Empire Conquest

Chapter 666 - 10 A Bizarre Twist of Fate

The phone above his head rang just then, Captain Wei Shaolong was initially startled but hesitated for only half a second before quickly yanking the receiver out.

"Command Bridge, this is the Captain."

A few seconds later, Captain Wei Shaolong slammed the receiver back in place without uttering a single superfluous word.

"Hard right rudder, full power ahead, heading 030!"

Before the helmsman could even react, he had already left the captain’s station, caught the binoculars from the sergeant major, and headed toward the port side terrace.

By the time he reached the terrace, the "Panzhihua" had already begun to turn at full speed.

Outside, the lookout operating the high-power alert binoculars was clearly startled when he saw the captain and seemed uncertain if he should offer the binoculars to him.

Nothing strange about that; anyone assigned to an outdoor position during a battle was definitely a green recruit.

If there was a nearby threat, a 13mm heavy machine gun could be mounted on the adjacent circular track, along with an additional machine gun crew.

Captain Wei Shaolong ignored the new recruit and, after stepping outside, glanced toward the machine gun located on the hangar behind.

That was no ordinary machine gun; it was a close-in weapon system utilizing the Gatling principle with seven 30mm barrels, achieving a firing rate of up to 4200 rounds per minute.

This rapid-fire gun, purchased at the high cost of 15 million Gold Yuan, was primarily valued for its ability to intercept anti-ship missiles!

Looking back, in the latter stages of the Second Global War, the Imperial Navy started pouring significant funds into researching externally powered Gatling-type machine guns.

Unfortunately, they failed to achieve any substantial results by the end of the Global War.

Afterward, entering the jet age, air defense missiles replaced high-altitude guns, and the small-caliber high-altitude guns that were prominent during the war were the first to be phased out.

The reasons were twofold: their range was too short and their altitude too low to intercept jet fighters.

Over the 30 years following the war, except for large-caliber dual-purpose guns that retained some value in supporting ground forces and engaging small vessels, virtually all high-altitude guns were replaced by air defense missiles, and the Navy ceased the development of small-caliber high-altitude guns.

This status quo persisted until a war erupted 8 years ago in the South Sunset Ocean.

At that time, the Royal Bulan Navy’s newest and most advanced Type 42 Destroyer with a full displacement of 4100 tons, the "Sheffield," was tragically sent to the bottom of the sea by a "Flying Fish" missile weighing less than 700 kilograms, with an explosive charge of just over 70 kilograms!

The news created a commotion throughout the Imperial Navy.

However, that was all it was—a commotion.

In their detailed investigation that followed, the Imperial Navy discovered that at the time of the attack, the "Sheffield’s" air search warning radar was off because its electromagnetic waves would interfere with satellite communications, and the ship was receiving information via satellite antenna from the rear at that moment.

Additionally, in a bid to control displacement, the warship’s superstructure was made from highly flammable aluminum alloy!

As a result, the ship had not even managed to fire interference bombs, let alone return fire, before being struck by the missile.

Post-war tests showed that the Type 42 Destroyer’s radar decoys could affect the "Flying Fish" and, for instance, cause the missile to miss its target.

In another battle a few days later, the Royal Bulan Navy successfully interfered with a "Flying Fish" missile headed for an aircraft carrier.

Also, there were failings in damage control. For example, the captain did not issue the immediate order to activate the firefighting system after being hit by the missile.

All these coincidental factors made the sinking of the "Sheffield" less of a surprise.

From the "Sheffield" incident, the Imperial Navy concluded that warships should be built larger to prevent interference between electronic equipment.

Subsequently, the displacement of Imperial Navy destroyers soared, nearly reaching 10,000 tons!

If there was a way to intercept missiles, it would be perfect.

Against such a background, the Imperial Navy revisited the dust-covered rotary machine guns, shelved for over 30 years, and recommenced their development.

Initially, the investment in research was not substantial.

Don’t forget that the Boi War had ended just 5 years before, and the Empire was still in a phase of strategic contraction, with the Navy facing the first cuts.

However, this situation only lasted a few years.

Four years prior, after the "Zhaotong" was attacked by the "Flying Fish" missile in the Persian Gulf, the Imperial Navy swiftly recognized the importance of hard-kill interception methods.

The key was that "Zhaotong" had not made any substantial mistakes.

If there was any operational error, it was that the vessel didn’t immediately change course to exit the danger zone upon receiving the attack alarm.

Given the circumstances at the time, had the "Zhaotong" withdrawn promptly, the attacking Iraqi fighter might not have launched an assault.

But the notion of retreating in the face of a threat is absolutely not the style of the Imperial Navy.

In any case, following the attack, the Imperial Navy immediately increased investment in end-point defense systems.

Within the year, the development codenamed "730," the Imperial Navy’s first end-point defense system capable of intercepting sea-skimming missiles, was unveiled.

The officially commissioned version was actually the second generation, nicknamed "Fire Tornado," the "730B".

It’s not that "730A" was bad, but its design lacked thorough consideration, placing the crucial fire control system separately from the gun system, resulting in slow response and low accuracy, failing to meet the Navy’s tactical requirements.