Chapter 167 Seclusion

The guidance system module would be led by Professor Lu, sparing Wu Tong the time and energy required to study it entirely from scratch. Consequently, Wu Tong decided to begin with the most crucial component: the air-to-air missile engine.

Absorbing a vast amount of missile engineering knowledge granted Wu Tong a profound understanding of air-to-air missiles.

Unlike aircraft engines, which operate continuously, the operational duration of an air-to-air missile engine is extremely brief, dictated primarily by the missile's physical dimensions. Theoretically, increasing the missile's volume could extend the engine's operational time and range.

However, constrained by the intrinsic characteristics of air-to-air missiles, once a certain size threshold is surpassed, combat efficiency diminishes. The former king of American air-to-air missiles, the AIM-54 Phoenix, was retired alongside the F-14 precisely because its sheer bulk made it unwieldy.

Therefore, blindly pursuing larger volumes to extend engine burn time is unfeasible, especially considering the constraints of fighter jet payload capacities.

According to the data Wu Tong reviewed, the engines of most dogfight missiles operate for only about ten seconds. The only exception was the United Kingdom’s Sea Cat dogfight missile, with a range of 5.5 kilometers and an engine burn time of thirty-5 seconds.

Meanwhile, most medium-range tactical missiles, such as America's AIM-120, have an engine operational duration of a mere seventeen seconds.

Currently, the air-to-air missile with the longest projected burn time is likely France's Meteor missile, which began production this year. According to reference materials in the top-secret archives, its engine operational duration is expected to reach an impressive sixty seconds.

Should this expectation be realized, the Meteor will indeed stand as a unique anomaly within the lineage of air-to-air missiles!

Naturally, this does not imply that the Meteor would reign as the world's most formidable air-to-air missile.

China's missile development journey has likewise been one of cleaving through thorns and thistles. From initially emulating the Soviet Union and the United States, transitioning from reverse-engineering purchased hardware to independent research and development, China endured a three-year period of hardship. To ensure air-to-air missiles could be commissioned into service as early as possible, the nation once traded twenty-two tons of soybeans to acquire a single kilogram of blueprints, exchanging agricultural goods for desperately needed foreign product documentation.

For the sake of this weighty cost and the ardent hopes of a people tightening their belts, countless generations of aerospace research pioneers poured out their heart's blood. They overcame severe shortages in foundational science and scarce resources, drawing upon foreign technologies to make a difficult start. From surveying and copying to self-design, and finally to independent and autonomous innovative development, an untold number of scientific researchers laid the groundwork through their unyielding dedication.

From the grandparent-generation PL-1 and PL-2, to the domestically developed PL-11—the nation's first semi-active radar-guided missile to be officially finalized and inducted into service—and further onward to the PL-12, the current mainstay of the People's Armed Forces' defense deployment, as well as the novel PL-13, the PL-14 currently being tirelessly researched and finalized by researchers, and finally the PL-15, whose preliminary research was entrusted to Wu Tong by President Hua.

Resilience and unremitting self-improvement have always been the exemplary virtues of the Chinese people. The strategy of having one generation in active service, one in development, and one in preliminary research represents China's thorough and meticulous preparation.

The primary requirements for an air-to-air missile are twofold: its maneuvering overload must surpass that of fighter aircraft, and its speed must similarly exceed them. Most outstanding air-to-air missiles achieve speeds above Mach 4, with a select few exceptional models pushing past Mach 5 toward Mach 6, and even surging toward Mach 7—rivaling the velocity of standard intercontinental cruise missiles.

Domestic air-to-air missiles have yet to reach this absolute pinnacle tier. The currently active PL-13 operates at speeds between Mach 4 and Mach 5, attaining the standard of an excellent air-to-air missile, yet considerable room for advancement remains.

Wu Tong studied the detailed specifications of the PL-13. Its propulsion system still relied on a traditional ramjet engine.

Compared to other air-breathing jet engines, the ramjet is characterized by a simple structure, low mass, high efficiency at high-speed flights above Mach 2.5, and favorable economic efficiency.

However, its economic efficiency deteriorates at low speeds, and it generates zero static thrust when the flight velocity is zero. Furthermore, its compatibility with other missile subsystems—such as the warhead and guidance system—remains relatively poor.

Wu Tong put pen to paper, meticulously sketching the schematics of the domestic ramjet engine currently in use and annotating detailed data. Based on these figures, Wu Tong began translating the concepts into mathematical models to conduct directional deductions.

A simple structure, light weight, high thrust-to-weight ratio, and lower production costs—these advantages, well-suited for mass deployment, needed to be preserved. Building upon this foundation, she sought to elevate the kinetic energy...

Wu Tong engaged in continuous deduction, refining her mathematical model, experimenting with various data sets and directional inferences. Utilizing absolute directional judgment, she deduced the optimal paths for improvement and the finest parameters, gradually perfecting her engine enhancement scheme.

The infusion of a massive knowledge repository provided Wu Tong with a profound foundation for applying absolute directional judgment within the realm of missile science. As her absolute deductive capabilities expanded, sparks of inspiration collided within her mind. She deduced intricate structural designs, simulated their actual performance mentally, translated them into concrete parameters, and integrated them into her design model.

Completely immersed in her work, Wu Tong notified An Wenshu, who was tasked with her protection, and entered a state of seclusion right within her dormitory. Eating, sleeping, washing, and researching—resting to recover her energy before resuming her deductions—she watched the model for the novel air-to-air missile engine gradually take shape and fill out under her calculations, marching steadily toward practical implementation.

Her preliminary research and deductions were based on a minimum operational range of 200 kilometers and a velocity of at least Mach 6. This represented a watershed threshold; only by achieving these specifications would one qualify to touch the ranks of the world's supreme ultra-elite air-to-air missiles.

If it is to be done, it must be done to perfection. Such was the steadfast persistence underlying Wu Tong's deductions. Supercharged power, hyper-velocity, and exceptional combat efficacy—she would push everything within her power to its absolute extreme, forging a true pillar of the state for China, and living up to the trust President Hua had placed in her by traveling thousands of miles to make the request.

In light of past observations and investigations regarding Wu Tong, once she entered this intensely focused, oblivious state—her unique "Wu-style" mode of immersion—monumental breakthroughs were bound to follow.

During the period when Wu Tong was utterly consumed by a burst of inspiration and entered complete seclusion, the security around her dormitory was reinforced infinitely. Aside from An Wenshu, who punctually delivered nutrient-rich meals to Wu Tong's door with eyes fixed straight ahead, depositing the food and retrieving the tableware—while logistics were handled by designated personnel, she alone was responsible for entering and exiting—no one else was permitted to approach Wu Tong's dormitory or disturb her research. Members of the security department stood watch in day-and-night rotations, making exhaustive defensive preparations.

The chill grew heavier with each passing day, and withered leaves drifted through the air. In what felt like the blink of an eye, autumn gave way to winter. Howling winds arose, frost began to cling to the branch tips, and the campus of Peking University transitioned from the vibrant splendor of autumn to the slightly desolate scenery of winter.

Wu Tong sat before the window, bathed in the gentle warmth of the winter sun, which seemed to envelop her in a shimmering halo. Reflected in her eyes were the intricate data points and precise structural designs of the engine model she had painstakingly deduced and sketched line by line upon her desk over the past twenty days, bearing witness to her extraordinary achievements.

Her hands continued their deductions. Having already optimized the engine design to the absolute limit of her current knowledge reserve, she sought to give it yet another boost by pairing it with superior-performance propellant, thereby equipping it with even more powerful wings for flight.