Chapter 146 French Reaction

"I don't know if the TV signal from China can be received here in Haojiang. If so, I think I would rather see what their own official video looks like."

Alex didn't touch Allen's equipment bag, but took off his coat, put on his slippers, and turned on the TV in another corner of the room.

The above happens to be a replay of the news broadcast that day.

"Yes, that's it."

he said pointing at the screen.

Although he couldn't understand what the announcer was saying, Allen, who had been lying on the bed just now, got up and came to the TV.

"Damn, this angle is so good, the view is not blocked at all. Where did they set up the camera?"

The French journalist gave high praise from a professional perspective.

In fact, the CCTV filming location was on the roof of the hotel where Chang Haonan and the others stayed.

It's just that this super-god machine, which was later called "Xiaobailou", has not been discovered by too many people at this time.

Having said this, Allen was stunned for a moment, and then quickly started the TV recorder placed below:

"This material is much better than what I shot. I have to record it..."

The two of them had an exquisite division of labor during this trip. To put it simply, Allen was mainly responsible for photography, while Alex, who had served as a pilot in the French army, was responsible for writing.

So the latter's main focus at this time was on the TV screen.

He was not able to witness the entire flight performance live, so he urgently needs to find inspiration by watching the recording.

"How do you think this plane compares to our planes?"

After a long moment of silence, Allen spoke first:

"Furthermore, since they are debuting this model at an air show, they will probably have export considerations. Will it compete with the Mirage 2000?"

Alex flew many models before retiring due to injury, so he naturally has a better say in this kind of thing.

These questions from Allen's mouth are obviously a better entry point for them, a French media.

At this time, the flight show replayed on TV was in the most exciting stage of vertical maneuvers, and Alex didn't even hear the voices of his companions behind him clearly.

It wasn't until he finished several consecutive actions and the plane accelerated again to accumulate energy that he finally turned around:

"Sorry, Alan, I was too focused just now. What are you asking about?"

Allen had no choice but to repeat the question again.

"Compared to Mirage 3 and Mirage F1, it is definitely much stronger. As for Mirage 2000..."

Alex held the TV and pondered for a while, as if he was recalling his past days on the plane:

"Its agility is still a little worse than the Mirage 2000. Specifically, its instantaneous turning ability and roll rate are slightly weaker. However, the power level of this aircraft is very strong and impressive. The overall maneuverability should be improved. Stronger, if possible, I would like to see the engine model equipped on this aircraft."

The engine of the Mirage 2000 is its most significant shortcoming. As an aircraft with a normal take-off weight of nearly 14 tons, which is basically the same level as the F16, it is equipped with an M53-P2 engine with only 9.5 tons of thrust, which is almost the same as that of all third-generation aircraft. The second worst.

"As for the issue of export sales... I'm not too worried. Maneuverability is only one part of the overall performance of the aircraft."

"We can't see the radar model of this aircraft yet, but what is certain is that currently the Chinese do not have their own medium-range air-to-air missiles, let alone precision-guided weapons suitable for ground attacks. No country will want to pay for it. money to buy an interceptor that can only operate within visual range."

Alex once flew a Mirage 2000 to participate in the Gulf War and has a very deep understanding of the importance of beyond visual range combat and the multi-purpose capabilities of aircraft.

Most of the people who will buy Chinese or French equipment are small and medium-sized countries. It is impossible for them to have enough manpower and material resources to build special fleets with different functions. It is best to equip only one type of fighter jets and then cover everything from air interception to All missions including ground bombing.

From this perspective, the Mirage 2000 is basically the replacement for the F16. Countries that are unable to buy the F16 for various reasons or are unwilling to buy the F16 will basically consider Dassault's products, let alone the J-8C, even if the Su-27 The status of these two models will not be threatened in the short term.

As a reporter, Allen's understanding of this aspect is basically at the level of an enthusiast, so he will naturally agree with Alex's judgment.

However, his rich experience in the media industry cannot be compared with the latter:

"But they are developing very fast. I still remember that it should be 1987, when China came to participate in the Paris Air Show for the first time, and I was also present at that time."

"To be honest, the things they brought there at that time were just...although I don't want to comment like this, they were just scrap metal. At most, they were only at the level of around 1960."

"There is no need to worry too much. Maybe in 10 years they will be able to come up with a newer generation of fighter jets, but by that time we will definitely have been equipped with newer Rafale fighter jets, and we may even have fourth-generation aircraft like the F22."

As a pilot who has flown Dassault aircraft ranging from Super Mystique to Mirage 2000, Alex is obviously very confident about France’s future fighter development:

"In contrast, I feel that the helicopter they exhibited this time has a greater impact on us."

"Helicopter?"

Because he ran out of storage space halfway through the shooting, Allen spent almost half the afternoon fishing and did not visit the indoor exhibition hall of the aviation industry.

Instead, Alex, who missed the exciting part, looked at all the exhibits on the Chinese side.

"A replica of the AS365 Dolphin, almost identical, with two turboshaft engines, a 4-blade rotor, and a ducted fan tail rotor..."

He was carrying a camera that used film, so he couldn't take out the photos immediately, so he had to describe them roughly in words:

"I hope the aerospace company did not forget to impose restrictions in the contract they signed with China. Otherwise, if they sell helicopters exactly like ours at a lower price, it may have a great impact on the market."

"Actually...even if you sign a contract, it may be difficult to completely restrict it." Allen doesn't think that such a contract will really have any restrictions:

"In the past, Israel also exported copies of our Super Mysterious and Mirage 3, but in the end it was nothing. The arms trade does not need to comply with many commercial terms."

"Okay, you have a point."

Alex shrugged:

"But you gave me a heads up. I have already thought about what to write in this column."

"Oh?"

Allen, who had just lay back on the bed, suddenly sat up again:

"What do you want to write about?"

"On behalf of the Chinese people, I would like to thank the short-sighted fools in the Ministry of National Defense and Congress because they destroyed the Mirage 4000 project, so soon our air force will become the weakest among all major countries in the world!"

Alex suddenly danced and roared.

"Uh... calm down first." Allen was frightened by his companion's exaggerated movements and stepped back. At the same time, he thought of a way to comfort him as quickly as possible:

"Looking on the bright side, no matter what, there are still British people who can keep us informed."

Unexpectedly, Alex became even more excited:

"You actually think that Britain can be considered a major country in the world?"