Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: A Shift in the Tides
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[This is the high-altitude anti-aircraft missile development wing.]
Guided by Natasha, they entered the research wing, where the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement.
Their objective had already been achieved.
The researchers, in particular, seemed thrilled by the successful results and the prospect of returning home.
[From the looks of it, I don't see anyone who's likely to stray.]
Natasha smiled at his subtle joke.
Next, she led them to the hypersonic cruise missile development wing, located a short distance from the high-altitude anti-aircraft missile center.
Perhaps because research was still underway, the relaxed atmosphere from before was gone, replaced by a flurry of busy activity.
[Welcome.]
One of the Russian researchers, surprised by our arrival, hurried over.
After a brief exchange with Natasha, he immediately guided us to where a combustion test was in progress.
[The experiment currently underway is a combustion test of a dual-mode ramjet engine.]
A dual-mode ramjet engine is a combined-cycle engine that integrates a ramjet and a scramjet.
The reason for this design is that the hypersonic cruise missile we're developing requires the characteristics of both engines.
Perhaps thinking I knew nothing about the subject, the researcher began his explanation with a triumphant expression.
[With hypersonic missiles, it's practically impossible to achieve thrust above Mach 4 without a scramjet. However, if a scramjet's speed drops even slightly due to a sharp turn, the engine's velocity plummets, and it may fail to restart. That's why...]
[So you need the ramjet's propulsion method, but that can't generate thrust above Mach 3. Because of that, you developed a dual-mode combined-cycle engine with two combustors... is that what you're getting at?]
[...]
The researcher blinked, taken aback by my interruption.
[You're making quite a bit of progress.]
I smiled as if it were nothing and changed the subject, prompting him to snap out of his surprise and continue his explanation.
[We've been working in this field for ten years now. In fact, you could say the propulsion system is already in its final stages.]
Flipping that around, it was a clear signal for us to hurry up with the development of our part.
The actuator and precision guidance system that enable precise targeting even at hypersonic speeds. And the development of materials that can withstand the immense frictional heat.
But what he didn't know...
...was that, for all intents and purposes, our part was already complete.
There were several reasons why I wasn't rushing to reveal it, and one of them was to maintain our ongoing exchange with Russia.
From the Kinzhal to the Avangard.
It was all to acquire the technology for Russia's other hypersonic weapons—the ones Putin hadn't told me about.
[We'll do our best.]
Despite my words, I had no intention of handing it over quickly.
The truth was, those very technologies were applicable to the Kinzhal and the Avangard.
In other words, if this development succeeded, it would give Putin momentum to develop those weapons on his own, and I couldn't let that happen, could I?
If possible, I had to create a situation where they would propose a joint development for those as well.
'The Avangard...'
The thought suddenly made me more ambitious.
It uses a ballistic missile's propulsion to soar into the stratosphere and mesosphere, then separates a glider-shaped warhead.
This warhead then glides on an unpredictable trajectory to strike its target, making it an incredibly difficult weapon to intercept.
If we could mount that on our Aegis ships alongside the Zircon we're currently developing, we'd essentially have two of God's spears. It would be stranger not to covet it.
[Is it possible by the end of next year?]
As I was lost in thought, the researcher pressed again.
I replied with an awkward smile and looked back at the propulsion system being tested. He let out a long sigh and changed the subject.
[Anyway, once that's complete, it'll be the end of the line for aircraft carriers and other warships. And ground targets, of course.]
I nodded in agreement.
Honestly, even before my regression, there was no technology capable of stopping a missile flying at Mach 5 or, in some cases, over Mach 9.
The moment it's launched from an aircraft or a ship, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the target's fate is sealed.
[Please tell President Putin that I'll likely be visiting Russia soon.]
I said to Natasha with a subtle smile.
Misunderstanding my reason, she immediately brought up the joint development of underground resources.
[Are you starting the resource development project?]
[Ah! Now that you mention it, there was that matter too.]
[...]
******
Before long, only a month remained of 2002.
It had already been several months since the Russian researchers involved in the joint anti-aircraft missile development had returned home.
In the meantime, we continued to modify some of the software and guidance systems to fit our specific needs, and today, the result of that work made its debut.
[Target launched.]
Along with the announcement, a humming electronic sound filled the air.
It was the sound of the radar, nearly the size of a 25-ton truck, beginning its detection sequence.
At a glance, it resembled the THAAD radar that had once been installed in our country, a monster with a detection range of a whopping 1,500 kilometers.
"The Minister of National Defense mentioned that the detection range could be increased even further?"
The President, with only a few months left in his term, was also in attendance as a guest.
He seemed to be beaming with pride, his expression elated by the fact that a ballistic missile defense system could be established within his term.
"The maximum detection range can be extended to 2,900 kilometers."
"At that range, China will surely raise another fuss."
"To be honest, even in its current state, it's enough to provoke them. A 1,500-kilometer range means parts of inland China fall within our surveillance area."
The President nodded at my words.
Judging by his expression, he didn't seem worried about the fallout, likely because we had the perfect excuse: it was a response to North Korea's nuclear development.
Thump!
As the conversation continued, the sound of the launch tube's cover flying off echoed.
Soon, a missile shot up with a tremendous plume of smoke from its multi-pulse rocket, instantly soaring beyond the horizon and out of sight. Everyone's attention turned to the screen set up on one side of the test site.
"What's the maximum range again?"
"Currently, it's 900 kilometers."
Nine hundred kilometers is the same range as the SM-3 Block IA/B.
This meant we now possessed an exo-atmospheric interception system on par with theirs.
