Great Power Fighting Falcon

The support team found a semi-floating reef in the sea east of the exercise area, about 7 nautical miles away from the fishing island, and set up a target simulating a fixed target on the island. In fact, by laying a few piles, A large square piece of white cloth was pulled up from this point.

The layout of the targets is generally the same as that of land targets.

It's just such a small target. In the vast sea, how to find the target based on the approximate orientation data given by the command post is a great test of the pilot's grasp of the relative orientation. Fortunately, we no longer operate second-generation aircraft. Otherwise, relying on ground guidance to find a target that is no more than a dozen square meters would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

It was still the time when the sun was going down. The sun was no longer visible on the East China Sea. Only the line between the sea and the sky in the west had a red glow.

Although the command post gave Li Zhan an attack mission basically set up for shooting needs, it did not reduce the difficulty for him. During the Battle of the Mediterranean, the reputation of the Little Prince of Pull-rods had already spread throughout the entire army. Deployment tasks for such a super ace would have to be difficult, otherwise how would the super ace's combat effectiveness be demonstrated.

Although the Flying Leopard is old, its avionics system is much more advanced than second-generation vintage aircraft such as the J-7 and J-8. Of course, those second-generation vintage aircraft can be said to have no avionics system at all.

Therefore, the situation Li Zhan faced was relatively good.

Of course, it is unreliable to rely on airborne radar. The old flying leopard's old radar, whose maximum search range is only forty or fifty kilometers, can't expect to find so few reef targets on the vast sea.

We can only delineate the smallest possible range based on the approximate azimuth parameters given by the command post, and then use radar search and visual search to find the target. This is probably a test of the pilot's ability to "follow the map", and it also presupposes that the target information is insufficiently grasped during wartime.

Niu Jun didn't know the difficulties Li Zhan was facing. She concentrated on operating the integrated tactical pod to collect radio signals in the airspace she passed through, and used the limited interception capability of the integrated tactical pod to figure out as many signals as possible in the sea area where the target was located. Airwave conditions.

When she started doing these things, her identity was no longer a part-time military reporter, but a veritable battlefield technical officer.

To the surprise of the command post, after it completely darkened, Li Zhan still had no report of finding the target. The command post deployed on the early warning aircraft called and asked: "Angry Old Leopard, you are already ten minutes behind schedule. Have you found the target?" Target? Over."

Li Zhan was anxious and embarrassed at the same time. He was confident that he had conducted the most comprehensive search, but the results were disappointing.

He replied frustratedly, "Report to the command post, we have conducted a search in the indicated sea area, and no target was found. Over."

This surprised the command and staff on the early warning aircraft. Are there any targets that the mad dogs in the South China Sea cannot find? Perhaps the South China Sea Mad Dog may encounter Waterloo in the East China Sea. But to be honest, when the staff at the command post saw the darkness outside through the synchronously transmitted pictures, they could understand why Li Zhan failed to find the target.

Maybe the target was set too tricky this time.

But having said that, isn't the enemy's purpose in setting up firepower points in a war just to avoid being discovered?

Li Zhan admitted failure. The visibility was now approaching zero and the sky was completely dark. Continuing the search was just a futile effort.

There are times when the little prince of the lever is at his wits’ end!

He asked for instructions from the command post: "Command post, the angry Lao Bao failed to fire live ammunition this time. He requested to be transferred to the no-navigation zone to support the mission. Completed."

The command post immediately responded: "The angry old leopard can transfer in..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Zhan suddenly interrupted loudly: "Command post! I found the target! At twelve o'clock, about five kilometers away! Over!"

The command post could not see anything, but the airborne radar of JH-7 No. 81198 did show a weak target signal.

"Command post! The angry Lao Bao requested an attack! Over!" Li Zhan quickly asked for instructions.

The command post did not hesitate, "The angry old leopard can attack as planned! Over!"

"clear!"

Li Zhan immediately urged the old flying leopard to accelerate forward, quickly established an attack route, turned on the switch, and took a moment to glance at the Identifier Friend or Foe - without any reaction, he simply pressed the stick and dived, choosing the aerial cannon. In aiming mode, the aiming ring is pressed firmly on the target.

His sudden movement attracted Niu Jun's attention, and Niu Jun quickly helped confirm the target, but it was of little significance for her to do this now.

Li Zhan had already pressed the launch button, and the 90-mm-caliber aviation rockets were launched one after another under their own power. The tail flames dragged out in the darkness almost connected back and forth, forming a long dash in the air.

