bookrandom Chapter 543: Drone? What is that?
Chapter 543: Drone? What is that?
A month later.
At the simple airport of the Great Wall Military Factory, General Chen walked slowly down the plane's gangway, carrying a military briefcase and wearing heavy military boots.
His eyes swept around and stopped at a row of tall factory buildings and chimneys emitting white smoke in the distance. He frowned slightly, as if he was quite dissatisfied with the busy industrial scene.
"Where's your factory director?"
As soon as he stepped into the office, he looked around but did not see Fang Yu, and his tone became more impatient.
A technician who was sorting documents quickly looked up and pushed his glasses up on his nose.
"Report to the commander! The factory director is participating in the testing of new equipment at the test site today!"
"You want to see him? I'll go get him for you..."
"No need!"
Upon hearing this, General Chen immediately turned around and walked out with big strides.
"Prepare the car and go to the test site."
The jeep was speeding on the wide road of the factory, and the factory buildings and towering antennas on both sides passed by quickly. General Chen sat in the back seat, his hands folded on his knees, his eyes fixed on the front.
It wasn't until the car passed an open area that his sight suddenly froze.
"parking."
He whispered the order, a hint of barely concealed surprise in his tone.
At a test site not far away, a peculiarly shaped aircraft was quietly parked beside the runway.
It has a streamlined shape, a slender and smooth body, and a dark gray paint job that gives off a cool metallic luster in the sun.
The two slender wings extend to both sides like an eagle spreading its wings, with the wingtips slightly upturned, exuding an elegant and deadly sense of power.
At the tail of the fuselage, a slender tail fin stands upright like an arrow feather, adding a sharpness to the entire structure.
"what is this?"
General Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze revealing the scrutiny and sharpness unique to a soldier.
He pushed open the car door and stood there, his eyes fixed on the plane.
The outline of the plane became clearer in the sunlight, like a predator ready to pounce, lurking quietly, waiting for the sky that belonged to it.
Immediately afterwards, General Chen drove to the other end of the test site.
After getting off the car, he saw from afar a strangely shaped truck parked in the middle of the test field. A group of people were gathered around it, and the sound of discussions could be heard faintly.
He took a step forward, his military boots making a "click-click" sound as they stepped on the ground.
After taking a few steps closer, he saw a familiar figure in the crowd - it was Fang Yu, who was lowering his head and communicating with the technicians.
"Xiao Fang!"
General Chen shouted in a deep voice, his voice like a bronze bell, directly penetrating the noise of the crowd.
Fang Yu looked up when he heard the voice and saw General Chen. He hurried forward with a shy smile.
"Mr. Chen, why are you here?"
"Look, why didn't you tell us earlier so we could line up to welcome you..."
"Okay, stop talking nonsense."
General Chen waved his hand, his eyes swept over the surrounding equipment and the truck, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Tell me, what's going on here?"
Fang Yu laughed and raised his hand to gesture towards the aircraft parked on the simple runway in the center of the test field.
"I've been tinkering with drones for the past month, and today I happened to be testing a prototype."
"Drone?"
General Chen was slightly startled when he heard this and asked curiously.
"What the hell is this?"
"A drone, as the name suggests, is an unmanned aircraft."
Hearing this, Fang Yu chuckled and replied.
"Drone? That's quite new."
General Chen stood at the edge of the test site, looking at the dark gray drone with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"But I don't understand. We in Dragon Country don't lack pilots. What are you trying to achieve with this?"
When Fang Yu heard this, he smiled, walked closer to the drone, and patted the body gently, as if he was greeting an old friend.
"Mr. Chen, you are right. We do not lack pilots."
"But have you ever thought that in certain special battlefield environments, pilots may not be the best choice?"
General Chen raised his eyebrows, obviously interested in Fang Yu's words.
"Oh? What's the special method?"
"Let me give you an example."
Fang Yu pointed at the drone's slender wings.
"If we need to conduct reconnaissance deep in enemy territory or carry out a high-risk precision strike mission, sending pilots there would be too risky."
"If the plane is shot down, the pilot may be captured or even killed."
"But drones are different. Without a pilot, they're just a pile of metal. The only thing you lose is the equipment."
General Chen nodded, not quite understanding.
"Well, that makes sense."
"But is it worth it just because of the lack of a pilot?"
Fang Yu shook his head and smiled even more.
"Of course not. Drones have many other advantages. Let's talk about them slowly."
He walked over to the drone and pointed to several key parts of the fuselage.
"First, it's stealth. You see, drones are small, and their radar reflection area is also small. Compared to those huge fighter jets, it is difficult for enemy air defense radars to detect them."
General Chen narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at the streamlined shell of the drone.
"That's an advantage. The more concealed it is, the harder it is to attack. Before the enemy even notices it, it has already completed its mission."
"That's right." Fang Yu nodded and continued, "The second is cost."
"How many years does it take to train a qualified pilot? How much resources does it cost?"
“And the training cost of a drone is almost zero.”
"As long as the operator is familiar with the system, they can get started in a few days. Furthermore, the manufacturing cost of a drone is much lower than that of a fighter jet, making it unbeatable in terms of cost-effectiveness, especially in large-scale combat."
"Low cost..." General Chen repeated in a low voice, obviously touched by this point of view.
"One more thing," Fang Yu's tone became serious, "drones can stay in the air for a long time."
"This type of drone has a flight time of over 20 hours, while a regular fighter jet can only stay in the air for two or three hours."
"What does it mean to stay in the air for a long time? It means it can provide continuous reconnaissance and support on the battlefield without having to frequently return for resupply."
"Twenty hours?" General Chen's eyes widened. "That's even more powerful than our bombers!"
"Yes." Fang Yu showed a hint of pride on his face. "In addition, the flexibility of drones is far superior to that of fighter jets."
"It can fly lower, close to the ground, and even perform formation flight to collaboratively complete complex missions."
"Moreover, this drone can also carry a variety of equipment, such as high-precision guided bombs and optoelectronic reconnaissance equipment."
General Chen nodded repeatedly as he listened, his eyes gradually becoming hot.
"Now that you mention it, drones do have potential. They can save on pilots and do more work."
Fang Yu smiled: "General Chen, don't forget, this is only the first generation of drones."
"Once our technology matures, we can also develop stealth drones, high-speed drones, and even intelligent drones that can make autonomous decisions."
"By then, drones won't just be a supplement to fighter jets; they might even become the backbone of the entire air force..."