Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 342 Super 7, taking off from the aircraft carrier deck!

Flying at the forefront was Sanchos, an elite pilot in the British Royal Naval Air Service, nicknamed "Three Cops".

"Good evening! We're fifty kilometers from the target. We're very likely to be intercepted by Sea Dart missiles!" the radar officer in the rear cabin shouted anxiously.

"I know! But if we want precision bombing, we have to dive-bomb!"

Sanchos wasn't a reckless person. If he were carrying the C801 missile, why would he bother with such a dangerous maneuver? He could simply fly at extremely low altitude, get within 40 kilometers of the Type 42 destroyer's radar before it detects him, then suddenly pull up, dive to scan, launch the missile, and go home!
Everything was easy.

Unfortunately, he didn’t!
He only had iron bombs at his disposal. If he wanted to sink the May 25, he would have to dive and drop bombs, and it would be best to enter the bombing route from a distance.

So... he had to do this. Now, his only hope was that the fleet below would not react at all.

After all, the British naval fleet had been sunk to the bottom of the sea, and the British carrier fleet had embarked on its return journey. An army that had just won a battle should have been the most complacent!
If only the other side didn't even turn on their air defense radar!
As if in response to his naive idea, the radar warning receiver on the fighter jet suddenly emitted a piercing sound.

Locked, it's locked!

When the aircraft is being searched by radar, it is only illuminated by pulse waves. At this time, the electromagnetic waves hitting the aircraft are intermittent and have low energy, so they will not trigger the warning receiver. Only when the target is locked on will it illuminate the radar with continuous waves, which are also high energy.

At this point, the radar alarm receiver will issue an alarm.

Upon hearing this voice, Sanchos's expression changed drastically; his deduction had been wrong!
It's ok!
Sanchos pushed the control stick, and the fighter jet entered the dive phase.

Given the training level of the Crying Nation's navy, it would take some time from locking on to launching, since operating the Sea Dart missile is not that simple. In that time, it would be able to transition to ultra-low-altitude flight!
That's right, just like that!

With this expectation, Sanchos looked into the distance, where two plumes of white smoke were already rising and whistling toward him.

So fast!
Sanchos's expression changed drastically; he never expected the Crying Nation's navy to be so skilled.

It's over, it's all over! When the sea dart came flying at Mach 3.5, he had no chance of dodging it!

Early solid propellant technology was very rudimentary, and engine thrust could not be adjusted. Therefore, early surface-to-air missiles and ship-to-air missiles were not powered by solid rocket engines.

For example, the Russian SAM-1 and the modified HQ-2 from the East both use solid rocket boosters and liquid rocket engines, but they require pre-battle refueling, and the fuel is toxic, so they are not suitable for warships to carry.

In the 1960s, integral ramjet engines gradually became mainstream. The Americans were the first to combine ramjet engines with solid propulsion, creating the famous Brass Knight.

Well, the Bronze Knight wasn't really famous; from the time he got his gear to when he retired, he didn't have any combat experience.

The British Sea Dart missile also uses this design, and it uses a warhead air intake method to improve the reliability of high angle-of-attack flight. Although it also uses liquid fuel, kerosene can be stored for a long time.

Therefore, the Sea Dart became the British Navy's biggest trump card. Because it was invented early, it still used a lot of vacuum tubes and had to be preheated before firing. Overall, it was not an advanced weapon.

However, the high-speed performance provided by the ramjet engine is unparalleled.

At this moment, the Sea Dart missile's booster finally detached, having completed its mission of propelling the missile to speeds above Mach 1. The shock cone of the Sea Dart missile's warhead slowly moved backward, the air intake opened, and gurgling air entered.

At Mach 1, no compressor is needed. The air is pre-compressed in the intake duct, enters the combustion chamber, mixes with the fuel, and the roaring flames are ejected from the tail, propelling the missile to continue accelerating.

Mach 1.5, Mach 2, Mach 3, Mach 3.5...

