Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 660 Fighter Weapon System Upgrade: Copying the Vulcan Cannon or the GShG-7.62?

A new day dawns at the base in northern Myanmar.

Gong Xiuneng got up early and went to the research institute's canteen to bring back steamed buns and porridge.

He went up to the third floor and knocked on Fang Wen's office door. There was a bed in the office, and Fang Wen often stayed overnight there.

Fang Wen's voice came from inside: "Come in, the door isn't locked."

Gong Xiuneng pushed open the door and stepped inside: "Commander, the meat buns today are delicious! I'll have some pickled vegetables and porridge with them."

Before he could finish speaking, he froze, looking utterly bewildered, and nearly dropped the steamed buns and porridge in his hands.

His eyes were fixed on the small black bamboo figure on Fang Wen's desk. It would sometimes walk upright, sometimes jump and roll, its movements so fluid as if it were being controlled by invisible threads, yet there were clearly no control lines on the desk.

"Commander... what... what's going on?" Gong Xiuneng stammered, his voice filled with shock and confusion.

Involuntarily, the Taoist magic of controlling paper figures that his master had told him when he was drunk came to mind. Those paper figures, which were said to be imbued with spirituality, could obey the Taoist priest's commands and complete all sorts of incredible tasks.

Could it be that the captain also possesses this mysterious magic?
Fang Wen looked up and saw Gong Xiuneng's shocked expression, and smiled slightly.

People always need trustworthy people around them; otherwise, how can so many secrets be kept?

Therefore, he decided to share a little secret with his bodyguard.

"Don't just stand there, bring me breakfast." He reached out and took the breakfast from Gong Xiuneng's hand, placing it aside. "This is my new discovery last night, it's quite interesting. I can control it to do a lot of things."

As Fang Wen spoke, he controlled the bamboo figure to walk to the edge of the desk, then suddenly jumped down, did a somersault in the air, but failed to stand up, rolling twice on the ground before finally getting to his feet.

Recovering from the shock, Gong Xiuneng couldn't help but worry, "Won't it break?"

"It won't break. Just watch, I'll control it to climb up."

Fang Wen stood up and quietly channeled energy into the light bead in his palm.

The black bamboo-shaped figure walked to the table leg, spread its arms and legs, and tried to climb up the table leg.

But its hands and feet are bare, so how could it hang on the table legs? It simply couldn't climb up.

"No, it won't work. We need to make more climbing parts for it," Fang Wen said regretfully. He then stopped controlling the black bamboo figure, squatted down, picked up the stiff little figure, and placed it on the table.

"Commander, do you know magic?" Gong Xiuneng asked in a low voice.

"I don't know any magic. This is the power of the black bead I brought from the lake."

As he spoke, Fang Wen opened his hand, and the black substance on the black bamboo figure faded away, eventually turning into a worm-like liquid that crawled onto the surface of the light pearl and enveloped it.

It eventually solidified and turned back into a black bead.

Gong Xiuneng's eyes widened. "Goodness, this is the kind of magic weapon Master was talking about. It's a pity Master never saw it in his entire life, but I saw it first."

In response, Fang Wen couldn't help but explain: "I think it uses some kind of energy, which is converted into electromagnetic energy, and controls this black substance through an invisible magnetic field."

Gong Xiuneng wouldn't listen to any of that, and confidently assured them: "Commander, you can rest assured, even if I tear my mouth off, I will never reveal the secret of this magic weapon."

Seeing this, Fang Wen said no more and picked up the steamed buns and porridge to eat.

After finishing his meal, he lay down on the bed in his office, but even though he hadn't slept all night, he couldn't fall asleep.

My mind is filled with images of controlling the black bamboo figure.

In his mind, this treasure has even more functions that can be developed.

This treasure can control black matter within a 100-meter range.

It can be used to infiltrate enclosed areas, conduct unmanned exploration, and perform actions that humans cannot do.

For example, navigating narrow, confined areas to obtain intelligence documents from a secret room.

Furthermore, it can be used in conjunction with one's own ability to see through gems, allowing for observation and then control of infiltration.

But to achieve all this, transformation is necessary.

The simple bamboo stick figure is too rudimentary and lacks practicality. How can it be improved?
Fang Wen's mind conjured up images of future robotics technology.

Such complex mechanical structures are made up of multiple joints and links connected in sequence. They are powered by motors, pneumatic or hydraulic systems and require precise sensors and processing chips to acquire external data and perform operations.

You can eliminate the complex components related to power and sensor processing by using the secret treasure, but joints and linkages are still necessary.

Wait a minute, Fang Wen suddenly realized he had gone off on a tangent.

My greatest strengths are mechanical perception and aerial maneuvering.