However, upgrades will continue, and if we configure the multi-pulse rocket into a three-stage system, the range can be increased to 2,900 kilometers, similar to later models of the SM-3.
"That's incredible. The missile doesn't even look that large."
Furthermore, as the President noted, its diameter is only 350 millimeters.
That means it can be loaded into the vertical launch systems of Aegis ships, allowing us to deploy an exo-atmospheric interception system anywhere.
This weapon will likely usher in a new paradigm for ballistic missile defense.
"By the way, the target missile is a Hyunmoo, correct?"
"That's right."
"But doesn't the Hyunmoo change its trajectory, making it difficult to intercept?"
"We were aware of that issue, so we've modified the flight algorithm for the target missile. In other words, it will act like a standard ballistic missile. For the record, by the time mass production begins, we'll have a system capable of countering trajectory changes as well."
"To that extent..."
The President let out a short gasp and turned his attention back to the screen.
A moment later, as the target's signal vanished from the black-and-white screen, a smile spread across his face.
"Congratulations, Chairman Jin."
It was certainly an occasion worthy of congratulations.
With this success, we had now secured a defense capability against any ballistic missile.
But then, the President said something unexpected.
"I plan to announce the success of this development to the media as soon as possible."
"..."
"It's the perfect excuse, isn't it? North Korea is preparing a nuclear test, and we are simply responding to it."
So he had been thinking about that all along.
As I smiled and nodded, his expression hardened again.
"We probably have five years at most. That's the deadline for stopping the North's nuclear development."
"..."
"According to intelligence, North Korea smuggled in reprocessed plutonium from a Russian light-water reactor during the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, its purity was too low, so they've apparently been researching methods to improve it. I believe that's still the case, which is why I see five years as the deadline."
In truth, I also expected it would take them about that long to succeed with a nuclear test.
According to history, the explosive yield they achieved in their first test was a mere 400 tons of TNT.
Considering the minimum yield for a nuclear bomb is around 10,000 tons, they would need to find better enrichment methods, which would easily take five years.
"That means we have to deal with it one way or another within five years."
The President nodded in agreement.
Five years.
For some reason, it didn't feel like a very long time.
******
"I hear the attack helicopter's armament system will also be completed soon? When can we expect to see the results of that?"
On the way out of the test site and toward the parking lot.
The President suddenly showed interest in the attack helicopter's development progress.
It seemed he, too, wanted to see the results before his term ended.
When I told him that we were planning to unveil the fully armed version next month, his expression brightened considerably.
"By the way, the acquisition quantity for our indigenous fighter jet was originally 120 units, wasn't it?"
The President, who was about to get into his car, turned back and spoke.
He couldn't have been unaware of a fact that was already confirmed, so it seemed he had something else to say.
"That's correct."
"Actually, one of the ruling party's presidential candidates in the primaries is quite interested in that matter. It's his assertion that if the ultimate goal of the fighter we're developing is a 5th-generation aircraft anyway, it would be wise to increase the future procurement quantity."
That was an argument that aligned perfectly with my own plans.
For now, the main goal is to compensate for the absence of the F-15, but considering the models that will be phased out later, that number is indeed insufficient.
Moreover, since the aircraft currently in development is intended to be upgraded to a 5th-generation model, the continuation of the project is not an option but a necessity.
"I don't know who it is, but I'd like to meet him."
In truth, I could already guess who was behind that assertion.
The man who would succeed the current president.
He was the type who would certainly make such an argument.
"As it happens, he also wanted to meet you, Chairman Jin. I can arrange a meeting soon. Would you be interested?"
I had no reason to refuse.
Of course, meeting one of the presidential candidates before the election was a significant burden for a businessman, but I already knew the outcome.
If anything, this was a good opportunity to gauge his tendencies in advance.
"Let's do that."
I saw him off as he got into his vehicle after my brief reply.
Just as the door was about to close, the Chief of Staff rushed over, stopped me, and whispered something to the President.
"Hmm..."
His expression soured.
I was curious, but it wasn't my place to ask openly.
The only hint I got was the words the President uttered just as the door closed.
"First, dispatch the Coast Guard patrol ships to Dokdo."
"..."
******
[This afternoon, Japan announced its intention to begin a maritime survey near Dokdo. In response, our government plans to dispatch Coast Guard patrol ships to the island...]
The next day, nearly every news outlet was flooded with reports expressing concern over Japan's sudden announcement of a maritime survey near Dokdo.
This, too, was an event that didn't align with history.
I stared blankly for a while, searching my memory.
'We were supposed to be the ones who dispatched the survey ship first, right? And that was in 2006...'
According to my memory, that was how it happened.
But this was the complete opposite.
I had no way of knowing what was going on.
[Recently, anti-Korean sentiment has been on the rise in Japan. The government is treating this as a serious situation...]
Another channel I'd idly flipped to was discussing the anti-Korean sentiment that had started in Japanese society.
According to one of the panelists, this atmosphere began to build rapidly after the World Cup.
It was hard to judge if that was true, but it was clear that the tide of history had shifted dramatically.
[Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe has stated that he will consider South Korea's dispatch of Coast Guard ships a serious provocation...]
News reports covering the Japanese media repeatedly highlighted Shinzo Abe's reaction.
It felt like I was watching the Abe of the 2020s.
As I recalled, Abe wasn't someone who had so openly displayed his far-right tendencies in the early 2000s.
Furthermore, it was surprising that he was the Chief Cabinet Secretary at this time.
I couldn't understand why the world had changed so drastically.
'What in the world...'