Chapter 81: Anti-aircraft Rocket

10,000 characters every day, five chapters presented; it's very tiring, everyone please give some encouragement.

……

This inspiration made Li Mingyuan exceptionally excited, and he immediately began designing a brand-new weapon—an anti-aircraft rocket.

"The existing 107mm Rocket only needs three modifications..." Li Mingyuan drew the blueprints at high speed.

"First, replace it with a shotgun-style warhead, containing about 500 8mm steel beads. Second, install a simple Radio Proximity Fuze to automatically explode when approaching an aircraft. Third, adjust the launcher to add an elevation adjustment mechanism so the rocket can point directly at the sky."

The aiming principle of this modified rocket is very simple—by calculating the enemy aircraft's possible flight path, a "Steel Bead Fire Wall" is formed in the air in advance; when the enemy aircraft flies into it, it is almost impossible to pass through unscathed.

"The Radio Proximity Fuze is the key..." Li Mingyuan bit his pen tip and pondered, "Radio fuze technology has high requirements, but I can simplify the design to produce a crude but practical version."

The principle of the simple Radio Proximity Fuze he designed is: when the rocket approaches a metal aircraft, the emitted radio waves are reflected back, and if the intensity exceeds a preset threshold, it detonates the explosive.

Although the precision is not as good as a mature product, it is more than enough to deal with the slow bombers of that time.

"The most brilliant part is that this modification can be carried out directly on the front line without factory support!" Li Mingyuan slapped the table in excitement.

"As long as the technical data is sent to Li Yunlong, they can modify the existing rockets themselves!"

In the process of perfecting the design, Li Mingyuan thought of another problem: "The hit probability of a single rocket is not high; it must be fired in batches... I must design a multi-tube anti-aircraft rocket launcher!"

He quickly designed a 16-tube anti-aircraft rocket launcher, similar to the ground-based "Rain," but with all the tubes pointing at the sky in a fan-shaped arrangement, which can cover a wider airspace.

This device was named "Sky Net" by him.

"'Sky Net' fires 16 anti-aircraft rockets in one volley, forming a kill zone with a diameter of about 200 meters in the air, just like casting a large net; any aircraft that breaks in is like a moth to a flame!"

After perfecting the designs for the three types of anti-aircraft weapons, Li Mingyuan exited the System Space with satisfaction.

He stood up, feeling exhausted all over but mentally exhilarated. He walked to the window, looked at the night sky in the distance, and thought to himself: The enemy's aircraft will soon taste what true fear is!

……

Early the next morning, Li Mingyuan brought the preliminary design drawings of the three anti-aircraft weapons to the factory.

He convened an emergency meeting of the Technical Backbone and introduced the principles and performance of these new weapons in detail.

"The 14.5mm Anti-aircraft Machine Gun is the easiest to produce," Li Mingyuan said, pointing to the drawings on the projector, "Our factory's existing equipment can fully manufacture it. Its characteristics are mobility and flexibility; it can be quickly deployed and relocated, making it especially suitable for protecting small, important targets."

The technical staff recorded every parameter carefully: 14.5mm caliber, twin-mounted, maximum range of 4,500 meters, effective range of 2,000 meters, firing speed of 600 rounds per minute, equipped with an improved optical sight and a simple ballistic calculator.

"I made seven improvements to the original design," Li Mingyuan explained in detail, "First, I added new cooling fins to the machine gun barrel, which can extend continuous firing time; second, I improved the feeding mechanism to reduce the probability of jamming; third, I optimized the stability of the base..."

Every time he mentioned a point, the technical staff exclaimed in surprise. Although these improvements seemed small, they were crucial for improving weapon performance.

"The Type 58-1 35mm Anti-aircraft Gun is a heavy anti-aircraft weapon," Li Mingyuan turned to the next page of the drawings.

"Its power is enough to destroy an enemy aircraft with a single shot. But the manufacturing difficulty is high, requiring more precise equipment and more time. I suggest small-batch trial production first to verify feasibility before moving to large-scale production."

He showed everyone the key parameters of this heavy weapon: 35mm caliber, maximum range of 7,000 meters, effective anti-aircraft height of 4,000 meters, firing rate of 300 rounds per minute, equipped with a mechanical Fire Control System and specialized High-Explosive Bomb.

"What I am most concerned about is the third weapon—the anti-aircraft rocket," Li Mingyuan's voice was full of passion.

"This is our absolute advantage! We already have a mature rocket production line; we only need to make simple modifications to the warhead and launcher to quickly possess anti-aircraft capabilities!"

Li Mingyuan explained the principle and modification plan for the anti-aircraft rocket in detail: change the warhead of the ordinary 107mm Rocket to a shotgun-style one, containing about 500 8mm steel beads; install a simple Radio Proximity Fuze; and adjust the launcher elevation.

"The most magical thing is the 'Sky Net' multi-tube anti-aircraft rocket launcher," Li Mingyuan introduced excitedly, "16 launch tubes are arranged in a fan shape, covering a large area of the sky. After firing, they explode at a predetermined altitude, forming a dense Steel Bead Fire Wall; no aircraft would dare to pass through!"

He specifically emphasized the three major advantages of this weapon: First, production is simple, and existing rockets can be modified directly.

Second, operation is easy, and front-line soldiers can use it after simple training.

Third, the power is immense; one volley can cover a large airspace, forming an effective anti-aircraft network.

"I plan to complete the first batch of samples within three days," Li Mingyuan said finally, "Then immediately conduct live-fire tests. If successful, the first batch of anti-aircraft weapons will be sent to the front line within a week to support Li Yunlong's troops!"

As Li Mingyuan finished explaining the last technical parameter, the conference room fell into a strange silence.

Dozens of technical personnel sat there, their eyes wide open and mouths slightly agape, as if they had all forgotten how to breathe.

Factory Director Lou was the first to come to his senses; he swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling slightly:

"Chief Engineer... Chief Engineer Li, are you saying that the designs for these anti-aircraft weapons... were all thought up by you in these two days?"

Li Mingyuan nodded simply: "Yes, I pulled two all-nighters. It's not a big problem."

"Not a big problem?" An old engineer stood up abruptly, his face flushed, his fingers trembling:

"Chief Engineer Li, do you know what these mean? We... the Expert Group at our research institute, studied for three years without being able to break through the technical bottlenecks, and you just... just solved them so casually?"

Li Mingyuan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed: "Actually, the principle is not complicated; the key is to find an implementation plan suitable for current technical conditions."

"Simple Radio Proximity Fuze..." an electronics technician whispered, eyes dazed.

"We have discussed this concept countless times, but no one has ever been able to come up with a feasible design plan. Your design... is too incredible."

The atmosphere in the conference room became exceptionally heavy; dozens of eyes stared straight at Li Mingyuan, their gazes mixed with shock, awe, and a trace of indescribable fear.

That feeling was as if mortals had suddenly discovered a deity standing beside them.