Start with a blacksmith shop.

Chapter 147 Small Plane Crossing the Sea

The aircraft was fully completed, the flight control system was working, and the control panel was ready, but the other installed components had not yet been tested for specific data.

Now all that's left is to send it into the air and conduct an actual test to see how well the aircraft performs.

After everything was prepared, Yan Hang immediately submitted a test flight application to Gu Changkong.

Subsequently, after obtaining approval from the relevant authorities, the test flight schedule for the aircraft was also determined.

The time will be three days from now, and the location will be the Hongdu Factory military test flight field.

After the aircraft's test flight application was submitted, Cui Tianzhi received the news that he would arrive at Hongdu Factory three days later to represent the Air Force in the test flight.

While Li Zhenhua was working on the large aircraft, the smaller plane left behind at their location did not stay at the Quancheng Air Force Base for long.

The naval air force, having received the news, quickly took it over. The reason was simple: this small aircraft deserved a bigger stage and shouldn't be confined to land.

Meanwhile, the Equipment Development Department wanted to see if this type of aircraft was suitable for aircraft carriers, so they gave the aircraft to the Naval Aviation.

However, to be honest, 3.5 meters in length is still too small, and it cannot fully demonstrate the advantages of its variable-sweep wing on an aircraft carrier.

After Cui Tianzhi had the small plane taken away, he was heartbroken for a long time and it took him a long time to recover.

After leaving Quancheng Air Force Base, the small plane was flown to Shenyang Air Force Base by naval personnel. There, it was modified, with an arresting hook added and the transmission system switched to a satellite. It was then put on board the ship.

The installation of the arresting hook went exceptionally smoothly this time, the reason being that the F-14 that Li Zhenhua had previously handled was the naval version.

At the rear, where a separate reinforcing structure is installed for the arresting hook, and during Li Zhenhua's manufacturing process...

He simply removed the outer stop hooks without changing the internal reinforcing structure.

This made the installation of the arresting hooks exceptionally smooth, and for Shen Huoyi,

Faced with such an advanced and uniquely structured drone, they felt an urge to tear it to pieces.

That's why the navy was watching closely; otherwise, it's uncertain whether the small plane could have been saved.

The modified small plane was then loaded onto the aircraft carrier, its tiny body even occupying its own hangar bay.

After these small aircraft were deployed on carriers, the pilots' attitudes towards them were completely different.

One was disdain, the other was fondness, but after getting to know them better, they all turned into fondness.

Just half a month after boarding the ship, the aircraft carrier fleet,

But just as they were crossing the strait, this disobedient, rebellious child attempted to physically assault them.

At that time, the fastest aircraft to take off from the deck was a small plane, and without hesitation, the small plane was piloted by the naval aviator and took to the skies.

Since the small plane was not equipped with any weapon system, its only weapon was itself, so the pilot flew the plane straight towards the rebellious son's plane.

He was startled when the smaller plane flew towards him; the self-collision terrified him.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and managed to avoid a collision; otherwise, they would have really crashed.

The small plane that he dodged did not stop and continued to fly forward.

Judging from their posture, they had no intention of stopping; they wouldn't give up until they flew over the land.

The unfilial son's pilot immediately panicked and gave chase to the plane.

Even though the pilot was about to floor the throttle, the plane in front of him was still leaving him almost invisible, his exhaust plume barely visible.

The Volkswagen F-5E, traveling at Mach 1.42, exerted all its strength at an altitude of 10,000 meters, but still couldn't catch up with the smaller plane in front of it.

Furthermore, during such intense flight, the pilot of the 5e felt as if his aircraft was coughing.

After shaking off its pursuers, the small plane immediately descended from an altitude of 10,000 meters.

It descended to an altitude of 30 meters before stopping; the small plane is now flying very close to the sea surface.

After he flew by, waves were stirred up on the sea.

At a height of 30 meters and a speed of Mach 1.4, this maneuver is a standard version of an ultra-low-altitude assault.

With current radar technology, it's unlikely that such a low-altitude incursion could be detected.

Even if the radar equipment meets the standards, the quality of the soldiers may not be able to detect it.

At Mach 1.4, it's quite fast to fly over land; the land appears on the screen in front of the pilot of the small plane very quickly.

The small aircraft's control cockpit was placed in the aircraft carrier's command center, and the captain was currently sitting next to the cockpit.

"Report, sir, land has come into view."

The captain smiled, his lips curving upwards involuntarily.

"Alright, increase your flight altitude and show yourself to us."

The pilot then immediately increased the plane's altitude, sending it soaring straight into the sky to an altitude of 5000 meters.

