The aerial platform project has been underway long enough.

In fact, even from the beginning of the project, the project has gone through three years of preparation time, and if the time is extended to the moment when the idea is generated, the Nantianmen project has been prepared for at least 10 years.

Of course, in this process, the project encountered no small resistance.

First of all, the most serious problem is the discussion about the necessity of air platforms.

The prevailing view is that the aerial platform is a useless item because of its functionality that can easily be replaced by other equipment.

Global reach?

We have access to larger strategic bombers, larger strategic transport aircraft, more air bases.

Strategic deterrence?

The Dongfeng series of missiles has done well enough, and with the addition of nuclear submarines and bombers, the nuclear bundle has been in fact strengthened to the extent that it is as strong as steel.

Super firepower and super security?

In the context of the popularity of electronic warfare, the definition of "firepower" has been freed from the judgment criteria of the battleship era, especially after the army began to enter the process of evacuation operations, the fire support that an air fortress can provide is actually quite weak.

All in all, it's not necessary and it's not needed.

Of course, in addition to this problem, cost is another key.

The air platform is too expensive, even according to the first version of the budget, the total cost it needs, that is in the trillions of dollars.

See clearly, it's a trillion, not a trillion or a billion.

In other words, the cost of an air platform will be equivalent to more than 10 Ford-class aircraft carriers.

This is an absolutely super-large project, and it is also absolutely strategic-level equipment.

Can Huaxia come up with that much money? After spending so much money, can the economy still maintain stable operation?

For a long time, no one could answer.

Therefore, in the face of these two major problems, in fact, the technical problems have been reduced to a relatively secondary level.

This is also why, the progress of the air platform project is always not fast, and it always exists in the nature of "verification".

However, two major events occurred during the life of the project that completely changed the nature of the project.

The first is the Big Bang of basic science and technology, marked by nuclear fusion and superconducting materials.

The second is the explosion of aerospace demand.

The first of these events will directly change the entire pattern of the world, and will change the military weight of the world at the same time in the foreseeable and very short future.

In other words, the way of fighting in the future will definitely change, and although no one knows in which direction it will change, one thing is absolutely certain.

That is, in a hundred years, nuclear war cannot happen again.

Not because all people have become good, not because humanity has become united, but because

The dividends brought by fusion and superconductivity technology will not be eaten in a hundred years, even if all mankind is completely supported and supported until the stomach explodes!

Why?

To put it vulgarly, because you can't give birth so quickly.

The ability of humans to reproduce limits the rate at which humans can digest the dividends of technology.

In fact, according to the theoretical prediction models of demographers, the average fertility rate of human beings should stabilize between 4 and 5 in the era of fusion superconductivity.

This is because we must consider the constraints of culture and ideology on population growth.

Is it fast?

Looks fast.

But at this rate, the number of people reached by human beings in a hundred years should be about 50 billion, less than 10 times the number of people.

The comprehensive productivity improvement and comprehensive resource growth brought by the two technologies should be more than 20 times.

This is a conservative estimate based on the statistics of the second and third industrial revolutions, and the fact is that when the door is opened, no one knows how vast the fertile ground will be.

So, in this case, absolutely, absolutely no one will try to start a devastating war.

Technology is a key and a cage.

A cage that limits the scale of war to what humans can afford.

And the military concession of the United States also shows this point-—— in fact, what they are doing is not a concession in the final analysis.

Rather, it is an attempt to change the original mode of warfare and gradually replace the foundation of the entire military-industrial complex with the foundation of "super-large-scale, ultra-high-tech conventional warfare."

Well, how should the war of the future be fought in this situation?

Most likely, another form of cannon giants.

In other words, the aerial platform has regained its unique significance.

As for the question of resources? It was already like a dark shadow, dispelled by the first rays of an artificial sun.

Of course, for this reason alone, the aerial platform project is not "must-have", but with the explosive growth of space demand, the need to build very large aerospace vehicles is on the table.

There is no better option than an aerial platform, a project that can validate all the techniques and try all the paths in a fraction of the time.

Want to build a starship?

OK! But first you have to build something that big enough to fly.

Want to build a space elevator?

OK! But breakthroughs in materials always need to be led by a flagship project.

Want to develop an engine that goes beyond the conventional?

OK! Electromagnetic propulsion, or anti-gravity, are both directions that can be studied, and they do not conflict with aerial platforms at all.

As a result, the tone of the project has quietly changed in this environment.

It is no longer a purely "military equipment" project.

——

Of course, from the very beginning, it was not a simple armament project, but now, its comprehensive attributes have become more intense, and the responsibilities it bears have become heavier.

All departments were involved, and the skew of resources, although not too much, was strong enough.

And this also made the progress of the project suddenly accelerated, even if Chen Nian didn't pay special attention to it, he would receive news related to it from time to time.

This time, though, things are a little different.

Because the person who sent the message to Chen Nian was the project director of the current aerial platform project, Lin Yongming.

That's right, it is the former chairman of AVIC Group, Lin Yongming.

He and Chen Nianke have not lost contact, but for a long time, the main projects of the two of them happened to be stuck in the time gap, so there was a lot less direct communication on the project.

But in fact, almost all aviation-related technological breakthroughs and technology applications are indispensable behind Lin Yongming's shadow.

This time, he personally sent this message to Chen Nian, and the "self-confidence" he showed was unprecedented.

What's new?

What kind of progress is new to Chen Nian?

An ordinary structural optimization, an ordinary engine design, and an ordinary material are not new developments.

Chen Nian became interested, he didn't reply immediately, but turned to Chen Guo first and asked:

"Is there anything new in the Nantianmen project?"

