Chapter 1596 Harsh Package

Later in the day.

Air Force Test and Training Center, Utah.

A specially modified F-15C fighter jet is quietly parked at the start of the runway, ready to take off at any time.

Number “83-0042”.

This means that this is an old aircraft that was produced nearly 30 years ago.

Its appearance is not significantly different from the standard model.

But if you look a little more carefully, you will find that there is a mount that has never appeared before hanging under the center line of the belly of the aircraft.

It was a huge missile with gray and white body and sharp lines. Its length almost occupied half of the F-15 fuselage, far exceeding the common auxiliary fuel tank or electronic pod.

Not only does it destroy the fighter's originally smooth lines, like a clumsy parasite attached to the raptor's belly, but it also almost fills up the entire space under the fuselage, and would scrape against the runway if not careful.

Inside the control tower, DARPA Director Erti Prabhakar and Office of Naval Research Director Rear Admiral Todd Woodruff stood behind the anti-glare glass curtain wall, their eyes fixed on the silent F-15 at the end of the runway.

"Eagle Talon 01, tower, clear to take off." The command came via the radio.

"Eagle Claw 01 received, start taxiing."

The pilot, Lt. Col. Thomas Furnin's voice was steady and focused.

The afterburner instantly spewed out a dazzling orange-yellow tail flame.

About a second later, the plane began to accelerate along the long runway.

However, the heavy burden under the belly of the aircraft acts like a huge anchor.

The F15C rarely carries a large number of ground-attack loads like the Strike Eagle, so Vernin could clearly feel that the acceleration was much lower than usual.

The roar of the engine seemed to be swallowed up by the huge weight and resistance.

Fortunately, the F15's thrust-to-weight ratio was quite good, and it finally successfully pulled up near the center line of the runway.

"Feels like dragging a train car," Vernin complained on the radio, "airspeed climbing slowly... 220 knots... 230 knots..."

Having said that, the takeoff was successful after all.

Inside the tower, the suppressed breathing sounds were finally released, transforming into a low, relieved exhalation.

Prabhakar's tense shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch, but this was only the first step in a long and risky mission.

"Eagle Claw 01, report status."

When the plane was out of sight, Prabhakar walked to the communications desk and picked up the receiver.

Verning's voice came over the radio: "The control feels very stiff at low speeds, and the stick force is unusually heavy." He paused, as if feeling the state of the aircraft, "It is especially sensitive to crosswinds, and a considerable amount of rudder must be continuously applied to maintain the course."

About 15 seconds later, "Now the speed has reached over 300 knots. It feels a little better than when it just left the ground. I hope it will be more stable after entering the high-speed flight area."

"Roger that, Talon 01. Keep monitoring the aircraft and climb to the designated airspace as planned." Prabhakar put down the phone and turned his gaze to the radar screen.

The light representing Furnin and HMMS was slowly but surely climbing towards the east.

"The weight and drag are a little beyond the design expectations." Woodruff whispered to Prabhakar, "This is a great test for the pilot, especially at low altitude and low speed."

Prabhakar didn't look at him. His eyes were still fixed on the radar screen. He uttered a few words, cold and firm:

"There is no turning back, Todd. Success is the only option."

High in the sky, Lieutenant Colonel Finin had stabilized the course to due east.

He carefully maneuvered the vehicle, which had become unresponsive due to the weight, and continued to climb.

Outside the cockpit is the deep and boundless blue sky, and below is the vast, desolate Utah desert with a reddish-brown hue.

From time to time he lowered his head and glanced at the hardcover mission log spread out on his lap.

There was an unusual rush to this mission.

The pressure from the Navy was so great that he was pushed directly to the front line of real bullet testing before he even had the chance to mount a model bomb of the same weight and conduct a complete simulated launch process to familiarize himself with the unprecedented mounting characteristics and launch procedures.

The mission brief grandly referred to it as "HMMS - Air-Launched Hypersonic Weapon System."

But Furnin knew it very well.

He had seen the X-51A Waverider in the newspaper, its streamlined, futuristic, technological design, and he also understood the complexity and challenges of air-breathing hypersonic technology.

