Chapter 1325
Air Combat! Air Combat! Air Combat! King of Dogfights, J-6
"Sorry, Lao Xu. They want to come into our yard..."
"But I disagree!"
Li Aiguo's voice came through the dark green communicator.
No sooner had the words been spoken than a piercing "zzzz..." sound rang out.
"Hello! Hello! 2973, please respond, 2973!" Boss Xu grabbed the microphone and shouted at the top of his lungs.
The only response he received was deathly silence and the incessant crackling of electricity.
General Xu's brows were furrowed, and his face was so solemn it seemed to drip water.
Clearly, the fighter jet had plunged into a signal blind spot.
It's important to understand that communication technology back then was far less advanced than in later times; signals relied entirely on relays from nearby military signal towers.
Once it goes out of range or is subjected to strong interference, it becomes "out of contact".
"How is it? Has 2973 returned?"
Accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps.
Upon receiving the news, Junwei's leader hurriedly pushed open the door and entered.
"Reporting to the leader, no...no..." The communications officer was covered in sweat.
"Nonsense! Absolutely nonsense! This Comrade Li Aiguo is so disorganized and undisciplined! Does he think this is child's play?" Upon hearing this, the military leader immediately flew into a rage.
Upon hearing this, General Xu stood up and said loudly:
"Reporting to the leader! The 'demon among demons' and enemy planes on the island are about to break in!"
Their flight altitude exceeds 10,000 meters, and our anti-aircraft guns are simply unable to effectively shoot them down without fully understanding their trajectory!
General Xu paused, gritted his teeth, and continued, "We can't bring over the fighter jets we're rebuilding nearby in time."
Comrade Li Aiguo chose to disobey orders in order to stop the enemy from entering and to protect our compound!
Although General Xu felt that Li Aiguo was too bold, he greatly admired Li Aiguo's courage. Now that he heard the leader's criticism, he quickly pointed it out.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, one of the staff officers who accompanied the military leader stepped forward and said, "Sir, you don't need to worry too much."
Our J-6 fighter jets were evenly matched with the F-100 Super Sabre on the other side.
At that time, even if Comrade Li Aiguo is unable to fight against multiple opponents,
If you can't win, retreating to save your life is still an option.
"Sigh, this Li Aiguo is just being a troublemaker. When he gets back, I'll definitely make him drink a few cups of wine!" The military leader's expression improved significantly.
Everyone could see that this wasn't about dealing with Li Aiguo; they were too busy taking care of their precious child.
A penalty drink?
That's called a victory celebration drink!
However, General Xu's expression did not soften at all; instead, it became even more bitter.
"Reporting to the leader, what's over there... isn't an F100 Super Sabre, it's an F104..."
"what?!"
"According to Comrade Li Aiguo's description before he went missing, that was the most advanced fighter jet that the island had just received from Xiao Mei's house, the F104 Star Warrior!"
The military leader's expression, which had just softened, instantly turned serious.
The reason is simple: the F-104 fighter jet is too special.
This story begins after the end of the war in the north.
The US Air Force summarized its experience and discovered a problem: the Russian MiG fighter jets climbed quickly and moved at high speeds.
To gain an advantage in combat, it is necessary to create a fighter jet that prioritizes speed and climb rate to the extreme.
Thus, the F104 Star Warriors came into being.
This aircraft is less of an airplane and more of a missile with two small wings added. It was once jokingly referred to as a "manned rocket" by the US Air Force.
In 1960, the Alishan Project was launched on the island, introducing F-104s in batches.
Because the cost of these fighter jets was too high, Kojima gave each F104 a code name, such as Alishan No. 1, Alishan No. 2, etc.
Although this was the first time F104 had come here, the weather station had already gotten wind of it, and the military leadership was well aware of this.
"Get Li Aiguo back right away!"
"Report, radio contact has been lost; we may have entered a signal dead zone." General Xu's lips curled into a bitter smile.
