Chapter 534

Chapter 534: Intelligent System "Adam"

The aviation experts from various countries had three days to observe: the first day was for a static display, the second day was for a test flight, and the third day featured a Boeing-hosted aviation salon.

Next to the static display of the F/A-XX fighter, many large screens were set up to showcase high-resolution videos of the F/A-XX’s various flight postures.

Boeing’s intention was clear: they sought praise and feedback.

Most of those experts would inevitably critique from a professional perspective. Compliments would provide strong support when securing orders from the American military, while criticisms would point out the best ways to improve the F/A-XX fighter.

Even misleading words from traitors could serve as a tool to mislead foreign military forces; after all, once the secrets were unveiled, the experts’ observations would remain confidential.

Those involved often struggled to see the full picture, while observers could spot things clearly. Only external expertise could give Boeing designers the most valuable insights. Facing this sixth-generation fighter day after day might have led to visual fatigue, making it hard to notice some non-secret issues.

Inside the interconnected aircraft was an array of audio and video collection devices, automatically tracking each expert and recording every word and action, sometimes inadvertently capturing useful information.

Boeing technicians briefly introduced the F/A-XX’s parameters and performance to the experts from different nations, noting that it was only a prototype and did not represent the standards of a production version.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to view the greatest masterpiece of this century, the sixth-generation fighter, F/A-XX, which belongs to the future!"

A staff member from Boeing’s “Ghost” factory declared, holding a microphone to announce the start of the event.

"I think he’s so full of himself. Sixth generation, pfft!"

Lin Mo, who was also working on his own fighter jet, scoffed dismissively.

"I feel the same! When the ‘Divine Dragon’ aerospace fighter is out, they’ll have something to cry about!" Professor Yan agreed, belittling the enemy strategically while tactically valuing them. He pointed at the wings and said, "See? Wing-body integration, a unified skin, but there’s a seam—a connection seam for the variable wings. The accuracy of American manufacturing and materials, tsk, we’ll need at least another twenty years to catch up."

With just his eyes, the aerodynamics expert, Professor Yan, still noticed many details.

"Well, their variable wings only assist in combat maneuvers and don’t achieve super-maneuverability. They still can’t match the forward-swept wings; I doubt they can replicate them," he commented.

Without the gold giant dragon by his side, Lin Mo’s investigation into the aircraft dropped to zero, and like others, he could only judge with his eyes.

"Hehe, you’re right!" Professor Yan nodded, realizing that his disciple was also developing a high-performance fighter. Based on the designs he had previously given, the performance was quite impressive; he wondered how far along Lin Mo was.

He glanced at Lin Mo and asked, "How is your progress?"

The special meaning hidden in the teacher’s gaze was understood only by the two of them.

Lin Mo immediately grasped his teacher’s unspoken question but felt it impossible to reveal the “monstrous” project details here. He whispered, "Almost done. Just two or three more things to complete."

"What, really? Almost done?"

Professor Yan could hardly believe his ears.

That was a true military fighter jet, with advanced performance that could be considered leading nationally, and even on an international scale, its original design parameters wouldn’t be significantly worse than Boeing’s sixth-generation fighter.

It was nearly finished? Whether it was Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, Boeing, or the Lockheed family, launching a mature fighter required at least a generation of effort—without over a decade’s technical accumulation, how could they possibly complete all design and manufacturing?

Not every technology, material, and process was ready to be used like building blocks, and Lin Mo casually brushed away the immense workload and financial investment with just "almost done."

His prized disciple not only had talent but also an impressive boldness and determination.

"How much have you invested?" Professor Yan asked, still struggling to believe. If his disciple was speaking the truth, it would put considerable pressure on several domestic aircraft design firms.

Regardless, Lin Mo must have spent a considerable amount; compared to those technicians who waited for research funding and begrudgingly counted every penny, this was happiness. At least he could spend his own money freely.

"About thirty million dollars, and well, some of it didn’t actually cost anything."

Lin Mo quickly calculated in his mind that the true value might actually reach around three hundred million dollars.

This trip to America also had Lin Mo intending to continue probing the Lockheed family further.

