Empire Conquest-Chapter 808 - 75: Piercing the Sky

Additionally, one-third of the "Zhi-8C" has completed the upgrade, specifically upgrading the data processing software to enhance the calculation capability for low-orbit targets.

Regrettably, the XKT-1 has not been fully finalized.

In fact, earlier this year, Li Tianling participated in the flight testing of the XKT-1, by attaching a full-size dummy missile and lifting off to obtain the flight envelope achievable by the fighter after carrying such a large missile, in order to adjust the flight control system.

As far as Li Tianling knows, there were only 11 test dummy missiles for the XKT-1 in total, and 6 have already been used.

Clearly, this quantity is far from sufficient.

Even if mass production began last month, before the situation worsened, the current number of equipped missiles would certainly not exceed 20 units.

Don’t be fooled by the XKT-1 being just an airborne anti-satellite missile; it is not cheap at all.

Those 11 test dummy missiles alone cost nearly 300 million Gold Yuan.

According to the Air Force’s proposed procurement plan, after completing development, it would cost 12 billion Gold Yuan to purchase around 1500 units. Including the 3 billion Gold Yuan spent on development, the military purchase unit price of the KT-1 approaches 10 million Gold Yuan, making it the most expensive missile developed by the Imperial Air Force to date.

However, the current number of missiles we possess is only a drop in the ocean.

It is precisely for this reason, during yesterday’s anti-satellite combat, the Imperial Air Force did not use this missile, but instead used a significant number of ground-based anti-satellite missiles.

To clarify, the ground-based anti-satellite missile numbered "KT-2A" is actually an investment by the Army in the development of the "Mountain Fire" medium-range ballistic missile, yet it was neither procured nor equipped.

To be precise, it uses the body of the "Mountain Fire."

Back when the Army decided to abandon the "Mountain Fire" and canceled all medium-range ballistic missile projects, the Air Force approached the "Feiteng" company responsible for developing the "Mountain Fire" missile, provided funding, and asked "Feiteng" to continue improving this missile, focusing on enhancing its ballistic performance.

Initially, the Air Force intended to develop "Mountain Fire" into a flexible-deployment small carrier rocket.

Simply put, it would be used during wartime to conduct net replenishment launches.

Since it’s mainly used to launch small satellites, it doesn’t need much payload capacity; reaching 500 kilograms in low Earth orbit is sufficient.

The key is to have enough tactical flexibility, meaning it must be available on demand.

Obviously, those large liquid-fueled carrier rockets that can easily send several tons of cargo into orbit are not suited for this type of launch mission.

As for the "Mountain Fire," it is in fact very appropriate.

With an additional third stage from the existing base, it can achieve a payload capacity of 500 kilograms in low Earth orbit. Due to the use of solid rocket engines, routine maintenance is also very easy. If success in development could persuade the Army to procure it as a medium-range ballistic missile, it could leverage the advantages of scaled production to significantly reduce costs, reaching a level where it is affordable and can be equipped en masse.

Ultimately, it still boils down to money; the cost of independently developing a small carrier rocket would definitely be hard to bear.

However, the Air Force soon discovered that the "Mountain Fire" was actually better suited for anti-satellite missions, and theoretically capable of dealing with medium to high orbit satellites.

By using a kinetic energy warhead and keeping the total payload weight under 100 kilograms, and adding a third-stage rocket, the "Mountain Fire" theoretically could reach an altitude of 5000 kilometers.

This height allows it to target 80% of military satellites!

Additionally, as the "Mountain Fire" was originally designed as a mobile-deployment ballistic missile, it can still be deployed on launch vehicles after being converted into an anti-satellite missile.

It is for this reason that the Imperial Air Force has procured and equipped hundreds of KT-2 missiles over the past few years.

Regarding this numbering, as the ideal development timeline is somewhat later, following the air-launched version, this resulted in the numbering being placed after the air-launched version.

Interestingly, to achieve the purpose of deceiving the enemy, these missiles still use the name "Mountain Fire," and are listed in the Army’s equipment procurement catalog, with the procurement justification being to use them for testing, considering that many dummy missiles are expended annually during joint military exercises.

Let’s not forget that the West Continent faction has a large number of medium-range ballistic missiles, and the Imperial Army has also been continually developing anti-missile technology.

Just yesterday, these anti-satellite missiles deployed on the Empire’s homeland proved invaluable, shooting down over 300 military satellites of the West Continent faction within just a few hours.

