81: Chapter 81: Positioning of Electromagnetic Kinetic Energy Sniper Rifles (Part 3)

"Haha, let's go, let's go over and take a look at that tank."

Chu Ge said, walking towards the jeep nearby.

A few minutes later, the group got out of the car. There was no sign of the tank before their eyes; instead, there was a long trench on the ground, with various parts scattered on both sides of the trench.

Chu Ge and the others followed the trench on the ground toward the foot of the mountain. The wreckage of the tank was deeply embedded several meters into the mountainside, and the soil mixed with things like grass roots nearby was still emitting white smoke, as if it had been struck by lightning.

There was no smell of gunpowder in the air; instead, it smelled like a steel mill.

Wang Xuedong walked inside, touched the tank, and jerked his hand back.

"Damn, it's still burning hot. This—how can you even tell this is a tank anymore? It's just a big lump of iron."

"It's ready for the furnace. What would it feel like if this hit a person?" Brigadier General Lu murmured, looking at the pile of wreckage.

"A person? It's questionable whether you'd even be able to find one. It actually saves trouble; it saves us from having to clean up the battlefield later. Uh, that sounded a bit inappropriate, everyone, please don't mind."

"That's humane destruction," Brigadier General Gu added, ignoring Lu Nan.

"..."

"The power is decent, but the distance here is a bit short, so there's no way to verify its limits. Li Gang, later you should explain today's situation to Academician Chen and form a professional acceptance team; we'll need it for the Laser Grenades and such later on."

"Then have the Research Institute coordinate with a professional military testing ground. We still need to further verify its performance; today can only be considered a preliminary verification test."

"Yes, Academician Chu."

Brigadier General Gu called over a team of soldiers and began to excavate the tank wreckage.

"Li Gang, once it's cleared out, take a look and see if the test conclusions need any additions. I'm going to walk around the area with the two Brigadier Generals."

After making the arrangements, Chu Ge walked toward the perimeter of the shooting range with the two Brigadier Generals.

"Two Brigadier Generals, is there anything you'd like to ask? You can ask now."

"Academician Chu, when can this Electromagnetic... Sniper Rifle be commissioned?" Brigadier General Lu asked hurriedly.

"Huh? That's not what I meant. I was referring to the positioning of the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle," Chu Ge said, scratching his head.

"It's hard to say. Anti-materiel sniper rifles don't have this much power. In terms of damage effect, it's a bit like an anti-tank missile," Brigadier General Gu said first.

"Oh, I might not have told you the specific data yet. The effective shooting range of the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle is 10,000 meters, and the lethal range against living targets is 12,000 meters. As for further data, it will need further testing at a larger Weapon Experiment Base. It will also carry a certain amount of shockwave damage, which couldn't be verified today."

"The firing frequency is 1 round/minute. The ammunition capacity is calculated based on a full charge of high-energy batteries; this number is dynamic. Did you notice the protrusion at the magazine position? That's its energy storage slot, and behind that are the high-energy batteries. It generally carries three sets, and one set can support about 100 rounds. The specific number of battery sets can be adjusted as needed, up to 5 sets."

"However, 1-2 sets are usually enough. The rail life lasts at most 500 rounds. It's all modular design, so replacement is very simple. With our current materials, this is the best we can do."

"As for the magnification of the sniper scope, let the Research Institute continue to develop it for now. I feel this gun cannot be measured by ordinary data; it still needs to be deployed to the troops, and through your usage, we can verify which type is actually suitable. Let's not discuss that in detail for now."

Chu Ge finished speaking in one breath, then looked at the two Brigadier Generals with anticipation. He still hoped that they, who played with guns every day, would give some reasonable suggestions.

"I think it can be defined as a powerful fire support weapon. It can do too many jobs: point-clearing like an anti-tank missile, sniping specific targets like an anti-materiel sniper rifle, and it can even take on some functions of a mortar. Besides the aspect of indirect fire, there's also the shockwave you mentioned; that could be used like artillery against assaulting infantry groups," Brigadier General Lu said solemnly after pondering for a moment.

