78: Unmanned bombers, the army also has a new magic weapon!

Chapter 78: Unmanned Bombers, the Army Also Has a New Magic Weapon! Is This What You Call the Analects?

They developed weapon equipment more powerful than artillery? And it's very suitable for the Army?

“Old Li, don’t joke with me.”

Zhou Haowu shook his head, expressing disbelief: “Since when did your 732 Military Factory start developing new weapon equipment? Do you even have that capability?”

He wasn't unfamiliar with the 732 Military Factory; since the early days of the nation's founding, it had always been the main production base for the Army's light and heavy weapon equipment. Having them build artillery and automatic rifles was fine, but developing new equipment?

Who could believe that? They just didn't have that capability, you know?!

Kong Jianmin, sitting behind his desk, became interested: “I heard something before; it seems your 732 Military Factory even exported a new piece of equipment to Persia?”

“I was just about to ask about it, but Old Li, you’ve brought it right to my doorstep.”

As a subordinate enterprise of the General Equipment Department, the 732 Military Factory’s foreign military sale this time had not gone through their approval or Filing, an act that seriously crossed a line.

If he hadn't already received special instructions, he would have long since gone to ask Li Yunshan, Factory Director what he was trying to do.

“Oh? There’s such a thing.” Zhou Haowu’s eyes lit up: “Then I must take a good look and see if this weapon is really that miraculous.”

He was also a little curious about what new gadget the 732 Military Factory had developed.

“I just happened to bring it with me.”

Li Yunshan, Factory Director lifted the box in his hand.

Their gazes followed it, only to see that the box was about fifty to sixty centimeters long, and its width was only a little over thirty centimeters. It didn’t even look like a box for storing weapon equipment, but more like an ordinary briefcase.

Then, Li Yunshan, Factory Director took out a ‘delicate and exquisite’ item from inside: four propellers attached to a square mechanical device.

Looking at this thing.

“Old Li, you’re not trying to fool me, are you?” Zhou Haowu looked suspicious: “What kind of new weapon equipment is a remote control airplane?”

It looked not much different from the remote control helicopter his grandson loved to play with at home.

Could it be that this export to Persia was meant to be a toy?

“Don’t underestimate it. Do you know its speed in kilometers per hour?” Li Yunshan, Factory Director’s mouth curved into a cunning smile, like a fox.

“How much? Can it reach thirty or forty kilometers per hour? That would be quite good.” Zhou Haowu had already estimated on the high side, after all, conventional toy remote control airplanes only had a speed of a little over ten kilometers per hour. Reaching thirty or forty kilometers per hour would already be an impressive achievement.

“Zhou Da Pao, do you think this is really a toy?”

Li Yunshan, Factory Director laughed and cursed: “You need to multiply by ten. Its flight speed is 230 kilometers per hour.”

“Hiss… a speed of over two hundred kilometers per hour? Old Li, you’re not joking, are you?”

Zhou Haowu was stunned on the spot.

How many kilometers?

A remote control airplane with a speed of 230 kilometers per hour? He must have misheard, right?

“Such a small thing can fly at such a high speed?”

Even Kong Jianmin, who was nearby, unconsciously stood up and moved closer to them, intending to take a closer look at what was so magical about this thing.

He hadn't said he hadn't seen remote control airplanes that could fly at several hundred kilometers per hour. Decades ago, Da Xia began holding various professional model aircraft competitions, and those model aircraft often had flight speeds exceeding three or four hundred kilometers per hour.

But the problem was, those remote control model aircraft were equipped with jet engines, solid rocket engines, and so on. This remote control airplane, from his observation, should be flying via four propellers. How could it fly at 230 kilometers per hour? A helicopter’s speed is only about that much, isn’t it?

“Just increase the propeller speed and motor power,” Li Yunshan, Factory Director explained.