Chen Guo paused for a moment, thought for a moment before replying:

"If you want to say no, that's still a lot. But if you have to say that there is, there really isn't much to pay attention to - it doesn't meet the standard of 'new moves' here. ”

"What's the matter, Lin Yongming sent you a message?"

Chen Guo didn't even need to look at it, after Chen Nian asked this sentence, he immediately deduced the source of Chen Nian's question, which was probably the basic sensitivity of a person who really coordinated the overall situation.

"That's right, he sent me a message saying that there was new progress in the Nantianmen project and asked me if I wanted to go and see it."

"I'm curious, what progress is worth telling me so happily about?"

"I don't know — I don't know, to be exact."

Chen Guo spread his hands and replied calmly.

Of course, it is impossible for him not to know from beginning to end, but there will be a time lag between intelligence and information transmission anyway, and it is obvious that Lin Yongming chose to tell Chen Nian as soon as he knew about it.

In fact, this is enough to explain the problem.

The new progress of Nantianmen must be very important, and it can even be said to be "very interesting", but it definitely does not involve any high-level secrets.

Chen Nian also figured this out in an instant, so he opened his mouth and said:

"Why don't I just call and ask?"

"Ask, my curiosity is up now-—— forget it, I'll fight."

Let's say it, Chen Guo directly took out his mobile phone, and without any hesitation, he dialed the number.

The phone rang twice and then connected, and Chen Guo asked enthusiastically:

"Mr. Lin, to make a long story short, what's the progress?"

"Ah, he's listening to me, and you're going to be fine."

"What? In this way"

"Are you sure? Verified? ”

"Understood, then I'll arrange it for him—if you don't forget it, you guys come over?"

"Okay, then I'll go with you."

"Okay, let's talk about it."

The phone hung up, and Chen Nian was confused.

He only vaguely heard a few words on the phone about "levitation", "electromagnetism" and the like.

What the?

It's not like the anti-gravity technology has been implemented in advance, right?

Chen Nian looked at Chen Guo curiously, and Chen Guo didn't sell it.

He opened his mouth and said:

"There's an interesting development, but it's not a game-changer, of course."

"Or should I say, it's a completely new idea - no wonder he wants to tell you, I'll pick it out, if their idea can be realized, the application prospects are very broad, but the problem is that they don't know if they can achieve it."

"So, he wants you to check it out and see if you're interested in doing it."

"If you're not interested, there's no need."

"As for the technology itself. Actually, it's not hard to understand. ”

"Do you know the Tower of Babel?"

Chen Nian soon flew with Chen Guo to the Nantianmen Project Comprehensive Base, and now, this base is no longer just a barren field like at the beginning.

All kinds of heavy equipment have already entered the site, and the supporting fusion power station has completed the main construction, and in two months, it will be officially connected to the grid for power generation.

Huge cranes, reinforced concrete buildings tens of meters high, and large trucks on the go

All this adds a layer of mystery to this base-—— of course, it is also mysterious in its own right.

"The beauty of industry."

Chen Nian said with emotion.

"It's not like it's something man-made, it's like it's some kind of religious wonder."

"Well, you can't say that, it should be said, it's like building a planetary engine."

"Planetary engines? What is it? ”

Lin Yongming asked curiously.

"It's something that can push the Earth out of its original orbit and then embark on the path of interstellar wandering."

"Interesting idea! Can we do it? ”

A glimmer of light flashed in Lin Yongming's eyes.

"Of course not-—— what's the need for this thing? We don't really face any crisis of the sun's death. ”

"It's nothing to do with the crisis, I mean, if we can build engines of that size, we don't have to think about building big platforms, we can even capture an asteroid and use it as our spacecraft."

"That's for later."

Chen Nian shook his head with a smile, and then continued:

"Don't go too far, let's talk about your progress."

"How did you come up with the idea of building a super-large electromagnetic force generation tower?"

Hearing Chen Nian's words, Lin Yongming put away all the stories and jokes that had been prepared long ago to "liven up the atmosphere", and replied bluntly:

"It's not a complete plan."

"Actually, the source of it was quite accidental, but one of our engineers found inspiration when he made toys for his children out of superconducting materials."

"To put it simply, all of our previous assumptions about 'flight' were based on the idea of 'reaction forces.'"

"As long as it is a working medium engine, it cannot escape the shackles of reaction force."

"No matter how far we have evolved, even if we use nuclear energy, the essence is to heat air as a working fluid to eject."

"The model is very mature, and of course the technology is very advanced, but sometimes we can't help but wonder if there is any other way."

"You know, macroscopic mechanics is all that, and if we don't use working fluids, electromagnetic force is a good choice-—— so we have this idea."

"An aerial platform that relies on electromagnetic force to levitate, a giant aerial platform."

After listening to Lin Yongming's words, Chen Nian nodded slightly.

"Reasonable imagination - but it doesn't sound very reliable."

In fact, he can't say what is unreliable, but he always feels that Lin Yongming's assumptions are too hasty.

Building an electromagnetic force generation tower to levitate an aerial platform?

How many towers would it take to guarantee that the platform would move freely around the globe? How high can the platform be suspended?

"Of course it's unreliable now, and if it's really reliable, I won't come to you."

"To be honest, this is a very wild imagination of the future, and we have no way of guaranteeing that it will come true, but if it does, it may have a huge impact on the way humans live on Earth."

"So, I thought I'd talk to you."

"This is not an invitation to an official expedition, it's just an exchange between our friends-—— you should take a vacation anyway."

"Understood."

Chen Nian understood what Lin Yongming meant.

Communicate with yourself and exchange feelings, help your boss achieve one of his own vacation targets, and by the way, bring a new thing he sees that may be of great use to share and discuss with himself.

Kill three birds with one stone.

"Anyway, let's go check it out-—— what if it really works?"

(End of chapter)