I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 692 - 590 Simple Maintenance
If it were in the past, the military definitely wouldn’t have considered the issue of close combat.
Humans have moved on from the era of cold weapons for hundreds of years, and close combat in war has been a thing of the past for decades. With the development of science and technology, humans in warfare have increasingly moved away from face-to-face combat, relying instead on beyond visual range strikes.
Even in short-range, within visual range combat, using firearms, artillery, and the like is enough to take out enemies when they get close.
In the past, the military’s solution was to use pistols, equipping soldiers with an assault rifle as the primary weapon in combat, and when enemies got too close, to use pistols for close-range combat.
After all, in modern warfare, nobody equips ordinary soldiers with body armor or protective gear like that; a pistol’s penetration is enough to take down the enemy in front.
However, as the battles between humans and alien creatures unfold, small-caliber weapons are no more than scratching an itch through a boot for these aliens, not even able to scratch their surface, making them useless.
As a result, in close combat between humans and alien creatures, humans find themselves at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Even though large-caliber firepower still allows humans to kill alien creatures at close range, once aliens launch an attack, ordinary soldiers are powerless to resist.
The jetpack developed by Chen Xin previously did address part of this problem, allowing ordinary soldiers in close combat situations at least a chance to expand the distance again.
But this is a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.
Especially for something like the Titan, it is even more of an issue, as it is impossible to make the Titan fly.
Even if Chen Xin could manage it, the cost would still be a huge problem. With the technology and resources to make Titans fly, there are better ways to change the tide of battle.
Therefore, the Titan must consider the problem of close combat.
Previously, for the general-purpose Titan, it was easy to deal with this by attaching bayonets to the equipped weapons or simply carrying a melee weapon like Chen Xin’s White Dragon to resolve the close combat dilemma.
Even though these bayonets and melee weapons were only for self-defense, they prevented complete disaster, effectively solving the problem to some extent.
At least, in a sudden encounter, one could draw a blade to fight for survival rather than sitting idly hoping for salvation.
However, the new model Titan must face this dilemma, having removed its arms in favor of weapons, which indeed saves a lot of resources and reduces unnecessary structures, making maintenance and production more convenient.
But similarly, having lost the ability to grasp with hands, it cannot be equipped with melee weapons.
Previously, the solution could be to accompany it with infantry, anyway, synced coordination between infantry and armored vehicles, and Titans operated in a similar manner.
But now... if the alien creatures break through to the front, even Titans unable to hold them off mean ordinary soldiers can only be considered as cushions, having little effect.
Chen Xin was, of course, prepared and signaled to the staff nearby, who, upon receiving Chen Xin’s cue, pushed out a close combat weapon specifically prepared for the new model Titan.
It was a large chainsaw that matched the Titan’s dimensions.
"When designing the new model Titan, I also considered the need to change weapons to cope with different missions; thus, the arms of the new model Titan are designed to be interchangeable. When a change is needed, simply remove the originally installed weapon and replace it with a new one," Chen Xin explained to the somewhat astonished military representatives while directing staff to change the test machine’s weapons: "This is also for convenience in logistical maintenance. If the weapon is damaged but the body remains intact, changing the weapon can restore combat readiness.
The problem of close combat you are concerned about is also simple; you only need to replace one of the arms with a melee weapon to solve the issue.
However, typically, I would not recommend doing so because it would weaken firepower.
Of course, this is just a suggestion; how weapons should be configured is up to your military’s discretion, so I won’t interfere."
"Professor Chen, what are you saying? The design of the new model Titan is already excellent, thanks to you, Professor Chen, we have such new equipment!" The military representative complimented Chen Xin sincerely while also inquiring: "Professor Chen, what about the production cost and labor hours for the new model Titan? How long would it take to adjust if the existing production line switches? What changes need to be made in the process?"
These are indeed crucial issues. Whether equipment is practical or not depends on its availability in large quantities. No matter how effective it is, if only a few units can be produced, unless it’s like a nuclear bomb that can solve problems with a single piece, it’s all in vain. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Please rest assured on this point, the new model Titan saves one-third of the production cost compared to the general-purpose model, parts are designed more simply, making production easier, and the technical threshold is significantly lower, allowing more factories to produce these parts." Chen Xin continued the introduction as he led the military representative beside the new model Titan: "Because of its streamlined structure and modular design, maintenance has become much simpler.
With sufficient parts, in the rear maintenance stations, even with just manpower, a Titan can be assembled in a day using spare parts."
"Assembling a Titan in a maintenance station with manpower using parts?" The military representative was completely astonished. Although they understood from Chen Xin’s introduction that the new model Titan has a simple structure and is easy to maintain, they didn’t expect it to be to this extent.
It’s like someone told you that with enough parts, a repair shop could assemble a car, which goes beyond what would normally be imagined.
"Theoretically possible, but under normal circumstances, key components, such as engines and on-board computers, would not have spare parts available at a maintenance station. Damage to these components still requires a return to the rear repair facility for maintenance," Chen Xin explained to the military representative.
Though the modular design keeps maintenance simple, Chen Xin evidently didn’t imply that front-line field repair stations could really assemble a Titan.
After all, despite reducing production difficulty and cost, key core components are still quite sophisticated and would not be placed at front-line repair stations for makeshift repairs.
The military representative also understood such matters; front-line field repair stations are for maintenance and repairing minor issues rather than major overhauls, as that would make the maintenance cost prohibitively high.
