Chapter 190: Aerial Combat Platform (Part 1)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The equipment and materials Tang Rui had provided for the teams were all salvaged from devices he had previously upgraded.

Initially, there was no manpower available.

The item sat there, untouched.

Now that there were so many tools at hand, of course, he couldn’t let them go to waste. So, he started the process of reverse engineering.

Reverse engineering in materials science was particularly challenging due to the complexity of the field. In other disciplines, it was not as difficult.

Take, for example, the Hall-effect thruster with a ten-kilogram thrust.

This piece of technology was considered cutting-edge.

After all, ion thrusters that had been developed so far weighed at the gram level, at most, not even reaching a kilogram.

Yet, this device was quite simple to reverse engineer.

Perhaps through this reverse engineering process, a few significant physics theories could be uncovered.

After making these arrangements, Tang Rui began to design the first generation of armed satellites.

In his vision, the first generation of armed satellites would serve as a technical verification platform, employing the most advanced technology available at the time.

He planned to personally oversee the creation of this armed satellite.

Then, using the system interface’s capabilities, he would upgrade and enhance it. When the time came, the enhanced version of the armed satellite would become version 2.0.

Therefore, this armed satellite wouldn’t be very large.

It would weigh at most ten tons, definitely no more than fifteen tons.

This wasn’t just any satellite; it was an armed satellite. Ten tons was already considerably lightweight.

“Master, the secure phone is ringing,” Red Lotus suddenly reported, just as Tang Rui was engrossed in design work.

Hmm?

It was a secure call.

The robot brought him the secure phone.

“Hello, this is Tang Rui… Okay, I’ll be there on time… Alright.”

The call was brief, lasting only ten seconds.

It came from Air Force headquarters.

He was summoned to attend an urgent confidential meeting in two hours in Shu City.

Tang Rui left the laboratory. After going home to change his clothes, he took

Gao Yang with him and set off on a private jet.

The jet landed at a military airport near Shu City.

From there, Gao Yang drove an RV, transporting Tang Rui to the meeting location.

Upon arrival, he realized the meeting was quite high-profile. The caliber of the attendees made that clear.

Chief Instructor Yang, Chief Instructor Liu, Chief Instructor Wang…

These were all influential figures.

Of course, he was now among their ranks, having become a chief instructor himself.

However, before Tang Rui had a chance to greet them, Big Boss Guo from the Air Force arrived and ushered everyone into the conference room to start the meeting.

Tang Rui wasn’t late; he was just the last to arrive.

As soon as he entered, without concern for whether it was the scheduled meeting time, Big Boss Guo immediately commenced the meeting.

In the compact conference room, the large LCD screen flickered on, revealing a photograph.

Upon seeing this photo, Tang Rui recognized it as America’s sixth-generation console. It was not yet named, only identified by a code starting with F.

“According to the latest intelligence from our special department, America’s sixth-generation console has been verified and entered mass production,” Big Boss Guo announced, revealing significant news.

America had initiated research on the sixth-generation fighter jet long ago, and Pratt and Whitney had also been working on the variable cycle engine for quite some time.

Yet, before the new year, there had been no official word on America’s sixth-generation fighter jet.

Now, in less than half a year, it had passed tests and was ready for mass production.

The image on the big screen then switched to a list of specifications for the sixth-generation fighter, detailing the performance of the American aircraft.

“We acquired this data through special channels, but its accuracy may not be guaranteed. Hence, 1 would like you to review this information to determine if there’s any exaggeration,” Big Boss Guo added.

Even intelligence gathered by the special department had to be taken with caution. Not due to any shortcomings on their part, but because America was known for misleading even its own people.

Tang Rui glanced at the parameters on the screen and mentally instructed Red Lotus to simulate calculations based on these figures.

The simulation results came back quickly.

The data was incorrect.

There was an issue with the engine’s thrust-to-weight ratio.

“The engine’s thrust-to-weight ratio is listed as 18.6, but in reality, it must exceed 21,” Tang Rui shared Red Lotus’s calculated result.

This wasn’t mere speculation.

The simulation used other provided parameters. If the thrust-to-weight ratio was incorrect, the other parameters would be affected as well.

In Red Lotus’s simulation, only an engine with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 21 could achieve the claimed performance.

“The thrust-to-weight ratio is off? So its actual performance is stronger?” Big Boss Guo inquired after hearing this, without doubting Tang Rui’s assessment.

In the past, the U.S. was known to inflate specifications.

But now, they seemed to have intentionally understated them.

“It’s very likely. Considering the details and data we’ve received, it appears the variable cycle engine developed by Pony is quite advanced. Logically, they should have reached a thrust-to-weight ratio of over 20 a long time ago.

The absence of any news for two years implies a deliberate withholding. This new development makes sense,” Chief Instructor Liu commented.

“Yes, I’ll request further verification from the special department. Let’s move on to the next item of intelligence,” said Big Boss Guo, proceeding to introduce another set of data.

This new intelligence pertained to the U.S.’s Loyal Wingman program.

However, this version of the Loyal Wingman plan was drastically different from what they had previously publicized..