Chapter 383

Chapter 383: Impersonating the F-22

The powerful overload pressed Lin Mo’s body against the seat. If an ordinary person were in his place, they would likely struggle to breathe and find it hard to lift a finger. However, Lin Mo firmly gripped the joystick, unaffected by the massive G-forces.

As a vertical takeoff and landing fighter, it required more thrust than typical fighters that take off from runways. The exhilarating feeling of high maneuverability and steep climbing was something one couldn’t experience in the J-10 or J-15, not to mention the Old Clunker P-51 Mustang.

Adjusting to a 45-degree climb at full speed, the “Red Eagle” broke the sound barrier at an altitude of 1,000 meters, producing a sharp clap of thunder as the sonic boom cloud briefly appeared.

Releasing the throttle, Lin Mo reduced the engine output, slowing the “Red Eagle” down. He quickly pulled back the stick at a slight angle, causing the nose to rise sharply to 110 degrees. After maintaining that for just five seconds, he returned to normal and swiftly executed a Cobra maneuver to test the fighter’s post-stall capabilities before shutting off the stall protection settings for a stall recovery test at the 1,000-meter altitude.

Despite a detailed manual describing the aircraft, experienced Air Knights were very attentive to their feelings during operation. Even a one-millimeter deviation could lead to disastrous results. In aerial combat, even the smallest error is unacceptable, as it could cost lives.

On real fighters, the joystick’s sensitivity is extremely high, far more precise than that of ordinary home gaming controllers, enabling pilots to utilize this sensitivity along with the aircraft’s performance to execute a variety of extreme maneuvers.

After Lin Mo performed several challenging tactical maneuvers with the “Red Eagle,” he returned to the valley airport, landing vertically on the runway while also executing special moves like airborne turning.

“Great job! Truly perfect! You are indeed our ace!”

Old Pan personally drove the towing vehicle over to welcome him. From his vantage point with high-powered binoculars, the J-18 “Red Eagle” appeared to have hundreds of hours of flying experience, moving smoothly and naturally during takeoff, landing, and in-flight maneuvers. The “Red Eagle” showed maneuverability that seemed even better than the original J-10.

“Pretty good; the aircraft’s performance is exceptional, and its sensitivity is high, making it perfect for me,” Lin Mo replied, glancing at the still-unfinished “monstrous” machine in the hangar. He eagerly anticipated what it would be like once it was completed.

It was time to bring out the two F119-PW-100 engines, and Lin Mo planned to ask Shenyang Aircraft Corporation for assistance. They wanted to leverage his ACE skills to break the deadlock with the J-18, and he wouldn’t let that opportunity go to waste.

Unbeknownst to the world, while major aircraft manufacturers were fiercely competing to develop their fighters and experimental machines, a pilot from a Special Operations Team in northwest China was quietly doing the same.

“This is great! Just a moment ago, Captain Feng was asking me when your Aircrew Group’s new fighter would be combat-ready. Now I finally have an answer for him!”

As Old Pan spoke, he efficiently secured the towing vehicle’s hitch to the nose wheel of the J-18.

“Another mission?”

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. The “Night” team had already benefited from fighter support before. Strong air strikes could save a lot of effort for the ground troops.

Sometimes, it wasn’t even necessary to mobilize ground troops; just circling over a designated target could complete the job, increasing speed and efficiency, thus lowering costs.

When calculating fuel costs and fighter losses, it was often cheaper than deploying ground personnel.

“Indeed! Since you left for Afghanistan, several squadrons have been complaining that they can’t adapt. They insist on carrying heavy weapons every time they deploy, especially against tough opponents. Captain Feng had to request air support from the nearby aviation division.”

“Didn’t I already discuss it with several nearby aviation battalions? Surely, they wouldn’t refuse to lend us help.”

“Easier said than done; you need to consider the time for application approval! After all, our army and air force are not under the same command structure, and there aren’t many units with air support that can be configured. The approval process is a pain, and they can’t just move planes around at will. I know that if a pilot flies outside their patrol zone without permission, they’ll catch a missile, causing fighters to miss their chance. Asking others for help also carries a favor. Not to mention when you owe someone too much, they won’t always do what you ask, especially since there aren’t many benefits for them; after all, they won’t gain any credit.”

Old Pan patted Lin Mo on the shoulder, ushering him into the vehicle. The two sat on the towing vehicle as it transported the J-18 toward the hangar.