After all the aviation rockets were poured out, Li Zhan quickly pulled out a large sideslip turn and climbed up.

He launched the attack from a height of 300 meters and continued to hit 100 meters. The distance was increased from 3 kilometers to 500 meters, almost a bayonet distance. The old flying leopard swooped towards the target like an eagle pounced on prey, except that aerospace rockets replaced the eagle's claws.

When Li Zhan pulled up to break away, he took a look at the target and found that it didn't seem to be a target placed on the reef. Could he have hit the wrong target?

But don't, if you cause accidental injury, you will be a sinner!

Niu Jun's words made his heart sink. Niu Jun said, "The target orientation parameters are wrong, there are several secret positions missing!"

The command post naturally heard what Niu Jun said. The commander frowned and said quickly, "Angry old leopard, did you attack the wrong target? Check it quickly!"

"Understood! Check immediately!" Li Zhan turned back anxiously, quickly descended, took out the low-light telescope from his carrying bag and looked at the target.

Damn, I really hit the wrong target, but this wrong target is a bit strange. It turned out to be a wooden fishing boat stranded on the reef. Li Zhan hit it very accurately, and it no longer looked like a falcon under the attack of aviation rockets. , it can only be vaguely identified through the wreckage as a wooden ship, with a tonnage of only a dozen tons.

Why are there ships here?

The brothers in the support team must have not set up targets, otherwise they would have been driven out long ago. Moreover, this place is far away from the mainland, and it is impossible for a wooden ship of more than ten tons to come here. Could it be a ship that has been stranded for a long time?

Li Zhan's heart immediately went cold. He lowered his altitude again to search the water near the wreckage. What was even more strange was that there were no suspicious signs on the water. There were no people who fell into the water, no bodies, and not even a drop of oil.

Maybe a small wooden boat that has been stranded for a long time?

Li Zhan immediately reported the observed situation to the command post. The command post replied that he would ask the support team to verify the relevant situation and send a ship over to investigate.

If it was a small wooden boat that had been stranded for a long time, then the support team setting up targets here would definitely know about it.

In this way, Li Zhan left the sea area with an unsettled heart and quickly switched to the support task of controlling the no-navigation zone. This unexpected situation caused the command post to issue an emphatic order to the peripheral security teams, including the Flying Shark Team, responsible for controlling the no-navigation zone, requiring all efforts to ensure the safety of the no-navigation zone, and there must be no accidental intrusions.

Three hours later, Li Zhan once again made an alternate landing at Dachang Station.

After landing, he immediately asked the command post about the on-site investigation through Dachang Station, and then waited silently in the guest house, not even having the appetite to eat the meal that was delivered to him. The biggest fear is a small fishing boat that accidentally broke in. At this moment, he was still thinking about why he hit the wrong target, but he just wanted to hit an abandoned small fishing boat.

The targets deployed by the support team look almost the same as those of small fishing boats, but the former are very difficult to be captured by radar. Furthermore, the radar clutter generated by the reef also affected the pilot's judgment. When the target could not be visually confirmed, a target with almost the same reflection characteristics appeared in the approximate direction. As a result, Li Zhan mistakenly thought it was a target.

He fell into deep self-blame. That is to say, another person might not be able to continue performing the mission, but he also successfully completed the mission of guarding the no-navigation zone.

Niu Jun knew that Li Zhan was under a lot of pressure, and she was not in the mood to rest. She sat with him in Li Zhan's room and waited for news, without even taking a bite of the meal in front of her.

She comforted and said, "Brother, there shouldn't be any unknown ships there. The support team will definitely clean it up when setting up targets. The scope of the no-navigation area has also been announced early, and no fishermen will break into it. It must have been cleared long ago. Abandoned fishing boat stranded there.”

Li Zhan said in a deep voice, "What I'm worried about is that it's not our fishing boat. Small fishing boats of about ten tons will basically not sail to the open sea."

Niu Jun didn't know what to do. If this was the worst outcome, the impact would be beyond his imagination.

Of course, the announcement of the no-navigation area clearly states that any consequences caused by trespassing are at your own risk.

Li Zhan sighed deeply, "I was too arrogant. I should have repeatedly confirmed the goal at that time, but I was too impatient."

Niu Jun said, "The situation at that time did not allow you to do this. If it were actual combat, you would not fly over the target to confirm the target visually, right? Isn't war just about a sudden attack and quick withdrawal? Besides, prohibition The aviation notice clearly states that trespassers will be responsible for the consequences. You don’t have to blame yourself.”

