On the other side, just as China was celebrating the launch of the 055, the Zumwalt project at the NGSS shipyard in Mississippi had completely exploded.
Jay was hysterical and smashed all the furniture in the office. He also scattered the technical documents in the drawer all over the floor. If it weren't for the legal constraints, he would have wanted to destroy this office - no, this building. The building was immediately burned down.
The reason is simple, the stimulation he received was too great.
Just now, Congress made the decision to indefinitely suspend the Zumwalt project.
The budget was completely suspended, all official technical personnel were withdrawn, and all resource channels were cut off, leaving only the "Zumwalt" that was actually unfinished and a large number of staring workers at the NGSS shipyard.
Jay felt like he was really going crazy.
In fact, he had long been aware of the seriousness of the problem, but he did not expect that the situation would worsen to this extent!
At the beginning, Congress only informed the suspension of the project and reorganized discussions on the feasibility and technological advancement of the project.
Immediately afterwards, some resource channels began to freeze, and the official engineers who cooperated began to take vacations.
And when the outfitting work of the Huaxia 055 ship was completed step by step, and more and more parameter information was released, Congress actually went straight to a showdown!
They don't make it anymore!
Their reason is that after the birth of 055, the terrifying 10,000-ton giant ship has become the de facto maritime overlord. At this time, it does not make much sense to build Zumwalt again.
When it comes to naval guns, the AGS advanced naval gun system’s $1 million shell has a range of only 150 kilometers at most.
The opponent's electromagnetic gun can easily reach the ultimate range of 400 kilometers. The shell is just a big iron rod, and the cost can even exceed 100 US dollars.
So what if it's inaccurate? Coupled with the early warning aircraft and advanced fire control radar, if 100 rounds are fired, Mongolia can also get one shot, right?
In terms of air defense, Zumwalt is really not good under the opponent's trinity air defense system - after all, it has been discussed before that the lack of full-airspace air defense capability is Zumwalt's biggest technical shortcoming.
Talking about anti-ship, DF-21 is already on the ship, so why talk about it?
Therefore, in the eyes of many people, the 055 is not a destroyer at all, it is completely a cruiser.
——
Even, it is a battleship of the 21st century.
Such firepower density, such defensive capabilities, such tonnage.
Yes, the Chinese said it was only more than 10,000 tons, but according to reliable information, this thing was more than 16,000 tons and close to 7,000 tons!
To be honest, in this case, if Jay were replaced in Congress, it is very likely that he would also make the decision to abandon the project.
But the problem is that he is not!
He is an engineer at NGSS. If the project is suspended indefinitely, it means that the shipyard will face huge losses, and as a shareholder and key employee, his own interests will also be seriously damaged.
Although it was not a serious injury, what made it even more difficult for him to let go was that the project he had put a lot of effort into was trampled on by others.
It comes and goes when you call it, as if you are not the world's top naval engineer, but a waiter at a McDonald's drive-through restaurant!
Such indifference made him extremely angry.
Especially when he found the official responsible for issuing the order and asked them to reconsider their strategy and give him another chance to propose, the latter's expression shattered his dignity.
I have never seen that kind of contempt, disdain, and disgust expression since I was 13 years old.
The assistant on the side did not dare to neglect. He was afraid that Jay would pick up the discarded pistol and rush out to kill others, so he quickly stepped forward to protect the pistol.
Seeing his actions, Jay was suddenly stunned.
Then, like a machine that had lost power, he slowly sat down on the office chair.
After a long time, he spoke:
"I thought that even if we have lost, at least we will lose well."
"This is like a game. Although we are destined to not win the championship, at least we have to finish the race."
"But I didn't expect that we would abstain midway. Such a thing has never happened in this country before, right?"
"Yes, we have also given up on some projects, but that was because of problems with the project itself, not because others built something better than us."
"I have a feeling that in this country we've lost that confidence that we live by."
"The people at the top have changed from tycoons who manipulate everything into businessmen who care about every detail."
"This country's motivation to move forward is constantly diminishing. If this continues, one day we will be completely left behind by them."
After hearing his words, the assistant sighed.
