Chapter 296

Chapter 296: A Show of Force

The "Dark Sabre" began its descent, lowering its altitude. Lin Mo maneuvered the fighter jet into a sudden tail strike maneuver, but instead of pausing in mid-air, he climbed directly. Two F-35 "Lightning IIs" flew 500 meters above the "Dark Sabre." At this moment, the nose of the "Dark Sabre" rapidly rotated around its tail nozzle, moving in a peculiar way, like a pointer on a clock.

Its intentions were very clear. If it fired now, the two F-35s flying just above it would be fully exposed to the saturated fire from the 30mm cannon beneath the "Dark Sabre." Forget about the F-35; even an F-45 would be blown out of the sky.

The clock maneuver!

An absolutely dazzling clock maneuver!

Only a vector thrust engine with a three-surface layout could perform such a post-stall maneuver, designed specifically by conventional fighters for close combat against stealth fighters.

While tuning his aircraft every night with the mechanics, Lin Mo found that the "Dark Sabre" also had sufficient conditions to execute such a maneuver. Most pilots wouldn’t even dream of attempting such a high-difficulty action.

Words like strange, impossible, and incomprehensible could hardly describe this maneuver. Though its name seemed unremarkable, it was not a conventional tactical movement; it belonged solely to fighter jets.

“What… what is going on? Oh my God! It hit us! It hit us!”

“Report! Report! Team C is completely wiped out! This is terrifying! Thank God this is just a simulation; he didn’t really fire!”

The two F-35 pilots were completely stunned by Lin Mo’s sudden, imaginative attack maneuver. Although he hadn’t truly fired the cannon, with a firing rate of 1600 rounds per minute from the 30mm cannon, both pilots knew their chances of escaping that firepower were almost zero.

It felt as if they were pacing back and forth at the gates of hell; both American pilots felt utterly drained.

Considering the limited ammunition on the "Dark Sabre," Lin Mo controlled its use so precisely that it felt no different from actual combat.

Twin-engine fighters are naturally more agile than single-engine ones. Even with a generation of lag in technology, the unfortunate F-35 could not achieve supersonic cruise due to its weight and engine power limitations.

Struggling with radar and stealth performance, the duo of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced carrier-based aircraft was publicly humiliated by a J-15 "Dark Sabre" in front of the entire "George Washington" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier task force.

Although the enemy didn’t fire, it made no difference. The opponent’s pilot merely needed to push a button on the cannon joystick. Even a one-year-old child could manage that simple action.

In the blink of an eye, the "Dark Sabre" suddenly ascended, achieving a supersonic sonic boom that caught up with Team C. After securing altitude, it performed a maneuver similar to a spin, circling around the two F-35s while keeping its nose locked on target. This was an even more ferocious kill move than the previous clock maneuver, impossible to evade.

It was like a continuous explosive attack with Wing Chun, catching the opponents off guard, leaving them without a chance to retaliate.

After two successive humiliations, the U.S. pilots found their squadron utterly devastated. It was a blatant slap in the face.

The J-15 "Dark Sabre" penetrating the "George Washington" carrier group didn’t mean it was in a desperate situation. On the contrary, the headache belonged to the Americans. They were cautious to the point of restraint, which meant they could not use their numerical advantage and were effectively held back by Lin Mo.

Because of this, Lin Mo could carry out a simulated attack on Team C. In other scenarios, F-35 "Lightning IIs" with ample maneuverability would be a tougher challenge.

It had only been ten minutes since Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre" had engaged in a fierce aerial duel with the two F-35 "Lightning IIs." Had he not been a Dragon Knight, adapted to high-intensity combat, a regular ACE ace would likely have been too exhausted to even hold the joystick steady.

Lin Mo’s enviable A+ physical rating played a critical role at that moment, while the two F-35 pilots suffered immense fatigue, unable to maintain their best physical and mental states, which gave Lin Mo an opening.

Since the inception of pilots, it has never been a low-energy job. Otherwise, physical fitness wouldn’t have been one of the most critical checks in pilot selection. Physical stamina is essential not only for withstanding high G-forces but also for maintaining a pilot’s sustainable combat ability.

Everyone aboard the "George Washington" aircraft carrier, including those on deck and in front of the optical probe transmitting video signals, witnessed the once-proud American carrier aircraft—the fourth-generation F-35 "Lightning IIs"—get simulated shot down twice without a single air-to-air missile fired, relying only on the basic cannon.

