Genius is just the threshold for me!

The next afternoon.

Lin Weiliang went to the base to handle work, Zhang Xiali went out to buy groceries, and Lin Dong stayed on the sofa playing games.

Just then, the door lock turned, and Xu Qingling, holding the key, pushed open the door and ran in wearing a dress.

"Knock knock~ knock knock!"

Xu Qingling, her skirt fluttering, ran to Lin Dong's side in a few strides, bent down, and exclaimed happily, "I'm back!"

Lin Dong input a few commands, and the drone swarm destroyed the enemy. He then turned to look at Xu Qingling.

"I got a tan."

"what?"

Xu Qingling opened her eyes wide, then sobbed, "This is my strange mother. She makes me go out for walks and sunbathe every day. The sun in my hometown is much stronger than in Chengdu."

Xu Ziming's hometown is in the province of a thousand lakes. Before Chongqing was separated from Sichuan, it was a neighbor of Sichuan, but the climate was obviously different.

Chengdu is located in the heart of the Sichuan Basin, where it is often cloudy and foggy with short hours of sunshine and mostly diffused light.

This also means that people living in Chengdu receive less ultraviolet radiation on their skin than those in other regions, creating a natural environment for sun protection and skin whitening.

"It's still too short."

Lin Dong smiled and delivered a double blow.

"I'm not old, how could I be short..."

Xu Qingling didn't believe it at all this time: "You're lying."

"Before summer vacation, you were 2 centimeters taller than me, but now you're less than 1 centimeter taller." Lin Dong stood up and gestured to show their heights.

"But you've clearly grown taller! How come I'm the one who's shorter?"

Xu Qingling looked at Lin Dong, who was almost as tall as her, and pouted, "How did you grow so fast? I thought my height advantage would last until the New Year..."

"You just got back by car and you're resting at home? Uncle Xu is back; I need to talk to him about something."

Lin Dong asked Xu Qingling a question, then opened his email and sent an email to Xu Ziming, Wang Xingguo, Jiao You who was still at the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group base and had not returned, as well as Lin Weiliang and several other comrades.

"I'll go play with Yao Yao and the others; they came back this morning."

Xu Qingling nodded and asked softly with curiosity, "Another project is about to start? That big bombing project we talked about before summer vacation?"

"right."

Lin Dong nodded, closed his notebook, and asked, "Did Uncle Xu catch any fish yesterday?"

"Well, I guess you could call it a catch."

Xu Qingling pondered for two seconds: "Does a small fish, about the size of a thumb, count?"

"Fine, if it's not the Air Force, then forget it."

Lin Dong couldn't help but laugh, and the two chatted about going upstairs.

Once downstairs, Xu Qingling took out her phone to send a message to Huang Qingyao, while Lin Dong went to the lab alone.

Enter your password and fingerprint to enter the laboratory.

Lin Dong took a bottle of cola and drank it, then opened his screen and spent several tens of minutes browsing academic papers.

At this moment, the door next door opened, and Lin Weiliang, Wang Xingguo, Xu Ziming, and Jiao You all came over.

"son."

Lin Weiliang saw Lin Dong and asked with some surprise, "This massive bombing project has something to do with me?"

"Yes, there are still some issues with the project that you all need to discuss together."

Lin Dong looked at the four elders, among whom Jiao You was the number one engine expert in China, and the other three were the three core bosses of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. He chuckled and said, "Let's keep this short. We need to go back for dinner later."

The big bombing project has been finalized, codenamed: Red Ghost. Hmm, a bit corny, but still quite fitting.

First, regarding the engine, we need to redevelop it; the current engine performance cannot meet the needs of the large bomber…”

"hiss--"

As soon as Lin Dong finished his opening remarks, all four people present gasped.

Wang Xingguo couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Dong, three years—no, less than three years now—to develop the engine and fuselage simultaneously, is that enough time? The Russian D-30KP engine currently used on the Y-20 and H-6K War God aircraft, isn't that good enough?"

"No, this bombing mission must be supersonic, otherwise the overall strategic value will be greatly diminished."

Lin Dong shook his head: "The bypass ratio of the D-30KP engine is 2.42, which is almost impossible to achieve supersonic speeds."

Bypass ratio, which refers to the flow rate ratio between the outer bypass duct and the inner bypass duct, is one of the core factors that determine the speed and fuel economy of an aero engine.

Simply put, a turbojet engine is one with a bypass ratio of zero and no external bypass.

An outer casing is placed over the turbojet engine to form a gas passage, and a large intake fan is added in front of it. The intake fan is driven by the turbojet engine's turbine.

In this way, part of the incoming air passes through the inner duct of the turbojet engine, and part passes through the outer duct of the outer casing, also called the bypass duct, which is the turbofan engine.

The higher the bypass ratio, the more airflow passes through the outer bypass duct, allowing the engine to drive more air and generate greater thrust by burning the same amount of fuel.