How can controlling a small person compare to expanding air superiority?

Wouldn't it be better to use this capability on airplanes?

Thinking of this, Fang Wen sat up and returned to his desk.

He opened his notebook and wrote down his thoughts.

[Secret Project: Bold Body]

[Key advantages of this project: excellent hardness and toughness, superior electrical conductivity, resistance to high temperatures, strong acids, and strong alkalis, ability to undergo phase transitions (solid to liquid), and controllability.]

[Unique drawback of this project: It cannot be produced; the volume is only 0.25 cubic centimeters.]

[Applications discovered: Protective armor for critical areas (excellent, small area), attachment (fist, small objects)]

[Proposed application scenario: Aircraft internal control system (due to its extensibility and free movement, it can become a controllable switch inside the aircraft.)]

Fang Wen put down his pen and smiled.

He finally found the best use for this treasure.

If placed in the aircraft's weapon control system and engine, one could use their supernatural abilities to manipulate the aircraft's internal components more quickly and extensively.

In this way, fighter jets under one's own control can break through the upper limit of airborne weapons and optimize firepower to the maximum extent.

It can also control aircraft engines more precisely, allowing for more complete internal combustion, stronger power, and even enabling single-engine jet propulsion ahead of schedule.

With a new idea in mind, Fang Wen put away the black ball, tucked his notebook into his pocket, and hurried downstairs. Gong Xiuneng immediately followed him from outside the door.

The two went directly to the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant, where the plant manager, Lin Yifei, rushed over to greet them.

"General Manager, you're here to inspect our factory, right? Everything has gone smoothly this month; there have been no production accidents, and we've delivered on time."

Fang Wen shook his head: "I came here this time to upgrade and modify the high-speed fighter jets. I'm going to call all the outstanding engineers in the factory to have a meeting at the Qinyuan hangar."

"Okay." Lin Yifei quickly left.

Fang Wenze and Gong Xiuneng went to the hangar first.

Not long after, Lin Yifei led the engineers into the hangar.

Everyone picked up their small stools and sat down. Fang Wen, leaning against the Qinyuan, spoke up: "Our Taishan high-speed fighter jets are going to undergo an upgrade. The project is called Taishan High-Speed ​​Type 2, and it will be based on my Qinyuan. My requirements are that the aircraft's weapon system be further enhanced, with heavy aircraft machine guns mounted on the left and right wings, and a rocket launcher mounted under the nose. This model will eliminate the carrying of aerial bombs, focusing on air combat and eliminating the enemy, striving for firepower coverage."

The engineers took careful notes during the meeting.

Fang Wen continued, "The existing 12.7mm caliber aircraft machine guns do not meet my requirements in terms of firepower density and need to be improved. I want to mount a multi-barrel rotary-fire aircraft machine gun, similar to a Gatling gun, on the aircraft."

The engineers stopped writing and looked up at Fang Wen in surprise.

As a military aircraft engineer, I need to understand all kinds of weapons.

They naturally knew about Gatling guns.

This weapon first appeared during the American Civil War and was launched using a hand-cranked rotary feeder.

Given the technology available at the time, this firing mode offered a much faster rate of fire than other firearms, making it very popular.

However, later, newer single-barreled automatic weapons appeared, and this bulky weapon, which required two people to operate, was phased out.

This type of weapon is no longer seen on the battlefield today.

Lin Yifei, representing the engineers, raised a question: "General Manager, is it really appropriate to mount a Gatling gun on an aircraft?"

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Of course it's not the kind from decades ago, but our self-developed new Gatling-style aircraft machine gun."

Upon hearing Fang Wen's words, the mechanics became very interested.

They also hoped that the aircraft they built would have a more powerful firepower output.

But the key to all of this is having the blueprints and component structure data for the new Gatling-style aircraft machine gun.

Only Fang Wen could obtain that kind of information.

Therefore, Fang Wen stayed in the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant, recalling his future memories and attempting to replicate them.

In future memories, Gatling-style aircraft machine guns appear repeatedly, in films and television programs, as well as in popular science and military materials.

These include armed helicopter versions, gunship versions, vehicle-mounted and ship-based versions, and models that are directly mounted on fighter jets.

However, there are mainly two types.

The American Vulcan cannon, and the Soviet GShG-7.62.

Of these two, the American Vulcan cannon has a complex design, consisting of hundreds of parts, and uses an electric drive mode to rotate the barrel.

It's not easy to achieve.

The Soviet GShG-7.62, adhering to its consistent practical minimalism, has a much simpler component structure and does not use an external electric drive mode. Instead, it uses the pneumatic power of the propellant gas to drive the barrel rotation, which is more in line with current technological conditions.