The military leader took a deep breath, picked up the communicator, and contacted the air defense forces.
All radars were instructed to keep an eye on the airspace over the Gulf.
The anti-aircraft guns are loaded, and once enemy aircraft are spotted, they will open fire immediately without needing permission.
At the same time, orders were given to nearby communes to dispatch militia and fishing boats to launch a rescue operation as soon as any of our fighter jets were discovered to have been shot down.
This is a true veteran who has experienced war.
In the most critical and uncontrollable times, they can always make the most comprehensive arrangements, do their best, and leave the rest to fate.
Even after all these arrangements were completed, the military leaders still felt somewhat uneasy.
Looking at Director Gao, who had remained silent, he said, "Old Gao, you're an expert."
Tell everyone, do you think our J-6 has any hope of winning against the F-104?
To be honest, stop with the empty platitudes and comforting words.
Factory Director Gao sighed: "Boss, the F104 can reach an astonishing maximum speed of Mach 2.2."
Our J-6 fighter jet's maximum speed is only Mach 1.4.
In terms of firepower, the F104 is equipped with an M61 Vulcan cannon and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
The J-6 only has three 30mm cannons, plus two infrared air-to-air missiles.
To be frank, let alone defeating the opponent... given their absolute speed advantage.
Once spotted and engaged by the enemy, the J-6... has virtually no chance of escape.
After hearing these words, the command post fell into a deathly silence.
The military leader slowly turned his head to look at the bright red badge hanging on the wall, his eyes slightly red.
"I hope... I hope that kid Li Aiguo isn't that stupid."
Among the crowd, the leaders and pilots all clenched their fists, their eyes filled with worry.
Zong Xianfeng had never experienced such a scene before, and his face turned pale. Old Cat comforted him with a few words.
"Don't worry, Aiguo has always been very lucky."
"Yeah yeah."
He comforted Zong Xianfeng.
A bitter smile appeared on Old Cat's lips as he muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear.
"Sometimes he's dumber than anyone else!"
He knew Li Aiguo too well. This guy was usually carefree and seemed to take nothing to heart, but he was truly willing to give his life for his country.
"Patriot, don't worry. If you sacrifice yourself, I will make sure that the people who did this are buried with you, even if it means killing them all the way to the island!" Old Cat Anzi made up his mind.
Inside the command post, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like water was about to drip from it.
Outside the command post, a bright red flag fluttered in the fierce wind.
At this moment, Junwei's order was quickly relayed.
All island radar stations have been activated.
Nearby, the gun barrels of the shore artillery positions have been stripped of their covers, awaiting only the order to fire.
On the other side of the coastline, the atmosphere was equally tense.
The nearby fishing community also received an emergency notification from the armed forces.
The commune members and militiamen were quickly gathered at the seaside.
Zhao Laobao from Sanchazi Commune is almost fifty years old this year.
Yet he remained the most active member of the militia.
There is no other reason.
Back then, Zhao Laobao's wife and children were violated by those heartless enemies. He remembered this deep-seated hatred for the rest of his life.
What is aerial combat?
"Hey, you idiot! Air combat is just fighter jets fighting each other!"
"It must be those cowards from the island causing trouble again!"
The commune secretary shouted, "Quiet down, everyone!" and then relayed the instructions from his superiors.
"Comrades, our pilots are fighting the enemy to the death right above us!"
The situation is very dangerous; our fighter jets could be shot down at any moment.
Therefore, our superiors ordered us to go to sea immediately.
If we find one of our comrades has fallen into the water, we must risk our lives to save them!
"What if we spot the enemy?" a young militiaman couldn't help but ask.
"Is there even a question? They'd just shove him into the sea and kill him! He thinks he can get ashore? He can dream on!" Old Zhao Bao suddenly stood up and shouted.
Although Zhao Laobao shouted loudly, he was also quite apprehensive when he looked at the few dilapidated fishing boats.
He knew that finding a pilot who had fallen into the water in this vast ocean was no easier than finding a needle in a haystack.
