Development of productivity started in 1981

Chapter 145 Airship Testing and Offshore Platform Manufacturing

"It's flying, Jiankun. The takeoff is very smooth. I thought such a big airship would be shaky!" said my uncle when he saw the airship quickly leave the ground.

"Of course. The four lift fans on the airship all use superconducting motors. The control system can adjust them in real time to increase or decrease power according to the status of the airship. Compared with gas turbines, the adjustment accuracy is several orders of magnitude higher."

The power regulation of internal combustion engines is a huge problem under the current state of physical development. Generally speaking, they are designed according to the optimal situation, that is, the power is within a certain range and the combustion is most complete.

However, in actual use, the power must be used from low to high, but the size of the combustion chamber is fixed, so only additional methods can be used to control the output power.

These control methods cannot achieve the same precision as regulating current to the milliampere level.

For low-speed aircraft, electric drive is the best choice. For subsequent marine propulsion, Wang Jiankun also plans to try electric drive, which will greatly reduce dependence on fuel.

Under Wang Jiankun's control, the airship flew vertically upwards quickly, and the people and buildings on the ground quickly became smaller in sight until they disappeared.

When 5 meters above the ground, Wang Jiankun was in constant communication with the radar station on the ground.

"The target was observed at the Landau radar station, with a bearing of ** degrees east longitude and ** degrees north latitude." The long-range early warning radar installed at Landau was the first to discover the target.

"The target has been detected at the Gagaoga radar station, with a bearing of ** degrees east longitude and ** degrees north latitude."

"The target has been detected at the Magao radar station, with a bearing of ** degrees east longitude and ** degrees north latitude."

Several long-range radar stations began to provide feedback on the airship's location.

"Keep tracking, report observation data every 1 minute, and report immediately if there is any abnormality such as the target disappearing."

"clear."

Wang Jiankun was also testing the stealth capabilities of the airship during its launch.

Because only the main frame and the pod underneath are made of metal, the rest are composite materials coated with graphene. Logically, the radar reflection area should be about the same size as a fighter jet.

The general long-range radar air search altitude is generally around 3 meters. Above this altitude, the radar waves dissipate too much and it becomes difficult to detect the target.

Of course, there are also ultra-long-range radars with extremely high power, which can even affect the electromagnetic field of an area once turned on. This type of radar is specifically used to defend against strategic weapons such as intercontinental missiles.

Currently, only the United States and the Soviet Union have this type of radar. Other countries do not have the technology and financial resources to build it, because a dedicated power station is required to power this type of radar.

As the airship gradually rose in altitude and reached the top of the troposphere, Wang Jiankun began to test the sub-balloons.

"Jiankun, the altitude is 12 kilometers. Do you want to go down first?"

"Don't go down yet. I'll open the airbag and test it."

Because it was just a test, Wang Jiankun did not open all of them. Instead, he opened some of the airbags in accordance with the principle of maintaining balance.

Helium gas enters the compressed airbag through a pipe, the semi-hard shell protective cover on the surface is retracted, and the airbag gradually expands.

"Jiankun, why is it that only a part of the airbag is inflating and growing?"

"Uncle, now is the time to test it."

Under Wang Jiankun's operation, the airbags opened and retracted one by one. The result was of course perfect, and all the airbags were able to work safely.

Then he turned on the two thrust fans at the tail of the airship, intending to test the speed the airship could reach at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

At the same time, the blade angles of the four lift fans began to deviate slightly, which can provide both some lift and some thrust.

Of course, it is also possible to completely close it and cover the fan, so that the airship can be more stable when moving forward.

As the current increased, the fan speed became faster and faster, and the airship began to fly over the northern mountains.

For such a large airship, the acceleration is actually quite slow. It took about 10 minutes for the airship to reach its maximum speed of 320 kilometers per hour and the speed no longer increased.

"Jiankun, this speed is quite fast, faster than a helicopter. Can you build a batch for inland transportation?"

My uncle said as he looked at the speedometer on the dashboard.

"Inland transportation? That's not necessary. Aren't there many navigable rivers in our territory? Shipping by ship is more economical. The helium used in this airship is quite expensive, and there are many confidential technologies."

"The transportation from the old base to Magao is very poor. There are only a few mountain trails in the north, and the southern route from Myitkyina is too far. It would be more convenient if there were airships for transportation."

"Well, let's not do that. Once the airport is built, I'll build a few more helicopters and Greyhound transport planes for the U.S. military. That should be enough to move around small items and important personnel."

