Chapter 170: Automated Anti-aircraft Network

10,000 words every day, five chapters presented. Everyone, please give some encouragement; clicking the "urge for more" button is also fine. We are about to enter the war, so I am making early preparations.

……

Ten minutes later, the three Group Leaders gathered in the conference room.

Radar Group Leader Lao Zhou is a radar expert transferred from the front lines, Computer Group Leader Professor Zhang is an electronics expert, and Fire Control Group Leader Engineer Wang is an artillery expert.

The three are all top-tier talents in their respective fields, but in this brand-new field, they are also facing unprecedented challenges.

"Comrades," Li Mingyuan said, getting straight to the point, "we need to complete the debugging and testing of the entire system within one week. The biggest problem currently is synergy, which is how to make the Radar, Computer, and Fire Control System connect seamlessly."

Lao Zhou frowned: "One week? This schedule is too rushed. The interface between the Radar and the Computer is still unstable, and data transmission is frequently interrupted."

Professor Zhang also shook his head: "Computing speed is also a big problem. Processing radar signals requires a large amount of complex calculation. Although our Transistor Computer is advanced, its computing power is limited, making it difficult to achieve real-time control."

Engineer Wang was even more direct: "To be honest, I don't believe this system can be effective in actual combat. The Anti-aircraft Machine Gun requires precise azimuth and elevation angles; an error of more than half a degree will result in a complete miss. Currently, our precision is far from meeting the requirements."

After listening to the three's opinions, Li Mingyuan calmly took a blueprint out of his briefcase:

"I understand everyone's concerns, but I believe the problem lies not in the performance of individual components, but in the overall architecture."

He spread the blueprint out on the conference table: "This is the Modular Interface System I designed. It adopts a modular structure; each functional unit is independent and connected to each other through standardized interfaces."

The three Group Leaders leaned in to look; the design on the blueprint was indeed very different from traditional thinking.

A traditional system is a massive and complex whole, while Li Mingyuan's design breaks it down into multiple independent modules. Each module is responsible for a specific function, and information is passed between modules through simple and clear signals.

"This... this is a bit like building blocks," Professor Zhang said thoughtfully.

"Exactly so," Li Mingyuan nodded. "Each module only needs to complete a simple task and does not need to care about the overall logic. This reduces complexity and improves reliability. If one module has a problem, it can be replaced quickly without affecting the overall function."

Lao Zhou looked carefully at the design of the radar signal processing module:

"This Waveform Recognition Algorithm is very interesting and can greatly simplify the data processing flow. But this requires rewriting the program; the existing code will be almost entirely discarded."

"It doesn't matter," Li Mingyuan said with confidence, "I have already written the new program." He took a stack of Punched Cards out of his bag, "This is the complete control program, including four parts: signal processing, target identification, trajectory prediction, and fire control calculation. It can be loaded into the Computer for testing this morning."

The three Group Leaders looked at each other, not knowing whether to be surprised by Li Mingyuan's work efficiency or to express doubt about the feasibility of this brand-new method.

"Chief Engineer Li, theoretically this is indeed a good plan," Engineer Wang said cautiously, "but without actual testing, it is difficult for us to judge its combat effectiveness."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "That is why we are starting full-system testing today." He turned to Lao Zhou,

"The Radar Group will prepare three Doppler Radars to form a triangular array, covering a radius of 5 kilometers." He then looked at Professor Zhang,

"The Computer Group will immediately load the new program and set it to real-time data processing mode." Finally, he said to Engineer Wang:

"The Fire Control Group will prepare two Anti-aircraft Machine Guns, install the Electronic Control Device, and connect them to the Central Processing Unit."

The three immediately took action, each leading their team to begin preparations.

Li Mingyuan walked to the sand table, thinking about the details of the test plan.

This is a truly revolutionary attempt—integrating radar detection, computer processing, and weapon control into an Automated System, completely overturning the traditional mode of anti-aircraft warfare.

If successful, this will be the world's first true Automated System for an anti-aircraft network.

……

Three days later, on a clear morning, at a test site deep in the Taihang Mountains, dozens of technicians and Military Representatives were nervously making final preparations.

The test site is located in a hidden valley, surrounded by steep mountain walls, forming a natural barrier.

In the center of the site is an open area where three prism-shaped radar antennas are distributed in a triangle, and two modified Anti-aircraft Machine Guns are set up in different positions, with complex Electronic Control Devices connected to the barrels.

The central command area is a small, temporarily constructed control room filled with electronic equipment. Most eye-catching is the Transistor Computer in the center, which is larger than an ordinary room; the flashing indicator lights and the buzzing cooling fans show that it is running.

Li Mingyuan stood at the door of the control room, watching the technicians perform final checks.

In these three days, the team has had almost no rest; everyone has been going all out to debug the system and solve various technical problems.

Although some minor defects still exist, overall the system is already able to operate normally. "Chief Engineer Li, the preparations are complete; we can start the test at any time," Lao Zhou walked over to report.

Li Mingyuan nodded: "Are the decoy targets ready?"

"According to your requirements, we have prepared three different types of aerial targets: Small Glider Target Drone, Medium-speed Target Drone, and High-speed Unmanned Target Drone."

"Very good, start with the Small Glider Target Drone for basic testing, then gradually increase the difficulty."

Following Li Mingyuan's order, the test officially began.

The technicians started the Radar System, and the three radar antennas began to rotate rhythmically, emitting invisible electromagnetic waves to scan the airspace.

The Computer received the signals returned by the radar and began real-time data processing.

"The first wave of testing begins; release the Small Glider Target Drone."

On a mountain top in the distance, two operators pushed a glider target drone about two meters long down the hillside.

This simple target drone has no Power System and relies entirely on gravity and airflow to glide. Its speed is not fast, but its flight path is irregular, making it an ideal target for testing radar tracking capabilities.

"Target appeared, azimuth 045 degrees, distance 3.2 kilometers, altitude about 800 meters, speed 80 kilometers per hour," the Radar Operator reported.

On the large screen inside the control room, a clear light spot appeared, representing the position of the glider target drone.

As the target drone flew, the light spot moved steadily on the screen, showing that the system was successfully tracking the target.

"Target locked, starting ballistic calculation," the computer operator announced.

On the screen, a series of complex mathematical formulas scrolled rapidly; the Computer was analyzing the target's speed, direction, altitude, and possible flight path in real-time, while simultaneously calculating the artillery trajectory required for interception.

"Ballistic calculation complete, Fire Control System ready."

Everyone's eyes turned to the two Anti-aircraft Machine Guns.

Surprisingly, the barrels of the machine guns began to adjust their direction automatically, without any manual intervention.

The elevation and azimuth angles of the barrels changed constantly, adjusting precisely as the target moved.

"System fully automated, preparing for simulated firing."

……

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