Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Unveiling
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“Welcome, Chairman.”
I had arrived at the KAI factory in Sacheon, where the fuselage assembly ceremony for our first indigenously developed fighter jet prototype was being held.
Originally, it was supposed to be a brief event with a short press interview and photoshoot, but at the President's request, the scale of the ceremony had grown.
The intention was likely to convey the project's progress transparently and decisively, as it was a state-led initiative. To be fair, that made sense.
“It seems the VIPs haven't arrived yet.”
Fortunately, the President, the First Lady, and other foreign dignitaries were not yet in sight.
Then again, I had rushed here excessively early, worried about the trouble it would cause if I, the host of the event, were late.
Since I was here early anyway, I took the initiative to personally oversee various things for a while, making sure the event would proceed without a hitch.
“The President and the First Lady have arrived.”
The President's vehicle appeared exactly thirty minutes later.
Led by the security detail, a procession of cars carrying the President and other VIPs rolled in.
The event staff’s movements instantly became much more hurried.
“I thought we left early, but it seems you were in an even greater hurry, Chairman Jin.”
The President extended his hand with his characteristic smile, then looked around at the factory.
Perhaps he was surprised by the sheer size of the building, which seemed to stretch on endlessly. He let out a sound that was almost a gasp of admiration and shook his head.
“Just building this one structure must have taken an age. I'm starting to understand why you were so keen on acquiring KAI.”
“I appreciate you understanding. Honestly, if we had to build these facilities from the ground up, we wouldn't have even dreamed of assembling a prototype fuselage at this point.”
I replied with a smile and guided him onward.
We soon arrived where the three sections of the fuselage skeleton were waiting to be joined into one.
At the President's appearance, the engineers operating the lifts cheered, and a broad smile bloomed on the President's face as he greeted them.
[We will now commence the fuselage assembly ceremony.]
Following the announcer's lead, the President and I walked toward the fuselage.
Though not in the original plan, a ribbon-cutting ceremony had been prepared to add to the event's spectacle.
Click!
With the sound of camera shutters from the press, the grand assembly finally began.
“I have a question. Is there a particular reason why aircraft under construction are always painted this light green color?”
Noticing that all four prototypes were painted the same light green, the President leaned toward me slightly and asked.
I suppose I had once been curious about that myself.
It seemed strange that every aircraft manufacturer in the world adhered to this one color as if it were some unwritten rule.
I remember feeling a bit let down when I later found out the reason.
“There’s no special reason, actually. It's simply the application of the 'Green Air Craft' concept.”
'Green Air Craft' is a term used to describe an airplane that has just been born into the world.
It signifies that the aircraft's internal systems are not yet complete and implies that the final paint job will come later.
It’s a sort of custom among aircraft manufacturers.
As I finished my explanation, the President let out a dry laugh.
“Well, that's a peculiar custom. Anyway, I felt this while reading the report, but the exterior looks very familiar. Is it just me?”
The President tilted his head as he looked at the three fuselage sections now being joined together.
He had a point. Its shape was quite similar to the F-22.
The differences lay in the design of the internal space and the shape of the rear section where the engine nozzles were located. In fact, those were the crucial differences from the Raptor, which was probably why he wasn't entirely sure.
“Are you perhaps thinking of the F-22?”
Just then, the Air Force Chief of Staff, who was standing nearby, chimed in.
“That’s right! Now that you mention it, it does resemble the F-22 developed by the U.S.”
As if finally certain, the President clapped his hands together. I immediately pointed to the main wing and the air intake to support his observation.
“The reason you feel that way is likely because we followed the Raptor's blended wing body structure. The F-22's design for radar signature reduction is, in fact, the most perfect at our current level of science. Though we may be told the design is similar, it was the result of our determination to choose the best option available.”
The President nodded with a look of understanding.
He turned his head again, his gaze shifting to the rear section, and then looked at me as if requesting an explanation.
“But no matter how I look at it, that part is different from the F-22. I mean the area where the engine nozzles are. What's that diamond-shaped structure jutting out between them?”
As soon as he finished speaking, I held out my hand to Secretary Kim.
As if she knew what I needed without me having to say it, she handed me a drawing, which I then passed to the President.
“This is a concept illustration of the fighter's final form. The structure between the engine nozzles you mentioned is a space for a rear-facing sensor, and it also serves as an additional fuel tank.”
In fact, that was the part I had poured the most effort into.
The gap between the engines wasn't as close as the Raptor's, but it also didn't allocate excessive space like the Su-27's twin-engine design.
At a glance, it somewhat resembled the rear of the Tempest, the 6th-generation fighter that Europe had once announced it would develop.
This was born entirely from the increased size of the fuselage itself and the goal of utilizing the resulting space. As I mentioned, I used that area for rear surveillance and extra fuel.
“You’re installing sensors in the rear as well?”
The President showed more interest in that point than anything else.
Well, it would have been an unfamiliar concept for the 4th-generation aircraft that were mainstream at the time.
I approached the President again and continued my explanation, pointing to various parts of the drawing.
“One of the characteristics of 5th-generation fighters is the installation of various radars and sensors all over the aircraft. Of course, the jet we are developing is only a 4.5-generation, but we have incorporated it into the design in advance, keeping in mind a future upgrade to the 5th generation.”
“...”
The President looked astonished.
Perhaps intending to help, the Air Force Chief of Staff, who had been listening to the explanation all along, gently interjected.