Simply put, this is a type of aircraft modified from a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

Whether it's the drive motor or the rotor speed, everything has been pushed to a tolerable limit, with the side effect of drastically reduced range and a significant drop in load capacity.

More crucially, this drone will no longer have features like automated cruising and will not possess hovering capability. All operations, including throttle adjustments, ascent, descent, and rolling, are controlled by the operator.

If a comparison is needed, if the previous Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was an intelligent self-driving car, then this drone is a Formula 1 racing car.

“Is this the weapon equipment you exported to Persia?” Kong Jianmin frowned in thought: “How does it sound like it won’t be very effective?”

If it’s just fast, there are countless modern weapons faster than it. What good is it?

It has no range and no load capacity. It’s fine as a toy, but its actual military uses would be quite limited.

Hearing this.

“The drone we exported to Persia is a different model, and this one is an upgraded version based on the original design.”

Li Yunshan, Factory Director glanced at their expressions, full of doubt: “Don’t underestimate it. What kind of effect would it have if you could see real-time transmitted footage from a flying object with a speed of over 230 kilometers per hour?”

“Real-time footage? Go on.” Zhou Haowu’s eyes lit up; this seemed interesting.

“The operator is like sitting in a fighter jet cockpit, controlling it according to current mission requirements, completing tasks like sniping, bombing, and breakthroughs at a speed of over two hundred kilometers per hour.”

Li Yunshan, Factory Director continued to explain.

This was an extreme modification carried out by their 732 Military Factory based on that Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

During testing, a university student named Zhang Ming suddenly had a flash of inspiration: what would happen if he maxed out the motor and rotor power?

As expected, when he pulled all the power to the maximum, the drone, immediately after takeoff, flew into the sky with lightning speed, and then he directly lost control of it.

The reason was simple: the original automatic flight control system could not support such high-sensitivity control at that speed.

Later, after brainstorming by the entire factory, they finally came up with a solution: convert all controls to manual mode, and the original screen feedback was simply too slow to react at high speeds.

So, if the camera view changed from a screen to being in one's eyes, wouldn't it be easier to control? Therefore, they directly transmitted the camera footage in real-time to a specially made helmet screen, controlling it from a first-person perspective.

They called this type of drone an ‘ultra-high-speed first-person drone.’

Of course, if Lu Ze heard this, he would probably be amazed, not expecting that the FPV drone, which only began to emerge in 2015, had actually been developed by the 732 Military Factory ahead of time.

“No matter how powerful artillery and heavy artillery are, the shells they fire cannot be monitored by you at all times.”

Li Yunshan, Factory Director introduced solemnly: “But with this ultra-high-speed drone, you can hit high-speed moving targets at any time, directly killing them with one shot.”

At the same time, this FPV drone is more advantageous in urban combat and street fighting between buildings. It's not like a slow Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle silently dropping deadly bombs.

It's more like an assassin that kills with a single blow, finding its target for a suicidal, precise strike, needing only one attack and no longer having to consider any return issues.

“What about the price?” Zhou Haowu was somewhat tempted.

Fifth-generation fighter jets are certainly appealing, but they are not very suitable for the Army’s combat style.

However, this ultra-high-speed drone is different; it greatly enhances the Army’s combat capability, and can even be widely deployed down to the squad level.

“The full set costs about a thousand RMB, but the helmet is the most expensive part. This FPV drone only costs a little over three hundred.”

As soon as Li Yunshan, Factory Director finished speaking, Zhou Haowu immediately shouted: “You guys need to expand production of this thing quickly; our Army needs this new weapon equipment.”

A drone costing only a few hundred yuan, used for a suicide attack—let alone trading for a tank, if it destroys any target with even a tiny bit of military value, it's a huge profit.

“Old Kong, you heard it just now. It’s fine if we don’t have fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft or bombers.”

“Surely, this kind of thing shouldn’t be denied priority for our Army, right?” Zhou Haowu looked at Kong Jianmin, his face full of excitement.

Is it easy for their Army to find something good? If this isn't given priority, then there's no justice!

