Chapter 481

Chapter 481: Thunderous Noise with Little Rain

“Oh! Alright, I’ve transformed into the Gallic Rooster once again!”

As the main local media at the Paris-Le Bourget International Aerospace Exhibition, Gilles Lebray, the host from France 4 Television, appeared in front of the camera again, using a humorous joke to grab the audience’s attention.

Perhaps he realized that this year’s exhibition was filled with breathtaking moments that left people stunned into silence. As a Frenchman, turning into the Gallic Rooster wasn’t too embarrassing; at least he had some self-awareness.

Then, Gilles Lebray’s expression turned somber as he said with a touch of sadness, “Before I officially start the show, let us take half a minute to pay tribute to Mr. Yamashiro Soichiro, the pilot of Japan’s ‘Blue Impulse’ flying display team, who tragically lost his life in an accident yesterday…”

The French firmly considered it an accident that the ‘Shiyuan-30’ medium-range surface-to-air missile hit the F-22 Raptor piloted by the Japanese. They insisted it was not a deliberate attack on the F-22, nor an intention to confront America; it was merely a response triggered by a Chinese aircraft entering the no-fly zone. It was just an unfortunate incident.

As for the fact that a Chinese fighter jet inadvertently locked onto the F-22 due to Yamashiro Soichiro’s evasive maneuvers failing, they believed he bore some responsibility. After all, hadn’t everyone seen how easily a Chinese jet triggered the last ‘Shiyuan-30’? If he lacked the skills, why challenge others?

The French refused to take the blame for it, and they would end up compensating Yamashiro Soichiro’s family, but the loss of that F-22? They simply couldn’t do anything about it; their budget wouldn’t allow it.

However, in the spirit of optimism—“When one door closes, another opens”—at least the French ‘Shiyuan-30’ missile would likely sell well; being able to take down an F-22 was the best proof.

The Americans might get a bit suspicious, wondering if the French had done this intentionally.

“Tribute concluded. Mr. Yamashiro Soichiro’s thrilling aerial performance yesterday provided us with an unparalleled visual treat. This accident reminds us that war is brutal and life-threatening, bringing endless pain to families. We must cherish peace and refrain from provoking disputes!”

Whether the tribute time had been shortened was uncertain, but at least France 4 Television wouldn’t waste such valuable live time; even airing two more ads would be acceptable.

Compared to romance, the stylish French had more faith in the euro.

Thunder rumbled faintly outside the camera frame—that was the sound of fighter jets. The host timely interjected his voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, let us once again introduce the ‘Gregory’ Flight Squadron from the Russian Sukhoi company. Yes, just two days ago, they dazzled us with an astonishing landing stunt with the Su-27 squadron. Alright, precision like a scalpel—I love it! I believe every pilot in ‘Gregory’ is the finest surgeon. Hehe, Mr. de Polignac, what kind of visual feast do you think ‘Gregory’ will bring us today?”

“Oh, I am very excited too! Just the day before yesterday, the ‘Gregory’ Flight Squadron brought us a shock to remember, their flying skills seemed impossible to comprehend. It’s hard to imagine that a Su-27 can perform such maneuvers without breaking apart! Are these Su-27s custom-built? It’s hard to fathom; the quality of Russian products has reached an almost miraculous level. Perhaps only the high-strength stainless steel structure of the MiG-25 could withstand such g-forces, and the pilots performing these maneuvers must be iron-willed.”

Mardan de Polignac still maintained his position and received recognition from France 4 Television for his commentary yesterday. While there were occasional missteps, it wasn’t detrimental.

Finding a charismatic aviation expert who not only had knowledge but also the gift of gab was a challenge—the population in France was limited, and borrowing talent from abroad gave a feeling of the old aviation power entering twilight.

“Coming in is the devil’s squadron, a six-jet close formation. Huh? Why are there only six aircraft? Didn’t we see seven two days ago?”

Gilles Lebray pointed to the sky in doubt. He had done similar shows before and had enough knowledge to know; a six-jet close formation has only five meters of lateral spacing and less than two meters of altitude difference. The jet exhaust from the front aircraft could affect the intake of the following one. Without exceptional teamwork, accidents could easily occur.

Lin Mo had once used the jet wash technique in Zambia; it was quite deadly.

In summary, not every aerobatic team at the international aerospace exhibition could master the devil’s formation.