However, the larger the bypass ratio, the larger the engine's frontal area, the greater the drag, and the worse the response and agility.

Modern aircraft turbofan engines, with a bypass ratio of less than 1, are low-bypass turbofans, generally used in fighter jets. They can easily achieve supersonic speeds and perform various high-speed responses and breakthroughs.

Bypass ratios of 1 to 5 are medium bypass ratio turbofans, which are generally used in bombers and large transport aircraft, balancing fuel efficiency and thrust density.

Engines with a bypass ratio of 5 or higher are considered high-bypass turbofans, which are extremely fuel-efficient but also extremely heavy. They are exclusive to commercial airliners. In order to save fuel, modern commercial aircraft engines have even achieved an exaggerated bypass ratio of 15 to 1.

"Uncle Jiao, these are the approximate performance parameters of the Big Bomb engine."

As Lin Dong spoke, he took a document and handed it to Jiao You, saying, "Take a look at this first."

"Let me see."

Jiao You took a deep breath, picked up the document and began to examine it. Wang Xingguo and the others around him also quickly gathered around.

"Bypass ratio 1.32, multi-stage adjustable intake deflectors, 148 kW in normal mode, 270 kW in afterburner mode, fuel consumption below 0.63 kg/dan/h in intermediate mode, below 1.7 kg/dan/h in afterburner mode, maximum windward front less than 1.58 m², thrust-to-weight ratio 5.3 to 6.5..."

The four of them read it carefully, but Lin Weiliang and Xu Ziming didn't react much yet.

Wang Xingguo and Jiao You suddenly realized something and exclaimed with wide eyes, "A super-enhanced version of the Tu-160's NK-32 engine?"

"This parameter..."

Jiao You looked up at Lin Dong, his expression one of shock, and asked, "Teacher Xiao Dong, is it really possible to research this within three years?"

As experts who have studied engines for decades, and with their frequent exchanges with their elder brother in China, they had long been familiar with the engine parameters of the Tu-160 swan.

These parameters undoubtedly represent a super-version of the Tu-160's NK-32 engine.

比如涵道比从1.4降到了1.32，常规推力从137 kn提升到148kn，加力推力245kn提升到270kn，迎风面从1.67平方米降到1.58平方米。

而中间油耗从0.7kg/dan/h降低到0.63kg/dan/h，加力油耗从1.8-2.0kg/dan/h降到1.7kg/dan/h……

Simply put, it means smaller size, lower fuel consumption, smaller bypass ratio, more functions, higher thrust-to-weight ratio, and greater thrust...

Although a lower bypass ratio would double the engine's thrust density and increase its thrust-to-weight ratio, the engine's thrust density would still be higher.

However, a lower bypass ratio will result in higher fuel consumption for the same amount of fuel... Here, the bypass ratio is lowered, but the fuel consumption requirement is lower, which undoubtedly goes against the common sense of aircraft engines.

"The Russian NK-32 engine is too crude; there are many areas where the design could be improved."

Lin Dong shook his head and looked at Jiao You seriously, saying, "This engine is all within the existing technological framework and does not involve uncharted technological territory."

Uncle Jiao will help with some experiments and data collection, and I will provide a detailed plan.

Lin Dong naturally knew about the NK-32 engine of the White Swan.

After all, this engine and the Tu-160 White Swan have been around for decades and have always been one of the most classic bomber combinations in the world.

In addition, China used to learn from its big brother, but in recent years it has slowly learned from the US. Therefore, many papers on the military industry's internal network from the last century are related to this engine.

But classic as it may be, it cannot mask the fact that the NK-32 engine was too crude.

After all, in about ten years, Russia's industrial strength will be enough to refurbish and improve the White Swan bomber, and at the same time optimize the NK-32 engine, which would increase thrust by about 10% and reduce fuel consumption significantly.

He now uses his own design schemes, combined with the domestic industrial capabilities.

These performance parameters only indicate that the product is performing normally, or even just averagely, not at its peak.

"It doesn't involve uncharted technological territory..."

Upon hearing this, Jiao You recalled the last time he heard these words was during the Supercharged Engine event earlier this year, and immediately fell silent, putting away the documents: "Teacher Xiao Dong, you are right."

Silence is not an option.

Because their joint research by 624 and 606 lasted for nearly ten years, with several failures and setbacks, the Emei WS-15 engine, now a pilot project for industrial upgrading due to its over-engineering design, did not essentially involve uncharted technological territory...

"Besides the new engine development, there is another problem with the large bomber project."

Seeing that everyone had no objections to developing a new engine, Lin Dong looked at Wang Xingguo and Lin Weiliang and said, "Once this plan is finalized, we can start the project tonight."

"What's the problem?" Wang Xingguo asked seriously.

"That's stealth design, and there are currently two technological approaches."

Lin Dong took another document and handed it to Wang Xingguo, Xu Ziming, and Lin Weiliang.

