Chapter 214
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Chapter 214: The Eagle Falcon Takes Flight…
At the entrance of the guesthouse, dozens of experts, professors, and industry insiders were gathered, while four large buses formed a long queue, ready for the experts to board and head to the testing ground.
This was nothing like the rudimentary planes of the early days, where designers could also act as test pilots. Modern fighter jets not only flew fast but also had strong overload capabilities, and they were so agile that one could hardly keep up. Without specialized training and proper physical condition, a regular person might not only encounter accidents but would also struggle to handle the intensity; they would likely go in upright and come out flat.
If these old folks dared to take the controls themselves, the National Defense Star aerospace company would need to prepare a lot of coffins.
"Really?!"
"Is that young guy capable?!"
They had initially been joking about Old Yan’s apprentice becoming a test pilot, but when it came to the reality, these experts all began to question the decision.
After all, test piloting was not a small matter. If a standard production model crashed, they could just churn out another one from the assembly line, but experimental machines were one of a kind. If they crashed, there would be no second chance, and the design could very well be ruined. Such things were not rare.
Even world-renowned fighter jets, like the F-16 "Fighting Falcon," Su-27 "Flanker," JAS-39 "Gripen," and Mirage 2000, had all suffered significant accidents during their test flights. Aircraft testing required zero defects, and pilots must not become weak links.
When China was testing the J-10, they specifically invited an Air Force colonel codenamed "Thunder" as the chief test pilot. He certainly lived up to expectations, even executing the classic post-stall maneuver known as the Pugachev’s Cobra with the J-10, solidifying the J-10’s status as a third-generation fighter jet.
An insider old expert wore a mysterious smile and patted his chest, saying, "Absolutely. I heard he is even an ace pilot."
"You’re just blowing smoke!"
"What are you talking about? Is it that easy to get an ace pilot? The Shenyang Aircraft Corporation had to go through layers of approval just to get one. National Defense Star is only a year old. How could they possibly pull an ace pilot to test for them?"
"Exactly! An ace pilot as a disciple? Yan Guoqiang must be too important to be doing this. Ace pilots are going to be designated instructors. How can they work as designers in a research institute? That’s wasting talent!"
"Absolutely, you must be joking."
"What, you don’t believe me?!" The insider old expert glared, his face turning red as he faced a chorus of skepticism. In a fit of exasperation, he said, "Just wait until you meet Old Yan, and you’ll know. Hmph, believe it or not!"
Saying this, he boarded the bus, finding a random seat and sitting down, still fuming.
"Haha! He’s really upset, haha!"
The group of experts laughed, unconcerned.
Clap! Someone was clapping, and Mike’s voice echoed through the speakers. "Everyone, listen up. Get ready to board. Once we arrive, we’ll eat first, and after lunch, we’ll get started. Please board the bus and find your seats."
The bus engines started, warming up.
National Defense Star (NDS) operated with semi-militarized management, and the experts were quite familiar with the process, quickly getting onto the buses.
Once the last person boarded, the four buses closed their doors and drove onto a two-lane asphalt road, escorted by a truck full of soldiers and a jeep. Even though the distance from the guesthouse to the testing site was short and entirely within the National Defense Star (NDS) compound, they still maintained excellent safety precautions.
The J-14 "Eagle Falcon," J-20 "Mighty Dragon," and the trimmed-down version of the X-1 "Monstrous" fighter jets awaited quietly on the tarmac. Three teams of mechanics were connecting various unnamed devices to the aircraft, carefully conducting final checks.
Even a single drop of excess oil on the aircraft’s surface could indicate unforeseen issues. The mechanics understood fully how critical this was for flight safety. There was no room for luck; everything had to be flawless.
The three aircraft would take off sequentially, flying three a day, which put immense pressure on the teams, necessitating extra caution during checks.
Meanwhile, the doctor performing Lin Mo’s pre-flight check chatters away, also fulfilling the role of psychologist.
Mechanics might feel pressure, but pilots could not afford to. A tiny error could mean disaster at high speeds; a slight miscalculation could lead to plummeting to the ground, resulting in destruction and loss of life.
"How do you feel?!" Chen Haiqing, dressed in an olive-green pressure suit, was there, ready as a backup as it was Lin Mo’s first test flight.
"Um, it’s a bit tight! Do you have a combat exoskeleton?" Lin Mo reminisced about the fit and comfort of the "Kua Fu" exoskeleton. Although resisting high overload was just a side benefit, it was incredibly useful for Lin Mo.
