Chapter 441: Multiple Types of Warheads

Late at night, in the most confidential area of Hao Shiyanshi—the "Black Box" laboratory. This is the most heavily guarded place in the entire "Changfeng Project"; even ordinary scientists of the "Changfeng" project have no authority to enter. Only Li Mingyuan and seven experts who have undergone special security vetting hold entry clearance.

Li Mingyuan stands before a tempered glass case, gazing at a silver metal cylinder inside. This seemingly ordinary device is actually one of the most critical components of the "Changfeng" Missile—the Warhead Interface System. It allows the "Changfeng" Missile to carry various types of warheads, thereby addressing different strategic needs.

"Modular design is one of the greatest advantages of the 'Changfeng' Missile," Li Mingyuan explains to Colonel Wang, the Military representative beside him. "Through a standardized interface, we can equip the 'Changfeng' Missile with different types of warheads according to different operational requirements."

Colonel Wang nods: "This flexibility is indeed a huge strategic advantage. Please introduce in detail the series of warheads we are currently developing."

Li Mingyuan turns to the projection screen and pulls up a classified document: "According to strategic needs, we have designed five main types of warheads, each targeting different operational scenarios and strategic objectives."

The screen displays the detailed blueprint of the first warhead—a streamlined conical structure with a complex and precise internal structure.

"The first is the Conventional High-Explosive Warhead, codenamed 'Thunder'," Li Mingyuan explains. "It is the basic warhead type for the 'Changfeng' Missile, mainly used for precision strikes against hard targets such as enemy military facilities, command centers, bridges, and airports."

He zooms in on the details of the blueprint: "'Thunder' warhead adopts an advanced armor-piercing explosive design. The outer layer is a high-strength steel alloy shell capable of penetrating 3 meters of reinforced concrete. The inner layer is filled with 800 kilograms of special high-energy explosives, with an explosive yield equivalent to 1.2 tons of TNT."

Colonel Wang looks at the blueprint and exclaims in admiration: "This penetrating power and explosive force are enough to destroy any ground facility."

"Not only that," Li Mingyuan adds, "'Thunder' warhead also adopts a special fuse design, which can select different explosion modes according to the target type. For example, against underground bunkers, one can choose delayed explosion to ensure the warhead detonates after penetrating to a sufficient depth; against area targets, one can choose airburst to expand the kill radius."

He pulls up a simulation image: "According to our calculations, a 'Changfeng' Missile carrying a 'Thunder' warhead can precisely destroy a 50-square-meter command post from 5000 kilometers away, even if it is located in a bunker 30 meters deep underground."

"This level of precision and power is difficult for even the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo to achieve at present," Colonel Wang praises, "especially considering the low-altitude penetration capability of the 'Changfeng' Missile, the enemy has almost no possibility of interception."

Li Mingyuan nods: "It is precisely this characteristic of combining precision guidance with powerful force that makes the 'Thunder' warhead the most basic and practical warhead type in the 'Changfeng' Missile system."

Li Mingyuan switches to the blueprint of the second warhead, which is a complex structure that looks like a beehive.

"The second is the cluster warhead, codenamed 'Swarm'," Li Mingyuan says. "It is mainly used to strike area targets, such as enemy airports, military camps, ports, and assembly areas."

He points to the details on the blueprint: "The 'Swarm' warhead contains 156 small submunitions inside, each weighing about 3 kilograms, containing high-energy explosives and pre-formed fragments. When approaching the target area, the warhead will open at a preset altitude, releasing all submunitions to cover an elliptical area of approximately 400×600 meters."

Colonel Wang frowns: "This coverage area... one missile could paralyze a medium-sized airport?"

"Exactly," Li Mingyuan confirms. "The kill radius of each submunition is about 25 meters; the total effect of 156 submunitions is equivalent to detonating hundreds of small bombs within the target area. For personnel and equipment without bunker protection, it is an almost devastating strike."

He pulls up a video of a simulation test: "We conducted a scaled-down test at the Western Test Range. As you can see from the video, the submunitions show a uniform distribution pattern, leaving almost no 'safe zone'."

In the video, dozens of simulated aircraft and vehicles are swallowed by dense explosions; after the smoke and dust dissipate, the test range is left in ruins.

"It is especially worth mentioning," Li Mingyuan adds, "that we have also designed a variant specifically for airport runways, codenamed 'Plowman'. This submunition will explode a few seconds after landing, generating a downward shockwave to form a crater 3 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters deep on the runway. One 'Swarm-Plowman' warhead can make a 3000-meter-long runway completely unusable within minutes."

After listening, Colonel Wang has a shocked expression on his face: "This is simply a nightmare for tactical bombers. One missile can complete the mission of a bomber squadron, and there is no risk of pilot casualties."

