"Modify!"
Xia Yu made no modifications and directly modified the vehicle according to the proposed plan.
Soon, the initial McDonnell Douglas design, which shared 57% of its parts with the F-4J, was gradually taking shape in laboratory modules.
This Ultimate Phantom will also become one of only two variable-sweep wing carrier-based aircraft after the F-14 Tomcat.
The F-111 was also tested for carrier-based operations, but Project Sea Pig ultimately failed. In the future, we can try to strengthen the airframe and see if it can be ejected.
Testing directly on the São Paulo would be too nerve-wracking. Let's wait until the cave sub-base is in its later stages of construction and we have land-based aircraft carrier combat capabilities. That's when we can launch catapults to test the performance limits of various aircraft types.
Furthermore, while they already possess the technology reserves for intermediate-range variable-sweep wings, when will they acquire the technology reserves for intermediate-range supersonic cruise and intermediate-range carrier-based aircraft?
Carrier-based aircraft will definitely increase in number as they enter service, but in the foreseeable future, it seems difficult to even assemble five types of supercruise fighters, let alone collect them. These things are much rarer than variable-sweep wings.
The good news is that Xia Yu has a system that allows him to take a different approach to supersonic cruise, such as playing a one-time supersonic cruise fighter.
Even if the engine melts down, he can refurbish it into a new one, or print out 10 or 8 in advance and replace it as a wear part when it breaks. Xia Yu can afford to pay for this amount of labor.
As for normal overcruise and extreme output to break through defenses, it's not as simple as just spraying water into the engine.
The machine body also needs to be modified to adapt to the thermal barrier, and the aerodynamic layout needs to be further optimized. Xia Yu definitely can't handle it alone.
However, as long as he can acquire the reserves of medieval supersonic cruise technology, he can modify it into a supercruise Phantom F-4X, thus completing the Phantom family.
To unlock the potential of a second-generation fighter jet to this extent, one could only be considered a veteran player!
Xia Yu couldn't help but think this to himself.
That's life. Outside of work, you have to learn to find fun for yourself. Some people collect model kits and figurines, while others buy and modify cars. If you have a limited budget, you can buy a few hard drives and collect various license plates, which is also a kind of fun.
Xia Yu's interests are more straightforward; he has always been dedicated to collecting and modifying various war vehicles made by humans.
Although it is hard to admit, war is the accelerator of human civilization. Humans are also very good at innovating and manufacturing various weapons that can efficiently kill their own kind, and then using the military achievements to benefit civilian use.
Nuclear bombs and atomic energy are the most typical examples, and there will be many more examples in the future.
As a peace enthusiast, Xia Yu can only take it in stride, hoping that humanity can create more powerful weapons, and thus remind everyone of the price that comes with large-scale warfare.
Of course, local wars are inevitable, and that is precisely the significance of concentrated fire defense.
Restoring regional order and bringing peace back to civilians while earning money with dignity.
[Estimated remaining man-hours for modification: 28.3]
I pulled my wandering thoughts back; it will take more than a day to finish revising.
After all, this wasn't a fusion modification, but a modification based on the blueprints.
The engines have clearly been replaced, but it's unclear which one. No matter how popular the J79 is, it's still an old engine that's over 50 years old, and it's not enough to unleash the Phantom's superior maneuverability.
We'll know once the changes are complete. For now, let's focus on moving earth and making bricks, and while we're at it, design the tunnel exit for the sub-base.
Yes, a tunnel diameter of 15.6 meters is certainly sufficient for the transport section, but not for the catapult takeoff/interception landing section.
With its wingspan of less than 8 meters and the ability to exit from the other end, the sea harrier, being a small, chubby bird, has absolutely no need to worry about this.
Heavy fighters like the F-14 have an astonishing wingspan of 19.54 meters when swept at a 20-degree angle, which is even wider than the F-111's 19.2 meters.
Not to mention that ventilation equipment needs to be installed on both sides (the air in the tunnel is thin, and the air intake of fighter jets is insufficient in non-open areas), and four arresting cables need to be installed, making it necessary to widen it to at least 25 meters.
In addition, slots for installing steam catapults need to be dug out in the lower level of the takeoff/landing section, which is definitely a huge project.
Xia Yu once considered placing the airport runway outside the mountain and covering it with camouflage netting when not in use.
However, considering the ubiquitous and ever-increasing number of satellites in the sky, encasing the ejection/interception section within the mountain is the safest approach.
However, pilots must be ace pilots like him. If an aircraft carrier fails to land, it can pull up and go around. But if a land-based aircraft carrier at a branch base crashes into a mountain and explodes, then everyone only gets one chance.
