The military-industrial scientific research system of the academic master.

Chapter 1407 Half Plane
A few days later.

Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, United States.

When Major General John Raymond, director of the Combat Reconnaissance Center, pushed open the door and entered General Robert Keller's office, he brought in a biting chill.

There was still some unmelted snow on the "Space Command" badge on the left chest of the former's military uniform, and the encrypted computer bag in his hand made a slight clicking sound when it touched the desktop.

"Admiral, during the half month you were in Washington, we observed several frequent abnormal activities at the Huangtianba Airport in southwestern China."

As he spoke, he pulled up an infrared thermal image from his laptop. The Huangtianba Airport in the western suburbs of Chengdu looked like a dancing will-o'-the-wisp:
"According to order information, from December last year to January this year, the production of J-12 fighter jets was at a low point between two batches, but the characteristic signal strength of their assembly workshop and test workshop did not decrease but increased, and a location that had been dormant for the past two years was suddenly reactivated recently..."

Robert Keller had just taken office, and although he was a member of the Space Command, he was in charge of the missile force in the past, so he was still a little unsure about satellite matters:
"Since this has been going on for half a month, shouldn't we further focus on other reconnaissance resources?"

Raymond nodded:

"That's right, but the cloud cover over Chengdu has been very low for more than a week, which is very unfavorable for infrared and visible light reconnaissance, so we spent a little more time and mobilized two synthetic aperture radar satellites."

Keller finally sat up straight in his office chair:

"So, what are the further conclusions?"

Raymond answered while opening another satellite photo:

"It's hard to say... That's exactly why I came to you to report."

The admiral put on his glasses and moved closer to the screen.

He saw a gap suddenly appearing in the middle of the gray tarmac on the screen composed of black and white noise.

"This is synthetic aperture imaging on the morning of January 1th, local time. We successfully acquired the target, but the radar beam encountered...some kind of structural interference."

Raymond's index finger hovered over a certain pixel cluster. In the image magnified twenty times, the concrete floor was strangely sunken to reveal the outline of half a fighter plane:
"The imaging effect is not very clear, but you can see here that it is a sharp diamond-shaped nose, canards, and air intakes on both sides. It is obviously an aircraft... But starting from the root of the main wing, all the structures are like being erased by an eraser and disappear into the void."

Keller frowned:

"So what is this?"

Then he glanced at Raymond standing beside the desk:

"Half a Phantom?"

This sentence has a double meaning and is a bit like a joke.

The latter did not respond, but continued:

"From the outline, it is obviously a fighter with stealth... or at least partial stealth capability. It should correspond to the so-called 'Project 20' that China has been promoting in recent years, but no further information has been observed so far, and there is no conclusion as to why the rear half of the fuselage disappeared."

Finally, perhaps to save face, he added:
"Of course, theoretically we cannot rule out the possibility that it is simply a signal processing error..."

That being said, everyone knows that this possibility only exists on paper, and the probability of appearing at this time and location is infinitely close to 0.

They both fell into deep thought at the same time.

Generally speaking, even for stealth aircraft, the stealth capability of the front hemisphere should be better than that of the rear hemisphere.

Moreover, radar stealth is mainly aimed at the positive hemisphere and the front and downward direction, and it is difficult to be effective against electromagnetic signals coming from directly above. The blurred but still recognizable nose part is evidence of this.

"is it possible……"

The admiral hesitated and said:
"Is it that the rear half of the fuselage is blocked by the metal roof of the hangar, or something similar, causing the satellite signal to be reflected in advance?"

Raymond shook his head decisively.

"No, although metal shields will block electromagnetic waves, they have strong reflective capabilities and will produce corresponding images, just like the roofs of the colored steel-tile buildings next to them."

He pointed to some extremely clear and bright blocks of color at the edge of the screen. "Also, even if the Chinese really only built half of the plane to confuse us... or to conduct some kind of test, the concrete material on the apron should also reflect. However, the signal strength in the back half is two orders of magnitude lower than the background noise."

After experiencing various unexpected events in the past two years (mainly thanks to Huaxia), he, who originally intended to gain experience as the director of the reconnaissance bureau, has now become a semi-expert in this field.

Although it is forced.

They looked at each other in bewilderment again.

"Well, we have to admit that sometimes satellites are not omnipotent, and no technical means can completely replace the naked eye and the human brain..."

Keller rubbed his swollen temples:

"So, what does the intelligence department say?"

Raymond curled his lips:
"Yesterday afternoon, we briefed the Department of National Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency on the situation. However, they have suffered heavy losses in their Chinese insiders in the past two years. And it seems that this... thing is not parked outside 24 hours a day, so open source intelligence collection cannot be completed so quickly. Both sides said that it takes time to verify."

After a long while, Keller spoke again:
"Then wait..."

Then he instructed:

"Also, don't forget about satellite reconnaissance. If that really is a fourth-generation fighter, the efficiency of the Chinese is a bit scary..."

Raymond then noticed that there was a new 2009 calendar on the admiral's desk.

The cover shows a timeline from 1943 to 2009.

Above the axis are blue markings from P59 to F-22.

Below the axis are red marks corresponding to MiG-15 to J-11.

The time difference between the two sides reached its maximum in the 70s and 80s, but has been collapsing at an exponential rate since the second half of the 90s.

Perhaps noticing Raymond's gaze, Keller took the initiative to explain:

"It was sent by the Pentagon. It's said to symbolize that we are gradually shifting our strategic goals to the Pacific Ocean... I have a few more copies if you want."

After saying that, he sighed again:
"In the past decade or so, the Chinese have been catching up with us like a rocket... The first flight of the J-10 was almost 16 years later than that of the F-10, but if it is really a fourth-generation fighter, it means that this advantage has been shortened to about years..."

"If this continues, by the time the next generation of aircraft arrives, both sides will probably have to make their maiden flights simultaneously..."

The admiral smiled wryly and shook his head, but his tone didn't indicate he took the second half of the sentence too seriously.

After all, even the F35 is still a mess and it is unknown when it will be able to form complete combat capabilities. As for the next generation... there is not even a concept yet.

Thinking of this, he felt that just waiting for the intelligence department to do the work was not a solution:

"Well, go back and write a report to the Ministry of National Defense, saying that China's new generation fighter jet, which is comparable to the F22, is about to take its first flight. As for the demonstration process, you can handle it yourself."

Keller pointed to the picture on the computer screen:
"This way, if the Chinese make any big news, we can also say that we have already made relevant warnings and can take the blame..."

He originally wanted to say that he could blame the CIA or DIA, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he suddenly thought of a more serious possibility.

"Wait a moment……"

Raymond, who was about to pack up his computer, stopped and waited for further instructions from his superiors.

"I received news during a meeting in Washington that Secretary of Defense Gates is preparing to visit many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the plan, he should go to China next month..."

Keller's voice shook slightly.

Raymond immediately thought of the same guess as the other party:
"You mean... they might choose the time window when the Ministry of Defense delegation is in China to make the first flight?"

(End of this chapter)