Li Mingyuan nods: "It is precisely this efficiency and safety that make the 'Swarm' warhead an indispensable component of the 'Changfeng' Missile system."

The screen switches to the third warhead, which is an unusually complex device filled with capacitors and coils inside.

"The third is the Electromagnetic Pulse warhead, codenamed 'Silence'," Li Mingyuan's voice carries a hint of pride. "This may be the conventional warhead with the highest technical content in the 'Changfeng' system."

Colonel Wang stares curiously at the blueprint: "Electromagnetic pulse? Isn't that an effect that can only be produced by a nuclear explosion?"

"Traditionally, yes," Li Mingyuan explains, "but we have developed a new type of high-energy capacitor and pulse generator capable of producing a powerful electromagnetic pulse on the basis of a conventional explosion."

He points to the key components on the blueprint: "The Hexin is this 'Lightning System', which includes an array of supercapacitors, a high-speed discharge controller, and a specially made coil antenna. When the warhead approaches the target, it will first detonate the conventional explosives. This explosion is not only lethal in itself, but more importantly, it provides the initial energy for the 'Lightning System'."

Li Mingyuan zooms in on a part of the blueprint: "The energy generated by the explosion is converted by a special device into a powerful electric current, which is instantly released through the coil antenna to form a strong electromagnetic pulse field with a radius of about 1500 meters. This pulse intensity is sufficient to destroy all unprotected electronic equipment within the range, including Radar, communication systems, Computer, and power grids."

Colonel Wang is dumbfounded: "This means... we can paralyze the enemy's command systems and defense facilities without causing large-scale casualties?"

"Exactly," Li Mingyuan confirms. "'Silence' warhead is particularly suitable for paralyzing enemy Anti-aircraft System, communication hubs, and command centers, creating conditions for subsequent military actions. More importantly, it will not cause large-scale casualties, reducing the risk of condemnation by the international community."

He pulls up a test video: "This is a small-scale test we conducted in an abandoned mining area. We placed various electronic devices in the area, including radios, televisions, and simple Radar."

In the video, after a small device explodes, all electronic equipment within a few hundred meters fails simultaneously; screens go dark, indicator lights go out, and only a few specially protected devices remain operational.

"The power of the actual combat model will be ten times stronger than this test version," Li Mingyuan says, "enough to paralyze most of the electronic infrastructure of a medium-sized city."

Colonel Wang takes a deep breath: "This weapon... is almost a game-changer. Especially in a situation where modern warfare is increasingly reliant on electronic equipment."

"It is precisely because we saw this trend that we prioritized the development of the 'Silence' warhead," Li Mingyuan explains. "In future wars, whoever can control the electromagnetic domain will hold a huge advantage."

Li Mingyuan switches to the blueprint of the fourth warhead, which is a slender structure with a sharp conical front.

"The fourth is the bunker-busting warhead, codenamed 'Diamond'," Li Mingyuan introduces. "It is specifically used to destroy deep underground targets, such as command bunkers, underground hangars, and ammunition depots."

He points to the details on the blueprint: "The shell of the 'Diamond' warhead is made of special high-density tungsten alloy, and the front end is an ultra-hard alloy drill bit capable of penetrating the hardest rock and concrete. Inside, it is equipped with a high-performance directional blasting device, where the explosion mainly releases energy downwards and to the sides."

Colonel Wang studies the blueprint: "How deep can the penetration reach?"

"Depending on the target material, the penetration depth is between 50 and 100 meters," Li Mingyuan replies. "It is enough to destroy most of the underground military facilities in the world today. More importantly, even if the target cannot be completely destroyed, the shockwave and secondary vibrations generated by the explosion are enough to cause severe damage to underground facilities, making them unable to operate normally."

He pulls up a test video: "This is a penetration test conducted at the Western Test Range. We built a simulated underground command post with 3 meters of concrete thickness and a burial depth of 50 meters."

In the video, a scaled-down 'Diamond' warhead drills into the ground at an astonishing speed; a few seconds later, the ground shakes violently, a huge crater appears, and a large amount of smoke, dust, and debris erupts.

"The test results show that the simulated command post was completely destroyed," Li Mingyuan says. "Even specially reinforced underground facilities cannot withstand this type of precision bunker-busting attack."

Colonel Wang nods, his expression serious: "This warhead is particularly effective against those targets that rely on underground bunkers. Especially since some countries hide key command facilities underground, thinking this can avoid conventional strikes."

"It is precisely to address this situation that we developed the 'Diamond' warhead," Li Mingyuan explains, "to let the enemy understand that even hiding in a bunker tens of meters deep underground is not safe."

Li Mingyuan takes a deep breath, looks at Colonel Wang, and then presses a special button. The image on the screen is immediately encrypted, while the security level of the laboratory is automatically raised to the highest level, and the guards at the door are increased to four.