After collecting the piled-up slag into the storage silo, Xia Yu went to the control room, took out his workstation, and opened 3ds Max to prepare for modeling.
He wasn't a civil engineer, but when he's working with a tunnel boring machine, he's a god of civil engineering; drawing and modeling are second nature to him.
The transport section can be a circular shape formed by the tunnel boring machine, but the take-off/landing section must be designed with a rectangular cross section.
There are also tunnel boring machines on the market that are specifically designed for digging rectangular tunnels, but it is not practical to build another one, as it is also too small. The workaround is to use the Bella machine to dig twice in succession, thus widening the tunnel cross section into a rounded rectangle.
The widening should begin from the last 20% of the tunnel section.
The BS-5 steam catapult has a stroke of 46 meters and can propel a 22.68-ton aircraft to a speed of 91 knots.
It seems like reserving 10% is enough, but what about future upgrades?
The advanced version of the BS-5A designed by the British has a travel of 60.7 meters, which can push a 27.22-ton aircraft to 95 knots.
The more powerful BS-6, however, remained only on paper due to the termination of the CVA-01 Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier project.
However, the 76.2-meter catapult launch distance, which propelled the 27.22-ton aircraft to its design target of 120 knots, fully demonstrated the lingering glory of the empire.
After all, the Charles de Gaulle used a customized version of the American C-13, with a travel of only 75 meters, and the thrust it could output was not much higher than that of the BS-6.
Xia Yu's idea was simple: to use the BS-5 salvaged from the St. Paul first, and then gradually upgrade its performance to the level of the BS-6 through modification.
This necessitates reserving at least 20% of the tunnel section.
Plans can't keep up with changes, so Xia Yu had to revise the original plan, but the time saved could be used to excavate the "generator compartment".
This was supposed to be the next phase of construction, but dragging a high-voltage cable of three to five hundred meters was too troublesome. Also, it would be unsightly to place the turbine unit and oil storage tank in the main tunnel. It would be better if they were installed in the rock mass even a day earlier.
Time passes unnoticed in the mountains, and the passing of winter is unknown. Xia Yu was engrossed in the valley, forgetting to eat or sleep, while a new day was also dawning in the town of Nekalai, hundreds of kilometers away.
Tourists from all over the world, after resting for a night, emerged from their hotels and inns in twos and threes.
Some of them had already finished their visit and were carrying their luggage, ready to leave, while others were heading towards the war museum.
Those with ample means who bring their families drive themselves, while most solo travelers take buses that run every few tens of minutes.
After the park officially opened at 9 a.m., visitors lined up to buy tickets and enter.
Many of them were visiting for the second time. After all, it would take several hours to carefully examine all the cars, and the park would close after watching two shows. One day was definitely not enough for an in-depth experience.
A cursory glance wouldn't do justice to the fact that they've come all this way to Afica and spent two to three days there.
In response, the official website has launched a weekly pass for $50, a monthly pass for $100, a quarterly pass for $200, and an annual pass for $500.
Xia Yu thought the annual pass would be hard to sell, but she sold nearly two hundred in just one week.
Some people actually plan to come back in a few months, while others are just collecting them, since the annual pass features a rare Tiger King!
Xia, who grew up eating instant noodles, knows about collecting cars, so the museum's physical tickets are all the size of bank cards, and in addition to being different colors, they are also printed with different World War II tanks.
Annual Tiger King, Season Tiger Style, Monthly Black Panther – all have chips that store the ticket purchaser's basic information.
The basic models of the weekly pass and several single-day passes are various derivatives of the Panzer IV and Panzer III, with limited tanks and limited paint schemes available during holidays and special events.
Look at this, is this something a human being would do? Using monthly, quarterly, and annual passes to precisely harvest wealthy guys with collecting obsessions.
Even a poor guy with no money can't resist wanting to collect a few of the beautifully made single-day tickets.
However, there are only 108 heroes in the Water Margin, but there are more than 108 types of tanks and tracked vehicles in World War II.
The longest road tourists have walked is truly Xia Yu's trick, the kind where those who are willing to take the bait do so with relish.
With clearly marked prices, they're buying exactly what they want; isn't that better than blind boxes?
Even more tragically, in front of the museum, two tourists who had just changed their clothes were holding a somewhat familiar tractor key. Under the guidance of a young black man, they began to insert it into the tiger-shaped anus and start spinning.
"Yes, like that, push harder, give it your all, almost there, hey, there it is!"
While clapping, Kolon cheered on the two tourists. When he saw that it was about time, he gestured for them to make way, and then reached in and pressed the button.
"Put-put-put"
The old V12 engine started successfully, winning cheers from the crowd.
