Chapter 479

Chapter 479: Strong Counterattack

Ah! Ah!

Something big is happening!

Not only did the media personnel with a keen sense of news immediately sense that the climax of this opening ceremony was approaching, but this was also a real aerial battle. Though the missiles were not hung under the wings, it was still a showdown of missiles against fighter jets—life or death would soon be revealed.

With the French military launching two Aster missiles in a double insurance strike, hardly anyone believed that there would be any survivors in the sky.

If the French wanted, a single launch vehicle could consecutively fire eight air defense missiles. Forget about the F-22; even the F-35 would be in trouble.

But…

How could it be? How could the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” possibly have such speed?

Not only was Yamashiro Soichiro, who watched the radar screen nearly going crazy, taken aback, but even the mastermind from Lockheed Martin, Thompson Williams, looked like his eyes were about to pop out.

That thing was not just a fighter jet; it was more like a manned missile styled like a fighter jet.

The J-14 “Eagle Falcon” initially had a maximum flight speed of 2.2 Mach, which was already impressive, but now it surged to 2.4 Mach. The two Aster-30 medium-range surface-to-air missiles following closely behind were at 2.68 Mach.

As long as Lin Mo wanted, he could shoot past 120 kilometers with the two missiles following him.

The J-14 “Eagle Falcon,” lingering like a persistent shadow, was even more accurate than the missiles themselves. Ignoring the danger of the two missiles behind, it locked onto the F-22 “Raptor.”

Yamashiro Soichiro in the F-22 was nearly in tears. As the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” closed in at high speed, he faced three missiles—including those with guidance systems that allowed leading and trailing control. Even though the electronic jamming equipment on the F-22 was advanced, it was useless; you can jam electronics, but can you jam a human?

As the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” approached the F-22 at high speed, the audience on the ground couldn’t help but stand up, gazing at the sky.

This moment was destined not to be the J-14’s home turf, nor the F-22’s, and certainly not the international aerospace exhibition’s stage but the Gallic Rooster’s domain.

…

“The feathered bugs number three hundred and sixty, the most divine is the harrier.

Its nature blends gold and fire, reflecting the starlight of precious jade…”

“I want to abort the exercise! I’m out! I can’t do this! No…”

As Yamashiro Soichiro reached for the ejection switch, the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” nearly brushed past the cockpit cover of the F-22.

But it was too late; faced with incoming missiles, after a fierce struggle, most pilots had no chance to react.

Boom!

A dazzling fireball erupted in the sky.

Everyone was shocked; there were no parachutes in the air…

It was not the anticipated desperate counterattack from the “Raptor” but rather a true killing blow from the “Eagle Falcon.”

One Aster-30 missile struck the F-22 “Raptor,” while the other Aster-30 did not crash into the explosion but continued to pursue the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” with relentless determination, displaying remarkable intelligence.

What was initially a no-missiles exercise, where personnel casualties shouldn’t occur unless due to mechanical failure, had spiraled completely out of everyone’s control.

The French were stunned, the Americans were stunned, all of Europe was stunned, the world was stunned, and in the end, the Chinese were also taken aback.

How did that little devil get so unlucky? Clearly, he was shot while lying down. If he didn’t run fast, he would surely meet his end.

“Quick, stop! Detonate the missiles! We cannot hit it again!”

The French were in a panic. The missiles they launched not only failed to take down the violating fighter jet but instead shot down the Japanese F-22 “Raptor,” which could spark a significant international dispute.

The consequences were unimaginable!

At this moment, the J-14 “Eagle Falcon,” which caused the incident, had safely returned to the exercise area. If they shot it down again, it would mean that France would simultaneously anger Japan, China, and America.

Why would America be involved? Well, anyone with eyes can see that although America did not sell many fighter jets to Japan, the two sold privately at high prices represented America’s secret intentions toward the Japanese. And shooting down an F-22, even if it is the Japan version with modifications, is still the F-22. What would that say to America and Lockheed Martin?

Back in 1982 during the Falklands War, Argentina sank the British ship HMS Sheffield with the French Exocet anti-ship missile, which led to restrictions on the missile’s sales.

Faced with the powerful British government, the missile manufacturer Aérospatiale had to give up many orders, landing them in a difficult situation.

With such a lesson from the past, the French certainly didn’t want to offend everyone; at the very least, they wanted to save face in front of the Chinese.

