Genius is just the threshold for me!

"So that's how it is. It weighs less than three tons, which is less than the weight of two cars."

After listening attentively, the host nodded in agreement, saying, "You really can't fake anything like that."

"Yes, in reality it is most likely only the weight of a small car."

Zhang Zhong nodded: "Because modern aircraft often have a fuel ratio of 40% to 60%, with drones typically having a ratio of 60%."

This means its maximum empty weight is only about 1200 kilograms, which is less than my family's car. My family bought a car five years ago, which weighs 1400 kilograms, making it 200 kilograms heavier than this car.

Everyone has ridden in a car.

Aside from a chassis, an engine, some interior parts, and four wheels, you can't mount any other equipment on it.

"Teacher Zhang, what kind of aircraft do you think it is? It can't just be built for fun, can it?" the host asked curiously.

"I think it's a test machine, with some sensors on it, probably to verify some aerodynamic layout designs."

Zhang Zhong thought for a moment and said seriously, "We all know that the aerodynamic layout of an aircraft is very important, but in reality, the wind tunnel technology for hypersonic speeds is too difficult."

Instead of researching a hypersonic wind tunnel, it would be better to spend a few million or ten million to build a drone that flies on its own.

If the wind doesn't come, I'll chase it myself.

After all, exercise is relative.

When a drone flies out at supersonic speed, it's like the wind is blowing at supersonic speed, turning the entire sky into your wind tunnel.

With each flight, each data collection, and each increase in speed, from low supersonic speeds to breaking the thermal barrier and then to hypersonic speeds, the secrets of the aerodynamic structure of hypersonic speeds will gradually be revealed.

Anyway, if a drone flies over the sea and it crashes, it won't hurt anyone. Plus, the drone is small and the cost is not high.

This is far safer and more cost-effective than spending billions or even tens of billions to research a hypersonic wind tunnel, even if there's no guarantee of success.

"Is that so?"

The host's eyes lit up, as if he had discovered something and asked with surprise, "Professor Zhang, do you think it can fly at hypersonic speeds of Mach 4 or Mach 5?"

"I watched the video. The thrust at that attitude was very strong, so there's a high probability that the aerodynamic layout is fine."

Zhang Zhong nodded in agreement, then said, "But discussing speed is not very meaningful for this kind of miniature aircraft."

Because small aircraft and small engines, and large aircraft and large engines, represent two different technological worlds…

"In that case, this engine can be used to make cruise missiles."

"To make cruise missiles... because I don't know the specific parameters of the engine, I can't give a definite answer, but it's highly unlikely."

Zhang Zhong shook his head: "I know the structure of cruise missiles. The guidance system, warhead, and missile body structure, etc., account for a large part of the weight."

You all know the Tomahawk missile, right? It weighs 1.2 tons, and its warhead weighs 450 kilograms.

Aside from other guidance systems, the missile's structure, engine weight, and the remaining fuel weight space, it will not exceed 150 kilograms.

150 kg, 1.2 tons, fuel ratio 12.5%... while drones have a fuel ratio of around 60%.

Based on this ratio, I'd exaggerate the drone's range a bit; it could fly 4000 kilometers.

So, if this engine is used to make a missile, the range would only be 800 kilometers. In addition, the lift coefficient and glide coefficient of the aircraft are higher, while the lift coefficient and glide coefficient of the missile shape are lower, and it consumes more fuel to maintain flight... This 800 kilometers has to be reduced by half again, to about 400 kilometers.

"Whose cruise missiles can only fly 400 kilometers? The Tomahawk missile could already fly 2000 kilometers back in the last century."

"So that's how it is..."

The host seemed somewhat disappointed. He then flipped open a card and asked earnestly, "Professor Zhang, I have another question. I saw some military enthusiasts online saying that this drone could be combined with the swarm drone intelligent combat mode used in last year's Guangxi military exercise to directly transform it into a dogfighting unmanned combat aircraft..."

"Outlandish!"

Zhang Zhong replied without hesitation: "Fighter jets are a test of comprehensive strength and performance; any weakness is a fatal weakness."

Let's not talk about the speed of the drones used in the Guangxi military exercises, but rather the speed of modern air combat aircraft. Given such a large speed range, can intelligent combat systems still adapt to this situation?

To track a combat drone, you need to know where the enemy aircraft is, right? That requires radar, doesn't it?

The swarm drones in Guangxi Province can be used with cameras because they are designed to target people, who are on the ground and won't fly around in all directions. Also, they don't fly very fast, so you can focus on them anywhere.

However, radar is necessary for tracking enemy aircraft in air combat. One reason is that radar has high accuracy and can accurately track distances. Another reason is that it is supersonic, which makes it impossible for cameras to focus.

The problem is that this drone, with a takeoff weight of less than 3 tons, simply cannot be equipped with a high-performance radar.

Even if it sacrifices its range and is equipped with a high-performance radar, it still cannot engage in close combat.

Because modern fighter jets, whether it's the American F-22, F-15, or F-16, all have electronic attack modules. A single electronic attack can interfere with the radar, rendering the drone helpless.

