Chapter 69: Designing the 107 and the Katyusha

"First is the 107 Rocket Launcher; this is the true guerrilla warfare artifact." Li Mingyuan quickly sketched the outline of the barrel on the virtual drawing board, his fingers nimbly adjusting various parameters.

Traditional 107 barrels used integral casting, which was high-cost and low-yield.

Li Mingyuan innovatively designed a segmented casting method—manufacturing the barrel in three independent sections and assembling them with special jigs at the end, which both ensured precision and significantly increased production efficiency.

"If the material requirements are too high, the factory won't be able to meet them." Li Mingyuan frowned and began to simplify the design.

"The barrel wall thickness can be reduced from 5 millimeters to 3.5 millimeters, using ordinary Q235 steel instead of special steel, and a simple phosphating treatment on the surface will suffice."

The system automatically calculated the changes in each parameter. Material demand dropped by 70%, while strength only decreased by 15%, which was entirely within an acceptable range.

On the virtual experimental bench, the various components of the simplified 107 Rocket Launcher took shape one by one.

Li Mingyuan repeatedly tested the assembly precision, constantly adjusting the interface design until it fit perfectly.

"The base needs to be simplified too; the traditional triangular mount is too complex." Li Mingyuan changed the design, adopting a simple mount made of two folded and welded steel plates, which reduced the weight by half while making it more stable. "This way, soldiers won't be too tired carrying it while running."

The next challenge was the firing mechanism.

Li Mingyuan abandoned the complex mechanical firing device and designed a simple battery ignition system; it only required ordinary dry cell batteries and a piece of wire to achieve long-distance firing, greatly ensuring the safety of the operators.

"According to this design, the daily production capacity can reach 200 units, enough to support front-line needs." Li Mingyuan saved the blueprints with satisfaction and began to conceive the drawings for the Katyusha Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher.

The Katyusha is a powerful tool for mass-coverage strikes, but the traditional design was overly complex.

Li Mingyuan decided to take a minimalist route—16 launch tubes installed side-by-side, canceling the complex rotating mechanism and adopting a fixed design, replacing the entire launcher rack after one volley.

"The launch tubes can be made of ordinary steel pipes, with a simple rolling process on the inner wall to reduce friction." Li Mingyuan simulated the manufacturing process in the system. "The mounting rack will be welded from angle steel, ensuring lightweight construction while maintaining sufficient strength."

The biggest challenge was the aiming system.

Traditional Katyushas relied on complex mechanical devices to adjust the firing angle, but Li Mingyuan ingeniously designed a simple level, which, combined with an angle scale, allowed ordinary soldiers to quickly master the essentials of aiming.

"This reduces the complexity by 80%; even ordinary factories can mass-produce it." Li Mingyuan looked at the completed blueprints, feeling confident.

…………

Early the next morning, Li Mingyuan shifted his focus to propellant research.

This was the Hexin of the rocket launcher and the most difficult technical barrier to overcome.

"Traditional black powder is unstable and prone to dampness, making it unsuitable for large-scale storage." Li Mingyuan mixed various chemical raw materials in the System Small World. "A substitute must be found."

The system knowledge base provided several possible formulas, but none were suitable for current industrial conditions.

Li Mingyuan pondered for a moment, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck: "A mixed propellant of nitrocellulose and paraffin!"

This formula was already very common in later generations, but in the fifties, it was a revolutionary innovation. Li Mingyuan quickly adjusted the proportions—65% nitrocellulose, 30% paraffin, and 5% additives.

"Theoretically feasible; starting simulation experiment." In the virtual laboratory, a small piece of mixed propellant was ignited; it burned steadily with almost no black smoke, and the thrust curve was amazingly smooth.

Li Mingyuan excitedly adjusted the formula, changing only one variable at a time, recording all data, and searching for the optimal balance point.

After more than thirty experiments, he finally found a satisfactory answer.

"Perfect! Storage stability has increased by 300%; it can be safely stored for six months without deterioration." Li Mingyuan recorded the formula in detail.

"Most importantly, these raw materials can all be obtained domestically; no imports are needed."

After the propellant formula was finalized, Li Mingyuan turned to the design of the Rocket Shell.

The shell body adopted a lightweight treatment, and the tail fins used a folding design, which both saved space and improved flight stability.

"The warhead design must be simple and practical." Li Mingyuan pondered for a moment and decided to design three different types—high-explosive, incendiary, and smoke—to adapt to different combat needs. "The most important thing is a standardized interface, allowing warheads to be quickly replaced on the battlefield."

On the third day, Li Mingyuan began designing the mobile launch platform.

Ideally, the Katyusha should be mounted on a truck, but considering the current industrial conditions and battlefield environment, he ingeniously thought of an alternative plan.

"Convert a horse-drawn carriage chassis!" Li Mingyuan's idea seemed crazy, but it was actually very suitable for the current situation. "Horses have good mobility, don't need gasoline, are simple to maintain, and are more flexible than cars in mountainous and hilly terrain."

An ordinary carriage chassis obviously could not withstand the recoil during rocket firing, so Li Mingyuan designed a simple hydraulic support system; four support legs would automatically deploy before firing, firmly anchoring the entire platform to the ground.

"The steering mechanism also needs to be strengthened." Li Mingyuan redesigned the wheel structure, adding shock absorbers and a direction-locking mechanism to ensure the platform remained rock-solid during firing. "Additionally, install special steel plates at the bottom of the carriage to prevent rocket exhaust from damaging the chassis."

…………

Late at night, Li Mingyuan leaned back in a chair in the System Small World, closing his eyes to rest for a moment.

Three days of continuous work had left him exhausted, but the results were fruitful—the full set of designs for the two rocket launchers was complete, including production processes, assembly procedures, and operation manuals.

"Time to return to the real world." Li Mingyuan opened his eyes, exited the System Space, and looked at the stack of completed drawings on the table, a satisfied smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

The full set of technical documents for the 107 Rocket Launcher and the Katyusha Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher were neatly stacked on the table, from barrel structure to propellant formula, from firing mechanism to mobile platform, with nothing left out.

Li Mingyuan carefully checked every page of the drawings, performing a final comparison and detail optimization with the system model.

"Everything is ready, all we need is the east wind." Li Mingyuan put away the drawings with satisfaction, preparing to start the trial production phase.

"Chief Engineer Li, those strange materials you wanted are all ready." Factory Lou Changzhang stood at the office door with a puzzled look on his face.

"Nitrocellulose, paraffin, and those steel pipes and aluminum powder... what are you doing with all this?"

Li Mingyuan didn't even look up, continuing to modify details on the drawings: "Doing a small experiment, it's nothing to worry about."

"A small experiment?" Factory Lou Changzhang was skeptical. "The last time you did a 'small experiment,' you turned the whole factory upside down."

Li Mingyuan smiled: "Don't worry, this really is just a small test; it won't affect normal production. By the way, I need to use that abandoned warehouse in the backyard; three days will be enough."