After thinking for a long time and organizing his words, he spoke:
"Zumwalt's positioning has long determined that it is a life-or-death ship."
"It must occupy an absolute advantage in order to exert absolute power."
"And as long as it meets an opponent, its effect is actually not much better than that of the Burke-class or even the Brave-class."
"In addition, the cross-shore combat strategy has been shattered by China's No. 055 and ultra-long-range electromagnetic guns. It is not surprising that this project was abandoned."
"I know."
Jay nodded slightly and continued:
"But I still feel...unwilling to do so."
"Look at the documents here. We use the most advanced laboratories in the world and receive the most generous salaries in the world, but in the end, it is those who receive less than one-tenth of our salary, and even some The Chinese, who may not even be able to afford steak, built the most powerful warship in the world.”
"Tell me, why is this?"
"I really want to go there and take a look. I don't know if there is still a chance."
"There will be more in the future."
The assistant answered.
Then, he squatted down and began to pick up the various utensils that Jay had left on the ground.
Jay also gradually calmed down. He stared blankly at the assistant's back and suddenly said:
"Not later."
"I'm going to China. I'm going to see how they do it."
The assistant stood up in shock, looked at Jay dumbfounded and asked:
"Going right now?"
"That's right, go now!"
"They won't let you see it."
"Of course not, but I don't want to see their ship, let alone their research laboratory. I just want to see the people there!"
"I want to see what's the difference between them and us!"
Jay's tone left no room for doubt, and the assistant was unable to refute.
So, that afternoon, Jay booked a flight to China.
The time is set in two months.
He didn't know that the decision he made was actually not a trivial matter.
Years later, when he looks back at the past at some point, he may suddenly realize that it was from this year on that the talent exchange situation between China and the United States began to quietly reverse.
The news that the Zumwalt project was suspended indefinitely quickly spread around the world, and on the other side, Project 001 also entered the final sprint.
Like the 055, the No. 001 aircraft carrier adopted a modular construction plan on a large scale, and more than 70% of the equipment installation work was advanced before launching.
In other words, once the aircraft carrier is launched, the outfitting work will only involve the installation of a small amount of equipment, as well as the debugging of electronic equipment and software systems.
The service efficiency of the entire aircraft carrier will be greatly improved. Like the 055, it will take less than 18 months, probably within 6 months after being launched, for the ship to complete all outfitting and mooring tests and officially start sea trials.
At the same time, the training of carrier-based aircraft has already begun. Under the leadership of various elite test pilots, dozens of pilots have passed the final assessment and are waiting for the carrier-based aircraft to take off and land immediately after the aircraft carrier is launched. experiment.
The carrier-based aircraft they used for training were the J-20 series, mainly the improved J-20C and J-20B. Of course, some J-20A landing and take-off experiments were also conducted under extreme conditions.
In general, the "ship performance" of the J-20 series fighters is extremely good.
Thanks to its abundant power, ski jump takeoff is not difficult at all. The only disadvantage is that the oversized aircraft limits the number of carrier-based aircraft that the 001 aircraft carrier can carry to a certain extent.
However, as a "training-level" aircraft carrier, it doesn't actually matter how many aircraft it carries.
What's more, the J-20 is originally a fighter jet that looks at the world alone and seeks defeat. Why do you need so many?
Even if the 001 ship can only carry 20 J-20s, it can still lift and fight the 90 carrier-based aircraft on the Washington.
Generally speaking, the final sprint of the 001 project went extremely smoothly - just like the original 055.
In another month and a half, the people will be able to meet this great and important weapon.
——
However, for some people, this is definitely not a good thing.
They do not want to sit back and watch the aircraft carrier develop combat effectiveness in a short period of time, but due to the strict confidentiality and review plan of this project, they have no chance to sabotage it.
They are constantly testing and looking for opportunities.
It's a pity that our defense is also strong.
This kind of intrigue has never stopped throughout the project cycle. Even if the project has progressed to the end, they are still looking for the last opportunity.
However, such an opportunity may no longer exist.
Inside Dalian Shipyard.
