Chapter 1419: Big Pie

"What would you like to drink?" Bu Shi asked as he bent down to open the refrigerator hidden in the dark red solid wood furniture.

"Coke." Du Fei sat down on the chair by the window and went straight to the point: "You've heard about it, right~"

Bu Shi took two bottles of Coke and handed one to Du Fei, nodded and said: "I heard about it, it's a pity."

Du Fei took a sip, and his mouth was instantly filled with exploding bubbles, which brought him a slight sour and tingling pain in his mouth: "Regret? Correction, now is not the time to talk about this. This time, Sulian provided 30 MiG-25s. We must take countermeasures, otherwise we will completely lose air superiority. The J-8 we improved through cooperation is not a match for the MiG-25 at all."

Bu Shi took a sip of Coke. He knew what Du Fei said and understood the purpose of Du Fei's visit this time.

But the problem is that the current differences among the parties on this issue are very large.

Hua Guo is just a friend in the same industry, and America has never regarded Hua Guo as an ally.

Or strictly speaking, America's allies cannot be called allies, but his lackeys.

Whether it is Britain and France, or Japan and South Korea, they are all dodders that depend on America.

Huaguo is different. Although Huaguo's strength is far inferior to America, they have an equal status in essence.

Because of this, America is mentally guarding against Huaguo, and Du Fei is Huaguo's spokesperson in Nanyang.

Once the fighter jets that can compete with the MiG-25 are given to Du Fei, it is equivalent to giving it to Huaguo.

Although it can allow Huaguo to contain more energy of the Speed ​​Alliance, it will inevitably generate huge resistance within them.

"What are your plans?" Bu Shi asked. He wanted to know Du Fei's demands before weighing them.

Du Fei said: "If you want to suppress the MiG-25, you must have a fighter jet that is more advanced than them."

Bu Shi did not respond. He knew that Du Fei came here to ask for a fighter jet.

Du Fei continued: "If it is an F-15, it must be the best."

Bu Shi frowned.

Du Fei pretended not to see it, and continued: "Of course, I understand that the F-15 is unlikely. That is your trump card, and it is impossible to take it out easily. So as a second choice, the F-14 is also OK. There is a precedent for export, so there should not be so much resistance."

Bu Shi smiled bitterly: "Du, don't joke, okay? Let's talk about something practical. You are making it difficult for me."

Du Fei frowned seriously: "The F-14 is not OK? That's more difficult. If there is no equal fighter, we will be very passive on the battlefield. Once we fail in Zhenla, Moscow will ask Vietnam to go north. At that time, facing the powerful MiG fighters, Huaguo will also have no means to deal with it. If there is no way, we can only seek more pragmatic ways to relieve the huge pressure from the north and the south."

Although Du Fei's words were very obscure, Bu Shi could not hear the meaning.

Even if you don't give me the plane, I can't fight hard here. If I really can't do it, it is not impossible to jump back to the Speed ​​Alliance.

Bu Shi's heart trembled. Although Du Fei hinted at a rather extreme situation, in his opinion, the great powers would not easily change their strategies unless it was absolutely necessary.

Moreover, if they could get along well, Huaguo and Sulian would not have been unhappy at the beginning.

But then again, if they really pushed it, it was not impossible. After all, the two sides had a common language in terms of system and form of thought.

Facing Du Fei's words, Bu Shi had to be cautious.

He said in a deep voice: "Du, this matter is very complicated. We must be cautious, but I have to remind you that it is very difficult to obtain the F-14."

Du Fei nodded silently. Of course, he knew it was difficult. Although it appeared the earliest, the F-14 was the first third-generation fighter that America had carefully crafted.

It used a lot of advanced technology, so it was impossible to sell it to Du Fei.

The reason why Du Fei did this was that he asked for a sky-high price and paid it back.

Set the goal higher so that it would be easier to bargain later.

Asked: "Then what do you think we should do now?"

Bu Shi thought for a while and said: "This... I can find a way to help you get a batch of F-5 fighters."

"F-5?" Du Fei raised his eyebrows and searched for information about this aircraft in his mind.

For this time, he made a lot of preparations. He knew that F-5 was a fighter equipped by America in the early 1960s.

This aircraft is also from Northrop, and its appearance is somewhat similar to YF-17.

