148: Chapter 145 Production Line

November 20, 1981, a secret factory in central Iran.

This factory was originally an automobile parts manufacturing plant, but now it has been converted into a missile production base.

Reza spent three days gathering the best engineers and skilled workers from all over the country.

When Fatima walked into the factory, she saw an orderly but tense scene.

Workers were assembling various parts of the missiles.

Engineers were checking every detail, and quality inspectors were recording every piece of data.

General Mohammad Javadi was waiting for her in the factory office.

"We have ten working days," Javadi said. "Within ten working days, you need to produce ten missiles."

"Ten working days?" Fatima frowned. "I thought it was a month."

"Reza changed the plan," Javadi said. "Iraq's bombings are more frequent than expected. We need to deploy the air defense system faster."

Fatima looked at Javadi, and then at the workers in the factory.

"This is impossible!!" she said.

"Nothing is impossible," Javadi said. "There is only what must be done."

Fatima walked into the production workshop.

She saw the various parts of the missiles.

The Missile Body, wings, Seeker, and Propulsion System.

Every part required precise assembly and testing.

She walked to a workbench and watched a worker assembling a Seeker.

"Stop~~" she said.

The worker stopped.

Fatima watched the Seeker assembly process and found a problem.

The worker was not following her specifications when installing the chip.

The position of the chip was off by 0.5 millimeters.

"This won't do!!" she said. "The chip's position must be accurate to 0.1 millimeters."

"But in that case," the worker said, "the assembly time for each Seeker will double."

"Then let it double," Fatima said. "Quality is more important than speed. A faulty missile is worse than no missile at all."

She began to reorganize the production process.

She divided production into three stages.

The first stage was the assembly of the Missile Body and wings.

The second stage was the assembly of the Seeker and the Fire Control System.

The third stage was the installation of the Propulsion System and final integration testing.

Each stage was overseen by specialized engineers, and every worker had a clear task.

She also established a quality inspection system.

Every part had to undergo rigorous inspection before moving to the next stage.

The result of this was that production speed would slow down, but quality would be guaranteed.

"In that case," Javadi said, looking at the new production process, "can we complete it within ten working days!?"

"Yes," Fatima said, "but it will require the workers to work without interruption."

"No problem," Javadi said. "I will arrange three shifts."

On the first day, the bodies and wings of three missiles were assembled.

On the second day, the bodies and wings of five missiles were assembled.

On the third day, the bodies and wings of all ten missiles were assembled.

Fatima stayed in the factory for three days and never left.

She slept in the factory office and worked on the production line.

She checked every weld point.

She tested every electrical connection and verified every dimension.

The workers began to respect her.

Because they saw that this woman's demands for quality were more rigorous than her concern for her own body.

On the fourth day, the assembly of the Seekers began.

This was the most critical part.

Inside the Seeker, there were chips, complex circuits, and precision optical systems.

Any single error would lead to the failure of the entire missile.

Fatima personally supervised the assembly of every Seeker.

She stood at the workbench, watching every movement of the workers.

"Slower," she said. "The chip's pins are very fragile; if you use too much force, you'll damage them."

The workers slowed down.

"Now," Fatima said, "welding. The temperature must be controlled at 350 degrees, and the time must not exceed three seconds."

The workers welded according to her instructions.

One Seeker was completed.

Fatima used a testing instrument to check all the Seeker's parameters.

"Very good~~" she said. "This one can be used."

On the fifth day, five Seekers were completed.

On the sixth day, all ten Seekers were completed.

Fatima looked at these ten Seekers and felt a sense of satisfaction.

These Seekers, every single one of them was perfect.

Every one of them could track Scud missiles.

Every one of them could maintain tracking during high-speed turns.

On the seventh day, the installation of the Propulsion Systems began.

The Propulsion System is the heart of the missile.

It determines the missile's speed and acceleration.

As Fatima watched the workers install the Propulsion Systems, she felt a sense of tension in her heart.

Because the Propulsion System was the part most prone to problems.

A wrong installation or a wrong connection could cause the missile to explode upon launch.

"Stop~~" she said suddenly.

The workers stopped.

"This connection is wrong."

Fatima pointed to a connection point on a fuel pipe.

"This connection should be a threaded connection, not a weld."

"But a threaded connection will increase weight," an engineer said.

"I don't care about weight," Fatima said, "I care about safety. Welded connections might break under high temperature and high pressure. Threaded connections are more reliable."

The workers redid the connection.

Fatima continued to check the other connection points.

She discovered three similar problems, all of which she corrected.

On the eighth day, the Propulsion Systems for all ten missiles were installed.

On the ninth day, final integration testing began.

Each missile was placed on a test stand, and all systems were activated.

Radar, Fire Control System, Seeker, Propulsion System—all parts were working together.

Fatima looked at the data on the screen.

The first missile, all systems normal.

The second missile, all systems normal.

The third missile, all systems normal.

...

The tenth missile, all systems normal.

All ten missiles passed the test.

Fatima sat in her chair and closed her eyes.

She was tired.

She was very tired.

But she also felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Ten missiles.

Ten Persia-4 air defense missiles ready for use.

This was not just a technical achievement; it was a historic moment.

Javadi walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

"You did it," he said. "Ten working days, ten missiles."

"Yes," Fatima said. "Now, we need to deploy them."

"Preparations are already underway," Javadi said. "Reza said the missiles will be deployed to air defense positions before December 15."

Fatima opened her eyes.

"December 15," she said. "Less than a month left."

"Yes," Javadi said, "Iraq's bombings won't wait for us."