"Oh, that's fine. Remember this. Now every time I go back to Langdao, I have to ride a motorcycle through that steep mountain road. Sometimes it's raining or foggy, and it's still very dangerous."

"Remember, I will build a few flight simulators when you get down there. You can select reliable pilots who have received basic training to practice on the simulators. Then I will build the runway once it's finished."

After promising his uncle to quickly build a batch of planes, Wang Jiankun turned the airship around and flew back.

All the basic tests were completed. After reaching above the base, Wang Jiankun reduced the power of the lift fan and also extracted some of the helium in the airbag, allowing the airship to descend rapidly.

"Jiankun, I will leave the base first to arrange other things. You can arrange the next experiment yourself. I have introduced the personnel to you. Don't worry, they are all reliable."

"Okay, go and do your work!"

After his uncle left, Wang Jiankun began to install various equipment on the experimental airship.

There are long-range radars, laser weapons DXN-1, and a device for relaying communications.

After the installation was completed, he immediately flew the airship into the air and conducted a series of tests.

After reaching an altitude of 12 kilometers, he inflated all the sub-balloons. After the inflation was completed, the lift became very large and the airship flew quickly to a higher altitude.

After leaving the ground 33 kilometers, ground radars began to report that the targets were lost. After reaching an altitude of 40 kilometers, all ground radars lost the targets.

At this time, Wang Jiankun looked forward in the cockpit and could already see the curvature of the earth, with a blue light glowing at the intersection of the curvature.

The cockpit Wang Jiankun was in was built to fighter jet standards and was equipped with a life support system to ensure that Wang Jiankun would be safe and comfortable even at the top of the stratosphere.

After reaching an altitude of 40 kilometers, the ascent speed drops rapidly because the air outside is becoming thinner and thinner.

In order to test how high the airship could fly, Wang Jiankun let the airship fly upwards continuously, and the numbers on the altimeter jumped up a few meters.

During the ascent, Wang Jiankun was also collecting high-altitude data, which will be very useful for future hypersonic missiles and aerospace.

After about 20 minutes, the altitude counter on the airship remained almost unchanged, at around 52336 meters.

This height is within the design range and the error is not very large.

Then he began to test the airship's flying speed at this maximum altitude.

As the superconducting motor at the tail is turned on, the thin air flies backwards under the push of the fan, and the airship flies forward under the reaction force. Because the air is so thin, the acceleration is relatively low, about 2 meters per second.

After about 3 minutes, the airship reached a speed of 306 kilometers per hour and could not increase any further. This speed should be the maximum flight speed.

After completing the speed test, in order to save enough electricity, Wang Jiankun reduced the power of the tail propulsion motor and then released a rocket-boosted aircraft model.

Then turn on the radar to aim at the plane that is gradually flying away, and then turn on the DXN-1 laser cannon.

The effectiveness of this laser cannon at high altitude is better than at low altitude. It takes less than 2 seconds to burn through an aircraft 10 kilometers away. At low altitude, it takes at least 3 and a half seconds, and the distance must be within 8 kilometers.

It seems that laser weapons are quite effective at high altitudes and in outer space. As long as the problem of power source is solved, there will be almost unlimited defense capabilities.

Wang Jiankun decided that he must study laser weapons carefully when he has time, as they will be the standard weapon equipment in outer space in the future.

After the laser weapon test was over, he then conducted a test on the electromagnetic storm.

This electromagnetic storm is a combination of 6 small electromagnetic gun barrels, which can fire 30mm caliber shells.

As for the electromagnetic gun, he is currently only conducting some preliminary exploratory research and only intends to equip the airship with it to defend against possible high-altitude missiles.

It is not suitable to prepare electromagnetic guns for use on the ground at present, because once the weapons are used on the battlefield, there will definitely be a risk of loss. By then, when outsiders know about this superconducting material and graphene material, it will definitely attract the attention of several major countries.

The test of the electromagnetic storm is very simple and quick, and it has been conducted on the ground before. At such a high altitude, the reduced air resistance has a certain strengthening effect on this ultra-high-speed weapon.

The sturdy target aircraft 3 kilometers away disintegrated instantly when it encountered the barrage of bullets emitted by the electromagnetic storm.

However, this weapon is not very practical. It only took 10 seconds to fire 2 shells. If this kind of shells were manufactured using conventional methods, the price would be incredibly high.

After completing the weapons test, Wang Jiankun then began communications testing.

"Mago Communication Station, please reply."

"receive."

