Chapter 222
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Chapter 222: Only Orders Are the Foundation of Survival
“What’s going on? What ‘Aurora’? What goddess of dawn?” On the ground, Chen Haiqing felt that Lin Mo’s words were clearly abnormal, as if he had seen something astonishing. Over the radio, he heard an extremely deep, thunderous rumble, like distant thunder brewing among storm clouds.
But in reality, at the height Lin Mo was currently at, there shouldn’t be any thunderstorm clouds; the sound was clearly not from the X-1’s own engine.
“It’s an American supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft, a large triangle with a 75-degree sweep angle, no doubt about it! I’m an aircraft design expert!” Lin Mo didn’t seem to be descending; the ground display showed his X-1 remained stable at twenty-four thousand meters. Then he continued, “Altitude is estimated around thirty thousand meters, and it should have spotted me by now. I’ve activated the active radar, but I can’t track it; it’s too fast, incredibly fast. I hope its target isn’t me. The contrail looks like a pulse detonating engine; it’s powerful.”
Lin Mo rarely cursed, adding, “I can’t catch it, even if I had missiles! This thing is moving twice the speed of a missile. To bring it down, I can only use a directed energy weapon. Well, I’ve lost it. It vanished from my sight in less than twenty seconds, leaving only a series of intermittent contrails.”
“Aurora? It really is ‘Aurora’!” Chen Haiqing stood stunned. Just during a test flight, they encountered an American high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft infiltrating China. At that speed, unless using surface-to-air missiles with predicted trajectory, it would be very hard to shoot down.
In reality, even the domestic air defense systems would struggle to track a reconnaissance aircraft that could exceed eight times the speed of sound, flying at nearly forty thousand meters. No even the Americans’ own air defense systems could bring it down.
At heights near forty thousand meters, unless using high-power laser weapons, they could only watch it pass by. But with such a fast-moving target, even aiming would be futile before it disappeared from the effective firing range.
The “goddess of dawn” supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft, also known as “Aurora,” is said to have the official number CP-140 or SR-91. It is America’s next-generation strategic reconnaissance aircraft following the SR-71 “Blackbird.” It can carry three people and uses methane as fuel, with a length of 32 meters, a height of 7 meters, and a total weight of 83 tons, featuring a 75-degree swept-wing triangular body and fully movable vertical stabilizers. It is equipped with two combined cycle engines, primarily using pulse detonation engines, designed to achieve extreme speeds as a high-speed, stealthy reconnaissance aircraft.
The research and development cost around 4.4 to 8 billion dollars, with each unit’s production cost nearing 1 billion dollars, easily claiming the title of the world’s reconnaissance aircraft king, often deployed in military hotspots like the Middle East.
“No need to think; we’re being targeted. Thankfully, you didn’t take the J-14 or J-20. I should have fitted it with two SD-10s! If you could bring it down, I’m sure your ‘monstrous’ aircraft would secure all the research funds immediately, I promise.”
If the X-1 could take down the “goddess of dawn (Aurora),” the Americans’ high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft would undoubtedly be out of work due to China’s mass production of the X-1.
Lin Mo’s mention of the “goddess of dawn (Aurora)” supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft probably meant it had flown by at an incredibly fast speed. Undoubtedly, it had received intelligence, taking advantage of the National Defense Star (NDS) conducting test flights for a new generation of fighters and engines to come for reconnaissance. The Americans had frequently done this in the past.
Chen, the young master, somewhat regretted not letting Lin Mo carry two of China’s most advanced air-to-air missiles. Otherwise, that massive methane contrail explosion might have earned Lin Mo a promotion to “Major Two One” before his captaincy had even warmed up.
What a pity! Given Lin Mo’s prowess as an ace pilot, he might have taken it down; although the chances were slim, it would still be better than watching it swagger away now.
“SD-10? I don’t see it being useful. I think attaching a directed energy weapon pod or launching an electromagnetic pulse bomb in the air is more reliable; it’s just too fast to even follow."
The fleeting “goddess of dawn (Aurora)” supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft left a deep impression on Lin Mo. Its speed far surpassed any currently active fighter aircraft, resembling the kind of speed he envisioned for his aerial combat weapon.
Witnessing such speed shocked Lin Mo, filling him with hope and desire for the “monstrous” aircraft. He wanted to complete the build as soon as possible and soar into the blue sky at that speed.
“Forget it; I’ll equip you with weapon pods. We can’t let the Americans see us for free,” Chen Haiqing remarked, clearly annoyed that his family’s company was test-flying a fighter, while the Americans intruded to observe without paying a visit fee. He decided to activate the weapon bays, arming all three experimental machines. Although they were experimental, they were fully equipped with various attack capabilities and could be sent to the battlefield with missiles mounted.
