Chapter 272

In the midst of busyness, a week passed unnoticed.

Northwest, Badain Jaran Desert, National Testing Range.

In 1958, Peng Lao Zong instructed the establishment of a comprehensive missile test range here; in 1959, the Air Force's Third Training Base was organized here.

ballistic missiles line.

Peng Lao Zong line? Actually we need to verify: The user wrote after 【4】 they had 【6】 ballistic missiles line, then 【7】 Peng Lao Zong line? Let's re-examine the original snippet:

Surrounding the area is a barren desert; when the plane takes off, sand and gravel blast sideways, stinging the face. This desert spans 47,000 square kilometers and is filled with countless mysterious vibes.

Now, a brand-new building has been erected here.

From the outside it looks like a small building, but those who built it know it's essentially just a solid cement block.

What are the higher-ups thinking, building such a huge cement block?

Yeah, the rebar inside is tied up tightly, my hands have gotten several blisters… We're not afraid of hardship, but…

What are you talking about? Pay attention to confidentiality! At that moment, the engineering company commander walked over and said, "Fall in, we're heading back to the barracks!"

Soon, a loud, ringing song rang out.

The sun sets behind the mountains, crimson clouds soaring…

Amid the singing, the engineering troops got into their vehicles and returned to base.

As we entered the base, a Transport 8 had just landed, its rear cargo door opened, and a heavy truck drove out, its truck bed holding a cylindrical object covered with a camouflage net; the experienced crowd was momentarily bewildered.

Truck bed

This…

What is it?

If you call it a missile, it's too small; if you call it a bomb, it's too big!

The truck drove toward the nearby apron, where an H-6 bomber was already waiting.

Comrade, you've finally arrived!

We've given you the bomb dimensions; can you handle the loading? Qin Miao glanced at the bomber.

No problem, we've reinforced the pylons. The leader in blue work overalls bore the words "Shaanxi Aircraft Factory."

Factory Director Lu, I never expected you to come in person! Zhu Lao, standing beside Qin Miao, remarked.

Soon, a loud, ringing song rang out.

Zhu Lao accompanied them almost the entire time, having inspected bomb production and then come here to observe the results; as a veteran of the domestic military industry, he naturally knew many people.

Lu Songshan graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Jiaotong University in 1940, then went to the UK for further studies. In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, he gave up his high-paying job in the West and returned to his homeland, first working as deputy chief process engineer at the Shenyang Aircraft Manufacturing Factory. When Factory 172 in Xi'an began copying the Tu-16, he was transferred to Xi'an.

He participated in the development of many domestic aircraft, including the J-5, JJ-1 trainer, H-6 bomber, Y-7, and Y-8.

Now he serves as the acting factory director of the Xi'an Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, also known as Factory 172.

He had been fully involved in designing the H-6 bomber back then; this time, to modify this bomb, he returned to help devise the plan.

With you here, our payload is certainly no problem; after all, the plan for the H-6 to carry mushroom bombs was also your research. Zhu Lao remarked.

Old Zhu, you're overpraising. Our pilots also dropped mushroom bombs back then. Let me introduce you: this is Division Commander Li, who, back then, piloted an aircraft and air-dropped a mushroom bomb, earning a first-class merit.

In 1965, Li Yuan yi led his crew in piloting a Tu-16 bomber to successfully air-drop an atomic bomb, achieving a successful detonation.

Now, to air-drop an earth-penetrating bomb, he has volunteered again; despite being a leader, he still insists on being at the forefront.

Comrade Qin Miao, we've been rigorously training our aiming techniques; once the bomb's aerodynamic data are ready, we input them into our bomb sight, and we're confident we can drop the bomb from a height of one kilometer with an accuracy of thirty meters. Division Commander Li said.

Bombers of this era feature a transparent nose compartment, especially the large flat glass panel below, which houses the bomb-aiming station; the operator uses the most precise optical sight to release the bomb.

But many parameters need to be set in advance.

Take the H-6 bomber as an example: bombs on the outer wings are low-drag, sleek and low-drag, while those inside the bomb bay are high-drag, resembling large round barrels; this makes production cheapest—small surface area, large capacity.

Cough… Division Commander Li, we haven't yet calculated the bomb's aerodynamic data.

What? Not calculated? Then let's hold off on installing the fuse; we'll run a few airdrops and determine the actual flight pattern from the impact points. Sure, it'll take more time and burn extra fuel, but for the south, any sacrifice is worthwhile.

No, Division Commander Li, we don't need to determine the exact shape; obtaining relevant bomb data is sufficient, and we don't need precise aiming either—if we fly at around ten thousand meters altitude, we can simply release the bomb about twenty kilometers from the target.

Ten thousand meters altitude? No way, absolutely not; we'd be safe, but the accuracy would be too poor. Comrade Qin Miao, we're not afraid of danger—we must resolve the crisis for the ground troops.

Division Commander Li, are you aware of our recent exercises?

I've heard a bit; originally, after the exercises ended, the entire army was supposed to conduct research and discussion, but I've taken on a new mission and came here.

Division Commander Li, this exercise we used advanced technology; even Western countries praise it and want to purchase our tech—for example, ten-thousand-meter-altitude bomb drops with ten-meter accuracy have already been verified on the Qiang-5, and now it's time for our H-6.

Ten-thousand-meter altitude, ten-meter accuracy? Impossible! bomb aimer He Zhiqiang exclaimed.

Now we've entered the high-tech era; what once seemed unimaginable is now possible. Qin Miao said, "Everyone, let's just mount the bombs; you're ready, so we should take off."

After loading the explosives and accessories, this large thick tube weighs 8.8 tons, considered a fairly auspicious number.

Before, you just had to hang the bomb and check the fuse; now everyone watches wide-eyed as Qin Miao plugs in a cable, connects it to a suitcase-sized electronic device with a keyboard and a small screen, and begins to input…

This thing really is high-tech!

Half an hour later.

Amid the roar, the H-6 bomber taxied onto the runway; although the bomb was heavy, the fuel tanks weren't full, so takeoff wasn't overly strained, and with five hundred meters left to the runway's end, it had already lifted off.

"San Shui, want to go check out the site?" Zhu Lao asked with a smile.

No, my work is already finished—sigh, actually I think it's unnecessary; using the monkeys' position as a target range would be enough, ah!