Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: A Daring Proposal
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[A pleasure to see you, Minister Mikhail.]
[I hope I haven't kept you waiting long. I was being watched so closely that I had to make several detours. It took much longer than expected.]
Their conversation seemed informal.
Proof that they had met several times before.
What was unusual was Mikhail's English pronunciation; it lacked any trace of a typical Russian accent.
[You must have gone through a lot of trouble coming here alone.]
[Well, thanks to that, it felt like a real trip. By the way, the Chinese and Japanese intelligence agents are relentless. It's a good thing Iran cooperated, or I might have been tailed all the way here.]
Listening to their conversation brought the reality of the situation into sharp focus.
Just how wary China and Japan were of our military technology's advancement.
To avoid repeating history, today's negotiation had to succeed.
[But who is that young man?]
Mikhail, who had been deep in conversation, fixed his gaze on me.
His eyes were filled with extreme caution.
[I am Jin Hyun-seung, a representative of the negotiation team.]
I immediately stepped forward and extended my hand, and he scanned me from head to toe with a reluctant expression.
[A representative? That wasn't part of the plan.]
He said this while looking at Deputy Director Im Hyo-sik.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Deputy Director Im forced a smile and gestured for him to take a seat.
[Let's sit and talk first.]
Ssk.
Mikhail sat down with a stiff expression.
When he looked at Deputy Director Im, as if waiting for an answer, Im continued.
[The government has proposed expanding the list of items for this second phase of the project. That is why Mr. Jin Hyun-seung is here.]
[So, you're saying he's from the Republic of Korea's Ministry of National Defense?]
[Not exactly...]
Seeing Deputy Director Im's hesitation, Mikhail's eyes narrowed.
What was the point of hiding a fact he would eventually learn anyway?
I immediately reintroduced myself to him.
[I am a Senior Managing Director at Jaewoo Thales, one of South Korea's defense contractors.]
Mikhail blinked.
His expression seemed to ask why an unscheduled private defense company was interfering in this negotiation.
But without saying anything further, he suddenly turned to Deputy Director Im and unleashed a torrent of pent-up complaints.
[It's impossible to renegotiate now. As you know, you were the ones who broke the promise first, weren't you? We specifically asked you to avoid any media exposure, but the Korean government failed to do so, and as a result, we had to adjust the list of items in the deal.]
Mikhail pointed out the fundamental reason why the project had been downsized.
At the time, Russia had wanted the project to be kept strictly confidential, but some media outlets got wind of it and exposed the deal. The infuriated Russian government then drastically reduced the number of items included.
As someone who had only heard about it, the story felt strangely fresh.
So it was really true.
In that case, Russia had every right to be angry.
And our government must have been frustrated too.
[Please, calm down and just hear us out.]
Deputy Director Im awkwardly tried to placate him.
Just as he was about to offer an explanation, Mikhail waved his hand dismissively and tossed a document onto the table.
[Frankly, we're already taking a significant hit with just these items. How much more do you expect us to give up?]
My eyes were suddenly drawn to the document he had presented.
Two command-variant T-80UK tanks and BMP-3 armored vehicles.
Metis-M launchers, Murena-class hovercraft, and Ka-32A helicopters modified for firefighting.
It was a document densely packed with the list of items agreed upon for the ongoing second phase of the project.
*Tsk, calling that a significant hit is a gross exaggeration. Honestly, look at how much you've gained from us.*
Anyway, looking at the documents rekindled my greed.
Especially the coaxial rotor technology, powerful engine, and software of the Ka-32A, one of Kamov's masterpieces.
Technology our country hadn't managed to acquire even by 2024.
Technologies that weren't on the data chip.
*Right, this is where the chip's limitations become apparent. Even though it contains a lot of advanced technology, it doesn't hold every technology in the world.*
Still, it was no reason to be disappointed.
If that was the reality, then I would just have to overcome those limitations myself from now on.
In fact, wasn't that the very reason I'd arranged this meeting in the first place?
[In any case, I came here to sign off on what's already been decided, not to renegotiate.]
[Please, don't be like that...]
Deputy Director Im couldn't manage a response to Mikhail's continuous stream of complaints.
This was my cue to step in.
I subtly gave Deputy Director Im a look, and he let out a sigh of relief.
[If the outcome of this renegotiation also benefits Russia, wouldn't it be worth at least hearing us out?]
[Benefit Russia? What benefit could Russia possibly gain from this negotiation, aside from reducing its debt a little more?]
He retorted, emphasizing the facts.
Well, he wasn't wrong.
No matter how well the negotiations went, from Russia's perspective, there was nothing to be gained.
In other words, it was simply a matter of losing more or losing less, so connecting that to the word 'benefit' was fundamentally unreasonable.
[You're right. But what if it's not just about reducing the debt? What if Russia also has something tangible to gain from this opportunity?]
That's why I had to present something they could definitively grasp.
Perhaps his interest was piqued. Mikhail's stiff expression softened slightly at my words.
[Are you saying there's another form of compensation?]
[That's right.]
[Fine. Let's hear it.]
