Chapter 1524: Penetrating Fleet Air Defense

Shortly before the successful launch of WZ-8.

USS Washington, Combat Intelligence Center.

Vice Admiral Scott Swift frowned and used an electronic brush to mark the location of the suspicious air situation reported by the Hyuga on the chart in front of him.

Compared to the question of "why report by voice instead of directly opening the data link", he is now more concerned about the nature of this strange target.

Soon, the voice of the communications officer came again: "Commander Dajiang of the alert fleet believes that the target should be an electronic warfare aircraft of the Chinese Navy."

But this judgment did not reassure Swift.

"Electronic warfare aircraft..." he muttered to himself, "is it in this position?"

A voice behind him suddenly said, "If it is one of those models that uses the Tu-214... that is, the Huaxia C909 passenger aircraft as a platform, then it is normal."

The lieutenant general turned around and found that it was Colonel Lausman who had ended his routine patrol at some point and returned to the CIC.

The latter sat next to him and continued to analyze: "These planes stay in the air for a long time. They can definitely fly near us through international airspace, conduct a round of verification, surveillance and intelligence gathering, and then return... This is also in line with the past practice of our air competition."

Swift had already switched to office work in the late 90s, and on weekdays he could only learn about these situations through reports. Naturally, he was not as experienced as Lausman, who had been on the front line for a long time.

Of course, as a commander, he certainly couldn't admit this directly, so he pretended to ask for opinions:

"What do you think of the threat posed by this type of target?"

"The performance is very good, definitely better than EP3E, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a hurry to develop a new model."

Rothman first gave a high evaluation, but then changed the subject:

"But we are far enough away. Considering the range, the plane should not be able to stay nearby for too long. It should just take a few symbolic photos from a distance and then return... We only need to send two F18s as symbolic escorts. There is no need to make the situation too tense."

Swift nodded, feeling a little relieved.

Of course, like most leaders, for reasons of authority, he could not adopt his subordinates' suggestions as they were.

Be sure to add some extra details to show your role.

"China's electronic warfare capabilities are improving rapidly, and there are many types of electronic warfare aircraft using the C909 as a platform. If they are more advanced electronic jamming or integrated electronic reconnaissance, they may still pose a soft kill threat to the F18 fighter jets and even the entire fleet."

Swift pondered:

"We can't take this lightly - we need to send an additional EA-18G."

The captain of an aircraft carrier is not actually responsible for commanding the aviation squadron, and Rossman is not prepared to refute the other party on such a trivial matter.

So, as the order was given, the flight deck of the USS Washington suddenly became busy.

Yellow-shirted ground crew members shuttled between the aircraft like worker bees, transporting two F-18E "Super Hornets" and an EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft from the hangar to the flight deck. The steam catapult operator was already in place, checking every link.

"Steam pressure 525 psi, catapult number one ready."

"Catapult No. 2 is ready..."

"..."

Lausman watched the busy scene on the deck through the night vision camera.

The first F-18E has been towed to the catapult position, and the pilot is conducting the final takeoff check. The EA-18G is parked next to it, unfolding its folding mechanism, and the electronic warfare pod mounted under the wing is shining brightly under the light.

"Contact the Hyuga and request an update on the target position." Vice Admiral Swift's voice sounded again, "We need more accurate heading and speed data."

However, faced with this request, Oe Michiyama on the Hyuga was in hesitation.

The FCS-3 on the Hyuga was the latest sub-model that had just updated its T/R components and back-end software. He really didn't want his signal characteristics to be easily captured by a Chinese "electronic warfare aircraft".

Moreover, he had just given the order to reduce the transmission power, but he changed his mind just a few minutes later. It really seemed like he was changing his mind every day.

After considering many factors, he turned to the head of the radar department:

"Based on the target track point just detected, estimate the subsequent track and report to the USS Washington every five minutes..."

The radar commander felt that this was a bit inappropriate, but due to the threat of his rank, he lowered his head and began to solve the problem.

However, before he could figure out the result, the radio transmission from the Washington sounded again -

It was Lieutenant General Swift who had come to his senses: "End information silence, start data link, and share air situation information!"

Under the alliance command system, as the commander of the US Navy, he did not need to be polite.

