Chapter 333

Chapter 333: Charge Forward and Kill

Although Lin Mo and the enemy fought to a draw, they successfully exposed the unmanned combat aircraft on the radar screen, providing Colonel Wu with targeting assistance. After utilizing the multifunctional pylon, the J-15 "Dark Sabre" could also employ this internationally recognized advanced air-to-air missile.

The PL-12 "Thunderbolt" medium-range air-to-air missile, guided by active radar, could also share guidance through a data link.

Lin Mo’s "Longyan" aviation tactical helmet quickly confirmed the guidance authority for the air-to-air missile, locking firmly onto the unmanned combat aircraft.

Even though the nose of the "Dark Sabre" was not aimed directly at the target, the "Longyan" allowed Lin Mo to see precisely where the missile was pointing. Could the enemy fighter evade human tracking? The answer was clearly no.

Moreover, the omnipresent perspective of the Light Mirror Technique left no escape for the unmanned combat aircraft.

The newly arrived forces and the sudden appearance of the air-to-air missile made the pure white unmanned combat aircraft hesitate to retreat; it was there to kill Lin Mo, not to sacrifice itself. The cost of one hundred "Dark Sabres" could not compare to the design and development costs of that single unmanned combat aircraft.

Immediately, it performed a feigned attack maneuver to retreat safely, unhesitatingly abandoning the "Dark Sabre." The pure white unmanned combat aircraft, bearing varying degrees of damage, turned and fled. It even accelerated immediately, breaking the sound barrier with maximum power, rushing away while dispersing a shower of infrared jamming grenades and metallic strips.

The PL-12 "Thunderbolt" was almost as tricky as the AIM-120 "Prison."

The enemy surely knew that the Chinese-made PL-12 air-to-air missile could not be easily fooled like a rocket bomb, as close-range directional defensive interception weapons could not stabilize energy accumulation quickly enough to deal with a missile flying at Mach 4 and maneuvering with strange trajectories.

The wounded white unmanned combat aircraft left only a fleeting figure for Lin Mo and the arriving Colonel Wu, retreating rapidly, clearly not significantly damaged in its engine system during the fight. The radar displayed tracking data that reached Mach 4.7 within seconds, easily outrunning the PL-12 "Thunderbolt," which was still three kilometers away.

“Damn it! Detonate!” Lin Mo’s eyelid twitched as a fireball erupted at his line of sight. The PL-12 "Thunderbolt" missile exploded under the control of the "Longyan" tactical helmet, somewhat like a remote-controlled bomb. This missile had been developed with a guiding system module designed for interfacing with warning aircraft, perfectly integrating with the "Longyan."

It was unacceptable to let the missile exhaust its fuel and fall into the sea since it might be salvaged by other countries or organizations, potentially leaking its technical secrets. Lin Mo could only choose to detonate it.

Mach 4.7, Mach 5, Mach 5.2 — watching the data detected by the radar and optical satellites, Lin Mo snorted; the enemy clearly employed a rocket booster engine.

“Are you okay?” Colonel Wu’s J-15 "Dark Sabre" approached Lin Mo, following him back towards the Shilang aircraft carrier. Turning to glance at Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre," he was taken aback. “Can your aircraft hold up? I see smoke coming out of it; you might as well eject!”

Compared to the fleeing white unmanned combat aircraft, Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre" was in poor condition, with many wounds across its body. Due to multiple overloading maneuvers, the tempered bulletproof glass of the cockpit had cracked further; even the inner layer of glass showed damage. The externally burned holes almost penetrated the cockpit, and the wings had several missing sections, resembling a mischievous child poking and scribbling with a pen dipped in black ink.

Fortunately, Lin Mo had timely jettisoned the auxiliary fuel tank and cleared the rocket pod, having fired off the close-range combat missiles during the conflict; otherwise, the weapon detonation alone could have caused significant trouble for him.

Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre" was indeed a pitiful sight. He had done his best to avoid being hit in critical areas, yet it could still endure. He replied over the radio, “I should be able to make it back, but I definitely have a report to write.”

Missing the opportunity to bring that guy down was truly disappointing.

With the Chinese aircraft carrier training ship making its maiden voyage and causing quite a commotion, it drew the attention of various military forces. This white unmanned combat aircraft might have come to test the combat capabilities of Chinese carrier-based aircraft or perhaps to provoke the Chinese military, or it might have simply targeted Lin Mo.

As for the enemy’s true identity, Lin Mo had little interest in knowing. The responsibility of an aerial knight was to bring enemies down from the sky, while any schemes or tricks would be handled by professionals accustomed to such matters; these were naturally others’ concerns.

“Target entered the cloud cover, leaving satellite surveillance. Damn it, where did it go?! Apply for a synthetic aperture radar satellite scan immediately!”

