Traveling Back to the 1960s: The Entire Internet Teaches Me How to Build Missiles

After hearing the driver's words, Zhou Yunxiao was somewhat skeptical, but he still obediently stuffed the handkerchief into his mouth.

The next second, the driver stepped on the gas, and the Volga sedan shot into the Gobi Desert like an arrow.

Zhou Yunxiao lost his grip and his head hit the roof of the car with a thud. He saw stars and quickly grabbed the handle.

The experienced driver chuckled:

"Our base is too large. Back then, 100,000 troops went into the Gobi Desert and worked hard for two years, but we only managed to build up the bases of a few branches. As for road construction... we prioritized building roads for transporting missiles, food, and water, and we didn't have time to pay attention to this place."

"These potholed, bumpy washboard roads were made by our tires over many years. Although they're difficult to drive on, at least they're a decent road!"

Next, Zhou Yunxiao experienced firsthand the power of the washboard road.

Driving on it is truly like walking on a washboard; it bounces up and down, sways from side to side, and you are tossed around by the car.

One moment his head was being slammed against the roof of the car with a loud thud, and the next his buttocks were being slammed against him, making him howl and shake back and forth like a drunkard.

From the streamer's first-person perspective, the viewers in the live stream were a bit dumbfounded; some even felt carsick and nauseous from being there.

[A True Account of Anti-Vertigo Tests for Special Forces in the 1960s!]

[I can't take it anymore! Even I, who don't have 3D motion sickness, am almost throwing up. I'm currently lying next to the toilet, dry heaving!]

[Is the anchor still alive? Why aren't you saying anything? Just watching you roll around in the carriage like a marble makes me feel like my brain is about to splatter...]

[Help! The deluxe version of snail rice noodles I just ate is already stuck in my throat! Streamer, you have to pay me back!]

[The road-building efforts of our predecessors were truly remarkable. I really want to show them the aerial footage of the Tianshan Victory Tunnel from last year, so they can see how incredibly advanced China's infrastructure is decades later—they even used a tunnel boring machine to vertically blast through the Tianshan Mountains!]

Zhou Yunxiao was so shaken around in the car that he felt like his soul was about to leave his body.

Fortunately, he had the handkerchief firmly in his mouth, which prevented him from breaking his teeth.

This was while sitting in a relatively comfortable Soviet-style Volga sedan. If it were a GAZ-69 or an American Jeep, wouldn't my butt be smashed into eight pieces after this journey?

With a screeching sound, the car came to a perfect stop in front of the guard post at post number 17, accompanied by the Gobi Desert wind. Zhou Yunxiao walked out, his head buzzing, unable to hear what the comrades opposite him were saying as they shook hands.

"Comrade? Comrade?"

As the other person's voice grew louder, Zhou Yunxiao finally snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and said:

"Oh, hello comrade, I'm Zhou Yunxiao from the First Division, here to assist with the launch test of the Red Chess No. 1!"

"Ah, Comrade Xiao Zhou, hello. I am Tian Fulin, the instructor of the Third Division... This is Dr. Xu Haifeng, the technician from the Fourth Division who came from Huludao..."

Zhou Yunxiao had met Lao Tian, ​​the instructor of the Third Division, but he was quite unfamiliar with Xu Haifeng.

The Fourth Division is another special division of the Dongfeng Base.

If the second and third divisions were remote enough, then the fourth division was even more out of the ordinary.

Its full name is "Ship-to-shore Missile Test Department". Due to the special nature of sea tests, the test range was located in Huludao, 2,000 kilometers away, and was coordinated and managed by the Navy.

Zhou Yunxiao was somewhat surprised, not expecting that even the Fourth Division, which was thousands of miles away, would send people to support the test of Red Chess No. 1.

It seems the higher-ups are very determined to shoot down the U-2 reconnaissance plane.

Or perhaps it's a case of deep-seated resentment and unbearable suffering!

After shaking hands with Zhou Yunxiao, Tian Fulin stood on tiptoe and peered into the back of the Volga sedan, looking utterly disappointed.

"Um... Comrade Zhou, are you the only one who came?"

Tian Fulin asked tentatively.

Zhou Yunxiao nodded and said, "Yes, it's just me. Director Zhang asked me to be the first one to step up, haha."

