Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

"Robert, based on intelligence from relevant departments, the Pentagon believes that the performance of the J-20 fighter jets that China is mass-producing has reached or even surpassed the level of the F-22."

"The current F35 is no match for them at all."

"In response to this situation, we have asked Lockheed Martin and Boeing to work together to consider restarting the F-22 production line. How come it has been three months and there is no news at all?"

In a meeting with a high level of confidentiality, John looked at Robert and Muilenburg with dissatisfaction.

The presidents of these two American military-industrial giants are under a lot of pressure now.

In the past two years, the American intelligence agencies have been very active and have indeed heard some information from China.

Of course, a lot of information was actually released proactively by China.

But no matter which method it is, people now know that China's military strength has increased significantly, and they have a strong sense of crisis.

So they started to take action without waiting for the results of the new round of elections.

However, after a few months, the results were not ideal.

"John, as the world's first fifth-generation fighter to enter service, the F-22 fighter has a combination of stealth, agility, accuracy, and situational awareness, as well as air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities, making it the best fighter in the world today. It is our trump card weapon for dominating the sky."

"It is hard for us to believe that China's J-20 can surpass the F-22."

Robert didn't want to discuss directly why the F-22 production line couldn't be restarted.

The story behind this is quite complicated and cannot be explained in a short time.

In fact, many people actually agree with Robert's statement.

After all, the F-22 fighter jet, jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, continued to enter service in the United States in the early 21st century to replace the F-15 fighter jet.

As soon as it came out, it became the world's best fighter with the best overall performance.

It is ahead of other advanced fighter aircraft in the world in terms of avionics equipment, maneuverability and weapon configuration.

However, supersonic cruise capability and stealth performance are capabilities that most fighter jets have not yet achieved, and it is even impossible to quantify and compare them in statistical indicators.

Because of this, the United States has issued a special decree prohibiting the export of F-22s and only allowing them to be used by the United States itself. However, the number of F-22s used by the United States is limited after all, which is like cutting off Lockheed Martin's financial resources, and the manufacturing cost of the F- is already high.

According to the "Air Power Progress Assessment Report" released by the United States itself, even after the F-22 entered the mass production stage and the R&D costs were shared, it still maintained a high cost of US$1.5 million per aircraft, which put Lockheed Martin in a difficult position.

In addition, the F-22 integrated a large number of the latest technological achievements of the American military industry at that time.

For example, stealth coating, F-119 vector engine, APG-77 active phased array radar, etc.

Therefore, it requires a specific constant temperature and humidity hangar for careful maintenance, and the maintenance cost is quite expensive, costing more than $6 per hour.

In fact, even the United States' next-generation stealth fighter, the F-35, has a maintenance cost that is only 22% of that of the F-40.

As the F-22 is too expensive, the United States, which is under tremendous pressure on its military budget, has also begun to consider reducing the number of F-22 orders.

"Your statement would have been completely correct ten years ago, when there was no news of the fifth-generation fighter jets of Polar Bear and China."

"This even resulted in the F-22 lacking a clear and distinct air-to-air combat mission."

"However, because the F-22 frequently encountered problems during flight training, relevant departments began to have great doubts about the performance and value of the F-22."

“所以在2011年5月3日，相关部门才下令为数165架的F-22机队无限期停止作战飞行任务，并将训练飞行限制在25000英尺的高度以下，直到理清肇事原因并完成相关改善为止。”

John first affirmed part of Robert's statement, but soon stepped on it from another angle.

Otherwise, the relevant departments originally pushed for the suspension of F-22 production, and now they want Lockheed Martin to resume the production of F-22. Isn't this slapping themselves in the face?

John naturally didn't want to do this kind of thing.

"John, actually before Lockheed Martin announced the suspension of production, it had already made full preparations to resume production one day."

"They sealed up the relevant information, carefully preserved all kinds of tooling and molds, and even hired professional videographers to carefully record every process of the production line with videos and keep them properly."

"However, what we never expected was that resuming production was not as simple as we imagined. For various reasons, our attempts became futile."

"That's why we haven't officially reported it to you."

Boeing's Dennis Muilenburg was there to help Robert fill in the gaps.

Although the two companies are usually competitors, they are partners in this matter today.

"I can understand that resuming production is difficult, but is it so difficult that you can't resume production?"

John stared at Robert and Muilenburg with displeasure.

Now the pressure from China to America is increasing.

"Let me explain it briefly."

Robert sighed. He knew that if he didn't explain the reason clearly today, John would not let him go.

"There are three factors that make it difficult to restart the F-22 production line."

"One is the change in suppliers, the second is the high cost of repairs, and the third is that some of the F22's technology is a bit behind the times."

"The fighter jet assembly line is like a car assembly line. Most of the parts are purchased from other suppliers."

"Many parts of the F-22 need to be specially designed, and it started to be manufactured more than ten years ago."

"Since production was discontinued in 2011, some of our suppliers have been unable to continue manufacturing F-22 parts. Some have closed down, some have been merged, and some have changed their product categories or abandoned certain industries. Therefore, it is impossible to buy all the F-22 parts."

"In this case, we can only customize it according to the drawings at a high price."

Hearing what Robert said, John couldn't help but frowned.

He had not considered this situation before.

According to him, Lockheed Martin's suppliers should be relatively stable.

Although the F-22 has been discontinued, Lockheed Martin still has other products in production.

But he did not take into account the particularity of the F-22.

"As for the high cost of repair, according to our multiple calculations, restarting the F-22 production line will cost at least $150 billion. From the information you provided, the demand from the relevant departments does not exceed 100 aircraft."

