Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1416 A Gathering of Heroes, A Meeting of Radishes (4k)

One is a bomber, and the other wants to do everything, even fighter jets that can intercept bombers.

Following his words, Gao Zhendong nodded: "Yes, it looks like it to me too."

Both aircraft are tailless delta wings, but one of them looks more "triangular" than the other. Even though the photo is not clear, you can see that the wing is a standard isosceles triangle with three straight sides.

Gao Zhendong pretended to ponder for a moment, then pointed to the taut plane: "I think this one looks more like an XB-70."

"why?"

"This one has a more conventional configuration, with a feel from a few years ago. I reckon it should be the XB-70, as the style is more in line with the rumored time when it started development."

Gao Zhendong was just spouting nonsense. Style, like art, is unpredictable, so it's perfect for rambling. However, his answer was undeniably correct.

As long as the answer is correct, the reason doesn't matter.

In fact, one of these two sets of photos is of the XB-70, and the other is of the R-12, which is the two-seat reconnaissance variant of the A-12. The final designation it received was the famous strategic reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71. However, the process from the A-12 to the SR-71 was complex and involved many changes, including numerous name alterations.

The system Gao Zhendong was referring to was, of course, the XB-70 Valkyrie. The aircraft's original maiden flight was on September 21st of last year, and it was a physical maiden flight that immediately caught fire—the very first one caught fire. So it's not surprising that it was photographed now.

The prototype of the SR-71 made its maiden flight even later, on December 22nd of last year. It's quite lucky that we were able to capture it at that time.

The chief engineer carefully wrote down Gao Zhendong's opinion, which was of great reference value.

"Look at these two photos." The chief engineer picked out two photos from the set of images that appeared to be of Valkyrie's aircraft. It was clear from the two photos that they were taken in the same photography session.

"These two photos are rare consecutive photos with clear landmarks as reference points. Comrades, combining the information from these photos, it appears that the aircraft's speed has reached Mach 2.5 or higher. Does this mean that their aircraft might succeed?"

Based on ground features, aircraft position, and the frame rate of satellite photography, a fairly accurate speed can be calculated.

Gao Zhendong certainly didn't know the specifics of the XB-70's test flights, but this data shouldn't be a major problem. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"I remember assessing this before, and my opinion at the time was that they were unlikely to make a practical twin-3 bomber, and I still think so now." The outcome was inevitable. Putting aside performance and stability, the price of this thing was explosive enough that no one could afford it.

"You still think that way?"

"Yes, I still think so. The technical and tactical requirements of this aircraft have exceeded the current comprehensive technical and economic capabilities, and it faces strong competition from technologies such as missiles. The final result will not be good."

Gao Zhendong wasn't afraid of the XB-70 making a comeback; it was doomed. Although some said its demise was due to a prototype being struck down by a escort aircraft, this was actually a cause for concern. If the aircraft had truly met the requirements, losing a prototype wouldn't have been a big deal.

From the perspective of its engine, this thing is not as reliable as the SR-71. The MiG-25 can reach that target with two engines because it is relatively small, but it is very difficult for this thing to reliably fly at the target of double three with six turbojet engines.

"Hmm... so what's your opinion on this one?"

There are far fewer photos of the other aircraft, just a handful. Almost all of them are of it grounded; there isn't a single one of it in the air.

There are many opinions about the SR-71, but we can't say anything about it now.

Gao Zhendong thought for a moment before speaking: "If we're talking about attack aircraft, whether bombers or fighters, in my opinion, there are currently insurmountable technical problems in operating under dual-triple conditions. To put it bluntly, even dropping bombs and missiles under dual-triple conditions is extremely difficult, let alone anything else..."

Throwing something out at Mach 3 is not so simple; if not done properly, the huge aerodynamic changes as soon as the hatch is opened could be enough to destroy the aircraft and kill everyone on board.

If the aircraft has to slow down before dropping bombs, then it's basically on par with a regular bomber—if it wants to drop bombs at Mach 3, it has to slow down from a great distance, making it much easier for air defense systems to deal with.

After listening to Gao Zhendong's explanation, the chief engineer nodded, agreeing that the idea made sense.

