The evolution of insect swarms from XNUMX million years ago

Chapter 310: Space Wing Diver

On the one hand, the straight-horned stone type can only be used as a simple anti-personnel bomb and cannot carry various modules with special functions. On the other hand, a sufficient number of saturation strikes are still necessary to better cooperate with the straight-horned stone type.

The design of this second missile is also quite simple. It is not even a new concept. Instead, it is a structure that has been used in the early days of the space age and that Lin Yi himself has used - a multi-stage rocket.

However, the difference is that the gap between different stages of this multi-stage rocket or long-range missile is quite large, which is also the key to controlling costs while carrying out long-range saturation strikes.

It is envisioned that the first stage of this configuration uses a fusion reactor and a supporting propulsion system to complete most of the journey, while the remaining one or several stages can carry a small amount of propellant and a larger warhead or multiple smaller warheads for attack.

However, the first-stage rocket, which occupies most of the missile body and is equipped with a fusion reactor and a supporting propulsion system, is completely different from the first stage of an ordinary multi-stage rocket. It is envisioned that in order to reduce costs, this stage will be recyclable and reused!

From this point of view, the positioning of this stage is not like the first stage of a multi-stage rocket, but rather somewhat similar to a carrier-based aircraft carrying missiles. However, it does not matter whether it should be regarded as a "recoverable first stage of a multi-stage launch vehicle" or a "space carrier-based aircraft."

It is also because this configuration has the characteristics of both that Lin Yi simply did not continue to use the name and appearance of the Cornerstone series. Instead, he thought about it and pulled out the genetic template of the Kui Chi Diver, a biological attack aircraft that was once in the atmosphere, and made drastic improvements.

It is said to be an improvement on the basis, but in fact, the extent of the improvement is no different from designing a completely new grade. After all, the grade for combat within the atmosphere is far from the grade for space, and it cannot be achieved by just two or three improvements.

After simply processing the increase in size, the fully enclosed exoskeleton, heat dissipation structure, melanin radiation protection layer, vacuum circulation system, nuclear fusion reactor and supporting energy synthesis system and other standard space-grade structures are constructed, which is the key part.

The main part of the Kui Chi Diver is also relatively cylindrical. When its size is enlarged to a size slightly smaller than that of the Baghorn III, it can be stuffed into the vertical launch unit of the Star Scorpion after the reloading system is removed, just like the Straight Scorpion long-range missile.

Since the conditions for generating lift through aerodynamics are no longer available in space, the pair of elytra and the pair of membranous wings of the KuiWing Diver are unable to function and are completely removed, and the rest of the structure is extended.

Extending from the original wings are two thick but not too long appendages, connected to which are three equally thick nozzles on each side that extend obliquely backwards, forming a six-nozzle structure similar to the tail of the Star Scorpion. However, because it is based on a wing-like structure, it is somewhat similar to the wing claw structure of the Sky Comet Dragon.

This pair of wings with special structure can be perfectly retracted to the side of the body, as close to the body as possible, so that the body can be accommodated in the vertical launch unit. After being ejected from the vertical launch unit by the electromagnetic catapult structure, it can also be easily unfolded and start to spray.

The helium and neutrons output by the fusion reactor located in the middle of the thorax are ejected from these six huge nozzles, and cooperate with a series of auxiliary nozzles to further adjust the posture, so that the space version of the Kuichi Diver can also easily perform large-scale probability cloud maneuvers.

Outside the distance where the enemy's directed energy close-in defense weapons can accurately hit objects of similar size, the space version of the Kui Chi Diver can completely avoid the attacks of those turret-type directed energy secondary guns as much as possible and stay alive by relying on the probability cloud maneuverability of the space version of the Kui Chi Diver. And at the edge of the enemy's close-in defense firepower network, that is, the space version of the Kui Chi Diver's missile carrier, or the position where the terminal first stage of the multi-stage long-range missile is released, and the surging firepower network in front will be broken through by these warheads with saturation strikes.

There are several types of missiles that can be carried by the space version of the Kui Chi Diver. The first one is a simple improvement, mainly a slightly smaller airborne version of the Baghorn III, which can only carry one missile. The second one is a four-unit independently targetable reentry vehicle, and the third one can be traced back to the previous disposable active radar detector structure.

Compared with the previous active radar detector based on the Baghorn III, this structure is relatively smaller in size. Each space version of the Kui Chi Diver can also carry four. It only has a small amount of propellant and can only travel for a short period of time - but it is enough.

Just like sonar buoys in naval battles, these active radar detectors will be launched one by one by carrier aircraft to detect the precise position of the enemy fleet in a short period of time and provide guidance for the main fleet in the rear.

As for some other functional structures, Lin Yi is still continuing to research and develop them, but for now, these are sufficient as auxiliary means of attack.

For long-range missiles like the Straight Helical, Lin Yi decided to classify them into a new category - Light-second Class Missiles, to indicate their range and effective attack range. In comparison, all previous missiles could only be called medium- and short-range missiles.

Light-second level is basically the distance at which battleships engage in combat. At this normal distance at which battleships engage in combat, the swarm now finally has a second auxiliary attack method besides directed energy weapon attacks.

The production of the straight-horned stone-type light-second-class missile and the space version of the Kuichi Diver began quickly. The next task is to determine the carrying ratio of the straight-horned stone-type and the space version of the Kuichi Diver through simulation calculations and real combat exercises, as well as the specific ratio of various warheads mounted on the space version of the Kuichi Diver.

In the form of a hive, it is quite easy to upgrade and improve individual grades slightly, so the series of improvements and fine-tuning that may be needed later are not a big deal, and the subsequent process will most likely no longer require the participation of the Anomalocaris hive and the remnants of the Ezki exploration fleet, and the two can quickly continue to research the next technology.

While Lin Yi continued to rapidly increase his military strength, he was also dealing with other situations occurring in various places - the Earth's environment, which had just experienced the end-Permian mass extinction event, still needed continued observation, and further planning and construction of Dicra Star and the entire Tianyuan Four System were also underway.

However, among the information sent back by the sensory organs of a large number of individuals from all over the place, there were some that Lin Yi was most concerned about.

The situation comes from a distant star system. Previously, the star scorpions that were looking for the remaining exploration fleets sent by the former Ezki civilization and trying to establish further contact with them, based on the intelligence provided by the exploration fleets that had previously gone to Earth, conducted a carpet search of the nearby star systems of the last coordinates of these fleets before they lost contact, and finally reaped some rewards.

(End of this chapter)