At his words, I took a moment to collect my breath.
After pondering where to begin, I decided to be direct.
[I'll give you detection radar technology comparable to the Apache's. In return, give us the Ka-50 Black Shark's engine, its coaxial rotors, and the software source codes.]
[...]
Mikhail blinked.
His expression was one of someone who had just been hit over the head with a blunt object.
[What did you just say? Are you telling me South Korea possesses millimeter-wave radar technology on par with the Longbow?]
[That's correct.]
The Longbow radar is the fire-control radar equipped on the Apache.
Among civilians, it's also known as the "Choco Pie."
The round, flat object mounted on the rotor of later Apache models.
A radar system with a detection range of about 8 km that can identify 128 of the most threatening targets out of roughly 1,000 nearby objects, guiding simultaneous attacks on 16 of them.
We developed it just three years before succeeding with our AESA radar, and in terms of hardware performance alone, it was comparable to the Longbow.
[That's absurd! Are you aware that we in Russia haven't even developed it yet and are currently importing it from France?]
[Of course, I am. And I also know you're concerned because its performance doesn't match the American version. But what we've developed is different.]
[...]
For a while, Mikhail's face was filled with suspicion.
He wouldn't believe it unless he saw it.
I immediately got up, walked over to the nearby TV, and played the video I had prepared.
[...]
The video showed a test prototype being built in the lab.
Although it wasn't fully assembled, the footage of its internal structure and various wave tests was enough to confirm it was a millimeter-wave radar.
Mikhail's stubbornly closed lips slowly began to part.
[How did you people...]
[Well, I can only say it's the fruit of our labor.]
[But that's just a laboratory-level test. Do you really think that proves your device has performance comparable to the American Longbow?]
Mikhail hit the nail on the head.
And in truth, I had no way to prove it right now.
The only way was to mount it on an attack helicopter and conduct a test, but we didn't have the infrastructure for that.
When I just shrugged, he wore a troubled expression for a long time.
[Hmm... if it can't be verified, the negotiation itself is meaningless, isn't it?]
[Then, could you perhaps cooperate with us for that verification?]
[...Cooperate?]
[Give us one complete Ka-50, a Black Shark. We'll remove the existing hardware, install our radar in its place, and conduct the test for you.]
[And what if the Americans come running to tear it apart, just like they did with the T-80U tank? Can you stop them?]
It was an irrefutable point.
To be blunt, the United States was desperate to get its hands on the performance data of Russia's new attack helicopter.
The moment it landed on Korean soil, it would only be a matter of time before the Americans swarmed in and disassembled it piece by piece.
[Hmm... Then how about this?]
Mikhail's eyes were once again fixed on my lips.
And it wasn't just him. Deputy Director Im, who had been listening the whole time, wore a look of utter confusion.
[The Ka-32A we're importing as a disaster-relief helicopter. Secretly modify one of them for us. We don't need anything else; just install a mission computer and provide the software source code, and we'll attach our hardware to run the tests.]
For a moment, Mikhail's eyes widened.
It was a plausible improvisation and, at the same time, the only way to avoid American scrutiny.
[There's a way like that...?]
But it wasn't improvisation; it was a solution born from experience.
Before I returned, specifically when our country was testing its indigenously developed AESA radar for fighter jets.
The U.S. forbade us from touching the fighters they had sold us, so lacking the infrastructure for testing, we had to go through a long search before finally commissioning Israel, which had the necessary test aircraft and software, to verify its performance. I was applying that same logic now.
Damn, just thinking about it brings back memories of how much we struggled back then.
[But is there really a need to modify a Ka-32A? Instead, couldn't we just temporarily provide the mission computer and software, and you could install it on a helicopter the Korean military already owns for the test?]
[All the helicopters we possess were supplied by the United States.]
[Ah...]
Finally understanding the situation, Mikhail nodded.
Perhaps weighing the pros and cons, he seemed to ponder for a while before making a call somewhere. He then delivered a positive response.
[Under those conditions, I think we can take that risk. But are you absolutely certain you won't be caught by the Americans?]
[I will take responsibility for that.]
Deputy Director Im, who had been listening, quickly interjected.
But Mikhail still looked unconvinced. Only after Deputy Director Im repeated his assurance several more times did he finally nod.
[Very well. We will install the mission computer and software on one of the disaster-relief helicopters in the first batch arriving next April. However, if the test results don't meet expectations, it will mean we've leaked our core software source code for nothing. The price for that will be steep.]
With that heavy warning, he rose to his feet.
Perhaps frightened by his last words, Deputy Director Im stared blankly at Mikhail's departing back and muttered softly.
"I wonder if I made a promise I shouldn't have... But Senior Managing Director Jin, are you really confident about this? If the results aren't good, I'm going down with you."
From his perspective, it was a natural fear to have.
He had stepped up, determined to make things happen, but even he couldn't be sure the test would succeed.
In fact, I was also surprised that he had intervened.
"You don't need to worry. Even if this fails, I'll take responsibility for you, Deputy Director."
"Oh, my God..."