A distance of fifty kilometers only takes a few tens of seconds to fly, and during that time, the F-4 fighter jet would absolutely not be able to dive to a sufficiently low altitude.

How to do?
Sanchos gritted his teeth, pushed the control lever, and flew toward the incoming missile.

"Thank you, thank you, what are you doing?" The radar officer in the rear cabin was stunned.

"Stop talking nonsense! If you're afraid of dying, then jump out first!" Sanchos shouted.

In this type of two-seat fighter jet, the pilot in the back seat can parachute to safety first. Although the canopy above their head is flying off and it's chilly, it won't affect the pilot in front's ability to fly the aircraft.

but……

What's the point of skydiving here, which is 500 kilometers from Asunción?

Helicopters can't fly that far, so we can only wait for ships to come to the rescue. All the ships at the base have been sent out to rescue the sailors who fell into the water, so it's impossible for them to come over!
Thinking about this, the radar officer in the rear cabin really regretted it. If they were shot down, they would most likely die.

If they had been mobilized before the war and were filled with enthusiasm and pride, they might have been willing to risk their lives. However, after two defeats, where would they find the slightest bit of confidence? Even if this counterattack succeeds, what would be the point?
At this moment, Sanchos continued to fly head-on towards the direction from which the missile was coming. His eyes were filled with madness. If he wanted to live, he had to die first!
The two sides are rapidly approaching each other.

Ten kilometers, five kilometers, one kilometer...

It's now!

Sancho pulled the control stick sharply, applied the rudder, and simultaneously released the platinum bar interference—all executed flawlessly, but…

The fighter jet did not roll and evade as he had imagined; instead, it moved slowly, like an old ox-drawn cart.

He then realized: Damn it, his plane wasn't armed with an air-to-air combat configuration, but rather a ground attack configuration!

Although it wasn't fully loaded with seven tons of bombs, the external loads already weighed four tons, so the aircraft would naturally be slow to operate. We didn't feel much of a problem when we were diving, but now that we're trying to perform a maneuver, we've noticed the issue.

Unfortunately, it’s too late!

boom!
An explosion rang out, and countless fragments flew toward his fighter jet. He felt as if his plane had entered a storm zone, with various warning lights flashing wildly and the cockpit filled with the smell of burning.

"Quick, jump!"

Just as he ejected from the capsule, another huge explosion rang out behind him.

boom!
The wingman following closely behind him also dove down and flew toward the Sea Dart missile, and then... he was also intercepted. The plane was in a terrible state; it was shot down and exploded in mid-air. Neither the pilot nor the radar officer had a chance to jump out.

Flames roared on the sea, and more Sea Dart missiles flew into the sky, launching a counterattack against the attacking F-4 fighter jets!

Some F-4 fighter jets jettisoned their bombs and fled quickly, while others moved to low altitudes and continued flying.

An F-4 fighter jet was diving at too high a speed and couldn't pull up, so it plunged straight into the sea!
The scene was tragic. The Sea Dart, which had been unable to demonstrate its strength in the last naval battle, finally had a chance to show its prowess this time. Unfortunately, this was the last thing the British wanted to see!
Seeing the fireball bursting in the distant sky, the sailors of the Weeping Nation's navy shouted excitedly.

"awesome!"

"Another one shot down!"

"You Brits, let me show you the power of the Sea Dart!"

On the aircraft carrier May 25.

"Britain has stopped supplying us with Sea Dart missiles. Apart from Britain's own use, no other country uses this missile. Therefore, we are destined not to receive more Sea Darts in the future. Once this batch of missiles is used up, we will go to the East to modify them and replace them with Eastern air defense missiles!"

Hearing Guillermo's excited words, Garcia couldn't help but ask, "Does the East have advanced anti-aircraft missiles?"

"Of course! Do you know about the air battle in the Bekaa Valley a few days ago?"

"Hmm." "The SAM-6 anti-aircraft missiles are destroyed no matter how many they hit, but there's a mysterious missile that the Davidians have never been able to deal with. Do you know what it is?"

"Could it be a missile from the East?"