In response, Fang Wen directly chose the Soviet GShG-7.62, constantly recalling fragments from his memory, and sketched out the mechanical diagram of the GShG-7.62.

(GShG-7.62 Overall Structure)

(After disassembly of GShG-7.62)
In two days, Fang Wen analyzed the mechanism of GShG-7.62 and drew up structural drawings.

Of course, these cannot directly produce the GShG-7.62 machine gun; the component data still needs to be continuously modified during the trial production process.

This meant Fang Wen had to do it himself.

He called upon a universal milling machine and began by manufacturing four gun barrels.

The original version was 7.62 caliber, but the current production line of Taishan Bullet Factory is 7.92 caliber bullets. In order to match, Fang Wen changed this data to 7.92 mm caliber barrel.

After the barrel is made, two barrel clamps are needed to fix it at the front and back. These parts are made of Soviet-made high-strength alloy steel.

The inner ring of the barrel clamp should have an arc-shaped groove that matches the outer circle of the barrel, and be locked with a set screw to ensure that the barrel spacing is fixed.

Next is the barrel bushing, which fits between the breech of the barrel and the rear band. It has a chamber positioning surface inside to ensure the coaxiality of the bullet when it enters the chamber. It is made of copper alloy and has both buffering and guiding functions.

After the barrel assembly is completed, the next step is the rotary drive mechanism.

This mechanism is the core technology of the GShG-7.62, responsible for converting the energy of the propellant gas into the rotational power of the barrel assembly, while driving the ammunition feeding system to work in coordination. It consists of a gas guide device, piston assembly, ratchet mechanism and rotating body.

The gas guiding device requires 4 sets, paired with 4 gun barrels, and consists of a gas guiding block, a gas guiding chamber, and an exhaust port.

There are also four piston assemblies. When the piston moves backward, the shift fork pushes the pawl to rotate around the ratchet shaft, which in turn drives the ratchet to rotate. After the piston sits back into position, the return spring pushes the piston to return to its original position, preparing for the next gas drive.

The ratchet is the core of this mechanism. Due to a lack of actual data, Fang Wen had to conduct multiple trials to create a suitable gear structure.

After some trial and error, and with the help of his special abilities, he managed to create a ratchet that met the overall requirements of the equipment.

The last component is the rotating body, a hollow cylinder. Its front end is connected to the rear band of the barrel assembly via a locating pin, and its rear end is fitted with a bearing inside the receiver. It has four bolt guides (corresponding to the four barrels) inside to guide the bolt movement.

The following structures include: the feeding system (feeding mechanism, ejection mechanism, belt guide), the locking firing mechanism (bolt assembly, firing assembly, extraction and ejection assembly), and the receiver.

Time passed slowly, and Fang Wen meticulously replicated the powerful weapon from 20 years later in the processing workshop.

From only knowing the structural diagram at the beginning to making each component by hand.

Thanks to his mechanical perception ability, he can have a very precise understanding of what he makes every time he creates a component, which greatly shortens the correction process.

What would take a team of others six months or even a year to replicate, Fang Wen accomplished in half a month using the technology and equipment of this era.

Next came the test environment.

He called on the mechanics involved in the project to conduct launch tests at a temporary target area set up next to the runway of the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant.

Under the watchful eyes of the mechanics, Fang Wen placed the Taishan high-speed aircraft machine gun (Gatling rotary type) components on the assembly table.

After the assembly was completed, Fang Wen spoke.

"I designed this high-speed machine gun to be universal, so that it can be mounted on military vehicles, ships, and aircraft. The installation method is also very simple. What I am demonstrating now is the vehicle-mounted and ship-mounted installation mode."

As he spoke, he had Gong Xiuneng and a mechanic carry an aircraft machine gun to the Taishan military vehicle.

The two men connected the triangular bracket with hydraulic buffer, fixing clamps, bracket bottom and other parts to the vehicle's weapon mount, and then installed the machine gun.

After it was assembled, a mechanic drove the car, while Gong Xiuneng stood in the back seat, gripping the machine gun handles with both hands and aiming at the moving target.

As the car drove by, Gong Xiuneng quickly adjusted the firing angle, pulled the trigger, and kept the gun aimed at the target.

Four jets of fire shot from the muzzle, sweeping across the distant target area.

Before long, the entire box of ammunition belts was used up.

The effect was very good; the target was torn to shreds, and the rate of fire reached 3000 rounds per minute.

Although it cannot match the Vulcan cannon's rate of fire of 6000 rounds per minute 20 years later, it is more than sufficient for air combat in this era.

Now with upgraded and powerful air combat weapons, plus new secret treasures, Fang Wen immediately devoted himself to upgrading and modifying his fighter jets.

(End of this chapter)