Chapter 155 3 times the speed of sound

Being "loaned" to Nanzheng to solve problems before the August 3rd Project was completed was definitely an accident.

But the turmoil in this world will not stop because of such an accident.

Just when Chang Haonan was trying to help Factory 182 solve the long-standing problem of wing icing and prepare to give the Y-8 a new lease of life, a new conflict was also brewing in the South Asian subcontinent.

The flight briefing room at Parvatipur Air Force Base, Bareilly District, Uttar Pradesh.

Lieutenant Colonel Sumit Mukherjee, the pilot of the 102nd Squadron, sat on a chair, listening to the squadron leader in front of him introducing the relevant information about his next mission on a map.

As the most special unit in the entire country's air force, the ranks corresponding to all positions in the 102 Squadron are one or even two levels higher than those of other units.

Even among the ordinary ground staff, there are many officers.

他们总共只有8架没有任何武装的飞机——6架米格25RBK和2架米格25RUS。

But that's enough.

In the past ten years, the 102nd Squadron has conducted countless bold approaches and even cross-border reconnaissance, but no opponent has ever been able to pose even one effective threat to these aircraft.

Also because of the characteristics of the MiG-25, this unit is nicknamed "Three Sonics" within the Air Force.

But today, as a veteran pilot who has experienced many battles, Mukherjee is still full of doubts about the route drawn by the squadron leader.

According to the plan, after taking off, he would first fly a certain distance westward, raising the flight altitude to more than 23000 meters, then turn north over Aligarh, cross the border for about 170 kilometers, and then make an emergency flight. Turn around, fly west again, cross the entire plateau area and enter Kashmir, and finally make a big circle near Iba before returning.

Although the range of the MiG-25RB is theoretically sufficient to complete this flight, the range of nearly 1800 kilometers also means that it cannot use the afterburner mode as desired, and more than 70% of the range of this reconnaissance activity is not within its own airspace. , need to guard against risks at all times.

"Squadron leader, why can't you divide the mission into two and execute them separately?"

After listening to the briefing, Mukherjee asked the squadron leader standing next to the briefing board:

"Or you can take off two planes at once, but that's too extreme."

"This is what the superior requested, and the order came directly from New Delhi, without specifying the specific reason."

The squadron leader put down the instruction stick in his hand, walked to Mukherji's side, and continued in a low voice:

"But I heard that it's because the device you hang under the belly of the aircraft can only read and write data a maximum of 6 times before it becomes scrapped, so the higher-ups want to maximize its use every time it takes off."

The two turned their heads almost at the same time and looked at the MiG-25 on the tarmac not far away that was undergoing pre-flight inspection.

Hanging under its belly is a streamlined object that looks a bit like an auxiliary fuel tank, but is larger.

"So what the hell is that thing and it feels really bad flying with it."

In fact, this is another reason why Mukherjee feels a little annoyed.

He only knew that this thing was some kind of auxiliary equipment for reconnaissance, but it was definitely not something made by Russia, because the MiG-25 carrier aircraft could only control it to start or stop working through a post-modified lever switch, and could not control it. Make any other adjustments.

And no pilot would want such a thing outside of his control to exist on his plane.

Moreover, it will also affect the aircraft's ultimate flight performance, making it impossible for the MiG-25 to break through three times the speed of sound as their squadron's name suggests.

The squadron leader shrugged and explained in an uncertain tone:

"The Americans sent it, saying that it can conduct radar mapping of the terrain, and it can also record all the radar signals scanned."

"So this is a pod that can conduct active and passive radar reconnaissance at the same time?"

Mukherjee raised his bushy eyebrows.

They did not purchase the two radar reconnaissance models of MiG 25RBV and RBS, so in the past they could only conduct daytime optical reconnaissance of targets.

Although the reconnaissance plane itself is difficult to intercept, it is not difficult to prevent simple photographic reconnaissance, as long as the most primitive camouflage method is used.

In particular, the opponent also has a radar station at an altitude of more than 5000 meters, which can track them from the moment they take off. Even when facing the MiG-25, there is almost 20-30 minutes of warning time.

Therefore, their main purpose of conducting cross-border flights in the past was not so much reconnaissance as provocation.

After all, we suffered a big loss more than thirty years ago.

But with this pod, the situation is completely different.

Most optical camouflage methods are ineffective for SAR radar, not to mention that this thing can also capture the opponent's radar signal characteristics, which is a very important technical parameter in air-ground confrontation.

"Yes, the version I heard is that the Americans learned that China has deployed a new anti-aircraft missile regiment in Shigatse. They think it may be S300PMU1, and they want to obtain relevant evidence to put pressure on the Kremlin."

The squadron leader continued to talk about some rumors he heard when he went to the headquarters for a meeting:

"New Delhi hopes that while carrying out this mission, it can conduct a reconnaissance of our old rivals, especially near the line of actual control and...their nuclear plants."

Mukherjee stroked his mustache:

"It sounds like a dangerous place, and there's even an anti-aircraft missile site?"

"There is nothing you can do about it. If your route is not more radical, they may not turn on the aircraft at all, and the significance of this reconnaissance will be lost." The squadron leader gently patted Mukherjee on the shoulder:

"Moreover, that position is still dozens of kilometers away from your route. As long as you keep flying at an altitude above 23000 meters throughout the whole journey, it is impossible to enter its kill envelope."

"What's more, we still have speed. You can save the afterburner just in case."

The ultimate range of most long-range anti-aircraft missiles is achieved by using high-throw ballistics, that is, after launching, the missile first enters a high altitude, and then falls from the sky, exchanging potential energy for kinetic energy to "smash" towards the target.

The advantage of this is that it can ensure that sufficient speed and overload are still retained at the end of the trajectory.

But when faced with a target whose flight altitude is close to the top of the ballistic trajectory, it will perform relatively weakly.

The two wanted to talk about something more, but saw that the planned departure time was approaching.

"I have to get ready for the flight." Mukherjee stood up from his chair.

The pilot of the MiG-25 has to wear a very complex anti-gravity suit before taking off, so the preparation time is much longer than that of ordinary tactical aircraft.

"I wish you all the best, bro."

The squadron leader saluted Mukherjee.