"Most importantly, what I value is its sustainability. For the same firepower effect, the minimum ammunition base for this thing is terrifying, which is so important on the battlefield. Take the 'Javelin' for example: the missile weighs 11.8 kilograms, and a soldier can carry at most 4 rounds. Hey, Academician Chu, how heavy is this Electromagnetic... Sniper Rifle?" Brigadier General Gu suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly.

"Oh, I forgot to mention just now. The total weight of the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle is 8.1 kilograms, when configured with 3 sets of high-energy batteries."

"See? This advantage isn't just a little bit."

"Nonsense, there's simply no comparison. But Old Gu makes a lot of sense." Brigadier General Lu chimed in, praising one moment and criticizing the next.

"Alright, then I'll leave the feedback from the military side to you two. We will submit the report from the Research Institute."

"No problem, finalization shouldn't be a problem. I'm just afraid this gun is too expensive. The General Armament Department is so stingy. You don't know, Academician Chu, that Electromagnetic... rifle of yours last time was too good to use, but the quantity was too small. The reply from the General Armament Department was that the gun was too expensive; if they equipped everyone with it, they wouldn't need to change anything else!!!"

"It made the regimental commanders of my brigade come to me every day to argue about this gun. It's so annoying." Lu Nan was straightforward and spilled the beans on the General Armament Department completely.

"That's enough, you Lu the Big Pumpkin. You got the benefit and are still acting coy. You're the only brigade in the whole army equipped with that kind of rifle at the regimental level, your 224th Brigade!"

"Hey, I..."

"Um, those two Brigadier Generals, this Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle should be about the same price as that gun. Although it has a few more modules, it also saves the cost of bullets. Judging comprehensively, it shouldn't be much more expensive." Chu Ge hurriedly threw out some comforting words, as the two fierce generals looked like they were about to quarrel again.

"Alright then, if the price is about the same, being able to equip one regiment for our 224th Brigade would be fine. That would be equivalent to having an extra regiment's worth of heavy firepower. Things like flamethrowers, direct-fire guns, anti-materiel sniper rifles, and grenades wouldn't be needed anymore. All accompanying heavy firepower under 5,000 meters would have to step aside. Haha, just thinking about it is exciting." Lu Nan was as happy as a child.

"Haha, speaking of grenades, I almost forgot. The Laser Grenade is probably about to be developed too, but that thing can't be tested here. It needs professional people to test it in a professional place; it's a bit dangerous. You two can keep an eye out for it later; I guarantee it'll be awesome." Chu Ge didn't mind adding fuel to the fire for Brigadier General Lu at this moment.

"Really? I say, Academician Chu, you're simply a treasure chest. I can't take it anymore; I have to go to our commander first." Lu Nan left as soon as he said it, running straight to the jeep nearby, disappearing in a flash, leaving behind a bewildered Chu Ge and Gu Jianhua.

"That brat went to be shameless again. Sigh, they say the crying child gets the milk; that saying is absolutely true." Gu Jianhua shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to be as thick-skinned as Lu Nan, but sometimes he was quite envious of it.

"Academician Chu, we're here. Do you want to go take a look at the 'Telescope' Base?"

"Look at what? I'd like to, but anyone who goes in there now needs a slip from above, and I'm no exception." Chu Ge looked in the direction of the 'Telescope' Base with a bit of regret.

"Huh? Then, we're in the same boat. I was thinking of basking in your reflected glory." After Gu Jianhua finished speaking, he also looked in the direction of the 'Telescope' Base. He had been there once, but although it was right at his doorstep afterward, he had never been in again. Later, he heard about the battle against the foreign stealth reconnaissance drone at the Q City Prism Tower Base, which piqued his interest even more. It seemed that it would be who knows how long before he could get in again.