CHAPTER 436: CHAPTER 434 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT MISSION

Through the flight tests of the Y-9, the two modification plans proposed by Chen Xin were both approved.

Although the conditions of the stratosphere still do not allow flights, at least with Chen Xin’s proposed modifications, aircraft can operate in the troposphere, which is already great news given the current situation.

Keeping the aircraft in the troposphere will encounter considerably harsh convective weather compared to the stratosphere and will consume more fuel due to various circumstances, but it’s better than not being able to fly or having to overhaul the entire aircraft after one flight.

The more cost-effective option among the two is naturally to modify the aircraft’s air intake. After all, installing electric drive compensation requires engine modifications, which is relatively high in both time and cost.

Therefore, after some discussion and research, the higher-ups ultimately decided to adopt the method of modifying the air intake duct.

This method was also improved by researchers, whereby just cutting a slot below the existing intake and attaching a new duct can achieve the desired result without needing to remake the entire duct.

The final product looks like an additional plug-in had been added, but in terms of efficacy, it’s very practical.

As for the electric drive compensation plan for engine modification, although it’s a good plan, it was not pursued further, instead deciding to modify one or two units for electronic engine research.

After all, compared to the air filter modification plan, the nuclear-powered electric drive plan is evidently more valuable and attractive.

However, this research wasn’t assigned to Chen Xin but rather to several institutes that were already studying aircraft engines. The new aircraft design drawings prepared by Chen Xin were also handed over to the research department for study and trial production.

This was not a national requirement but rather Chen Xin’s voluntary proposal not to be responsible for the development work of the new aircraft.

After all, it is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive task, and he had already prepared the drawings, so as long as the aircraft is manufactured according to these, the aircraft can be built.

The subsequent work merely involves adjusting or improving the various issues of the prototype. This requires a professional team to invest a significant amount of time and does not necessarily need Chen Xin to do it personally.

Although if he did it, only one or two upgrades would be needed to resolve all issues.

Of course, the country didn’t let Chen Xin idle either, instead commissioning him to develop more advanced new fighter jets.

In the current environment, the national military strength, of course, has also been weakened.

The army is fine; although its mobility is limited, ordinary soldiers can still exert sufficient combat capability, although lacking in offense, defending against enemy attacks is not a problem.

Especially after Chen Xin provided the Exoskeleton Protective Suits, the military began mass-producing this new equipment, now equipping most of the main combat units, significantly enhancing the army’s combat power.

Even without mechanized equipment support, the individual combat capability surpasses that before the disaster, sufficient to contend with any ground troops.

Despite the current environment, neighboring countries do not have the capability to invade Flame Country, but this does not mean the military can relax its vigilance.

While the army can still fight, the navy and air force are nearly bald.

The air force’s problem mainly lies with aircraft engines. Whether jet or propeller planes, they cannot fly in the dusty air.

However, with the new air filters and improvement plans provided by Chen Xin, coupled with the gradually recovering environment, the air force’s aircraft are progressively being unsealed, achieving some degree of combat power recovery, preventing the highly-trained and incredibly valuable pilots from being wasted.

The navy’s issues are much more severe.

The rise of the coastline swallowed the navy’s original ports and bases, dealing a severe blow to the navy.

Not to mention the damage caused by the global fire triggered by the meteor strike to naval vessels unable to evade, losing coastal ports means even finding a suitable place to repair damaged ships became impossible.

Moreover, the subsequent sharp temperature drop froze the sea surface, leaving all naval vessels useless.

In the face of several-meter-thick ice layers, even nuclear-powered aircraft carriers find it difficult to function, and specialized icebreakers can’t crack through several meters of ice.

This has indeed turned the entire navy into a marine corps.

Chen Xin was naturally aware of this situation; even if he wasn’t, military personnel would inform him of the situation, not letting the person most capable of solving the problem remain unaware.

But currently, what Chen Xin can solve is still the air force’s aircraft problem. As for naval warships, although not without solutions, in the current circumstances, the cost and time investment to move warships is too immense.

Chen Xin is not keen on working on those tens of thousands of tons of steel constructs; rather, helping the air force design a few new models of aircraft is a quite good choice.

Although currently, the air force’s helicopters and some propeller planes are gradually regaining their flight capabilities, jet planes still cannot take off.

It’s not just the engine intake issue but also the problem of dust and particles in the air when the aircraft flies at supersonic speeds.

It’s known that even an ordinary airliner can be brought down by a bird strike, let alone a supersonic fighter?

Even though there are no birds in the sky now, those tiny particles and dust can still cause tremendous damage to aircraft.

This was evident when during the previous Y-9 test flight, even though it flew a short duration in the stratosphere, after landing, its fuselage was covered with fine scratches, and even the propellers were damaged.

Faced with this situation, the military and national leaders naturally hope for an aircraft capable of handling these conditions.

This R&D task was originally contended by several domestic aircraft development institutions, which already had some research intentions and ideas, but they couldn’t compete with Chen Xin, who delivered a mature quadrotor aircraft within seven days, similar to the Osprey Helicopter with tilting rotors!

This is currently the fastest and most technologically advanced helicopter on Blue Star, yet Chen Xin’s new aircraft is even more advanced than the Osprey.

The higher-ups couldn’t ignore Chen Xin’s presence, and the military strongly recommended Chen Xin to engage in the development of new aircraft.

In their view, Chen Xin could definitely complete the task in a short amount of time, much faster than entrusting it to other research institutions, which could take years or even decades to achieve results.