The words fell, and the middle-aged man in military uniform couldn't help but clench his jaw once more.
A faint trace of frustration appeared on his face.
But ultimately, all these grievances turned into bitterness.
"Could it be that our carrier, which we have struggled and sweated for so long to buy, is about to be sacrificed because of this little obstacle?"
The middle-aged man in military uniform clenched his fists tightly and said unwillingly.
The obstacle bar is actually just a small part of the carrier.
But it is one of the most crucial parts!
Due to the limited deck space of the aircraft carrier, the runway is extremely short. Therefore, to ensure the safe landing of fighter jets, the arrester cable is absolutely necessary!
Without an arrester cable, fighter jets on the aircraft carrier will not be able to return after taking off!
Unfortunately, the Long State currently does not have this technology. There are only two countries in the world that can produce aircraft carrier arresting cables meeting the needs of supersonic jets - Polar Bear and White Eagle!
So for the Long State's aircraft carrier to set sail, it can only purchase from the White Eagle or Polar Bear.
However, it is obvious that both countries do not want to see the Long State becoming stronger. These harsh conditions are all pointing to this!
Not only the middle-aged man in military uniform, but also the man in Zhongshan suit was now immersed in silence.
Without the arrester cable, fighter jets cannot take off from the aircraft carrier. The carrier, which cost tens of billions and went through countless hardships and setbacks to purchase, and then underwent massive renovation at great expense, would just be a decoration!
Thinking of these things, the two men's hearts became increasingly bitter and frustrated.
"Old Wu, what does the 303 Research Institute say? We can calculate a mushroom bomb with an abacus, but now that our infrastructure has improved countless times over, can't we even produce a single rope?"
After a long time, the middle-aged man in military uniform finally controlled the bitterness in his heart, bit his teeth, and asked again.
Upon hearing this, the man in Zhongshan suit sighed and said, "I went to the 303 Research Institute beforehand, and they have already given a conclusion. If we want to independently develop it, it will take at least three to five years, or even ten or more years. This time is too long..."
More than ten years?
After hearing the Zhongshan suit man's words, the middle-aged man in military uniform fell into silence.
"Yes, that's too long. The Navy has several decades to spare?"
Clenching his fists tightly, the middle-aged man in military uniform sighed bitterly.
Even though it's said that it takes ten years to build an army and a hundred years to build a navy, you can't eat an elephant in one bite.
"Oh..."
Seeing the bitter expression on the middle-aged man in military uniform, the Zhongshan suit man couldn't help but sigh.
After a long while, as if something had just occurred to him, the Zhongshan suit man's heart gave a jolt, and his mouth opened.
But as soon as he wanted to say it, he swallowed it back.
"What's the matter, old Wu? Do you have any other ways?"
Noticing the Zhongshan suit man's action, the middle-aged man in military uniform asked hurriedly, as if he had grabbed at a last straw for survival.
Upon hearing this, the Zhongshan suit man fell into silence for a long time before sighing:
"It's not really a solution, but rather a last-ditch effort to revive a dead horse..."
"What does that mean?" The middle-aged man in military uniform furrowed his brow.
Seeing this, the Zhongshan suit man paused for a moment and then continued, "Three stinky cobblers are as good as one wisdom-filled Zhuge Liang. Instead of letting the responsibility fall entirely on us, let's lower the technical specifications to the scientific research units under us, or even private enterprises. Let's see if they can come up with anything useful."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man in military uniform smiled bitterly.
He shook his head and said, "Never mind. You know how big the gap is between civilian and military use. We..."
"Gap? No matter how big the gap is, can it be as big as now? Now we have nothing; we only have half a rusted arrester cable to work with!"
As soon as the middle-aged man in military uniform finished speaking, the Zhongshan suit man's voice directly interrupted him.
"..."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man in military uniform fell into a moment of silence.
Yes, what do they have?
They only have half a section of the arrester cable obtained by cleaning up garbage from the Liao number carrier!
That section of the arrester cable, having been rusted for over a decade, is now riddled with rust. Not to mention stopping a fighter jet weighing dozens of tons, it's questionable whether it could stop a speeding tractor!
Thinking of these things, the middle-aged man in military uniform sighed and said, "Alright, you handle these matters, old Wu..."
He had little hope for the lower-level units. After all, 303 Institute is the highest research unit in the navy, and the state has provided them with so many research funds every year. They failed to develop a qualified product, so what could the lower units hope for?
As for private enterprises, they are not part of the same system, and there's no need to say more about that.
Private enterprises may have some things that are more advanced than military technology, but none of them include the aircraft carrier arrester wire.
After all, this is something only used on aircraft carriers. What would private enterprises do with it? Use it as a tow rope? At a million dollars per rope?
What aristocratic family could afford such a thing?
But as old Wu said, they are now left with no other choice but to treat a dead horse as a living horse...
But still thinking of its importance, the middle-aged man in military uniform couldn't stay still. Ignoring the injury in his hand, he turned around:
"No, I have to go to the 303 Institute..."
Before the words had finished, the middle-aged man's figure disappeared directly into the office.
"Oh..."
Watching the middle-aged man's disappearing back, the Zhongshan suit man couldn't help but sigh again.
He, as an old comrade, doesn't hold much hope. So do I, as a researcher. I am more aware of the difficulty of developing the arrester wire than they are.
Even though it's just a rope, it has to intercept and stop a fighter jet weighing dozens of tons and traveling at hundreds of kilometers per hour in just three seconds!
However...
Shaking his head, the Zhongshan suit man then picked up the wired phone on the desk next to him and dialed a direct line...
…………
The military always prioritizes efficiency, and after making a decision, the emergency plan was put into effect without much delay.
For a moment, all the major research institutes in the Long State began to take action.
However, since even the highest research institute requires several years to develop something, how can the units below compare in terms of talent and research funds? How can they develop faster than the highest research institute?
"Difficult, difficult, difficult!"
Almost all the research institutes issued the same sound.
If they had enough time, they might be able to come up with something, but the highest research institute only gave them one year.
To develop such a cutting-edge technology in such a short time is no different from wishful thinking. If it were possible, the highest research institute wouldn't have to resort to treating a dead horse as a living one...
"Let's try some private enterprises. Perhaps they can do it..."
"I don't think so..."
"Let's give it a try. What if they can do it?"
"Oh..."
