Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 454 Even the Americans got fooled!
Qin Liang was surprised.

Now that he's here, he has to do something, but whether he can succeed or not, he has no idea.

After all, even in the 1980s, there was still a group of Americans who were hostile to the East.

His important task was to deceive, to mislead the Americans in the wrong direction. You were trying to fool the Russians, but it turned out to be true. If you don't catch up soon, you'll be left behind by the Russians!
If the Americans get on the wrong boat again, it will hinder their economic development. And for many things, the Americans pay much more for research and development than the Russians.

As for the successful research and development...

The Star Wars programs could not have been developed in the 1980s. Even the NMD and TMD, which were eventually successful, were made using advanced electronic technology from the 1990s. That's why the Americans wanted to invite us from the East to join Star Wars, but we won't take the bait.

Now, the Americans have actually been fooled by Qin Liang and want to ask Northwestern Polytechnical University for help in developing a stealth carrier-based aircraft!
In terms of stealth capabilities, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) is truly strong. Lockheed Martin sought cooperation with NPU, while Grumman and Boeing also collaborate with NPU.

Northrop appears to be not cooperating, but in reality... no one knows, perhaps they are cooperating in secret?

The U.S. Air Force is already developing fourth-generation fighter jets, and the U.S. Navy cannot lag behind!
Right now, we're just asking Easterners to help with the design drawings, not asking them to do the detailed research and development. The US Navy can make that decision!

As for how those arms dealers will react... well, that's something to behold.

Well, when you were bidding, whoever cooperated with Dongfang University would be blacklisted. But now, your military is actually taking the initiative to cooperate with Northwestern Polytechnical University. Your military is truly shameless!

“If you only need a simple design, a symbolic $20 million will suffice, and we guarantee the Navy will be satisfied,” Qin Liang said. “If you want a complete external design, it will cost $100 million. If you want us to design the structure as well, and you can start construction directly based on the drawings, it will cost at least $300 million.”

“Twenty million dollars isn’t a lot; we can afford it,” Louis said.

They only need an original design drawing; the detailed design can, of course, be handed over to relevant domestic companies for development.

"Okay, transfer the money to our Northwestern Polytechnical University account now, and I'll notify the relevant authorities in China..."

“Wait!” Louis interrupted him. “Now, shouldn’t we hear your thoughts first?”

Qin Liang smiled and said, "The multifaceted structure of the F-117 is outdated. As an attack aircraft, it does not need to have high maneuverability. I think the flying wing layout is the best choice."

Flying Wing!

On a regular airplane, the fuselage, wings, and tail are clearly visible, and even if it uses a blended wing-body design, they can still be distinguished.

No, it's not a flying wing.

The aircraft looks like a single, large, integrated wing! Moreover, its shape has been designed for excellent stealth from the very beginning.

"From a top-down view, it resembles an obtuse isosceles triangle. The fuselage is about ten meters long and the wingspan is about twenty meters. Of course, the wings can be folded up, and the wingspan after folding will be less than ten meters."

"Doesn't that mean it takes up less space than an A-6?" a naval officer exclaimed in surprise.

For the U.S. Navy, a smaller footprint is desirable, as it means they can carry more aircraft!

"That's natural. When you place them on the aircraft carrier, you can also arrange them carefully, such as placing them bow to stern. This makes good use of the angle of the nose of the aircraft and saves even more space."

Qin Liang knew that his deception was about to succeed.

"At the same time, the flying wing design eliminates any wasted space, allowing it to carry a large amount of fuel to increase its range, while also providing ample space for internal weapons bays to increase payload. Such an aircraft is a ghost in the sky..."

In 1978, Northrop's B-2 bomber project had already begun preliminary research, so the US Navy had some understanding of the flying wing layout. Now, the solution proposed by Qin Liang is not a pipe dream, but a possibility that can be realized, and they are looking forward to it!

"The maximum thickness across the entire wing section is about 2.1 meters, which is where the cockpit is located. As an attack aircraft, it requires a two-person piloting system. The cockpit has angled air intakes on both sides with bent air intake ducts. There is no rudder at the tail, which is replaced entirely by a horizontal tail that can tilt up and down. Two F412 engines are sufficient, which are compatible with the Navy's existing engines, reducing the difficulty of logistics, maintenance and upkeep..."

The F412 is a non-afterburning version of the F404 engine. This type of stealth aircraft with a flying wing layout is destined to be unable to fly supersonic.

After Qin Liang's introduction, the U.S. Air Force officers present all nodded in approval.

"Okay, okay, we can transfer those twenty million dollars within a week! Northwestern Polytechnical University..."

"We can provide you with a shape design plan within a month, and the aerodynamics and stealth will satisfy the Navy!"

"it is good!"

"So, folks, are you really not considering an electromagnetic catapult?"

"Well... as long as the Navy is satisfied with this stealth carrier-based attack aircraft project, we will consider entrusting the development of the carrier-based electromagnetic catapult project to you!"

The carrier-based aircraft are just a model, so it doesn't cost too much. But the carrier-based catapult is of great importance. If they really want to do this kind of project, their aircraft carrier design will need to be completely new!