"That's right, it's an Eastern missile, far superior in performance to the Sea Dart! It can not only engage high-altitude, high-speed targets, but also low-altitude, sea-skimming targets!" Guillermo hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly noticed something: "It seems like the wind is picking up?"

The aircraft carrier was still moving at high speed, and it should only be a deck wind from front to back. But now, they felt the sea breeze blowing in through the side windows!

"Yes, the wind is picking up, it's picking up at sea, and the wind is getting stronger!" the meteorologist reported excitedly.

"Excellent! Attention, all fleet! Prepare to turn against the wind, full speed ahead, launch our carrier-based aircraft! Air combat loadout!"

The British counterattack was almost entirely disorganized; they swarmed in to bombard the enemy, stretching the battle lines very thin.

The first batch of eight aircraft that flew over have all been shot down in the sky. The second batch is still 100 kilometers away. Perfect opportunity to launch carrier-based aircraft!

Thick black smoke billowed from the chimney as the May 25th strained with all its might to accelerate forward. On the deck, the sea breeze was fierce.

Pilot Armando Majora was always on standby inside the fighter jet, but since he couldn't catapult takeoff before, he could only wait at the takeoff point. Because there weren't many fighter jets, he couldn't keep two patrolling fighter jets in the sky at all times like on American aircraft carriers.

This is a predicament faced by light aircraft carriers, not a tactical mistake on their part.

At this moment, there was finally enough wind on the deck!
The canopy closed, the engine started, and Armando Majora gestured to the yellow-vested men below.

The man in the yellow vest squatted down with one leg bent and the other leg straight back. In martial arts terms, this should be considered a side lunge. He extended one arm forward, with his index and middle fingers pointing in the direction of takeoff, and the other fingers clenched into a fist, just like the action of raising a gun to fire.

His other arm was behind his back, and his eyes were looking straight ahead.

This action is the famous takeoff limb command. Because it looks like shooting, the catapult commander is also known as the shooter.

As he completed his movement, the catapult was released from its locked position and shot forward with a whoosh.

The fighter jet's tail engine was already at maximum afterburner. Under the surging thrust, Armando Majora felt his entire body being pressed tightly against the flight seat, and his vision went slightly black. It wasn't that his physical fitness was insufficient; it was just that the ejection overload was too great.

I reckon it could take off even without deck winds, right? After all, the power is incredible after the engine was replaced!

At this moment, standing on the bridge, the takeoff scene becomes even clearer.

The twin-delta wing fighter jet shot off like a tiger descending a mountain, steam billowing behind it, making it appear like a fairy descending to earth. The Super-7's slender body and the shape of its twin delta wings resembled the hem of a fairy's skirt, while its pointed nose resembled a woman's beautiful chin...

Cough cough cough, Guillermo realized he was becoming a little obsessed. If this continued, could he fall in love with a... concubine?
Garcia, standing nearby, also had a complicated expression.

Previously, their small aircraft carriers could only operate A-4 attack aircraft. Although these aircraft could also carry Sidewinder missiles, their air combat capabilities were ridiculously poor, almost no different from Sea Harriers. Relying on them to defend the fleet's air defense was like children playing house; the air defense system was as thin as a window paper, easily punctured.

Now, with the advanced Super-7 fighter jet, everything is different. Their small aircraft carrier will have the same first-class air defense capabilities as European medium-sized aircraft carriers!

The Super-7 fighter jet continued forward and soon glided to the bow of the aircraft carrier. The nose landing gear left the deck, and the rear landing gear followed suit. The entire aircraft seemed to have a slight tendency to sink, but a moment later, the pilot pulled up the nose and pointed straight into the sky.

The Super-7 fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier again! For it, this is a new beginning!
When the Navy of the Crying Nation proposed to convert the Super-7 into a carrier-based aircraft, no one expected that the Easterners would complete the conversion in just a few months!

After all, the East didn't have carrier-based aircraft before, so modifying them would definitely require a lot of effort. If they followed the actions of Western aircraft manufacturers, it could take one or two years and cost countless sums of money.

