Chapter 460

Chapter 460: "Gregory" Flight Squadron

The senior engineer from Sukhoi was not only enthusiastic but also fully committed, which earned Lin Mo even more respect. Lin Mo waved his hand to stop the elderly Russian man from rushing around and said, “No need to borrow; I have my own pressure suit.”

“Really?” Engineer Sergei Sulotov turned around in surprise, looking excitedly at Lin Mo, who was shaking his military backpack at him.

Lin Mo nodded vigorously.

The "Dragon General" tactical armor inside his backpack was the best pressure suit in the world; there was no need to borrow someone else’s.

Not every pilot carries their own pressure suit; many rely heavily on the robust logistical support available to them, so they don’t need to worry about such things. Their only job is to show up for duty, and the logistics team will prepare everything, including pressure suits.

Air Knights, like knights of old, demand far more from their logistics than other troops, aside from their considerable combat capabilities.

Fortunately, modern Air Knights are supplied with everything they need by the country and military, allowing them to focus entirely on combat without reservations.

“Thank heavens, Chinese kid, you’re our angel! Haha!” As Lin Mo began to pull out his tactical armor from the military backpack, Sergei Sulotov’s smile seemed to take ten years off his age.

This journey truly had brought helpful allies; someone could assist in moving the fighter jets, and it just so happened that they could trust this Chinese person who also brought his own pressure suit.

There couldn’t have been a better coincidence.

If he hadn’t been pushed to join at the last minute, he might have thought this Chinese kid had the foresight of a diviner.

But as he smiled, Sergei Sulotov’s expression suddenly stiffened, freezing as if time had stopped in an instant.

What was the person wearing?

Like everyone else, seeing the "Dragon General" tactical armor, he couldn’t help but stare in shock.

The sleek black defensive suit worn by Lin Mo was entirely different from the mainstream pressure suits; he had never seen a style like this before.

Pressure suits typically use air bladder designs that are soft yet durable, but what this Chinese kid wore, Sergei Sulotov had no doubt, could even defend against AK bullets.

Wasn’t that a bit too thick? What were those defense plates for? Didn’t they seem a bit excessive? And the helmet—a strange style that had a bit of a science fiction feel to it, but it looked more like land-based tactical armor.

The senior engineer at Sukhoi guessed only half right.

While some major countries also have similar individual armor, they hadn’t reached full deployment; most remained in laboratories for continuous refinement, with very few being tested in real combat.

On the other hand, many soldiers, including elite special forces, couldn’t fully utilize the capabilities of such individual armor. The Henghai Defense had encountered some bizarre threats that their individual armor couldn’t match, and they were thankful. The Americans once aimed to capture Lin Mo to make him an experimental subject for the "Future Warrior."

If Lin Mo had shown any signs of wavering back then, he likely wouldn’t be wearing the "Dragon General" now but rather an enhanced "Future Warrior," perhaps with American citizenship on top of that. After all, living, breathing elites are everywhere, but someone of Lin Mo’s caliber is rare for any country.

In the aerospace field, such applications may exist, but in aviation, it was rare for someone like Lin Mo to walk around confidently in his armor, which explained why many showed stunned expressions at first glance.

“Eh? What’s that?”

The six Russian air force pilots helping each other put on their pressure suits stopped and looked at the Chinese pilot with uncertainty.

Lin Mo’s distinct tactical armor was quite eye-catching, and the overload resistance capability wasn’t even its main function—it was more of a secondary feature.

“Captain Kameni, what is that Chinese person wearing? A knight’s armor?”

One Russian pilot looked at Lin Mo with undisguised greed in his eyes, knowing full well that this suit was likely much more than just an overload suit; it must have other capabilities not found in standard gear.

“Alexander, it should be a pressure suit, an Air Knight! But it certainly has a great style,” the captain, code-named "Mayflower," Kameni Ivanov, speculated that the Chinese man’s pressure suit was not as simple as it appeared and likely had special features.

However, the squad leader was more concerned about reminding the other five pilots than focusing on Lin Mo: “Hurry up with your preparations; we have thirty minutes left until takeoff. We need to communicate with that Chinese guy to avoid him falling behind. We’re in France, and if any mishaps occur, it’s all on us Russians. I hope this guy doesn’t disappoint us; you all be nice to our Chinese guest.”

