While Wang Xuexin was watching the live ammunition test firing, Skinny ran back to the office as fast as he could and returned with the drawings, as if he was worried that someone who couldn't catch up with Wang Xuexin would have to go back.
Skinner motioned to his subordinates to unfold the drawing in front of Wang Xuexin, then pointed at the drawing and said: "Batalion Commander, look, this is the gyroscope, this is the battery that powers it, and then there is the control system... Although the control system is very simple, It just ignites the small pillar of gunpowder next to the rocket, but the entire system is integrated into what it is now!"
Skinner said he was a little helpless. Although Wang Xuexin had told him the direction of research and development, there was still a big gap between theory and practice.
Wang Xuexin was not surprised at all by this.
The military gyroscope at this time was mechanical and had not yet been miniaturized. Its diameter was about the size of a basketball.
It is not a problem to use this volume on "high-precision rockets". The biggest problem is to reduce some of the powder charge.
But if it is really used to improve the accuracy of ordinary rockets like Skinny, and it needs to be fired from a barrel... Yingjiang is used to using tube-type equipment to launch rockets, and they think that this kind of closed thing is more The safety accuracy is also higher. Rockets like Mao Xiong that do not care about accuracy in orbit are almost not within the scope of consideration of Yingjiang R&D personnel.
As a result, many problems will arise, such as the problem of tail expansion, aerodynamic layout problems, and launch tube adaptation problems, etc.
Wang Xuexin thought for a while and asked Skinner: "In that case, why don't you try orbital launch?"
Skinny replied: "Batalion Commander, the purpose of adding a gyroscope to the rocket is to make it more accurate. But if we use a lower-precision launch method such as orbit, even if it is eventually developed, it will have no practical significance. !”
There is some truth in what Skinner said.
Especially the accuracy requirements at the moment of launch are very important, because at this time there will be a situation of "missing by a thousand miles". The gyroscope can only try to ensure that the rocket will not deviate due to airflow, gunpowder quality and other issues during flight. own orbit, but cannot determine whether the parameters at the moment of launch are accurate.
Therefore, Skinner believes that since it is necessary to improve the accuracy as much as possible, then of course it is necessary to use a higher-precision launch method.
But Wang Xuexin doesn’t think so.
Wang Xuexin replied: "Colonel, I think when we conduct a certain research, we should eliminate other interference as much as possible."
Skinner was a little confused, and he asked doubtfully: "For example..."
"For example!" Wang Xuexin raised his head toward the huge launch tube at the test range and said, "I think the launch method you chose is a kind of interference. The problem we have to overcome, which is the focus of research and development, is Apply the gyroscope to the rocket to correct its trajectory. But you are spending too much time on other projects now!"
Skinner said "Oh" and understood what Wang Xuexin meant: "You mean, we can complete it in steps without requiring it to be done all at once. For example, first complete the correction of the rocket by the gyroscope, and then consider converting it. Launched into a launch tube..."
"Yes!" Wang Xuexin nodded: "I think if you develop it this way, the process will probably be much faster!"
But Wang Xuexin knew in his heart that this was almost impossible to accomplish in this era.
The reason is the volume of the gyroscope... The volume of the gyroscope determines the diameter of the rocket. Once the diameter of the rocket reaches the size of a basketball, the weight will increase, which will lead to transportation and supply problems, etc.
In the end, after more research and development, you will find that it is actually as suitable as a v1 missile, because a rocket of this size is almost the same as a v1 missile, and the way the v1 missile controls the direction of the tail to correct the trajectory is the most reasonable and more accurate.
.
The method of orbit correction using gunpowder columns used by Skinny at this time is more suitable for small missiles produced after miniaturization of gyroscopes, such as the Red Arrow 73 anti-tank missile.
However, there is another problem. Anti-tank missiles such as the Red Arrow 73 anti-tank missile are wire-guided, which means that a long wire is needed to connect the missile, and then the shooter controls the missile to accurately fly to the target through this wire...
…
The reason why it is said that Wang Xuexin led Skinner into the trap is because he did not disclose a key step, which is the "lead guide" to Skinner.
Invention and creation are sometimes just a little short of that.
Wang Xuexin aside, who in this era would know that the fired artillery shells can be precisely controlled by a wire?
However, Skinner was very satisfied after hearing Wang Xuexin's suggestion. He said excitedly: "The battalion commander is right. We should indeed eliminate other interference and proceed step by step. It would be much simpler if we use a guide rail to launch. We just
It can be achieved in a few days, and the actual performance... is just a matter of quantity!"
It is indeed a question of quantity. If the accuracy is not enough, just use quantity. This has always been a characteristic of rockets.
Wang Xuexin followed Skinner's words and sighed, saying: "The colonel is right, it is indeed a matter of quantity, but it is also a big problem we face... To be precise, it is a big problem faced by the Eighth Route Army. This is
The chief did not have the confidence to continue developing this project, which is one of the reasons why I rarely came to this laboratory during this period."
"What?" Skinner's face changed when he heard this.
If the commander has no confidence in this project, does that mean that the Eighth Route Army will give up on this project?
If the Eighth Route Army abandons this project, does that mean Wang Xuexin can no longer participate in research and development?
If Wang Xuexin no longer participates in research and development, how long will it take for their team to come up with this kind of rocket?
Thinking about it, Skinner asked anxiously: "Why? Battalion Commander, this is a project that can improve the accuracy of rockets. Do you know what this means? If this project succeeds, you will have more and more accurate rockets.
The artillery is far away and very cheap. What an advantage this will give us on the battlefield! You should tell your leader about this..."
"Of course I told the commander this!" Wang Xuexin frowned: "But Colonel, you have to know that our army is not yours. You can produce gyroscopes. You can get as many gyroscopes as you want and they are very cheap. But what about our army?"
After hearing this, Skinner said "Oh" and understood.
The Huaxia Highway is blocked, and there is no hope of opening it up at this time.
And rockets are fired in batches, and hundreds of rounds can be fired at every turn.
If you want to use gyroscopes to improve the accuracy of rockets, it means that hundreds of gyroscopes are needed at every turn...
This was a sky-high price for the Eighth Route Army.
It's better to ignore precision and just produce more rockets to hit them randomly.