But that's how it is these days; even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, everyone will give it their all.
That's how we create one miracle after another.
"set off!"
It was accompanied by a loud shout from the Party Secretary.
The commune members and militiamen set sail in their fishing boats.
At this moment, Li Aiguo had no idea how much trouble his impulsive act had caused.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't have time to care right now.
Because at this point, he had already turned his J-6 fighter jet around and caught up with the enemy's formation of fighter jets.
That is to say, nowadays all are second-generation fighter jets, and the F104 does not have a warning radar, only a ranging radar.
Otherwise, we would have been discovered before we even met.
"Getting in won't be that easy." Seeing a bright spot ahead, Li Aiguo jerked the joystick.
"Sixth Master, whether we can go home today depends on you!"
Meanwhile, in the cockpit of an F104 fighter jet ahead.
Wolf, a member of the raiding squad, was leisurely humming an unknown jazz tune.
He was happily planning which bar near Taoyuan Base he should go to for some fun after this boring errand was over.
I heard that the girls working at those newly opened shops are really beautiful.
Wolf wasn't arrogant; it was just that the F-104 he was sitting on was too advanced.
Those outdated fighter jets here are no match for us at all.
In particular, he is an excellent pilot himself, and he was sent to this island to serve as an instructor.
"Hey, Wolf, we're about to enter the target airspace. Stay alert and be careful!"
Captain Corey's reminder came through the headset.
Corey saw that the guy's fighter jet had deviated slightly from its course and couldn't help but shout.
Wolf rolled his eyes: "Damn it, you're just too nervous! We're top-notch pilots."
Even if we do encounter those peasants over there, what can they use to fight us?
I've heard that the pilots here rarely touch the control stick throughout the year, and they probably have to read the manual to figure out how to retract the landing gear.
Besides, this wasn't even our mission. If those people on the island weren't so hopeless, I wouldn't have bothered coming.
The special envoy in charge of the mission dared not utter a sound when he heard the conversation in his earpiece.
Although Wolff didn't seem to care, in order to stop the captain from nagging, he moved the control stick and made a routine turn to observe.
However, this unintentional movement caused him to freeze in his seat instantly.
"Oh God! What do I see? Captain! A fighter jet is following us from behind!"
"What? Fighter jets? Where did they come from? Are they ours?"
"No...no! It's a fighter jet I've never seen before! My God, there's a red five-pointed star on the wing...quick, turn on the ranging radar!"
Wolf reacted extremely quickly, rapidly switching on the radar.
"Hey, interesting." After seeing the radar echo, Wolf's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"This should be the improved J-6 mentioned in the intelligence, right?"
Okay, cutie, let me see what tricks this low-spec MiG-19 can pull off.
Wolf was getting excited. If he could take down his opponent here, his career total number of kills would reach double digits.
In the tradition of the Air Force, that's an "ace pilot"!
As for not being able to shoot it down? What a joke! Although he hadn't seen the detailed parameters of the J-6, he knew the MiG-19 inside and out.
Those outdated antiques, without even a proper ranging radar or missiles, were clumsy and slow to fly, making them easy targets in his eyes.
“Alright, since someone’s delivered themselves to our doorstep, let’s take out this annoying little fly first, then go in and carry out the mission.” Captain Corey originally planned to speed up and shake off the opponent, but after thinking about it, he changed his mind.
If this loose end isn't dealt with, subsequent actions are likely to encounter unexpected complications.
"And what about me?" The special envoy from the Demon King was terrified and asked in a trembling voice.
"What are you afraid of? You continue flying as planned. We'll get rid of this problem soon enough." Corey suddenly turned the rudder.
The originally neat flight formation changed instantly.
The two F-104s, like two bloodthirsty bald eagles, roared and pounced on the lone J-6 from the left and right.
To Corey and Wolf, it was like an eagle catching a chick.
However, Li Aiguo simply smiled.
He knows the F104 aircraft very well.
