Chapter 583

Chapter 583: Testing the Mustangs

Lin Mo put a lot of effort into modifying the aircraft mainly to save money and make maintenance easier. He decided to use the cash he earned from odd jobs on the nearly seventy percent completed “monstrous” fighter.

This improvement was definitely cheaper than spending five million dollars to buy a factory replica of the "Mustang," and a fully equipped A-29 "Super Dodo" would cost almost ten million dollars.

With that kind of money, Lin Mo might as well buy his own old fighter to play with; a brand new J-8 airframe only costs about eight million dollars.

Concerning the “monstrous” fighter parked in the corner and almost finished, Old Pan, the leader of the Aircrew Group, seemed to be lost in a dream.

He personally witnessed how this dreamlike fighter came together bit by bit. It was hard to believe that just one person accomplished the entire assembly in the hangar.

If he didn’t know that in the aviation industry, customizing aircraft is easy but mass production is hard, Old Pan might have thought all the domestic aircraft manufacturers were incapable.

The “Mustang” still looked like the “Mustang,” at least externally, it didn’t seem to have changed much.

However, the internal structure had transformed significantly compared to the original.

The old parts had been devoured completely by the gold giant dragon as a reward and served as a late-night snack.

The reason this giant dragon worked so hard was mainly that it had to rely on Lin Mo to survive in this world. Besides, their relationship had shifted from a divine contract to a mercenary relationship, which allowed the gold giant dragon’s wild nature to be somewhat tamed.

After the transformation, this new "Mustang" had unknowingly surpassed the official modified version of the P-51 "Mustang," known as the PA-48 "Persecutor," which was sealed away in 1986.

…

Maybe it was to give Lin Mo more time to modify his P-51 "Mustang" that the Night Special Forces only handed him their latest mission once he finished his upgrades.

This made Lin Mo feel somewhat guilty; compared to the helicopter squad of the Aircrew Group, even though he received the toughest tasks, he was the most idle one in “Night.” He spent nearly half his time gallivanting around.

This combat mission, transferred from the Staff Group, was not part of the usual area of operations for the Night Special Forces.

The Special Forces team responsible for the Mongolia and Russia direction discovered an overseas mission and, upon sending reconnaissance personnel, found that this armed organization of fewer than two hundred people was equipped with two French SA342 “Gazelle” armed helicopters—not your ordinary small group modifying civilian helicopters, but real military helicopters.

This discovery startled the reconnaissance personnel, who then conducted careful investigations. After experiencing a few narrow escapes, they successfully transmitted the actual situation back.

Equipping two military helicopters surely indicated that this armed group’s individual weapons and equipment were also of high quality. In fact, they were so advanced that they surpassed many conventional combat units from China and Russia, and even possessed advanced weapons typically reserved for national special forces.

This organization was no small group of petty thieves; it’s no wonder the higher-ups assigned it to the Special Forces to handle, as even the most equipped special forces, such as the Rambo or the Terminators, might struggle against them.

As information exchanged through the national intelligence network revealed details about this armed organization, they began to uncover their background.

They were a group of international mercenaries experienced in operations across Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, engaged in illegal activities such as drug trafficking, arms dealing, smuggling, and human trafficking.

The members were mostly outlaws, opportunists, and veterans with complex backgrounds, entangled with various other forces.

The formidable weaponry of the opponents brought considerable trouble to the adjacent area of the Night Special Forces, and defeating them would likely come at a great cost.

When the results of combat reasoning and assessment from the planning department did not show a clear advantage, the combat commanders were certainly reluctant to let the Special Forces soldiers sacrifice themselves for no reason.

Compared to the tactics used by typical combat units, the operational methods of the various special forces, with access to the best and most advanced war resources in the country, resembled those of the U.S. military, which favored overwhelming firepower. They spared no expense in war equipment and fire support, deploying missiles whenever possible, artillery when necessary, and avoiding machine guns if they could.

Even the toughest challenges must be faced; the Special Forces were designed to tackle such problems. Once orders were given, there was no reason to back down.

To ensure absolute firepower output and reduce casualties among ground troops, the air support mission for this overseas operation fell on Lin Mo.

Due to the operational radius, it was not necessary for the pilots to hold their posts in designated areas like the ground troops.

Especially in terms of deploying powerful pilots, there was an unexpected advantage in stealth and suddenness, as conventional air force units frequently shifted positions, fooling foreign spies.

