Chapter 969 Ghost
Height: 3000 meters
Airspace: Southwest of Western Theater
After eight G-7G fighters took off, they spread out in a standard combat search formation, plowing through the thin air like cautious falcons, with their onboard radar beams sweeping the surrounding airspace over and over again.
In the cockpit of the lead plane, Xu Feng, a first-class pilot from the Western Theater Command, was wearing a helmet and had sharp eyes, but a barely perceptible solemnity was revealed at the corners of his tightly pursed mouth.
Every few seconds his eyes would quickly scan the cathode ray tube display of the APG-66 radar in front of him.
The bright light spots that represented effective targets never appeared on the screen. Instead, there were only flickering green shadows representing ground clutter and electronic noise, and an unsettling blank space.
The indicator light on the airborne radar warning receiver (RWR) was completely silent, with no warning signals of being scanned or locked.
This strange "cleanliness" made Xu Feng feel a strong sense of frustration and a hint of instinctive, almost shameful relief.
Choosing to launch an interception is a soldier's duty and a mission engraved in his bones, but it is by no means a desire to sacrifice immediately.
As an experienced pilot, he knew better than anyone that there was a hopeless technological gap between the second-generation and fourth-generation aircraft - it was almost a cross-generational crush.
If there is even a slight possibility, no pilot would be willing to fly a Sparrow to challenge a Warhawk!
Zizi.... Click.....
"Attention all aircraft, I am the lead aircraft 'Rock'." Xu Feng suppressed his chaotic thoughts and spoke in the formation channel, his voice steady and solemn:
"Remind again! The target has a high degree of stealth and beyond-visual-range strike capability, and the threat level is the highest!"
"All aircraft must remain on high alert and strictly follow visual and radar cross-search procedures! I repeat, be extremely vigilant! Behind us is the war zone airspace, the airspace line of our motherland!"
...
However, what Xu Feng didn't know at the moment was that he and the sparrows he led had already stepped into the trap of a higher-dimensional hunter, and every move was clearly visible in the eyes of the other party!
The reason for this is the pure and extreme performance crushing.
The old pulse Doppler radar under the nose of the G-7G fighter piloted by Xu Feng had an effective detection range of less than 30 kilometers.
The J-16 multi-purpose fighter's active phased array radar (AESA) can detect large targets at an astonishing distance of 240 kilometers. Even against fifth-generation stealth fighters such as the F22, the detection range can reach 110 kilometers!
Therefore, just during the time when Xu Feng, a first-class pilot in the Western Theater, was speaking, the J-16 fighter formation hidden in the dark had repeatedly and accurately identified and stably tracked the G-7G fighter formation... and even took the time to simulate multiple fire control-level locks...
"Panshi calling, the formation climbs to 5000 meters and expands the search range."
Xu Feng, who was kept in the dark, continued to issue orders according to standard combat procedures, pushed the throttle lever forward with his right hand, and ignited the afterburner.
hum~
The next second, a brighter orange-red flame instantly burst out from the tail nozzle of the G-7G fighter, and the fuselage began to accelerate and climb under the surging thrust.
However, at the moment when the afterburner was ignited, the originally regular background current white noise in Xu Feng's headphones seemed to be distorted very slightly, mixed with an indescribable and extremely short regular pulse interference sound.
Xu Feng failed to capture this change in time, which was so subtle that it was almost covered by the roar of the engine.
...
Altitude: 7000 meters, Azimuth: northwest of G-7G formation, Distance: 80 kilometers
J-16 Falcon formation
"Falcon leader calling all aircraft, target formation, altitude 4800, heading 220, speed 0.8 Mach. Tactical climb in progress." The pilot of the J-16 lead aircraft, codenamed 'Falcon One', spoke calmly without a trace of emotion.
On the multi-function display (MFD) in front of him, the eight light spots representing the G-7G were clear and stable, and the parameters of altitude, speed, heading and even radar working mode were constantly refreshed next to them.
The powerful detection capability and anti-interference performance of the active phased array radar make the Falcon formation seem to have a full-map perspective.
"Falcon 02 received! Target radar parameters are being collected continuously, and the characteristics are stable. Confirmed that its radar scanning mode is medium PRF (medium pulse repetition frequency), and the sector scanning range is ±60 degrees. There is no sign of fire control level scanning."
The wingman pilot reported that his integrated electronic warfare system (EWS) was greedily absorbing the electromagnetic signals leaked by the G-7G radar.
"Falcon 03 received! The target formation maintained a good formation, with the lead aircraft in the leading position. No signs of its wingman's active radar being turned on were found, so it may rely on the lead aircraft's guidance or visual guidance." Another J-16 was responsible for monitoring the overall situation of the G-7G formation.
"Falcon leader received it. We have the advantages in altitude, speed and situational awareness. Immediately execute the 'Mirage' jamming plan and test the target's reaction." The pilot of the Falcon One J-16 lead aircraft gave the order in a playful tone.
"Keep your distance, avoid its theoretical visual range, and start executing!"
...
Soon after the words were spoken, the communication system of the G-5000G formation at an altitude of 7 meters fell into chaos.
Sizzle...crackle!
Just when the G-7G formation had stabilized at an altitude of 5000 meters and was preparing to launch a fan-shaped search, the background noise in Xu Feng and all the pilots' headphones suddenly intensified!
Then, a harsh, intermittent, strong interference noise like metal scraping suddenly broke out, instantly flooding the communication channel!
"Damn it! Communications are being interfered with! All machines switch to backup frequencies!" Xu Feng reacted extremely quickly and gave the order immediately. At the same time, he instinctively pushed the joystick to perform a small serpentine maneuver in an attempt to get rid of the possible lock.
However, something even more shocking happened!
On his old radar screen, about 40 kilometers in front of the formation and on both sides, several rapidly flashing false target light spots of varying intensities suddenly appeared out of nowhere!
These light spots appeared extremely abruptly, the signal characteristics were sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and the trajectories were erratic, just like enemy planes approaching at high speed!
"Radar warning! Passive interference source! Azimuth 090, Azimuth 330, directly ahead! Distance... 40 kilometers! Speed... extremely high!!" Xu Feng's heart sank to the bottom and he almost roared.
The RWR indicator flashed wildly, pointing in the direction of the interference source, but could not provide precise distance and model identification.
"Dongyao found the target! Position 335!"
"Hole No. 2 found! Right in front of us! So fast!"
"Hole 3....My radar is broken too! There's clutter everywhere!!!"
There was chaos in the formation's communication channel, and the pilots' voices were filled with astonishment and tension!
The sudden strong interference and the "enemy situation" on the radar instantly stretched the already tense nerves! The crude avionics system of the second-generation aircraft was like being blindfolded and covered by the advanced electronic attack of the fourth-generation aircraft.
"Don't panic! It may be electronic interference! Maintain formation! Conduct a visual search! Cave one, cave two, follow me, turn to 090 direction!"
As an ace pilot in the Western Theater, Xu Feng suppressed the turmoil in his heart, tried his best to stay calm, and gave the order as quickly and clearly as possible:
"Hole three, hole four, guard the front! The rest of the units remain in place and expand the visual range!"
...
But no matter how calm he was, after just one encounter, Xu Feng's heart was covered with a layer of despair and suffocation.
Is this the fourth generation aircraft? It is indeed so terrifying! !
