Chapter 459

Chapter 459: Su-47 "Golden Eagle"

“Move along, no boarding allowed!”

The Signal Flag soldier’s gaze remained distrustful. A Chinese!

Even when it came to Sukhoi personnel, he held a measure of suspicion. Within his duties, not even a fly could pass by.

In fact, there were several bottles of insecticide in a nearby toolbox. With modern technology, it was not surprising if living flies had installed detection chips.

Understanding the diligence of the Russian special forces, Lin Mo smiled at him and nodded before following the others.

The Su-47, code-named "Golden Eagle," features the cutting-edge design of forward-swept wings as its most prominent characteristic. It is produced by the Russian Sukhoi Experimental Design Bureau and is a multipurpose fighter and a technology demonstrator for Russia’s fifth-generation fighters, with a production cost of no less than 50 million dollars.

As the first prototype, it originally used the D-30F6 engine, but now it has been replaced with twin AL-41F turbofan engines. The wings employ blended technology, with 90% of the structural components made of composite materials, focusing on strength, which is crucial for forward-swept wings. It was only with the help of the gold giant dragon that Lin Mo had enough confidence to use the forward-swept design.

The wing roots extend back to form a horizontal stabilizer, featuring a leading-edge sweep angle of 70 degrees, while the twin vertical tails tilt outward by about 6 degrees with a leading-edge sweep of 45 degrees, including built-in rudders.

Compared to conventional fighters, the "Golden Eagle" can improve its turn rate by 14%, increase its operational radius by 34%, and shorten takeoff and landing distances by 35% to 50%… It possesses excellent low-altitude, low-speed maneuverability and super maneuverability, with operational parameters on par with the F-22 Raptor.

With the forward-swept wing design, super maneuverability is its greatest asset.

As if admiring a beautiful piece of art, Lin Mo’s right hand grazed the surface of the aircraft. Such close interaction was a rare opportunity, and he had been allowed near the "Golden Eagle" only because he had agreed to help Sukhoi with the transfer of a Su-27.

If anyone could touch it, the aircraft’s skin would be polished by the fingerprints of the visitors after just one exhibition, ruining its pristine appearance and finish.

During this contact, the gold giant dragon Gold Coin’s split probe seized the opportunity to infiltrate and began analyzing and scanning the fighter’s structure and design. Sukhoi and the Russian military were unaware that the true secrets of this "Golden Eagle" were slowly being unraveled in front of a Dragon Knight from another world.

The dark green coating had a high level of smoothness. The feedback from the Gold Coin revealed that the wings utilized a large amount of high-strength composite materials. Based on the installation marks, these were not the original materials but high-grade nano materials upgraded once or twice. These not only enhanced the fighter’s resistance in supersonic conditions but also improved the stealth properties weakened by its shape, reducing wingtip vortices.

However, the "Golden Eagle’s" maximum speed reached only 2 Mach, which was already its limit. Unlike typical fighters, it could exceed a bit; however, if it surpassed 1.6 Mach, the forward-swept wings, which endured greater vibrations and pressures, would age faster. If it accelerated recklessly, the "Golden Eagle" could become a one-time suicidal missile.

When radar waves hit it directly, the sharp angles and converging reflection angles of the forward-swept wings would amplify radar echoes, severely affecting stealth performance. Sukhoi’s solution was to use non-metallic materials.

Sukhoi solved the problem but presented the Gold Coin with a challenge; this entity was naturally a nemesis to metals but couldn’t digest non-metallic composite materials, only skimming the surface while probing the internal metal frame. It struggled to analyze the wing body’s materials and had no choice but to delve inward.

“How about this, the S-37 is our pride at Sukhoi!” Whenever Sergei Sulotov, the senior engineer, mentioned the "Golden Eagle," his face brimming with pride.

The S-37 he referred to was the internal project code for the Su-47 "Golden Eagle" at Sukhoi’s facility; only Sukhoi’s personnel would call the "Golden Eagle" S-37. The "S" did not stand for the first letter of SUKHOI but referred to the forward-swept wings.

A similar example was the Su-27, with an engineering code of T-10, where "T" indicated a triangular wing.

“It truly is a great aircraft!” Lin Mo was more focused on the revolutionary improvements resulting from the combination of materials and aerodynamic design, his hand gliding over the body as he walked around the "Golden Eagle."

Seeing Lin Mo’s hand touch the "Golden Eagle’s" canard wing, engineer Sergei Sulotov commented, “This is the canard wing design. While it solves the lift balance problem and enhances maneuverability, it’s just a compromise. It’s not a good combination with the forward-swept wings, and the stealth performance isn’t optimal.”

