Chapter 159: It’s a Missile!
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
With one hand resting on my chin,
I stared blankly at the comparison chart of AGE-01 and A2C on the screen and asked,
“What’s the reason we’re falling behind in shooting accuracy?”
“Basically, Ahsung Defense has a high-precision ballistic calculation module, and the A2C is an integrated structure where the gun itself is linked to sensors, so there’s almost no alignment error.”
“Hmm…….”
Our reliance on mechanical sights versus the A2C’s implementation of a sensor-based precision shooting system.
The cause of the difference was clear to anyone.
“In my view, while the AGE-01 seems superior in terms of price and maintenance, the A2C does appear better in terms of performance.”
“I agree. If we go into the WSPI comparison test as we are now, our chances of winning don’t seem very high.”
I couldn’t help but nod at Seong-hwan and Chilbong’s words.
“Not in its current state.”
“So, are you saying we should give up on the next-generation rifle WSPI (Weapon System for Personnel Infantry) project?”
Director Cha Dong-hyuk asked, looking flustered.
I shook my head and chuckled.
‘What nonsense…’
I leaned forward and said,
“If the AGE-01 is selected as the next-generation rifle in the Ministry of Defense’s WSPI project, what’s the expected sales volume?”
“……For the domestic military, over five years, 380,000 units, with a unit price of about 2.9 million won, which calculates to roughly 1.1 trillion won. Considering auxiliary equipment, training equipment, maintenance tools, and potential overseas exports, the total market is estimated at about 2.5 trillion won.”
2.5 trillion won.
It might seem small compared to the tens of trillions handled in smartphone sales.
But as a starting point for defense projects, it was by no means a number to be ignored.
Moreover, including the module I had in mind, the scale could expand even further.
“The Ministry of Defense has designated the AGE-01 and A2C for real-world evaluation, with a five-stage comparison test scheduled for July.”
“Do you also know what items are included in those five stages of testing?”
Director Cha Dong-hyuk shook his head at my question.
“It’s top-secret, so specific items haven’t been disclosed. However…….”
“However?”
“Items like shooting accuracy and extreme environment response are likely to be included as standard.”
I nodded and then walked to the front of the meeting room where the whiteboard was.
“To compete with Ahsung Defense, we also need to add a shooting assistance system module to the AGE-01.”
As I drew on the whiteboard,
Director Cha’s eyes widened.
“What exactly is a shooting assistance system?”
“Specifically, it’s an Active Guidance Engagement (AGE) system.”
In fact, the name AGE-01 itself, decided during the planning stage, was chosen with this technology in mind.
Before explaining technical terms like computation modules or AI,
I first explained the difference between conventional shooting and active shooting methods.
The meeting room was quiet, and everyone’s attention was focused on me.
“In conventional shooting, the shooter directly aims at the target, pulls the trigger, and fires the bullet. The bullet follows a straight ballistic path and is subject to errors due to gravity, wind, and temperature.”
I drew a simple shooting curve.
“However, active shooting is different.”
I drew a new line on the whiteboard.
This time, it was a slightly curved trajectory, with a small moving target at the end.
“The bullet doesn’t just fly; it tracks the target’s position and makes minute adjustments to its trajectory.”
“……The bullet?”
Cha Dong-hyuk asked, looking incredulous.
The others were equally astonished.
“To be precise, the bullet itself doesn’t have guidance capabilities, but the moment it leaves the gun, the main system starts calculating, and through minute changes in air pressure and rotational force, it corrects the trajectory.”
“So…… the bullet automatically follows the target?”
I nodded at Chilbong’s question.
“It’s not fully autonomous guidance; more accurately, it’s called ‘active shooting assistance.’”
After taking a sip of the water on the table,
I continued my explanation.
“The modified barrel of the AGE-01 will be equipped with a high-density directional micro-transmitter, which will identify the target immediately after firing and continuously adjust the flight path through ballistic calculations.”
“Continuously adjust the flight path……?”
Director Cha Dong-hyuk asked, looking bewildered.
However, Chilbong and Seong-hwan seemed to understand what I was saying,
and they gasped in astonishment.
“Could it be…… are you planning to use ‘Luna’ as the shooting assistance system?”
I smiled and nodded.
“It also means Chilbong, you’re going to be much busier than you are now.”
The AI platform currently under development at Dojin Industries is named ‘Luna.’
Initially, I considered a different name because it sounded similar to ‘Lunar,’
but ultimately, since they’re in the same category, I decided to use it as is.
“But, Representative…… to actually implement what you just described, you’d need AI…….”
“Hold on. It’s better to discuss that part separately.”
The development of the AI platform is still top-secret.
It wasn’t something to be discussed in a room full of people.
After dismissing everyone,
only five people remained in the meeting room: Park Cheol-jin, Cha Dong-hyuk, Seong-hwan, Chilbong, and myself.
