Chapter 1064
Nuclear Power Breakthrough Shocks All Leaders
"My heroes, if I were to drink this all by myself, I would definitely be carried away today."
Su Dingping felt a chill run down his spine and quickly stopped them, saying, "How about this, none of you need to come over. I'll drink three cups to toast everyone."
"We've won a great victory, so our guns should be pointed at the same enemy, and the same goes for drinking, right?"
"I appreciate your kindness. I assure you all that our navy's equipment will only get better and better, making you the strongest force on Earth!"
Seeing that the groundwork had been laid, Su Dingping then said, "This cup of wine is a toast to everyone!"
Cao Youren and the others who wanted to toast Su Dingping all raised their glasses, showing no sign that Chen Yanzhou's actions were inappropriate.
In their view, Su Dingping was a military worker, and it was already quite rare for him to be able to drink a little alcohol.
Unlike these frontline commanders, whose alcohol tolerance has practically been developed through practice, Su Dingping spends all his time in the laboratory and looks extremely tired, which naturally makes people feel sorry for him.
Seeing Su Dingping's appearance, Xu Dongguo and the others exchanged glances and then laughed heartily.
Zhou Qinglei, Cao Youren, and others now hold military ranks almost equal to Su Dingping's, so they naturally feel more like family to him.
Seeing that everyone was rushing to pay their respects to Su Dingping and becoming close to him, the leaders were happy to have some peace and quiet.
In any case, compared to Zhou Qinglei and his group, they not only had higher military ranks, but also had a superior-subordinate relationship, so naturally they would feel restrained and wouldn't be able to relax.
In contrast, Su Dingping and Zhou Qinglei, among others, do not feel any constraint from their social status.
In this way, everyone naturally felt closer to Su Dingping, and they drank more heartily and comfortably.
After toasting everyone, Su Dingping felt dizzy; he was definitely high.
Since the start of the banquet, he has drunk nearly half a kilogram of baijiu (Chinese liquor). He ate some dishes in between, but his stomach was burning badly, truly pushing his limits once again.
"call!"
After finally getting everything done, Su Dingping sat down heavily and let out a long sigh of relief.
Naturally, his breath reeked of alcohol.
Seeing Su Dingping getting along so well with the frontline commanders, Xu Dongguo and other bigwigs were very happy, as it was exactly what they needed.
What is most important for military science and technology workers?
Isn't it all about understanding the needs of frontline commanders? Then designing advanced battlefields that meet their needs, so that once deployed, they can dominate the battlefield and fight the enemy.
It is precisely for this reason that every warship designed and built under the supervision of Su Dingping was welcomed and praised by the sailors as soon as it entered service, and they were very willing to drive such warships to fight the enemy!
"Did you see that? Dingping was welcomed by our frontline commanders at several banquets."
"He is more respected by the sailors than we are."
This statement was unanimously agreed upon by the other bigwigs, who naturally also noticed this phenomenon.
"The popularity of Dingping proves that his warship designs were widely welcomed by frontline sailors."
Qian Wenbing picked up the conversation, saying, "If I were a frontline commander, I would also be very willing to get close to Dingping."
"Dingping, is he not popular here? He is popular wherever he goes."
Xiao Chongjun, who was standing to the side, took a sip of wine and said loudly, "Not only our navy, but even the army and air force are very welcoming to Dingping. They all eagerly hope that Dingping can go there and take charge of their equipment construction work."
Xu Dongguo nodded in deep agreement and said, "That's right. Our navy has such a treasure, so we must make good use of it and ensure that it has no worries, especially in terms of funding."
At this point, he changed the subject, saying, "Our Type 052 is widely welcomed in the international market, and we have even opened a special production line to meet the demand."
"Although the external code version is an optional and simplified version, its combat effectiveness is still considerable. It has accumulated a lot of combat experience, which further proves that our navy's equipment level is now among the world's best!"
At this moment, Qian Wenbing interjected: "Don't we have any plans to put the Type 052D destroyer and the 10,000-ton destroyer on the market for export?"
