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

Chapter 531 Shooting Down a Hornet
The East, the capital.

"I heard it! I really heard it! I couldn't hear it before I left last time!"

“Brother Liangzi, you can feel fetal movement in the 16th week, and you are already 17 weeks old, so of course you can hear it.”

"Hmm, I don't know if it's a son or a daughter."

"We still have to wait... Brother Liangzi, what do you mean? Of course it's the son!"

"But I love my daughter!"

Yang Duo'er looked at Qin Liang pressed against her belly, her face full of sweetness, but she was teasing him.

"The most important thing for your Qin family is to have a son who can carry on the family line."

"But I still prefer my daughter. A daughter is like a warm, comforting cotton-padded jacket. When a son grows up, he'll know how to cherish his wife..."

Qin Liang, who came from a later era, truly lacked the concept of carrying on the family line that people of this time had. Compared to his ungrateful son, he preferred his daughter!
"Especially if it's a daughter, she'll definitely be like you, beautiful and gentle..."

"Comrade Qin Liang, I heard you've returned. Old Lin would like to invite you to the aircraft terminal."

Qin Liang hasn't returned!

"Comrade Qin Liang, Old Lin said that he was already very grateful that he didn't pick you up at the airport... If you don't go, he will come over."

"Brother Liang, you should still go." Yang Duo'er looked at Qin Liang: "Work is more important."

"Work is nothing... Sigh, Old Lin asked me to go, so I can't refuse. I'll be back soon."

Qin Liang stroked Yang Duo'er's belly again and said, "My dear daughter, wait for Daddy!"

Yang Duo'er really wanted to say that facial features only develop at 20 weeks, and that children these days don't even have hearing, but... seeing how happy Qin Liang was, she decided not to dampen his enthusiasm.

Princess Tomb, Airplane Building.

"Mr. Lin!"

"Hmm, Liangzi, you're here?"

"I can't refuse to come even if I want to!"

"Liangzi, you need to talk to us about what's going on with Lituo. You're just sending a JL-10 trainer over there to compete with a US Navy carrier strike group? That doesn't sound like a reliable idea at all!"

"What do you mean by reliable? Sending dozens of Tu-22M bombers over there and sending a US naval fleet to the bottom of the sea, does that make it reliable?"

Old Lin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

That's true. Although we now have the capability to send a U.S. naval fleet to the bottom of the sea, we can't show that capability; we have to hide our strength.

Li Tuo... actually, we don't have a very good relationship with them. They disgusted us a lot back then, so now, we can't possibly fully support them.

"So what are you really thinking?"

"We'll make money as long as there's business, especially since our Trainer 10 will be going up against a US carrier strike group. It's not shameful to get shot down, after all, we're trainer aircraft. If we're lucky enough to shoot down an American plane, we'll have something to brag about in the future!"

Speaking of this, Qin Liang said with great interest: "Old Lin, think about it, that's the US Navy, the most powerful military in the world, and yet... it was shot down by our trainer jet! Doesn't that make our Eastern fighter jets even more renowned?"

"Can they really take it down?"

"That's possible. After all, although our aircraft aren't great, our missiles are very powerful. As long as we don't encounter the Tomcat fighter, we still have a fighting chance against the others."

The Tomcat fighter jet is truly powerful!
The swept wings retract, and then we can sprint!

It can fly at a top speed of Mach 2.35, and even with missiles, it can fly at Mach 2!

Compare this to the big bug; once it's loaded with missiles, it can't even fly at supersonic speeds and can only slowly fly towards the war zone!
With its swept wings deployed, its maneuverability is top-notch! It's incredibly strong in air combat. Although its engine isn't great and its vertical climb capability is weak, its horizontal maneuverability... is enough to dogfight with propeller-driven aircraft!
The key is the combination of AWG-9 and Phoenix, which is simply an overpowered combination!
The Phoenix missile has poor maneuverability, so it can be evaded by maneuvering. However, to be hit by such a salvo from 100 kilometers away is really tough.

The export version of the Lightning-10 missile has insufficient range, so we can only leave it to fate.

However, we're not afraid of any cats other than male cats!
"The others? What about the US Navy's most advanced Hornet fighter jet?"

