Changkong Fighter

Chapter 295 Invitation Letter
Inside the hangar of the Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the fighter jet that Liu Jun once piloted was undergoing post-war maintenance. The aircrew carefully inspected the aircraft's fuselage skin and used ultrasonic flaw detection to look for hidden damage inside the fuselage.

The person taking notes breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the record sheet. From the current situation, it seems that this fighter jet did not go directly back to the factory for repairs like the previous two, or it was because the airframe was subjected to high G-forces and needed to be carefully inspected and evaluated.

The enemy this time wasn't strong, but Changkong's encounter was quite interesting.

Inside his private cabin, Liu Jun was writing a report, detailing the entire process of the "Upgrade Ceremony" to his superiors. On the table, his "Mark" was suspended in the air, the symbol more crystalline and translucent than before, as if something was flowing inside.

After finishing the report, Liu Jun wrote down his deductions. This battle could be said to be without any difficulty. The upgraded beings he encountered were somewhat "weak" in terms of both machine performance and strength. Liu Jun had two guesses about their appearance.

① Due to the traditions of extraterrestrial civilizations, even aliens with a "mark" will be invited to participate, but they will be tested to see if the owner is qualified.

② During the promotion ceremony, those of higher rank did not participate but instead observed. After all, in the eyes of the Octopus Brothers, he was a fraud, and even if he won, they would not upgrade his rank until his strength was proven.

Next time, the enemy I will face will probably be much more difficult than this time.

Putting down his pen, Liu Jun checked the report and corrected any problematic wording. Once he was sure it was correct, he began copying the draft into the official report.

After finishing his work, he glanced at the time and realized that two hours had passed. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the [mark] that represented his rank.

Rupa has returned to the alien civilization. It's unknown whether he will fulfill his promise to the other side, or whether he will be eliminated by his own kind for losing his rank.
After considering Rupa, Liu Jun pondered another matter: the ascension ceremony itself. What would happen at the very end? Would he become a Grand Commander? Or would he enter the purview of the hidden civilization? How would his superiors view the ascension ceremony?

Regardless of which one, victory must be achieved in a brutal battle. However, in such a confined environment, it feels like the performance of the J15T he was driving was somewhat insufficient. Pursuing high-speed performance is no longer necessary; instead, low-speed handling and turning radius are more important.

Just as Liu Jun had imagined, inside a heavily guarded workshop at Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, the largest aircraft manufacturing center in Northeast China.

A sixth-generation naval aircraft is being dismantled. While the technicians are working on it, in the office next door, the chief engineer of the sixth-generation naval aircraft is intently watching footage that will almost never be released to the public.

During the upgrade ceremony, in a small space formed by light curtains, the two sides piloted their aircraft and fought like gladiators in a colosseum.

When the chief designer saw the alien spacecraft shot down from the sky plummeting downwards and finally crashing into the light screen and shattering, he frowned deeply.

"That's too barbaric."

Human-made fighter jets are not like this kind of octagonal cage duel, but this battle clearly means that only one person can come out alive, and the combat area is so small. If they win, all is well, but if they lose, the pilots will have no chance of escape.

"Have we reached a truce with the alien civilization in the Western Pacific?" the chief engineer asked.

"No. The fighting has only stopped in the area around the [Upgrade Ceremony], while it is still going on in other areas. So the higher-ups hope that our Sea VI can take on the responsibility of supporting the entire defense line."

Upon hearing the news, the chief engineer scratched his head in slight distress. Although every chief engineer is a big shot, they can also have headaches when faced with certain situations. However, he first needed to ascertain the specific details.

"I'd like to know, is the goal to make every single one of them work, or is it a special-purpose aircraft?"

If it's a specific type of machine that needs it, then only targeted modifications are required. But if all the sixth-generation Sea Machines are modified in this way, the chief designer feels a bit overwhelmed.

"First, we need to deal with Chang Kong's machine body."

"clear."

Since that's the requirement from above, then we need to build up our basic reserves through standalone aircraft. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation has a lot of technical reserves in this area, and the chief engineer already has some ideas.

Unlike existing sixth-generation marine aircraft with all-moving wingtips, Changchun Air Force's special-purpose aircraft will likely require all-moving wings.

