Free Web NovelChapter 1083: Chapter 537 Isn’t this awkward?!_1
Before the official announcement at the Zhucheng Air Show, there was no model named J-40 in the domestic aviation field. Not to mention public opinion, even insiders in the aviation field were unaware of J-40. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
However, there still were some ’mysterious’ news stories, such as reports from foreign media that China was secretly developing high-tech weapons, or a tornado generator.
This story became a hot topic abroad because the accompanying pictures showed a tornado in the northern mountainous area of the capital.
The news also included ’conspiracy theory’ analysis, claiming ’M Country has been experiencing major tornado disasters in recent years, which might be the doing of Chinese experiments’.
Of course, upon closer consideration, such news was unreliable. Tornadoes have always existed in M Country, related to its geographical location and monsoons, and were not the result of any conspiracy.
It’s not like China had a weather controller thousands of years ago.
Still, the story became a sensation, likely due to M Country’s general public lacking sufficient scientific and historical knowledge—many actually believed that the tornado disasters in their country were the result of Chinese weather control experiments.
Other ’rumors’ claimed that an alien aircraft had been photographed at a certain location, with the accompanying picture being merely a black dot in the distance.
Among the images, there was one relatively clear one, which upon closer inspection seemed to be a technologically advanced fighter jet, but because it was so far away, the image was very blurry, and it was impossible to see it clearly.
This rumor didn’t spark much public debate, as most people believed the image was manipulated by the releaser, taking a sci-fi movie’s fighter jet and blurring it before sticking it onto the photo.
There were other factors, too. People associate alien spacecraft with UFOs, and a technologically advanced fighter jet made it hard to connect with the ’alien’ role.
No matter how many rumors there were, they ultimately remained just rumors—most people didn’t believe them.
Now, the official sudden announcement of a new fighter jet model number surprised many, and their first reaction was--
The official message must be a mistake!
"It should not be J-40, but J-20! Now the official copywriters will be criticized, have their salary docked. We should sympathize with this staff member."
"Such errors shouldn’t happen! How could there be mistakes in the air show news? Do they even check these things when it comes to fighter jet model numbers?"
"A small error is no big deal, but major mistakes absolutely cannot occur."
The public believed it was an ’error’, and experts also stepped forward to analyze.
An international military commentator seized the moment, taking an interview to say, "J-40 is impossible. Currently, the largest domestic model is 31, which is still on the drawing board. J-31 is considered the future of aviation, with its initial design aiming for fifth-generation aircraft."
"J-20 may be advanced, but in reality, it is meant to match F-22 and does have a certain gap. Most importantly, it’s a heavy fighter which is quite challenging to deploy on aircraft carriers, whereas the 31 is medium-sized..."
"Chatter chatter..."
The military expert spoke at length, essentially saying there was only J-31 in the country with no model exceeding 31. No applications for related research and development even existed. Then they continued explaining the importance of developing J-31 and the like.
Online, public opinion was divided.
The vast majority thought that the official announcement was a mistake, and there was no J-40 to be unveiled—it simply did not exist.
Just when everything seemed to be reaching a conclusion, the officials showed no sign of action, one being they had not come forward to explain the published content, whether it was a mistake or the truth, and two, they did not modify the released information.
Gradually...
Public opinion began to change.
Normally, if there’s an error in an official message which has sparked controversy, a correction would be made immediately.
But there was none! ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Was the government indifferent to public opinion? Or was there some other reason?
Obviously impossible.
So, some proposed, "Could it be that J-40 really exists? And it will make an appearance at the Zhucheng Air Show?"
"That’s unlikely, but it seems to be the only explanation now, otherwise why wouldn’t the officials make a correction?"
"If it’s true, that would be too exciting! What kind of fighter jet could directly carry the J-40 title?"
"Whether it’s true or false, I must pay attention to the Zhucheng Air Show this time!"
The Zhucheng Air Show was approaching.
Thousands of media reporters, as well as a large number of aviation professionals, all arrived near the air show.
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of spectators also came to Zhucheng, making it extremely crowded. When talking about the upcoming air show, one topic was unavoidable--
Is J-40 real?
Everyone was looking forward to J-40; they all wanted to know whether J-40 truly existed or if it was just a joke?
...
The Zhucheng Air Show, officially the China International Aviation and Aerospace Expo.
The expo is an international professional aviation and aerospace exhibition characterized mainly by physical display, trade negotiations, academic exchanges, and flight performances.
Since its inception, the Zhucheng Air Show has evolved into an internationally influential blue-sky event that represents the advanced technological mainstream of today’s international aviation and aerospace industry, showcasing the development level of the world’s aviation and aerospace industry, and it has become one of the five most influential air shows in the world.
The air show is very significant.
One aspect is the creation of huge commercial value. Each air show secured high-value orders on-site. During the last air show, agreements totaling over seven billion dollars were signed, with a total of 97 aircraft of various models traded.