Fighter jets are not armored vehicles; a few rounds from large-caliber cannons can still bring them down. Even hitting a vital area with one shot could explode the aircraft, while two or three shots on less critical spots could result in a crash. Even a close call could jeopardize normal flight.

This was merely a demonstration of an aggressive maneuver, yet it chilled the hearts of every U.S. officer witnessing the scene. The power of the J-15 "Dark Sabre" exceeded all expectations; facing two opponents did not guarantee an advantage but instead resulted in being forced to perform in front of their own base.

“Damn it! ‘Crocodile’ squadron, follow me!”

The recently airborne F-18 "Hornet" squadron appeared as if ignited on the spot, aggressively forming three teams of three aircraft, heading straight for the "Dark Sabre."

Lin Mo smirked slightly. The "Dark Sabre" locked onto multiple targets with its onboard fire control radar, bathing in air-to-air missile lock signals, continuing to issue challenges without regard for his life.

The "Dark Sabre" moved like a free fish, darting through the American carrier formation. The "George Washington" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the nearby missile frigates, supply ships, and partially submerged submarines were all in plain sight, occupying the best vantage point.

Inside the cockpit, the piercing alarm of radar locks rang constantly. Nearby vessels boasted numerous rapid-fire guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, and missile launchers tightly fixated on the "Dark Sabre." One signal could reduce everything, pilot and jet alike, to a honeycomb of destruction.

If the Americans wanted to start a war with China in the South China Sea, they needed merely to press the launch button, which they believed was easy to accomplish.

Then, of course, it would naturally ignite a massive conflict between the two nations, giving China a justified reason to dismantle all 88 military bases that America laboriously established in 14 countries across Asia.

The U.S. had no doubt that China could do this.

But this only existed in their imagination.

The reality was that going to war with China was against U.S. interests.

Perhaps they had inadvertently noticed a few attack-type nuclear submarines from China’s South China Fleet had silently trailed the carrier formation. The missiles and torpedoes aboard the nuclear submarines posed a far greater threat than the C-802 "Yingji-2" anti-ship missiles.

Facing the brazen "Dark Sabre" overhead, the Americans looked like tragic figures; it wasn’t that they didn’t want to fight or were afraid to fight, but rather that they couldn’t afford the consequences of a fight.

It must be admitted that the "Dark Sabre" had a robust backing.

If several more aircraft with such combat capability joined the fray, the U.S. officers in the carrier group would likely leap up, pointing to the sky, shouting, “God, is there no way to survive this?”

Thus, a single "Dark Sabre" carrier-based fighter became the most arrogant visitor above the "George Washington" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier group in history, rivaled only by the panicked group of F-18 "Hornets" behind it.

Team C’s two F-35 "Lightning IIs" had lost their will to fight and didn’t even consider trying to regain their honor. They glided down from the rear deck of the "George Washington" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The carrier-based F-35 "Lightning II" could not perform vertical landings; it still required assistance from arrestor wires.

Not only had their immense fatigue drained their energy, but higher command also prohibited them from remaining airborne to prevent further disgrace.

As George Ell and Minick Jerry, the two F-35 major pilots, descended the ladder and stepped onto the flight deck, they realized their legs were weak, and ultimately, both had to be carried away.

If Lin Mo was not taken down within five minutes, it would increasingly favor the Dragon Knights’ home turf. Physical condition, stamina, and mental exhaustion would become fatal weaknesses for all pilots in this world.

Competing in endurance against Dragon Knights would require a tremendous price.

The reality is, not every pilot possesses A+ physical ability; even if some do, they cannot sustain it for long.

A+ physical ability simply means a pilot could employ high-intensity super maneuvers; the advantage of an Air Knight extends beyond this.

“I am Captain David A. Rauschman of the George Washington. I now order that warnings be sent to the Chinese ‘Dark Sabre’ carrier-based fighter on all frequencies. If there is no response within fifteen seconds, my fleet will take proactive action, and China will bear all related responsibilities.”

The high-powered speakers and all-frequency radio signals rapidly transmitted this message in both Chinese and English, reaching the "Dark Sabre," which had audaciously invaded and lurked near the American aircraft carrier fleet.