I ask you to build tractors, but you build rockets?

Desert base, evening.

A triangular-shaped aircraft was slowly pulled out of the hangar. It showed a very dirty gray color with irregular-sized patches appearing all over the fuselage, like a dusty aircraft that had been stored for more than ten years. antique.

However, the fact is that it was manufactured only half a month ago, and then the various parts were transported here by transport plane for assembly, and it will undergo a high-speed ground roll today.

This is the first demonstrator of the "Snowbird", numbered H-10, also known as the H-10.

After a year of design, Xuehu officially issued an order for the development of airframe components to aviation manufacturing plants across the country. In order to speed up the process, the most important core airframe part was handed over to the base and manufactured using the 120,000-ton pressure die forging machine. , the strength is fully up to standard.

In the past seven months, the first demonstrator aircraft that can theoretically fly is now on the runway waiting for its first flight.

In terms of body, skin, stealth technology, cooling technology, fuel, avionics and other aspects, the "Snowbird" basically represents the ultimate level of the domestic aviation industry. Of course, the most powerful one has to be the one that was successfully tested last year. Three WCR-12 combined power engines.

This gray aircraft has a simple and beautiful appearance. It is far from the design style of mainstream aircraft, but it is full of a different kind of beauty.

Androv, who has almost become the chief engineer of half of the project, said to Dou Ping:

"This aircraft can fly up to 52,000 meters, and has exceeded the stratosphere and entered the mesosphere. If it were named according to the West, it should be called 'Mesosphere Lightning'.

Although Xue Hu is also a ferocious beast, her big face does not match her appearance. "

Dou Ping: "It's just Xuehu. Xuehu is a polar hunter. It can easily hide in the vast snowfield with its pure white appearance. Moreover, Xuehu is a code name that has already been used, so it is easier to confuse the audience."

Androv: "Then I think Polar Hunter sounds better than Snow Phoebe."

"..."

The dispute between the two about the code name did not last long, because the ground roll was about to begin.

Almost everyone in the research base stood beside the runway, looking forward to the taxiing test.

In order to maintain maximum confidentiality and avoid satellite reconnaissance, the rolling test was unusually chosen to be conducted in the evening. At this time, it was a bit blurry when viewed with the naked eye from a distance.

Test pilot Lei Qing was sitting in the cockpit wearing a special ultra-high-altitude pressurized flight suit. In fact, the flight suit he wore was close to the category of a space suit, and the price was extremely high.

He had flown in simulators many times before, but the real cockpit was still exciting.

"Snowbird" is equipped with top-level avionics systems manufactured at the base. The cabin operating console is very similar in style to a space shuttle, and is equipped with powerful artificial intelligence and a 360-degree holographic image projector.

When the holographic projection is turned off, it feels like flying a small space shuttle, but when the holographic projection is turned on, the mask worth tens of millions will "disappear" in the cockpit through algorithms and cameras around the entire aircraft. Except for the joystick in the hand, the pilot still retains it. It's like turning on the invisibility of "Snowbird" in the game plug-in, and suspending it in the air.

At this time, if you want to control the device, you can use holographic projections that are also floating in the air or gestures and voice commands.

When he turned on the holographic mode in the hangar for the first time, Lei Qingdu, who had long overcome his fear of heights, was still a little shocked because it was so powerful, more powerful than the simulator, and almost invisible Any flaws seem to be literally suspended in the air.

The thought of experiencing the human body "suspended" in the air and flying at high speeds is simply terrifying.

Unfortunately, this item is not included in the taxi. The high-speed ground taxi test is the last procedure before the official first flight. Except for slamming on the brakes and stopping when the nose should be pulled up, the rest is the same as a normal takeoff. consistent.

Therefore, the ground crew must carefully check according to the formal take-off procedures, and then fill the aircraft with 1/3 of the fuel. In order to fly at high altitudes, WCR12 does not use aviation kerosene, but an alkane mixed fuel containing metallic cesium, which is difficult to volatilize. It is even a little viscous. During supersonic flight, the fuel tank will be heated by the skin to enhance fluidity. When taking off from the ground, the APU must be started to preheat before it can be used.

As the ground crew and aircraft completed their inspections one by one, the tower issued takeoff instructions.

"1001, permission to take off!"

"1001 understand!"

Lei Qing pushed the throttle from 10% to the military thrust, which is the maximum value without afterburning. The three WCR-12s now output a total of 20 tons of thrust. Because the prototype aircraft has less fuel and equipment, the thrust-to-weight ratio is 0.36. about.

This indicator is quite high for a bomber, and can even reach 0.5 during afterburner.

The moment the wheel brakes were released, the Snowbird gently raised its nose and rushed forward. According to the design standards, the Snowbird with the triangular body + lifting body design needs to glide 2700 meters before it can pull up and take off. It is safer to 3100 meters, the pulling speed is 320 kilometers per hour, but because the empty weight is relatively low now, it is more appropriate to brake at a distance of 2,700 meters.

Lei Qing felt the acceleration from the aircraft body. His rich experience allowed him to immediately judge that the thrust was slightly upward. This should be due to the lighter mass of the radar model and the design of the lifting body, which was within the normal range.

He just stared at the speedometer, watching the number on it increase rapidly. When the speed exceeded 270 kilometers per hour, he was already preparing to press the nose of the aircraft to slow down, but suddenly found that the altimeter jumped from 0 to 2.

The "Snowbird" had no flaps, and it was all deflected by the tail rudder, but he was sure that he was not controlling it.

By the time he realized that it was due to the low empty weight of the aircraft and the excellent lift-to-drag ratio of the lift body, the height had already exceeded 8m. The Snow Pheasant had already left the ground on its own relying on lift, and the taxiing turned into its first flight.

Lei Qing immediately changed the original downward pressure action and instead raised the nose of the aircraft to enter a level flight and hovering at an altitude of 800 meters, and then reported the situation to the tower. Androv also quickly understood what had happened.

"The design of the Snowbird is better than we imagined. When it was pulled up, the speed was only 272 kilometers! The distance was less than 2,200 meters, and the thrust of the engine was also very good."

Dou Ping: "Then... let's conduct the first flight test, Dongyao, keep the landing gear deployed and hover around the field!"

"Dongyao received it... She is very light to operate, not cumbersome at all. The speed has exceeded 550 kilometers, and the landing gear has automatically retracted!"

The acceleration of the "Snowbird" was too fast, and the speed at which the landing gear could be deployed was limited because an unexpected flight plan caused the flight computer to automatically retract the landing gear after the speed exceeded 500 kilometers per hour to avoid failure due to excessive wind pressure. And this happens within that little bit of time on the call.

Lei Qing quickly reduced the throttle. Xuehu had the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds and could fly at 1.3 times the speed of sound without using afterburner. If he accelerated further, he would have to fly into supersonic speeds. He was not ready for this yet.

The Snow Pheasant, which took the initiative to change subjects, flew a large circle around the base at high subsonic speeds, then smoothly lowered its landing gear and began to land, and finally stopped after gliding steadily for two kilometers.

The next time, it will be supersonic flight.