Chapter 80: Anti-aircraft Weapons, Anti-aircraft Guns

Minister Yang had the urgent telegram sent by Li Yunlong placed before him, and a group of Military leaders were engaged in a heated discussion.

"This kid Li Yunlong, to think he achieved such a great battle result using rocket launchers!" an old general exclaimed in admiration.

"Within three weeks, he wiped out over thirty thousand enemies and captured a massive amount of supplies and equipment; this achievement is worth a month's worth of results!"

Minister Yang nodded, "The power of the rocket launchers indeed exceeded our expectations, but now the enemy has started deploying bombers, and the front line is in urgent need of anti-aircraft weapons."

The group looked at each other, speechless for a moment. Anti-aircraft weapons were the scarcest resource at present, domestic production capacity was severely insufficient, and they mainly relied on imports.

"Call Li Mingyuan over," a high-ranking general suddenly spoke up, "let's see if this genius can create another miracle."

Half an hour later, Li Mingyuan arrived at the conference room and learned about the situation on the front line.

"The front line is in urgent need of anti-aircraft weapons, but our production capacity cannot keep up," Minister Yang said frankly, "Chief Engineer Li, do you have any good ideas?"

Li Mingyuan pondered for a moment, "Let me see the detailed report."

After browsing through Li Yunlong's telegram, the corners of Li Mingyuan's mouth lifted slightly.

This Li Yunlong was indeed a military genius, having used the rocket launchers in such varied ways.

"Anti-aircraft weapons are indeed the current pain point," Li Mingyuan raised his head, his eyes flashing with the light of wisdom, "but actually, we can develop an anti-aircraft model based on the existing rocket launchers."

The conference room was suddenly in an uproar; anti-aircraft rocket launchers? The Long Country military had never equipped such things!

Li Mingyuan ignored everyone's surprise and continued, "The key lies in two points: first, the launch elevation angle and a simple guidance system, and second, a special warhead design."

He picked up a pen and quickly sketched out a draft of an anti-aircraft weapon on a white sheet of paper; the crowd gathered around, watching intently.

"This... is it feasible?" an old expert asked hesitantly, "Our technical level..."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, "It is entirely feasible. I already have a detailed design plan, and I only need two weeks to produce a prototype."

……

Li Mingyuan stood in his office, hands behind his back, his brows tightly furrowed.

The front-line battle reports were already very clear; that brute Li Yunlong had used the rocket launchers to perfection, beating the enemy until they were disoriented, winning battle after battle.

But the enemy was no fool and soon found a countermeasure—deploying bombers, leaving the ground forces with no choice but to stare helplessly, no matter how powerful their firepower was.

He naturally did not have the technology in this area right now, but he remembered having obtained relevant materials before.

"These guys, wanting anti-aircraft weapons..." Li Mingyuan scratched his hair, "I remember flipping through materials on this before I left, didn't I?"

Li Mingyuan opened the "Data Library" interface, his fingers sliding rapidly through the Void, and beams of light flashed before his eyes.

"Armored vehicle... no, howitzer... also no, mortar... none of these." Li Mingyuan was somewhat anxious, "Where exactly is it?"

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to two seemingly unremarkable booklets.

"《Anti-Aircraft Artillery Technical Manual》 and 《Important Location Air Defense Doctrine》? Got it!" Li Mingyuan slapped his thigh and hurriedly clicked on these two manuals.

Densely packed technical parameters, structural diagrams, and operating procedures immediately flooded his vision. Li Mingyuan read through them carefully, his brows furrowing and relaxing by turns.

"This is the design drawing for an anti-aircraft gun... this is the structure of an anti-aircraft autocannon... this is the principle of an anti-aircraft sight..." The more Li Mingyuan read, the more excited he became.

"I didn't expect to have brought such detailed information!"

Just as he was immersed in the technical details, the system suddenly emitted a notification sound:

【Detected that the host is researching anti-aircraft weapon technology. Activate the "Heaven-defying Comprehension" trait to quickly master relevant technology?】

"Isn't that a given? Activate it, of course!"