Although it was the senior engineer from Sukhoi who introduced Lin Mo to the transfer process, which had been approved by Sukhoi and the Russian military’s high command, the actual execution of all tasks related to the transfer fell entirely to the Russian flight squadron.

After giving directions to his pilots, the squadron leader, "Mayflower," waved to Lin Mo, indicating him to come over.

“Hey! Chinese guy! Welcome to join our Sukhoi ‘Gregory’ Flight Squadron!”

To accommodate Lin Mo, the flight leader used English to greet him, giving a thumbs-up to Sergei Sulotov standing nearby.

Perhaps it was an unwritten rule that pilots from most countries would use English, making communication between them straightforward.

“Hi! Hello!” Lin Mo could guess what was coming from the map in the other’s hands.

Only a fool would follow up with something like “What’s going on?” Such a question would not only be looked down upon but might also make them doubt his competence.

Only someone with a low IQ would become a pilot.

“Let’s go together; let’s talk about the route and by the way, what’s your flight call sign?”

“Hmm!” Lin Mo turned to look at the Su-27 at the end of the line, which had the temporary spray-painted number “07” on it, then turned back to the Russian “Gregory” flight squadron leader and said, “Call me ‘Number 7.’”

“Alright, ‘Number 7’ is a great name! My flight call sign is ‘Mayflower,’ and I’m thrilled to work with you.”

Noticing Lin Mo’s gaze at the Su-27, it seemed the Chinese kid had already chosen his aircraft. The Russian flight squadron leader extended his hand to shake Lin Mo’s, establishing a good relationship and rapport that would benefit their upcoming cooperation in the transfer.

“Come on, everyone gather around! I’ll explain today’s flight plan. It’s only a ten-minute flight distance.” Without any hesitation, the squadron leader treated Lin Mo as part of his team, bringing together the “Gregory” squad members into a circle, unfolding the map in his hands, and then pointing out designated launch times, flight routes, altitudes, and communication frequencies from the French.

Given that the exhibition lasted a week, the number of fighter jet takeoffs over Paris could potentially initiate a medium-scale conflict with surrounding countries; the French dispatched elite personnel to strengthen the control tower at Bourget Airport to almost rival the air traffic capacity of Charles de Gaulle Airport, creating a temporary air command system for the aerospace exhibition.

“…Alright, to accommodate our Chinese friend, ‘Number 7,’ you will follow our Number 6; Number 6’s code is ‘Trout’ after Franz Schubert’s composition. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the communication channel. Finally, I’ll help you get accustomed to the cockpit operations of the Su-27.”

The structure and operation modes of the Su-27 and China’s J-11 are very similar, the only difference being the operation console inside the cockpit.

The Sukhoi-designed single-seat, twin-engine all-weather air superiority heavy fighter, the Su-27 Guardian, began development in 1969, had its first flight on May 20, 1977, entered mass production in 1979, and was adopted by the military in 1985.

As the original version of the J-11, the Su-27 also underwent a series of improvements, enhancing its competitive edge as a participant in this exhibition, with all units using the more advanced AL-41F engines.

From the outset, the Su-27 allowed for substantial modifications; for example, after China adapted the Su-27SMK into its "Project 11," the resulting J-11 reached performance parameters equivalent to the Su-30MKK. Even the Old Russians were astonished by the Chinese’s impressive imitation capabilities, outshining the original.

Half an hour was more than enough for Lin Mo to master the operations of this Su-27, even though he hadn’t operated this “Guardian” before; he was not unfamiliar with the operation and avionics systems of the Su-27.

The J-15 he piloted on the "Shilang" training ship in the South China Sea (after trial voyages on the "Shilang," Shenyang Aircraft Corporation renamed it "Flying Shark") was modified from the Su-33 "Sea Guardian," where the Su-33 had originally been based on the Su-27. The similarities between the three models are close, with the main difference being slightly different aerodynamic designs, while the operational platforms are nearly identical.

Thus, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to view the J-15 as a carrier version of the Su-27.

The connection is clear; thus, the difficulty of piloting the "Guardian" for Lin Mo was effectively zero—there was no challenge at all.