Chapter 169: Next Step, Equipping the Anti-aircraft Machine Gun Fire Control System

700 kilometers per hour is already close to two-thirds the speed of sound; at this speed, the force of the airflow is enough to tear apart a poorly designed airframe.

The drone accelerates forward, its nose dipping slightly to maintain altitude while rapidly increasing speed.

"600 kilometers per hour... 650 kilometers per hour... 700 kilometers per hour! All parameters normal, airframe structure stable!"

Applause erupts in the control room again; even the usually calm Zhou cannot help but clap in approval.

"Begin emergency turn test, 90-degree high-speed turn."

This is one of the most dangerous test items, requiring the drone to complete an almost vertical turn at high speed.

In traditional fighter jets, this maneuver would impose a massive G-force burden on the pilot, but the drone has no such limitations.

The drone's left wing suddenly dips, the entire fuselage becoming almost perpendicular to the ground as it makes a sharp turn at an incredible angle.

The Military Expert present are stunned—this maneuver exceeds the capability range of any manned aircraft.

"Turn successfully completed! Heading changed by 90 degrees, all systems normal!"

Li Mingyuan nods, the worry in his heart gradually dissipating: "Now, simulate an attack flight path. Climb to 3,000 meters, dive for an attack, minimum altitude 100 meters, then pull up sharply."

The drone climbs rapidly, and after reaching an altitude of 3,000 meters, it suddenly dives toward the ground, its speed increasing sharply.

The spectators present cannot help but hold their breath; some even nervously cover their eyes.

"Altitude 2,000 meters... 1,000 meters... 500 meters... 300 meters... 200 meters... 100 meters! Pull up!"

At an altitude of only 100 meters from the ground, the drone jerks its nose up, climbing at an inconceivable angle; the entire fuselage seems as if it might bend under the immense aerodynamic force, yet it maintains its structural integrity.

"Pull up successful! Altitude recovering, 200 meters... 300 meters... 500 meters..."

Outside the control room, the spectators finally erupt into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Director Zhang is so excited that he jumps up, shouting: "Well done! That's amazing! I knew it could do it!"

Li Mingyuan wipes the sweat from his forehead and decides to end the test: "Prepare for return, begin landing procedures."

The drone slowly turns toward the runway, reducing altitude and speed to enter the landing flight path.

"Altitude 500 meters, speed 250 kilometers per hour, entering the glide slope."

This is the final test.

Landing is one of the most dangerous stages of flight, especially for a new model on its maiden flight.

The drone glides steadily, its speed gradually decreasing, its nose slightly raised in preparation for contact with the runway.

"Altitude 100 meters... 50 meters... 20 meters... 10 meters..."

Amidst the tense gaze of all, the drone's main wheels touch the runway lightly, kicking up a small cloud of dust, followed by the nose wheel touching down steadily.

The entire landing process is surprisingly smooth, without any bouncing or veering.

"Landing successful! Taxiing to decelerate, all systems normal!"

Thunderous applause and cheers erupt in the control room.

Li Mingyuan releases the control stick and lets out a long sigh of relief, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Test successfully completed, total flight time 19 minutes and 28 seconds, all test items passed."

Walking out of the control room, Li Mingyuan is greeted by enthusiastic applause and congratulations.

Minister Zhao grips his hand tightly, tears of excitement shimmering in his eyes: "Mingyuan, you did it! This is a milestone in our country's aviation history!"

Zhou also steps forward to congratulate him: "Chief Engineer Li, this test exceeded all of our expectations. The 'Divine Eagle's' performance was perfect, especially that 90-degree high-speed turn—it was simply incredible!"

As for Director Zhang, he rushes directly toward the drone parked on the runway, stroking its fuselage carefully as if it were his own child, muttering "well done, well done."

Li Mingyuan walks to the front of the drone and also gently strokes its smooth surface.

This small yet powerful aircraft embodies the hard work of him and the entire team over the past few weeks.

"What's the next step?" Zhou walks to Li Mingyuan's side and asks in a low voice.

Li Mingyuan looks at the distant mountains, a flash of determination in his eyes: "Next, we will test its true capability—precision strikes while carrying weapons."

Zhou nods, his face full of anticipation.

That evening, a report marked "Top Secret" was sent to the leadership.

The report recorded in detail the maiden flight results of the "Divine Eagle" Unmanned Target Drone, with photos and data charts from the test process attached.

The final paragraph of the report read: "The success of the 'Divine Eagle' project marks a historic breakthrough for our country in the field of drone technology, moving from nothing to something. This achievement not only has major military significance but will also open a new path for the overall development of our country's aviation industry. We believe that in the near future, the 'Divine Eagle' drone will become an important force in defending the motherland's skies."

The report was quickly reviewed, and the highest directive consisted of only one sentence: "Support fully, accelerate development."

At the small airport in the Taihang Mountains, the "Divine Eagle" Unmanned Target Drone sat quietly in a makeshift hangar, reflecting a low-key metallic luster under the moonlight, like a beast poised to strike, waiting to display its true power.

Before the joy of the Unmanned Target Drone's successful maiden flight had fully dissipated, Li Mingyuan threw himself into the next project.

This time, his focus turned to a more challenging field—the Anti-aircraft Machine Gun Fire Control System.

On the east side of the research institute, a newly built two-story building was strictly sealed off, with heavily armed guards standing at the entrance; without a special pass, no one was allowed to enter.

This was the R&D center for the Fire Control System, named the "Thunder Project."

At six in the morning, Li Mingyuan pushed open the glass door of the building, and the guards stood at attention and saluted.

He nodded in acknowledgment and walked quickly into the elevator. He had only slept for three hours last night, but his mental state was still good.

The urgency of the current situation—the intervention of the Star-Spangled Country was only a matter of time, and an efficient anti-aircraft fire control system would be the key for the Long Country to resist aerial strikes.

Although it was still early, more than a dozen technical personnel were already busy in the hall.

In the center of the hall was a massive sand table, accurately replicating the terrain of a certain border region, including mountains, rivers, and villages.

The area around the sand table was covered with various electronic equipment and display screens, with cables crisscrossing in a complex manner.

"Good morning, Chief Engineer Li!" several technical personnel asked in unison.

Li Mingyuan smiled and nodded: "Good morning, everyone. How was the progress last night?"

"The Radar Group completed the calibration of the last Doppler Radar, and the Computer Group is currently debugging the Central Processing Unit; we expect to complete the full system integration this morning," a young engineer reported.

Li Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction and walked to the sand table to carefully observe the miniature Radar Station and Anti-aircraft Machine Gun models on it.

This was a scaled-down version of a complete anti-aircraft fire control network, with every element precisely crafted according to actual proportions.

"Where do the main problems lie?" Li Mingyuan asked.

The engineer hesitated for a moment: "To be honest, it is the coordination issue. The Radar can work stably, and the Computer can also perform calculations normally, but making them work in coordination to achieve automatic fire control... still presents many technical obstacles."

Li Mingyuan was not surprised.

In this era, data exchange between electronic devices was still a huge challenge, let alone real-time coordinated operation.

"Call the Group Leaders over; we will hold a short meeting," Li Mingyuan decided.