"It would be nice if it was that simple." Li Zhan shook his head and sighed.

After flying for so long since he was in the army in 2008, this was the first time he felt the powerlessness caused by the situation being out of control. How many crises have we encountered before, and every one of them was handled without any danger. Even in the extremely dangerous situation of being shot with live ammunition by Lao Lu's field air defense troops due to a communication accident, he dealt with it completely.

I didn't expect that I would somersault while shooting a small target placed on the reef.

He reflected in his self-blame that he was really a little distracted, thinking that it was just a simple aircraft fire shooting at a fixed target on a simulated island. With his own strength, such a simple attack mission was not easy to grasp.

But the facts gave me a loud slap in the face. First, I couldn't find the target after searching for a long time, and then I found the wrong target. This is really ironic!

Niu Jun said, "The results haven't come out yet, so don't blame yourself yet."

This was all she could do to comfort her.

The two continued to wait in silence.

At 10:20 at night, the sound of hurried footsteps was getting closer and closer. The door was not closed, and a captain's staff officer from Dachang Station strode in. Li Zhan stood up when he heard footsteps and stared at the door. Niu Jun also stood up nervously, in a general mood.

The staff captain obviously came in a hurry. He said as soon as he entered the door, "Chief, we have found out that it is an abandoned small fishing boat that has been stranded for a long time. The helicopter's on-site survey results are consistent with the support team's reply!"

As soon as Li Zhan raised his head, all the bones in his body relaxed, and Niu Jun breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

But the captain's next words made Li Zhan's nerves tense again. He said, "Chief, the command post has come to order you to be ready for dispatch at any time. The pressure in the eastern section of the no-fly zone is relatively high, and our aircraft are all We're on the front line, you might have to go out in the middle of the night."

"Okay, I'll get something to eat and go over right away to get ready!" Li Zhan was shocked, sat down, and finished his already cold meal with a big gulp.

Niu Jun did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly ate the battle meal. Until the end of the exercise, she was still Li Zhan's cockpit pilot, and the camera in her hand was to record every scene of the exercise.

The most important thing is that she knows that what she will have to deal with next is the reconnaissance and harassment of the simulated Blue Army troops. This is the real rivalry. Every relevant photo and every second of the video will be precious. Besides, the comprehensive tactical pod she brought has not yet fully functioned!

Although the captain's staff officer just said it very cryptically, the meaning revealed is clear - the Flying Shark Squad may have already fought with the fighter plane that simulated the Blue Army.

This is almost certain. Li Zhan does not believe that the electronic reconnaissance aircraft or even fighter jets on the Kaishima base that simulates the Blue Army will miss such a good opportunity. They will definitely find ways to break into the no-fly zone.

After a quick meal, Li Zhan took a quick shower to lift his spirits, and then rushed to the flight briefing room with Niu Jun to stand by. After two hours of sleep in the afternoon, Li Zhan and Niu Jun were both in very good spirits and could withstand another four-hour flight.

But the Flying Shark team was in trouble. After two in-flight refuelings, they persisted until 18:00 in the afternoon before returning. That is when Li Zhan took off for the second time, they were stranded in the air for ten hours!

It is estimated that the Flying Shark Team is also on standby at this time, and may have already taken off and rushed to the eastern section of the no-navigation zone. There must be a lot of pressure over there, otherwise the command post would not let Li Zhan, the old flying leopard that had landed alone at the Dachang Station, be on standby at any time.

Li Zhan was waiting in the flight briefing room. The briefing from the command post was directly displayed on the display screen hanging on the wall. As Li Zhan watched, the aeronautical map of that airspace kept appearing in his mind.

Also on standby are Su-30MKK pilots from a squadron of the Bald Eagle Division. However, they have to perform exercise missions and travel thousands of kilometers to carry out long-range strikes. This is the main mission of HNA's Bald Eagle Su-30MKK.

The atmosphere was quite dull, so that everyone's faces looked extremely serious.

The phone rang suddenly, breaking the dullness, and everyone was shocked and their eyes gleamed. The staff officer guarding the phone immediately picked up the answer, answered "yes" and said to Li Zhan before putting down the phone, "Teacher Li! The command post orders you to dispatch!"

Li Zhan picked up his flying helmet and rushed out. Niu Jun, who had already entered the state, also quickly picked up his belongings and rushed out...