“Indeed.”

Lin Mo, who had specialized in aerodynamic design with a retired expert from the 611 Institute, nodded in agreement with engineer Sergei Sulotov’s remark.

As a professional, he could even determine an aircraft’s performance and weaknesses solely from its external aerodynamic layout.

At that moment, Yu Song finally opened his hand, allowing the metal wire from the "Golden Eagle" to return to his fingers, connecting in a loop around his pinky joint.

While he couldn’t discern some components of the non-metallic composites, he comprehended the cockpit design and functional modules, as well as the overall parameters of the aircraft—all were clear to him.

As long as it was made of metal, the gold giant dragon could perceive details down to micrometer precision and probe without reserve.

“Come on, let’s check our Su-27! It’s an amazing model and our country’s main fighter for exports, not inferior to the MiG-29 at all!”

Engineer Sergei Sulotov was in high spirits, pulling Lin Mo along to look at the nearby Su-27s.

While they admired the "Golden Eagle," the crew members from the same bus had already begun pre-flight inspections of the aircraft and called for the fuel truck to come over.

Unlike the MiG, which was fading into sunset, there was an upward trend, especially as Sukhoi secured the T-50 project for Russia’s fifth-generation fighters, finally shaking off the frustration of the past when the export orders were mostly taken by the MiG-21, bringing a sense of relief and accomplishment.

Lin Mo shouldered his bag, retrieved his watch from the Signal Flag soldier, and reattached it to his left wrist. Everything returned to normal.

Unbeknownst to everyone, in such a short span of time, most of the secrets of Sukhoi’s pride, the Su-47 "Golden Eagle," had been stored within that small watch.

Seven Su-27 Guardians lined up neatly on the tarmac, having already released their front wheel locks and removed the chocks from the landing gear.

The mechanics brought over by Sukhoi split into pairs with a total of three teams to conduct pre-flight checks on these seven fighters.

Since the range was short, there was no need to mount additional fuel tanks; refilling the internal tanks was enough to reach their destination.

“Hey! Hey! Guys, do you have any extra pressure suits?” Engineer Sergei Sulotov clapped his hands and loudly asked the six Russian air force pilots who were preparing.

Since Lin Mo had been called in mid-journey to help, he hadn’t brought an extra pressure suit. Although they were so close, it wasn’t a combat flight, making the suit less critical, but safety remained the priority.

Pilots experience G-forces in all directions while airborne, with the greatest impact coming from head to toe. When G-forces reach a certain level, it can lead to insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the brain, causing vision issues or even loss of consciousness, resulting in destruction and loss of life. High-quality pressure suits can reduce the chances of pilots experiencing redout or blackout and minimize physical harm.

Almost one in five pilots has experienced loss of consciousness due to overload, making this one of the greatest threats they face during flight.

“Sorry, Mr. Sulotov, we only brought one suit and have no extras. How about finding some bandages or cloth straps to wrap it up?”

One Russian air force pilot, who was putting on his pressure suit with the help of a comrade, shrugged and spread his hands, indicating he could do nothing else, as it was rare for someone to carry two pressure suits; after all, this was special flying gear, not ordinary clothing.

However, he still proposed an emergency plan for times when a pressure suit wasn’t available.

The most commonly used pressure suits globally utilize a five-bladder design that covers most of the abdomen and lower body. By working with the aircraft’s high-pressure G-force system, air is automatically injected into the suit based on changes in G-forces, applying mechanical pressure to the pilot’s abdomen and limbs, preventing blood from pooling downwards and ensuring vital organs like the heart and brain receive adequate blood supply, effectively enhancing the pilot’s G-force tolerance.

The emergency plan the pilot offered involved wrapping bandages around the abdomen and legs, applying direct mechanical pressure; while it couldn’t adjust autonomously like a true pressure suit, it could serve at least for short-range, low-G maneuvers.

This idea wasn’t a novel concept created by the pilot; it had been in use for quite some time and proved workable.

After the founding of the first aviation school by the Chinese Communist Party, without specialized flying suits, they had to tie the trainees’ clothing with hemp ropes, ensuring that the first generation of Communist pilots took to the skies.

“Ah? Wrap it? How can that work? Wouldn’t that turn them into mummies? No, no! Someone needs to help borrow one, check with the French air force! We’ll return it right away.” Sergei Sulotov said, anxiously going in circles, finding the suggestions from the local pilots entirely out of touch.