Chapter 467: Sky Net Defense System

Li Mingyuan picked up a laser pointer and pointed it at the center of the blueprint: "This is our 'shield'—the 'Sky Net' defense system."

His voice was resonant and powerful, filled with confidence: "It is not a single weapon, but a comprehensive defense network composed of various technical means, specifically designed to intercept high-speed ballistic missiles."

Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the blueprint, trying to understand this complex system they had never seen before.

"The Sky Net system consists of four major parts," Li Mingyuan began to explain in detail, his laser pointer moving across the blueprint to point at different areas, "First, the Early Warning Radar array; second, the mechanical/electronic analog Computing Hub; third, interceptor missile launch sites spread across the country; fourth, a high-speed wired communication network."

He pointed to a series of Radar Station designs on the left side of the blueprint: "These are improved pulse radars. We will deploy them near the border to form an 'Electronic Great Wall.' Their primary task is to detect enemy-launched missiles as early as possible and capture their exhaust plume characteristics and initial ballistic data."

"But conventional radar cannot precisely track high-speed missiles," Chen Gong frowned, still full of doubt.

"That's right, a single radar truly cannot do it," Li Mingyuan nodded in acknowledgment, "but we are not using one; we are using a network. Multiple Radar Stations working simultaneously, cross-verifying, can significantly improve detection accuracy. More importantly, we do not need to continuously track the entire flight process of the missile."

His laser pointer moved to a complex structure in the center of the blueprint: "This is the core of 'Sky Net'—the analog Computing Hub."

"This is... a Computer?" A young engineer widened his eyes, looking at those precise circuit diagrams and computing unit designs in disbelief.

"You could say that," Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, "although it is very different from future Electronic Computers, the basic principles are similar. It consists of hundreds of mechanical computing units and vacuum tube electronic circuits, capable of performing high-speed mathematical operations."

His gaze became focused and eager: "Its task is to receive the initial data provided by the radar, and then use ballistic mechanics models to perform predictive calculations on the missile's possible flight path."

"Predict?" Chen Gong repeated in shock, "Are you saying, using incomplete initial data, to calculate the entire flight trajectory of a missile?"

"Exactly," Li Mingyuan affirmed, "although it is impossible to be one hundred percent accurate, we can calculate a 'probability zone,' which is the airspace the missile is most likely to pass through."

His laser pointer moved to the right side of the blueprint, pointing to the launch sites scattered across the country: "This is the third part of 'Sky Net'—the interceptor missile launch system. Each site is equipped with multiple solid or liquid rocket interceptor missiles with simple guidance."

"Wait," a general from the Military interjected, "even if you can predict the missile's trajectory, how could a single interceptor missile precisely hit a missile in flight? That is simply finding a needle in a haystack!"

Li Mingyuan revealed a meaningful smile: "Who said we are only launching one interceptor missile?"

His laser pointer drew an arc on the blueprint: "This is the predicted trajectory of the enemy missile. According to the Computing Hub's analysis, the missile will fly within this zone, but its specific position has a certain degree of uncertainty."

Then, he drew intersection points along this trajectory: "At these key nodes, which are the paths the missile must pass through, we launch multiple, or even a dozen, interceptor missiles simultaneously to form a 'barrage' covering the entire possible airspace."

His voice became resonant and powerful: "This is the core concept of 'Saturated Interception'—we do not pursue a single-shot hit, but rather compensate for the lack of precision with quantity. As long as one interceptor missile detonates at a sufficiently close distance, the resulting shockwave and fragments are enough to destroy or severely damage the incoming missile."

The conference room was silent; everyone stared at the blueprint in shock, trying to digest this advanced concept.

"Finally," Li Mingyuan pointed to the lines connecting the various systems, "this is the high-speed wired communication network, ensuring that information between systems can be transmitted accurately and in a timely manner. Data detected by the radar needs to be transmitted to the Computing Hub immediately; calculation results need to be sent to each interception site instantly to trigger launch commands. This entire process must be completed within minutes, or even tens of seconds."

He looked around, his tone firm: "We don't need to hit the target every time; we just need to use enough 'fists' to knock it down once before it lands!"

The atmosphere in the conference room solidified. Everyone stood frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at this defense system design that transcended the era. It shattered everyone's perception of missile defense, proposing a seemingly impossible solution with a brand-new line of thinking.

Chen Gong from the Seventh Institute walked to the blueprint, trembling, his presbyopic eyes almost pressed against the paper as he carefully studied every detail. His fingers gently brushed over those precise computing unit designs, muttering to himself: "Winning by quantity... gambling with calculations... this... this line of thinking... it's masterful!"

A stunning light erupted in the eyes of Deputy Commander Liu; he clenched his fists, his voice trembling with excitement: "Chief Engineer Li, this... this is simply... if it can really be achieved, it will completely change the strategic balance!"

The leader walked to the blueprint, his gaze lingering for a long time on the dense technical parameters and system architecture, before finally looking up at Li Mingyuan, his eyes flashing with rare appreciation and contemplation: "Defense often has more strategic value than offense... If this 'Sky Net' can be built, it will not only ensure our country's security but also allow us to win the initiative in the great power game."

