101: Reporting to the General! Test flight complete!

On the ground, Zhao Chengshun and all the military industrial experts looked up, staring intently at the rapidly shrinking black dot.

“The climb rate is terrifying…”

An expert adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses filled with disbelief.

“This is definitely something a third-generation fighter jet can’t do!”

Through the radio, the pilot’s voice, though distorted by static, was still full of excitement.

“Report! The aircraft is in excellent condition! The controls are extremely responsive, and power is available on demand! It’s simply a tamed beast!”

Zhao Chengshun picked up the walkie-talkie and commanded in a deep voice.

“Conventional maneuver test!”

“Received!”

Above the sky, the JF-17 Thunder Block 3 began to perform various flight maneuvers.

Rolls, turns, high-G turns… every movement was fluid and smooth, full of violent aesthetics.

The experts on the ground watched the sky while staring at the data streams on the monitoring equipment, murmuring continuously.

“G-force is stable…”

“The flight control system is incredible; the data curve is still so smooth even during such extreme maneuvers!”

“The engine… the performance of this engine has probably caught up with the f-15 'eagle' fighter jet!”

Listening to the experts' discussions, Zhao Chengshun felt wave after wave of shock in his heart.

He picked up the walkie-talkie again.

“Do something… more challenging.”

“Understood!”

The excitement in the pilot’s voice on the other end of the radio was almost overflowing.

Everyone witnessed an unforgettable scene.

The JF-17 Thunder Block 3, which was flying level at high altitude, suddenly pitched its nose sharply upwards, its fuselage almost perpendicular to the ground.

Yet its speed was rapidly decreasing.

Just when everyone thought it was about to stall and crash.

It reared its nose high like a cobra, hovering in the air in an incredible posture!

“Cobra Maneuver!”

The ace pilot let out an excited roar.

This high-difficulty post-stall maneuver.

It places almost abnormal demands on the aircraft’s aerodynamic layout, engine thrust vectoring, and flight control system.

And this JF-17 Thunder Block 3 performed it with effortless ease!

After completing this maneuver, the fighter jet's nose dropped, resuming level flight, with not the slightest bit of sloppiness throughout the entire process.

An hour later, the fighter jet landed smoothly, drawing a beautiful arc on the runway and coming to a steady stop.

The pilot walked down the gangway, took off his helmet, his face flushed, sweat soaking his temples, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

He quickly walked up to General Zhao and saluted.

“Report, General! Test flight complete! This aircraft… is amazing!”

He was so excited he was incoherent.

“Smooth acceleration, no signs of stalling throughout the entire flight! First-class handling!”

“Except for slightly inferior maneuverability compared to the f-15 'eagle' fighter jet I’ve flown in certain extreme turning angles, in all other aspects… it completely surpasses it!”

“Boom!”

This sentence made the minds of all the Hua Nation experts present explode.

Completely surpasses?

Only slightly inferior in maneuverability to the f-15 'eagle' fighter jet, which is known for its dogfighting performance?

This is no longer a 3.5-generation fighter; this is practically a quasi-fourth-generation fighter!

Zhao Chengshun’s face finally showed uncontrollable excitement.

However, Ruben, who was beside him, just smiled and walked over unhurriedly.

“General Zhao, the era of aerial dogfighting is over.”

His words poured a basin of cold water on the heated atmosphere.

General Zhao frowned and looked at him.

“Commander Ruben, what do you mean by that?”

Ruben pointed to the JF-17 Thunder Block 3, which had just completed its test flight and whose fuselage was still radiating heat.

“You haven’t seen its most powerful aspect yet.”

He paused, then said, word by word.

“Its radar has an effective detection range of over one hundred and twenty kilometers.”

“Its Supporting air-to-air missiles have an effective range of over one hundred kilometers.”

Ruben’s words instantly changed the expressions of General Zhao and all the experts.

From excitement, it turned to solemnity, and even… a hint of fear.

One hundred and twenty kilometers detection!

One hundred kilometers range!

What does this concept mean?

This means that while Hua Nation’s most advanced active fighter jets are still fumbling like blind men dozens of kilometers away.

The JF-17 Thunder Block 3 can calmly lock onto targets, launch missiles, and then turn around and leave.

This is not an equal contest at all.

This is a massacre!

A cold sweat instantly broke out on General Zhao’s back.

He finally understood what a huge mistake he and the domestic experts had made.

They were still marveling at dogfighting capabilities like the “Cobra Maneuver” and congratulating themselves on catching up to the f-15 'eagle' fighter jet’s maneuverability.

But others, they no longer play that game!

The core of modern aerial combat is beyond-visual-range strike!

Whoever sees farther, whoever has a longer reach, is the king!

“Commander Ruben.” General Zhao’s voice was a bit dry, “This is your real trump card, isn’t it?”

Ruben smiled noncommittally.

“The boss said that modern warfare is about information and systems.”

“No matter how many flips an airplane can do, it can’t dodge a missile flying from a hundred kilometers away.”

These words completely enlightened Zhao Chengshun.

In the following days, Zhao Chengshun and his entourage practically lived at the La Paz Air Base.

They repeatedly test-flew and meticulously studied every detail of the JF-17 Thunder Block 3, especially its avionics system and beyond-visual-range combat capabilities.

The conclusions reached made everyone feel both heavy and excited.

The beyond-visual-range combat capability of this aircraft definitely reached world-class standards!

Although its close-range dogfighting maneuverability was slightly weaker, the flaw did not overshadow the brilliance; its overall performance.

It has left all of Hua Nation’s active fighter jets far behind.

One late night, General Zhao made an encrypted call back to Sijiucheng.

On the other end of the line were high-ranking Air Force leaders.

General Zhao did not engage in excessive pleasantries, nor did he report the dazzling maneuvering data.

He simply said one sentence with unprecedented seriousness.

“The gap between us and the world’s top level is much larger than we imagined.”

“I suggest immediately purchasing the JF-17 Thunder Block 3! Not one or two, but in formations!”

The other end of the phone was silent for a long time.

Finally, a decisive voice came through.

“First, purchase fifteen aircraft to understand their capabilities! Further matters will be discussed later!”

“Yes!”

After hanging up the phone, General Zhao did not delay for a moment and immediately took his people back to Riyadh.

In the familiar reception room, he met Jameson again.

“Fifteen JF-17 Thunder Block 3s, we’ll buy them.” General Zhao got straight to the point, pushing an intent contract across the table.

Jameson didn't even look at the contract, just smiled at General Zhao.

“General Zhao, it seems your test flight experience was quite good.”

General Zhao ignored his teasing, leaned forward slightly, and stared into his eyes.

“Besides the aircraft, we also want to buy something else.”

“Oh?”

“We also want the Supporting air-to-air missiles.” General Zhao’s voice was very low, “Our 'Thunderbolt' series doesn’t have enough range.”

Admitting one's shortcomings is not shameful.

Only by facing the gap can one strive to catch up.

The smile on Jameson’s face made General Zhao feel an inexplicable irritation.

It wasn't the joy of a businessman closing a deal, but rather like a shark revealing its stark white teeth after smelling blood.

“Mr. Jameson, name your price.” General Zhao didn’t want to beat around the bush anymore.

He just wanted to get what he wanted as quickly as possible.

Then, he would immediately return to his country with these “iron birds” that could change the landscape of the Hua Nation Air Force.