It has only been more than ten years since then. The main combat target is the MiG-21 of Sulian. The comprehensive combat power is similar to that of the J-8 modification. Compared with the MiG-25...

"Can the F-5 stop the MiG-25?" Du Fei asked bluntly.

Bu Shi was slightly embarrassed. Although lying is a necessary skill to become a regular guest in America, there is a big difference between saying it in person and behind the back, saying it to one person and saying it to a group of people.

If it was in the parliament, Bu Shi could speak passionately and for half an hour, but in private, face to face, he would just say those unreliable things.

The F-5 certainly can't stop the MiG-25, not to mention if he wanted the F-5, why did Du Fei come to him? Huaguo already has the MiG-21, and the J-7 and J-8 based on the MiG-21.

Bu Shi said calmly: "Du, I can only try my best, but... you know, and now the commander-in-chief's words may not work."

Du Fei understands that Nico's term is running out. Although he is a strong leader, at this time, everyone has Xiao Jiujiu, and Nico can no longer control the overall situation.

Du Fei said: "I understand, but no matter what, being able to drag Yue Guo to Zhenla is a good thing for me and you."

…

Du Fei stayed in Bu Shi's manor that night.

The conversation with Bu Shi during the day did not have much impact on Du Fei. This situation was expected.

It is definitely not easy to get a third-generation aircraft from America. Even if you try your best, you may not be able to do it in the end.

Du Fei also had the attitude of doing his best to obey fate.

At the same time, in the master bedroom of the manor.

After Bu Shi took a shower, he changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed.

Barbara was leaning on the bedside reading a book. When she heard the noise, she put down the book, took off her reading glasses, and looked at her husband beside her: "Correction, what do you think of Du's request?"

Bu Shi got on the bed, leaned on the head of the bed, and took a deep breath and said, "What I think is not important. What is important is what those people think. Some people are eager to see the rivers of blood they killed in Nanyang."

Barbara frowned and said, "If you don't add more wood to the fire, it will never burn brightly."

Bu Shi said: "But they don't think that those guys think that everyone else is a fool."

Then he sighed again: "Now it depends on the commander-in-chief's choice."

Barbara nodded slowly, her eyes filled with concern.

This time can be said to be America's most difficult moment. For twenty consecutive years, more than 200 billion US dollars have been invested, and tens of thousands of people have died. The final result is that they left in despair.

For the first time, Sulian saw hope of defeating them.

At this time, there are many pessimists within America who believe that capitalism will completely fail in future competition.

Although the Bushi couple are not pessimists, they understand that the current situation is serious.

If Du Fei hadn't stepped forward at the critical moment, taken over the war with Yue Guo, and left them with some dignity, the current situation would have been even worse.

The next day, Dufy left Los Angeles and took a plane across America to Virginia.

Here I met John Northrop, the founder of Northrop Corporation.

"John, this is our chance." Du Fei leaned on the brown leather sofa and stared at the gray-haired man in front of him.

This person is the key to whether we can get the third-generation machine this time.

John Northrop's experience is quite legendary and he has strong connections in the industry.

John lowered his head, filled his pipe with tobacco, lit it with a match and took a puff slowly, raised his head and said: "Du, I understand what you mean, but you should know that this is very difficult. Although yf-17 We failed in the competition with the F-16, but we cannot deny that our design is also excellent.”

Du Fei said: "Of course, I have never doubted the excellence of Northrop. But John... we are all businessmen, and businessmen never have trouble with money. You know better than me how much money has been invested in the YF-17 , if this investment is wasted, how will you explain it to the shareholders?”

John frowned, took another deep drag on his pipe, and said nothing.

Du Fei said with a faint smile: "Don't think about the navy's orders..."

John felt a chill in his heart, and although he tried hard to control his expression, he was still slightly moved.

Du Fei only said half a sentence, but it contained a lot of meaning.

First of all, Du Fei knew his plan. It was not difficult to guess. He had been busy with this matter recently.

But Du Fei, a foreigner, could know so firmly and tell him not to think about it. What does this mean?

"Could it be..." Thinking of this, John Northrop's heart tightened and he couldn't help but ask, "What news do you have?"

He knew that Du Fei had a close relationship with the Nico family, and he took it for granted that Du Fei might have some secret channel to obtain information that he didn't know yet.