Technically speaking, the mechanism of an all-moving wingtip only needs to bear a small amount of weight, and that is only when the wingtip does not need to bear any load. However, the all-moving wing is different. The mechanical structure may have to drive the entire wing to rotate. In addition, there are missiles mounted on the wing. For designers, this is a complete disaster.

As mechanical structures rotate and change, they can cause fatigue to the metal structure. The more complex the mechanism, the more complicated the maintenance and the higher the cost. Fortunately, thanks to advancements in materials science, forward-swept wings will no longer be bent as they were before, as long as the speed is maintained at Mach 1 or subsonic.

Of course, just like the folding wing of the J-15T, the so-called all-motor wing is not the entire wing, but rather a change in the mechanical structure at the folding position of the J-15T wing.

Forward-swept wing structures ensure better connection between the wing and fuselage, rationally distribute the pressure on the wing and nose landing gear, and improve the aircraft's aerodynamic performance during maneuvers, especially at low speeds. They also increase the aircraft's internal volume, creating space for internal weapons bays.

While structural advantages increase airframe strength, the aircraft also exhibits excellent aerodynamic performance during subsonic flight, significantly improving maneuverability at angles of attack. When combined with a thrust vectoring control system, it offers a greater advantage in air combat, substantially increasing close-range maneuverability, enhancing controllability at low speeds, improving aerodynamic efficiency in all flight states, reducing stall speed, minimizing the risk of spin, and improving safety and reliability.

These characteristics are perfectly suited for conducting an "ascension ceremony" with an alien civilization in a cramped "cage".

In addition, compared with swept-wing aircraft of the same wing area, forward-swept wing aircraft have greater lift, 30% more payload, can reduce wing size, reduce frontal drag and structural weight, reduce trim drag, increase subsonic range, improve low-speed handling performance, shorten takeoff and landing distance, and can take off and land on different platforms.

Forward-swept wings and backward-swept wings each have their advantages. As long as the sixth-generation naval aircraft can flexibly switch between forward-swept wings and backward-swept wings, it can adapt to different combat environments.

"Chief Engineer, how long will it take?"

"It will take another six months, that's the fastest we can go." The chief engineer thought about the time and gave a rather conservative estimate.

"clear."

This is the benefit of having technological reserves. If it were a normal research process, the mechanical structure alone would require repeated trials and could take many years. But now, all that's needed is to integrate these technologies. "If other technologies are needed, coordination can be carried out."

After coordinating with the chief engineer, the chief engineer turned to look at the Sea VI on the assembly line. The entire machine was different from the normal Sea VI.

With its no-crisis design, elimination of the weapons bay, rigid refueling boom on the fuselage, and vertical launch units on the fuselage, it can carry a total of 96 small-diameter missiles on both sides. The wing pylons can also carry small-diameter missile launch pods. In addition, with missile pods or conformal weapons bays, it is not impossible for a sixth-generation naval aircraft to carry more than 150 missiles.

The problem is that the aircraft's engines need to be upgraded, otherwise it will become a short-legged aircraft like the MiG-29, which neither the Air Force nor the Navy can accept as a "protector of airports and aircraft carriers".

"The higher authorities are considering holding a military parade on October 11st this year, and inviting friendly Middle Eastern countries on November 11th."

Hearing the commissioner say this, the chief designer roughly understood the situation. The military parade was intended to increase the public's awareness of the country's military strength. After all, the Northeast has been at peace for too long. Even though the war has been going on since 2024, the country has not yet entered a state of war. It's just that the military industry and other related industries have started working overtime.

Among them, the happiest people are undoubtedly the civil engineers. Starting in 2025, the civil engineering industry entered a period of boom due to the construction of civil defense works, followed by the chemical industry, heavy industry, cement plants, and so on. In just over a year, people have clearly felt the economic upswing and the prosperity of all walks of life.

The same applies to imports and exports. Europe and Russia import large quantities of goods from the East, then sell them to the United States at a higher price, just like the things the United States did before.

As for inviting friendly countries in November, it's obvious that it's the Middle East's "Double 11". Currently, the only country on Earth with the capacity to sell things abroad is the Middle East.
-
After the upgrade ceremony, Liu Jun transferred to Guam with his fighter jet and two Loyal Guardians.