Mr. Liu was sitting in a wheelchair, breathing oxygen, and said to Chen Nian beside him:
"The 1130 proximity defense system has been installed, and the previous land test results were very good."
"The range is 5,000 meters and the rate of fire is 11,000 rounds. With our latest fire control radar, the interception efficiency is very good."
"Within 5 kilometers, the interception success rate can basically reach more than 95%."
"I'm talking about penetration targets above Mach 4. If it's a slow anti-ship missile, the interception rate can reach almost 100%."
"Of course, this is actually the last line of defense. Whether anti-ship missiles can break through 055's defense is still unknown."
Hearing this, Chen Nian smiled slightly and said gently:
"Mr. Liu, don't worry. Anti-ship missiles that can break through the 055 defense in this world have not yet been born."
"That can't be said with absolute certainty."
Mr. Liu took a breath and continued:
"The United States still has a strong foundation. Maybe in a few months, they will take out a hypersonic missile from nowhere and install it on Ticonderoga."
"When the time comes, we still have to be prepared."
"Don't let this first aircraft carrier show its cowardice in front of them, otherwise, I won't be able to leave without peace of mind."
"Don't say anything depressing."
Chen Nian quickly interrupted.
In fact, judging from Old Liu's current state, he could tell that there was not much time left for the old man.
Originally, he thought that under Mr. Liu's careful care and now that he had hope for an aircraft carrier, it might not be difficult to live a few more years.
But many things in the world are indeed not changed by human power.
His body has entered the final stage of aging, and it is already difficult to speak even when sitting. In a year or two, he may only be able to lie down.
Seeing Chen Nian's expression, Mr. Liu couldn't help but smile.
"What a depressing thing to say!"
"This is the law of nature. Everyone has to go. If you can be here, see the aircraft carrier launched, and maybe even see it put into service, then you are lucky."
"My only hope now is to use my remaining energy at the last moment."
"Okay, let's not talk about this. Let's continue talking about aircraft carriers."
After saying that, Mr. Liu waved his hand without any doubt, signaling Chen Nian to continue pushing the wheelchair.
The two of them moved forward slowly at the edge of the dock, while Mr. Liu continued:
"In addition to the 1130, the Haihongqi 10E has also been deployed. You have tested this thing a long time ago. I have nothing to say."
"Another point I want to tell you is that the integrated power system of the entire ship is not stable enough."
"You should be well aware that there is no natural zero-crossing point for the short-circuit current in the DC system, so it will be difficult to break the medium-voltage DC circuit breaker in the medium-voltage DC grid structure."
"Xiao Ma is still trying to solve this problem. If you have an idea, you can help him."
"Another point, during the test process, we found that the system had voltage instability, and there is currently no solution."
"You can only do it step by step"
“You don’t have to do it step by step.”
Chen Nian opened his mouth to answer subconsciously.
"No need to do it step by step? What do you mean?"
Mr. Liu looked at Chen Nian in surprise. The latter thought for a moment and replied:
"The problem you mentioned is a typical static stability problem in the DC power grid structure. It is actually not easy to solve, but it is not impossible."
"I will communicate with Mr. Ma later, but the impact of this problem is not big. It can be used for the time being, and small-scale optimization and debugging can be done after the outfitting process."
Hearing this, Mr. Liu breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Since you have a way, that would be great."
"I'm also worried that if you can't solve it, it will affect the combat effectiveness."
"The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. I've said this all the time, but every time I see you, I still want to say it again."
Mr. Liu's voice gradually became lower. He probably felt a little tired, so he stopped talking and just let Chen Nian push him forward.
At this time, the sunset on the sea has gradually set, and the red sunlight casts long shadows on the two people.
Chen Nian didn't feel that the sunlight was dazzling, but instead experienced a strange warmth.
After the road came to an end, Chen Nian turned his wheelchair and pushed Mr. Liu back the way he came.
This time, he saw the shadows of the two people.
Next to the shadows of the two people was the huge shadow cast by the ship No. 001.
It's like a mountain.
And this mountain peak is about to cast its shadow onto the deep blue sea.
(End of chapter)