【Heaven-defying Comprehension trait activated, currently parsing anti-aircraft weapon technology...】

Li Mingyuan felt as if countless pieces of information were flowing through his mind; from the most basic physical principles to complex ballistic calculations, from simple mechanical structures to precise control systems, everything poured into his mind all at once.

His temples throbbed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his eyes grew increasingly bright.

【Technology parsing complete, host has mastered the early 60s anti-aircraft weapon technology system】

"Ow!" Li Mingyuan couldn't help but let out a low cry; his head felt as if it had been drilled by an electric drill, but at the same time, there was a sense of clarity, as if the anti-aircraft weapons in the world had all become transparent building blocks before him, which he could disassemble and reassemble at will.

Li Mingyuan let out a long breath, feeling his brain both exhausted and exceptionally clear.

He closed his eyes, and blueprints for several types of anti-aircraft weapons best suited for current conditions automatically surfaced in his mind.

"First is the twin-mounted 14.5mm Anti-aircraft Machine Gun..."

He opened the virtual design desk and his hands drew the blueprints rapidly in the air.

According to the knowledge transmitted by the system, this type of weapon would be heavily equipped in the early days of the Long Country and was a sharp tool for dealing with low-altitude aircraft.

"Caliber 14.5mm, improved based on the Polar Bear KPV Heavy Machine Gun, twin-barrel design to enhance firepower density..." Li Mingyuan muttered to himself, his fingers moving non-stop in the Void.

"Each gun is equipped with 600 armor-piercing rounds, muzzle velocity of 1,000 meters per second, effective firing height of 1,500 meters, and a maximum firing height of about 2,000 meters."

On the blueprint, two thick machine gun barrels were mounted side-by-side on a base that could rotate 360 degrees, equipped with a simple optical sight; the entire device was operated by three people—one responsible for aiming, one for firing, and one for loading and resupply.

"This design is good, but the aiming system is too primitive..." Li Mingyuan frowned, then a flash of inspiration struck, "I can add a simple ballistic calculator to it!"

He quickly modified the design, adding a mechanical ballistic calculation device to the sight, which could adjust the lead based on target altitude and speed, significantly increasing the hit rate.

"Also add an automatic limit device to the firing mechanism to prevent the operator from firing wildly when overly nervous..."

He added several more improvements, including cooling system optimization, reinforced shock-absorption mechanisms, and a portable mounting base.

The final design was at least ten years more advanced than the early standard equipment, yet it would not exceed current industrial manufacturing capabilities.

"Perfect! This type of anti-aircraft machine gun can fire over 600 rounds per minute, forming a dense fire net; low-altitude aircraft won't be able to get close at all!"

After designing the 14.5mm Anti-aircraft Machine Gun, Li Mingyuan threw himself into the design of an even more powerful weapon: "Type 58-1 35mm Anti-aircraft Gun... this is a true heavy-duty anti-aircraft weapon!"

According to the knowledge transmitted by the system, a 35mm caliber anti-aircraft gun had a longer range and greater power; a single shell could shoot down a medium-sized bomber.

"Caliber 35mm, maximum range 7,000 meters, effective firing height 4,000 meters, maximum firing height 6,500 meters, firing rate 300 rounds per minute..." Li Mingyuan recorded the parameters in detail, "Equipped with High-Explosive Bomb with a special time Fuse; after exploding, it forms hundreds of high-speed shrapnel pieces, significantly increasing the probability of hitting an aircraft."

On the blueprint, this anti-aircraft gun looked mighty and imposing, with its long barrel pointing toward the sky, and at the bottom were complex rotating mechanisms and stabilizing supports.

The aiming system adopted a hybrid optical and mechanical design, which could quickly lock onto and track aerial targets.

"Although the 35mm Anti-aircraft Gun is immensely powerful, it is difficult to produce and hard to manufacture in batches in the short term..." Li Mingyuan pondered, "I must find a way to solve the immediate air defense needs."

His eyes suddenly lit up: "Wait! We already have rocket launchers, why can't we just modify them into an anti-aircraft model?"