Spark

The rapid progress of the Nantianmen project is based on the fact that this project has almost enriched “the resources of the entire world.” In a sense, it is a struggle belonging to the entire human society, a new order versus the old. The struggle for order.

Once it takes off, it heralds the complete collapse of the order based on nuclear bundling - at least, the country most likely to launch a nuclear strike at this time will receive the strictest restrictions.

Of course, to achieve such restrictions, or "deterrence," the current Nantianmen platform cannot yet achieve it.

There is still one last piece of the puzzle in this huge picture - the laser anti-missile system.

In the office, Chen Nian was discussing the specific details of the laser anti-missile system with Fan Dianyuan, the current chief engineer of the laser weapon system. The expressions of both parties looked serious, but they were not depressed.

"So currently, this system still faces many technical difficulties."

"Among them, the problem of the detection system is the easiest to solve. The integrated sea, air and space detection system is about to be completed. The four-in-one detection system of early warning aircraft + additional satellites + ship-based radar + platform active radar can basically cover all potential threats."

"No matter where the opponent launches the missile from, we can complete the lock on the target during the acceleration phase of the missile and before it flies out of the atmosphere."

"The most critical issue is the means of attack."

"Existing laser weapon systems have extremely high energy requirements and relatively slow energy storage speeds. This is mainly caused by the development of capacitor technology."

"If I explain it in simpler terms, it's probably that we have a very powerful rifle, but this rifle is bolt-action."

"The anti-saturation strike capability is too poor. A platform can only carry up to four sets of laser anti-missile systems. These four systems can intercept about 80 missiles at the same time. It sounds like a lot, but the number of missiles that the United States can launch at the same time - —The number of intercontinental missiles alone exceeds 400."

"So, we still have to find ways to increase the firepower density. Considering the effectiveness of conventional anti-missile methods, the efficiency of the laser anti-missile system must be at least doubled to more than 160 missiles."

"To achieve this goal, one is energy, and the other is energy storage."

"Of course, the main thing is energy storage."

Hearing Fan Dianyuan's words, Chen Nian nodded slightly, and then asked:

"So our first technical goal is clear, which is the problem of superconducting capacitors, right?"

"Yes, it's superconducting capacitors. Now we have more than 30 domestic project teams conducting research in this area, but the progress is not very good."

"The first thing everyone solves is the problem of energy storage capacity, but what about energy storage efficiency? From the perspective of batteries, it is enough, but from the perspective of capacitors, to be honest, it is still far behind."

"Understood, you can summarize the existing research directions and results. I will make an expansion based on the current progress, and then come up with a usable plan for you."

"Thank you so much!"

There was a look of surprise on Fan Dianyuan's face - of course, Chen Guo had already told him the possible outcome of this discussion, but now there was someone who was actually willing to take up this burden, and they did so without hesitation. Speaking of "being able to come up with available solutions," the scene itself still gave him some unique impact.

"If the capacitor problem is solved, what about the others? Are there any other problems that require Spark's help?"

Chen Nian continued to ask.

"There is also a problem of material durability. We use fiber lasers. The lifespan of each core component can basically reach about 30 hours. The duration of a damaging launch is 20 to 40 meters seconds. In other words, one The anti-missile system can be used at least a thousand times."

"It should have been adequate but there was an element and it couldn't withstand such heavy use."

"Optical Resonator."

Chen Nian answered thoughtfully.

"That's right, it's an optical resonator!"

Fan Dianyuan's tone was a little excited - he really met someone who knew what he was doing, not the kind of leadership talent who only knew how to do administrative work.

Of course, in recent years, it has become increasingly obvious that administrative leaders understand technology.

"To be precise, a dielectric mirror for an optical resonant cavity."

"To put it more specifically, it should be the electron microscope layer in the dielectric mirror."

"Currently we are using C, AI, Au-Pd composite coatings, using ion-assisted deposition technology, and the radial uniformity is good, but the problem of LIDT, that is, the laser-induced damage threshold, cannot be effectively solved."

After confirming that Chen Nian could understand his expression, Fan Dianyuan's narration became more and more professional.

However, he was still a little worried that Chen Nian couldn't keep up, so he stopped and asked:

"Gong Chen, if I put it this way, I can probably explain what the problem is, right?"

"Yes, you need to take into account the two core issues of adjusting the optical gap and maintaining a high refractive index - to put it simply, the problem you face is that the range of available materials is too small, and only a few coating materials can meet the requirements. , but a dielectric mirror requires at least two different coatings to achieve different performances in the ultrashort pulse range."

"So, the difficulty is multiplied. In the final analysis, this is a question of materials science. Do you want new materials?"

"That's right!"

This time, Fan Dianyuan was really excited.

He was very sure that the young-looking "Gong Chen" in front of him was definitely not an ordinary person.

Being able to see the crux of the problem in a few words and point out the solution directly is not something that a layman or an outsider with only a little knowledge can do!

"So we hope that Xinghuo can help arrange it, at least to solve the problem of materials first."

"This problem is not solved with new materials."

Chen Nian shook his head and said.

“Not solved through new materials?”

Fan Dianyuan was stunned.

"What should we do? Optimize the process?"

"No, it's about changing the process."

"Use the sputtering mirror coating process of PW beam line to replace the traditional electron beam process."

A new term appeared in Chen Nian's mouth that even Fan Dianyuan was not familiar with. After going through it twice in his mind, he said hesitantly:

"Is it too new? This process direction has indeed been explored before, but"

"Don't worry about whether it's new or not. I'll give you something you can use."

Chen Nian answered decisively, and Fan Dianyuan suddenly realized how ridiculous his question was.

Yes, there is nothing that Xinghuo cannot solve. When you ask them for help, they will always give you a mature and reliable solution, not an ambiguous direction.