According to internal information, the actual combat hit rate of the KT-2 is only 60%, failing to reach the 80% design target.

Furthermore, the anti-satellite combat lasted several hours, during which the West Continent faction took advantage of this time to maneuver a few reconnaissance satellites to change orbit in time.

Thus, the Air Force immediately dispatched transport planes overnight to deliver 10 XKT-1 missiles.

Under orders from the Air Force headquarters, once these satellites pass over Boss Bay, they will be shot down using XKT-1.

The fact is, these satellites inevitably have to pass over Boss Bay.

Reconnaissance satellites need to ensure coverage over the Volga River, necessitating passage over Boss Bay, without bypassing it.

Of course, Li Tianling and his team were busy all night calculating and confirming the satellite’s orbits.

Although the Air Force sent several technical officers along with the transport plane carrying the missiles, equipped with military computers, Li Tianling remained focused, since having participated in the early testing of XKT-1 and being professionally trained, he is very familiar with the missile’s limit performance.

Certainly, this effort proved valuable.

By combining data from anti-satellite radar, Li Tianling and his team ascertained that they could secure an interception opportunity this morning, that is, around 11 a.m. local time on the 13th, and another four hours later, with an interception success rate not lower than 80% for the two chances.

However, the key is to destroy five high-performance optical reconnaissance satellites.

According to intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Bureau, these five satellites were launched within the past three years and are equipped with the most sophisticated optical lenses available today.

Speaking of which, the optical equipment of the Tiaoman Empire indeed is unmatched in the world.

In equivalent orbital height, even using slightly inferior CCD imaging devices, the reconnaissance satellites of the Tiaoman Empire can achieve considerable resolution.

If the intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau is correct, the resolution of a reconnaissance satellite launched last year is 0.3 meters.

After eliminating these five satellites, the strategic reconnaissance capability of the West Continent faction will be reduced by at least 80%, which will inevitably affect ongoing operations.

The critical point is, the West Continent faction has no more effective strategic reconnaissance means aside from reconnaissance satellites.

Li Tianling personally crafted a combat plan.

For each of the 2 interceptions, 5 fighters deployed.

Only after destroying the main targets—those five optical reconnaissance satellites—will attention turn to other satellites, prioritizing taking down the most valuable targets.

Also, Li Tianling is personally involved in the interception mission.

It is precisely for this reason that he arranged for the ground staff to remove all unnecessary, specifically those not needed for anti-satellite missions, from the "War-11B" fighter he piloted.

This was done to allow the fighter to fly higher.

Of course, this is also the advantage of air-launched anti-satellite missiles.

Because they are carried by fighters, which fly up to an altitude of 20,000 meters, and can still reach a Mach-2 flight speed, it equates to saving most of the first-stage rocket.

To ensure it can still fly to Mach 2 with the missile attached, the "War-11B" was loaded with only 3 tons of fuel.

With this amount of fuel, it can only initiate one sprint flight.

After preparation, Li Tianling changed into a high-altitude gravity suit.

At almost 10:15, the command tower issued the lift-off order.

After methodically completing inspection tasks, Li Tianling piloted the fighter to the take-off point.

The other 4 fighters followed behind, maintaining adequate distance.

All the mission performers were commanders, including squadron and team leaders, there was certainly no issue with their capabilities, therefore, Li Tianling did not have to pay extra attention.

Besides, wearing the gravity suit made movements very cumbersome.

"Sky Dragon 001, the combat instructions have been confirmed, the Breaking Sky action has officially started."

"Sky Dragon 001 received, requesting permission to take off."

"Permission granted, you may take off."

"Received!"

After responding, Li Tianling did not waste more words and pushed the throttle to full. He released the brakes only after feeling the engine’s vigorous vibration.

Upon running less than 500 meters on the runway, the "War-11B" reached lift-off speed.

After leaving the ground, the fighter almost soared straight into the sky.

Vertical climb has always been the hallmark of the "War-11," with dozens of climbing records set by the "War-11A" remaining unbroken.

To be fair, this is the only thing that the "War-11" can boast about.

Because it doesn’t use a digital fly-by-wire control system, the "War-11" is less agile than the "War-10," and even less than the "War-9," which uses variable swept wings, relying only on a higher thrust-to-weight ratio to improve the vertical maneuverability of the fighter.