I didn't expect it to be so fast and so powerful.

From now on, the navy of the Crying Nation will completely shift its equipment focus to the East! Since it's no longer possible to purchase from the West, and besides, the equipment from the East is exceptionally advanced!
The catapult also leaves the deck, continues forward, slows down along the extended track, comes to a stop, and then slides back to its original position.

On the deck, the blast deflectors were lowered, and the second Super-7 fighter jet had already taxied over, preparing for takeoff again. The biggest drawback of this type of small aircraft carrier is its slow aircraft launch speed; however, they believed that even if only one fighter jet went up, it could still protect the fleet's safety!

During the climb, Armando Majora activated the onboard radar, and as soon as the waveform appeared on the screen, he immediately shouted: "Second wave of aircraft detected, 70 kilometers from the carrier group, flying at extremely low altitude!"

With the experience gained from the first batch, the second batch of F-4 fighter jets naturally had to fly at extremely low altitudes. This would allow them to avoid observation by carrier-based radar, but they could not escape the monitoring of fighter jets in the sky!

Although the nose of the Super-7 is not large, it is enough to detect this group of aircraft in advance!

As he answered, he began operating the fire control system. Time was running out. If he intercepted them one by one, he could only intercept two at most before closing the distance! So... he had to fight two at once!

The advanced pulse-Doppler radar continued to transmit electromagnetic waves toward the target area, while the Loongson computer rapidly calculated firing parameters, and the distance between the two sides continued to close.

Fifty, thirty...

Now! Armando Majora swiftly locked onto two targets simultaneously and then pressed the fire button.

Flames flickered beneath the wings as two Lightning-10 missiles flew out!

During testing, the Tomcat fighter jet attempted to take on six opponents at once, but that was only theoretical. In actual combat, there has never been a case of it taking on two opponents at once. This is the first time!
opposite.

The lead pilot of the F-4 fighter squadron, Thach, listened to the radar lock-on sound in his headset, his face still showing disdain.

"Hmph, even if we're locked onto by the radar of the 42nd destroyer, don't be afraid. At our current flight altitude, the Sea Dart missiles simply can't reach us!"

What happened to the promised minimum firing height of ten meters? Now, their flight altitude is fifty meters, yet they are still not afraid of being shot down by sea darts. After all, they know full well the inaccuracies in that data, and now, they have nothing to fear!
They know the equipment data of the crying nation's navy!
"Bread, should we turn on the airborne radar?" the radar officer in the back seat asked.

“No need. We already know where the target is. Next, we will fly over at extremely low altitude, evade their air defenses, and drop the bombs on that damned May 25th!” Sachi remained calm at this moment.

They must sink the Navy of the Crying Nation; only in this way can they avenge the fleet that perished at sea!

but……

what happened?

It's so bright up ahead, it looks like two bright spots are flying towards us?
And it flew down from the sky? That wasn't a semi-active radar-guided sea dart, but rather…

"Oh, damn it, they've launched their fighter jets! Quick, climb!"

After saying that, Sachi activated the afterburner on the Spey engine and pulled up the control lever.

The Crying Nation's navy does have aircraft carriers with carrier-based aircraft, but... they weren't too worried. After all, the last batch of fighter jets flew at high altitude to within 40 kilometers of the enemy carrier's firing range and even tried to fly there in one go. This showed that the Crying Nation's second-hand, old aircraft carriers were incapable of launching carrier-based aircraft.

That aircraft carrier also belongs to Britain, so Britain is naturally well aware of its condition.

Unexpectedly, the other side actually launched its carrier-based aircraft!

Sachi pulled the control stick and climbed forward. To counter the missile, you need energy. What is energy? It's speed and altitude!

Unfortunately, he didn't know that if he let his squadron disperse at this moment, the enemy would have to make a choice and could only attack one. Now, the squadron was climbing as a whole and still clustered together, creating an opportunity for a one-on-two fight!

(End of this chapter)