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Chapter 86 080 Sky Dominator
Indeed, this is the J-20. But it's also not the J-20.
This is not a tongue-twisting philosophical question but rather a somewhat malicious, yet proud maneuver meticulously crafted by Bai Zhongqi.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
In country C, even those not well-versed in military affairs would certainly recognize this fighter plane if they frequently watched the news. Symbolizing the most advanced technology of C's aviation manufacturing and the culmination of decades of the C's aviation industry's efforts, this latest fifth-generation stealth fighter was seen as the future hope of the C's air force, a rival to the F-22.
Not long ago, at an airshow, two J-20s tore through the sky, elegantly demonstrating their charm and strength, sparking global attention.
Although C country still faced many shortcomings in its aviation industry, such as the decades-old "heart disease" plaguing its air force, the J-20 was still the best representation of the persistent and strenuous efforts of C's aviation professionals.
People like Tang Xinhua, an air force professional, were full of expectations for the J-20. However, to their surprise, upon their arrival at the Weapon Testing Ground in Ruyi City, the Iridium Star folks actually pulled out a fighter that looked exactly like the J-20 and said it was what they were planning to assist them with.
Tang Xinhua widened his eyes, trying to discern any differences between this Iridium Star replica and the original genuine model. As the head of air force equipment, he naturally had access to information not available to ordinary military enthusiasts. He seriously examined this replica J-20 and quickly spotted some differences.
However, from the nose section and such, it seemed hard to tell any significant differences; even the paint scheme was the very same silver-gray used on the small-scale mass-produced J-20s of the C country's air force.
A conspicuous difference was that the canopy of the replica was also silver-gray, which, in combination with the body paint, made one wonder if the person sitting inside could really see clearly outside.
As Tang Xinhua discovered more differences, the aerodynamics of this replica followed the original, but many structures including the main wings, horizontal stabilizers, and canards had been subtly modified. Of course, the most significant modification was to the tail section.
After the Southwest Design Bureau designed this fighter, the tail section had been much criticized, although some compromises had been made due to weight and power issues, it was not satisfactory. This Iridium Star replica J-20 had simply eliminated the ventral fins, and the engine nozzles had also been adjusted, making them less conspicuous.
The Iridium Star lieutenant colonel in charge of the introduction said, "Choosing your country's fighter as the basis for developing new weapons is not Iridium Star trying to tease you, but a recognition and admiration for C's ability to develop its capabilities from scratch under challenging conditions.
The Imperial Chancellor holds a special affection for this model, so he specifically used the J-20 Weilong Fighter as the base to develop the fighter you see now. We still call it the J-20, but with an added suffix 'evo,' representing an all-around evolutionary upgrade. What you see here is not merely a fifth-generation fighter from Earth, but a true sky-and-space combat fighter—the Sky Dominator."
The military personnel of C country were gradually adapting to seeing their own creations in the hands of others. Now, Tang Xinhua was also very eager to learn what Iridium Star had done to the J-20 and how it had become such a powerful fighter.
The Iridium Star lieutenant colonel continued, "There's not much change in the external appearance of this fighter. We made some reasonable optimizations to the aerodynamics, especially due to the enhanced power, removing some of the compromised designs made by your country's Southwest Design Bureau, although the canards were not among them."
Bai Zhongqi, watching the scene through a surveillance feed, knew that having modified the J-20 to the 'evo' level, those canards actually served little purpose. The main significance of canards was that they generated higher total lift during maneuvers compared to conventional configurations and performed splendidly in instantaneous turns.
It's also a node of the 'Global Situational Awareness System' that Iridium Star has built for Country C's weaponry platform. Global situational awareness implies that every weapon is fitted with numerous effective sensors, and all data collected by any weaponry platform can be shared with others in the system, allowing for intelligent command and enhanced strike effects.
The radar detection range of this fighter extends up to 800 kilometers, which is somewhat redundant considering the curvature of the Earth and the enhancements from global situational awareness," he explained.
As these figures started to cause the military officers of Country C to grit their teeth, Tang Xinhua pointed at the plane and increasingly found it hard to believe, saying, "You're telling me this fighter's detection range is even greater than that of an early-warning aircraft."
Colonel of Iridium Star replied as if it were obvious, "Correct, in fact, in the weapons development history within Iridium Star's atmosphere, early-warning aircraft were just a fleeting presence, with poor self-defense capabilities and limited use, soon to be replaced by fighters equipped with powerful radars."
It seemed the bionic colonel reveled in the fact that he was making the group of Country C's military officials unstable with each fact, as he continued, "We've designed it with electromagnetic stealth capabilities across most frequencies and optical stealth capabilities, making it virtually undetectable to the enemy."
As he spoke, he apparently activated some device, and then the entire fighter vanished before everyone's eyes.
Wang Peng exclaimed, "This is the same optical stealth technology you used in the San Francisco incident, just like a chameleon."
The bionic colonel didn't answer, for although there were subtle differences visible upon closer inspection, who would notice those from several thousand meters in the sky?
"Well, the final part is the weapon systems. This fighter is armed with an Electromagnetic Acceleration Cannon, firing 23mm projectiles, with options including high-explosive projectiles, armor-piercing projectiles, EMP projectiles, or the cheapest solid projectiles.
Even the solid projectiles, given their tremendous kinetic energy from electromagnetic acceleration, have a destructive power comparable to your country's 155mm self-propelled artillery. Of course, depending on the need, the power of the electromagnetic cannon can be adjusted to handle targets of varying size, with an ammunition reserve of 580 rounds.
Because it preserves left, right, and main ordnance bays, this fighter can also launch Exquisite Class missiles. These Exquisite Class missiles are typically less than a tenth the size of current Earth missiles, but their performance is far superior.
The deep main ordnance bay can carry up to 64 universal Exquisite Class missiles, suitable for air combat, ground attack, and even anti-submarine operations when guided by a target designation. The Exquisite Class missiles utilize high-efficiency chemical energy warheads, which are considerably powerful.
They employ composite guidance, including infrared, radar, satellite navigation, and visual tracking guidance by auxiliary AI.
The last optionally equipped weapon package consists of lightweight beam weapons, which can be mounted in the fighter's side ordnance bays. Beam weapons, unlike laser weapons, don't quite reach the speed of light, but they are still extremely fast. They also pack a significant punch, well-suited for striking fast-moving targets.
The side bays can also accommodate additional electromagnetic cannons, providing added flexibility."
By this time, Tang Xinhua was rendered utterly speechless, although everyone present had anticipated that the products from the Iridium Star people might be extremely formidable, they had not imagined they could be outrageously so. This was no mere fighter aircraft; it was essentially a flying arsenal capable of staying airborne for a week without landing!