This Plan Is Too Far Beyond Modern

Beep!

The command center echoed with a long beep.

Previously, due to the extreme distance, the land-based radars, which had been blind, now all detected the Black Eagle's signal.

The signal was so clear, it was as if the Big Black Eagle had activated a Dragon's Lens and was aiming it directly at the radar.

It was obvious that the engine damage had compromised the Black Eagle's stealth design.

Simultaneously, the combustion chamber's side wall was pierced, and the infrared signals released by the high-temperature fire turned the Big Black Eagle into a fiery beacon in the sky.

"This is the Wildlife Protection Center, calling Protection Formation 4, what happened?"

The person in charge at the command center, watching the Big Black Eagle's exponentially decreasing speed, quickly opened the microphone and asked the closest Protection Formation 4.

"Protection Formation 4 received. Through optical instruments, we've identified that the Black Eagle's scramjet engine is damaged, it has lost thrust and is gliding down. We are maintaining electronic suppression to prevent the enemy base from activating the Black Eagle's self-destruct command!"

"Investigate the cause of the Black Eagle's damage, and determine its gliding trajectory, altitude, speed, angle, and other parameters."

"Protection Formation 4 received."

Less than a minute passed.

A large amount of data was transmitted back.

The command center immediately began analyzing this data.

Soon, a crash trajectory for the Black Eagle appeared on the big screen.

For a hypersonic aircraft like the Black Eagle, its aerodynamic design was beyond question.

Even without engine thrust, it wouldn't simply plummet straight down.

Instead, it would glide like a kite.

"Report, according to calculations.

The Black Eagle will glide down in a parabolic curve, with the final crash point near the border waters.

Coordinates: 24° North Latitude, 118° East Longitude, with an entry angle of 18.8°, and a speed of 247.7 kilometers per hour.

The angle and speed are too high; a crash collision will completely destroy the aircraft."

"Report, Protection Formation 4 has detected a small drone with a wingspan of two meters, which is flying supersonically around the Black Eagle. It is suspected to be related to the damage to the Black Eagle's engine."

A two-meter small drone?

And it can fly supersonically.

The person in charge was stunned for a moment, then remembered the source of the Black Eagle intelligence.

"Formation 4, are the Mach rings in the drone's tail flame very dense, and are there protruding cones at the engine nozzle?"

"Report, we did not observe any Mach rings or cone-shaped protrusions at the nozzle.

The enemy's engine nozzle structure is similar to that of ordinary fighter jets, but it emits a brilliant blue glow.

Furthermore, besides the engine nozzle, there are glowing emissions from the underside, sides, and even the top of the fuselage, making it look like a porcupine."

Blue glow?

Like a porcupine?

What kind of drone is this?

The person in charge thought for a moment, then said, "Send a public code communication, try to greet them and see if we can establish contact."

"Received, sending public code communication... Holy crap!"

"Formation 4, what's happening? Is there an anomaly?"

Hearing the shocked shout from the communication, the person in charge quickly asked.

"Report, this drone suddenly charged towards the target and performed an aerial docking with it!

After docking, it nudged the target's rudder, changing its direction, and at the same time, used the aerodynamic effect of its proximity to lift the target's nose!"

"Report, the Black Eagle's descent attitude has changed.

Recalculating the trajectory, the Black Eagle's crash path has changed from a gliding parabolic curve to a smooth descent curve.

The final crash point has shifted 89 kilometers west and 36 kilometers north, moving away from the border and into inland waters.

Entry angle: 7.3°, speed: 102 kilometers per hour.

The angle is gentle, and the speed is moderate. With the cushioning effect of the seawater during the crash, most of the fuselage should remain intact."

"Hiss!"

The person in charge took a deep breath and quickly ordered, "Contact the nearby navy, seal off the target's crash area, and bring back the fallen Big Black Eagle immediately."

"Yes!"

The entire command center became busy.

The person in charge also took out a secure phone to report the current situation.

While waiting for the call to connect, watching the Black Eagle's descent trajectory suddenly flatten out on the large screen filled Chen Yi with awe.

Just who is the divine figure behind this drone?

"Done."

Penghai City Seaside Park.

Observing the Black Eagle's descent, Chen Yi did some calculations, a satisfied look in his eyes.

He believed that as a responsible developing nation.

The country would definitely cover the costs for the Black Eagle he, an ordinary citizen, had damaged by dropping something from a great height.

They would salvage it, repair and improve it meticulously, then send it back.

Ensuring friendly relations between the two countries wouldn't be damaged by such a small matter.

"It's about time to go back for lunch; the battery is less than 3%."

"This super high-speed flight really consumes a lot of endurance."

Circling in the air for a while, Chen Yi checked the remaining battery power, pulled up the nose, and aimed towards Penghai City.

He did some mental calculations, and the drone began to accelerate.

When it accelerated to subsonic speeds, Chen Yi shut off the ion thrusters. Relying on the drone's excellent aerodynamic design, it glided towards Penghai.

