Chapter 1695 Play All the Cards

Almost at the same time as McIntosh fell, an urgent report with the same subject but more detailed content was sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC with the highest priority.

Just ten minutes later, a sternly worded emergency meeting notice requiring immediate attendance appeared almost simultaneously on the personal communication devices of all National Security Council members.

That afternoon, except for a few people who were on business trips and could not return, more than a dozen of the most important figures in Washington gathered in the underground war room of the White House.

"Let's get started, Jim." O'Guanhai folded his arms and signaled Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to start the briefing.

The latter nodded and pressed the remote control in his hand.

The screen lit up, showing a low-resolution, dimly lit photo that had clearly been taken from the internet.

The photo has a chaotic composition and blurred focus, with a dark, nondescript object in the center of the picture, which presents an eerie, spindle-like outline in the evening light.

"About a few hours ago, yesterday evening local time, a public intelligence gathering team affiliated with the National Security Bureau discovered this photo on a local forum on the Chinese internet."

He raised his hand and pointed at the screen:

"The poster claimed that the photo was taken on the tarmac area of ​​​​Shenyang Beiling Airport. He was testing a newly purchased super-telephoto lens at the time and accidentally captured the object, which he described as a 'flying saucer'."

"Pfft..." Someone at the conference table couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

But it stopped abruptly when Ao Guanhai glanced at it, and was replaced by a few awkward coughs.

Clapper continued his statement expressionlessly:

"The publisher mentioned that shortly after taking this photo, the local sky became completely dark, and he lost the conditions to continue taking photos from other angles."

At this point, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew interrupted anxiously: "So... what is this?"

Clapper pressed the remote control again, and the exposure of the same photo on the screen was greatly increased, and more details were difficult to emerge among the overexposed noise.

Although still blurry, the object's streamlined shuttle-shaped fuselage, which was very different from that of conventional aircraft, the obvious lack of vertical/horizontal tail structure, and the vaguely visible outline of the thick engine compartment and tail nozzle began to reveal disturbing information.

"Technical departments enhanced the imagery and initially determined it was an aircraft we had never seen before. The National Security Agency subsequently confirmed this conclusion using satellite imagery and concluded it was a sixth-generation fighter jet with technological capabilities far exceeding any currently in service."

"Sixth-generation fighter"

Those few words pierced the Situation Room like an icicle, seemingly dropping the air several degrees Fahrenheit.

Air Force Secretary Deborah James was the first to break the silence: "What was the basis for that judgment?"

As a pure civilian, although she is the Minister of the Air Force, she actually does not understand the Air Force.

In fact, there is not a single serious soldier in the entire National Security Council.

Fortunately, Clapper was prepared.

He quickly pulled up several processed images, partial enlargements, and technical analysis charts:

"The most significant feature is the overall design, which completely abandons the traditional vertical tail and horizontal tail, adopting a highly integrated wing-body configuration. This design can theoretically minimize the radar cross section, especially the lateral and rearward directions, which are the weak links of traditional fifth-generation aircraft, and achieve true omnidirectional broadband stealth."

Then, the picture switches again, pointing to the connection between the wing and the fuselage:

"Furthermore, the aircraft's aerodynamic shape exhibits some characteristics of a low-speed waverider, indicating that its initial design considered the ability to sustain flight at twice, or even 2.5 times, the speed of sound for extended periods. However, paradoxically, its wing design, particularly the leading-edge flaps and inlet layout, reveals numerous optimizations for low- and medium-speed flight, such as a larger wing area and more complex lift-enhancing devices."

Clapper switched the picture again, this time circling the engine compartment and tail nozzle area:

"Normally, it's difficult for an aircraft to simultaneously maintain these two completely different speed ranges. Furthermore, satellite images show that the engine nacelle and large tail nozzle appear unusually thick relative to the aircraft's size..."

"The most reasonable conclusion drawn by the technical analysis department is that this aircraft is very likely equipped with a variable cycle engine, so it can adapt to the entire speed range from subsonic to more than twice the speed of sound... This is a capability that fifth-generation fighters like the F22 or F35 do not have at all."

The atmosphere in the war room dropped to freezing point.

The last glimmer of hope was completely shattered.

The shock faded, replaced by deep worry and a sense of powerlessness.

Everyone's attention was once again focused on Ao Guanhai at the end of the long table.

The latter's expression was like wearing a mask of pain:

"Frankly, like everyone else, when I first saw this report, I refused to believe it deep down. This is... beyond our understanding and expectations."

"But," he paused, his eyes glancing at Clapper, "with Jim's in-depth analysis, and the other supporting evidence we subsequently urgently acquired... I believe the conclusion that 'China was the first to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet' has become an established fact that we must face."

He covered his chest and took a deep breath, as if to draw strength from it:

"What's even more troublesome is that this news won't be kept secret for long. China might even choose to make it public at any time... So now we need to consider how we should respond."

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter straightened his body almost reflexively. "If that's the case, then we have no choice but to formalize Lockheed Martin's previously proposed next-generation fighter jet program and move it into the development phase. At the very least, we can't lag too far behind the Chinese in terms of progress..."

"Ash, be realistic!"

Ao Guanhai interrupted the defense minister directly in a rare move:

"Tell me, where is Lockheed Martin right now? The F-35 production line has practically ground to a halt due to a lack of critical components! Their own engineers and executives were just rushed to the hospital a few hours ago due to the project's failure and this..." He pointed to the photo on the screen, "This news devastating! How could they immediately mobilize their most elite forces to launch a project far more technically challenging than the F-35, with their competitors already far ahead, while the F-35 is still devouring resources and credibility?"

Carter opened his mouth, but couldn't refute.

Ao Guanhai continued, "Also, I just consulted with our scientific advisor, and they told me that many of the technologies used on this aircraft are still new to us and simply cannot be solved in a short period of time... So, let's not worry about the technical issues for now. Our top priority right now is to find a way to mitigate the impact of this incident."

By the time he said this, he had almost exhausted all his strength.

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon duly took over the conversation: "The biggest crisis right now is not just the technological advancement of the aircraft itself, but its symbolic significance and the chain reaction that follows."

"From hypersonic aircraft to sixth-generation fighter jets, China has continuously demonstrated unprecedented military technology, which could completely change the global power structure at any time...If a certain critical point is crossed, it is very likely that countries that were originally on the sidelines will collectively turn to China, creating a completely unsolvable deadlock."

The picture Donilon painted was so dark that it sent a chill down the spine of everyone present.

Dead end...

This word was like a noose, making it increasingly difficult for everyone to breathe.

At this time, senior senator Dick Durbin, who was specially invited to attend the meeting, suddenly spoke:

"Most of the new technologies mentioned above are probably still in the verification stage... But if this delay continues, China's accumulated strength will only grow stronger. Therefore, if we want to avoid a deadlock, our only option is to interrupt or at least slow down China's development momentum before the balance of power is completely disrupted."

Ao Guanhai almost rolled his eyes and thought to himself, what do you think I have been doing these days? Is it for fun?

But the other party was a leader of the Donkey Party after all, so he replied in a friendly manner on the surface: "You are right, but the problem now is... we don't have any cards to play."

However, Dubin shook his head:

"No, that's not right."

"We actually have one last card, and it's a royal flush..."

Everyone looked over at the same time, some even had fear in their eyes.

They knew exactly what this so-called "last card" was—

An island.

Dubin also narrowed his eyes slightly:

"It depends on whether you dare to use it."