Chapter 1343: Nuclear and Conventional
When Chang Haonan said this name, even the few entourage members following Jing Zhiyuan couldn't hold back their excitement.
But the leaders didn’t laugh, and it was impossible for them to laugh.
So everyone in the room was feeling very uncomfortable.
In fact, even Jing Zhiyuan himself twitched the corners of his mouth slightly.
He was almost certain that these two places were not chosen by Chang Haonan at random.
The two are the most important fulcrums on the first island chain and the second island chain respectively.
If firepower can be delivered steadily to these two locations, it will basically mean the bankruptcy of the entire island chain blockade strategy.
Its geostrategic significance for China is difficult to estimate.
However, this was a semi-formal occasion after all, and given his current position, he really couldn't make any biased reaction to the name.
It's not appropriate to lean towards either side.
So, even though he thought these two names were good, he still changed the subject a little awkwardly:
"If we take mid-2009 as the time node, then it is definitely too late to develop the thruster from scratch. Perhaps... we can remove the third stage based on the DF-31A?"
Even though Jing Zhiyuan was not a technical officer, since he was unable to develop new models, there were not many things he could come up with.
In a way, his proposal could be considered a license.
It's probably the equivalent of "You can pick any resource from the Second Artillery Corps."
After thinking for a moment, Chang Haonan replied:
"There shouldn't be any qualitative problems... As for more specific improvement plans, I will discuss them in detail with the comrades in the missile development team."
Taking advantage of the silence, a senior officer following behind Jing Zhiyuan suddenly spoke up:
"Commander Jing, Academician Chang, if the DF-31 is used as a prototype for modification, will it affect the classification of the weapon?"
Then, because he was worried that he hadn’t made himself clear enough, he added:
"I mean, short-range and medium-range missiles are both tactical weapons in the conventional sense, and the threshold for their use is basically unlimited. However, intercontinental missiles are more sensitive after all. Even if one level is reduced, the range of 5000 kilometers is still at a threshold..."
Jing Zhiyuan looked back at the other person and did not give an immediate answer.
But his expression turned serious.
As the unit specifically responsible for military construction and tactical formulation, it is normal to have such considerations.
At this time, it is technicians like Chang Haonan who can be relatively "outspoken":
"I think the definition of strategy and tactics is more about deterrence in peacetime... If the time comes when these weapons need to be launched, then the line between the two will be blurred."
Hearing this, Jing Zhiyuan suddenly recalled a detail from just now:
"By the way, I remember you mentioned before... modular warheads?"
In fact, Chang Haonan was just curious about why the other party didn't ask this key point.
It seems that he finally reacted:
"The waverider configuration is sensitive to the center of gravity, so changes in mission payload will have a greater impact on the flight envelope. It cannot be arranged and combined relatively freely like traditional ballistic missiles..."
Jing Zhiyuan showed a somewhat confused expression:
"It's already 10 times the speed of sound. Whether it's anti-ship or ground-penetrating...does it need any special additional design?"
His thinking was obviously still somewhat limited.
"Uh...we designed two types of prefabricated replaceable warheads."
Chang Haonan enlarged the cross-sectional structure diagram on the screen so that he could see it more clearly.
It turns out that the load part in the middle back position is composed of two legends with different colors and shading styles, but the picture itself was relatively small just now, so it was not clear.
One of them is red, and the energetic charge is in the shape of a funnel that is thick at both ends and thin in the middle, and is surrounded by a large number of prefabricated tungsten alloy fragments.
It is a linear focused killing warhead that is not common on ballistic missiles but is very commonly used in the field of air defense missiles.
This should be because the hypersonic flying object itself already has a very strong penetration capability, so the warhead only needs to maximize the killing effect within a certain area.
Jing Zhiyuan quickly figured out the connection and focused his attention on another yellow sign.
The cross section is two oval shapes combined together.
If I must say, it's shaped like a peanut.
If someone else stood here, even if he was an expert in the technical field, he would probably be stunned for a while.
Because no common warhead has this strange shape.
But it just happens to match Jing Zhiyuan's major.
"Nuclear warhead?"
He almost blurted out -
The upper and lower staged double ovoid/double spherical structure is the most typical design for miniaturized nuclear warheads.
The relatively small primary structure above is an implosion-type fission bomb that acts as a trigger, with a small amount of fusion material added in the middle to induce subsequent reactions.
The larger secondary structure below is the fusion part composed mainly of three layers of materials: uranium 238-lithium deuteride 6-plutonium 239/uranium 235, which is used to truly unleash the terrifying power of thermonuclear weapons.
After letting Jing Zhiyuan stare in amazement for a while, Chang Haonan explained:
"This range potential would be a bit of a waste if it could only carry a conventional warhead, especially in the deterrence process... Nuclear warheads are light but large in size, and if they are not considered in advance during the design stage, they cannot be temporarily replaced."
"Of course, I am only explaining the feasibility of a technical aspect. As for whether it should be designed as a purely conventional model or whether it should have both nuclear and conventional capabilities, this is decided by the superiors..."
Jing Zhiyuan came back to his senses and nodded.
He realized that the topic of hypersonic weapons should end here today.
As for the following part, Chang Haonan can make proposals as a researcher, but as an administrative leader, he cannot make responses on his behalf...
……
Jing Zhiyuan and his group did not stay for too long. After a brief tour of Huairou Science City, they prepared to leave.
After all, there are still a lot of reports to write when I get back.
Although administrative affairs are not difficult, they are no less complicated than research.
When he reached the door, he suddenly came to his senses and stopped his steps on the way to the car:
"Academician Chang, I think the plan just now may not just be like an airplane..."
He stared at Chang Haonan for a few seconds:
"It can really become an airplane, right?"
For Chang Haonan, using the resources of one project to conduct preliminary research for the next project is just a side job.
So if you are seen through, you are seen through:
“It’s still in the conceptual stage…”
He answered candidly:
"The spliced waverider has a wide range of optimization in the hypersonic range, but its flight performance below Mach 3, especially in the subsonic region, is still not ideal. If this solution is made into an aircraft, it is likely to be like a space shuttle, which can only land autonomously but cannot take off autonomously..."
Jing Zhiyuan widened his eyes slightly.
The fact that the other party can consider this extent shows that he is serious.
He quickly thought of a use for it:
"If it is used for near-space reconnaissance, that is, launched by an aircraft and then landed autonomously, it would be sufficient... and it is much more convenient than a satellite."
Chang Haonan had also considered this idea.
In fact, the final product of the project he was involved in before his rebirth was an air-launched, hypersonic-flying, autonomously-landing model.
But now his understanding of the theory of high-speed gas dynamics has surpassed that of his previous life, so he is no longer satisfied with repeating his old work.
But prepare to do something bigger.
"Don't worry about this matter..."
Chang Haonan came closer and whispered:
"The tandem splicing scheme is only the most basic type of spliced waverider, so in the long run, it is indeed possible to build a true hypersonic aircraft..."