Taking a moment to instruct Gold Coin to do what he loves, Lin Mo also issued a warning to the world’s largest military aircraft manufacturer: don’t take Dragon Knight’s words lightly.

If he could really acquire the AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and the Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EODAS), Lin Mo would feel confident pushing that nearly completed “monstrous” creation straight into final tuning, and the first test flight would be just around the corner.

“Is the engine sorted?”

Upon hearing the amount Lin Mo reported, Professor Yan couldn’t help but gasp, but quickly regained his composure and lowered his voice significantly.

If his prized disciple didn’t have some family backing, he probably wouldn’t withstand such ups and downs; he really knew how to make money.

“Yeah!” Lin Mo nodded, then continued, “It’s sponsored by the government.”

“Wow!” Professor Yan took a sharp breath; the news was indeed astonishing. This wasn’t just good fortune, it was like a mouse falling into a grain bin, especially since it was the owner who put it there directly.

Everyone knew Lin Mo’s plan to build a fighter jet was a gamble, and the difficulty was astonishingly high, with high-level officials going a bit crazy alongside him. But now that he even had the engine, they were almost halfway to completion.

What seemed like a joke of a manufacturing plan was starting to look more serious.

“Good!” Professor Yan nodded vigorously, patting Lin Mo on the shoulder. “If you face any difficulties, just come to me. I’ll find a way to get Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group to help you. If you need more funding, we can talk; the Chengdu boss should help out a bit for my sake.”

Thinking about how Lin Mo had remarkably created a nearly completed high-performance fighter on his own, Professor Yan felt a flame of excitement burning in his heart.

As a retired veteran aircraft designer, his lifelong dream had been to build the most advanced fighter in the world.

Lin Mo, his disciple, fearlessly ventured into the process, nearing success. The teacher felt he must do everything he could to help with this final step.

“Thank you, teacher!”

Lin Mo’s words were filled with sincere appreciation.

His mentor had opened the door, guiding him step by step into the magical world of aviation; from the most basic foundations to the cutting-edge technical concepts, Professor Yan had generously passed on nearly all his wisdom to Lin Mo, allowing him to grasp the ultimate essence of flight.

At this moment, the host from Boeing interrupted Lin Mo and Professor Yan’s quiet conversation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what you see is not just a manned fighter jet produced by Boeing; it is an intelligent unmanned combat aircraft capable of independent operations. Boeing has invested twenty years and substantial resources in developing its onboard artificial intelligence combat system, which requires no human control. It can maximize the F/A-XX’s combat effectiveness without being affected by human attributes or mental resilience. After being filled with numerous real-world cases by computer experts, its combat experience is quite extensive, and simulations have evaluated its unmanned combat capability to be comparable to that of a true ace pilot.”

Previously, many experts speculated that the F/A-XX was being developed in both manned and unmanned configurations, and now Boeing had publicly confirmed this.

Experts who had worked with unmanned combat aircraft revealed interest in their eyes; it appeared that Boeing had indeed invested significantly in artificial intelligence, otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to claim “ace” level combat performance.

However, this “ace” unmanned capability might still be slightly exaggerated; perhaps there were remote control elements involved, or if it could truly operate without command, this fighter jet would pose a considerable threat to countries around the world.

This aligned perfectly with the American way of doing things—exchanging money for lives.

Some technical experts displayed caution in their expressions; Boeing was clearly going all out, competing not only with other domestic fighter manufacturers but also with nations around the globe.

Meanwhile, the experts from Japan, India, and South Korea looked eager. These countries had nearly no significant research and development capabilities; even Japan, which excelled in electronic technology compared to China, lagged two generations behind in aviation. They were essentially in a subordinate position.

These three nations’ aviation technology almost entirely depended on America. Progress in American technology meant corresponding advancements for them.

Hearing the presentation from Boeing, excitement grew among the experts from these three countries as if this sixth-generation fighter had already armed their own air forces.

A few Boeing technicians opened a hidden engineering maintenance hatch under the cockpit of one F/A-XX and connected equipment from a cart to the aircraft’s systems—this was where the real show began.

“Everyone, please look! This is our onboard intelligent system, ‘Adam!’” The host gestured.