"Well, they're about the same," Qin Liang said with a smile.

"Why?" Old Lin asked curiously. "Isn't the F/A-18 the most advanced carrier-based aircraft selected by the US Navy?"

According to Elder Lin's thinking, those that entered service later must be the most advanced.

but……

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Old Lin, think about it. This thing is a product that lost the bid to the F-16, so when it comes to air combat... which one do you think is better?"

The F/A-18 was originally designated YF-17 and competed with General Dynamics' YF-16. As for the outcome of the competition... of course, the YF-16, which adopted the energy-maneuverable air combat theory, was more popular with the Air Force.

In the 1950s and 60s, air force leaders mistakenly believed that future battlefields would consist of a group of bombers penetrating defenses and dropping nuclear bombs, and that the mission of fighter jets was to intercept these bombers, emphasizing the ability to intercept them quickly at high altitudes and high speeds.

As a result... its maneuverability was very poor, and in conventional battlefields, the F-4 fighter jet was not even as good as the MiG-21.

So, when it came to the field of third-generation fighters, the Americans went to the other extreme. They emphasized maneuverability to an outrageous degree. For example, the F-15 was said to have a weight of less than a pound that would be used for ground attack. And the F-16, early models didn't even have a continuous wave illuminator. In short, it could do nothing but air combat.

As a result, in the later stages, all these fighter jets were used to drop bombs! The air combat skills of the pilots at the front were even worse than those of the rookies at the rear!

In the 1980s, when they particularly advocated air combat, the Navy's fighter jets were the unsuccessful bids for the Air Force's aircraft, and their maneuverability was certainly inferior to that of the F-16.
As for our own JL-10... Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a trainer aircraft; in reality, it has always been designed to match the maneuverability of the F-16!
So... if they really go head-to-head, it might not be worse than the F/A-18.

"It's strange, why would the US Navy want a failed product from the Air Force?" Old Lin's train of thought was indeed led astray.

"Mr. Lin, of course they have their own reasons for this, for example... this plane is twin-engine."

In fact, the idea that carrier-based aircraft must be twin-engine is not entirely absolute. In the early days of propeller aircraft, most carrier-based aircraft were single-engine. Even in the later jet era, attack aircraft like the A-7 were single-engine!

At the time, the biggest concern for the U.S. Navy was actually sortie efficiency.

At the time, the F-14 was the most advanced carrier-based aircraft in the U.S. Navy, but its maintenance was too complicated, and its serviceability rate was often only about 40%. Even when it was well maintained, the F-14 fighter jet could only be deployed twice a day at most. Later, after being equipped with the F and A-18, it was able to launch five times a day from the deck during extreme tests!
At the time, the A-6ye was not very good; only the A-7 had a very high sortie rate and was very popular with the Navy.

At the time, the F-15 was called the "Hangar Queen," but the F-14 and A-6 weren't that great either. Together, the three could be called the "Hangar Three Bears."

In short, the U.S. Navy chose the F/A-18. Of course, at that time, no one could have imagined that this aircraft with mediocre performance would eventually completely unify the aircraft carrier deck and replace the F-14, A6, and A7!

"For example, it can not only fight in the air, but also attack the ground, so it has the prefix F/A, which is unprecedented."

In fact, this has a historical basis.

In the 1980s, due to the backwardness of avionics technology, it was not easy to integrate them. In fact, there were three types when they were designed.

The single-seat F-18 was used to replace the F-4 for air combat, the single-seat A-18 was used to replace the A-7 for attack missions, and the two-seat TF-18 trainer was used to train pilots.

Later we realized that doing it individually was too complicated, so it was better to combine them together!
Thus, a unique number starting with F/A was created.

This is somewhat similar to fighter-bombers. As insiders know, such aircraft will inevitably face various problems. For example, their maneuverability is definitely not as good as that of pure air superiority fighters, and their ground attack capability is not as good as that of dedicated attack aircraft.

The F/A-18 was ultimately able to establish itself on aircraft carrier decks thanks to its high level of reliability!
Later, they unified the deck because they had no rivals!
If the US had predicted the existence of a powerful three-carrier fleet in the East, they probably wouldn't have retired heavy aircraft like the Tomcat. Later, as the Su-33 aged, our J-15 became the world's only heavy carrier-based aircraft!
just now……

After listening to Qin Liang's introduction, Old Lin nodded: "Well then, let's look forward to Coach Ten's wonderful performance."