076 also completed its mission and, escorted by a 054 and a 903, returned to the Ryukyu defense line to resupply.

With the defense of the Ryukyu Islands taken over by the University of Tokyo, the entire East China Sea and South China Sea have become the University of Tokyo's inland sea. The industrial chain in the coastal areas has been transferred inland, and then the Dongfeng Express, air force bases, and naval bases have been transferred to the Ryukyu Islands, making it an unsinkable aircraft carrier.

Several island groups in the western Pacific, along with Guam, form a large triangle with the first and second island chains, mutually protecting each other and maintaining a strategic foothold in the western Pacific, thus keeping extraterrestrial civilizations out of the Pacific.

Ding Dong!

Liu Jun's phone beeped. He took it out and saw He Xiaoxi's avatar flashing: [Ascended One~ What are you doing?]

[You haven't done anything, just resting. Aren't you busy?]

Liu Jun would occasionally chat with He Xiaoxi, just like friends having casual conversations.

【Okay, gotta get busy now~ Bye~】

【bye.】

After speaking, Liu Jun was unsure what He Xiaoxi was busy with. Looking at the J-15T that had been prepared in the hangar, Song Xizhu was focused on checking the laser search radar. She seemed to sense something, turned her head to look in Liu Jun's direction, and the two looked at each other. The senior sister smiled at him.

At that moment, Liu Jun felt a jolt in his heart, as if something was stirring within him. His senior sister was busy with his fighter jets all day long; should he give her something to express his gratitude? He understood the ways of the world.

While pondering, Liu Jun had a headache. What should he give her? Come to think of it, the first woman he ever gave money to was his own mother; he gave her his entire first month's allowance.

Next time, ask Lü Guangming and Wang Jian. They know Senior Sister and can tell you what gift would be appropriate.

It's already August, and typhoons have begun to form and affect the western Pacific, causing some disruption to the southwest monsoon. As a result, problems arise, such as aircraft carriers and land-based aircraft being unable to take off under extreme weather conditions, and even warships having to return to port to take shelter from the storm.

Although they have retreated into the port, Guam has also entered a state of high alert in accordance with instructions from their superiors.

According to the "inside information" revealed by the corps commander, the higher-ups are very worried that an alien civilization might launch an attack on human military forces in the Pacific during this window of opportunity.

After all, when extraterrestrial civilizations came to Earth, even though some rebels provided intelligence, judging from their reactions, they were not fully adapted to Earth's environment. However, after more than a year of intelligence gathering, they should have gained some understanding of the impact of climate on human spacecraft.

While extreme weather will certainly have an impact on extraterrestrial civilizations as well, their spacecraft do not rely on aerodynamics but on "internal stress," so they might still be able to fight under extreme weather conditions. Of course, their weapon systems will also malfunction under extreme weather, but the impact on humanity will ultimately be greater.

The wind outside was getting stronger and stronger, and a typhoon was forming. Raindrops were falling from the sky and hitting the hangar above, making a sound.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! It's raining!"

"Hurry up!"

Holding an umbrella, Liu's father pulled Liu's mother towards the entrance of their apartment building. It must be said that since being rehired, his superiors have been treating him exceptionally well. Especially since leaders and other officials have come to visit him during the Spring Festival, Liu's father feels that his life is going very smoothly, with leaders coming to talk to him every few days.

Now the neighbors all know about it, and everyone treats his family with great respect. In fact, his salary is higher than that of other retired employees who have been rehired. It's strange, though, that while other families have sons who benefit from their fathers' success, in his case, it's the son who benefits from his son's success.

"Old man, someone came the day before yesterday to introduce Jun'er to a potential partner," Aunt Liu said softly as she opened the building door.

"Hmph! Is that a matchmaking service? Why didn't anyone come before our son did anything good? Now that they see there's something to gain, they've all come!" Liu's father said coldly. He knew all too well what those people were thinking. "Let our son choose his own partner. Oh, by the way, I received a call today saying they're bringing us something."

As they talked, the two walked to the door and saw a special EMS envelope pinned to the door, bearing a high-status mark.

"Old Liu, what's this?"

(End of this chapter)