However, the newly debuted Chinese fighter’s performance seemed quite remarkable, able to shoot down its opponent with a missile. Hmm, ancient Chinese history seems to have a story of "borrowing arrows with straw boats." Could this be a modern version?

After firing their missiles, the French air defense troops cheered and congratulated each other on the successful launch. They didn’t care who they hit; they were just responsible for launching, a classic case of “not my job to worry about the aftermath.”

But the French soldiers hadn’t celebrated for long before receiving an urgent message from above, demanding an early detonation of the missiles, unable to hit the remaining Chinese fighter jet. However, once the arrow is shot, it can’t be pulled back. Water spilled from a pot is tough to recover. There was indeed a remote self-detonation system, but operating it was hardly simpler than the launch itself.

The J-14 gently shook its wings, using its nose and tail as axes to initiate a spiral roll. Many people’s hearts raced; it had no shield to rely on anymore, and countless anxious people counted down in their minds, unaware of when the “Eagle Falcon” would turn into the next fireball of destruction.

The “Eagle Falcon” gracefully raised its angle of attack, slowing down. The Aster-30 missile, nearing its target as it slowed, drew gasps from the ground. However, at the moment the missile was about to touch the fighter jet, the “Eagle Falcon” suddenly dropped its nose, accelerating with all its might to avoid stalling. Just as it recovered from stalling, a bright fireball erupted seven o’clock behind the fighter.

The J-14 “Eagle Falcon” showed no hesitation, pulling the stick all the way back and rolling its ailerons to execute the classic Heberst maneuver, closing in to induce the detonation of the Aster-30 missile. Then it rolled and deftly avoided the shrapnel from the explosion, escaping from the lethal radius with almost no damage. The shockwave and flames were suppressed behind the exhaust pipe, effectively becoming a thrust force.

Before the French air defense troops could complete the detonation procedure and hit the self-destruct button, the last Aster-30 medium-range surface-to-air missile was triggered to explode mid-air by the Chinese J-14 “Eagle Falcon.”

Typically, surface-to-air missiles carry at least three types of fuses. In addition to video-guided and trigger fuses, they also activate sensor fuses that can cause non-contact explosions automatically when the target enters the kill radius, using shrapnel, shock waves, and high-temperature flames to inflict damage. While this increases the kill rate, it also has advantages and disadvantages, making them vulnerable to specific angles of detonation by the fighter jet, which could use its speed to escape the shrapnel and other harmful effects.

The pilots on both sides of the aerial exercise had actually cheated. The Japanese “Blue Impulse” pilot, Yamashiro Soichiro, who had turned to ashes, quietly received a tip-off from someone.

Lin Mo was even more reckless, operating without concern.

No one could predict the real situation in the cockpit. The person secretly informing Yamashiro Soichiro was even less likely to come forward, or it would be like looking for death. Not only the Chinese but even the French would not let him off.

As long as it wasn’t a direct hit, the J-14 “Eagle Falcon,” which carried the hard work of countless Shenyang Aircraft Corporation staff, still had impressive durability. After all, its Russian-style heritage made it a representation of ruggedness. Back in the days of the Soviet Union, didn’t everything from the Old Russians appear bulky, clumsy, and built to last?

“Oh my God! This guy is giving me such a headache!” On the ground, staring unwaveringly at multiple surveillance screens, Chen Haiqing let out a long sigh of relief. Wiping his forehead, he discovered it was covered in sweat, with his back completely soaked as well.

“You look terrible!” Standing next to Chen Haiqing was Yang Jing, a factory representative from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. They had authorized a high-performance fighter jet to the National Defense Star for technical verification and OEM production assessment, so Shenyang couldn’t completely disregard National Defense Star’s operations, sending a team of over ten people to assist in the production area.

“That was so close; it scared me to death,” Chen Haiqing wiped his forehead again, thinking about the two surface-to-air missiles. If this ace pilot suffered any harm, National Defense Star might even be compelled to fight with the French.

“The technology of the ‘Dragon Knight’ has progressed again!” Shenyang’s factory representative Yang Jing exclaimed. He clearly had faced more storms than Chen Haiqing, appearing far more composed. He then added, “Immediately notify the French, tell them that the J-14’s communication devices experienced a malfunction.”

Since it was an experimental machine, all sorts of trivial issues could occur. Shenyang wanted to clear its responsibilities with National Defense Star quickly. As for the Japanese and the F-22 “Raptor,” let them argue among themselves with the Americans and the French.