Therefore, this needs to be considered carefully.

Weinberg did not speak.

Although he was somewhat reluctant to ask Easterners for help with the design, the navy really needed it, and the technology from the East was indeed advanced!

The leaders from the East were filled with emotion at that moment.

If it were anyone else coming, they would definitely be here to visit and learn. But when Northwestern Polytechnical University comes, they come to guide the U.S. Navy in improving its existing equipment and enhancing its combat capabilities. That's the difference!

At the same time, NASA.

“We don’t know anything about the MiG-105 project, but we did get photos of the prototype from when the Russians test-flew it two years ago. We named this small aircraft Cosmos 1374…” Engineer Burns began.

“Oh, then this must be the same project.” Dick Taylor took the photos from that time, glanced at them a few times, and said, “Do you think the military will approve this project?”

A space shuttle that can carry seven people is designed for space exploration. Such a small spacecraft is destined for military use.

Boeing is looking for new directions, but it will never develop projects that have no future.

Burns pondered for a moment: "Well, I don't know either. After all, the nature of Star Wars... you should know that the military wouldn't normally put effort into these strategic deception projects."

They certainly hope that Star Wars is real, so that NASA will become the most powerful department in the United States, just like it did when it was working on the Apollo moon landing program.

In fact, since Star Wars was announced, NASA's budget has not increased at all!
"What if the Soviets took it seriously, and they actually developed some advanced equipment that threatens the strategic security of the United States?" Steiner asked.

Burns frowned. "Is...is that even possible?"

"Probably!"

When the Eastern Expedition returned to Washington, it was already evening. The Americans once again hosted a banquet in their honor, and their warm and thoughtful hospitality was truly touching.

Weinberg, holding a wine glass, approached Qin Liang.

"Qin, could you elaborate on the Polar Space Laser Cannon you mentioned last time?"

We have met your requests. Now, shouldn't you tell us everything you know?
"In fact, they were already developing laser weapons long before you announced the Star Wars program. For example, the Beriev Design Bureau used the fuselage of the Il-76 to install an airborne laser weapon, codenamed A-60. The carbon dioxide laser weapon used on the Polar was derived from the A-60."

Many light sources can produce lasers, but only carbon dioxide lasers can be used at the weapon level!

With a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers, located in the middle region of the atmospheric window, it has a low absorption rate by the atmosphere and a small attenuation coefficient, enabling long-distance transmission and making it less susceptible to interference from environmental factors such as ice, snow, and fog.

Of course, its greatest strength is that carbon dioxide laser weapons can achieve very high power! Industrial cutting requires this type of light source, which can reach the level of hundreds of kilowatts, and further increasing the power to the megawatt level is not difficult!
"After you proposed the Star Wars program, they accelerated the development of laser weapons. The combat laser satellite developed by the Salyut Design Bureau can also be called a heavy space station. Its internal code name is 17F19DM, and its name is Skif-DM. It is 37 meters long and has a maximum diameter of 4.1 meters..." These words were spoken with such certainty that the Americans could not help but believe them!

It backfired!
Their proposal of the Star Wars program actually provoked the Russians!
"Of course, this is only one of them."

"Could there be an electromagnetic cannon?" Weinberg felt his heart tremble.

"Yes, electromagnetic guns are one of them. The technology is similar to electromagnetic catapults. I suggested that you develop electromagnetic catapults. I also had this idea, but... since you are unwilling, then forget it."

“It’s not that we’re unwilling, it’s that we need to conduct a project feasibility study,” Kaluch explained from the side.

"Ok."

"Besides electromagnetic cannons, what else is there?"

"Of course it's particle beam weapons. Don't tell me the United States isn't working on something like that."

The microscopic world is made up of countless tiny particles.

Atoms were previously considered the smallest indivisible unit. Later, it was discovered that atoms consist of an inner nucleus and outer electrons. Subsequently, the nucleus was also found to be composed of positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons.

To study atomic structure, we need to use particle accelerators to bombard atomic nuclei with microscopic particles as projectiles.

So, is it possible to make a particle accelerator bigger, accelerate a large number of particles, and then bombard macroscopic objects?
of course can!

Whether it's electrons, protons, or neutrons, whatever they hit will cause terrible destruction!

If it hits a circuit board, the circuit board will burn out; if it hits the human body, the human body's DNA chain will be broken, the cells will lose their self-repair function, and they will die quickly.

Anatoly Pugosky, an engineer at the Russian Institute of High Energy Physics, was inspecting a particle accelerator in the 1978s when he opened the safety door and probed inside, only to be blown in the head by a beam of high-energy particles.

The particle beam enters from the back of the head, passes through the left side of the face, and exits through the nose, delivering a radiation dose of up to 20 rads. An ordinary person could die from a radiation dose of 500 rads.

However, this guy miraculously survived. Apart from being unable to move his left cheek and losing a large patch of hair on the back of his head, he was perfectly fine! His brain wasn't damaged either, and he later earned a doctoral degree.

Of course, this is just a special case; if an ordinary person were to be bombed, they would definitely be dead.