"From what you're saying, this plane might have other uses?" He noticed Gao Zhendong's wording, "if it's used as an attack aircraft," and wondered if there was another reason why it wasn't used as an attack aircraft.
Gao Zhendong nodded: "That's right. If this aircraft is used as a reconnaissance plane, it has a very good future. Do you remember the situation we faced when we encountered the RB-57 and U-2?"

This reminded the chief engineer of the United States of the past of the embarrassing situation where they could only set up ambushes when facing the U-2, but of course, all of that is in the past.

But that was a U-2 flying at subsonic altitudes of 2 meters, while this aircraft, if it were also a double-triple...

The chief engineer felt a pain in his tooth.

"How can you be so sure that this aircraft, like the XB-70, can fly double triples?" But there was no information about this aircraft before, so how did Gao Zhendong make that judgment?
"The configuration, the general configuration of this aircraft, it's clear that it's designed for a double-triple configuration, otherwise it wouldn't use this configuration." Gao Zhendong pointed to the wing of the SR-71 prototype and said with certainty.

The chief engineer, looking at the clearly unusual configuration, then remembered that Gao Zhendong himself was an aerodynamics expert with profound knowledge in the field. Although the photo wasn't very clear, it might be enough for him to make some judgments.

"Moreover, this aircraft has a greater chance of success than the XB-70. It is smaller, and I estimate that its empty weight is only about one-third of that of the XB-70. The difference in maximum takeoff weight may be even greater. The fuselage is much smaller, which makes the engineering difficulty much lower. It only has two engines, and its complexity is far lower than that of the XB-70. Technically speaking, it is more likely to be realized."

Gao Zhendong came up with all sorts of reasons, but the message was the same—this plane project might actually be completed.

This exacerbated the chief engineer's worries. Was the day when our reconnaissance aircraft, with its double-3 configuration, would be completely exposed to the enemy again?

Although satellites can also provide a panoramic view, they are far less flexible and adaptable than airplanes, and their much higher altitude makes the view much clearer.

Moreover, Gao Zhendong's reasons all sound quite plausible. In addition, Gao Zhendong himself is quite reliable. With two reliable people combined, is this plane really reliable?
"Hiss... If this becomes a reconnaissance aircraft, the daily trouble it brings us might be greater than that of a bomber with the same specifications. No, we have to think of a solution." Bombers are not usually used, but reconnaissance aircraft are not so sensitive or particular.

Gao Zhendong shook his head and laughed. "What's this?" In this situation, Gao Zhendong shaking his head with a smile usually means he has something on his mind.

"Have you forgotten? Before this, we had already decided to use the S-75's large body and a new type of solid propellant to create a high-altitude missile capable of dealing with targets at 35000 meters altitude and Mach 3.5?"

The chief engineer clapped his hands, then remembered!
The Shuangsanwu missile is a type of missile proposed by Gao Zhendong after the success of the medium-range surface-to-air missile. It utilizes the large missile body of the S-75 and a new type of propellant to achieve altitudes that the S-75 cannot reach.

"Ah, right, there is such a thing, and it's progressing smoothly!" He had too many things to manage and didn't think of it at first, but Gao Zhendong's reminder made him remember it immediately, and he even remembered the progress, since every step these things took had to go through him.

That's fine then. This dual-35 is perfect for countering the dual-3! Gao Zhendong proposed it to address the potential threat of the XB-70, and now it's coming in handy.

Although the S-75 copy is large, by sheer coincidence, the comrades have mounted this missile on the universal tracked chassis proposed by Gao Zhendong, which has already been developed. It already has autonomous mobility. Although there is only one missile per vehicle and it cannot be launched while on the move, it is sufficient to deal with reconnaissance aircraft.

After all, reconnaissance aircraft only have so many routes, and once they've caught someone red-handed, they naturally won't dare to come again. This has been proven by the RB-57, P-2V, and U-2.

"Alright, then there's nothing to worry about. I estimate that this aircraft has only recently started test flights. According to the normal schedule, by the time it enters service, our twin-35 missiles will not only have been finalized, but the units receiving them will probably have already completed training and achieved combat capability!"

He knew very well that even if the aircraft flew in a double-triple configuration, its maneuverability wouldn't be strong. As long as the missile could reach it and anti-jamming and electronic countermeasures were in place, the aircraft's straight flight trajectory, which couldn't perform large maneuvers, meant that it simply couldn't escape.