"Can this system... really be achieved?" Minister Zhang asked cautiously, his voice filled with anticipation and uncertainty.

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "The difficulty is great, but it is not impossible. We have already made breakthrough progress on key technical nodes; the rest is a matter of engineering implementation."

"How much funding and manpower will this require?" a Military Representative asked with concern.

"A huge investment," Li Mingyuan answered frankly, "perhaps even greater than the 'Changfeng' project. We need to build dozens of Radar Stations, develop a brand-new computing system, and produce hundreds of interceptor missiles... This is a true national-level project."

"It's worth it! Absolutely worth it!" Deputy Commander Liu said decisively, "Compared to the consequences of enemy missiles landing on our heads, this bit of investment is nothing!"

The leader pondered for a moment, looked around at everyone in the conference room again, and finally let his gaze rest on Li Mingyuan: "Chief Engineer Li, please provide a detailed introduction to the various technical points of this 'Sky Net' system, especially those key nodes where breakthroughs have already been achieved."

Li Mingyuan nodded and was just about to explain further when Chen Gong suddenly interrupted him: "Wait, I have another question."

The old expert pushed up his glasses, his expression serious: "Even if this system operates according to the design, how high can its interception success rate be? After all, we are facing high-speed flying missiles; any tiny calculation error could lead to interception failure."

"A very good question," Li Mingyuan nodded approvingly, "according to our preliminary calculations, the hit probability of a single interceptor missile is indeed very low, perhaps only a few percent. But this is exactly the significance of the 'Saturated Interception' concept."

He walked to the blackboard and quickly wrote down a string of formulas: "Assuming the hit rate of a single interceptor missile is only 5%, if we launch 20 interceptor missiles simultaneously, the probability of at least one hit will be as high as 64%. If we launch 30, this probability will exceed 78%."

He turned to the crowd, his eyes firm: "Furthermore, we can set up multiple lines of defense. If the first line of defense fails to intercept, there is a second, a third... Through this layered defense approach, we can increase the final interception success rate to over 90%."

"My God..." Chen Gong gasped, "This... this is simply... revolutionary thinking!"

The old expert excitedly walked up to Li Mingyuan and shook his hand tightly: "Chief Engineer Li, I must admit, I was wrong. Your concept is not only feasible but... but it is a great breakthrough in the field of strategic defense! With my forty years of experience in the field of ballistics, I believe this system is indeed capable of successfully intercepting intercontinental missiles!"

These words were like a bombshell, detonating in the conference room. If even the most conservative and rigorous Chen Gong approved of this plan, its feasibility was beyond doubt.

"Chief Engineer Li," a general from the Military asked excitedly, "how long will the development cycle for this system take? How soon can we build an initial defense capability?"

Li Mingyuan thought for a moment: "A complete 'Sky Net' system will take five to seven years to be fully built. But we can adopt a phased implementation strategy, first establishing local defense capabilities and then gradually expanding. If everything goes smoothly, we can achieve initial protection for key northern areas within two years."

"Two years!" Deputy Commander Liu slapped the table in surprise, "That's great! Even if the Star-Spangled Country's 'Falcon' project proceeds at full speed, they will need at least five years to develop a missile similar to 'Changfeng.' We have plenty of time to build a defense system!"

The atmosphere in the conference room shifted from the initial heaviness and doubt to high excitement and hope. Everyone's face was filled with excitement as they gathered around the blueprint, discussing every detail of the system and possible directions for improvement.

"The radar array could consider staggered deployment to increase coverage..."

"The computing units need to improve fault tolerance to avoid single-point failure..."

"The Fuse design for the interceptor missile is a technical difficulty that needs special attention..."

The technical personnel had already begun discussing the details heatedly, while the Military Representatives were on the other side calculating potential resource requirements and deployment plans. The entire conference room had effectively become a center for a brainstorming storm.

Amidst this bustle, Li Mingyuan stood quietly to the side, wearing that faint, mysterious smile. As a traveler from the future, he naturally knew the future development direction of missile defense systems. Although the "Sky Net" system adopted the technical conditions of the fifties, its core concepts—early warning, trajectory prediction, and saturated interception—were the basic path for the development of missile defense over the next few decades.

The discussion in the conference room continued; technical experts gathered in front of the "Sky Net" blueprint, vying to offer suggestions and propose various improvement opinions; the Military Representatives were discussing system deployment and resource allocation issues enthusiastically; even Chen Gong, who was initially skeptical, was now excitedly pointing at the design of the Computing Hub, explaining its potential revolutionary significance to those around him.

This blueprint was not just a design for a defense system, but a key step for Long Country to move toward the status of a true great power. If the "Changfeng" missile gave Long Country the ability to deter enemies, then the "Sky Net" system would provide Long Country with the guarantee to withstand threats.

Everyone was immersed in this breathtaking concept, unable to extricate themselves. No one noticed that in the corner of the conference room, Division Chief Qian—that taciturn intelligence expert—was watching Li Mingyuan's back with a complex gaze, lost in thought...