In the warehouse of Camp No. 27, a gun barrel about seven or eight meters long is connected to a turret covering an area of more than ten square meters. The middle section of the gun barrel is connected to a hydraulic tripod bracket. Except at first glance, this cannon seems to have "no growth" except for the barrel being long enough, but this is not the case.
This long and narrow barrel will not fire any physical projectiles, but instead a magnetically bound plasma with a core temperature of tens of millions of degrees. After the plasma constrained by the magnetic field hits the target, it will rely on its own thermal energy to melt through the target's metal armor. At the same time, the electrical energy condensed in the plasma will be released instantly, destroying soft targets and electronic equipment in the armored unit.
In short, this is a large plasma cannon. It has similarities with the Prowler's Type 52 particle cannon, but there are many differences in details. However, whether it is a particle cannon or a plasma cannon, both can be regarded as well-deserved "tank killers" at medium and short ranges!
Speaking of which, this large plasma cannon was able to be completed thanks to Lin Ling's research on antimatter technology. The same magnetic confinement devices used to wrap antimatter can also be used to wrap plasma. Researchers at Camp 27 made further derivatives based on Lin Ling's research results to solve the problem of delay after the magnetic restraint body breaks away from the device.
Once this problem is solved, the magnetic confinement body wrapped with high-temperature plasma can be "fired" as a projectile of a cannonball!
After the researchers at Camp 27 explained the technical connotations to Jiang Chen, they immediately entered the weapon testing stage under Jiang Chen's order. Several staff members loaded the running tower onto a truck and transported it to the shooting range.
As the research project leader Zou Rong arrived at the shooting range, Jiang Chen stood behind a bulletproof glass.
Jiang Chen took a long look at the turret in the shooting range, stretched out his hand and knocked on the bulletproof glass, and asked Zou Rong casually.
“Why use dark glass?”
"The projectiles fired by the artillery shells will be quite dazzling. The purpose of using dark glass is to protect your eyes." Zou Rong explained to Jiang Chen with a smile.
Weapons testing begins!
After receiving the order, a NAC soldier stepped forward, connected the wires behind the turret to the tablet terminal, and skillfully set the shooting parameters. On the other side of the shooting range, in the open space about 800 meters away from the turret, an A-shaped steel plate with a thickness of 200mm rose.
Zou Rong gave the order, and the soldier standing ten meters behind the turret immediately pressed the shooting button.
With a flash of dazzling white light, the plasma cannon suddenly ejected the energy projectile restrained by the magnetic field. Even in daylight, the bright white plasma is still so dazzling that it is difficult to look directly at it.
When the energy projectile came into contact with steel, there was almost no impact or explosion. Breaking away from the constraints of the magnetic field, the restrained high-temperature plasma surged out from the small space like a runaway horse, melting through the nearly 200mm thick steel with almost no suspense!
A scorching blue arc flashed behind the armor, spreading like a spider web and seeping into the ground in an instant...
Standing behind the dark glass and witnessing this astonishing scene, Jiang Chen opened his eyes slightly, and the expression on his face gradually changed from shock to excitement.
After noticing the expression on the Marshal's face, Zou Rong raised the corners of his mouth proudly and said proudly.
"In the atmosphere, this kind of plasma projectile maintains a stable state for a short time, so the maximum range of this plasma cannon, tentatively named RK-1, is only 800 meters. However, as you can see, the power is very powerful against armored units. The damage is quite staggering. As long as it is hit, let alone a Prowler, even a Pan-Asian cooperation destroyer will be burned out."
After approaching 800 meters, fire the gun. As long as it hits the car body, the almost invulnerable Prowler can be turned into a pile of scrap metal. It may be a bit reluctant to get as close as 800 meters on the plains, but in urban terrain, a combat distance of 800 meters is almost the norm.
Previously, Jiang Chen was skeptical about the idea of "technology that will change the direction of war." However, when he saw the RK-1 plasma cannon projectile with his own eyes, melting through 200mm steel armor without any suspense, he was now determined I firmly believe this.
"How much does it cost to produce this kind of plasma cannon?" Jiang Chen looked at Zou Rong and asked.
"Under the same production scale, the production cost of this RK-1 is about three times that of the Type 50 electromagnetic gun."
Jiang Chen nodded, the cost was within the acceptable range of NAC. Generally speaking, cost and production difficulty are also positively related. He didn't care how much money and materials he spent, but if he wanted the Second Division to field this weapon in this war, he had to complete the production work in the shortest possible time.
Without any hesitation, Jiang Chen immediately found Wang Qing and ordered her to start organizing the production of RK-1 weapons. At present, the industrial level of the Sixth Block has begun to take shape. The more critical high-energy capacitors, electromagnetic generation devices, particle acceleration tracks and other parts can be outsourced to private factories for production by placing orders.
In order to be able to carry this RK-1 plasma cannon, engineers at Camp 27 also modified the Hunter Tiger II body to a certain extent. While reducing the armor thickness and increasing engine output, the turret was redesigned.
Due to the difficulty of accelerating particles, the RK-1's barrel is designed to be very long. If the original turret design is followed, the gun barrel will be several meters beyond the body, and the center of gravity of the entire tank will be moved to the front.
The engineers of Camp 27 boldly canceled the turret design directly, or sunk the entire turret into the carriage, and designed it into the shape of a turret-less tank destroyer. This design is obviously not in line with the historical trend, but it is the most suitable design for the current situation faced by the Second Division.
Anyway, there is only one chance to fire. If you miss the first shot, there will basically be no chance to fire the second shot. Whether the particle cannon on the opposite side shoots at the front armor or side armor, it is the same for tanks without energy shields, so whether there is a turret or not does not make much difference to it.
This retro-looking tank is named Longbow I. It is planned to produce 120 tanks. It is expected that 20 tanks will be sent to Wucheng within 10 days to replace the Hunter Tiger II which has no effect at all against the Prowler.
However, in the eyes of most people, this plan is undoubtedly a bit whimsical, such as the Zhao Group, which has contracted 70% of the production tasks of the plan.
Although he coveted the profits from the order of hundreds of tanks, Zhao Chenwu knew very well that this was almost an impossible task. In this wasteland, not all problems can be solved with "money".
On the way out of the Fish Bone Base Community Center, Zhao Chenwu followed Jiang Chen, complaining to him about the difficulty, trying to persuade the "very successful" marshal to reduce the number of orders.
"We simply don't have that many resources. If we want to fulfill all these orders, we need tens of thousands of tons of steel and aluminum, and countless amounts of chromium, nickel, and other rare earth metals. Even if we short the entire Sixth Street market, We can’t get it together—”
Squeak!
Without any explanation, Jiang Chen pushed open the door of the Fish Bone Base warehouse. The incandescent lamps on the ceiling lit up one after another, illuminating the entire warehouse space.
The words he had not yet finished were choked in his throat, Zhao Chenwu stared blankly inside the warehouse.
Piles of ore formed hills in the warehouse, and the reflected light blinded his eyes. At this moment, he could no longer think about where these ores came from. He just wanted to pinch his arm to confirm whether he was dreaming...
Turning around, Jiang Chen looked at the confused Zhao Chenwu and shrugged.
"You might need some trucks."(.)