Chapter 1523 The Little...Big Flying Stick is Coming

Work on deck continues.

The second and third helicopters took off one after another. Mechanics and deck crews shuttled around in the limited space, transporting the helicopters in the hangar to the deck via the elevator, and then towing them to the take-off position.

The whole process was tense but orderly.

"Planet No. 10 is ready, requesting permission to take off." Yamada's voice sounded again.

Dajiang Daoshan looked at the time.

Only 22 minutes had passed since the first flight took off.

This efficiency has far exceeded the expectations given by the Joint Staff Office before departure.

"If we can replace it with 10 F35B fighter jets, it will be a very powerful air force..."

he thought to himself.

But these little glories soon disappeared——

F35B.

Even if it is a fantasy, we can only rely on Lockheed Martin's aircraft.

At this moment, the communications officer behind Dajiang suddenly straightened his back.

"Commander," the latter reported, "Unit 2 reports that we have received a medium-high frequency communication signal, bearing 355, distance approximately 75 nautical miles."

At the same time, the signal frequency characteristics have been displayed on the command terminal.

This matches the preset frequency of the Canglong agreed upon before departure.

Of course, it is impossible for a submarine to carry out intensive communications in such a place, but there is nothing wrong with just using directional signals to mark its own position.

Dajiang immediately walked to the electronic chart table: "Confirm the position."

"Calculating... The signal source is located west of Luzon Island, on the northern edge of the Luzon Trough." The radar officer quickly operated the control panel. "The coordinates have been marked on the nautical chart."

Dajiang stared at the flashing light, his brain working rapidly.

The Canglong sent out its in-position signal as planned, meaning it had entered the standby area, but the three warships of the Chinese Navy should have also arrived nearby.

"Contact the Takanami and Mayuyu, and order the fleet to move due north." Oe gave the order, "Also notify the air tower and have them pay attention to recovering the helicopter."

However, the plan could not keep up with the changes.

A few hours later, the communications officer reported the new situation again:

"Commander, we have received a maritime situation report from the USS Washington. Three Chinese naval vessels are currently cruising at a low speed in the waters south of Guanshi Beach. They do not seem to have any intention of continuing southward."

This news made Dajiang Daoshan subconsciously hold his breath.

The Guanshitan area happened to be on the submarine's expected route.

Based on previous exercise experience, even though the Soryu has very low underwater noise, it is still very likely to be discovered if it faces fully fuel-powered surface ships and anti-submarine helicopters in anti-submarine formation.

Especially since the three enemy ships were all cruising at extremely low speeds, passive sonar alone might not be able to sense the existence of the target in advance, and they might be caught off guard.

"The fleet turns and heads towards direction 240."

Dajiang quickly issued new instructions.

“Sir.” Yamada’s voice suddenly interrupted from the ship’s communication system. “In this case, we may leave the original warning area.”

In fact, what he was more worried about was that the direction of 240 was almost aimed at the vicinity of Liyue Beach, which was not something that could be easily avoided.

"The Chinese are very clear. They will only intercept ships that enter their declared sphere of influence." Dajiang explained, "So I only need to make a gesture to attract the other three ships to the south, and I won't really stray too far from the mission range. Once we confirm that the target ship has turned, we will return to our original position."

There was silence on the communication system for a few seconds.

“I see.” Yamada finally replied.

Oe turned to the radar officer and said, "Continue air surveillance and report any changes immediately."

"Yes, Commander."

At midnight, the Hyuga began to turn northwest, and the Takanami and Mayuyu had also distanced themselves as ordered, forming a loose triangular formation.

Dajiang stood in the middle of the bridge and felt his heart beating a little faster than usual.

However, the situation always seems to be developing in a direction that is not favorable to him.

"Commander!" Almost at the same time as the fleet completed the turn, the radar officer suddenly raised his voice, "In the 330 direction, an unknown radar echo was found, the distance is 270 kilometers, the altitude... is about 8000."

Dajiang took two steps at a time and walked to the radar screen:

"Specific features?"

The radar officer stared at the screen. "The detection range is close to the limit of FCS-3. No more information can be obtained."

After all, it is not a regional air defense system, and it is somewhat powerless in this situation.

"Only one?"

"Confirmed, single target."

Dajiang stroked his chin in thought.

