Genius is just the threshold for me!

Chapter 37 Headquarters Call

Ring ring—

Lin Dong and the others waited for a while, when suddenly, Wang Xingguo's phone rang.

Wang Xingguo picked up his secure phone, glanced at it, paused slightly, then quickly answered the call with a straight posture: "Minister!"

Upon hearing the name Wang Xingguo, Lin Dong and Lin Weiliang were stunned, and looked over in surprise the next second.

"Xingguo, you're now in charge of the core project at Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, right?" The minister's voice was gentle but carried a hint of ruthless sharpness.

"Yes, Chief Engineer Yang had a heart problem early last year and was forced to take sick leave by the doctor. I took over the relevant project," Wang Xingguo replied earnestly.

Were you present at the drone live-fire exercise that Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAC) applied for?

"Here I am."

Wang Xingguo glanced at Lin Yi, seemingly understanding something, and then answered seriously on speakerphone, "I'm right here."

"Using unmanned combat aircraft to fight manned combat aircraft, your Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's thinking is quite flexible. However, in addition to its own performance, this unmanned combat aircraft also has very high requirements for intelligent recognition technology and communication coordination."

The minister praised them, saying earnestly, "Three years ago, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group developed that automatic identification and interception system, and two years ago you researched an ultra-long-range UAV remote control and command system, and also helped solve the core problem of satellite networking..."

Some comrades used to say that Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's research and development work in recent years has deviated somewhat from the Air Force's planning focus.

Now it seems you've been playing a grand game, launching a major strategic move.

I remember the person in charge of these technologies was a young engineer from Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group named Lin Weiliang. Remember to bring him to the next headquarters meeting.

"..."

Wang Xingguo's eyes widened, his face instantly turning bright red. He turned to look at Lin Weiliang, who was completely dumbfounded, and pinched his thigh hard with his left hand to prevent himself from giving himself away.

"Okay, Minister, I'll take him next time. These technologies are quite complex, and I'll give you a detailed report then."

"Okay, the Chengdu Military Region has decided to send two J-20 fighters to participate in the live-fire exercise."

After the minister finished talking about Lin Weiliang's matter, he turned the topic to the main issue: "This J-20 was developed by your Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. You are also aware of the specifics. It belongs to the fifth-generation beyond-visual-range fighter jet, and the combat system is different. The exercise rules will definitely need to be changed."

Therefore, this time the supercomputer will be involved throughout the entire exercise, expanding the exercise radius from the original 80 kilometers to 250 kilometers. Simultaneously, the ACMI exercise system will make relevant judgments based on the radar and maneuverability of both sides, as well as the air-to-air missiles carried by the J-20 fighter jets.

"Understood, only rules like this have real meaning."

Wang Xingguo did not object. Such exercise rules were established when the J-20 fighter jet was born, and they are rules that simulate real combat to the greatest extent possible.

"Mr. Lin, you've been officially registered at headquarters." After hanging up the phone, Wang Xingguo looked at the completely bewildered Lin Weiliang and teased him with a smile, "Next time, you'll be coming to headquarters with me for a meeting."

"Having such a son is a heavy burden to carry on, a heavy burden indeed," Lin Weiliang sighed, looking up at the sky.

"...How about we switch? I'll become godparents to Xiao Dong? You can have that good-for-nothing Wang Rui!"

Wang Xingguo rolled his eyes, then looked at Lin Dong and said seriously, "The exercise rules have been changed. The military region has applied for the full involvement of the supercomputer and the ACMI exercise system."

"I heard that, the exercise radius has also been increased." Lin Dong nodded, checked that the drone still had half of its fuel left, and estimated that there was no need to recall it for refueling.

The fuel consumption of a supersonic aircraft is closely related to engine performance, size, and the size of its frontal surface.

His drone is less than five meters in size and has a wingspan of less than three meters. On a full tank, it can theoretically fly for 3.5 to 5 hours at supersonic speeds. If afterburner is engaged or the speed exceeds Mach 2, fuel consumption will increase by 3 to 5 times.

Because the test flight was short and the combat with the J-10 was a swift victory, ending in less than a minute, there was still half fuel remaining.

Of course, such a long battery life is also related to the design.

In modern fighter jet design, 40% to 50% of the maximum takeoff weight is fuel.

