113: Strategic bombers for rice

The latest news from the staff shocked both Savitz and Claire.

Great Bear Country's strategic bomber has finally been rolled out?!

More than ten years ago, Great Bear Country announced the successful test flight of its first-generation stealth fifth-generation aircraft, becoming the third country in the world to possess stealth fighters.

At that time, the United States was the only major power with stealth fighters globally; Great Bear Country was just along for the ride.

Since then, over ten years have passed, and Great Bear Country even possesses a second stealth fighter.

However, Great Bear Country's heavy stealth bomber remained only a rumor, unseen.

But now, it's suddenly announced as having successfully test-flown?

When did they break through the technical bottleneck?

Has the engine technology passed muster? Has the heavy bomber's stealth technology passed muster?

After the initial shock, Savitz and Claire went from disbelief to suspicion.

They even wondered if this was false information released by Great Bear Country.

However, their minds raced, and they immediately thought of another possibility, one they were unwilling to believe but couldn't avoid.

"Ah?!"

"Could it be related to the Anti-War Army's previous visit?!"

Thinking about it, Great Bear Country is now announcing the successful test flight of the H-20 Bomber, half a month after the Anti-War Army's visit concluded.

If Great Bear Country had already overcome most of the H-20 Bomber's technology, only needing a final push, then it's not impossible to quickly finalize an aircraft, put it into production, and successfully test-fly it after receiving critical technical support!

It's just that...

Savitz and Claire simply refused to believe that an irregular bandit army could thoroughly research a top-tier strategic bomber in a short time; it was a joke.

But the timing was too coincidental.

The two went from suspicion to unease.

Savitz slammed the table: "No more waiting... Have the Anti-War Army immediately return the more than twenty b series strategic bombers that belong to the United States!"

—

MacDonnell Ranges.

After Fang Le received the urgent demand from the U.S. Military, he first visited the military industry research institute to observe the progress of the strategic bomber's replication. With a clear understanding, he ordered the communication department to respond to the United States:

"Our side can return those bombers."

"But the transaction time, location, and method will be determined by our side."

"The time is set for five days from now, the location is the outdoor airfield in Alice Springs, and the personnel from your side, apart from necessary bomber pilots, can only have a very small security force."

"At the same time, during our previous visit, your side sent people to attack our ground escort troops and intercept our visiting aircraft fleet, causing us personnel and equipment losses. Your side must compensate for these losses."

"Our side does not want cash compensation, only in-kind compensation."

"The in-kind list is as follows:

15 M1A2 tanks, 20 Bradley fighting vehicles, 30 armored personnel carriers, 25 AH series attack helicopters, 20 Chinook transport helicopters, 40 self-propelled artillery pieces of various types, 100 heavy machine guns of various types... In addition, your side needs to provide ammunition for all compensated military equipment, no less than 10 basic loads for each type..."

"Your side also needs to compensate our personnel for casualties and death benefits, with all benefits exchanged for daily necessities totaling 100 million U.S. dollars in value..."

—

"What is this?!"

At the U.S. Department of Defense, Savitz slammed the table in anger when he saw the requested list.

Claire also read the list and chuckled.

Savitz was displeased: "You're still laughing... The Anti-War Army is practically trying to fleece us!"

"If we're talking about losses from battles during the Anti-War Army's visit, weren't our losses far greater than theirs?"

That time, due to Great Bear Country's involvement, the United States was suppressed in the intelligence war, and the U.S. Military was constrained in combat, and the quality of their troops was also inferior to the Anti-War Army's. Both ground forces and the air force suffered greater losses.

Who would compensate the U.S. Military's losses?

Moreover, Savitz didn't believe that the Anti-War Army lost so much equipment from the list that time, almost covering all types of conventional U.S. Military equipment.

And what's with demanding 10 basic loads of ammunition?

Do you know what 10 basic loads mean?!

Savitz stopped laughing and explained: "It's precisely because I saw this list that I breathed a sigh of relief."

"If the Anti-War Army didn't want to return the bombers, they wouldn't have proposed such a list, which is tantamount to extortion."

Indeed.

But Savitz worried: "What if the Anti-War Army feints, takes the goods, but doesn't return the planes?"

Claire: "The Anti-War Army's compensation list is indeed a huge demand."

"However, for a large force of over ten thousand people like the Anti-War Army, having this equipment and supplies would only offset some conventional war losses; it's not a major issue."

"If they dare not return the planes, that's also easy to handle. If the Anti-War Army goes back on its word and loses its credibility, the three-month ceasefire agreement can be immediately voided, and our People's Army can directly attack the Anti-War Army without any moral burden."

That's true.

Five days later, both sides agreed to conduct the transaction at an outdoor airfield outside Alice Springs.

The civilian aircraft parked there had long been removed, leaving the vast airfield empty.

Then, from the north, a large convoy of U.S. Military vehicles arrived.

These convoys included tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, helicopters, and truckloads of military supplies.

As agreed, the U.S. Military personnel who came, apart from basic vehicle drivers and a very small number of security personnel, had no other regular troops.

Then, the Anti-War Army's receiving team also arrived from the MacDonnell Ranges.

They were also shocked to see the large quantity of weaponry, ammunition, and supplies.

It took the Anti-War Army's receiving troops a full day to inventory all the equipment and supplies transported by the United States and conduct an initial inspection to ensure no tampering.

And after these items are transported back, they will undergo a second round of inspection and will not be quickly put into storage or use, so there's no need to worry about problems.

Then it was the Anti-War Army's turn to return the bombers.

The time was set for night.

As night fell, the U.S. Military personnel waited for a long time, with a roaring sound overhead.

Twenty behemoths, one after another, landed on the airport runway in the darkness.

The Anti-War Army's transaction representative told the U.S. personnel: "All 23 b series strategic bombers, plus one that was shot down and became wreckage in the earliest battle, have been transported here together. You can take them."

"But don't have any ulterior motives; these bombers are not loaded with any ammunition."

After the Anti-War Army said its piece, it turned and left, completely disregarding the stunned U.S. Military receiving unit.

In the United States, Savitz breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that all the bombers had been successfully recovered.

However, his suspicion quickly arose.

How could the Anti-War Army be so honest?

No—

Savitz immediately ordered: "Quick, have the Air Force send several top bomber manufacturing experts to inspect the condition of those bombers!"

The Anti-War Army must have done something to those bombers!!!