Our manned fighter jets aren't afraid of these things because they have electronic defense and countermeasures capabilities, as well as human visual discrimination... But this drone can't carry anything, so naturally it can't do anything.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"..."

Xu Ziming's home.

Xu Ziming watched as Zhang Zhong earnestly made various analyses and analogies, and every word he said was reasonable, with data and logic fitting together perfectly.

After a long silence, he finally uttered, "General Zhang, you're impressive."

Hypersonic wind tunnels are too difficult to research and develop, so let's build a miniature hypersonic aircraft. If the wind doesn't come, I'll chase it myself.

Because motion is relative, if an aircraft is flying at supersonic speed, then the wind is blowing at supersonic speed, which is equivalent to treating the entire sky as a wind tunnel...

To be honest, he couldn't come up with this idea even after ten years, yet you can't help but think that what he said makes sense, that there's no problem with it, and that you can't find any point of rebuttal.

"Dad, Lin Dong..."

At this point, Xu Qingling, having finished watching the program, was also somewhat confused and couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Is everything that the 'Director' said true? Why does it feel like what he described... isn't 'Hot Number Three'?"

If it weren't for Hot No. 3's first takeoff and the fact that she shot down the Lightning fighter jet that day, she would have been with Lin Dong the whole time.

Now, hearing these words, they are probably confused and may think that Hot Number Three is really like this, unable to do anything.

As a family member of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, and having spent so many years with Lin Dong and actively learned about him, she could understand the meaning behind every word the Director said and was certain that the logic and data were correct.

But there's a problem.

How come the analysis, which seems to have no problems at all, ultimately yields completely different results?

"It's all true, not a single word is false."

Lin Dong watched the General saying goodbye to the audience at the end of the program and couldn't help but laugh: "However, the General only said four-fifths or even three-quarters of the content. If you analyze the remaining three-quarters, the final result will naturally be wrong."

Because he didn't mention the most crucial quarter.

But if you don't know the quarter of what he's hiding, you'll find his words reasonable, and you won't be able to discover the truth behind it in a short time.

The Director (Zhang Zhaozhong) has said and analyzed a lot about the situation of "Hot No. 3".

However, the four most crucial points were not mentioned: cruising at an altitude of 40,000 meters, laser weapons with low attenuation at high altitudes, a 360-degree optical system with no blind spots, and a low-quality radar for attack tracking.

Other parameters are unimportant; as long as these four points are combined, it becomes a ghostly high-altitude killer.

Supersonic optical focusing is difficult. A 360-degree optical system with no blind spots does not require precise focusing; seeing a blurry shadow is sufficient. During an attack, a fire control radar can supplement it.

If it can't be equipped with missiles or cannons, then it's unnecessary; just use lasers to shoot down targets from an altitude of 40,000 meters.

Unless enemy aircraft can react immediately and quickly descend to a cloud altitude of 3000 meters to block the laser with the help of the clouds and the dense atmosphere at low altitude, no fighter jet can dodge it...

"The idea is that the entire sky is a wind tunnel."

Xu Qingling nodded thoughtfully, then asked curiously, "Improving the aircraft little by little, increasing the speed bit by bit, and finally uncovering the secrets of hypersonic speeds... that sounds like it makes sense..."

Although she hasn't entered eighth grade yet and hasn't learned about the relativity of contact motion in physics, Xu Qingling still knows the concept.

The effect of wind blowing at supersonic speed and an object flying forward at supersonic speed is the same on a physical level.

"This is a dead end."

Seeing Xu Qingling's curious expression, Lin Dong smiled and patiently explained, "Or rather, this is suitable for obtaining a hypersonic aircraft and using this plan to reverse-engineer the understanding, but it is not suitable for a forward breakthrough from scratch."

This approach, from subsonic to supersonic speeds, is feasible because the amount of aerodynamic data required to break through the supersonic barrier is not large. A careful analysis reveals only a few thousand paths, of which computational fluid dynamics can eliminate 99%, leaving only a few dozen paths.

However, the aerodynamic configuration from low to high speeds involves a massive amount of data, which can be analyzed to identify hundreds of thousands of paths, and it is divided into several stages, each with hundreds of thousands of paths.

Even if computational fluid dynamics eliminates 99% of the paths, there are still thousands of options left, of which only one is viable and can lead to hypersonic speeds.

If we really treat the sky like a wind tunnel, gradually increasing speed and making improvements step by step, breaking through from subsonic to supersonic speeds might be possible.

However, the transition from low supersonic to hypersonic speeds will soon lead to a dead end.

Even if you're incredibly lucky and consistently choose the right path for several stages in a row.

The data obtained in this way is only suitable for this one hypersonic aircraft and cannot be used to develop other hypersonic aircraft.

In short, you can believe what the Director says if he says it in private.

But don't believe what he says publicly.

Because if you really follow his line of thinking, you'll eventually find out you were bewitched... Using real data and real analysis to guide the enemy toward the wrong outcome is the Director's duty...