Because his drones lack a series of combat platforms, fuel accounts for 60% of their weight. Over 1.3 tons of the two-ton fuselage are fuel, which, combined with the small size of the fuselage, allows him to maximize his range.

Wang Xingguo watched as Lin Dong began inspecting the drone, and further explained: "The biggest advantage of the J-20 is its beyond-visual-range combat mode, typical of fifth-generation fighters."

Based on the radar performance of the J-20, although the drone is relatively small, it can still be detected at a range of about 150 kilometers, and then lock on and launch a missile.

The ACMI exercise system will simulate the launch of missiles by the opposing side, and then perform simulations based on the different missiles launched and the performance of the UAV radar.

When a missile enters the simulated recognition range of the drone's radar, the system will alert our drone, thus simulating the situation where our drone detects a missile.

Next, based on the drone's attitude response and maneuvering evasion, it is determined whether the missile hit.

而歼-20在隐形模式可以搭载4枚霹雳-15飞弹，射程200公里至300公里，发射初段速度3-4马赫，末段二次点火速度冲刺可以达到4-6马赫。

It can also carry two more PL-10 missiles, with a range of 60 kilometers and a speed of Mach 4. It supports off-boresight launch technology, allowing it to lock onto and track targets without direct aiming.

Wang Xingguo explained the revised exercise rules to Lin Dong in detail, and also introduced the J-20's beyond-visual-range combat mode.

He paused for a moment, then continued earnestly, "Xiao Dong, your unmanned combat aircraft is very strong, but it is essentially a fourth-generation close-range combat aircraft, and there is an insurmountable generational gap between it and a fifth-generation beyond-visual-range aircraft."

If it were a manned fighter jet instead of an unmanned aircraft, it would be time to concede defeat, as very few manned fighter jets can evade pursuit when a missile gets close.

However, since you are an unmanned combat aircraft, there has never been any actual combat exercise in the world where unmanned combat aircraft have fought against beyond-visual-range combat aircraft, and we do not know the outcome at this time.

But you should be prepared that the outcome might not be very good.

What is a beyond-visual-range fighter jet?

That is, a fighter jet with strong stealth and perception capabilities, equipped with high-performance air-to-air missiles.

Because of its stealth design, your radar has almost no chance of detecting the enemy's tracks, while the enemy can lock onto your tracks from 150 kilometers away and launch air-to-air missiles.

With the speed and tracking capabilities of modern air-to-air missiles, by the time their trail is detected, they are already upon you, making it extremely difficult and almost impossible to evade them.

Even if you're incredibly lucky and manage to dodge all the missile attacks while also finding the enemy's aircraft and successfully reaching them.

The opponent also possesses strong maneuverability and is equipped with air-to-air missiles, allowing them to engage you in a direct confrontation.

If hand-to-hand combat isn't enough, they also know a little about escape techniques. With a stronger engine, they can easily get away with a push of the accelerator.

The beyond-visual-range combat mode of fifth-generation fighter jets has created an absolute strategic deterrent in the field of air combat.

This is why, when the F-22 began service across the ocean in 2005 and its parameters were fully exposed, China began a covert operation while pretending to be one.

In 2006, the General retired and began hosting "Defense New Observation," where he started a frenzied campaign of self-deception to slow down the enemy's F-22 equipment deployment.

However, in the years that followed, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAC) secretly lost several core engineers, working tirelessly to develop the J-20, a project that had previously seen the downfall of a generation of top engineers.

Because there is no fifth-generation fighter of the same class.

So once the F-22 takes off, all other fighter jets in the sky become its dead targets, and air superiority will forever be in the enemy's hands.

Now, Lin Dong is going to use two unmanned combat aircraft that are essentially fourth-generation fighters to challenge the fifth-generation J-20 fighter, which is why Wang Xingguo is not optimistic about it.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wang."

Lin Dong replied calmly, "In my theoretical model, there is still a certain probability of winning."

He is also a professional and naturally understands the gap between fifth-generation and fourth-generation fighters. But since he dared to propose a live-fire exercise with the J-20, he must have a certain chance of winning and would not do something meaningless.

Even if the unmanned combat aircraft ultimately cannot defeat the J-20, obtaining this combat data will still fulfill its strategic value.

With real-world data, many of his predictions were validated, which meant his fighter jets could respond in the next situation.