Great Power Long Sky

December 10, 22:05.

A light rain fell during the day, and the mountainous area where the Donghai Station is located was shrouded in mist.

The Yuanling radar station detected a high-altitude target approaching our coastline at a cruising speed of 630 kilometers per hour, at an altitude of 15,000 meters.

The Yuanling radar station detected the target as early as after it took off from an airport on the island.

This is the old rival, the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

The order was issued to the air force and surface-to-air missile units.

Anyone who dares to cross the line will be shot down.

Li Lu and Xue Shuang each took off in J-6 modified fighter jets to intercept and drive away the enemy.

The regiment only has eight J-7E fighters; the main combat aircraft on a daily basis are still the modified J-6, which is the day and night interceptor.

We already have considerable experience in dealing with U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

In recent years, this thing has appeared less and less often because it can't gain any advantage against the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

It started to become active again at the beginning of last year.

The J-6 modified fighter jet that Li Lu was piloting tonight, numbered 100000, has undergone some new modifications.

Previously, Li Lu and Fang Dong discussed whether they could install a radio to directly contact the radar station.

His idea came about after Operation December 3.

At the time, he strongly felt that if he could communicate directly with the radar station, pilots would be able to know the changes in the target's position more promptly when dealing with air situations and would be able to judge the target's intentions more quickly.

He had an idea—to install a shortwave radio on the plane, assign it a specific frequency, and use it to communicate directly with the radar operators at the radar station.

Previously, doing so would not have been approved.

However, after the tactical testing group was established, many problems were solved.

In addition, after Fang Dong returned to the Yuanling Radar Station, he also installed a shortwave radio next to his post, so he could directly communicate with Li Lu by picking up the microphone.

Fang Dong is a radar operator. Although he was assigned to the tactical test team, he usually works at the Yuanling radar station.

Li Lu added a radar technology expert to the tactical testing group, which he considered quite necessary.

Li Lu maneuvered the J-6 modified No. 101 with a sharp turn and flew out of the mountains. He picked up the B radio and called Fang Dong, "Eagle Eye, Yongqiang calling, communication test, 12345, 12345."

Soon, Fang Dong's voice came through: "Eagle Eye received, clear and understood, over."

"Tell me the target's latest location," Li Lu asked.

Fang Dong replied, "You are 270 kilometers directly ahead, and your heading, altitude, and speed remain unchanged."

"Understood." Li Lu ended the call.

After a while, the command from the East Command came, first announcing the target's location, and then initiating guided flight.

Clearly, the intelligence information here is significantly outdated, and the East Command usually requires aircraft carrying out interception missions to fly at specific altitudes and on prescribed routes.

This is not due to rigid command methods, but rather to limitations imposed by equipment and technological conditions.

The night sky was pitch black. Looking up, it was completely black, clearly due to thick clouds above. Looking down, it was also pitch black, undoubtedly due to clouds covering the lower sky.

Li Lu and Xue Shuang were flying through the gaps between the upper and lower clouds, while the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane was at an altitude of 15,000 meters, where there were no clouds at all.

Fifteen thousand meters is the maximum reconnaissance altitude of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, and they are terrified of it, so they fly at this maximum reconnaissance altitude.

The distance between the two sides is continuously narrowing.

After Li Lu pointed east for instructions, he activated the boost and began to climb.

The J-6 has achieved a service ceiling of 18,000 meters, and at that altitude of just over 18,000 meters, it shot down several high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

Therefore, unless the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft climbs to an altitude of over 20,000 meters, it is in constant danger of being shot down.

The U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft has a maximum service ceiling of over 24,000 meters, which is second only to the SR-71 "Blackbird" high-altitude high-speed reconnaissance aircraft, which can fly up to 26,000 meters.

However, the SR-71 high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance aircraft has entered the retirement process and is rarely seen anymore.

At an altitude of 16,000 meters over the open sea, Li Lu piloted the J-6 modified No. 101 to this altitude. The thin air had a significant impact, and the aircraft's power was noticeably reduced.

Xue Shuang was positioned on his flank as a wingman, responsible for providing cover for the lead aircraft as it drove away the target.

The U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft has formidable reconnaissance capabilities. The Eastern Command ordered that it be driven away before it entered within 200 kilometers of the coastline.

Li Lu stared intently ahead, searching for the direction. According to Fang Dong's location report, he and the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft were nose-to-nose, in the same airspace, with very little difference in altitude.

Soon, a faint navigation light appeared ahead, flashing rhythmically from his angle; it was green on the left and red on the right.

The navigation lights on airplanes, arranged in a red-on-left and green-on-right pattern and flashing regularly, are similar to the parking lights on cars. They allow other aircraft to visually determine the aircraft's position and heading, and thus judge the relative distance, thereby avoiding mid-air collisions.

Li Lu's flight maneuvers were inherently brutal, and his actions in carrying out interception and expulsion missions were completely different from those of others.

Generally speaking, intercepting aircraft should enter from the side of the target, cut an angle, and fly in the same direction as the target. Then, by continuously encroaching on the target's flight path, they should "squeeze out" the target.

Li Lu, on the other hand, always charged straight at the target, like a bull in a bullfight, using himself and his fighter jets as cannonballs, forcing the target to turn back and run away with this simple, brutal, and extremely dangerous maneuver.

If the intercepted object does not turn around, it will face the risk of a head-on collision.

This kind of action is always the most effective.

They may look down on the People's Liberation Army Air Force's fighter jets, but they would never dare to doubt the courage of the People's Liberation Army Air Force pilots.

Li Lu's interception and expulsion tactics have another advantage: as long as the target turns around and faces Li Lu from behind, Li Lu's attack position is formed.

The optimal attacking position is in the back half of the ball.

No pilot can remain calm after being tailed by the enemy.

Whether it's the old-fashioned cannon duels or the current mainstream missile duels, tail-biting attacks are the most effective attack methods.

This time was no exception. When the pilot of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft saw navigation lights rapidly approaching from the front, he immediately turned and descended to gain kinetic energy and accelerate the aircraft more quickly.

At this point, the two sides were within a five-kilometer radius, and Li Lu adjusted the nose of his aircraft to aim at the target.

The U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft turned left and descended to avoid a collision. In other words, during this turn, the right side of the U-2's fuselage was being pointed at by the nose of the J-6 modified No. 101 piloted by Li Lu.

Xue Shuang, who was providing cover on the side, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the target went dozens of kilometers away and it was confirmed that it would not turn back, the mission would be considered successfully completed.

He had just had this thought when the unexpected happened...