Particle beam weapons are more powerful than lasers or electromagnetic cannons because they can pass directly through anything in their path!
During the Cold War, both the US and the Soviet Union were researching super weapons, and particle beam weapons were certainly one of them. However, due to the great difficulty, there were no results. Even in 2010, the Americans still claimed that they would deploy particle beam cannons in space within four years.

Unfortunately, four years later, this thing is still nowhere to be seen, which is enough to illustrate how difficult it is to develop.

If the Americans were to get all these projects up and running, how many resources would it take?

Let them do whatever they want!
"Qin, how did you know about these things?"

Weinberger's question was quite meaningful: Could it be that you Easterners have some kind of cooperation with the Russians? Otherwise, how could you know so easily?
"Well, that's our secret, of course. But since you're curious, I can mention it briefly. You all know how advanced our Eastern electronic technology is, right?"

Next, you Americans can use your imaginations to fill in the blanks!
With advanced electronic technology, it's easy to infiltrate the Russians' radio system for surveillance! The Americans will probably consider this from that perspective.

In reality, the Russians approached us for cooperation because of our advanced electronic technology. Another reason was that Qin Liang, this reborn individual, knew a lot of things declassified during the Cold War.

"Well, Eastern electronic technology is indeed advanced. Come, let's raise a toast to you!"

After the banquet ended, I stepped out of the banquet hall to find the outside world brightly lit.

"The Western world is truly prosperous."

"Yes, it's quite prosperous, but... as long as we work hard, we can build our own country to be just as good as this place in the future!"

"Liangzi is right! By the way, what are our plans for tomorrow?"

"How would I know! But I could take this opportunity to visit Princeton University."

"Shall we go together?"

"Ahem, isn't this inappropriate? You must have a pre-arranged schedule."

"Plans can't keep up with changes."

After a long day at work, everyone was relaxed, but the American was preoccupied with his own worries.

The White House.

"So, our strategic deception plan has had unacceptable consequences?" Ronald was completely dumbfounded upon receiving the news.

According to the original plan, Star Wars was meant to deplete Russia's national strength. Now, Russia has indeed taken the bait and is accelerating progress in all aspects. However... if they really manage to develop these things... then the United States will be in trouble!

"Yes, according to Qin Liang from Northwestern Polytechnical University, the Russians are pushing forward with the research and development of various weapons, many of which have already reached the stage of actual combat deployment. If we don't want to fall behind, then we have to start developing them at the same time..."

Space laser weapons, particle weapons, kinetic energy interception weapons, spaceplanes...

Each of these projects is almost equivalent to the original Apollo program. If all of them were launched, the required investment would be astronomical!

Ronald's expression shifted constantly, his mood changing back and forth.

If we don't do it, the Soviets will beat us to it; if we do, we don't know if the Soviet Union will collapse, but the American economy will be dragged down!

How to do?
"It's said that Boeing representatives went to NASA today to inquire about the spaceplane project. They seem to be interested in collaborating with Northwestern Polytechnical University on the research and development, which would significantly reduce development costs," William Casey said.

The Super Cruiser passenger jet, jointly developed by Boeing and Eastern, is a prime example of this kind of cooperation.

With the involvement of Asians, the research and development cycle will be shortened, and the research and development costs can be significantly reduced. If the Americans want to develop Star Wars, then…

Ronald's expression turned serious: "If we cooperate with the East, will we be able to develop the East's space technology?"

They want to rally the East against Russia, not to support the East's development and growth!
"Probably not. China's aerospace technology is too weak. Their low Earth orbit carrying capacity is less than five tons. Even if they have mastered some technology through cooperation with us, they definitely won't be able to use it."

In the field of aerospace, the US and the Soviet Union were the first tier, so when major events occurred, they would discuss and decide on a matter together. As for the aerospace capabilities of other countries... they were all weaklings!
China's largest launch vehicle was the Long March 2, which had a maximum payload capacity of only four tons to low Earth orbit. It wasn't until the late 1980s, when they started developing clustered rockets, that the payload capacity was increased to eight tons. The Shenzhou spacecraft was designed based on this weight.

And what about the US and the Soviet Union?

The Apollo rocket had a low Earth orbit carrying capacity of over 100 tons!
The Russian Energia rocket, in its maximum mode, has a payload capacity of over 200 tons to low Earth orbit!

Space weapons are all huge!

The Polar Laser Cannon weighs 80 tons. The Tiangong space station in the East, which was built in the future, only weighed 68 tons after several dockings. The fully designed version only weighed 180 tons. If it were the Energia, it could have been launched in one go.

Without the ability to launch vehicles, you can't participate in Star Wars!
Ronald nodded: "Well, in that case...we could choose to cooperate with the Easterners, leveraging their R&D capabilities and cost advantages to advance our Star Wars technology, starting with this spaceplane project! By the way, what's the Easterners' schedule for tomorrow?"

"They changed their plans and decided to visit Princeton University."

"Alright, let's go to the universities and discuss collaborative projects there! By the way... let Princeton University know that the BeiDou system developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University is not just for civilian use, and let them wake up!"

(End of this chapter)