Before Kong Jianmin could reply, Li Yunshan, Factory Director waved his hand: “Old Zhou, why are you in such a hurry? Didn’t you just say the Army also needs bombers?”

“Our 732 Military Factory is preparing to develop a large Unmanned Bomber with a bomb load of over one ton and a range of over two thousand kilometers.”

This was also inspired by the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Previously, the global research approach for large unmanned aerial vehicles often followed that of conventional aircraft, with the only difference being that they were unmanned, but the cost remained very high.

But now, the 732 Military Factory has changed its thinking: a drone should simply be cheap and durable enough. Even if it's a bomber, it can be a disposable item; it just needs to drop its bombs and then crash as a final weapon.

If I'm cheap enough—so cheap that deploying anti-aircraft weapon equipment to intercept me is a loss for you—then the mode of warfare undergoes a curious change.

"How much? One ton payload capacity, two thousand kilometers cruising range?"

Zhou Haowu's eyes turned green. This was exactly what he needed: "Then you all should quickly develop it. Our Army has a great use for this thing!"

Isn't this unmanned bomber much more effective than any armed helicopter?

This is a drone. A two-thousand-kilometer cruising range is its combat radius. Anyway, there's no pilot, so at worst, it can just self-destruct after dropping its bombs.

The Army finally has a signature weapon. Let's see who dares to say their Army is full of 'junk' after this?

"So, aren't I here to ask Kong for some research funds?" Li Yunshan, Factory Director chuckled.

Hearing this.

Kong Jianmin laughed and cursed, "Oh, so you've come to us begging for alms?"

He wondered why this fellow had quietly come to the General Equipment Department. It turned out he was here to ask for research funds.

However, despite that, "I've approved the money. You 732 Military Factory must thoroughly research this new type of weapon equipment."

The potential of this unmanned bomber is too good; who could just sit by and do nothing?

At the same time.

The resistance organization became increasingly skilled at controlling the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, and the number of targets destroyed daily also increased.

Not only were tanks and armored vehicles blown up by drone bombs, but several watchtowers on the city walls were also inexplicably destroyed.

Almost every day, better news arrived.

Inside the underground base headquarters.

"Leader, yesterday's attack destroyed a total of five armored vehicles, two Merkava tanks, and took out three of their watchtowers..."

A member with scars on his face quietly recited some data: "Approximately one hundred enemy soldiers were eliminated, and our side lost about 10 people."

"Since this round of engagement, we have destroyed approximately 20 various armored vehicles and 10 various tanks."

"Good, they are all heroes, saviors of the Gaza people, and they have removed a disgrace for our Arab world." Faso Alonka, the leader of the resistance organization, couldn't help but cheer for them at this moment.

When did Arabs ever achieve a 1:10 casualty ratio?

In previous Middle East wars or local conflicts, it was always the Arabs who suffered a 1:10 casualty ratio.

A popular saying worldwide was: Arabs simply can't fight wars.

"However, in this round, we consumed two hundred drones for various reasons," the member said somewhat dejectedly, "Currently, fewer than a hundred drones are left that can be used."

This was only because they had assembled and replaced various damaged parts to barely maintain over a hundred drones.

"We need more Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles; a thousand sorties are far from enough." Faso Alonka, the leader of the resistance organization, looked at all the members.

His face was filled with unconcealed excitement: "Quickly contact Persia. We need ten thousand, even a hundred thousand drones. The more drones we have, the more we can completely drive them out of Gaza."

If a thousand drones can achieve such battle results, how terrifying would ten thousand or a hundred thousand be?

And at this moment.

On the other side, the situation was completely opposite; they heard one bad piece of news after another.

Inside the Defense Military Office.

"What exactly is going on?" The person in charge was furious: "What are our soldiers doing?"

