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Chapter 34: Entering the Heat Barrier, 4.2 Mach

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Tang Rui had no idea that the military personnel had come looking for him.

He was still accelerating the drone.

Today, he was determined to test the drone’s maximum speed.

As for the issue of flying out of the designated airspace, he couldn’t really be blamed for it.

When he hit the throttle, it accelerated too fast, and he couldn’t react in time.

Besides, there was a slight problem with the communication system.

Anyway, there were many explanations, but in short, it wasn’t intentional.

The drone continued to accelerate.

After reaching supersonic cruise speed, the wings had already closed with the body to reduce drag.

“Oh my god… Rui, is this speed gauge malfunctioning? Is it really 2.2 Mach?”

“What? 2.2 Mach? Are you kidding?”

“Oh my god… It’s 2.3 Mach now, still accelerating!”

“Rui Ge, did you modify this with a rocket?”

“We’re about to enter the heat barrier. Can the body withstand it?”

“It’s 2.4 Mach now, about to enter the heat barrier.”

At this moment, more and more people gathered around, but no one was speaking.

What did the heat barrier represent?

This group of students majoring in aircraft design understood better than anyone else.

In the history of aviation, only a few aircraft could truly break through the heat barrier, and you could count them on one hand.

If Tang Rui succeeded today, his drone would be among the world’s top in terms of speed.

If we are talking about reconnaissance drones alone, it would rank as the world’s second.

The first place is held by Wuzhen-8. After all, breaking through 6 Mach was not that easy.

Tang Rui couldn’t be sure now if his drone could exceed Mach 6.

“Oh my god… It’s reached 2.5 Mach.”

“Awesome… Entering the heat barrier zone.”

“2.6 Mach now, still accelerating.”

When the drone reached 2.5 Mach, the crowd around him erupted.

At this moment, no one was playing with their model aircraft; they all ran behind Tang Rui, tightly staring at the screen.

This first-person view of supersonic flight was incredibly thrilling.

When a military vehicle drove into the sports field, no one noticed.

A middle-aged man in a military uniform got out of the vehicle and went to the back of the crowd.

When he saw the data on the screen, his pupils constricted.

He then took out his phone and sent a few messages, including the drone’s current speed, direction, and location.

Within the territory of Anhui Province, all the radar stations received an order from the Eastern Theater Command.

Radar stations were to operate at full power for five minutes and conduct surveillance on the southeastern airspace.

After five minutes, they were to report the radar scan results.

Upon receiving the message, each radar station immediately activated their radars at full power.

In an instant, mobile signals in various villages around the radar stations disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, five minutes had passed.

The radar stations began reporting their findings.

“Report, all eleven radar stations in Anhui Province found no anomalies.”

“Got it, I understand.”

After hearing the summary report from the radar stations, the person in charge of the command center nodded without saying much. However, right after that, he picked up his phone and sent a message.

On the other side, around the podium in the sports field, everyone was very excited. Because at this moment, the drone’s speed had reached an astonishing 4.2 Mach. Although it was still accelerating, the speed was slowing down. Even if all the fuel were burned, it wouldn’t reach 4.5 Mach.

For such a speed, Tang Rui was already very satisfied. If he further enhanced the engine, it would definitely fly even faster. At that time, surpassing the Wuzhen-8 reconnaissance drone would not be just a dream.

Looking at the fuel data on the screen, he directly pulled down the throttle valve. There was no other way; keeping the acceleration on for too long consumed too much fuel. In such a short time of flight, the fuel was already less than half. If he continued to accelerate like this, he wouldn’t be able to fly back.

Taking advantage of the still high speed, Tang Rui activated the ground scanning and capturing system to see the photo quality at this speed.

Click! A photo appeared on the screen. As the photo was continuously enlarged, cattle and sheep on the vast grassland were clearly displayed.

“This is the captured image?”

“Wow!”

“This is even better than a spy satellite.”

“Tang Rui, this capturing effect, are you aiming to reach the heavens?”

“Tang Rui, be honest. Did you steal this drone from a military lab?”

“This speed and capturing effect are incredible.”

The people were speaking one after another, and every word they said hit the core of Tang Rui’s heart. Although he didn’t say anything, the upward curve of his mouth and the squinting of his eyes revealed that he was feeling extremely delighted.

“Speed test completed. Now, let’s begin testing the maximum altitude,” Tang Rui announced as he pulled the control stick to make the drone ascend.

Previously, the drone’s flight altitude was 12,000 meters. Although it was already quite high, it was far from reaching the drone’s maximum capability.

Just at that moment, a warning symbol suddenly appeared on the screen. Tang Rui tapped on it to check and found that there was a fighter jet ahead.

He enlarged the image.

“Is that a J-16?”

“We encountered a fighter jet.”

“It’s aerial refueling.”

“Tang Rui, let’s get closer and have a look.”

“Don’t take any photos; it’s classified information.”

“We are all from Nanjing University of Science and Technology and China Southern Airlines, so we understand the importance of confidentiality.”

“Let’s just enjoy the view; don’t spread any rumors.”

Since aerial refueling was not a top-secret matter, and Tang Rui also wanted to see the J-16 up close, he controlled the drone to approach, but he was cautious about taking any photos.

In less than two minutes, the drone arrived beside the J-16 fighter jet conducting aerial refueling. Tang Rui intentionally deactivated the detailed magnification of the optical equipment and had Little Yi add a mosaic to the front cockpit area of the J-16.

In this way, from the computer screen, everyone could only see the J-16 engaged in aerial refueling, without seeing anything else. Although the distance was closer now, it was still like watching an air force propaganda video.

However, there was a significant difference between seeing it with their own eyes and watching a video.

“The Super Flanker’s aerodynamic layout is just stunning.”

“Good looks equate to combat power.”

“Do you see those wingtips and the pods hanging under the wings? That’s the J-16D.”

“Wow… I didn’t realize those were pods; I thought they were missiles.”

“Your family’s missiles are square-shaped. Can’t you see the difference in the wingtips? Those are smaller pods.”

As everyone was engrossed in observing, suddenly, red warning signals started flashing on the screen.

“Locked by radar, please leave the area immediately.”

Seeing this warning, Tang Rui was startled, and his hands trembled.

This is bad.

He got too close and was discovered.

This was no joke.

An unmanned aerial vehicle without air identification codes flying next to a fighter jet during its aerial refueling was asking to be shot down.

It’s supposed to have stealth design, right?

Yes, that’s correct.

Stealth design, that’s right.

But stealth also had limits, and he got too carried away and forgot about it.

In this situation, with radar tracking so closely and infrared locking, no stealth design would be effective.

Without hesitation, Tang Rui pushed the throttle and accelerated away.

If he didn’t run now, he might as well wait to become the target of an air-to-air missile.

The J-16D, which had just refueled, also engaged its afterburners and chased after him.