Happiness is that simple; spending money to get on a ride and have sex will make you even happier.
We called the tourists who had just swiped their cards to get on the bus. It was 10 o'clock, which was also the time for the tank parade performance.
No one was paying for the tank parade, so it was just a parade. But the seats for the popular tanks were already booked. After driving around once, they headed to the artillery firing range to fire.
"Boom!"
Pressing the electric firing handle behind the elevation handwheel, I fired an $8,000 Pagr.39 armor-piercing round. Taking a deep breath and savoring the smell of gunpowder as it burned out, I felt a sense of euphoria afterward.
"Thank you for your patronage, but please be careful as it may be hot."
The breechblock was opened to remove the spent shell casings. Even though the first shot from the cold gun wasn't very hot, Zhu Zi still followed the training procedure and wrapped the casings in a damp towel before handing them to the customer.
Even if this thing can be brought onto a plane from Afica, it won't be allowed into many countries. If tourists want it, they can have it made into handicrafts and mail it back directly.
"Next, we have eight targets to choose from. Which one do you prefer?"
After the tourists made their selections, the commander, Kron, guided them through the rough adjustments to the turret's direction and the gun's elevation, before finally making the precise aim.
"Fire!"
"Boom!"
A single .45mm high-explosive round left the barrel, sending the opposing T-72 into a frenzy of fire and smoke, creating a stunning visual effect.
This guy is pragmatic. He didn't have high expectations for the effectiveness of armor-piercing shells from World War II. He just went straight for high-explosive shells and set off firecrackers, which made the trip worthwhile.
The tank driving and firing were scheduled after each parade, with seven rounds of concentrated firing each day, which didn't disturb the people too much.
At least the area around Bogo Village wasn't too noisy, so it didn't affect the employees' rest.
Or rather, it's a period of rest and preparation.
As the museum's business gradually got back on track, Jihuo Defense, including its owner Xia Yu, slowly withdrew.
He would only personally entertain important guests, and he sold five of the more common World War II tanks, such as the Panzer II, which was more like an infantry fighting vehicle than a tank.
With some other orders added, he earned over ten million US dollars, which is equivalent to selling five Weasel A3 cars. Indeed, the market for classic cars should not be underestimated.
Bullets, shells, rockets, and all kinds of unopened ammunition were taken out of the warehouse and loaded into containers, filling two full 20-foot standard containers.
That might not be enough, because just recently, the Philippine Foreign Minister announced the formal end of Operation Red Butterfly, withdrawing all Philippine troops to the Sahel region.
This means that efforts will be concentrated on Operation Barkhane. For Jihuo Defense, which has not yet joined the operation, and for the many PMC companies that have already taken on the job, they will be deployed in the desert for at least three months.
Two containers are indeed not enough. The main purpose is the munitions carried by the F-4K. But the Chinese are not like the black uncles. They not only have no shortage of ordinary aerial bombs, but also a considerable number of precision-guided munitions.
Okay, but the price is a bit high.
The French version of JDAM, with an aerodynamic layout very similar to the old Magician's AASM hammer modular guided munition, was put to combat use in Libya in 2011.
But you know how high the labor costs are in Europe; a single missile costs close to 100,000 euros. No wonder the Rafale and Mirage 2000 primarily carry the cost-effective Paveway IIGBU-12 ammunition.
While its effective range isn't as good as the AASM, it can handle many other tasks.
Xia Yu contacted the other party and said that they would bring their own ammunition for the aircraft cannons, and that their logistics could supply everything else.
Well, we've lost the profit from ammunition; we'll have to make up for it from other sources.
Do you think Old Huang would leave empty-handed after entering the chicken coop? That's a joke.
"Honey Badger, the boss has been unusually busy lately, we've been missing him. I really miss the days when we were all together firing cannons."
On the engine compartment of the T-64B1M, Hans leaned against the turret and spoke.
"Mongoose, you have experience, what's the desert like?"
Domi put down the wrench he was holding and asked.
He was only familiar with rainforests and grasslands, and had seen the plateau at Kenniya, but this was the first time he was going to go to the desert.
"You should ask Rommel; he knows more about it."
Hans told a lame joke, but seeing that Domi didn't react, he quickly got back to the main topic.
"The heat, the sandstorms, and the elusive, ubiquitous terrorists—it's one thing for them to attack Chinese people, but they don't even spare the blue-helmeted troops. It's utterly illogical."
Hans took two ice creams from the refrigerator at his gunner's position, gave one to Domi, and said.
"In short, you have to be careful of every car that gets close to you; jammers can't interfere with manually operated car bombs."
As I spoke, my thoughts drifted back to many years ago.
His Weasel A5 was almost blown up.
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