This is a fighter jet with both advantages and disadvantages that are extremely extreme.
Its advantage is speed, ridiculously fast.
The downside is... it can't fly too slowly.
As a result, it earned the nickname "flying coffin" in later generations, especially since the damage rate on the small island reached more than 30%.
The main setbacks occurred during training.
There's even a widely circulated sarcastic remark in a famous movie.
If you want an F-104? Then go wait on that lawn over there, one will fall from the sky in a little while.
only.
The situation is completely different when the fighter jet is in the hands of a real pilot.
Otherwise, more than two thousand of them could not have been produced and purchased by multiple companies at great expense.
Even in the 1990s, pasta enthusiasts still regarded the F104 as their flagship fighter jet.
Li Aiguo has always been strategically contemptuous of his opponents while tactically taking them seriously. He took a deep breath and roused himself.
Immediately push the lever to reduce the bank angle, rapidly lowering the J-6 from 11000 meters to a low altitude of 7000 meters.
"Damn it! This guy isn't going to engage in a high-altitude standoff; he's going to escape to low altitudes!"
Corey stared at the rapidly falling red dot on the radar screen and couldn't help but curse.
Star Warriors are dragons in the high sky and insects in the low sky.
These high-speed fighter jets hate dogfights in the viscous and complex air environment at low altitudes.
"Captain, what are you afraid of! That guy must have realized something was wrong and is trying to escape!"
Wolf couldn't hold back any longer. Corey, worried he might act impulsively, warned him to be careful not to fall into a trap.
Then let Wolf cover you while you dive down.
In the instant of the dive, Corey had already skillfully activated the missile launcher.
As long as it can catch the tail of that J-6 fighter jet, the AIM-9B Sidewinder missile will strike the jet's hot engine exhaust nozzle and cleanly send it back home.
However, what he didn't know was...
At the moment he swooped down.
"Trying to bite my tail?" Li Aiguo's lips curled into a cold smile.
The next second, he yanked the control stick and simultaneously slammed on the rudder.
The J-6, which was originally falling rapidly, suddenly braked in mid-air and made a series of small-radius sharp turns in front of the oncoming F-104 lead plane, followed by a beautiful barrel roll!
This sudden change happened too quickly.
Corey was shocked to discover that the spot of light that had been locked onto the radar screen had vanished into thin air!
"Damn it! Watch out, Wolf, this guy might be something else!" Corey's scalp tingled, and he instinctively yelled.
Before he finished speaking, the J-6 that had just vanished into thin air suddenly appeared without warning on the side of the wingman responsible for providing cover at high altitude, namely Wolf's F104!
Wolf, who was just getting ready to watch the show, was startled by the J-6 fighter jet that came slicing towards him like a knife.
In pursuit of ultimate speed, the F104 has short wings, resulting in extremely heavy control stick effort.
Wolf pulled the lever with all his might, but his reaction was still half a second too slow.
His overspeeding F104 suddenly "whooshed" ahead of the J-6, exposing its rear end without reservation.
This is the most classic and deadliest old tactic for dealing with two-aircraft formations: lure one aircraft and then intercept it.
Especially when used to deal with the F104, a straight-line acceleration monster that is "not slow", it is almost always a sure thing.
"Damn it! God, it's behind me! I need to push it up, push it up now!"
That's a deadly firing zone behind you!
For the first time in his life, Wolf felt the chill of death pressed against the back of his neck.
He completely panicked and, without waiting for Captain Corey to react, frantically pulled up the control stick, trying to force the F104 to climb and escape.
Not far behind him, Li Aiguo looked at the clumsy, upward-curving F104 and his smile deepened: "Little brat, your chance has come!"
Sure enough, before the words were even finished, the F104, which had been forcibly pulled up, instantly lost control, and its nose tilted upwards uncontrollably.
You have to understand, the F104 is incredibly fast.
If you force an ascent at a high angle of attack, there will only be one outcome: you'll fall like a brick!
