Chapter 3: Mastering the Core Technology of the 956E!

The stars were scattered across the sky, and the moon hung high above the treetops.

At this moment, Su Dingping was rushing toward his dormitory, clutching a stack of documents with an excited expression on his face.

Every document in Professor Zhang’s office that held value for him had been moved into his "Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space." This meant that while he slept at night, his consciousness could continue to study them inside.

As for whether this would affect his state of mind for his studies during the day, that was something he still needed to investigate.

He had also come up with a solution for the empty shipyard.

He would replicate it by going to the laboratories! He would replicate every piece of equipment he could see. If one laboratory wasn't enough, he would just visit a few more.

In a massive institution like Harbin Institute of Technology, with so many laboratories, surely he could scrape together enough equipment for a shipyard?

Returning to his dorm, Su Dingping washed up briefly.

After lying down, he entered the Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space directly to continue his research.

Holding a document, he flipped through it while pacing back and forth on the deck of the 956E.

The document in his hand was about the decommissioned "Type 053K missile frigate, Yingtan."

"The Type 343 fire-control radar on the 053K, known as the 'Wasp Head,' was an early imitation of the Soviet 'Ball-50' gun-laying radar. It was improved in the 1970s and operates primarily in the X-band, with the ability to switch to a backup Ku-band when under interference..."

Looking at the external structure of the radar on the 956E, Su Dingping fell into deep thought.

"The development of any radar cannot be achieved overnight; it must be the result of constant evolution."

"From the 053K 'Wasp Head,' one can deduce some of the performance characteristics of the 'Ball-50' gun-laying radar, and by extrapolating from there, one can at least catch a glimpse of the relevant key attributes of the radar on the 956E."

He wasn't just studying by rote—that would make the progress of his analysis too slow. Instead, he added his own reasoning, drawing inferences to gain much more.

...

At the sound of his alarm, Su Dingping opened his eyes.

He glanced outside; it was already dawn.

After a brief check, he discovered that being busy all night in the Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space had not affected his state during the day.

This meant he could work day and night!

Munching on a steamed bun, Su Dingping arrived at Professor Zhang’s laboratory. As soon as the door opened, he saw his fellow students busy at work.

Clearly, in order to earn a spot to see the 956E, these seniors were putting in their all.

Upon seeing Su Dingping, his senior, Huang Wei, waved him over. "Junior brother, come here quickly."

Su Dingping, who was in the middle of replicating laboratory equipment, walked toward Huang Wei upon hearing the call.

"Senior, what’s wrong?"

"Junior, I ran into some problems while studying the materials the mentor gave us last night. Come help me take a look."

As he spoke, Huang Wei shifted his body to the side.

Su Dingping leaned in and took a look, discovering that what the other was studying was exactly the same "Wasp Head" Type 343 fire-control radar he had looked at the night before.

"It’s like this, junior. The 'Wasp Head' radar measures the distance between the target and the splash of the shell, and then automatically calculates and corrects the firing data..."

"But I found that this doesn't avoid the problem of background scattering. The microwave co-accumulation equation doesn't seem to solve this problem very well."

As he spoke, Huang Wei looked at Su Dingping with anticipation.

While it seemed related to the "Wasp Head" radar, in reality, this question was already beyond the syllabus; it involved the specialized research field of doctoral students.

Su Dingping didn't think too much about it and spoke casually.

"I considered this problem before, too. It’s indeed not easy to solve! However, if you add the Moxi fluctuation law during your calculations, you can significantly..."

Listening to Su Dingping’s words, Huang Wei’s heart skipped a beat.

After speaking for a while, Su Dingping said, "That’s about it."

Before Huang Wei could speak, the senior standing nearby, Zhao Haikuo, immediately chimed in.

"What did I say just now? I told you our junior brother would definitely be able to answer it!"

Huang Wei’s expression dimmed significantly.

There was a correct answer to this question, which he had obtained by asking a doctoral student early that morning. And the answer Su Dingping gave was almost identical.

Huang Wei felt desperate.

It’s over. I’m afraid I can’t compete with our junior brother.

