Chapter 47: True Self-reliance
Dean Qian’s days were not easy.
To be more precise, they were extremely difficult.
At this current time point, he desperately needed achievements to prove himself.
First, the Fifth Academy led by Dean Qian had an independent budget and did not compete with other projects for national defense budget.
Second, over the past three years, he had transferred a total of 1500 core R&D personnel to the Qinghai base, far away from the local front lines.
Finally, the big shot’s instructions explicitly stated that expenses for atomic bombs, missiles, and such must be listed separately as special items, ensuring they occupy more than 15% of the total military budget.
Everyone could see the results of the atomic bomb; China indeed needed it, but what about the missile? How is the missile you developed different from those developed by others?
In the letter to the big shot, Dean Qian said: If the missile development funding ratio falls below 15%, the international chasing window period will be lost.
Finally, from the perspective of actual national level support, including the supporting industry investment, the missile’s share in the military budget alone indeed exceeded 15%.
It can be said that the Chinese side has absolutely not shortchanged Dean Qian, nor the Fifth Academy, in terms of scientific research investment.
You have received such enormous support, so you must produce results.
In the past, doubts had arisen from all sides: why not do mass scientific research, but let you people do scientific research separately.
These doubts were enormous pressure, directly weighing on Dean Qian’s head.
The doubts were one aspect; greater pressure came from America, as their Matador missile with a 1000 km range had already been deployed opposite Fujian Province.
Faced with such a situation, Dean Qian had been holding back a breath of anger; if he didn’t produce something, it wouldn’t matter if he himself was done for, but if it took down the entire missile R&D line with him, it would be all over.
In the past, he had always been dissatisfied with the Soviet Union because the P-2 missile-related technology transferred by the Soviet side was a castrated version.
Looking at Pokrovsky’s face suddenly changing, Dean Qian felt indescribably exhilarated inside.
He had known early on that the Russians were not acting like humans; seeing the missile technology blueprints they transferred only confirmed once again that the Russians were not acting like humans.
“Pokrovsky, the P-2 you transferred to us has a range of only 270 km, but we Chinese can increase it to 600 km by ourselves.
The 500-meter precision that you yourselves cannot achieve, we Chinese will show you!”
After saying that, Dean Qian was surging with emotion; 500-meter precision meant too much, and for China, it meant at least one truly capable means to directly threaten the area opposite Fujian Province.
500-meter precision, 590 km range, plus 2 km/s ballistic speed—these three combined together could cover all cities west of the central mountain range opposite with the truth cannon.
This could greatly alleviate security issues along the coastal areas.
“Qian, achieving a 600 km range, I believe with your ability it’s entirely possible; we all know that although it’s difficult, it’s not impossible.
Whether purifying the oxidizer or increasing fuel density, or making certain modifications to the engine, there are too many ways to make improvements in range.
But improving precision, especially directly from kilometer-level in the past to meter-level, the difficulty in between is not the same thing at all.
You must have had a technological breakthrough to achieve this.
According to the technology agreement we signed in 57, this technology must be shared with us.” Pokrovsky’s tone gradually became tougher, “That’s right, you must have discovered a new inertial guidance method to achieve such a leap in precision.”
He seemed to be affirming his own statement.
Dean Qian shook his head and said: “Sorry, the technology agreement no longer exists; did you forget?
You have already torn up the technology agreement.
Additionally, the technology agreement had problems from the very beginning; it was because we Chinese were magnanimous and didn’t hold it against you.
The technology agreement signed by both sides in 57 stipulated the transfer of R-2 missile technology, but in the end, they specially made a castrated version named P-2 for you.
The R-2 has a range of 550 km, while the castrated P-2’s theoretical range is only 270 km.
If it weren’t for the Russians not acting like humans and giving something that really cannot be used, they wouldn’t have taken the blueprints in 57 and only test-fired in 60.
The Fifth Academy led by Qian Lao had comprehensively upgraded the P-2 over the past three years: improved the fuel, redesigned the engine, adjusted the structural materials, and improved the tail fairing.
Even without the Monte Carlo Method and calculus of variations optimization sent back by Lin Ran, Dean Qian and they would still optimize the P-2’s ballistic trajectory.
So from the beginning, the Russians had no good intentions; what they gave was a castrated version of a castrated version.
“Military Industrial Committee accepts number KT-0124/1960
Sending unit: ****
Date: July 31, 1960, 4:30 Moscow time
To ****
And copy to
******
Urgent report: On the abnormal development of Chinese missile technology and response suggestions
Key facts confirmed
According to radar data from the 7th observatory (Zhangjiakou) and Harbin experiment record analysis (see attachments KT-0124-1 to KT-0124-5), in China’s 1059 Project fourth full missile test firing on July 30, 1960:
Range: 591 km (219% exceeding the theoretical limit of our transferred R-2 original technology files) Circular error probable (CEP): 483 m (Soviet specification requirement: 1.8 km) Penetration speed: 2.2 Mach
Technology source anomaly
Fuel system confirmed to use modified ethanol-liquid oxygen combination, thermodynamic efficiency exceeding design drawing by 21%; turbopump device features three-chamber parallel patent structure; guidance gyroscope drift rate reduced to 0.08°/h, inertial guidance algorithm exceeds our never-published Globus-3 core algorithm.
Risk evaluation
(1) China has mastered direct missile strike delivery capability against the Far East region (Khabarovsk/Vladivostok);
(2) Neutral countries may reach transactions with China; if China sells missile technology, we will lose strategic chips in some areas;
(3) If China reverse-exports improved technology, it will cause overall loss of control in the Warsaw Pact technology system.
Action suggestions”
July in Harbin was not cold at all, but Pokrovsky felt a chill; the shock from his Chinese counterparts made him uneasy.
After writing the fax, he sat in front of the KROT fax machine, watching the message transmit bit by bit back to Moscow, while inwardly sighing: “The Chinese counterparts are too good at tinkering.”
The Russians had done plenty of technology transfers to other countries, but only China persisted in making something different on the basis of their transferred technology.
Take Brother San as an example: the MiG-21 production line transferred in the late 1960s, even up to 2019, fifty years later, remained exactly as transferred, with no changes at all.
Even though during that time, due to insufficient engine thrust and avionics coupling failures, over four hundred had crashed—more crashes than those that completed a full service cycle—there was no sign of successful improvements.
“If only China were like other countries and didn’t tinker.” Pokrovsky thought.