Li Aiguo recalled that later military journals published specific figures.
It seems to be over 500 kilometers per hour, but the exact speed is no longer important.
The ironclad rule on the battlefield is: strike while the iron is hot and kill the enemy!
Li Aiguo immediately pulled back the stick and made a half-roll reversal, instantly cutting behind the F-104 lead aircraft at six o'clock.
On the rangefinder, the distance between the two sides is rapidly closing!
300 meters!
290 meters!
280 meters!
Lock the sights and press the gun button with your right hand.
"General Xu once said, 'Don't fire until you're 400 meters away; 300 meters is the most reliable distance!' Don't let me down with 30 shots."
The next instant, the thumb is pressed down!
Three 30mm cannons roared simultaneously.
The J-6's fuselage trembled violently under the enormous recoil.
The tracer rounds, like a string of fiery red whips, lashed straight at the F104.
Li Aiguo did not let up and continued to close the distance to 39 meters!
Only at this moment did he suddenly pull the control stick, and the J-6 grazed the edge of the enemy aircraft, escaping the battlefield with an extreme maneuver.
From beginning to end, Li Aiguo never looked back at the F104 again.
A true man never looks back at an explosion.
What's more, this is the famous 30mm cannon!
When this thing hits an airplane, it creates a transparent hole the size of a bowl with just one shot. Eight shots are enough to tear a heavy fighter jet to pieces.
With that kind of frenzied, almost face-to-face shooting, the enemy would have absolutely no chance to parachute out and escape!
Of course, even skydiving wouldn't help.
As is well known, in order to avoid the tail section cutting off, the F104 ejects downwards from the cockpit floor and out through the bottom of the fuselage.
At low altitudes, pilots often don't have time to react after ejecting and fall directly to the ground.
To survive, you must first fly the plane upside down and then eject.
Of course, as long as there is enough time.
boom!
Thick smoke exploded high in the sky, and the F-104 lead plane turned into a fireball, plummeting straight into the sea.
At this time.
Corey, who had just turned his plane around and rushed back, could only watch helplessly as the J-6, which they had ridiculed as a "clumsy old relic," fired its guns, and as the wingman he had personally trained turned into a dazzling firework before his eyes.
"This pilot is a bit scary!" Corey found himself feeling a little panicked.
During the most brutal European theater of World War II, he once flew fighter planes and engaged in aerial dogfights with the most elite ace pilots of the Sanders family. If it weren't for his advanced age, he wouldn't have been assigned to be an instructor.
Throughout his many years of flying, he has encountered countless dangers, but each time he has managed to turn the tide with his exceptional experience and skills.
But today, facing this enemy whose face he couldn't even see clearly, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
It's as if... all the tactics and moves I was so proud of had been seen through by the opponent!
"Impossible! That must have been an accident! The J-6 is no match for the F-104. There's at least a half-generation technological gap between them!" Corey roared inwardly, trying to bolster his courage.
Corey took a deep breath, pushed the control stick, and instead of flying towards the J-6, he first rose into the air, circled halfway, and chased after the tail of the J-6.
This is F104's most signature, and also most disgusting, tactic: "high-speed in and out!"
Unfortunately, he met Li Aiguo.
While others might not know, Li Aiguo was well aware of many of the F104's shortcomings.
"Want to hit me? Not so easy."
Li Aiguo sneered, neither dodging nor avoiding, but instead swooped down in the same direction, his speed soaring to 900 km/h.
Just as the F-104 was about to catch up, it suddenly pulled back on the stick and climbed sharply, its fuselage rising almost vertically upwards.
The F-104 was too fast, causing a half-second delay in its maneuver.
By the time the pilot realized what was happening, the plane had already gone too far and sped forward for hundreds of meters.
Positions reversed in an instant!
At the moment of reaching its highest point, Li Aiguo smoothly pushed and pulled, and the J-6 quickly completed a clean and crisp half-roll in the air.