Lin Mo had long since grown accustomed to these tasks of hopping from region to region.

For the range of the fighter jets, at most, it was just a round trip in one day, and he could still return to the “Night” base, take a shower, and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

This time for the long-distance mission, Lin Mo didn’t use the fourth-generation J-18 "Red Eagle" fighter that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation gave him. Instead, he soared into the sky piloting the newly modified "Mustang."

When it comes to choosing weapons, only the combat personnel have the final say.

Old Pan from the Aircrew Group and Captain Feng had no objections to the mission report Lin Mo submitted, giving him the green light all the way.

After loading two auxiliary fuel tanks, the "Mustang" had a flight range that rivaled that of a large passenger aircraft.

“Codename ‘Mustang’! Altitude 3000 meters, entering temporary route L56004X12.”

Lin Mo held the control stick and confirmed his position to the Air Traffic Control Bureau via the radio channel. He obtained a unique communication encryption key for the "Mustang’s" onboard communication station, allowing him to connect to the military encrypted communication channel.

“Confirming the position of ‘Mustang’! Note that sunset has begun; in about an hour, you will approach the border line. Reminder: your signal is quite clear; what a special aircraft.”

The current radar system could do more than just identify a target’s location; it could even automatically scan the model and specifications of the aircraft. The radar operators expressed great surprise at the aircraft identified by the system.

It was astonishing that such an old plane could still fly; shouldn’t this thing be in a museum?

“A collectible!”

This wasn’t the first time Lin Mo had played tricks on the radar operators; when he first flew this fighter back to China, radar personnel in Southwest China thought it was a World War II fighter that had time-traveled.

Even though Lin Mo’s "Mustang" didn’t belong to the official combat sequence of the military, the moment he completed the modifications, the Staff Group automatically incorporated it into the Aircrew Group of "Night."

While its origins were somewhat surprising, that didn’t change the fact that it was a fighter jet.

Even a modern creation like the "Super Dodo" might not fare well against the "Mustang."

For fighters, small-scale ground attacks often involve simply spraying bullets or dropping bombs. A fighter pilot with a bit of intelligence could easily fire an air-to-ground missile from a distance, observe the results from half a loop, and turn back home—the kind of thing an average pilot could do well.

Face-to-face close combat usually only happens in dogfights with equally matched opponents; in most cases, the air force has an inherent advantage over the ground troops.

Once the adjacent area’s Special Forces confirmed Lin Mo’s fighter entered the combat sequence, they immediately dispatched ground troops by helicopter to the designated assembly point, planning to launch an attack within seventy-two hours.

After crossing the border line, Lin Mo maneuvered the "Mustang" to lower its altitude, entering the ground radar’s blind spot, flying less than 20 meters above the ground toward the designated location.

For overseas missions, occasional silent border crossings with a single aircraft are acceptable, but large formations crossing require official authorization; otherwise, they risk interception and attack.

The P-51 "Mustang" boasted excellent endurance, flying directly to the agreed meeting point without any stops, likely catching the opposing forces off guard to see a supporting fighter join them, making pre-battle communication even more advantageous and the corresponding combat plan more perfect.

The tactical helmet of the "Dragon General" had switched to night vision mode, while the small electronic pod hanging underneath the belly scanned the terrain ahead once per second.

Under the cover of darkness, ultra-low altitude flying was filled with danger; a small mistake could lead to destruction and loss of life.

But Lin Mo skillfully piloted the fighter, even without using the Light Mirror Technique, deftly avoiding hills, boulders, and trees while maintaining a steady speed.

Hovering above the designated assembly coordinates, Lin Mo spotted flashing signal lights below, with over ten bright military flashlights arranged like a runway.

Using the satellite map, he identified the location—a grassland—perfectly suited for a propeller fighter to make contact with the operational team.

Upon arriving on site, Lin Mo realized this mission was far from the simple task it seemed.

It wasn’t a battle of annihilation but a hostage rescue.

This was somewhat different from Lin Mo’s initial expectations; the operational requirements for air support were much more precise, and firing indiscriminately could endanger hostages, rendering the entire mission pointless.

The higher-ups assigning troops to him might have noted Lin Mo’s title as an "aerial sniper," indicating that precise ground strikes could perfectly assist ground troops in this type of operation.