The lingering warmth of the successful wind tunnel test was completely frozen by the gloom of the torn design drawings and the abnormal pulse.

The atmosphere at the base was like the deathly stillness before a storm, oppressive and wary.

Like a cheetah that has smelled blood, Jiang Feng led his security team to conduct a thorough search of the base, focusing on personnel who had access to the core blueprints.

Wang Tiezhu and others also fell silent, not daring to comment on any of Mingzhao's decisions.

However, technological bottlenecks will not be slowed down by internal gloom.

The skeleton of the Shadow prototype gradually took shape in the final assembly workshop. The fuselage, covered with dark black feathers, had smooth and deadly lines, and the huge space reserved at the rear for the Starfire Core exuded a heart-pounding sense of energy.

But when everyone's gaze fell on the nose of the aircraft, the location where the radar, command center, and fire control computer should have been installed, another equally suffocating sense of despair quietly rose up.

Falling behind is not something that can be overcome with a breakthrough in just one area. It requires catching up in all aspects!

A tribute to the scientists of that era.

Avionics Laboratory.

The air was filled with the smells of rosin, solder, and burnt electronic components from overheating.

On the huge workbench, various types of vacuum tubes, transistors, bulky circuit boards, tangled cables, and several old radar displays with peeling paint and flickering screens were piled up.

In the corner, a domestically produced, state-of-the-art airborne radar simulator (based on the Soviet RP-21) with a size comparable to a refrigerator was emitting a low hum, its cooling fan spinning wildly, blowing out scalding hot air.

Li, the head of the avionics team, was a middle-aged man with thick glasses and greasy hair, frowning as he stared at the cockpit layout diagram of the Shadow and a pile of messy data spread out on the table.

He pointed to the huge radar mounting slot on the nose of the aircraft on the blueprint, his voice filled with helplessness:

"Comrade Ling, Chief Engineer Zhang...look at this! This...this simply won't fit!"

He picked up a heavy metal module representing the new radar transceiver components. "This transceiver alone weighs over 120 kilograms! Its size is equivalent to two washbasins! The power consumption is terrifying! The cooling fan alone takes up this much space!"

He gestured with his hands, almost bursting into tears.

"And this fire control computer!"

He pointed to another pile of bulky chassis crammed with vacuum tubes and transformers.

"The computing power is barely adequate, but the reaction speed is as slow as an old ox pulling a broken cart! Want to lock onto a high-speed target? By the time it finishes calculating, it'll be too late! Not to mention the power consumption and heat generation! Stuff it all into the nose? Forget stealth, the plane will be nose-heavy and crash straight down!"

Li Gong became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting as he spoke: "It also has anti-jamming capabilities! The enemy can just drop some electronic junk, and our radar screens will turn into static on a TV! Expecting this thing to be the eyes and brain of the Shadow? That's blind and stupid! It'll be a sitting duck in the air!"

The laboratory was shrouded in gloom.

The avionics technicians looked at those bulky, outdated, and incredibly power-consuming "antiques," and then at the streamlined, futuristic "ghost" aircraft on the blueprints. The huge contrast almost overwhelmed them.

The performance gap is more disheartening than the engine gap!

Academician Zhang Meng and Zhang Mingyuan looked at the pile of industrial waste in front of them with equally grim expressions.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, let alone equipping a future fighter jet that needs supersonic stealth penetration with eyes and a brain.

The current level of domestically produced avionics is an insurmountable mountain!

---

In this suffocating despair, Mingzhao's clear, cold voice rang out, like a stone thrown into stagnant water:

"Radar...is not needed."

What? !

Everyone looked up abruptly, staring at her in disbelief!

No radar needed? Then how will you detect the enemy? With your eyes?!

Mingzhao ignored the astonished looks.

Her gaze did not fall on the bulky avionics equipment, but penetrated the thick walls of the laboratory, as if she were looking into the deep universe.

Her fingertips traced invisible lines on the table:

"Remove...traditional radar."

“Simplify… cockpit avionics.”

"Only retain... basic display... control interface."

Her words were like a thunderclap, leaving Li Gong and the others dizzy and disoriented!

Remove the radar? Simplify the avionics? Wouldn't that make the plane blind and deaf?!

"This...this is practically suicide!"

Engineer Li cried out in disbelief, "No radar! How do we detect enemy aircraft? How do we lock onto targets? How do we navigate?!"

Mingzhao's gaze shifted to Zhang Meng and Zhang Mingyuan, his cool voice carrying an undeniable logical force:

"Traditional radar...active radiation...exposes itself."

"Size...weight...power consumption...disrupts stealth."

"Inefficient..."

She paused for a moment, then revealed the core of her groundbreaking plan:

"Detection...relies on the Milky Way."

"Information... is transmitted via satellite... data link."

"Fighter jets...maintain...electromagnetic silence."

boom!

The entire laboratory was stunned once again! Relying on satellites?! Data link transmission?! Electromagnetic silence?!

This...this completely overturns the fundamental principles of aerial combat! They've moved the eyes and brains of fighter jets...to the sky?!

Academician Zhang Meng's pupils suddenly contracted! She instantly understood Mingzhao's intention!

This is not about abandoning avionics, but about completely cloudifying and decentralizing the avionics system!

"Tell me your specific plan!"

Zhang Meng's voice trembled slightly, a sign of excitement from being overwhelmed by the grand vision!

Mingzhao walked to the huge drawing board, picked up a pen, and began to make bold cuts on the layout of the Shadow Cockpit!

A huge radar screen? Wipe it out!

A complicated fire control console? Wipe it out!

Rows of instrument panels? Simplified to display only the most basic flight attitude and engine parameters!

Instead, a simple, flat, multi-functional display, resembling a futuristic tablet, was drawn directly in front of the cockpit. Next to it were labeled a minimalist joystick and several multi-function buttons.

"Receiver terminal... miniaturization."

"Functions... Display the galaxy... Share information."

"Target...location, speed, altitude...threat level...attack guidance line..."

Her pen quickly sketched a simple system architecture diagram next to the drawing:

The "Galaxy" satellite constellation (Satellites A, B, and C) acts like a celestial eye, continuously scanning a wide area of ​​space to detect, identify, and track targets.

A powerful ground command center is responsible for information fusion, threat assessment, and tactical decision-making.

The Shadow fighter jet is equipped with only a highly secure, anti-jamming satellite data link receiving terminal and a simple MFD display.

The fighter jets remained radar-silent throughout the entire process, like invisible ghosts, relying on information transmitted by satellites to approach the target silently and launch a fatal attack!

After the attack was completed, they once again entered electromagnetic silence and quietly withdrew!