Chapter 103

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Chapter 103: The Duel of Aerial Knights!

The J-10B boasted superior aerodynamics and a smaller radar cross-section, slightly outperforming Lin Mo’s J-10A. However, Lin Mo’s privately modified J-10A had narrowed the performance gap significantly. The biggest difference still lay in the aerodynamic design, but for Lin Mo, who had the gold giant dragon Gold Coin by his side, adjusting this aspect was quite manageable. Boldly altering the aircraft’s external shape could lead to serious accusations of deliberately damaging military equipment. This was not the same as privately modifying a firearm; an aircraft’s shape without wind tunnel testing and test flying wouldn’t receive any production certification.

Lin Mo did not change his flight path at all. The two J-10Bs arced around him, one to the left and one to the right, encircling him in the center. With Lin Mo’s J-10A at the lead, they formed a three-ship formation, switching the navigation system to formation flying, keeping the distances between the aircrafts under Lin Mo’s control.

"99, elder brother, do you have any shootdown records?" Qin Ye, the pilot of Aircraft No. 14 to Lin Mo’s left, could not help but ask over the communication channel, having noticed the two prominent stars on Lin Mo’s cockpit exterior. These two stars were not placed casually; they represented genuine achievements and golden military honors.

Qin Ye regarded Lin Mo as a senior, yet in reality, Lin Mo had only joined the military a fraction of the time Qin Ye had.

"It seems so!" Lin Mo hesitated for a moment; he had downed two helicopters and the two F-14s he took out, sadly, he hadn’t personally flown the J-10A to do it.

"Really? That’s amazing, I’m so envious!" Zheng Han, pilot of Aircraft No. 09, whose main tasks in the air force included monitoring and patrol without much combat, felt a surge of excitement hearing of a jet with an actual shootdown record. "Why don’t we practice a bit?"

"That might not be a good idea!" Lin Mo humbly replied; he still considered himself a newbie, having barely been familiar with the J-10 for a year. He knew that pilots who went through the regular training process typically took three to five years to hone their skills. Even during training, first-time flyers could handle a fighter jet almost blindfolded.

"This is a rare opportunity! We should take advantage of it!" But Zheng Han was undeterred, directly calling the tower: "Cave Nine calling the tower, Cave Nine calling the tower!"

"Jian Tower received! Jian Tower received! Please speak!"

"Cave Nine (09) officially challenges 99 to an aerial combat exercise! Victory is achieved by locking onto the target with fire control radar for three seconds! Yao Four (14) will be the referee; please approve, Jian Tower!" Zheng Han had no intention of letting Lin Mo off easy, with an unusual flight designation signaling that this was not an ordinary confrontation. With actual combat achievements, he was determined to extract maximum value from Lin Mo’s skills.

"……Please hold!" The Jianqiao Airport tower was almost shocked by the audacious idea of this pilot. After a brief silence, they quickly sought approval from higher-ups. For soldiers, every ounce of combat experience was precious. Organizing an exercise was no easy task, and having a pilot with actual combat experience to share insights was enticing.

Five minutes later, Jian Tower communicated back; Lin Mo and the two J-10B pilots listened intently. "Jian Tower approves the temporary exercise. The exercise’s airspace coordinates are at East Longitude XX degrees, North Latitude XX degrees, with a combat radius of 50 kilometers. The exercise will automatically cease when fuel drops to 20%!"

"Cave Nine (09) confirms!" Zheng Han’s voice was filled with excitement!

"Yao Four (14) confirms!" Qin Ye from Aircraft No. 14 was also clearly thrilled. This spur-of-the-moment aerial duel promised an exhilarating experience. It would challenge not only the pilots’ mental resilience and flying skills but also the performance of their aircraft.

"Alright! If you want to fight, then let’s fight! Aircraft No. 99 confirms," Lin Mo, feeling somewhat like a forced participant but not intimidated, welcomed the challenge posed by Aircraft No. 09. As a top-tier aerial knight, he had no reason to shy away from a confrontation.

"The battle format is dogfight! It starts now!" declared the referee, Qin Ye from Aircraft No. 14, initiating the exercise with a command.

Lin Mo and the two J-10Bs almost simultaneously adjusted their positions, deploying air brakes as they flew in different directions.

The combat data between the J-10A and J-10B was likely to be incredibly valuable. Jianqiao Airport would not reject such an interesting near-real combat situation.

"Let’s go!" Lin Mo activated the exercise system. The J-10 was not armed with real munitions but could virtually load weapons in the system. The computer would confirm if he hit a target, with the fire control radar and other attack systems functioning almost identically to real combat. Just pressing the launch button would reveal whether the target had been shot down, which was vastly different from simulations.

