The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 498 The Sea of ​​Stars
"Aren't they afraid of suffering huge losses and being unable to explain themselves to the public by doing this on their own turf?"

Liu Hua shook his head: "Back then, in order to join World War II and to have a legitimate reason, they knew that the Japanese were going to bomb Pearl Harbor, but they pretended not to hear it. The losses were the country's, the insurance industry's, and the people's. What did it have to do with those interest groups?"

"Ruthless." Ma Shan gave a thumbs up: "I have to say, they really are ruthless, but this is just your conjecture, and you can't take it seriously for now."

"Just wait and see, there will definitely be something earth-shattering."

That night, Liu Hua rested at the guesthouse. Resting in the military camp gave him a great sense of security, and he slept in until ten o'clock.

Standing on the balcony, Liu Hua saw planes taking off in the distance. Although they were old models, they still silently shouldered the important task of guarding the motherland's airspace.

Liu Hua scratched his head. J10, J20—it's all following the same trajectory as his previous life. Is he being a little too incompetent?

Once we've developed the new engine and the knock engine, we'll decide what to do next—we'll do some of the things that cutting-edge technology should be doing.

Isn't it just the Nantianmen Project? Isn't it just a suborbital spacecraft? If the country doesn't have the money to do it, I will. Liu Hua's money is definitely not as much as the country's, but Liu Hua's technology is definitely more mature than the country's.

After having Ma Shan send a car to take him home, Liu Hua devoted himself entirely to the design of the new engine, completing his tasks one by one, and then focusing on the development of the interstellar era.

Suddenly, the Navy called Liu Hua, inviting him to participate in a review.

This was a new experience for Liu Hua, as it had always been other experts who reviewed his projects. This was the first time Liu Hua had reviewed another expert's project, and he readily agreed and went to the meeting.

This review focused on the design of a new missile boat. Looking at the familiar figure on the PPT, Liu Hua couldn't help but sigh, "As expected, we've come this far."

The chief designer was a female engineer, and her explanation was quite poignant because both the designers and the reviewers knew that once the missile boat set sail, it would essentially be a one-way trip.

Liu Hua raised his hand: "I am against this design. I know the reality is unavoidable, but we engineers can use our brains to come up with some different designs. There is no need to use soldiers' lives as a bargaining chip."

The naval leader nodded, but then said helplessly, "Academician Liu, we also know that using this missile boat in combat is basically a one-way trip, but that's the reality. For the sake of our country's peace, we have no choice but to make this sacrifice."

"What about unmanned design?" Liu Hua suddenly asked. "Modern communication technology is very advanced. Just like drones, we can convert this missile boat into an unmanned missile boat."

The chief designer shook his head: "Once we enter the battlefield, it will be filled with all kinds of electromagnetic waves and radar waves. The requirements for unmanned operation are too high, and we may even be subject to electromagnetic suppression by the enemy, making it impossible for us to operate it at all."

Liu Hua waved his hand: "I can do it. I have some experience in semiconductors, and I think such missiles are just a temporary measure, so there's no need to do too much of it."

Liu Hua paused for a moment and said, "The large destroyer I designed will be launched in less than two years. Your missile boat might be obsolete before it's even launched. There's really no need for us to choose such a tragic method of warfare." The naval leader asked excitedly, "That 10,000-ton ship from Jiangnan Shipyard can be launched in two years?"

"The keel has been laid." Liu Hua said confidently, "Two years is an overestimation. With nearly a hundred vertical launch units on board, as long as we equip it with good anti-ship missiles, it will be a sure-fire carrier killer."

“Academician Liu,” the chief designer asked, “Right now we don’t have good anti-ship missiles, which is why we need to use fast missile boats to break through the enemy’s defense network, get as close as possible, and then launch.”

Liu Hua said with a smile, "Then what we need is not a ship, but a good anti-ship missile."

A naval leader sighed, "Developing warships is difficult, but developing missiles is even more difficult."

"Don't be discouraged. The air force already has world-class air-to-air missiles, so why can't the navy have world-class anti-ship missiles?"

The naval leader naturally knew who designed that world-class air-to-air missile, and he excitedly shook Liu Hua's hand.

"Academician Liu, would you be willing to design a world-class anti-ship missile for our navy?"

"I have a feeling that today's review meeting is a trap for me," Liu Hua said with a smile. "I just said a couple of days ago that after I finish my current work, I will focus on aerospace engineering. I'm here for another review, and I've taken on another job. If this continues, I'll never finish all the work I have."

"The capable should do more," the naval leader said with a smile. "Chief Engineer Yang, your missile boat design is indeed excellent, but we really can't bear to use the lives of our soldiers as a bargaining chip to exchange for the opportunity to destroy the aircraft carrier."

Liu Hua explained, "The missile boat is actually quite good, but the design is a real failure. Let's change it to unmanned. Future warfare will definitely move towards unmanned operations. The Air Force has made good progress with drones, and you can learn from their experience. As for the complex battlefield situation that makes remote control impossible, that's even simpler. It's a one-way ticket anyway. Just let the computer handle it. Once the radar detects the largest target, the computer will control it to rush forward at all costs and launch it as soon as it reaches the predetermined range. I think in this respect, the computer's reaction speed is faster than that of a human."

The female designer nodded: "Thank you for your guidance, Academician Liu. I will try my best to move in that direction."

"Academician Liu, what are your thoughts on missiles?"

"It's just a matter of being faster and farther. If we extend the range to 1,000 kilometers, we won't need to penetrate the enemy's carrier defenses. We can use hypersonic missiles to break through defenses and catch the enemy off guard."

"Increasing the range inevitably requires increasing the fuel. If the missile body is made too large, it may not be possible to launch it from a ship. If the missile body is not increased, then the warhead must be reduced."

Liu Hua held up a finger: "So that means there are two issues. First, more efficient fuel; second, a more powerful warhead. I don't have any ideas about the fuel yet, but I already have a draft in mind for the new type of explosive used in the warhead."

The naval leader excitedly pressed on, "You've got a clue about explosives? Have you invented an explosive even more powerful than CL20?"

(End of this chapter)