"If we follow the previous aircraft quotation, we will definitely lose money. If we want to avoid losses, we can only increase the unit price of the aircraft."

"After comprehensive calculations, the unit price of the aircraft is several times more expensive than before, which is definitely not cost-effective for the relevant departments."

"Besides, even if we overcome these problems, there are still many problems that may arise."

"For example, when it comes to production, we will also face the issue of whether the personnel are suitable."

"Different fighters and equipment have different production and assembly processes and specifications. Restarting fighter production means that the company's workers need to be retrained and relearn new processes."

"The aviation industry is a relatively professional industry, and practitioners need a long time to get used to it and accumulate work experience in order to ensure relatively stable work efficiency and quality."

"What's more, in the past decade or so, what America has lacked most is workers with core technologies. Our real industry is actually declining, especially the aviation industry. Many workers have to find other ways to make a living. Some have to transform, some have to change jobs, which has caused a large number of experienced workers to leave and a difficult situation of shortage of reserve."

"Once these problems are solved, it is better to spend more time on the development of the sixth-generation fighter."

After Robert said this, John became a little confused.

If the restart of the F-22 really faces such a big problem, it will not only be costly but also time-consuming. It would be better to increase the research and development of the sixth-generation fighter.

For many years, the United States' sixth-generation fighter project has been kept strictly confidential, making it difficult for the outside world to get a glimpse of its true progress.

However, Robert and Muilenburg naturally knew some of the relevant information.

"The main features of our sixth-generation fighter include the adoption of stealth design to improve suddenness and survivability."

“Equipped with advanced sensors and communication systems to achieve information sharing and collaborative operations.”

"It has the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds and quickly break through the enemy's defense system."

“Highly intelligent, it can achieve autonomous flight and reduce the burden on pilots.”

"These characteristics give the sixth-generation fighters a greater advantage in future air combat, and they can completely suppress China's J-20."

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and even Northrup Grumman are involved in the development of this generation of fighter jets.

So naturally, Muilenburg is also aware of the relevant situation.

Since Robert has mentioned that he wants John to push for more support for the research and development of the sixth-generation fighter jets, he naturally has to lend a hand.

"According to the timeline you gave for the development of the sixth-generation fighter, the first full-scale demonstration will not be conducted until around 2020."

“It will be around 2022 before the project is ready to transition to the engineering, manufacturing and design phase of detailed development of the product.”

"Even if we invest a lot of extra money now, we can't go into mass production so quickly, right?"

John obviously knew something about the sixth-generation fighter jets.

However, Robert and Muilenburg naturally have their own opinions on the issue he mentioned.

"This is indeed the case under normal circumstances, but in the face of China's rapid rise, we must adjust our plans as soon as possible."

"In fact, several of our companies have been discussing the specific planning of the sixth-generation fighter jets during this period, and there are already some clues."

"In future combat operations, our sixth-generation fighters will generally not be used alone, but will be used in formations with each manned fighter paired with five drones."

"These drones will automatically follow the manned sixth-generation aircraft and perform their respective duties, including signal relay, surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence collection; strike and fire support; electronic warfare and jamming; air interception and defense; and logistical support and guarantee."

"When the enemy missile threat approaches, the drone can make a quick judgment and, if interception fails, will sacrifice itself without hesitation to protect the safety of the sixth-generation aircraft."

"When the sixth-generation aircraft is about to run out of fuel, the drone can immediately extend its own refueling hose to ensure the endurance of the manned fighter."

"In an emergency, when the sixth-generation aircraft runs out of ammunition, the drone can even transform into a heavy missile to provide additional firepower for the fighter."

"Such aerial combat scenarios will greatly enhance the combat effectiveness and efficiency of the sixth-generation aircraft."

"The drones in the formation are like the shadow of the sixth-generation aircraft, omnipresent and omnipotent, making it difficult for the enemy to lock on to and shoot down this invincible sixth-generation aircraft."

Robert boasted a lot about the sixth-generation fighter jet which was still in the PPT stage.

Muilenburg also assisted, saying: "We have learned from the previous generation of F-22 fighters that had a shorter range and divided the sixth-generation aircraft into two types, namely E type and C type."

"The E-type is used for combat in the European theater and has a shorter range. This is because we and many of our allies have a large number of military bases and airports in Europe, so the performance requirements for the fighter's combat radius and range are not high."

"The C-type is used for operations in the Pacific theater. To be more specific, it is for military operations in the western Pacific, which require shuttling across the first and second island chains. This requires the C-type to have a long range and a longer combat radius."

"As long as it is developed, it will be able to form an overwhelming advantage over China's air force."

Both Robert and Muilenburg are very confident about the sixth-generation fighter jet that is currently being planned and designed.

However, John's words put them in a dilemma.

"We are developing the sixth-generation fighter jets. Are we going to stop there and not do anything?"

"According to China's usual practice, they have already mass-produced the fifth-generation fighter jets, which means that the research and development of the sixth-generation fighter jets is also in full swing."

"What I'm worried about this time is that Venusstar Technology is also involved in the development of the sixth-generation fighter jets. This is a very worrying thing."

"You have all seen the speed of research and development of the Chinese. If they put all their efforts into the research and development of the sixth-generation fighter, it is very likely that they will be able to put it into use earlier than us."

"How are we going to deal with the threat from China then?"

After John said this, he stared at Robert and Muilenburg coldly.

He also didn't expect that one day the situation in America would become so passive.

When did China begin to rise?

They all have the answer to this question in their hearts, but they don't have the answer.