Chapter 525: A Maiden Voyage to the Open Ocean?

Inside the command center, the expression on Deputy Minister Liu's face shifted from shock to confusion, then to ecstasy, finally settling into a complex hesitation.

"Ocean-going capability?" He lowered his voice, unsure if he had heard correctly, "Lao Li, do you mean... we can send 'Kunpeng' to the open ocean?"

Li Mingyuan nodded slightly, his eyes flashing with the fanaticism only a military enthusiast from his past life would have.

"Not just that it's possible," he looked around to ensure only Deputy Minister Liu could hear, "I suggest we immediately organize a practical ocean-going test, aimed straight at the depths of the Taipingyang."

Deputy Minister Liu jerked his head up as if he had heard something fantastical, but before he could digest this information, Li Mingyuan had already strode toward the center of the command center.

"Comrades!" He raised his voice, interrupting the heated discussion, "The basic tests for 'Kunpeng' have been completed successfully, but that is far from enough. I propose we conduct a real, practical ocean-going test, with the target—the central waters of the Taipingyang."

The entire command center fell silent instantly, as if someone had thrown a bomb into the middle of the room. Everyone froze in place, eyes wide, their faces filled with disbelief.

"What?" Minister Zhang was the first to recover, his voice suddenly rising an octave, "Lao Li, have you lost your mind? 'Kunpeng' has only just finished its first test!"

The Military Representative, an old general, slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face livid: "Absolutely not! This is a weapon of national importance; how can we take such a huge risk?"

Li Mingyuan had expected this reaction; he stood calmly in place, letting the waves of opposition rise one after another.

"The depths of the Taipingyang? That's the backyard of the Star-Spangled Country!" A naval staff officer waved his arms excitedly.

"A maiden voyage to the open ocean? That's child's play! What if there's a technical failure?" Another engineer almost jumped up.

"Most importantly," Minister Zhang said in a deep voice, his tone overriding everyone else, "we have no escort fleet! 'Kunpeng' travels at three hundred knots, while our fastest destroyer is only over thirty knots; what are we going to use to protect it?"

Deputy Minister Liu also frowned: "That's right, Lao Li. A single-ship ocean voyage, the risk is too great. What if it's discovered by a Star-Spangled Country carrier strike group..."

He didn't finish, but everyone understood the consequences—although 'Kunpeng' was advanced, it was, after all, the first experimental ship. If it were besieged by an entire Star-Spangled Country carrier strike group, the outcome would be self-evident.

The debate grew increasingly intense, and the entire command center fell into chaos. Someone suggested sending submarines to escort it, but it was quickly rejected—submarines were even slower; someone suggested narrowing the test range to only coastal waters, which was vetoed by Li Mingyuan; someone even suggested asking Beijixiong Guo to "lend" a few warships, which was met with a murderous glare from the old general.

The debate lasted for nearly an hour, always revolving around one Hexin issue: how could 'Kunpeng', without an escort fleet, ensure its safety when encountering an enemy carrier strike group?

Throughout the process, Li Mingyuan stood quietly to the side, a faint smile on his lips, as if watching a group of children argue about childish questions like "Can a dinosaur beat a tiger?"

Finally, when the debate was about to turn into a quarrel, Li Mingyuan tapped the table lightly.

"Everyone," his voice was not loud, but it made the whole room go quiet instantly, "allow me to explain why 'Kunpeng' does not need an escort."

He walked to the main console of the command center and operated it skillfully for a few moments; the large screen immediately displayed a set of complex technical parameters and a 3D model.

"First, regarding the issue of detecting and being detected," Li Mingyuan pointed to a model of a Radar antenna on the screen, "'Kunpeng' is not equipped with an ordinary Radar, but a new type of active phased array Radar driven by the 'Pangu' system."

He clicked the screen to pull up a set of comparison data: "The most advanced ship-borne Radar of the Star-Spangled Country has a detection range of no more than 200 nautical miles, and its detection capability for low-altitude targets is extremely limited. However, 'Kunpeng's' Radar System has a detection range exceeding 350 nautical miles and can track 500 aerial and surface targets simultaneously. The most critical point is—"

He paused deliberately to ensure everyone was listening intently:

"It can lock onto the enemy's entire carrier strike group before being discovered by their Radar. In our old parlance, this is 'detecting the enemy first,' and it is an overwhelming 'detecting the enemy first'."

The atmosphere in the command center changed subtly; those fiercely opposing voices gradually quieted down, replaced by thoughtful expressions.

"But that doesn't solve the communication problem," the old general persisted, "On an ocean voyage, once you lose contact with the land, you are like a blind man feeling an elephant. Without intelligence support, relying solely on 'Kunpeng's' own Radar remains fraught with danger."

Li Mingyuan showed the "you're so cute" expression he used to have in his past life when seeing a tech novice ask a question.

"General, I was just about to get to that point," he switched to another set of data, and the screen displayed a global network structure, "This is the 'Sky Eye' system."

"'Sky Eye'? Isn't that our Electronic Interference System?" Deputy Minister Liu asked in confusion.

"That is only a subsystem of 'Sky Eye'," Li Mingyuan explained, his voice carrying an unconcealable pride, "The complete 'Sky Eye' system includes three major components: communication, navigation, and information processing. Its Hexin is—"

He deliberately drew out his voice, watching the increasingly curious expressions of the crowd, before slowly saying the word that was almost magic in this era:

"Satellite communication and navigation."

"Sat—satellite?" An elderly engineer repeated, stammering, "You mean, like that iron ball the Star-Spangled Country just launched that spins in the sky?"

Li Mingyuan suppressed a smile: "A hundred times more advanced than that. The 'Sky Eye' system has secretly deployed three low-orbit satellites over the past six months, covering most of the Taipingyang. 'Kunpeng' is equipped with a specialized receiving antenna, which can maintain real-time communication with the command headquarters on a global scale while obtaining precise location information."

The entire command center went completely silent. Everyone stared with wide eyes, mouths slightly agape, their brains desperately processing this information—satellite communication? Satellite navigation? To people in the fifties, these concepts were practically alien technology.

"Is... is this true?" Minister Zhang's voice trembled, "Do we really have satellite communication capability?"

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "Not only that, the 'Sky Eye' system can also provide 'Kunpeng' with global meteorological data, enemy fleet movements, and optimal route planning. Simply put, 'Kunpeng' sailing on the Taipingyang is like taking a walk in its own backyard; it knows the entire environment like the back of its hand."