Chapter 910 New Potential Customers
Leisure time is always short.
As per convention, two professional days will be set up before the official opening of the air show.
Yes, before the opening.
Because the opening ceremony is for the general public, it will be held on the first day of the open day.
Professional Day is only open to big spenders such as the military, defense companies, and military contractors.
And of course the media.
In fact, it is better to be low-key.
Because of the high entry threshold, the number of customers in the past two days is not large.
There is no pressure on the air show organizers.
But it’s different for exhibitors.
After all, an air show is not a car show, and you cannot expect individual users to buy your fighter jets or anti-aircraft missiles.
Whether it is publicity or attracting orders, they are actually relying on the upcoming professional day.
The Chinese delegation finally arrived on Tuesday, August 8th. In other words, they only had one full day to prepare.
Even though someone from the French agency had already paved the way for them, time was still tight.
Therefore, until the morning of the open day, ground crews were still surrounding several aircraft, performing maintenance and bomb loading procedures.
In order to ensure the range and taking into account the requirements of the countries through which they would pass, the three fighter jets on display only had three auxiliary fuel tanks installed during the transfer process.
But at the air show, you must show your capabilities to potential customers.
Especially the J-10E.
As a serious third-generation aircraft and the main product promoted by China Aviation Industry at this air show, it has changed the past mindset that Chinese products can only win by relying on cost-effectiveness.
Although its overall performance is still a bit behind that of several latest third-generation and a half fighters that have just been put into service or have not yet been put into service, at least in terms of design and production level, it is fully comparable to the mainstream models brought by other countries.
If it weren't for the conspicuous August 1st military emblem on the wing and the AVIC logo on the vertical tail, most people would probably think this was a fighter jet from a European country.
"It's a pity that the aircraft ammunition we have is still a little lacking in variety..."
Yang Quanzhi stood near the entrance of the Huaxia exhibition area, watching several technicians deftly replace the auxiliary fuel tank on the innermost rack of the J-10E wing with a C802K anti-ship missile.
In fact, the radar equipped on the J-10A/E does not have ground search capabilities.
Even for sea surfaces with less clutter, the effective detection distance is not optimistic.
At least it is not as good as the JH-7 parked not far away.
Therefore, although the C802K can be connected to the fire control system through the data bus, it is definitely not in the list of commonly used ammunition of the J-10.
However, China’s current main equipment is still the imported KAB series of precision-guided munitions.
I have come all the way to attend an air show, so I can't possibly use my own plane to advertise someone else's bomb.
Therefore, we can only use anti-ship missiles to make up the number temporarily.
but.
It was beyond everyone's expectations.
It's just making up the numbers, but it actually produces a pretty good effect.
Shortly after the three aircraft's mounts were switched to ground display status, a team of visitors in military uniforms walked into the Huaxia exhibition area.
After roughly circling, it finally stopped in front of the J-10E.
At this time, Guo Ruiqing was directing several technicians from the Third Academy of Aerospace to modify the exhibition settings. Yang Quanzhi hurried over and patted him on the shoulder:
"Old Guo, there seem to be a few Thai Air Force officers over there?"
Hearing this, the former turned around suddenly and noticed that several people were gathered next to the J-10E booth, whispering something.
In a sense, the Thai army is also a regular customer of Chinese equipment.
However, compared with other users who were forced to choose China when they were "desperate", Thailand's treatment in the arms sales market is generally good, with more choices, and therefore more discerning.
Therefore, previous purchases were basically army and some naval equipment.
As for the Air Force...
Only many years ago, Rongfei Group tried to export J-7M fighter jets to it, but unsurprisingly lost to second-hand F16A/B.
We've had some dealings with each other.
However, the equipment that China has brought now is a far cry from advanced technology.
Not to mention the F16A, even if it faces the F16C, it will not feel guilty.
"Take two people with you to look after them and see what indicators they focus on and what models of competitors they are mainly considering."
Guo Ruiqing said to Yang Quanzhi.
"Yes!"
The latter came with a mission, so he quickly called a few people and prepared to come forward.
"Wait a moment……"
Perhaps because he was worried that Yang Quanzhi was eager to make achievements, Guo Ruiqing called him from behind:
"Pay attention to your image and attitude. Be enthusiastic, but also be reserved and don't be too deliberate."
When it comes to arms sales, the key is still to look at the other party's needs.
Rushing to promote your products will not necessarily lead to good results.
Yang Quanzhi had just been transferred to Rongfei and was still lacking in experience in this area.
However, Guo Ruiqing was obviously worrying too much.
Before Yang Quanzhi got close, several people from the Thai delegation came over to surround him.
"Hello, I am the assistant commander-in-chief of the Thai Air Force, Padma Kitita."
The leading officer, a lieutenant general, took two steps forward and shook hands with Yang Quanzhi.
"I am Yang Quanzhi from China Aviation Industry Group. If you have any questions about the model or our country's export policy, you can consult me, or I can contact higher-level leaders."
Although Yang Quanzhi is not a professional technician, he did a lot of homework before coming here and is definitely not a complete newbie.
"We just have the idea of updating the fighter model, but we don't have a very specific plan yet..."
Lieutenant General Jidita was not just playing tricks.
In fact, the batch of F5 fighter jets currently equipped by the Thai Air Force are indeed old, and the F16s purchased previously are not only second-hand but also early models, and even need an additional upgrade to obtain beyond-visual-range air combat capabilities.
Therefore, the idea of changing clothes has been considered for several years.
But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes.
The financial crisis in 98 almost caused the entire Southeast Asian economy to collapse, with Thailand being the hardest hit.
It was not until the beginning of the new century that the situation gradually eased, relying on Internet companies that gradually began to spread from developed countries.
"It doesn't matter. Your country is also a traditional business partner of our country. We can definitely make contact with it first."
Yang Quanzhi had also heard about the situation in the other country.
Moreover, Bangkok Airways is the first foreign user of the MA60 regional jet.
There is still potential for transaction.
After a brief greeting, Jidita got straight to the point:
"We just saw that the J-10E on display by your company was equipped with two C802K anti-ship missiles."
"So does this mean that this model can carry out anti-sea strike missions?"
This question was completely beyond Yang Quanzhi's expectations.
Before departure, the group leaders decided that the propaganda focus for the J-10A would be ground strike and air interception.
Including the two 2/5 racks under the wings, four PL-4 medium-range air-to-air missiles, which have not yet been finalized, are specially mounted on the composite racks that have not yet been finalized.
In the end, it was the two C802Ks that were added to make up the numbers that attracted the customer's attention...
Of course, even though he was complaining in his heart, Yang Quanzhi was not slow to respond:
“The J-10E’s radar is not optimized for detecting surface targets, but it can carry up to two C120K anti-ship missiles with a range of 802km if necessary.”
As he spoke, he brought Lieutenant General Jidita back to the J-10E booth:
"Of course, the data bus technology applied on the J-10E can also be seamlessly adapted to other new anti-ship ammunition developed by my country in the future."
This is not false advertising.
The problem with the J-10 equipped with C802K is that the detection range of the 1473 radar for sea surface targets, especially small and medium-sized targets, is likely to not reach the latter's range, resulting in a waste of missile performance.
But other than that, there really isn't anything else wrong.