Su Dingping scratched his head, looking around in confusion. Seeing the complex expressions on the seniors' faces, he suddenly understood.

They were testing their competition.

Su Dingping quickly ducked into Professor Zhang’s private office.

Watching Su Dingping close the door, one senior said sourly, "The mentor is really biased."

Zhao Haikuo said, "What bias? If you had Dingping’s achievements at 19, we’d be the ones envying you today."

"Besides, Dingping is three years behind us and five years younger. If you were the mentor, wouldn't you be a little biased?"

With Zhao Haikuo smoothing things over, everyone’s mood balanced out quite a bit.

Huang Wei sighed, "Yeah, Dingping’s level is almost catching up to that doctoral senior. If it were me, I’d be biased too."

Patting Huang Wei on the shoulder, Zhao Haikuo said, "Regardless, we still have to compete for it!"

"Even if we don't end up beating our junior brother, we at least can't let the students of other mentors look down on us!"

For a moment, everyone was filled with fighting spirit.

In the days that followed, Zhao Haikuo and the others saw Su Dingping enter the private office almost every day, and they had already grown accustomed to it.

With Su Dingping as an example, Zhao Haikuo and the others also began to feel a sense of urgency.

Three months passed in a flash, and everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Just as everyone was sharpening their knives for their graduation projects, Huang Wei suddenly rushed into the lab, looking frantic.

"Guys, something happened."

"What is it?"

"Come over here."

As he spoke, Huang Wei led everyone to the laboratory lounge.

He turned on the television, which was broadcasting a military affairs interview program.

【According to the latest news received by our station, Japan’s fourth Kongō-class guided-missile destroyer has entered production... Expert Liu, what is your take on this?】

【Japan’s Kongō-class is the earliest Aegis ship outside of the Freedom Nation’s navy, and its power is beyond doubt. The cost of the third ship was as high as 6.3 billion Chinese yuan, and it is said that the fourth ship has undergone certain upgrades, so the cost should be even higher!】

【Expert Liu, there is a rumor circulating in Japan that they say the Chinese Navy will never be able to build a modern warship! May I ask, is that really the case?】

Expert Liu, the military expert, remained silent.

The reporter continued to ask.

【Then, what do you think would be the result if the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and our fleet were to meet at sea?】

Expert Liu remained silent again.

【A senior captain of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force boasted that they could annihilate our navy within an hour. Is that really the case?】

Expert Liu remained silent for the third time.

His silence was deafening.

The students present had complex expressions, their hearts sinking to the bottom.

"Damn it! What do they mean we can never build a modern warship? What do they mean annihilate us in an hour! Damn!"

"What was our navy’s total military budget last year? Was it even 7 billion?"

"It seems... it was."

"So our navy’s total annual budget is only worth the cost of one of their warships! A warship worth six or seven billion, and an Aegis ship at that—how powerful must that be!"

Three months ago, they could still confidently shout about "wolf pack tactics"!

But Professor Zhang had personally admitted that the wolf pack tactics were wrong.

Now, they were truly out of options!

Su Dingping felt heavy-hearted.

The pressure on the navy was growing greater and greater.

Although compared to the 055 large destroyers of the future, Japan’s Kongō-class guided-missile destroyers wouldn't even count as a younger brother, for the current navy, which only had two 956Es, the pressure brought by each Kongō-class ship was immense.

Zhao Haikuo looked at Su Dingping, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Junior brother, you know a lot—can we really not hold out for an hour?"

The others looked at Su Dingping one after another.

At this moment, Su Dingping had become the backbone for everyone.

Su Dingping did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"Senior, do you think we can build them?"

"Core technology, Western blockades, military budget..."

"Can we, or can we not?"

"I suppose so."

"It’s not 'suppose,' it’s 'must'! We have no other path!"

After saying this, Su Dingping turned and walked out.

"Junior brother, where are you going!"

"I’m going to turn 'suppose' into 'must'!"

The cold wind of an October night at Harbin Institute of Technology blew fiercely, but Su Dingping’s voice was clearly audible in the freezing air.

(End of chapter)