novel520 Chapter 848 746: The Weapon Issue
Chapter 848 746: The Weapon Issue
The same runway, the same spaceplane for the test flight, yet this time the spaceplane is somewhat different from the last time.The current spaceplane has been modified by Chen Xin. While it hasn't undergone major alterations, some issues exposed during the previous test flight have been addressed in this upgrade, and the shield device has also been installed.
This test flight not only aims to further test the extreme performance of the spaceplane but also to test the shield device and see if it can operate normally at an altitude of forty thousand meters.
Since it's already flown once, this take-off is not as tense as the last time.
"Academician Chen, what do you think about this test flight?" a researcher from Europe asked Chen Xin in English.
The European researchers have become familiar with the working environment in Flame Country over this period and have had much contact with Chen Xin, the general manager, gradually getting to know him better.
While waiting for the spaceplane to complete its pre-flight checks, they couldn't help but chat with Chen Xin.
"This test flight? I have no particular thoughts. The plane has flown once before, and its design is sound in all aspects. It theoretically meets design requirements. I don't think there will be any issues with this test flight unless something unexpected occurs," Chen Xin expressed his confidence in the test flight without saying much more.
Indeed, this is the case. After all, the spaceplane had already flown once before and had been optimized by him using a system. There is no potential for problems with its performance or quality.
Although there is still a possibility of unforeseen events, theoretically, this test flight is nearly guaranteed to succeed.
Hearing Chen Xin express such confidence, the European researcher raised his eyebrows, evidently surprised by Chen Xin's optimism regarding the test flight.
However, he didn't say much further, just nodding and saying, "Let's hope God blesses us and everything goes as smoothly as you say, Academician Chen."
"This is China, you should say may the heavens bless us," Chen Xin joked, though he didn't deride others' beliefs.
Despite the world-end level of disaster bringing tremendous hardships worldwide, severely impacting religions in various countries, there remain many devout believers whose faith has only strengthened in such circumstances.
They believe this disaster is merely a trial bestowed upon humanity by the gods, urging people to discard vices and sins and purify themselves to regain divine favor.
Chen Xin always scoffed at this notion. He even had conflicts with religious groups in a European city before, eventually having to suppress them by force.
However, he respects those who are truly devout, self-disciplined, and do not impose their faith on others.
The foreign researcher before him clearly wasn't particularly devout, using "God bless" merely as a long-standing catchphrase.
So faced with Chen Xin's joke, he just shrugged, giving an indifferent expression.
As the two chatted, the spaceplane also completed its pre-flight preparations, moved onto the runway, and soared into the sky with a roar of its engines.
As he watched the spaceplane ascend, Chen Xin suddenly asked the researcher beside him, "Do you have any ideas about the weapons for the spaceplane?"
"Currently, we don't have any great ideas. Equipping missiles on the spaceplane doesn't seem very meaningful, as its flight speed can reach Mach 10, faster than many missiles," the researcher shook his head, evidently having no satisfactory answer for Chen Xin's question.
Indeed, even the Flame Country's current hypersonic missile DF-17 has a maximum flight speed of Mach 10, and that's a ballistic missile, different from missiles equipped on regular fighter planes.
Thus, deciding what weaponry to equip on the spaceplane is a conundrum for the project team.
If designing missiles for hypersonic conditions, that would undoubtedly become a new project, increasing the investment in the spaceplane.
Yet saying not to develop them is clearly impossible, as the spaceplane is meant for combat, not merely functioning as a high-speed reconnaissance aircraft.
Developing a hypersonic air-to-air or air-to-ground missile, which previously didn't exist, is undoubtedly no easy task.
The missile's engine is a major issue since not just any missile can reach flying speeds over Mach 10.
The DF-17 is a ballistic missile; its design experience can't be directly applied to air-to-air or air-to-ground missiles.
"What about laser weapons?" Chen Xin proposed an idea.
In a hypersonic environment, lasers are indeed more desirable than missiles, as nothing flies faster than light.
"Laser weapons are indeed feasible, but under current technological conditions, high-powered laser weapons require large optical lenses, which are prone to damage in hypersonic environments. If this issue isn't resolved, laser weapons still can't be used on hypersonic aircraft," the researcher agreed with Chen Xin's proposal but pointed out the existing issues.
With current human technological levels, the most practical laser weapons are those designed by Chen Xin's Research Center. Even those battle-tested laser weapons still face many technical challenges to be applied to hypersonic aircraft.
In Chen Xin's absence, it's evident that humanity cannot achieve such technological breakthrough quickly.
Chen Xin knowingly nodded, as he naturally understood this, having participated in laser weapon research and development himself.
Yet despite the difficulty, whether it's laser weapons or hypersonic air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, they must be developed without a good solution to the issue.
Just then, another researcher suddenly interjected, "I wonder if high-energy particle beam weapons are feasible? Since we can create a magnetic beam device to constrain high-energy charged particles into a shield, can we also launch it as a weapon?"
"High-energy particle beam? Are you suggesting using magnetic fields to accelerate charged particles, and then causing damage with the kinetic energy carried by the beam?" Hearing this researcher's proposal, Chen Xin suddenly felt enlightened.
This is indeed a potentially feasible idea since the Energy Shield has been created, using similar technological principles. It's merely a matter of altering the way electromagnetic fields are utilized.