"A combat exoskeleton?" Chen Haiqing’s eyes widened. This top-quality pressure suit seemed to displease him as Lin Mo desired something even better, reserved for elite soldiers. He clearly thought Lin Mo was being too demanding.
Using exoskeletons designed to withstand small-caliber weapon attacks simply as a pressure suit was excessive.
"Yeah! I’m just used to that one!" Of course, he was used to it. Ever since controlling the Giant Dragon Aerial Knights, Lin Mo had grown accustomed to wearing heavy armor, making protective defense feel second nature.
"Well, we don’t have that. If you’re not satisfied, just go without it!" Chen Haiqing said angrily, misinterpreting Lin Mo’s comments as demands for better treatment; at such a time still nitpicking, he thought Lin Mo was being unreasonable.
If getting a combat exoskeleton were easy, Chen Haiqing wouldn’t need one himself.
"Fine, no need for that kind of attitude!" Lin Mo rolled his eyes.
"……"
After the checks were done, Lin Mo boarded the J-14 "Eagle Falcon" and began to close the hatch.
Once he put on his aviation helmet, he could hear the ground control team testing communications.
"Test! OK! Please report the weather conditions."
"Right, today’s temperature is between 15 to 31 degrees, a gentle east wind at level three, partly cloudy, with no turbulence at high altitudes. Everything is normal."
"Alright, thank you!"
He quickly initiated the system self-check. The self-check system for the J-14 was slightly more advanced and intricate than the J-10 because it included a supersonic cruise function, requiring more detailed inspections of parts performance. The onboard computer provided statistical checks and fault conditions directly via voice, significantly reducing pilot operations and shortening the time needed to prepare for takeoff.
The J-14 "Eagle Falcon" is an entirely new, high-performance, multi-purpose, and fully autonomous air superiority fourth-generation fighter jet that can compete with the F-22. It features stealth, supersonic cruising, extreme maneuverability, and short takeoff capabilities, adopting a single-seat, twin-engine design with dual V-tail wings, a blended wing-body design, and diamond-shaped air intakes, leading to a total of 14 aerodynamic control surfaces, making piloting even more complex—though this complexity signified greater maneuverability.
With a total length of 22 meters, a wingspan of 16.7 meters, a height of 5.05 meters, a maximum takeoff weight of 31 tons, a range of 4000 kilometers, and a maximum speed of 2.2 Mach, the J-14 can maintain a cruising speed of 1.68 times the speed of sound. Its airframe consists of 36% carbon fiber composites, extensively using titanium alloys and composites.
The weapon load is contained within internal weapon bays, significantly reducing external drag due to thoughtfully designed airfoil materials. Therefore, the J-14’s climbing ability is exceptionally robust, achieving vertical ascents of over 360 meters per second, with instantaneous turning rates of 30 degrees per second.
Lin Mo was quite familiar with all this data. He started up the engine for initial warming; the tailpipe glowed with brilliant orange heat, brightening into an intense flame while powerful airflows gathered at the tail.
The gold giant dragon immediately integrated into the J-14, starting to filter data in the usual manner through the black box while consistently complaining to Lin Mo about how modern fighter jets were declining in quality, emphasizing that over one-third of the components were no longer metal. Continuing down this path, with increasing use of composites, how would dragons survive in the future?
"This is like mixing sand into food—it seriously affects the taste!"
"Alright, alright, having food at all is a blessing! Don’t nitpick so much. The development of metal materials is lagging behind, and the use of composites is unavoidable," Lin Mo replied, feeling he couldn’t help with the complaints. Although composites excel in certain attributes over metals or alloys, metals wouldn’t be entirely eliminated, especially when paired with specialty alloys that had remarkable properties. He assured Gold Coin that in future battles, plenty of metals would present themselves willingly.
"Everything is normal! You can take off."
The ground team signaled for takeoff clearance.
"Okay, I’m about to start!" To maintain secrecy, Lin Mo didn’t even use the new code name "Dragon Knight." Aside from Chen Haiqing and a few senior officials at National Defense Star, others only knew him as Captain Lin and nothing else.
The engine began with a piercing whine, and the power generated by the new WS-15 vector-thrust engine matched fourth-generation aircraft performance requirements perfectly, compared to the originally planned AL-41FN engine.
He rolled smoothly from the tarmac onto the runway, accelerating faster and faster as the aircraft roared into the blue sky.
"Hmm, not bad! The J-14 only needs 80 meters less to take off compared to the J-10!" Lin Mo quickly compared the two jets. The wing area of the J-14 was approximately 66.24 square meters, while the J-10’s wing area was about 40 square meters. At the same speed, the J-14’s 65% larger wing area provided significantly better lift.
