presidential envoy has been named, it proves that Wainwright was authorized by Reagan. This is not the time to make peace with the mud, and they don't have much confidence in their hearts at this time.

A representative of General Dynamics said: "We have the ability to develop and produce engines, but the technology patent for the three-rotor engine is in the hands of Heiyun, and if the U.S. military does not have much problem using it, once it is exported to our allies, it will face patent disputes." ”

"And now we need the cooperation of IBM in terms of computer software and hardware, and only IBM can do this by exposing the technical parameters and source code to us. ”

Pratt & Whitney's representative also said: "I don't want to admit it, but that's the truth. At present, no company has obtained the patent authorization of the three-rotor engine, and if the traditional engine is used, the product performance may be greatly discounted. ”

"In addition, the Xiangjiang Monster Ground Effect Aircraft uses a large amount of titanium alloy, which can only be imported from the Soviet Union at present, which is also a very troublesome thing. Looking at the appearance and color of the entire Xiangjiang monster, the Black Cloud Group must have added rare earth elements to the metal formula, which needs to be imported from Huaxia. ”

Wainwright now has a big head, not only to get the technology license, but also to make the source code open to IBM, to import titanium alloys from the Soviet Union, and finally to buy rare earth minerals from China. None of these things are easy to do, but His Excellency the President has made it clear that the Americans must develop their own ground-effect aircraft, even if it is difficult.

Wainwright: "I don't think Bao Zixuan has the courage to refuse the engine patent authorization, so it's a big deal to give him more money." The CIA was responsible for the import of minerals from the Soviet Union and China, and no matter what method was used, it had to meet the raw materials needed for the production of ground-effect aircraft. ”

"But Heiyun shouldn't have gotten IBM's data parameters and source code, so why do you need it?"

The people of General Dynamics are also speechless, can you send someone who understands science and engineering over next time. This person is simply a technical idiot, but after all, he represents the president, and he is not easy to offend.

General Dynamics representative: "Your Excellency, Heiyun Computer, the Black Cloud Group of Black Cloud Group, is one of the largest suppliers of hardware and software in the world. Their ground effect aircraft only needs to take the system and use it, after all, it is a company with the same interests, and the developers are likely to be a team. ”

"But the computer hardware and software we need come from IBM, and if they don't cooperate, we can only accommodate them. Nowadays, the product is very suitable for the combination of software and hardware, and if one party does not cooperate, it may lead to the failure of the project. As a computer company, many data parameters and source code are fundamental to the survival of the enterprise, and we have no affiliation with IBM, which is more troublesome. ”

Villette: "I will coordinate these things, and IBM must make the necessary sacrifices for the sake of national interests." Now it is up to you to come up with a bidding proposal, and Your Excellency the President will see your proposal within half a month. If we don't want the Soviets to fly over our heads before they are discovered, then we have to let the United States have this weapon as well. ”

It's still the old rule, the Boeing and Pratt & Whitney combination against the Lockheed and General Dynamics combinations. This may be the basic operation of every aircraft tender in the United States, and as for the remaining small companies, they can only drink some soup in the back.

Bao Zixuan didn't know that one of his actions had caused the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, to increase their R&D investment in ground-effect aircraft. Now it seems that the Soviets have taken the lead, but I believe that with the technical reserves of the Americans, it will definitely not be difficult to do something.

The two superpowers are increasing their investment in ground-effect aircraft, and other countries are unlikely to lag behind, so it can be said that the fate of a product that was not successful in the previous life has changed dramatically, and the influence of Bao Zixuan is gradually increasing.