This sudden request left Dajiang Daoshan no room for any tricks, so he had to do as he was told and at the same time ordered the restoration of the maximum power of FCS-3.

However, the recovered detection results were confusing.

The target signal still maintained a speed of about 700km/h, but it had turned north and flew towards the mainland. It was now back at the edge of radar signal detection.

Apparently, during the time when the radar was reducing its power, the other party completed a 180° turn.

And quite compact.

Otherwise, it would be unlikely for a passenger plane to complete a U-turn and return operation in such a short time.

"What are the Chinese doing..."

Dajiang Daoshan was a little dumbfounded.

He was not so arrogant as to think that the other side would be scared back by his three ships that were sent out for warning.

But for the moment, I couldn't find any other explanation.

"Commander," the radar commander's voice suddenly sounded, "The radar seems to have been interfered with by injection, and a series of intermittent clutter signals have appeared in the background data."

This seems to be a normal situation when facing an electronic warfare aircraft.

But the opponent’s distance is already over 270 kilometers. Could it be that the Chinese’s electronic interference level has reached such a level?

Dajiang shook his head and put these strange thoughts behind him:

“Can it be filtered out?”

A few seconds later, the radar commander nodded: "The signal is not strong. It has been processed after changing the filter mode..."

"..."

……

At the same time, the CIC of the Washington was also shrouded in a confused atmosphere.

"This doesn't make sense." Rothman frowned. "If the goal was to spy on us, why did they return at such a long distance?"

Swift was also puzzled. He took off his military cap and rubbed his forehead. "In fact, even if we want to scout the Hyuga and the others, this distance is too far..."

There was silence.

After pondering for a moment, he proposed another possibility: "Maybe there was a sudden mechanical failure?"

"It's unlikely," Rothman shook his head. "The C909 is not one of those old and worn-out Y-8 or Tu-154. Judging from the past decade or so, this model has performed quite reliably."

Thanks to the partnership between CAAC and EASA, the sister models Tu-214 and C909 have gained fairly wide recognition and market in South America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and their safety records are relatively good among aircraft of the same class.

His thoughts were interrupted by the take-off order coming from the ship's communication facilities.

On the deck, the first F-18E had already roared into the air under the powerful thrust of the steam catapult, and the scorching tail flame behind it streaked through the night sky like a meteor.

The EA18G on catapult number two followed closely behind, and then the second F18E.

"Sir, should we abort the subsequent mission?"

the aviation commander inquired.

Swift looked at the fighter planes that had already taken off, hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head: "Forget it, let them continue."

The three planes had already taken off, and it would have been a mess to recover them immediately.

Then he turned to the communications officer behind him:

"Have an E-2C AWACS on standby at the Reagan. We may need more eyes in the air."

Although the goal has turned to return home, the situation before him still makes Swift feel uneasy.

However, at the moment the order was issued.

"Emergency, emergency!" The emergency communication from the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Cowpens cut into the command network of the USS Washington.

The voice of Colonel Brady Solomon, the fleet air defense commander, was urgent and nervous. "A high-speed aerial target has been detected! It is at an altitude of 4.1 meters, with a speed exceeding Mach 4.5, and is 150 km away and approaching quickly!"

The moment the words fell, the air in the entire CIC froze.

Everyone turned to the air situation information display screen and saw a flashing red light approaching the fleet at an alarming speed.

In just two breaths, the distance of 150km reported by Solomon just now was shortened to 135km.

130km……125km……

For a moment, Swift even wondered if he was dreaming.

After entering the 21st century, aircraft have long stopped solely pursuing high-altitude and high-speed performance.

As for something that can appear on the radar screen with a "double four" indicator, it is unheard of.

"Oh my God..." Lawsman exclaimed in a low voice, "What is that?"

After regaining the ability to think, the first thought that flashed through Lieutenant General Swift's mind was the outrageous UFO.

But almost in an instant, he threw the answer out of his mind.

The second thought made a little more sense, but it sent a chill down Swift's spine.

A long-range supersonic anti-ship missile?

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Swift's voice resounded throughout the ship, "All air defense systems are ready, and the F-18E formation is ready to intercept!"