Genius is just the threshold for me!

Chapter 70 Scramjet Engine

"What kind of engine is this?"

Lin Weiliang couldn't resist moving closer to examine it.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out what kind of engine it was.

Although he has transitioned into a communications master in recent years and is now a "king of bees" in the field of swarm drones, he has not lost his basic skills.

He wouldn't dare say he knows all the aircraft engines in the world, but he definitely knows any engine that has ever appeared. He could even figure out about five parts of the technical structure of Lin Dong's variable ramjet engine.

But he really couldn't understand this one engine.

It's like a turbine, but not a turbine; it's like a stamping press, but not a stamping press.

"A conventional turbocharged engine combined with variable ramjet and supersonic ramjet – the all-new Hot Engine lineup."

Lin Dong turned around and glanced at it, then gave a brief explanation.

While the variable ramjet engine of the Hot 2 was powerful, its ramjet mode was essentially a subsonic ramjet.

Subsonic ramjet refers to the process where airflow enters the engine, is slowed down by shock waves, and then the airflow drops below the speed of sound before fuel is injected and ignited.

This engine can achieve a cruising speed of Mach 3 to 3.5 with optimal fuel efficiency, and can be increased to Mach 5 regardless of fuel costs.

If engine wear and tear are disregarded and a special design is employed, the top speed can be forcibly increased to Mach 6.

But Mach 6 is the highest speed of a sub-fuel ramjet, and it requires a special design to achieve.

Further up, the airflow inside the engine is so fast that the flame will be blown out, causing the engine to stall and stop.

With its new Hot Aircraft boasting a top speed of Mach 10, the original engine was completely incompatible with its design.

In order to fully utilize the performance of the new Hot Aircraft body, Lin Dong had to consider a completely new engine design.

After some deliberation, he decided to add a supercharged ramjet mode to the existing turbocharged and variable ramjet engine, creating a three-combination engine.

Scramjet, as the name suggests, involves airflow entering the engine, being decelerated by a shock wave, and still traveling at supersonic speeds before fuel is injected and ignited.

Because the airflow remains above supersonic throughout the entire process, the engine's operating speed range will be even faster.

It can reach Mach 6.5 during normal cruising, and can be increased to Mach 9-10 without considering fuel costs. The theoretical top speed can reach Mach 15.

"Turbocharging + variable ramjet + scramjet? SR-72, Critical Eagle?"

Upon hearing Lin Dong's account, Lin Weiliang's pupils constricted sharply, and the first thing that came to mind was the new drone announced by the American company Locke five years ago.

—SR-72 reconnaissance aircraft, codename Critical Eagle.

This is a new stealthy multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle announced by Lockheed Martin in 2007. It is also a strategic-level unmanned aerial vehicle that integrates many functions such as intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, surveillance, and strike.

Cruising speed of Mach 6.5, maximum speed of Mach 12, it can reach any location in the world in one hour...

Even now, five years later, Lin Weiliang still trembles when he thinks about these performance parameters.

Only professionals can understand what Mach 12 represents for an aircraft and what technical challenges need to be overcome.

Not to mention aircraft engines that can accelerate to Mach 12.

The fuselage design alone has to overcome a series of problems, including ultra-high temperature, ultra-sealing, multiple drifts of the center of lift, ultra-thermal expansion of the fuselage, communication blackout at speeds above Mach 10, and attitude and flight control at hypersonic speeds.

The difficulty of these problems is such that solving any one of them could lead to becoming an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

"The SR-72, the drone codenamed Critical Eagle?"

Seeing Lin Weiliang's reaction, Lin Dong's expression turned somewhat strange.

It's still 2012. People at this time didn't know about the SR-72; it was actually just a PowerPoint presentation created by the Americans.

But as a reborn person, he knew all too well how much of this thing was just a PowerPoint presentation.

The development was announced in 2007, with a planned maiden flight in 2013, then postponed to 2020, then to 2025, and then to 2030...

By the time the Americans were already showing signs of weakness, Lockheed Martin's manufacturing production line had been dismantled, and the domestic companies were already promoting the space fighters and space carriers from Nantianmen.

This thing doesn't even have a single official drawing, let alone a concept image; not a single screw or rivet has been produced.

They've never lost in a PowerPoint presentation, but I've never seen it in real life.

God knows.

Ten years later, people learned that the American had been making PowerPoint presentations for the past twenty years.

Since the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, there has been no more cutting-edge military technology.

How many of the retired professors and engineers in China couldn't help but flip the table and curse?

Of course, it's still 2012, even though Americans have already started making PowerPoint presentations.

However, thanks to its abundant resources, its overall military strength was still among the world's best, far surpassing the country's strength at that time.

"right."

Lin Weiliang, oblivious to Lin Dong's strange expression, pointed to the engine diagram on the screen and asked solemnly, "Xiao Dong, can this engine really be designed and manufactured?"

"There are many difficulties. This has entered uncharted territory in terms of technology. I can no longer find any reference data."

Every single technological aspect now requires new research and development, which expends a great deal of effort and time.

Lin Dong nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Two years, it should be completed in about two years."

He spent two and a half years designing the Hot 2.

However, the main problem at that time was that the learning time was relatively short and the knowledge base was seriously insufficient.

Now, after two and a half years of study, he can readily provide Wang Xingguo, a chief engineer with decades of experience, with a list of books and papers, and can solve problems that have plagued 606 and 624 for more than a year in just over ten minutes.

In the field of aircraft and aircraft engines, if we consider ourselves second, probably no one in China would dare to claim to be first.

Even though scramjet engines have entered uncharted territory, every step forward represents a breakthrough in the research limits of predecessors.

But with the added benefit of the perception of the soul's vision, two years is enough.

"..."

Lin Weiliang's lips twitched involuntarily.

When he heard Lin Dong say that there were many difficulties and that they were entering a technologically uncharted territory, his heart sank.

But to everyone's surprise, Lin Dong ultimately gave him only two years.

Two years to achieve a groundbreaking engine technology that transcends the times—that's not just a relatively long time, that's incredibly fast.

"Can it be applied on a large scale?" Lin Weiliang asked with some excitement.

The scramjet engine is capable of flying at altitudes of 60 to 70 kilometers and reaching speeds of Mach 15.

When paired with an oxygen tank, it can become the engine of the first generation of aerospace fighters, enabling them to cross operational zones from the sky to space and from space to the sky.

If it can be scaled up, China could not only develop fifth-generation fighter jets, but also sixth-generation fighter jets.

"Dad, the technical and engineering difficulties of large-scale production are at least ten times more complex."

I lack experience in researching and developing large-scale equipment, so I cannot give you a precise timeframe.

Lin Dong shook his head, not giving a definite answer.

Even though they are the same type of engine, the technical engineering difficulty of small engines and large engines is not on the same level.

For example, even though they are both rocket engines, China's medium and light rockets were already in space decades ago.

However, the Long March 5, a large rocket, did not complete its maiden flight until 2016, while the heavy Long March 9 and Long March 10 are scheduled to have their maiden flights after 2030.

"No rush, study hard and take your time."

Lin Weiliang was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't put too much pressure on Lin Dong.

As long as the technical process is successful, even if it can't be scaled up now, it can be scaled up later. China has never lacked strategic resolve.

Moreover, even if large-scale applications cannot be realized now, the small unmanned combat aircraft that Lin Dong is playing with is still worth looking forward to.

Previously, the Hot-2, equipped with a subsonic ramjet engine, was already capable of defeating the J-20. Now, with a stealth-designed fuselage and a brand-new Hot-2 equipped with a scramjet engine, it's bound to cross the Pacific and fly over to the US for a few laps...