Chapter 1480 Tearing the Sky

At the same time, in the base tower, Academician Chang Haonan was observing the situation on the runway through the large glass window.

Standing next to him were Bi Fengchun and several base leaders, all of them with focused expressions.

"Aircraft No. 03 has taken off." Bi Fengchun pointed to the plane climbing in the distance, "Chief of Staff Wang's skills have always been very stable."

Chang Haonan nodded.

Of course he knew about this. In 97, it was this man who lost two auxiliary fuel tanks in the middle of the British fleet.

I just didn't expect that after going around in circles, I would actually fly onto a carrier-based aircraft.

While the two planes behind were taxiing, Chang Haonan turned to Bi Fengchun and said, "Director Bi, how is the training of the carrier-based aircraft unit going now?"

For him, there is nothing that cannot be asked.

"The first batch of eight pilots have passed all the land-based simulation subjects," Bi Fengchun said with pride, "We will be able to conduct actual touch-and-go and take-off and landing training after the No. 8 ship leaves the harbor for sea trials."

"How does distance form combat effectiveness?"

Chang Haonan asked a sensitive but realistic question.

“It’s hard to say about this…”

Bi Fengchun's expression suddenly became serious. "After the unified naval aviation command was abolished in 2003, the training level of the land-based naval aviation has gradually widened the gap with the air force, and carrier-based aircraft pilots have to spend more time on basic take-off and landing training..." He sighed, "Even if the naval aviation command is re-established now, there is no way to quickly make up for the training in combat subjects."

Before having aircraft carriers, the positioning of land-based fixed-wing naval aviation was actually very awkward.

In order to distinguish itself from the Air Force, the Navy leaders have made many attempts in training and management methods.

Just not all of them succeed.

"Is it that serious?" Chang Haonan frowned.

As a person who had been reborn, he knew that in the original timeline, the cancellation of the Naval Aviation Command had caused some adverse effects.

But as a technician, I really can't get involved in such a sensitive system structure issue.

Bi Fengchun smiled bitterly: "Let me give you an example. We have organized several simulated confrontation exercises within the army and with nearby brother units." He pointed to the No. 07 aircraft that had become a small dot on the runway, "As a result, Zheng Hui and another comrade Mou Qingbo who was transferred from the Air Force took the top two with a gap advantage, and directly shaved the heads of the young top talents of the same generation of the Navy Aviation Corps..."

"..."

Even as they were talking, aircraft No. 07 had already reached the heavy-load takeoff point, with the two rear wheels precisely aligned with the stop chocks.

At the same time, about 10 meters behind the fuselage, a huge flame deflector was slowly lifted up by the hydraulic mechanism.

Zheng Hui adjusted the flap position, pushed the throttle to maximum military thrust, and waited for the take-off order from the tower.

The hot engine exhaust washed over the board and was then directed into the air.

The 13° ski jump deck may not seem like a big deal when viewed from the outside from a third-person perspective, but for the pilot sitting in the cabin, it is like having a wall in front of him.

And you have to fly the plane towards this wall and accelerate.

Even though I have had nearly a hundred takeoff experiences, each takeoff is still a challenge to my instincts.

Thinking of this, his eyes slightly shifted towards Runway 2 which was still under construction a few hundred meters away.

An electromagnetic catapult for use on heavy aircraft carriers is being installed there, so there is no such concern.

Next to the simulator, compressors modified from two old turbojet engines deliver powerful airflow, simulating an aircraft carrier sailing at full speed against the wind.

"Planet 07, clear to take off."

The tower controller's voice came over the radio.

"Planet 07 understands, take off." Zheng Hui pushed the throttle over the afterburner threshold, and the two engines burst into a deafening roar.

As the guide next to him swung his right arm forward, the wheel chock was retracted forward, and the plane, without any obstruction, rushed forward like an arrow.

The "high wall" in front of him became more and more magnified in Zheng Hui's eyes. At the moment when the front wheel touched the ramp, accompanied by a violent vibration and compression, his vision was quickly covered by a blue sky and white clouds...

Chang Haonan stared at the J-15 accelerating into the distance, and his heart beat faster involuntarily.

A few seconds later, the main landing gear completely left the ski-jump deck, and the fighter plane, fully loaded with ammunition, sank slightly at first, but quickly resumed its climbing trend.

"Beautiful!" Bi Fengchun couldn't help but admire.

The tower controller's voice sounded at the same time: "Aircraft 07, climb to altitude 5000, heading 090, and rendezvous with aircraft 03."

At this time, Zheng Hui was piloting plane No. 07 and climbing steadily in the blue sky. The scenery outside the cockpit gradually changed from the runway and buildings to the vast coastline and the boundless ocean.

He adjusted the communication frequency and established direct contact with Unit 03.

"Aircraft 03, aircraft 07 calling, I have climbed to 4800 meters and will arrive at the rendezvous point in 2 minutes."

"No. 07, No. 03 received. I am at your 10 o'clock position, 15 kilometers away." Wang Wei's steady voice came from the headset, "Today's weather is very suitable for refueling, and the wind is very light at high altitude."