At this moment, the thing hanging heavily under the belly of his plane looked more like an air-launched ballistic missile no matter from which angle you looked at it.

So much so that these days everyone calls it "little flying stick" in private.

The appearance issue is of course secondary, the more troublesome thing is the launch window.

Height, speed, attitude, overload... the requirements are as precise as threading a needle.

Furning felt that, apart from test pilots like himself who immersed themselves in manuals and simulators all day long, few people could fly this thing as required under the chaos and pressure of actual combat.

He glanced at the altimeter and airspeed indicator again: the altitude needle was firmly at 35000 feet, and the airspeed was steady at 870 knots (about Mach 1.45).

The sun shines through the canopy, casting a bright spot on the instrument panel. The target airspace is just ahead.

"Eagle Claw 01 calling the tower, has arrived at the designated test airspace. The current altitude is 36500 feet, and the airspeed is 870 knots. Requesting further instructions." Verning's voice was clearly transmitted back to the command center.

There was a brief silence, as if confirming the status of all systems.

Then, the command came, clear and concise: "Eagle Claw 01, tower confirmed. Initiate launch procedure. Good luck."

When the AGM135 anti-satellite missile was tested, Boeing wrote an automatic flight program in advance.

But more than 20 years later, Furning can only rely on himself.

"Received, start the launch procedure." He took a deep breath, then gently and extremely accurately pulled the rod back.

The nose of the F-15C rose instantly, and it switched from level flight to a steep climb with an overload of 3.8G.

The inertia caused by the huge load under the belly of the aircraft makes this action seem particularly heavy.

At the same time, he pushed the throttle lever to the bottom with his left hand again and reopened the afterburner.

Two blazing tail flames shot out several meters long, and the fighter plane seemed to be pushed upward by an invisible giant hand.

The altimeter needle kept moving clockwise: 37000...37500...38000 feet...

However, under the relentless pull of gravity, the numbers on the airspeed indicator continued to drop: 850 knots… 830 knots… 810 knots (about Mach 1.35)…

This is an extremely short and fleeting window.

At the precise moment when the altitude pointer just crossed the 38500-foot mark and the airspeed dropped to 810 knots, Lieutenant Colonel Vernin pulled the weapon firing trigger cleanly!

"Payload launch!"

There was a series of slight vibrations coming from under the belly of the plane - that was the ejection mechanism working.

Then, the machine shook violently.

The heavy "flying stick" was pushed out of the rack with tremendous force. The huge recoil and the sudden reduction of load caused the F-15C, which was already climbing, to suddenly jump up violently.

Just when it was only a few meters away from the carrier aircraft, the solid rocket engine at its tail ignited.

An orange-white flame that was much thicker, more dazzling, and more destructive than the afterburner tail flame of an F-15 burst out.

Finning only felt that the huge inertial load transmitted from the joystick in his hand suddenly disappeared. The fighter plane, which was originally like being stuck in a quagmire and requiring huge effort for every step, suddenly became extremely light and even a little too sensitive and unpredictable.

The huge thrust-to-weight advantage returned instantly, and this runaway horse needed to be tamed again immediately.

He adjusted the trim quickly and expertly, making small roll and pitch corrections at the same time.

After a few quick and decisive moves, he regained control of the aircraft, and the fighter plane regained its original agility and responsiveness.

"Eagle Claw 01 reports that HMMS has separated successfully!" Verning reported while looking diagonally upward through the canopy, "Engine ignition is normal! Climbing rapidly!"

The HMMS dragged a thick, condensed wake and soared upwards at a terrifying acceleration far exceeding that of the carrier aircraft, tearing through the dense air.

Its trajectory and speed are absolutely incomparable to ordinary missiles.

Inside the command center, the long suppressed silence was broken by a sudden burst of applause and low cheers.

The technicians stared at the telemetry data cascading down their screens. A genuine smile finally appeared on Prabhakar's tense face, and he turned around to glance at the audience behind him.

With extremely "sufficient" preparation, as long as the missile can ignite normally, it will be 99% successful.

At least, there won't be any problems with the results displayed on a large screen.

"Excellent, Talon 01!" She picked up the phone, her voice filled with praise and relief that were difficult to conceal. "Congratulations! Mission accomplished, you can return home."