"Mr. Lin, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now!"

You little rascal, why are you always thinking about going back! But... Old Lin doesn't really have any excuse...

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

"Report, Elder Lin, two US Navy carrier-based aircraft have been observed taking off from the USS America and heading south, about to enter the death zone declared by Li Tuo!"

Old Lin's eyes lit up instantly: "Comrade Qin Liang, stay and watch with us, what follows is sure to be very exciting!"

This……

Lituo, coastline, a radar site.

"Report! Two targets have been spotted and have crossed our death line!" "Report to the capital immediately!"

Upon receiving the news, the colonel didn't hesitate: "Send Coach Ten over there immediately!"

Other Soviet-made aircraft, even MiG-25s, would be useless; they would only be sent to their deaths!

Now that we have Coach Ten, this great toy, of course we should send him out!

Wheeler Air Force Base.

Voropaev, carrying his flight helmet, dashed out of the pilot's preparation room and rushed to the plane. Instead of boarding immediately, he circled the aircraft once.

We must check everything thoroughly, especially the red caps on the missiles, which must all be removed. We can't let such a small problem delay our operations!

After circling the plane, he climbed onto it and was just about to close the canopy when the Littor pilot, Jagham, ran over.

"Instructor, let me help you!"

This aircraft was originally designed for two-seater use. Although it was primarily intended for training, having an additional pilot in the rear cockpit to act as the radar officer would still alleviate Voropaev's workload.

“Alright.” Voropaev nodded. “Then let’s work together!”

The Lithuanian Air Force has a relatively short history, but it has still produced a number of outstanding pilots. In particular, during the 1970s and 80s, the Lithuanian Air Force was once the strongest in Africa. There was a reason why they dared to provoke the US Navy carrier strike group.

With a roar, the two engines started up one after the other, and soon they roared into the sky.

On the ground, countless people watched the fighter jet take off, filled with anticipation.

This fighter jet has nine hardpoints. At this moment, each of the inner wing hardpoints is carrying an external fuel tank, the middle hardpoint is carrying two SH-10 missiles, the outer and wingtip hardpoints are carrying four SH-9 missiles, and the belly hardpoints are empty.

With such flight capabilities, it's practically armed to the teeth. Who would believe this is just a trainer aircraft?

However... they had just taken off when they were spotted by an E-2 early warning aircraft flying above the distant carrier strike group.

"HawkEye calling Hornet, HawkEye calling Hornet, target detected, taking off from Wheeler Air Force Base and flying in your direction."

In fact, if the two Hornets were flying at extremely low altitudes, the ground radar of the Littor would not have been able to detect them in advance. However... their mission this time was to provoke, deliberately fly into the death zone declared by the Littor, lure the Littor air force to intercept them, and then shoot them down cleanly, just like they did in 81!
Now, upon hearing that an aircraft had taken off from the other side, Schroeder was very excited.

"Bumblebee received!" he said, activating the weapon system and his Sparrow missiles...

Radar waves filled the airspace ahead, one second, two seconds, three seconds...

"Target spotted, 50 kilometers away!"

The nose of this fighter jet is not large. When equipping it with radar, the diameter of the nose was specially increased to fit the Hughes AN/APG-65 radar. The antenna diameter is only 50.8 centimeters.

The performance of this radar is far superior to that of the AWG-9!
However... they believed that their airborne radar was definitely more advanced than that of the opposing MiG-25, and that even the most powerful MiG-25's actual search range was within fifty kilometers!
Now that the target has been located, the next step is to lock onto it...

Just then, he heard his wingman, Webster, exclaim in his headset.

"Oh, damn it, I'm locked on!"

The sound of the radar alarm receiver coming through his headphones sent Webster into a panic!
"Hawkeye calling Hornet, target launches a missile, target launches a missile!"

This speed is unbelievable!
Actually, both sides were flying head-on, and their radars detected them at roughly the same distance, but... there was a dedicated radar officer on the J-10!
Moreover, Eastern electronic technology is advanced, requiring very few operating steps!