“Deal!” Lin Mo no longer obsessed over the American reconnaissance aircraft. He couldn’t catch it or shoot it down, so he decided not to waste anymore thoughts about it.
Thankfully, it was just a reconnaissance aircraft, without weapons; otherwise, life would be tough.
Lin Mo felt a chill down his spine. The “monstrous” aircraft needed to be built quickly; if the Americans got ahead, he wouldn’t have any way out left. After having already copied their secret base in Africa, and now potentially taking down the Lockheed family’s heir, things would spiral out of control.
As usual, performing a few maneuvers, Lin Mo lowered the altitude below the clouds, where torrential rain continued to fall, countless raindrops beating against the body of the aircraft, but it had no impact on speed, as long as he didn’t get struck directly by lightning which could hit the fuel system. Although they had done perfect protection, there could always be a chance, couldn’t there?
“Watch the skid; you need to glide a bit more.”
Chen Haiqing reminded Lin Mo, who was preparing to land, as the X-1 was aligned with the runway.
“Got it!”
Lin Mo replied.
Boom!
A blinding flash suddenly struck, as a massive lightning bolt hit the side of the runway. Although it didn’t strike anything, it startled everyone.
“Whoa, today’s X-1 is facing a small tribulation!” Lin Mo controlled the landing gear to drop. The aircraft became heavy as the airflow completely separated, slowly entering the runway. As Chen said, the wet runway caused the X-1 to slide more than a hundred meters longer than usual.
Originally, they planned to do more tests in the sky, but the American high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft left them feeling like they had something stuck in their throats. They hastily ended today’s test flight. Dealing with such high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was extremely irritating, especially in thunderstorm weather where tracking it was impossible. Let alone shooting it down; it would only be possible on cloudless days using optical reconnaissance equipment, while domestically, only a few high-power laser cannons were available, which weren’t designed to stand by all day but were meant to counter strategic nuclear weapons.
The X-1 was towed into a large tent that stood 7 meters high, and Lin Mo finally opened the cockpit. Otherwise, if he opened it outside, at least half the cockpit would have filled with water, turning it into a large bathtub.
“Let’s call it a day! If you hadn’t spotted the American aircraft, we might have remained in the dark, exposing our experimental machine’s information to them for no reason.”
Chen Haiqing met Lin Mo as he jumped out from the cockpit. Upon approach, he felt a chill; after almost thirty thousand meters in altitude, Lin Mo’s complaints were understandable, as the cold at high altitudes hadn’t dissipated upon reaching the ground.
The theoretical flight altitude of a fighter jet is comprehensive; it’s not just about the cabin pressure but also engine combustion efficiency, the endurance of electronics, and the pilot’s ability to withstand high-altitude, low-temperature conditions. Additionally, at altitudes above five thousand meters, the cockpit starts to automatically supply oxygen.
“Someday, I’ll take that aircraft down from the skies!”
“Yes, let’s report this to the Air Force quickly.”
“Aren’t we doing just that?!”
“Uh! Well, okay! We are!”
The test flights for the J-14 and J-20 were postponed for a few days. Without exception, every takeoff not only carried air-to-air missiles but also laser cannon pods. Fortunately, Lin Mo activated the Light Mirror Technique multiple times and no longer spotted that mysterious high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance aircraft.
“Agreed! At this year’s Paris-Le Bourget International Aerospace Exhibition, you have to be the test pilot for our National Defense Star. With you being our ace, we’ve got it covered.” After two weeks of experimental machine test flights, Chen Haiqing dropped Lin Mo off at the airport as his requested leave was about to end.
Chen Haiqing clearly didn’t want to let such an ace pilot slip away easily. How rare it is to find one amid countless pilots; they must be recognized by senior leaders and have a bright future ahead of them. Even ordinary aces required formal invitations.
“You guys are pretty good too; you can get into the world’s largest airshow?” Lin Mo was somewhat surprised. This wasn’t just a low-tech event; by his estimates, to participate in a show of this level, the National Defense Star (NDS) would need at least three to four years to build its reputation.
The International Aerospace Exhibition, held every two years at the Bourget Airport northeast of Paris, features dozens of countries and nearly two thousand exhibitors. Along with the UK’s Farnborough Airshow, it serves as a barometer for the global aviation industry and is a major source of orders for aircraft manufacturers.
This reveals how urgently the National Defense Star (NDS), with investments exceeding billions, seeks to expand its market and secure larger profit channels.
Only orders are the foundation of survival.