Du Fei said: "Grumman has been developing a cheap version of the F-14 and will not easily let you get your hands on their cake."

John pursed his lips. Of course he knew this situation. The main opponent competing for the Navy's carrier-based aircraft order this time was Grumman.

Grumman has the F-14 to prove its technical strength and has taken the lead.

To turn defeat into victory, Northrop must be better.

Once it fails, Northrop will suffer a complete failure in the third-generation fighter project.

In the next ten years, or even twenty years, we will not be able to eat a bite of the main fighter aircraft.

For manufacturers like them, getting an order for fighter jets is only the first step. The real huge profits come from subsequent maintenance and improvements.

Once a company like Northrop loses money during the update cycle of its main fighter aircraft, it means that it will have a hard time in the future.

Or even more serious, being acquired directly.

Just like the world before Duffy's time travel, Grumman, which owns the F-14, even though it won the F14 cake, it just failed to follow up. Northrop came from behind and replaced their simplified version with the YF-17. The F-14 was eventually absorbed by Northrop a dozen years later.

America is so cruel.

Du Fei lost no time in throwing out his bargaining chips: "John, now is our best opportunity. SMU has come up with the MiG-25. We must have a fighter that can compete. The current F-14 and F-15 are impossible. It is easy to cause huge public pressure. Your YF-17 is the most suitable..."

Du Fei said blatantly, with only one purpose, which was to let Northrop use various connections and do his best to facilitate this matter.

John Northrop was silent, thinking.

Du Fei mentioned one of his pain points, that is, he was not sure about the naval orders.

For now, Grumman has a big advantage.

Once the bid fails, not only the company, but also he personally will face tremendous pressure.

But working with Du Fei also faces huge uncertainties, the first of which is funding.

The third-generation fighter aircraft is definitely a money-burning thing. According to America's purchase price, the price of an F-14 is US$38 million.

The YF-17 is a medium-sized affordable fighter aircraft, one level lower than the F-14 and F-15, and the price is at least about US$25 million.

He didn't know that in the world before Du Fei traveled through time, due to various factors, the price of the Navy's purchase of the YF-17, that is, the F-18, had risen to close to the price of the F-14.

But how much money can Du Fei spend?

Even if calculated at US$25 million, one hundred aircraft would be US$2.5 billion.

Even if the cooperation is successful, how many aircraft can Du Fei buy?

John Northrop asked his question.

When Du Fei heard this, he doubted his strength!

But he was well prepared and said calmly: "Of course, this worry is very reasonable, but I must remind you, John~ The two of us sitting here are in a loser's alliance."

John Northrop frowned.

Du Fei chuckled: "Isn't it? If my motherland had advanced technology and could manufacture its own third-generation fighter jets, I wouldn't be here at all. Similarly, if you had won the previous competition with GM, you wouldn't have will appear here."

John Northrop's face turned gloomy, and he smiled wryly at himself: "Du, you are right, it is indeed an alliance of losers."

Du Fei continued: "So, what we seek should be the bottom line rather than the upper limit. Besides, there is a saying in my hometown that if you get fat first, you will not be fat, and if you get fat later, you will lose weight."

John Northrop was surprised and didn't quite understand Dufy's translation.

Du Fei explained: "Probably don't just look at the present, but look back. Although there are not many now, don't forget that there are flowers and fruits behind me. In the future, there will be more powerful third-generation fighters from SLA. At that time, in order to ensure safety, Huaguo will definitely update the aircraft, and that will be our opportunity.”

John Northrop raised an eyebrow.

Du Fei continued: "Sulian has about three thousand long-term fighter jets deployed in Xianbelia. In the future, the number of third-generation aircraft needed by Huaguo will only reach one-third of this number, which is also one thousand..."

John Northrop narrowed his eyes slightly. A thousand fighter jets cost US$25 million each. That’s US$25 billion!

What a concept!

Even if these 1,000 aircraft are not entirely produced by his factory, he can still make at least US$5 billion in profit from this order through cooperation between the two parties.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but swallowed with a "Gulu" sound.

As for Dufy's big pie, John Northrop is also an old fox, otherwise it would be impossible for the company to reach this scale.

To him, it didn't matter what Du Fei said. What mattered was that Huaguo's demand for fighters was real.