"Landau communication station, received, please reply."

"receive."

"Communication test begins, transmitting signals according to the predetermined procedure."

"clear."

"clear."

Two second-generation mobile communication base stations, Magao and Landau, began to conduct pseudo-satellite relay experiments.

"Ma Gao received the information and the content is correct."

"Landau received the information and the content is correct."

As the two places responded one after another and successfully received the information forwarded by the communication equipment on the test airship, Wang Jiankun ordered the airship to hover at an altitude of 50 kilometers, and then asked the two places to continue the information sending and receiving tests according to the predetermined plan.

Wang Jiankun let the airship cruise at a fixed altitude and then spent a night at high altitude.

After more than 10 hours of communication testing, the results were very ideal and the number of packet losses was within the tolerable range, which means that the communication airship can be deployed.

Currently, the second-generation base stations have begun construction in several major towns in the South, and bases in Africa, South America, Hong Kong, and several Southeast Asian countries are also about to begin secret construction.

Relevant patents have been applied for, and these patents are also dispersed among several shadow companies in Europe and the United States. When the time is right, the second-generation digital mobile communications will be put into use ahead of several major communication giants in Europe and the United States.

"Jiankun, has the airship test been completed?"

Three days later, Wang Jiankun reported to his uncle that he was going to the Bay of Bengal to build an offshore platform.

"Yes, the test results are in line with expectations. You must prepare the materials quickly. Once the offshore platform is completed, you will start building several ships."

"We have already bought a 3-ton shipload of titanium ore in Sri Lanka, which should be enough for your initial use. We will also purchase more in the future. Other metals are not a problem either. You are currently manufacturing in small batches, so you can definitely keep up."

"That's great. I'll be leaving right away. I've put the flight manual for this airship at the airship base. Send someone there to learn first. When I'm done, I'll bring a group of airship pilots with me when I come back."

"Okay, the personnel screening is complete, I'll take them in now."

After instructing his uncle on some matters, Wang Jiankun flew the Y-1 aircraft from the base to the Bay of Bengal.

Seven days before this, Wang Jiankun had asked Pan Hua, who was far away in Hong Kong, to drive an 7-ton cargo ship with a shipload of supplies to the Bay of Bengal.

The people who drove the boat were loyal and reliable people sent by my uncle. Although they were a little confused about the destination, they still followed the orders.

When the plane was about 10 kilometers away from the freighter, Wang Jiankun landed on the sea, then converted the plane into a speedboat and drove towards the freighter.

"Hello, Chief. The freighter has arrived at its destination. Please give us your instructions."

"Take all the crew members onto the speedboat, then drive back to Yangon Port and wait for my subsequent orders."

"receive."

After letting the six crew members board the speedboat and go to the Yangon dock, Wang Jiankun began to build the offshore platform.

According to the design drawings, he first made the buoyancy shell at the bottom.

Then build it layer by layer from the inside to the outside and from the bottom to the top.

Because the size was so huge, it exceeded the limit of elements he could mobilize in one day. In order to maintain his spirit, he did not dare to operate at the limit.

In the end, it took a total of three days to build an elliptical offshore platform with a length of 3 meters and a width of 680 meters.

There are 8 large container cranes and 4 medium-sized long-arm cranes that can lift 20 tons on the platform.

In the middle are eight recessed warehouses that can each hold 8 large containers, with decks above that can be moved to cover the warehouses.

There are solid decks at both ends. Wang Jiankun built them according to the standards of the U.S. Navy's Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier deck. They can usually be used to stack containers or some bulk cargo, and can be converted into aircraft take-off and landing platforms if needed.

Of course, there are many ancillary facilities, such as large container trucks, fire trucks, sprinkler trucks and other commonly used ones at docks. Wang Jiankun also built a living and entertainment area to ensure that people working here can have a more comfortable environment.

However, Wang Jiankun did not repair the power unit so well. It only has two 2-megawatt electric motors to drive the propellers, which can provide the platform with a speed of about 6 knots when fully loaded, and can allow the platform to run at a speed of about 5 knots when unloaded.

However, the battery life is quite poor, and it can only run about 100 nautical miles.

Wang Jiankun only regards this platform as a relatively sheltered island on the sea, for organizing cargo transfer. Once the navy of another country comes, the navy of a small country will use missiles to destroy it, and the navy of a big country will let the platform sink if it cannot win, and the personnel will leave the platform on the escape submarine.

Collecting sketches of offshore platforms, do book lovers have any good ideas?
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(End of this chapter)