It's not hard to tell from the expressions of Tian Fulin and Xu Haifeng that they both had some doubts about Zhou Yunxiao's abilities.

It's not that intellectuals are worthless these days, but for such an important mission as Red Chess No. 1 and shooting down U-2, the First Division actually sent a young guy. Isn't that a bit too dismissive?

Instructor Tian felt that Shen Weidong from the Second Division needed no further introduction; he was an expert who had made numerous merits and had been received by his superiors.

Xu Haifeng, sent by the Fourth Division, was even more remarkable. He was a PhD in Engineering from the University of Maryland and one of the scholars who returned to China on the "Cleveland" cruise ship with Dean Qian.

With such a person in charge, Tian Fulin regained some confidence in the success of Red Chess No. 1.

In comparison, Zhou Yunxiao's resume was rather thin, which inevitably made Tian Fulin feel that the people in the First Division did not take this task seriously.

Zhou Yunxiao noticed the other party's doubts but didn't explain further. After taking his luggage out of the car, he followed Tian Fulin to the residence.

Instructor Tian said as he walked:

"Comrade Zhou, Comrade Xu, you both just arrived today. Let me give you a brief overview so we can get started on our work."

"The Red Flag No. 1 is a copy of the Soviet-made SAM-2 air defense missile. It was originally estimated to take two years to complete. However, due to changes in the situation and the withdrawal of Surinamese experts, the project's timeline has been extended indefinitely."

"The U-2 reconnaissance aircraft has repeatedly violated our airspace as if it were uninhabited. We cannot delay any longer. Otherwise, by the time the Red Chess One is successfully developed, our inland bases will have been completely exposed."

"After collective discussion, the Third Division decided to first study the jigsaw puzzle-style Red Chess No. 1 A as a transition, while simultaneously developing the self-developed Red Chess No. 1 B, advancing on both fronts at the same time..."

After Tian Fulin's introduction, Zhou Yunxiao gained some understanding of the current situation.

The so-called "Jigsaw Puzzle-Style Red Piece A" simply means making full use of the missile casings, solid propellant charges, electronic components, and other parts of the SAM-2 missiles left behind by Surinamese experts.

Based on these, the missile's guidance radar and engine were added, and this East Soviet hybrid puzzle missile was put on the launch pad to shoot down the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

In this way, we can complete the tasks assigned by the organization as soon as possible, and at the same time accumulate valuable experience for the self-developed Red Chess No. 1B.

After understanding the situation, the group entered the office building of the third branch.

Before I even got upstairs, I heard two loud voices arguing, as if whoever had the loudest voice was the one who was right.

Tian Fulin glanced back at Zhou Yunxiao and Xu Haifeng, shushed them, and then led them to the main conference room.

Upon entering the conference room, Zhou Yunxiao found it packed with people, with a clearing at the front where two large blackboards were placed.

An elderly man with gray hair and a middle-aged man each held a piece of chalk, filled it with equations, and then began a debate—

"Engineer Li, setting the optimal aiming point for the missile at the center of the fighter jet seems reasonable, but it's theoretically impossible!"

"Look at the evaluation equation for the warhead's destructive effectiveness that I calculated. If we don't consider the fuze detection process, the optimal aiming point for the missile should be the edge of the fuselage, and the edge and tail are also the most vulnerable parts of the aircraft..."

"By taking into account the circular error probable (CEP) of the missile, the more than three thousand fragments from the Red Chess-1 missile can easily cover the outer perimeter of the aircraft, maximizing its destructive power!"

The old man on the other side was equally unwilling to be outdone, slamming his hand on the calculation sketch on the blackboard and loudly retorting:

"Not considering the fuse detection process? Comrade Shen, that's pure theoretical talk. Do you know more about the Red Chess No. 1 missile than I do?"

"If the fuse doesn't trigger in time, the missile will just fly straight over there. No matter how high the damage probability of that pile of fragments you calculated is, it's still zero!"

"Therefore, I insist that the aiming point must be selected based on fuze detection! The U-2 flies so high, and the missile is in a high-speed dynamic encounter. If the aiming point is set on the edge of the fuselage or the tail, and the guidance fails to hit the target, are you trying to set off fireworks for the pilot?!"