Target detected, locked on, firing parameters set for the missile... In less than ten seconds, Lightning-10, trailing flames, flew toward the target!
That's fast... really fast!

Wait a minute! The two sides are now flying head-on and the distance is constantly closing. Even so, they dare to launch medium-range air-to-air missiles at a distance of about 45 kilometers. Just how far is the range of the enemy's missiles?
The Hornet is currently equipped with AIM-7M missiles, a brand-new model that was only developed in 1982. Even so, its range is only increased to 60 kilometers. In actual use, it is generally effective when launched from a distance of 30 kilometers.

just now……

Is the enemy's range greater than ours?
how can that be!

What kind of plane arrived? What kind of missile did it launch?
"Disco, don't worry, they're just trying to scare us away. Their missiles don't go that far!" Schroeder reassured his wingman.

"Really?"

"Really, I promise! You can fly right behind me!"

The two planes were flying head-on, and having Webster fly to the very back meant using his own plane to block the incoming missiles!

"Yes." Webster didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately maneuvering his fighter jet, carefully approaching the tail of Schroeder's plane, and then...

The sound of the radar alarm receiver in his headphones disappeared, and he finally felt relieved.

The sound reached Schroeder's ears!
Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? Unless it's the Phoenix, no missile can fly that far!

"Discobolus, follow me up!"

To deal with semi-active radar-guided missiles, you can simply keep climbing and diving to deplete the energy of the incoming missiles! After a few rounds, you can shake off the enemy missiles!

"Yes!"

Climb, dive, climb again, dive again...

"Bumblebee, beware! The target is still flying towards you!"

Upon hearing the AWACS, Schroeder was somewhat bewildered: "How is this possible? Hasn't the missile's energy been consumed?"

"No, the missile has been flying steadily."

What does that mean? Actively guiding the head?
impossible!

Where did the Russians get their missiles with active guidance systems?
"Attention, the missile is ten kilometers away from you."

Of course, Dongfang would not export missiles with active guidance systems. The current Lightning-10 simply adds an extra data link. This way, when flying toward the target, as long as the carrier aircraft keeps its eyes on the target and transmits the target coordinates to the missile, it can achieve the desired result!
The target may tumble up and down, but the missile won't tumble along with it!
ten kilometers!
Schroeder's heart suddenly panicked.

Damn it, what kind of monster is this?

He looked at the distant sky, trying to catch a glimpse of it with his naked eye, but unfortunately, the missile was already in inertial flight and the white smoke trailing behind it was nowhere to be seen, so it was not easy to spot!
The distance between the two sides is still rapidly closing.

Eight kilometers, five kilometers...

and many more!

Schroeder seemed to see a javelin appear in the sky. He gritted his teeth, faced the missile head-on, and flew up!
There's only one last option left!

The distance between the two sides closed rapidly, three kilometers, two kilometers...

Activate the booster and pull the lever!
The strakes on both sides of the nose support the airflow, allowing the aircraft to climb at a high angle of attack of 60 degrees to avoid the incoming missile!

At this moment, the missile hesitated for a moment.

It could see the target fly away and wanted to chase after it, but the next moment... another target appeared behind the target, making it calm down again!
Behind him, wingman Webster yelled, "Schroder, you bastard!"

Even when driving on the highway, if the car behind can keep up with the car in front, then the reaction speed must be faster than the car in front!

Not to mention flying a plane, the wingman must react faster than the lead plane in order to keep up with it. Generally speaking, they have practiced on the ground and are confident. If they are not notified in advance, the wingman's reaction will definitely be a beat slower.

The lead plane did it on purpose!

They deliberately flew away at this crucial moment, and then... the wingman stayed behind to be a target!
Webster didn't even have time to react; he could only watch as the missile flew right in front of him.

boom!
The fireball exploded, and the fragmented warhead formed a dense barrage of metal projectiles!

Dangdang Dangdang!
The sounds of impact continued to ring out, and the next second, flames erupted.

Webster quickly pulled the ejection pin between his legs, and just as the canopy was launched, metal struck his body, staining his seat with blood.

In his final moments, he looked down at his plane, which was burning and crashing!

The first US Navy Hornet, the most advanced F/A-18, has been shot down!
(End of this chapter)