"One is the flying wing layout commonly found in stealth bombers, and the other is electronic anti-phase stealth."

The former refers to the stealth design of the fuselage structure. If designed well, it can be like the J-20 fighter jet, making it almost impossible for enemy radar to detect.

However, the downside is that with the current technology, the entire body will be very expensive, the subsequent maintenance costs will be extremely high, and the manufacturing cost will also be much higher.

At the same time, the fuselage must adopt an under-fuselage bomb bay design, which will reduce the bomb load and multi-platform performance.

The latter is a kind of electronic stealth, but its stealth capability is not as good as the former. The enemy radar knows that an enemy aircraft is coming, but it cannot lock on or determine its location.

However, the drawback is that it cannot be invisible 24 hours a day; it can only be invisible at critical moments.

In addition, if the enemy deploys early warning aircraft and uses multiple platforms for detection, there is a high probability that they will be detected and locked on.

However, the advantages are that ammunition can be freely mounted, significantly increasing the payload and enhancing the firepower across multiple platforms. It also adds other self-defense options to compensate for the risks associated with insufficient stealth.

"The second type of electronic stealth, is this the radar jamming technology used by the J-16D in actual combat?" Wang Xingguo took the document and asked curiously.

"right."

Lin Dong nodded: "Our current electronic warfare has a generational advantage in gallium nitride, which allows us to quickly detect and analyze enemy radar waves, and then emit inverse radar waves to cancel them out, preventing enemy radar from locking onto or determining the location."

"So, if the enemy catches up with the technological gap in gallium nitride, the effect of electronic stealth will decrease or even disappear? Considering how much more expensive the first technological route is..."

Wang Xingguo immediately understood the secret behind it. He opened the document and glanced at it, then his expression froze: "The estimated cost is 40% higher, with annual maintenance costs of 1 million to 1.2 million. Even if it's not in use, the annual maintenance cost will still be 800 million to 1000 million... My God, this is a money-devouring beast!"

"Can't this kind of stealth technology be improved?"

Lin Weiliang also took a deep breath. Not to mention the 40% increase in construction cost, the maintenance cost alone would make the entire bombing project a waste of money.

The annual maintenance cost is 1.2 million yuan. If you build a few more of these aircraft, the annual maintenance cost will be enough to cover the cost of one more J-20 fighter jet.

"No need to look at it, this is an industrial problem."

Xu Ziming carefully examined the first stealth solution and shook his head, saying, "The base layer of this stealth coating needs to be applied using vapor deposition."

Think about the cost of the Hot Spicy No. 3 fuselage, and then compare the difference in fuselage area between the Hot Spicy No. 3 and the Big Bomb.

Although the Big Bang is only supersonic, not Mach 10 hypersonic, the outermost layer of hafnium carbide is not needed. Only a specially made silicon carbide coating base layer is needed, and then an invisible coating is applied.

However, considering the size of the bomber's fuselage, building a new, ultra-large workshop and acquiring related equipment would only increase costs.

"How did the Americans create the coating for their B-2 Spirit stealth bomber back when vapor deposition technology wasn't even in mass production?"

At this moment, Jiao You, who was listening to the discussion, seemed to have thought of something.

"Uncle Jiao, the B-2 Ghost has an iron-based stealth coating, which is cheaper to manufacture, but the maintenance cost is higher."

Lin Dong shook his head: "Besides, with the rapid advancements in radar technology, the stealth effect of iron-based coatings is no longer as good, and the probability of being detected is very high."

"If we choose the second type of electronic anti-tank stealth, how much can we increase the payload and multi-platform power?" Wang Xingguo nodded at the second option.

"Increase the ammunition load by 30%, and increase the power of multiple platforms by 30% to 50%. Then we can add interception platforms to make up for the lack of electronic stealth," Lin Dong explained simply.

According to the design theory of modern bombers, bombers prioritize stealth penetration, which refers to structural stealth rather than electronic stealth.

Because in orthodox viewpoints, electronic cloaking can only be used as an auxiliary means, and it has many limitations in various aspects.

He dares to use a secondary method as the primary method now because the electronic generation gap brought about by gallium nitride is too exaggerated.

In addition, this significant increase in counterweight space can enhance the interception system to compensate for the lack of stealth capabilities, while also better meeting the strategic needs of China, which has relatively little penetrating bombing capability and is more often used as a cruise missile launch platform.

"30% to 50%... then let's go with the second option!"

Wang Xingguo's expression brightened, and he immediately decided without hesitation: "Let the enemy know we're here, but they can't detect or lock onto us—that's the true ghost!"

"Okay then."

Lin Dong looked at Lin Weiliang and Xu Ziming, and seeing that the three core bosses of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group had no objections, he nodded and said, "The technical route is confirmed. The project will officially start tonight. Core personnel, please inform them. Everyone should rest for two months. Now we can get moving."