“I understand the F-22 also has all sorts of sensors installed throughout its fuselage.”
“Is that so?”
The President finally nodded.
Even so, the explanation felt incomplete.
I walked over to the prototype, which had paused its assembly for the ceremony, and pointed to various spots as I spoke.
“This aircraft will feature a technology called 'Smart Skin.' It's a technique where some antennas and sensors are made as thin as possible and attached to the fuselage's surface. This allows for 360-degree situational awareness.”
“...”
“Furthermore, it won’t have just one radar. In addition to the multi-band AESA in the radome, two separate L-band AESA radars will be installed inside the main wings, making it possible to detect stealth aircraft. For your reference, mounting radar in the main wings will likely be possible around Block 3, when it reaches the full 5th-generation stage.”
That part was modeled after the Su-57's approach.
Though perhaps not now, the ability to detect stealth aircraft would become paramount in the future, and the Su-57 had shown a solid countermeasure in that regard.
It would be one thing if I didn't know the future direction of development, but since I did, shouldn't we prepare for it as well?
“Heh, it feels like we're building a fighter to take on aliens.”
The President made a lighthearted joke and stroked the fuselage.
What was he thinking? He tilted his head again and posed another question.
“I understand that stealth capability isn't just about the shape. Do you have a solution for that?”
“You are correct. Stealth capability requires not only radar cross-section reduction shaping, known as RAS, but also radar-absorbent material, or RAM technology.”
“...”
“But you have no need to worry. Jaewoo has been conducting numerous tests with various organic, inorganic, and metallic materials for a long time, and we have now developed a new material that possesses magnetic, conductive, and polarization loss functions. Moreover, our RAM technology is not 'painted' on but is attached to the composite material itself in a wrapping form. This means maintenance costs are dramatically reduced.”
“...”
“In any case, the result is that it can absorb over ninety percent of radar waves across all bands currently used by the military, including the S-band, C-band, and X-band.”
After my lengthy explanation, I looked around to see everyone staring at me with their mouths shut.
“Heh heh...”
It was the President who broke the silence.
Shaking his head again, he examined the fuselage from different angles before asking what was perhaps the most crucial question.
“What is the aircraft's combat radius?”
“With external fuel tanks, the combat radius is 1,600 kilometers. And the ferry range (the maximum distance it can fly one-way with auxiliary tanks) is approximately 3,500 kilometers.”
“That's lower than the F-15.”
The Air Force Chief of Staff muttered at my words.
He was right. It was lower than the F-15.
But there was something he was overlooking.
While the condition of carrying auxiliary tanks was the same, this fighter had secured that range and combat radius while also allocating space for an internal weapons bay, with the future in mind.
That was actually a result of taking a hint from Russia's internal design philosophy; I had been amazed by their design, which was almost obsessively focused on securing internal fuel space.
Anyway, why did they all look so skeptical?
Do you have any idea how much effort we put in to achieve that level?
A staggering forty design changes and the corresponding complete revisions.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we worked our engineers to the bone in those days.
“For reference, there are a total of eight external hardpoints. This is also on par with the F-15.”
“Then if it doesn't have auxiliary fuel tanks, you could mount more bombs and missiles in their place.”
The President made the short comment and looked back at the fuselage.
His gaze seemed to grow distant.
He appeared to be captivated by the aircraft's sleek form. To be honest, even to my eyes, it was quite futuristic for a mere 4.5-generation fighter.
The shape of the engine nozzles, and the diamond-shaped fuel tank jutting out between them.
No matter how I looked at it, that part reminded me of the tail of the Tempest.
Right now, it felt a bit ambiguous since it was just a frame with a skin, but by the end of next year when the complete prototype emerges, that image would probably become much clearer.
“Just in case, do our aircraft's engine nozzles move up and down like a Sukhoi's?”
“If you're referring to Thrust Vector Control, then yes. We have also maximized maneuverability by allowing the nozzles to move up and down by about 15 degrees.”
“And the software? I hear the importance of software is growing. Do you have a plan for that as well?”
“You are correct. In the past, software accounted for only 30% of aircraft development, but for 5th-generation fighters, it's nearly 70%. However, Jaewoo has some excellent developers, and we have been conducting continuous research. Thanks to that, this prototype will have a complete weapons system by around 2007, and if there are no major errors, after that...”
“Oh!”
As I was speaking, a commotion arose from the other side.
I looked over to see what was happening and saw that the second prototype's fuselage had finally been joined together.
A competition was underway among the press to capture even one more shot of the scene.
“It seems the ceremony is coming to an end. Shall we go have lunch?”
A glance at the time showed it was nearly noon.
As if everyone's stomachs were growling, the moment the words left my mouth, people started heading toward the dining hall in a rush.
“By the way, you’ve heard the news about the military reform plan, I assume, Chairman Jin?”
On the way, the President, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke.
In truth, that was a topic I needed to be very careful about.
When I responded with a faint smile and remained silent, he nodded as if in understanding.
“To be honest, there are times when I wonder if I’m doing something pointless.”
“...”
“I knew this position would be tiring, but I never imagined it would be this much.”
From his tone, the opposition seemed to be more severe than I had guessed.
Well, with the generals' positions immediately threatened, strong resistance was to be expected.
Especially considering the Army, the most powerful branch of the military, was the main target of the reform.
Feeling the weight of his burden transfer to me, I watched his retreating back for a long time.