Chapter 936 Command, but not automatically

Even if the effect is not as good as a thermal imager, as long as it can achieve a certain imaging quality and the price is cheap, there are many directions to consider.

Thinking of this, Gao Zhendong found it funny. He developed the thermal imager in one step, but skipped the low-light night vision device.

That thing was just starting to be developed abroad at that time. Considering the price and imaging effect, the first generation was actually very poor. The price was relatively cheap, but it was large in size. The structure of the multi-alkali photocathode, optical fiber panel, and optoelectronic system was very complicated. Even the finished product might not be much cheaper than the current thermal imager.

As for installing it on TV-guided bombs, it is almost impossible as the size and weight are not suitable.

To be honest, Gao Zhendong was not interested in using that thing, no matter how cheap it was. He couldn't give up the most basic effect just for the sake of money. Moreover, if the troops who had used thermal imagers were asked to use the effects of the first generation, they might not be able to bear it.

Gao Zhendong had seen the imaging comparison chart of the first-generation low-light night vision device and the second-generation one in his previous life, and the difference between them could be described as a world of difference.

What he was targeting was at least the second generation of MCP (microchannel plate electronic enhancer). The structure of this thing was much simpler, but he was not sure whether he could process the microchannel plate.

"Okay, I'll take a look later and try my best to solve this problem." Gao Zhendong nodded to the leaders of the Defense Work Committee.

The meeting continued, and the comrades from the Air Force raised the issue of automatic distribution of intelligence. This issue was the core and top priority for them today.

In fact, before the emergence of special aircraft such as the Tu-4, there was no such problem at all. There was not so much intelligence to be distributed, nor were there so many channels for distribution.

If there is no demand, there will naturally be no problem, but now they feel that this problem is serious.

"...To be honest, our special aircraft are playing an increasingly important role, but the problems in distributing intelligence are also getting bigger and bigger..."

After hearing this, no one was worried or anything. This problem is a happy worry. With the increase of ability, there are more demands, which is a good thing. Funerals cannot be celebrated happily, and similarly, there is no need to force sadness for happy occasions.

"I think your intelligence support for ground combat operations this time is very good. It is very timely and the quality of intelligence is also good." These are the words of a comrade from the Army. For them, the intelligence support from the air in this operation was really very timely and relatively accurate.

At least on the question of whether there are enemies, we may have to put a question mark if we say there are no enemies, but if we say there are enemies, then there are definitely enemies. This is already progress. In the past, there were mountains several kilometers away, and no one knew what the situation was behind. But now we can get information in time, and we can even tell you which direction the enemy is running.

"You think it's good, but we comrades in heaven know that we have problems, and we already feel a little overwhelmed."

"Can you be more specific?" The comrades working on communications and intelligence terminals were very interested in this question.

"The first problem is that I don't know where to send the information."

The comrades were all a little surprised. How could this happen? It was impossible.

"You always send or broadcast to the command center, and sometimes you send it to a specific terminal." The comrades in the army are very clear about this matter. Look, the target is very clear, how could they not know where to send it?
"That's the problem. In fact, our comrades on the special aircraft don't know which terminal to send the information to, unless they have already established contact with a terminal on the ground through other communication means during the operation. Even for those who have established contact, we don't know whether we should send the information to them."

"Impossible? They should have received instructions before the war."

"First, it's not that detailed. Second, the battle is dynamic. So there is no other way to send all the information to the command center. Of course, it is true that all intelligence should be sent to the center, but in the current situation, this is a forced result. In fact, some terminals now cannot receive our intelligence distribution in the first time."

"That's a question, is there anything else?"

"The second problem is that we don't know who to send what to. It's even more unclear what information a specific terminal should send. Now we can only agree in advance that either everything is sent to it, or nothing is sent to it. Oh, and by the way, except for broadcasts."

This involves the issue of intelligence level and classification. Both the level and category must be in compliance.

But it is a big hassle to manage these things. For the terminals on special aircraft, the program cannot solve it. This is the first time that special aircraft have been deeply involved in combat. There is no experience before this, so it is normal that there are many things that cannot be considered.

For us, it is normal to grow and improve in battle. As long as we don't turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to it, there will be no problem.