"The report shows that just yesterday, 20 armored vehicles and 15 tanks were lost? And they were all the latest Mk4 main battle tanks that were destroyed?" Duran Guzman pointed at the column of numbers and cursed:

"Are these tanks and armored vehicles all just live targets? Were they smashed by Palestine with their fists?"

In just one day, over thirty tanks and armored vehicles were completely destroyed, and in the Gaza region, which has few heavy weapon equipment, they specifically chose the most expensive weapon equipment to destroy? This is simply too outrageous.

They didn't even know how they were destroyed, only that it was from an aerial attack.

"Could it be that those Arabs in Gaza have missiles?"

Duran Guzman thought of this.

In his understanding, probably only guided missiles could possess such precise strike capabilities.

"General, I think it's highly unlikely."

A small clerk beside him cautiously explained: "Under our blockade, it's impossible for such weapon equipment to be transported into Gaza."

The tunnels in Gaza are fine for transporting some daily necessities, at most some light weapon equipment or machine guns, but how could missiles be transported in?

"Oh, is that so? What you said makes sense..."

Duran Guzman nodded; this guess was indeed correct: "Then you go to the front line now and thoroughly investigate what's happening in Gaza, and eliminate this hidden danger."

"Me?? Go eliminate it?" The small clerk pointed to himself in a daze.

Me go eliminate this hidden danger?

Do you have some misunderstanding about my abilities?

Is this really asking me to investigate, or to directly go to the front line to act as a 'Teletubby'?

Duran Guzman narrowed his eyes and said with a half-smile, "Since you understand so much, then I think you can certainly handle this task."

He's just a small clerk, yet he dares to question my deduction?

Anyone who questions him might be a Hamas spy. If he refuses this order, then he is definitely Hamas and should be shot on the spot.

"Yes, General." The small clerk helplessly lowered his head.

Damn it!

It seems I must make my move!

The next day.

In Da Xia, it was the fresh morning of a new day.

In the main building of the LLNL Laboratory, during working hours, it was particularly quiet, with the painfully noisy chirping of 'periodical cicadas' in the air.

Lu Ze held a cup of latte with sugar and milk, deep in thought: 'It seems I can get promoted to C-level clearance if I publish two more low-quality SCI Zone 2 papers.'

He felt that promotion based on years of service was too slow.

Publishing a few low-quality papers was not difficult for him, so Lu Ze naturally chose this fastest method.

'These papers had better mislead Da Xia's strategy,' he thought to himself.

Space-based weapon equipment would be good; this thing was already proven to be a 'bullshit' theory in later generations.

The so-called 'Rod of God' uses a 'tungsten' rod launched from high altitude in free fall, with kinetic energy sufficient to achieve the terrifying power of a nuclear weapon.

As a result, after actual measurement by Da Xia's scientific research team in later generations, they found that it could at most create a small pit about three meters deep.

If this could trick Da Xia into mass-producing space-based weapon equipment, it would also be a great achievement.

Just as he was pondering this question.

Suddenly, Lucy beside him asked a question: "Lu Ze, isn't your Confucius a god like 'Jesus'? How come he's not what I imagined?"

Because she was going to travel to Da Xia for summer vacation, she had been reading some Chinese books recently.

"Huh?" Lu Ze looked at her in confusion.

Lucy pointed to a sentence in the Analects: "Why would he say: when good people fight, they need to strike hard, otherwise they cannot establish authority?"

"??? You should still look at a Chinese dictionary; this is too profound and not suitable for you to read." Lu Ze looked closely and then twitched his mouth.

Good people should strike hard when fighting?

Confucius would want to hit someone upon hearing this! What kind of Analects is this?

The original text clearly states: A gentleman who is not serious will not be awe-inspiring!

(First update, two-in-one big chapter.)

(Today's daily ten thousand-word update. For those with monthly tickets, please cast them. They will expire if not cast by the end of the month. This will give me more motivation to write, and I'll update ten thousand words every day from now on! Just a little bit more to reach a thousand monthly tickets.)

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