Chapter 1592 Is this different from what we agreed?

Chang Haonan pressed the button for the third floor and came to the scientific research secretary's office.

But during this period, most of the administrative staff had already left.

"Chang... Academician Chang!"

The person on duty today is a new employee who has just joined the company and is Liu Chenchen's direct junior sister. When she saw Chang Haonan, she stood up as if a spring had been installed under her butt:

"Sister Chenchen... uh, no, Director Liu is off work now. If you have anything to do, you can leave it to me..."

Chang Haonan looked at the young employee in his early twenties in front of him, and after thinking about it, he still felt that the other party did not look very reliable.

So he waved his hand, signaling the other party to do what he should do, then took out a note from the side and quickly wrote a message to Liu Chenchen.

The content was very simple. It required the other party to send an official letter in the name of Torch Laboratory and Aviation Power Group General Office tomorrow morning, asking whether they were willing to cooperate in project development.

High-temperature resistant coating materials are the last piece of the puzzle needed for a dual-mode ramjet engine, and the faster the better.

After stopping writing, he placed the paper in a conspicuous place on the corner of the table.

Back in the office, he picked up the red confidential phone on the table and dialed the hotline of Jiang Zongli, the person in charge of the hypersonic wind tunnel base in Huairou Science City.

The call was quickly connected:

"Director Jiang, I'm Chang Haonan."

"Academician Chang?" Jiang Zonglin's voice was filled with surprise. "What instructions do you have?"

"There may be progress in high-temperature resistant materials soon." Chang Haonan went straight to the point and said decisively, "You should immediately adjust the project schedule of the two hypersonic wind tunnels and prepare to test the dual-mode ramjet engine in the engineering stage... In addition, prepare for the production of the prototype 'Lingxiao-2'."

"Understood, President Chang!" Jiang Zonglin knew that this matter was of vital importance, and without the slightest hesitation, "I will personally supervise the scheduling and preparation work to ensure that the task is completed on time!"

……

Almost at the same time.

On the other side of the world, in Washington.

A conversation about hypersonic weapons was also taking place in the Secretary of Defense's office deep in the Pentagon's E Wing.

Robert Gates sat behind his large desk with an expression of fatigue that was hard to conceal.

Sitting across from him were Erti Prabhakar, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Todd Woodruff, director of the Office of Naval Research.

In fact, Gates had planned to retire more than a year ago and even found himself a corporate job to enjoy his old age.

However, the numerous highly classified research and development projects he initiated and oversaw during his tenure - from cyber warfare weapons to a new generation of space reconnaissance systems to the cutting-edge projects currently on the table - make it difficult for any potential successor to fully grasp them in a short period of time.

The delicate balance of politics forces him to remain in this hot seat.

Fortunately, the two people on the opposite side brought good news about the "Hailong" hypersonic weapons program today.

"Mr. Minister, the first phase of the 'Sea Dragon' program, the Hypersonic Maneuverable Missile System (HMMS), has successfully completed its project development,"

Woodruff was the first to speak:

"The ground static test, propellant ignition test, guidance control system semi-physical simulation, and full missile vibration and thermal environment simulation test have all passed smoothly, and the three prototype missiles used for flight testing have also entered the final assembly and integration stage."

He paused, making sure Gates was paying attention, then added, forcefully:

"Based on the completeness and consistency of all current ground verification data, we have full confidence that the next live-fire flight test will be a complete success!"

This news was like a shot in the arm, and it seemed to dispel a lot of the fatigue in Gates' eyes.

In his opinion, this is the efficiency in weapons research and development that the United States should demonstrate.

It was just a joke a few years ago.

[X51A's failure was indeed caused by internal sabotage...]

Gates thought so.

"This is indeed an encouraging progress, Director Woodruff." He leaned forward slightly with a rare look of relief on his face. "However, I hope to see a more detailed technical report on HMMS, including its performance parameters, especially its penetration capability and combat value assessment."

"It's ready, Mr. Minister."

Woodruff was obviously well prepared. He immediately took out a thick document with the word "Top Secret" printed on the cover from the confidential briefcase he carried with him and placed it respectfully in front of Gates.

Gates put on his reading glasses and opened the report.

Project Overview...

The main design goal is...

Summary of the R&D process...

Technical route selection and solution formulation...

……

He quickly scanned the pages.

At first, the gaze was calm.

But soon, his brows gradually furrowed.

Finally, when he turned to the three-dimensional structure diagram of the missile and the schematic diagram of the subsystem layout, his body began to tremble.

The smooth conical shape, the familiar solid rocket engine layout, and the wing located in the middle of the missile body for attitude control...

No matter how you look at it, this looks more like a ballistic missile...

Gates raised his head and shot a sharp look at Woodruff: "Director Woodruff, if I remember correctly, the core of the 'Sea Dragon' program is to inherit and develop the results of the X-51A 'Wave Rider'. The goal is to develop an air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile, right?"

"Yes."

Gates turned the report 180 degrees, his fingers still on the D model, his fingertips slightly white from the force:

"Then please tell me why this report shows a rocket-assisted, unpowered gliding configuration? It's not even a waverider, it's a ballistic missile!"

The air in the office almost froze.

However, since Woodruff dared to bring this report here, it means he was well prepared.

"Air-breathing hypersonic warfare is the ultimate goal of the Sea Dragon Project, and this... is the interim achievement of the first phase."

He explained... or more like argued:

"And this is not an ordinary ballistic missile, but a double-cone warhead, and its flight speed can reach the 5.5-6 Mach range, which is a genuine hypersonic weapon."

This answer even made Gates laugh.

Before serving as Secretary of Defense, he worked in the CIA and the National Security Council for nearly 30 years. How could he be fooled by such rhetoric?

So he slapped the report hard, and the blast almost knocked several papers on the table to the ground:

“This is a fundamental deviation from the project’s goals and even a fraud!”

"Where is the technical heritage of the X-51A reflected? Where is the funding we invested reflected?"

"..."

Even though he is over 70 years old, Gates couldn't help but rant.

After several minutes, he finally calmed down again.

But the muscles on his face were still trembling.

Woodruff probably didn't expect that this report would provoke such a strong reaction from the other party, and he felt a little at a loss for a moment.

Fear of continued criticism is only one aspect.

More importantly, the other party's lips were turning pale. If he said a few more words back, the minister would be so angry that he would die...

That would be great fun.

At this suffocating moment of stalemate, Ms. Prabhakar, the director of DARPA, who was sitting nearby, spoke up.

"Mr. Minister, please calm down." Her voice was calm and calm, and she was obviously trying to smooth things over. "Director Woodruff and I fully understand your concern about the deviation of the technical route, but with all due respect, now is not the time to delve into technical details and weapon types."

She adjusted her sitting posture gracefully and looked at Gates with an honest look:

"Please allow me to clarify one thing: the ultimate goal of the 'Sea Dragon' program is undoubtedly to develop an epoch-making air-breathing hypersonic cruise weapon. This is our unwavering strategic direction, and HMMS is only the first milestone we have set on the long road to this ultimate goal. It is the first stage and pragmatic achievement."