Fifteen seconds later, they entered the exercise airspace. Jianqiao Airport had temporarily cleared all flight paths above this area, providing sufficient operational range and altitude for the three J-10s.

The opponents were confined within a 50-kilometer radius. Lin Mo refrained from using the Light Mirror Technique, which served as an onboard standard assistive technique; that would have been unfair. Instead, he directed the J-10 into the clouds, powering up the radar to search for targets.

The J-10 was equipped with domestically produced Type 1473 radar, which had an air-to-air search range of 130 kilometers and an attack range of 90 kilometers. In a radius of only 50 kilometers, close-quarters combat would be the most effective approach.

Suddenly, the radar beeped, briefly displaying a triangle that vanished. As the referee, Aircraft No. 14 was moving normally within the exercise airspace.

Damn it, the opponent must be aware of the J-10’s radar features! Almost immediately, electronic noise filled the airwaves, and Lin Mo’s radar was slightly disrupted. He quickly switched to countermeasure mode, but radar efficiency dropped. However, the J-10 was not a dedicated electronic warfare aircraft, nor were any of them equipped with electronic pods. Their electronic countermeasures did little more than a half-hearted attempt to defend.

They must be maneuvering at low altitude, using terrain to evade radar detection. Lin Mo was certain that Zheng Han in Aircraft No. 09 would take advantage of the better low RCS (Radar Cross Section) of the J-10B. But it was still not a fourth-generation stealth aircraft, so thorough searching could yield results.

Zheng Han’s tactical approach was almost tailor-made for the J-10B. The J-10 was designed for excellent climb performance and was not easily attacked from the air. In contrast, Lin Mo’s J-10A was more easily detected. Still, he aimed to maintain high-altitude performance and a speed advantage.

Ding! Just as the lock-on warning alarmed, Lin Mo swiftly twisted the aircraft’s nose to evade. A light sound signaled he had avoided the attack envelope, showcasing the jet’s speed to its full potential.

There, beneath the clouds, a silver-gray J-10B was pulling off a high-maneuvering turn directly towards Lin Mo. Though climbing would severely affect the fighter’s speed and subject the pilot to potential G-forces, Zheng Han’s confidence shone through.

If Zheng Han had equipped his aircraft with all-around missiles, he would attempt to place Lin Mo within the J-10B’s sweet spot for surround attack!

If he wanted to use a tailing tactic, bring it on! Lin Mo directed the aircraft directly toward a point, executing a rapid S-shaped maneuver to accelerate away from Aircraft No. 09, preparing to switch roles from hunter to prey.

Lin Mo’s J-10 glided gracefully into the mountain range, performing high-maneuverability turns, causing Zheng Han to lose sight of him. He could only vaguely hear the roar of the fighter, but the complex terrain blocked his attack options. This had once been the forte of MiG aircraft, but Lin Mo executed it seamlessly, risking destruction with every move.

The single-engine vector thrust erupted with a nearly colorless, high-temperature plume. The J-10A danced through the valleys with the agility of a fish. Its vector nozzles provided limited improvements in maneuverability and needed replacement after about a hundred hours, but at that moment, they enhanced the fighter’s agility. In aerial combat, even minor differences in aircraft performance could determine victory or defeat.

"How fast!" The first to attack, Aircraft No. 09, repeatedly tried to lock onto Lin Mo. However, Lin Mo’s rapid maneuvers made it impossible for him to do so. In an instant, Lin Mo’s black-gray J-10 exceeded 8 Gs in turning rate, charging toward him with half a scissor maneuver. Zheng Han could clearly see Lin Mo glancing in his direction from within the cockpit.

"What a crazy guy!" Zheng Han pulled his aircraft into a series of barrel rolls, trying to shake off Lin Mo. Such high-overload maneuvers were manageable at high altitudes but were suicidal at low altitudes. Should his body fail to withstand the forces and cause him to blackout or stiffen, he could crash immediately into the mountains.

"Hey, the show is just beginning!" Lin Mo’s teasing voice came through the channel, calm as if conversing on the ground. In his previous world, he and the gold giant dragon Gold Coin had executed even crazier maneuvers. He had nearly figured out Zheng Han’s flying habits.

Inexperienced pilots often fell into textbook attack and defense routines, but facing Lin Mo, who conducted himself freely in the skies, they often found themselves caught off guard. Lin Mo was practically using the J-10A as if riding a giant dragon.

Standard attack maneuvers included the “move-attack-move” principle, yet Lin Mo was a madman who rarely followed the manual, hiding his lethal moves within his movements. Although he had fired no shots, the constant flashing and fading alarm within Aircraft No. 09 served as a reminder to Zheng Han that he was still within Lin Mo’s attack envelope and could be shot down at any moment.

Boom!