To address the host’s confusion, expert Mardan de Polignac explained, “Oh, one is in the exhibition area, but I am really looking forward to this; today we have brought five of the most advanced cameras to capture from multiple angles. If we could make a DVD of it, I bet it would sell well.”

The camera shifted to focus on the Sukhoi exhibit area, and sure enough, an aircraft numbered 07 was stationed there—the same aircraft that had performed astonishing maneuvers that day.

As a special guest, Mardan certainly had the skills to impress; his six-minute commentary kept the viewers captivated, breaking down difficult jargon into easily understandable terms. Although there were mistakes, he was still deemed a professional figure.

“…Look! It’s the horizontal figure-eight, they’ve separated, forming two groups. What are they going to do? Wow! Three jets are performing ultra-low altitude crossing! That’s quite challenging—perhaps even more difficult than the devil’s formation. If they aren’t careful, they could collide head-on, which would be worse than yesterday’s F-22 incident!”

While providing professional commentary, Mardan de Polignac unknowingly uttered words that made many Japanese grit their teeth.

The three Su-27s adjusted their angles above the runway from two sides, quickly closing the distance. With a thunderous roar, they narrowly passed by, their bellies almost touching, with a minimum distance of less than two meters.

“Oh! Wonderful! Amazing!” The host was so excited he could hardly contain himself.

High-difficulty aerobatic performances certainly captured people’s attention; for the television station, that meant ratings, and ratings meant advertising revenue.

“Yes, absolutely fantastic! Let’s watch the grand finale of the ‘Gregory’ Flight Squadron… um!”

Suddenly, guest Mardan de Polignac fell silent as they observed the ‘Gregory’ Flight Squadron completing two sets of three-jet crossing flights, then circling around, splitting into three groups, and landing in a two-jet formation.

As the ‘Gregory’ flight team took off, many watchers casually glanced at the eight pillars where the air model enthusiasts had strutted their stuff days before, waiting for the Russians to perform another thrilling roundabout flight.

What was going on?

Had the Russian pilots gone on strike due to wage cuts?

The ultra-low altitude crossing performance, in the past, would have been an exhilarating display; however, the previous day’s stunningly low-altitude and short-distance maneuvers had raised the bar for the audience. Following the common sense that the best is saved for last, they expected an even more spectacular performance from the ‘Gregory’ Flight Squadron today.

But in the midst of their shouting anticipation, the squadron was returning. What was happening?

Just when it was about to reach its climax, they abruptly pulled back; this sudden drop from a high point left everyone feeling incomplete.

The audience erupted in a wave of noise, their faces displaying shock; in contrast, the Sukhoi exhibit area was filled with pale expressions, this situation had been anticipated. It was disastrous! Without the earlier incident with Number 7, today’s performance could have been spectacular.

However, this was a case of suffering in silence. If they spoke the truth, that it was the Chinese who caused it, how would the Americans view it? How would the Europeans think? Did the Chinese and Russians grow so close as to share pants? The current international climate could be influenced too.

“Oh! What’s going on here…” Gilles Lebray appeared genuinely surprised. He and guest Mardan de Polignac had tirelessly praised Sukhoi during the commentary, thinking they were embellishing the affair, only to find their eagerness met with cold rejection, leaving the French 4 Broadcasting hanging awkwardly in mid-air.

What a hardship!

“Maybe something happened to their plane, or that miraculous pilot?” Mardan de Polignac reacted quickly, trying to cover for Sukhoi.

But after the vast disappointment came boundless anger.

Voices of complaint surged from the audience.

“What is this? If I had known, I wouldn’t have paid to watch; I could have just seen the previous transition performance.”

“I’m livid! Are they messing with us? What a terrible show, refund! Refund!”

“I want to see the roundabout flight; I want to see the most spectacular.”

“This is just thunderous noise with little rain—what’s up with Sukhoi? Have they regressed? Or did that pilot die? Is that all? It’s simply outrageous.”

“They’ve let us down so badly.”

The audience erupted in deafening boos, fists raised in disdain, thumbs pointed down, their arms creating a striking sight.

The staff in the Sukhoi exhibit area turned pale with fear, unable to help but glance towards the National Defense Star exhibit; that blunder was costly, and now Sukhoi’s bad reputation would spread far and wide.