When Gao Zhendong heard this, he took the initiative to take over the conversation.

"Your problems are easy to solve, but the root problem is not here."

The comrades who were engaged in communications and tactical terminals were overjoyed when they heard this: "Chief Engineer Gao, how do we solve this problem?" Let’s not worry about the root cause for now, let’s solve the phenomenon first.

"You maintain an intelligence distribution table in the special aircraft's communication main control computer. This table contains the terminal number, intelligence level, intelligence category, and transmission channel, or other preset conditions. This way, you can accurately control which intelligence should be automatically distributed to whom and through which communication channel. As for the maintenance of this table, you don't need to think of ways to write a management program yourself, just use the database system that has been developed."

"Chief Engineer Gao, isn't it too expensive to install a complete database system on the communication control computer for this purpose?" A comrade hesitated.

They are trying to save every bit of resources. If this is the only goal, directly controlling the intelligence distribution table is a better option. There is no need to spend so much money on a whole database.

"The database is very important in the subsequent work of special aircraft. Intelligence is data. Without even a database, how can we manage intelligence? Remember, special aircraft are auxiliary models, but these are very important auxiliary models, so it is reasonable that they are more expensive." Gao Zhendong was not polite at all.

"But this is not much different from agreeing on it before the war, right? It's just one table anyway."

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "But this table is automatically maintained, and it can be automatically maintained through the command center, the special aircraft itself, the terminal actively initiated-authorization confirmation and other methods, which can greatly reduce the task pressure of comrades on the special aircraft."

Hey, is it still possible to maintain it this way? The comrades working on the tactical terminal have come to realize that they are still designing and implementing the tactical terminal and command system in accordance with the traditional command method, just turning shouting into text for sending, but basically have not considered introducing the concept of automation to solve the problem from the root and the architecture.

"Zhendong, the root problem you just mentioned, isn't it here? We are still designing and using new equipment according to the old ideas and methods, and have not fully explored the characteristics of the new equipment, brought into play the advantages of the new equipment, and improved the efficiency of the new equipment."

The leader of the Defense Work Committee had fought in wars and was in charge of new equipment, so he was very quick to react in this regard. He might not understand the specific technology, but from a certain perspective, he could see the problem very clearly.

The leader's three "no's" were a very accurate summary. Gao Zhendong nodded: "Yes, that's what I mean. The current system can barely be called a command system, but it is still far from being an 'automated command system'. However, this matter cannot be explained in a few words, nor can it be resolved in a day or two."

Gao Zhendong now knew what he had just remembered. From the way the Gong-5 used intelligence on attack targets, he could tell that there was almost no automated processing, distribution, and use of data, and automated command did not exist yet.

The comrade working on the tactical terminal slapped his head and said: "We didn't know enough about this matter. We just thought that with the tactical intelligence communication protocol, we could automatically receive and forward intelligence, which was already digital intelligence and command. We didn't expect there would be further requirements."

Gao Zhendong shook his head. "That's not a big problem. For anything, it's not appropriate to make big changes at the beginning. You have already combined the new equipment with the traditional command method, which has greatly improved the combat efficiency. The actual effect is very good. If the changes are too big all at once, maybe the comrades won't be able to adapt and problems will arise."

Evaluation should be objective. We should not deny the effectiveness of this system just because of the limitations of the times and vision.

"Yes, yes, we can testify to this." The comrades in the army laughed. No matter what defects and shortcomings there are, compared with the past, this intelligence system, which is not automated and even has incomplete command functions, is already a huge improvement. The improvement in combat efficiency is visible and obvious.

"Well, what you said makes sense. Let's discuss this matter carefully. Not only you, but also the comrades from the navy should be invited to come in. All the military branches should come together to consider this matter."

The leaders of the Defense Work Committee are well aware that one cannot get what one wants in a hurry. Moreover, this matter involves a wide range of people and involves a large scale. As Gao Zhendong said, it cannot be explained clearly in a few words here.

Both himself and Gao Zhendong have mentioned the automated command system many times and are working on it, but the first signs of its use were not seen until this counterattack. This is mainly because this thing is so huge that it requires extreme caution, otherwise it may backfire.

(End of this chapter)