After flipping 180 degrees, the aircraft, like an eagle catching a chick, once again firmly bit the tail of Corey's F104.
This time, Li Aiguo gave the other side no chance to breathe.
The missile launch button was pressed.
An infrared air-to-air missile was launched.
Corey was initially relieved, as he had anticipated that the other side seemed to know a lot about the F104 and had made preparations in advance to increase the distance between them.
In this way, the two sides are beyond the range of the machine gun, and the other side can't do anything about it. It can also launch AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles.
But when he was about to press the button and launch a counterattack, the scene before him made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
He was horrified to discover that the damned J-6 had somehow managed to occupy a perfect spot directly facing the sun!
With the sunlight interfering with its operation, the AIM-9B Sidewinder was unable to lock onto its target!
"Damn it! How could this kid be so lucky?!"
Just as Corey was getting furious and preparing to forcibly change course to get rid of the sunlight interference.
Corey was completely stunned, his mind went blank.
He just couldn't understand how that old relic could launch its missile before him!
"He wasn't just lucky... he had planned this all along..."
This was the last thought that flashed through Corey's mind in his entire life.
boom!
A massive explosion resounded through the sky, and the once-arrogant ace instructor, along with his advanced F104 Star Warrior, was instantly reduced to a shower of flying metal fragments.
Looking at the F-104 reduced to fragments, Li Aiguo smiled and said, "Now you know, right? The J-6 is the true king of air combat!"
Although he spoke lightly, Li Aiguo's back was already covered in cold sweat.
The whole process just now looked complicated, but in fact, from the confrontation between the two sides to the downing of the two fighter jets, it only took less than two minutes.
There's no way around it; air combat in the supersonic era is just that brutal and deadly.
From spotting a target 20 kilometers away to closing the distance to a 5-kilometer fighting distance, it often only takes a dozen seconds.
On the ground, you prepare for half a month, but in the air, you're just a "two-minute real man."
Life and death can be decided in an instant.
At this moment, the demon within a demon had already disappeared.
Li Aiguo looked into the distance and maneuvered his J-6 fighter jet to give chase.
To Li Aiguo's surprise,
They didn't chase it for long before they recaptured the trail of that "demon among demons".
Moreover, the speed of the other party was strangely slow, and it did not make full use of the high-altitude and high-speed advantages that this reconnaissance aircraft should have.
At this moment, the pilot in the cockpit of "Demon Among Demons" was also filled with despair and helplessness.
It wasn't that he didn't want to run faster, but the terrified special envoy in the back seat had been pulling him back and forcing him to slow down.
"Can't you use your brain? We don't have any fighter escorts right now. If we just run like idiots, what if there are MiG fighters lying in ambush ahead to intercept us?"
"To be on the safe side, let's fly slowly and wait for F-104 to resolve its troubles and join us!"
That's what the special envoy taught at the time.
The pilot was already a bit confused, and after being misled by the special envoy, he thought about it carefully and actually found it quite reasonable.
So, almost inexplicably, I slowed down.
As a result, instead of F104 arriving, the ruthless Grim Reaper came first.
At this point, the indicator light for the AN/APS-54 radar alarm receiver on the indicator panel will illuminate.
The pilot exclaimed, "I'm locked on! A fighter jet has locked me on!"
He had no idea where that terrifying J-6 was or how far away it was.
In extreme panic, he could only frantically push the power on, guided by the shrill sound of the alarm, and frantically flee through the air like a headless fly.
Li Aiguo, watching the "demon among demons" slithering through the air like snakes, did not choose to foolishly follow behind and chase in a straight line.
Li Aiguo, instead, cut in front of the RF-101 by a perfect amount of time, blocking its inevitable path.
Upon seeing the shadow of the demon among demons, press the machine gun button.
"Da da da"
Flames erupted.
In this dense barrage of fire, the "demon among demons" didn't even have a chance to struggle.
The wing was pierced, and trailing thick black smoke, it plunged into the turbulent sea.
(End of this chapter)