Zheng Hui adjusted the course and soon spotted the figure of aircraft 03 in front of the left. It was a modified J-15 with a buddy refueling pod installed on the belly and two huge auxiliary fuel tanks with a capacity of 3000 liters hanging under the wings.

Thanks to the amazing internal fuel capacity, conventional land-based Flankers do not have the ability to carry auxiliary fuel tanks.

However, considering the need for aerial refueling on future catapult-type aircraft carriers, the J-15 added oil line facilities to the two largest hanging points under the wings from the beginning of its design.

The two planes gradually approached each other and began the difficult operation of aerial refueling.

Zheng Hui concentrated on controlling the aircraft, aiming the refueling probe at the refueling cone sleeve released by aircraft No. 03, fine-tuning the throttle, and carefully controlling the distance and relative position between the two aircraft.

"Hold on... Come a little closer..."

Zheng Hui told himself secretly in his heart.

Beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. Aerial refueling is one of the most challenging operations in flight, and the heavy training bombs mounted today made the action response quite slow.

On the first attempt, the oil receiving probe slid past the edge of the cone sleeve and failed to dock successfully.

"Don't be anxious, adjust yourself first." Wang Wei encouraged.

Zheng Hui took a deep breath, put some distance between himself and tried again.

This time he was more cautious, and his fingers made subtle adjustments on the throttle and the joystick. Finally, with a slight "click", the refueling probe was firmly inserted into the cone sleeve, and the fuel began to flow from Unit 03 to Unit 07.

"The docking was successful, start refueling." Wang Wei confirmed.

Zheng Hui maintained a high level of concentration to ensure that the two aircraft maintained a precise relative position. The hose length of the buddy refueling pod was far shorter than that of the Il-78 or Y-9. Any slight deviation could result in refueling failure or even danger.

The numbers on the fuel gauge in the cockpit continued to rise.

After nearly three minutes of intense operation, the refueling was finally completed.

"Unit 07, refueling complete, prepare to disengage."

"Understood, disengaging." Zheng Hui gently retracted the throttle, and the refueling probe and the drogue separated smoothly. The two aircraft gradually pulled away from each other, "Thank you for your support, No. 03."

"I wish the mission goes well. I will be on standby in safe airspace." Wang Wei piloted plane No. 03 to the north.

Zheng Hui adjusted the course and began to fly towards the designated test airspace.

Soon after, Unit 08 caught up from behind and formed a formation with him.

The two J-15s were like two silver eagles, drawing graceful and powerful tracks in the blue sky.

"Aircraft 07, 08, get in position." Lin Shuyan's voice sounded much more serious than when he was on the ground. "Today's cloud height is very good, suitable for taking pictures."

"Got it. We're ready to climb." Zheng Hui pushed the throttle, and the plane began to climb at a steady rate. "Academician Chang said it's easier to meet the starting conditions at high altitude."

As the altitude increases, the scene in view changes from the azure sea to the curved horizon.

Sparse cirrus clouds spread out below them, forming a sea of ​​white.

It was not until the altimeter's kilometer needle broke through 11 that his hand holding the joystick finally felt that the plane had become heavier than before.

Considering that the detachment of large ammunition would likely have a certain impact on the flight attitude of the carrier aircraft, he decided to leave a certain margin for his operations.

"Reaching an altitude of 11500 meters," Zheng Hui reported, while checking various parameters. "Entering the test route, preparing to accelerate."

The test airspace is an area of ​​sea far away from air routes and densely populated areas, and other aircraft have been cleared in advance.

Zheng Hui began a series of maneuvers according to the predetermined plan to ensure that both the aircraft and the missiles were in the best condition.

"Airspeed 1650 kilometers per hour, requesting to start testing."

A few seconds later, a strange yet familiar voice came from the headset.

It's Chang Haonan:

"The missile's onboard sensors indicate that launch conditions are met and testing can begin."

"Unit 07, understand!" Zheng Hui took a deep breath and placed his finger on the weapon launch button. "Unit 08, please keep a safe distance and prepare to shoot."

"Aircraft No. 08 understands and is in position." The plane piloted by Lin Shuyan pulled away slightly and adjusted the camera pod on the wingtip to the best shooting angle.

Zheng Hui checked all the systems one last time, and after confirming that everything was correct, he selected the belly mount on the screen:

"3, 2, 1, launch!"

As he pulled the trigger, three hydraulic rods extended from inside the pylon and ejected the training shell downward into the low-pressure area under the fuselage.

Through the rearview camera, Zheng Hui saw the silver-gray missile sway slightly in the airflow, and then began to fall along the predetermined trajectory.

"The missile release was normal." Zheng Hui reported, and at the same time immediately increased the throttle, pulled up the nose of the plane, and rolled to the left as required at the briefing.

The next second seemed as long as an hour.

Lin Shuyan's voice rang out, "Ignition successful, missile attitude normal!"

A dazzling white light gushed out from the tail of the missile, like an arrow shooting down the sun in ancient mythology, sweeping across the sky and burning a scar on the edge of the stratosphere that was difficult to capture with the naked eye.