High-speed? With its slender build, a high G-force would probably split it in two.

In this respect, the SR-71 is even inferior to the MiG-25. Its ability to fly three consecutive times far surpasses that of the MiG-25, which only needs to intercept. In fact, the service ceiling of the normal MiG-25 model does not even reach 30,000 meters. However, the trade-off is that its airframe configuration results in high-speed maneuverability that is far inferior to that of the MiG-25.

Gao Zhendong thought for a moment and said to the chief engineer, "I suggest that we notify the comrades working on the dual-three-five model to add a model to the basic radar guidance model: radar-infrared composite guidance!"

"Infrared?"

"Yes, infrared. Because of its aerodynamic heating, this aircraft is a huge fireball when it's flying at double or triple speed! It's extremely conspicuous. With radar and infrared combined guidance, it can't escape no matter what it tries! At that speed, it might not even be able to throw an infrared decoy flare. Once it's targeted by the infrared terminal guidance system, it's doomed!"

The objective is so obvious that there's no need for a high-end infrared sensor. Of course, even if Gao Zhendong wanted to save money, he wouldn't cut corners here. Thermal imaging might not be necessary, but cooled orthogonal quaternary mercury-cadmium telluride batteries are a must.

"Great!" the chief engineer exclaimed repeatedly.

The enemy has just begun developing a new type of equipment, and we have already nipped the threat in the bud. This feeling is incredibly satisfying!
"Since we're on the topic of double three, I have some more photos here. We believe there was an error in the satellite's frame rate measurement; take a look."

The chief engineer then produced another set of photos.

Gao Zhendong was amused. It was a gathering of talents, like a meeting of radishes.

As one of the few aircraft capable of flying Mach 3 before the 80s, I actually saw it in a photo today.

Hey, isn't that a flying fox? Long time no see, and it's still a child!

It's quite a coincidence that all of these aircraft capable of flying at Mach 3 had their maiden flights last year!

The photo is still blurry, but Gao Zhendong can recognize it at a glance.

Gao Zhendong really liked this aircraft; it was the ultimate example of White Bear Engineering's capabilities.

The "flying stainless steel" thing is just a joke. The point is that they actually used not-so-advanced technology to reach speeds close to Mach 3 in real combat, which is better than anything else.

One trick is all it takes to conquer the world. This guy can take down an F/A-18 amidst a massive army, even under extreme electromagnetic, tactical, and environmental disadvantages, and still escape unscathed.

"Frame rate measurement error?" Gao Zhendong was a little confused.

"Yes, this aircraft speed measurement result once actually measured a speed of Mach 2.5..." The word "disbelief" was used, especially since it was only measured that one time, making it even more unbelievable. They preferred to find fault with their own satellite.

Looking at that familiar, robust physique, Gao Zhendong shook his head: "Not necessarily. I have a feeling that this thing can really fly at that speed. In fact, this aircraft might be the solution for the North in the face of the XB-70!"

He didn't even try to find a reason; he simply stated definitively that the plane really did have that speed.

I'm too lazy to make excuses. What matters is the truth. Right now, he's the only one in the country who knows the truth, and even the researchers who studied this plane don't know the truth as well as he does.

After all, the test flight is still a long way off, and the researchers are not sure if they can really succeed.

"You really think so?" The chief engineer was taken aback. This clumsy-looking guy didn't seem like he could fly at that speed at all. But as a top aerodynamics expert, Gao Zhendong's judgment couldn't be ignored.

"I have a feeling that it is possible. Judging from its size, this aircraft is following the path of 'powerful flying bricks,' with speed as the primary goal. Under this guiding principle, this result is possible."

The chief engineer didn't know how Gao Zhendong could deduce all this from a somewhat blurry photograph, but since he had spoken up, there must be a reason. Just as his comrades couldn't know how he had produced so many results, thinking about those things was completely unnecessary; what mattered was that the results were real.

"But other comrades judged that this aircraft is designed for maneuverability?" the chief engineer asked with some doubt.

This is also one of the reasons why comrades felt that there was a problem with the satellite frame rate measurement.

(End of this chapter)