So, he immediately replied:

"I understand, then it will be your fault, Mr. Chen!"

"It's not hard. Come and pick up the documents in a week. If nothing else happens, the problem should be solved by then."

A week?

Fan Dianyuan stood up, looking a little dazed.

This thing is not a simple technology.

In the laser field, the emergence of a new process can change the pattern of the entire industry.

Has the speed of technological development in this world evolved to this level?

The other side of the sea.

Bahia Honda, river beach position bunker.

Backhouse was smoking a cigarette out of boredom and said to the adjutant beside him:

"This kind of defensive battle is actually the least interesting. We can only stay here and wait for others to fight. There is no change, and there is no room for the wisdom of front-line commanders to be used."

"If you win, it means the early deployment was good; if you lose, it means the battle is unfavorable."

"I'm tired of it now. I really hope that the United States can handle their own affairs as soon as possible and bring the plane over as soon as possible."

The adjutant shook his head helplessly and replied:

"Not only is this a problem, but the morale of our team is also declining."

"The Americans are like hanging a knife over our heads. As long as the knife is not cut off, we will never be able to fight back."

"With this pressure day after day, if they had enough patience, they might not have to fight. Our team would be close to collapse."

"So do they want to fight or not?"

Backhouse interrupted the adjutant and asked.

"I don't know. The situation in their country is very bad now - it should be said that it has become more complicated."

"The voices of the anti-war faction suddenly amplified, and the war faction headed by Grady was once again questioned about launching a terrorist attack. You know, that matter is directly related to China!"

"So, now they are likely to need a longer time to slow down. To make matters worse, the new North American alliance has already begun to conquer the city."

"I really doubt we will come back without success this time."

"That's okay, just treat it as a vacation."

At this point, Backhouse's mood began to stabilize. He threw away the cigarette butt and lit a new one. The adjutant shook his head and was about to persuade him to smoke less, but he also Just then, the wired phone on the table rang.

"We have encountered electromagnetic interference, and everyone is ready to fight!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was clearly audible. Backhouse immediately jumped up. The cigarette he had just lit was thrown to someone unknown. Then he immediately looked at the radar screen of the command headquarters - there was no interference on the screen yet. After seeing the unique noise and snowflakes, it is obvious that this is an electromagnetic interference warning.

In other words, the scope of interference has not yet extended to the position.

But there is no doubt that the real battle is about to begin.

"Everyone is ready to fight! Hurry! Hurry!"

The order was immediately conveyed to all combat units, and less than a minute later, all communications were interrupted, and the entire forward position fell into darkness.

——

The darkness of the meaning of war.

It wasn't until this moment that Backhouse truly felt the helplessness of the technological gap.

Due to sensitive political factors, a lot of equipment cannot be used here temporarily, and the battle they are going to fight is a typical defensive battle of low technology against high technology, with the lower level defeating the upper level!

Emotions of despair and panic surged into his heart, but he soon regained his composure.

This was to be expected.

"Everyone retreats to the bunker and prepares for the first round of air strikes!"

He decisively issued the order, and at the same time as the order was issued, the air strike had already begun.

The precision-guided bombs destroyed all air defense positions deployed on the front line without fail, even those well-concealed mobile anti-aircraft vehicles.

Anti-runway bombs were dropped over the airport one after another. Looking at the explosion of fire in the distance, Backhouse couldn't help but cursed:

"Damn Americans, this is Durandal! Are they here to destroy expired arms?"

"This is something the French created and they should be held responsible for this attack."

The continuous explosions covered up his complaints, and after the first round of air strikes, among the smoke, the figures of several armed helicopters emerged on the sea level.

"Don't show your head, don't show your head! Take cover! Release smoke bombs! Interfere with thermal imaging!"

"We don't need to shoot them down! Don't fight the helicopters!"

"We just need to stop the landing! Hold on for half an hour!!"

"The war has officially begun."

In the office, Chen Guo said to Chen Nian with a heavy but somewhat relieved tone.

"Grady couldn't bear it after all. He couldn't wait any longer. Even with the pressure from Bezos, Congress and us, he had to finish this battle first."

"Otherwise, he may completely lose this opportunity and be dragged to death by Bezos."

"So, this battle can be said to be unexpected or expected."

"What's the specific situation?"

Chen Nian actually didn't care about Grady's mental journey. He just wanted to know how the first indirect collision between two major powers in the 21st century would turn out.

"Not good, but good."

"Judging from the results, of course it's not good."

"We did not deploy much advanced equipment. In the first round of the attack, we mainly relied on Cuba's original equipment. The generation difference is so large that it is almost unbelievable."

"The other party just used a conventional electronic jamming and air strike to knock out almost all of Cuba's radars and air defense forces on the west and northwest coastlines, and under the cover of air superiority, they quickly completed a beach landing in Bahia Honda. , established a temporary position."

"The German side showed great tenacity. They lasted for 40 minutes and suffered 30% battle damage. It was not until the US landing force's defense line was fully formed that they were forced to withdraw from the battlefield."

"I have to say that this result exceeded our expectations. It is precisely because of their performance that we can also say that the first blockade was successful."

"The United States also suffered more than 30 casualties. In such a crushing situation, it can be considered a heavy loss."

"You know, the Germans don't have heavy equipment now, but their fighting will is strong enough. When the battlefield expands and new equipment starts to be invested, the situation will be very beneficial to us."

"Understood."

Chen Nian nodded slightly and continued:

"So that means things are still developing in the direction we expected?"

"That's right. Next, it's a meat grinder-style tug-of-war."

Chen Guo nodded in reply, and then said:

"But this time, it's us who control the speed of the meat grinder."