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

Chapter 419 Let the Russians taste the power of high technology

December 12, 1983, 7:00 PM.

"Viewers at home, welcome to today's news broadcast. Today's news includes... After a hard-fought battle by our navy, we have finally recovered Nanwei Island. As we all know, Nanwei Island has been our territory since ancient times. This sea area can be seen in the map of the Yuan Dynasty..."

"In 1933, French colonialists sent troops to seize our islands, and the local people were enslaved. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Nanwei Island was occupied by an island nation. It was not until the end of World War II that our country sent warships to recover Nanwei Island, where a sovereignty marker and outpost were erected. Until 1973, the South Koreans illegally incorporated more than a dozen islands of NSQD into their territory and brazenly seized some of them. Our ships rose up in resistance..."

The news reports this history, which explains the origins of the islands and reefs in the South China Sea and the process of their illegal occupation by monkeys. Now, we have liberated these islands and reefs, which are entirely our territory in the East!
"Just today, our People's Navy once again recovered Nanwei Island, which had been illegally occupied, effectively severing the greedy hands of the monkeys and restoring our maritime rights. Furthermore, we announce that we will conduct military exercises in the nearby waters, specifically in the area north of..."

The message quickly spread around the world via radio waves.

The White House, America.

"If I remember correctly, the sea area where they are conducting exercises is exactly the same sea area where the Russians are planning to conduct exercises!"

"That's right, do you think it's a coincidence, or a coincidence?"

The oval table conference room was filled with joy.

In recent years, relations between the United States and the East have been rapidly warming up, with extensive cooperation in various fields. However, they have also noticed signs that Russia is trying to thaw the rift between the two countries, a situation they certainly do not want to see.

They want to drag the East onto the war chariot!
This situation is clearly in the best interest of the Americans!

Last time their aircraft carrier was sunk, everyone was furious. Although they eventually pinned the blame on the Indians and demanded huge compensation, after investigating the evidence, they felt it didn't seem like the Indians were responsible.

There is evidence that India's Mirage 4000 and MiG-25 fleets did not appear in public.

Who did it? This seems to have become an unsolved case. This gloom hangs over everyone's heads, which is very annoying. But now, there is finally good news.

"What methods do you think Easterners would use?"

"I don't know. In recent years, technology in the East has developed rapidly, and all sorts of methods have emerged one after another."

"Do you think there's a possibility of supersonic anti-ship missiles appearing?"

Upon hearing Alexander Haig's words, everyone else present suddenly changed their expressions.

“If the Easterners can produce supersonic anti-ship missiles, it means that the naval battle at Asunción was likely orchestrated by them,” Kasper Weinberg said seriously.

In the waters near Asunción Island, the all-American-style aircraft carrier strike group of the United States Navy was suddenly attacked by supersonic anti-ship missiles, resulting in the destruction of the entire group. Although the blame was later placed on the Russians, the Russians have never admitted it!

For the past year or two, they have been investigating the inside story of this matter and have gradually discovered that the Russian cruise missile nuclear submarines seem to have alibis at the time.

Who did this?
“Yes, even the recent sinking of our aircraft carrier—the conspirators behind it will eventually surface.” William Casey chimed in, “Once we find out, we must…”

Ronald looked at everyone with a complicated expression: "Gentlemen, so far, there is no evidence pointing to the East. Moreover, since it is the Easterners who want to hold this exercise at this crucial time, I think we should support them! So... Hague, issue a statement supporting the Easterners' move to reclaim their inherent territory!"

This world is strange. To reclaim your own territory, you not only need to rely on your own efforts, but also gain the recognition of others!
In particular, the recognition from the Western world is extremely important!
East, capital, Princess Tomb, Yellow Tower.

"The United States issued a statement supporting our actions to reclaim the islands and reefs, believing that our actions were entirely in accordance with international law." Leader Ye exclaimed excitedly, "Comrade Qin Liang, your deduction is absolutely correct!"

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Yes, they'll soon be shooting themselves in the foot."

Americans and monkeys are enemies, so of course they should support our operation to reclaim the islands and reefs. However, since they have supported us this time, they should support us in the future!

After all, it wasn't just the Vietnamese monkeys that occupied our islands and reefs; there were also Filipino monkeys and Malaysian monkeys. In later generations, the Vietnamese monkeys occupied the most of our islands and reefs, nearly thirty. However, we had the most conflicts with the Filipino monkeys, which was, of course, because the Filipino monkeys were the lackeys of the Americans.

The recapture of Nanwei Island is just the beginning; other islands will be recovered in succession!

The 1980s were a good time. The Americans were hoping that we would join their side to fight against the Russians. So even if we took back all the islands and reefs that had been seized by others, the Americans would at most be unhappy, but on the surface they would still have to support us!