The battery life was insufficient.

To return, it could only rely on gliding.

About half an hour later.

The drone intermittently ignited its boosters a few times during its flight, gliding for hundreds of kilometers and arriving above the park.

Chen Yi restarted the ion thrusters, using the last bit of electrical energy to successfully land the drone nearby.

He carried the drone, which had nearly depleted its propellant and lost most of its battery, weighing less than 20 kilograms, back to his car.

Chen Yi drove away from the park, preparing to go back for lunch and then get a good sleep.

Buzzzzzzz.

Just as he left the park, the phone on the armrest box rang.

It was a call with no displayed number.

A very unusual call at first glance.

"Hello, who is this?"

Chen Yi pulled his car over to the side of the road and answered the phone.

"Xiao Chen, that drone just now was yours, wasn't it?"

Professor Zhang's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Although his words were a question, his tone was full of certainty.

"Professor, which drone are you referring to?"

"The drone that caused damage to the Black Eagle's engine and used plasma propulsion."

"Oh, you mean that one? It's mine."

Chen Yi answered honestly: "It's a newly built rechargeable drone.

I was just test-flying it to collect data, and some of the batteries were depleted.

To reduce the weight, I discarded the batteries from high altitude.

I just didn't expect the Black Eagle to activate its scramjet mode. It consumed a lot, and I was hungry, so it accidentally ate two of the batteries near it.

It was unintentional on my part; I accidentally fed the Black Eagle. You won't hold me responsible, will you?"

"..."

On the other end of the phone, Professor Zhang's face twitched.

Why did his tone and description sound so… infuriating?

We deliberately set up an ambush with four flight formations.

In the end, we could only sigh in defeat, watching them speed away.

And you, with an "unintentional" feeding, managed to directly hit the Black Eagle's core.

Taking a few deep breaths, Professor Zhang suppressed the urge to go over and beat Chen Yi, then affirmed Chen Yi's contribution with a serious tone.

"Don't worry, we won't hold you responsible. You did very well this time; you've made a great contribution."

"Oh, I'm relieved then."

"This Black Eagle, if you have time, would you like to come and study it together?"

"This..." Chen Yi's interest was immediately piqued: "I can participate too?"

This is the 18-meter Black Eagle, the renowned SR-72, one of the world's top large drones.

As a drone enthusiast, Chen Yi was naturally filled with interest in researching such a drone.

Putting aside other aspects, the airframe structure and layout of the Black Eagle provided significant inspiration for his future research and manufacturing of large drones.

The stealth design of the airframe was particularly inspiring for Chen Yi's own drone's stealth capabilities.

"If even you, the eagle catcher, can't do it, then no one can."

Professor Zhang smiled, then changed the subject. "By the way, how did you manage to use ion propulsion within the atmosphere?"

"That's simple, it's just a matter of concept.

I modified the engine structure, combining the characteristics of turbofan bypass and ramjet, and then used electric field acceleration instead of combustion for acceleration.

The airframe and engine were designed for lightweight construction, entirely made of carbon fiber.

Finally, paired with a battery of higher energy density, this drone can fly.

However, this solution is probably not usable for you."

Chen Yi didn't hide anything and openly shared his design ideas.

Professor Zhang considered it and admitted Chen Yi's statement.

This solution was indeed unusable for them.

The cost-effectiveness was too low.

Simply put, Chen Yi's solution still used bypass and ramjet propulsion modes.

However, it replaced combustion compression with ion electric propulsion and combined it with a lightweight design for the entire airframe made of carbon fiber to improve the engine's thrust-to-weight ratio.

This solution appeared advanced, sophisticated, and cool to use.

But for this level of advancement, sophistication, and coolness.

It sacrificed the afterburner performance of the engine and the high-temperature resistance of modern fighter jets.

Most importantly, it sacrificed endurance and sustained combat capability.

For modern fighter jets engaged in prolonged aerial combat.

Aerial refueling tankers could wait nearby, providing cover and refueling at any time.

For long-endurance missions, aerial refueling tankers could also be deployed to replenish fuel mid-air, easily extending the range to over ten thousand kilometers.

But if you switched to Chen Yi's "rechargeable" ion propulsion drone.

Imagine mid-air combat heating up, and a teammate suddenly says:

"Can someone open the back of my head, oh no, I mean the rear panel of the fuselage, and swap out my battery mid-air?"

Before being shot down by the enemy, you'd collapse from your own system.

"If there was a small reactor to add an extended-range power generation system, improving permanent endurance, then ion propulsion fighter jets would have great potential.

With the characteristics of ion thrusters.

They could adapt to any environment, whether low altitude, high altitude, the critical space of ultra-high altitude, or even space and interplanetary combat."

Professor Zhang thought of another solution, only to dismiss it the next second.

Fitting a reactor into the belly of an aircraft, along with an extended-range system, was too futuristic and unrealistic.