If Type 052D destroyers and other large destroyers were put on the international market, other countries would probably go crazy, especially traditional naval powers.
"not yet."
Xu Dongguo gave an affirmative answer, then changed the subject, "This time our navy sold 46 Type 052 destroyers, generating a total revenue of 250 billion US dollars! The complete Fukuno aircraft carrier set was sold for a total of 86 billion US dollars."
"These two items alone bring our net profit to $270 billion."
"In addition to the war reparations from the Eastern Wilderness tribes, the higher-ups promised to allocate some to our navy."
"In total, our navy's military budget this year is quite generous, with nearly 350 billion US dollars, which translates to approximately 2800 billion yuan in Longxia currency, and no less."
Upon hearing about the large amount of military spending, Qian Wenbing finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed.
Just think about how the navy was doing a few years ago. They were struggling financially, and it took them years to launch a single warship. It was truly a painful experience.
But things are different now. With Su Dingping in charge, military spending has also increased.
They previously used technology to exchange for military funding from the army and air force. With advanced warships, they can export them to earn foreign exchange and supplement their military spending.
"Dingping, you heard it too, right? Our military funds are sufficient this time, so you can go all out to build."
Xu Dongguo turned to look at Su Dingping beside him and said bluntly, "You don't need to worry about the shortage of military funds at all now. You don't need to hold back anymore. You can bring out any new ideas or new technologies you have."
"If this amount of military funding is not enough, the commander will apply to the military headquarters!"
Upon hearing about the large amount of military funding, Su Dingping was momentarily stunned.
"Sir, our navy has suddenly received such a large amount of military funding, almost three hundred billion?"
Upon hearing Su Dingping's words, Xu Dongguo and the other leaders felt something was off, as if there simply weren't enough.
They exchanged a glance and then turned to look at Su Dingping, fearing that this kid was about to reveal something earth-shattering.
For a moment, they even wondered if $350 billion was not enough to meet Su Dingping's needs!
But then I thought about it again. Su Dingping should still have several billion US dollars left over from last year, which would add up to about 400 billion US dollars.
Of course, every military expenditure by Su Dingping was transparent and open, so there was no concern whatsoever that this young man would embezzle or line his own pockets. In fact, for them, believing they themselves would embezzle meant they didn't believe Su Dingping had any selfish motives!
So, 400 billion US dollars should be enough, right?
Indeed, Xu Dongguo and several other bigwigs thought the same way, including Liu Huaming, the head of the Navy.
"Commander, I need to report to you on the work arrangements for the recent period of time."
Su Dingping looked at the leaders and said, “First, we will carry out a comprehensive upgrade and replacement of the 10,000-ton destroyers to be built later.”
"Secondly, the F-16s, Su-27s, J-8s, and J-10s borrowed from the Air Force are being used for research on carrier-based aircraft. Blueprints have already been drawn up. The design is currently underway, and the first batch of carrier-based aircraft for testing will be rolled off the production line in no time."
"At that time, this carrier-based aircraft will also be deployed on our 'Liaoning' aircraft carrier, enabling our first aircraft carrier to achieve combat capability."
Upon hearing Su Dingping's plans, not only Xu Dongguo but also Liu Huaming's eyebrows twitched.
The construction cost of a 10,000-ton destroyer alone is considerable, and with the addition of various munitions, it is approximately 15 billion.
Now that Su Dingping wants to upgrade and modify it, the cost alone will be about 200 billion yuan, and the research and development project for carrier-based aircraft is another huge expense.
If we only do these projects, all things considered, this military budget should be sufficient.
But Su Dingping didn't stop; instead, he continued talking about his project plan.
"Sir, our submarines also need to be upgraded."
Liu Huaming was visibly taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Does the submarine also need to be upgraded and modified?"
“That’s right, sir, it has to be done.”
Su Dingping responded solemnly, "Our current submarines are still too noisy, and conventional power can't travel very far. What I mean is to upgrade all our main submarines to the next generation of nuclear power, that is, pressurized water reactors. The anechoic tiles also need to be upgraded, and the application method needs to be improved."