The technicians responsible for linking the satellite to track the unmanned combat aircraft couldn’t help but curse. Sitting comfortably in the command center, enjoying air conditioning and cool drinks, they could not pinpoint the enemy’s position to retaliate with a long-range ballistic missile, which felt unjust towards the aerial knights front line fighting for their lives.

After a flurry of busyness at the aircraft carrier’s operations command center, all available measures were exhausted, yet they found nothing.

It seemed the enemy was not foolish, knowing to evade the satellites by using the thick cloud cover to escape untraceable.

Based on the direction the unmanned combat aircraft disappeared, the Shilang aircraft carrier’s combat command center outlined a suspicious area: fighter jets would need an airport to land, making regions like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Australia, the Arabian Peninsula, and even parts of Africa the most suspect.

However, this was not definite; there could also be temporary surface takeoff and landing sites.

An urgent alarm blared out on the flight deck of the Shilang aircraft carrier as the instructor team of Dragon Knights prepared to return, but the damaged aircraft’s ability to safely land remained uncertain.

The deck crew quickly became busy, preparing fire extinguishers and high-pressure water hoses for any emergencies.

“They’re coming, they’re coming!”

Upon receiving notification from the radar crew, the deck crew shouted, rallying together. People rushed back and forth near the landing deck, striving to prepare as thoroughly as possible within each passing minute.

“Steady, steady! You must hold on!”

As Lieutenant Meng Hailiang from the deck crew, with nearly a thousand takeoff and landing preparations under his belt, stood on the deck alongside many others, he thought to himself that this time was different. An ACE pilot was returning after finishing aerial combat; this was truly a king’s comeback.

Through the binoculars, he could already see two "Dark Sabres," one of which was trailing thick smoke and flying with a shaky flight posture. Clearly, it had sustained serious damage, but it had managed to come back.

A fighter jet is incredibly valuable, and as long as there is a chance, no pilot would easily give up. Meng Hailiang understood this very well; being shot down and returning with injuries were completely different concepts for pilots.

The first batch of carrier-based aircraft was exceptionally precious for the Shilang.

The engineers from the maintenance crew also understood the importance of the "Dark Sabre" after engaging in battle using tactical lasers as close-combat weapons. Each wound had significant research value; after all, no one would foolishly practice on a J-15 "Dark Sabre" with tactical lasers.

These battle damages could serve as important references for future high-energy weapon applications, making them very valuable evidence.

“Dragon Knight! You should eject! I can see you can barely hold on!” Colonel Wu, flying just a hundred meters from Lin Mo, urged him multiple times on the return path.

Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre" became increasingly worse, and his control grew weaker. Although the engine power remained good, strong winds posed constant dangers. Sparks from short circuits erupted within the aircraft, and the thick smoke from the damaged areas was not extinguished by the automatic sealing system; it only thickened.

“No problem, I can hold on!”

Lin Mo’s response to Colonel Wu was always the same. When he faced high-altitude turbulence only a few hundred meters from the ground, he had never given up, let alone now.

The Shilang had already aligned its bow against the headwind, providing natural resistance for the carrier-based aircraft’s landing.

Lin Mo began to lower the landing gear and aimed for the runway, preparing all four arresting wires.

“Pull up, pull up!”

As the "Dark Sabre" wobbled, nearly touching down, it suddenly ascended sharply. Lin Mo urgently asked, “What happened?!”

The deck crew would not be so anxious without reason, reminding him to pull up.

“Tailhook, the tailhook didn’t deploy.”

The alert voice of the deck crew responsible for the landing came through the headset.

“Understood!” That was close. Lin Mo looked down; the tailhook light was green, and the system indicated it had been lowered. However, a glance with the Light Mirror Technique revealed that the tailhook had not extended at all. That was a close call.

At the critical moment when the aircraft carrier was ready for him to land, it had failed to deploy — what a letdown.

The "Dark Sabre" quickly turned and made a wide circle to re-fly. After Lin Mo’s emergency handling, the tailhook finally returned to function and lowered slightly.

“I’m aligned. Is everything okay now?” Lin Mo asked the landing controller on the deck again.

“Everything’s fine! Arresting wires are ready! You are cleared to land!”

Many flight trainees from the aviation crew stood near the deck, and to prevent accidents, the Marines formed a human wall, straining to push the pilots back to a safe distance. Everyone was ready to cheer Lin Mo for a successful landing.

“Well then, here I come!” Lin Mo firmly grasped the control stick with one hand while adjusting switches and various systems with the other, compensating for the increasingly unstable aircraft. This landing was a challenge for him.

At a distance of 400 meters, he could already see the descent signal light emitted by the Fresnel lens optical system.

Suddenly, in full view of everyone, the "Dark Sabre" lost power and dropped abruptly.

The aviation trainees at the tail of the Shilang, along with the Marines and deck crew, all gasped in unison.