“During the time I wasn’t at the base, my brothers must have struggled. Just managing the machine guns and rocket bombs must have been difficult.” Lin Mo fully understood the usual tasks faced by the squadrons in combat.

In order for the quick-response Special Operations Team to react promptly, they mostly carried light weapons. They could not truly drag a cannon or drive a tank to fight enemies.

“Night’s” air support consisted simply of the fire support from the WZ-12 and the Mi-17 carrying soldiers for aerial assaults.

However, helicopters also had their flaws; they couldn’t carry heavy munitions and had limited maneuverability. If they were continuously hit by Stinger missiles, even the most advanced WZ-12 would struggle to escape being shot down.

Especially in complex terrains, the lack of airborne fire support would pose considerable challenges during combat.

It was understandable that when Lin Mo returned to the Aircrew Group, he entered the hangar only to hear Old Pan yelling for bullet hole inspections. The pressure on the Aircrew Group must have been significant. Once Lin Mo’s new fighter could be airborne, the “Night” Special Forces’ tactics would become much more diverse.

Having a jet fighter provided overwhelming advantages in both air-to-air and air-to-ground scenarios. Speed and altitude were the keys to victory in aerial combat.

Luckily, with the support from Shenyang’s new fighter, Lin Mo wouldn’t have to resort to using the J-8 or P-51 for his missions.

“This is a reconnaissance mission. After confirming the target location, the Staff Group will decide what measures to take.”

The Next Day

Lin Mo piloted the “Red Eagle” through thick clouds, cruising at 1.2 times the speed of sound at an altitude of 20,000 meters, still thinking about the new mission he received on the tactical tablet yesterday afternoon.

Reconnaissance?

Was it just reconnaissance?

This seemed like a waste for an ace pilot and a J-18; such a task could easily be accomplished by a drone, or even a J-5 equipped with a reconnaissance pod.

Was it merely a low-difficulty task meant to give him some practice after returning to base?

But he had never slacked off from flight training, so he wasn’t out of practice.

The intentions of the superiors were truly hard to guess.

Captain Feng had given him a set of coordinates, indicating that the target was within a 50-kilometer radius of that point. It seemed to be an arms depot hidden away by an East Turkestan organization.

“Hey! Calling Dragon Knight, calling Dragon Knight, this is Tabby Cat. I have reached the rendezvous point. Where are you?”

The call came over the already activated secure radio channel.

That’s right, besides this reconnaissance mission, he also needed to bring along a rookie.

In the mission notes, Captain Feng had made a note that this was a favor for a nearby aviation battalion; perhaps the real purpose of the mission was for him, the ace pilot, to lead a newcomer.

Alright, if it was about bringing a newcomer, let’s get this simple task done quickly so he could move on to the next assignment.

Reconnaissance tasks were not challenging at all.

“Calling Tabby Cat, this is Dragon Knight. I have spotted you. I’m 25 kilometers west of you, at an altitude of 2,000 meters. We’ll meet in ten minutes.”

In the cockpit, Lin Mo used the Light Mirror Technique to identify the rookie—a J-8 that looked like it was indeed a novice pilot.

Most J-10 pilots in the country had transitioned from the J-8, so Lin Mo was very familiar with this model. Back in Team 7759, he had spent quite some time using the J-8 simulator.

“Ah! You’re so close, Dragon Knight! Why can’t I see you on my radar?”

The voice of “Tabby Cat” was filled with surprise.

“Turn on IFF, activate the battlefield data link, and connect to the satellite positioning system. Use satellite temporary ID 108-237-05F.”

It was very normal that the J-8 couldn’t see Lin Mo’s J-18 on its radar. The J-18 was designed to be a highly stealthy air killer, employing radar-absorbent materials similar to those used on America’s F-117 stealth fighter, so it wouldn’t show up on the radar of an older model like the J-8.

Using the signal from the J-18 connecting to military satellites, Lin Mo obtained his moving coordinates, allowing him to appear on the allied radar screen, but that wasn’t the result of radar scanning.

“Oh… I see you now. Are you flying a stealth fighter?”

“Yeah!”

This rookie seemed to be a bit chatty, but once airborne, Lin Mo preferred not to talk much.

“What model is it? Big brother!”

“F-22!”

Lin Mo randomly threw out a model name.

“F-22?…”

It seemed the rookie was quite taken aback, and as the two aircraft began to form up in the rendezvous area, the J-8 pilot, positioned as a wingman behind Lin Mo’s J-18, was stunned by his temporary leader.

“Is this really an F-22?”