Upon hearing this, Xu Dongguo and everyone else stared wide-eyed in shock.
"Dingping, are you talking about nuclear power?" Xu Dongguo asked incredulously.
"That's right, it's nuclear-powered."
Su Dingping nodded, giving an affirmative answer.
Whether it was Qian Wenbing or the others, they couldn't help but gasp.
My goodness, it really is nuclear-powered!
Could this be a dream?
Xu Dongguo and others have always wanted a more powerful and silent nuclear submarine, and has this been achieved ahead of schedule?
Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?
The Eagle Tribe was well aware of the mockery of Dragon Summer's nuclear submarines and had always wanted to wash away the shame, thereby achieving true 24-hour strategic nuclear submarine duty.
When happiness suddenly arrived, I was completely stunned; it was unbelievable!
"Dingping, isn't this speed a bit too fast? I can hardly believe it."
Liu Huaming, who was the first to react, swallowed hard a few times. "You only went to the USS Enterprise a month ago, right? And our nuclear power has already made a breakthrough?"
"Sir, that's absolutely true. If it weren't for the breakthrough, I wouldn't have dared to say it, would I?"
Su Dingping glanced at the assembled leaders and explained, "Actually, I had some ideas about this a long time ago, and I'm working on them, but I'm just waiting for an opportunity."
"After taking a trip on the USS Enterprise, I was greatly inspired by it, which accelerated this research project."
"I estimate that by the end of May at the latest, our 'pressurized water nuclear reactor' prototype will be ready, and after verifying that all the data meet the standards, it can be put into use."
After hearing this, Liu Huaming and the others widened their eyes even more, staring intently at Su Dingping as if they didn't recognize him.
This young man gave them another huge surprise, making them even happier than a child wearing new clothes for the New Year.
Is the Navy about to take a leap into the nuclear power stage?
This is something almost every naval officer dreams of, and now it's about to come true so soon?
It's almost the end of April, just one month away! My goodness, happiness has come so suddenly, it's making them all want to pee!
With Su Dingping around, the navy is developing at an increasingly rapid pace, and they feel that they can hardly keep up with the pace of development.
In the past, they wouldn't even dare to dream about it. They could only look on with longing for the Eagle Tribe's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The advanced technology on it made them drool, but they could only admire it from afar!
But in just one more month, or even three more months, what does it matter? In short, they will be pregnant soon.
"So, does that mean we're going to have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers too?" Xu Dongguo asked instinctively.
For a moment, I couldn't believe it was true; I hadn't quite come to terms with it yet.
"Dingping, what do you mean by upgrading the 10,000-ton destroyer?" Qian Wenbing asked with great curiosity.
Xiao Chongjun then asked, "How exactly does the upgrade work?"
In their eyes, a 10,000-ton destroyer is already a dream ship; if it were upgraded further, its performance would be unimaginable.
"Reporting to the commander, I plan to increase the displacement of the 10,000-ton destroyer from 13,000 tons to 19,000 tons, equip it with more vertical launch units, and replace the power system with nuclear power."
Su Dingping took a deep breath and reported directly, "In this way, not only will it have unlimited endurance, but it will also be able to install more advanced weapons and equipment."
"Electromagnetic railguns, directed energy weapons, microwave weapons, and so on can all be deployed on ships, as well as sea-based anti-ship ballistic missiles."
"In addition, the fleet will be equipped with a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines for escort."
Upon hearing these words, everyone couldn't help but imagine a surface warship fleet with overwhelming combat power.
When such a fleet appears on the ocean, those petty nations will probably tremble in fear!
With such terrifying combat power, a single fleet could easily wipe out an entire nation!
They're so brutal and cruel, but why do they like it so much?
"Then, what about our aircraft carrier?"
Xu Dongguo's throat bobbed several times. "Will the Liao ship undergo a nuclear power upgrade?"
"Ah, this."
After pondering for a moment, Su Dingping said, "The Liao ship is based on the Varyag aircraft carrier. We only carried out its expansion. If we were to convert it to nuclear power, I personally think it would be better to build a new aircraft carrier of the same type." (End of Chapter)