In the silence so profound that even the sound of breathing was noticeable, I opened my laptop and logged into a dedicated server with external access blocked.
Shortly after, a simulation video played on the screen.
In the video, there was a drone moving erratically and a bullet fired toward it with a curved ballistic trajectory.
The bullet made minute adjustments to its path in mid-air, drawing a complex curve, and then pierced the drone’s center with precision.
“……Is this the shooting with Luna’s intervention?”
Director Cha Dong-hyuk’s voice was slightly agitated.
“It’s the result of real-time recalibration of ballistic correction values through Luna’s beta computation module.”
“But this…… isn’t a live-fire test, it’s a simulation, right?”
I nodded at Park Cheol-jin’s question.
“Are you saying you can create something like this before the evaluation?”
This time, I looked at Chilbong.
He shook his head as if to say it was impossible.
But my thoughts were slightly different.
“It’s not impossible.”
Chilbong raised his head.
His expression and eyes seemed to say, ‘Easier said than done,’ and then he began to speak.
“Representative…… with the current beta module, real-time computation is out of the question. The GPU performance, dataset, and predictive algorithms still have a long way to go…….”
“So, we’ll only make one.”
My words brought an instant silence to the meeting room.
One AGE-01 rifle equipped with a complete shooting assistance system.
Chilbong’s expression twisted into a complex frown.
“Representative, real-time ballistic correction is impossible without Luna, relying solely on the computation module. Even single computations have a delay of over 0.2 seconds, the tracking range is narrow…… and most importantly, it can’t be made small enough to fit inside the gun.”
“So, we’ll abandon real-time computation and switch the design to apply pre-calculated scenarios.”
“Pre-calculated scenarios?”
“Yes. By patterning and embedding ballistic data predicted for various tactical situations into the module, we can respond immediately in real situations without needing real-time computation.”
After a moment of contemplation, Chilbong raised his head.
“……Theoretically, it’s possible, but there are too many variables. It’s unreasonable to pre-calculate every scenario.”
“There’s no need to include every variable. Selecting only the most common and critical scenarios will be sufficient for the WSPI evaluation.”
I stepped forward to the whiteboard and picked up a marker to write down the foreseeable scenarios.
“Just a moment. Representative, even with just those scenarios, there will be at least several thousand. It’s impossible to accommodate all of them with the current module capacity.”
Chilbong replied, sounding troubled.
“Then let’s simplify the approach.”
I excluded all lower-priority scenarios from what I had in mind
and wrote only the essential ones on the whiteboard.
-
Extreme environment shooting
-
Ultra-long-range precision shooting
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Moving target response shooting
“We’ll focus on implementing just these three.”
“But Representative, even doing that, the physical size and power consumption issues remain. To embed the computation module inside the rifle, we need to reduce its size. Accomplishing that before the evaluation is no easy feat.”
I understood Chilbong’s concerns.
Nevertheless, I stood firm.
“I’ll build the computation module for this evaluation myself.”
I turned my gaze to Director Cha Dong-hyuk this time.
“Some modifications are needed to the structure of the AGE-01.”
“What parts need to be modified?”
I erased what I had written on the whiteboard and drew a diagram on top of it.
It was the internal structure of the AGE-01.
“First, we need to empty the space under the barrel and create a slot to insert the computation module. The design should include a metal heat sink for thermal dissipation, and a supplementary power cell should be added to the space above the magazine.”
“……Wouldn’t that shift the center of gravity too far back?”
At Cha Dong-hyuk’s concern, I nodded and replied,
“So, I’m also planning to change the stock material. Instead of the existing tungsten alloy, we’ll use high-strength carbon fiber and add vibration-absorbing material to adjust the weight balance.”
“How do you plan to solve the power supply issue?”
At Director Cha Dong-hyuk’s question, Chilbong added an explanation.
“The existing power supply system can’t handle the load of the computation module. And if we connect an external battery, it will compromise the waterproofing. If the WSPI evaluation includes items assuming underwater penetration, it could be fatal…….”
I raised my hand to interrupt Chilbong.
“Since we’re changing the bullets anyway, the power issue can be resolved on that side.”
“Huh?”
“For active shooting, changing just the gun isn’t enough. With the existing 5.56mm rounds, trajectory adjustment is physically impossible.”
A look of doubt crossed Chilbong’s face.
“So…… how do you plan to change the bullets?”
“We’ll equip the bullet’s interior with MEMS steering fins and coat the forward section with a composite material.”
Cha Dong-hyuk asked skeptically,
“Can that…… be done within the given timeframe?”
“The design is already conceptualized, so making a few rounds shouldn’t be too difficult.”
As I drew the newly conceived bullet shape on the whiteboard,
Seong-hwan couldn’t help but exclaim,
“Brother, this isn’t a bullet…… it’s just smaller, but it’s basically a missile, isn’t it?”