Even if we don't have island-building magic tools to quickly reclaim islands and reefs after we occupy them, we can still quickly build air force bases using this simple method. With air superiority, we will have everything!
"Well, let's focus on this exercise next," Leader Ye said. "The best outcome would be for us to flex our muscles and scare the Russians away. We can't afford to accidentally fire a gun, otherwise the Americans would be the happiest..."

Our primary task remains peaceful development! Development is the only way forward! And when the country is strong...

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already found out all the information about the Russian aircraft carrier commander. He's Marshal Ogarkov's man."

"So what?" Leader Ye still didn't understand.

"Nikolai Valisievich Ogarkov was one of the first Russians to realize that electronic warfare could determine the future. In the 1970s, he proposed the concept of a military technology revolution, advocating the use of advanced electronic technology and satellites to achieve the informatization of the battlefield. He can be said to be a pioneer of informationized electronic warfare and precision-guided warfare in Russia."

The prevailing view is that the Gulf War in the early 1990s woke up Eastern military personnel, showing them that the old dogmatic ground warfare concepts were outdated and that modern, high-tech warfare was completely different from what Eastern military academy textbooks taught!
The Soviet deep battle theory, once considered a classic by Eastern military experts, is now completely outdated!

However, few people know that there are also those with a long-term vision among the Russians.

Ogarkov was one of them. In 1977, he became the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union and concurrently served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Army. At the same time, he was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and thus began his military reforms.

In 79, he opposed the invasion of Afghanistan and even had a fierce argument with Ustinov. Afterwards, he continued to oppose Ustinov on the issue of military equipment development.

Under his impetus, the Soviet Army developed the most advanced digital tactical command system at the time and established the first digital experimental unit. These were all pioneering achievements. However, the Soviet Union had become complacent and any reform would inevitably offend the vested interests.

Even his deputy, Gareev, once said: "If personal interests are not considered, everyone will wholeheartedly support the reforms; but if personal interests are considered, everyone will unanimously oppose them."

This applies not only to military matters, but also to economic and political ones!
In 1984, Ogarkov, who wanted to take away everyone's livelihood, was ousted.

Of course, this guy is also very extreme; he actually wants all departments to listen to him.

At this moment, Qin Liang was also filled with emotion when he mentioned this person. If this person could have continued to hold power, the Soviet army might have truly become more modern.

His theory also gained support from some people, such as the commander of the Novorossiysk, Okgabri. So, as long as the Russians are made to feel the effects of soft-kill tactics, they should not resort to hard-kill tactics.

Moreover, even if the Russians had this idea, they didn't have the capability to do it!

"The Russian carrier strike group led by the Novorossiysk appears aggressive and imposing on the surface, but in reality, it has many weaknesses. When the time comes, we will not only interfere with their radio communications, but also cut into their radio communications and even send them orders. At that time, they will realize that they cannot win this battle at all, and if a real battle breaks out, they will only suffer a crushing defeat!"

"Yes, the sophistication of our electronic technology is so advanced that it gives us the illusion that we've acquired alien technology," said Leader Zhang, who was standing nearby.

Now, everyone is full of confidence and ready to face the situation ahead. Meanwhile, the Russian naval fleet, which is passing through the Strait of Malacca, is furious from top to bottom.

"These damned Easterners, how dare they seize the monkey's island right in front of us!"

"That's right, they're definitely coming for us!"

Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. The same goes for beating a monkey. Last time, the Easterners beat a monkey with the tacit approval of the Russians. Although the intensity and force exceeded the Russians' expectations, at least the Russians were notified in advance, so they saved face.

This time, they were completely proven wrong!
They came here to humiliate the Easterners, but now they've been humiliated by them! How can they possibly accept this?

"Hmph, so what if the Easterners announce their exercise area? Our Red Navy exercises don't need to consider others' exercises. This time, we're going to enter their exercise area and conduct our own exercise!" Fedorov said. "At that time, our Yak-38s will also take off and conduct bombing exercises on the islands, with the target set on Monkey Island!"

“That’s right, we also need to launch some long-range attack missiles!” Okegabri said. “Let them know how powerful our Red Navy’s offensive capabilities are. Oh, and launch two anti-ship missiles from the bow!”

The most powerful weapon on the Kiev-class aircraft carrier is definitely not the useless Yak-38, but the four twin-mounted anti-ship missile launchers at the bow, which carry P-500 anti-ship missiles with solid rocket boosters and liquid rocket ramjet engines. They have a maximum range of 550 kg, a flight speed of Mach 2.5, and their warheads weigh a full 1 ton!

This missile was officially finalized in 75 and was subsequently equipped on the Kiev-class heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers. It is the most important anti-ship weapon for surface formations. Moreover, this thing can fly in formation, with one flying at high altitude to search for targets and the others flying at low altitude to covertly approach the enemy.