He felt that no one in their right mind would send a single bomber to such a place.

Therefore, it is highly likely that it is some kind of electronic warfare aircraft from China.

Although it is troublesome, it does not pose a real threat.

"Keep monitoring, forward the intelligence to the USS Washington, and the fleet will continue to perform the original mission." He decided, "Also, reduce the transmission power of the FCS3 radar to prevent it from collecting too much valid information..."

……

It should be said that Dajiang’s analysis makes a lot of sense.

It's just that the result is wrong -

At the same time, in the night sky 270 kilometers away.

A H-20516S bomber with the number 6 was cruising steadily at an altitude of 8500 meters. Inside the cabin, four crew members were performing their duties, but the atmosphere was much more tense than in previous training sessions.

As soon as the Hyuga discovered the target, the RWR display in front of the captain, Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Kaili, had already responded.

Danger level three means hostile but not threatening.

A few seconds later, the self-defense system operator Chen Ming reported a more detailed situation, "C-band pulse Doppler radar, bearing 150, signal characteristics match...presumably FCS3 radar."

The captain immediately tensed up: "Distance?"

"The signal only scanned for a short time and cannot be deciphered, but it is definitely at the edge of detection by their radar." Chen Ming quickly analyzed the data on the display.

Zhou Kaili exchanged glances with co-pilot Pan Zhijian.

Their mission is to go to the designated airspace to launch the Wuzhen-8 reconnaissance aircraft, but the entire plan is very flexible.

Now that there is a possibility of being discovered, the plan can be modified.

Anyway, the range of the WZ-8 is ridiculously long, so a distance of a few dozen kilometers is not a big deal.

“Prepare for early release.”

Cui Zhenshan, the weapons control officer behind him, had been waiting for this sentence and immediately selected the only option on the weapon selection panel: "Modifying the reconnaissance route... It will take about a minute."

His fingers danced on the control panel, and the only sounds in the cabin were the hum of the equipment and his rapid breathing.

Zhou Kaili stared at the night sky ahead, quickly calculating various possibilities in his mind.

The actual situation is far from being tense enough to cause an accidental discharge, but since it is a live combat test, it must be carefully considered.

"The route setting is completed." Cui Zhenshan reported.

Zhou Kaili took a deep breath and said, "Prepare for the launch procedure."

"Power on, self-test program running..." Cui Zhenshan stared at the weapon status screen, "Boosters ready, ramjet on standby."

Pan Zhijian adjusted the aircraft's attitude: "Keep flying level, speed 650, altitude stable."

"Self-check completed, all systems are normal." Cui Zhenshan raised his head.

Almost immediately, the co-pilot Pan Zhijian next to him confirmed: "The conditions for launch are met and we can launch."

Cui Zhenshan glanced at the dark night sky outside the cabin and decisively pressed the weapon release button.

With a slight mechanical release sound, the several-ton WZ-8 reconnaissance aircraft detached from the rack and fell for about half a second under the action of gravity.

Then the booster rocket ignited, and the dazzling flames instantly illuminated the belly of the H-6S.

"The boost is normal!" Chen Ming stared at the surveillance screen.

Like an arrow shot from a bow, Wuzhen 8 accelerated rapidly with the help of rockets. A few seconds later, when the speed reached Mach 1.5, the two ramjet engines started smoothly, leaving a dazzling trail in the night sky.

"The ramjet engine has been successfully ignited!" Cui Zhenshan's voice was filled with suppressed excitement. "The climb rate is normal and it is accelerating towards the predetermined altitude."

The four crew members watched through the monitor as the blue-purple tail flame flew higher and higher, faster and faster, and finally turned into an unrecognizable dot in the night sky.

The maximum speed of the WZ-8 can reach Mach 4.8 and its ceiling exceeds 40000 meters, making it difficult to intercept by any existing ship-borne air defense system.

"The mission computer has taken over control," Cui Zhenshan reported. "It is expected to enter the reconnaissance orbit in 40 seconds."

Zhou Kaili finally breathed a sigh of relief and adjusted the communication frequency: "This is Peregrine 06, the 'Black Arrow' has been launched and is executing the mission according to the revised route."

A confirmation reply soon came from the other end of the radio.

He quickly turned off the microphone and rechecked the heading.

Mission No. 20516 has been completed. The next part will depend on the big black guy himself.