Chapter 718: The mine-clearing vehicle successfully carried out several reconnaissance and anti-ambush operations in succession, making Lu Qingyang famous in the army for bringing in the new rifle and the magical "mine-clearing and pathfinding" combination.
However, actual combat is the best platform to test weapons and also the best way to expose problems.
During the intervals between battles, the soldiers gathered around Lu Qingyang and talked in a flurry:
"Expert Lu, this gun is good in every way except that the muzzle flash is too blinding when fired at night."
"Oh, I wish there was something that could block out this light."
"And this magazine, 30 rounds seems enough, but when I'm in the jungle, it takes too long to change the magazine."
"This uniform is too conspicuous in the dark green and brown forest. Even lying in the grass makes me look like a target..."
Lu Qingyang listened carefully and wrote down everything in his mind.
He knew that these seemingly subtle experiences often determined the life and death of the soldiers.
In his space, there were silencers, large-capacity drum magazines, and modern digital camouflage technology, but they were too shocking to take out directly.
It must be solved with “local solutions” that are understandable and feasible in this era.
He found the person in charge of the headquarters' logistics repair shop—an old squad leader named Li, his face covered in traces of engine oil and time, his fingers rough but extremely dexterous.
"Squad Leader Li, the soldiers have put forward some ideas, and I've thought of a few small modifications. Could we at the Repair Shop give them a try?"
Lu Qingyang was humble, holding a gun and wearing the soldiers' worn military uniform, and told them his thoughts.
Squad leader Li was hesitant at first, as he had seen too many "expert" theories. However, when he heard Lu Qingyang's specific plan, his cloudy eyes gradually brightened.
"Squad Leader Li, I'm thinking we can use our empty cans and discarded gun barrel steel to machine a cylinder with one end closed and the other threaded to screw onto the muzzle? If it's too complicated inside, we can just create a few chambers and fill them with the fine steel wool we use to clean guns, or drill some staggered holes.
The principle is to let the propellant gas make a few more turns inside, expand and cool down. Although it is made completely silent, it should be effective in reducing muzzle noise and suppressing flames.
As Lu Qingyang spoke, he used a branch to draw a simple structural diagram on the ground.
This is actually the most primitive principle of anti-flow flame arrester, but the materials are extremely simple.
Squad Leader Li pondered the sketch for a long time, then slapped his thigh and said, "This method sounds promising. Just add a compartment to the muzzle. I'll find the materials and try it out."
"Magazine capacity is something we can change for now, but I'm thinking of making a 'magazine paralleler' out of wire and canvas. It could secure two or even multiple magazines together. When one magazine is empty, you can simply pull it out and flip it 180 degrees to insert the other. This would save you the extra second or two of taking a new magazine out of the pouch."
Lu Qingyang gestured.
On this battlefield, the soldiers would come up with their own methods, and he only needed to standardize and simplify them.
"This is easy. We can use canvas and wire to make a batch right away and let the reconnaissance company try it out." Squad leader Li immediately understood the value of it.
"As for the uniforms, it's realistic to change them all, but we used local materials, such as pot ash, mud, banana leaf juice, and even crushed various green and brown plants, and applied and soaked them regularly on the surface of the uniforms to break up their single outline and color.
I also tied ropes and nets to my helmet, and tied some branches and leaves I picked on the spot to my back, so I could update them at any time and create dynamic camouflage.
Lu Qingyang proposed the concept of adaptive camouflage.
"Hey! This is good, just like the straw raincoat we wear when hunting in our hometown. It costs little and works well." Squad leader Li nodded repeatedly.
Just do it.
Under the leadership of squad leader Li, several first-hand soldiers in the repair shop and logistics department were busy working enthusiastically.
The empty cans were carefully cut and welded.
The wire is bent to fit the buckle.
The canvas is sewn 늅 sturdily놅 in parallel with the belt.
A few days later, the first batch of "homemade" improved equipment came out.
Lu Qingyang personally brought a rifle equipped with a simple flame suppressor and a parallel magazine, and conducted a night test firing with the soldiers of the reconnaissance company.
"Bang, bang." The sound of the gunfire became muffled, and most importantly, the obvious muzzle flame almost disappeared, leaving only a faint light.
"Great, now we are 'invisible' sharpshooters in the dark!" Da Liu shouted excitedly.
The parallel magazine is even more popular in simulated encounters, and the sustained power is significantly improved.
The warriors, painted with natural dyes in all sorts of colors and covered with branches and leaves, would lie down in the jungle and would be difficult to be discovered from a few steps away.
Wang Lei looked at these seemingly insignificant but extremely practical small changes, patted Lu Qingyang on the shoulder, and said with emotion: "Comrade Qingyang, you are really the treasure of our team. Not only can you make good guys, but you can also make good guys better. These folk methods can save many brothers' lives."
Squad Leader Li also gave Lu Qingyang a thumbs-up: "Expert Lu, you're not only theoretical, but also practical. You can think along the same lines as us roughnecks. Amazing!"
…
Watching the drones and mechanical dogs working efficiently in the minefield, although the risk to personnel was greatly reduced, Lu Qingyang realized that this kind of precise detection and marking method was still not efficient enough for large forces that needed to advance quickly.
Especially when facing large-scale, high-density enemy minefields, a faster way to open up channels is needed.
He cast his gaze towards the weathered and mud-covered military trucks and jeeps in the headquarters' open space.
A bold idea took shape in his mind - to build a simple mechanical mine-clearing vehicle!
This idea is not a fantasy.
His space contained information on various mine-clearing technologies, from the oldest rolling type to the most advanced blasting rope.
Under current technical conditions, the most feasible method is mechanical crushing minesweeping.
He once again found squad leader Li of the repair shop and an experienced old car soldier in the army.
"Squad Leader Li, Master Zhang, I want to try to put some armor on our truck so that it can run over landmines." Lu Qingyang went straight to the point.
Squad Leader Li and the driver, Lao Zhang, were both shocked. Lao Zhang was the first to shake his head: "Expert Lu, this is too dangerous! The chassis of the car is too fragile to withstand an explosion. If it explodes, it will be destroyed, and the driver will be finished too!"
"So we modified it."
Lu Qingyang was already prepared. He took a branch and started drawing on the ground. "We want the car to be completely bombproof. That's realistic. We need to make it so that when a mine is triggered, it can protect the cockpit to the greatest extent possible and allow it to continue working."
He explained his idea in detail: to choose a Soviet-made GAZ-51 truck in good condition.
First, the most critical areas, the bottom of the vehicle and the cockpit, were reinforced with the thickest steel plates the logistics department could find, forming a simple but effective "V"-shaped explosion-proof layer to direct the explosion shock wave and debris to the sides.
Steel plates are also welded around the cockpit, and the windows are changed to narrow observation slits to create a simple "armored cab".
In front of the truck, a disassembled, heavy and solid steel roller is installed.
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