For the Russians of this era, the use of weapons is absolutely not a problem; advanced weapons must be used! This is the time to flex their muscles!

"Should we...should we say hello to Moscow?" After all, this is a powerful weapon!

"No need. We came here to demonstrate our strength, which is also Moscow's intention. Now, before we've even arrived, we've been humiliated by the East. So, we must get our revenge. Let's study the battle plan now and begin preparations for battle at five o'clock! After dawn, we'll flex our muscles!"

At this point, Okegabry was still very confident.

He had no idea what kind of situation he was about to face.

Nanwei Island.

It was already four o'clock in the morning, but many people were still busy. At the lookout post on the highest peak in the north, a huge balloon slowly rose. Its shape was roughly that of a bomb, with four tail fins at the end. So, a more accurate description would be an airship.

Compared to the airships of the past, it now has a bulge on its belly. If you open it, you can find a large flat slotted radar antenna.

That's right, this thing is a tethered balloon reconnaissance and surveillance system.

Although China already has advanced airborne early warning aircraft, it is still impossible for these early warning aircraft to fly to Nanwei Island. The runway is too short, so they cannot land or take off. Furthermore, strategic early warning aircraft are too large to be arrested for landing.

However, this was no problem for Northwestern Polytechnical University; they could simply hang it on a balloon!

Compared to early warning aircraft, this thing has many advantages.

It requires no fuel or power, and once in the air, it has almost unlimited endurance, providing land and sea search capabilities for several months or even several years over Nanwei Island.

With it, nothing around can escape its eyes. The monkeys can forget about sending people to take over the island!
At the same time, this balloon is no longer an old product of the past airship era. It is made of carbon fiber material, which is lightweight and has a strong load-bearing capacity. The interior is compartmentalized, so even if one or two compartments leak air, it can continue to carry out its mission.

The only drawback is that it cannot move. However, it was originally designed for islands, and it's similar to a fixed radar, so there's no need for it to be mobile.

In addition to radar, the balloon also has a data processing system that transmits data via cables, which is then displayed directly on a monitor.

After the snow on the screen disappeared, several clear targets appeared.

"Report! Soviet naval formation spotted, 150 nautical miles away! At their speed, they'll be within 100 nautical miles in another two hours!"

"Alright, look, we'll be able to make contact after dawn." Commander Yu Zhiqiang, who was left behind, had a calm smile on his face: "Let them be happy for another two hours. After dawn, we'll let them experience the power of high technology!"

"Yes!"

Yu Zhiqiang then looked at the faces beside him: "Teachers and students from Northwestern Polytechnical University, you have all worked hard. Now, go back and rest."

"No, we're not tired!"

"Go and rest even if you're not tired. When we need you in two hours, don't let us down."

"it is good!"

On the radar screen, those bright spots were still slowly approaching.

This is no slow pace for the Red Navy fleet!

On the Novorossiysk, all eight boilers were operating at full power, with countless streams of high-temperature, high-pressure steam entering the steam turbines, becoming power, which was then transmitted to the propeller at the stern, stirring the seawater and propelling the aircraft carrier forward.

The massive warship, with a displacement of over 40,000 tons, was speeding along at 30 knots!
On the port side deck, there are eight circular parking positions, and at this moment, one carrier-based aircraft is parked in each position.

Its fuselage is similar to that of the Harrier. For example, the air intakes on both sides are elliptical, the wings have dihedral angles, and there are no visible engine exhaust nozzles at the tail.

There are also differences between it and the Harrier. For example, at this moment, a cover behind the cockpit is open, which is the biggest difference between it and the Harrier.

Vertical takeoff and landing also relies on a single engine. The compressor at the front draws out airflow, while the main engine at the rear sprays air downwards, thus providing the thrust for vertical takeoff.

This means that the engine must be placed in the center of the fuselage to balance the center of gravity, resulting in a large amount of wasted space in the fuselage.

The Russians, on the other hand, used lift engines. Behind the pilot, there were two vertically placed lift engines that sprayed downwards, thus providing thrust for vertical takeoff.

The main engine is located at the rear, and its nozzle can rotate downwards. Together, they propel the aircraft into high altitude. Once the aircraft transitions to level flight, the lift engine shuts off.

Which of these two is better... well, let's just say they're both garbage.

The lift engine of the Yak-38 was only used during takeoff and landing. At other times, it was just structural dead weight and did not benefit the aircraft at all. Most importantly, the nozzle of the lift engine was facing the flight deck, and the heat flow could melt the steel plate!
Back then, the Kiev sailed at sea a few times and then abandoned all the Yak-38s on land.

Later aircraft carriers underwent improvements, with an additional high-temperature resistant deck laid on top of the original deck, secured with titanium alloy rivets, and then coated with a high-temperature resistant coating.

The Novorossiysk is like this now, but... it's better than nothing!

(End of this chapter)