The sudden appearance of the target on the radar, moving at the speed of sound, startled them.

Then, the Buddha 16, who was in a state of emergency, rushed over.

When the two F-16s approached the small plane, the pilots of both planes were somewhat at a loss when they saw the tiny figure.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, one of them reacted and shouted.

"You have entered the airspace ahead at an altitude of 5100 meters. Immediate action!"

Meanwhile, in the aircraft carrier's command center, the voice from the control cockpit was played through the speakers, ensuring that everyone in the command center could hear these words clearly.

"Give him a firm reply!"

The pilot then pressed the intercom button, and his voice was transmitted over the network to the aircraft, where it was switched to the other party's channel.

"I am, in progress, and flying, you."

Please don't fight a losing battle!

After speaking, the small plane immediately accelerated and circled for a long time before returning to the aircraft carrier.

The two F-16s, like two escort planes, were also flying alongside.

The small plane circled around so much that it had just enough fuel for landing, and then it rushed towards the aircraft carrier's runway.

The landing gear touched down, the arresting hook engaged the arresting cable, and the small plane came to a steady stop on the aircraft carrier's deck.

After this round trip, I can say that I have achieved a record of flying the plane.

This time, it wasn't just a simple flight over there; they also used their own onboard camera.

After landing on the aircraft carrier, it just swaggered past us.

The incident has also been reported.

The Equipment Development Department also took a different view of this unassuming little aircraft, noting its ability to hold its own against the V-16 in terms of speed.

This incident gave the Air Force an idea: why not deploy some ground-based small aircraft in the vicinity?

Taking off in a squadron every day to fly a loop around the area is also a good option, considering the small planes' range of just over 900 kilometers.

With an auxiliary fuel tank on their back, they'll definitely be able to ski around until their legs are thin.

This can keep them busy and also reduce the usage time of the enemy's military aircraft.

This also has advantages for them. First, it eliminates any safety concerns for the pilots.

Another advantage is the lower operating cost. Compared to fighter jets like the Raptor, this small aircraft is certainly not as expensive.

Even if the plane crashes, Kyushu's military budget can afford it.

All of these things actually happened during the time Li Zhenhua was assembling the large aircraft, but one thing is that the small aircraft were being deployed more frequently.

After receiving these reports from the Navy and the Equipment Development Department, Cui Tianzhi's expectations for the upcoming test flight of the large aircraft were even higher.

The day was sunny with blue skies and white clouds, and the wind wasn't too strong, making it perfect for the test flight of the new aircraft.

At the Hongdu Aircraft Factory's test flight field, a Z-20 helicopter flew in from a distance, and behind the Z-20 was a flying boat with camouflage paint.

Guided by ground staff, the helicopter landed on an open area at the airport.

The camouflage-painted flying boat with the August 1st emblem on its wings came to a stop on the runway after a taxiing run.

Two soldiers, aged fifty or sixty, disembarked from the airship. They glanced around and walked toward the group of people.

The two old men encountered Cui Tianzhi, who had just disembarked from a helicopter, on the way. Cui Tianzhi, a one-star general, stopped and saluted the two old men.

"Greetings, sirs! It's great that you have time to come and watch this test flight!"

One of the old men stopped and pointed at him.

"What, is it only you, Little Cui, who gets to come and see? Can't we two old men broaden our horizons?"

"Hehehe, Chief, you must be joking."

The two old men then walked ahead, with Cui Tianzhi accompanying them, and guards responsible for security were also following them.

Gu Changkong was initially nervous, looking at the eight-meter-tall aircraft in front of him, but when the helicopter and the camouflage flying boat arrived at the same time, he hurriedly went to greet them.

When Gu Chang came to greet the group, he said "Welcome!" to them.

"Welcome, leaders, to Hongdu for your guidance!"

One of the old men patted Gu Changkong on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Not bad, your flying boat is very comfortable!"

The group exchanged pleasantries as they walked toward the area where the planes were parked.

The aircraft had already been pushed out of the hangar, and technicians were acting as ground crew, inspecting various parts of the aircraft.

Cui Tianzhi, who came along with them, was immediately drawn to the plane and couldn't take his eyes off it.

The plane in front of him was exactly the same as the one he had seen before, only a few sizes bigger.

However, upon closer inspection, he discovered some differences.

First, the tail nozzle is very different from that of a small aircraft, and in some details, the large aircraft looks more beautiful.

The two senior leaders from the Equipment Development Department also smiled when they saw the plane.

"Old buddy, just look at this paint scheme, and you'll know there's no mistake, it's definitely our plane! Hahaha..."

(End of this chapter)