Great Power Long Sky

In the absence of effective detection methods, the simplest way to find an aircraft carrier is to locate its carrier-based aircraft.

Carrier-based aircraft cannot stay in the air all the time; they will eventually need to land on the carrier. Moreover, carrier-based aircraft will inevitably operate within their combat radius.

The USS Kitty Hawk was unaware that the two J-6 modified fighters were there to locate them. Following standard procedure, they ordered the Maverick and Iceman crews to intercept them.

The two F-14s swaggered straight toward Li Lu and Xue Shuang, completely disregarding the People's Air Force.

In terms of technology and equipment, the current U.S. military is far ahead of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, and they are confident that they will not repeat the mistakes of the past.

The technological gap is simply too huge.

The F-14, a third-generation fighter jet capable of launching air-to-air missiles with a range of over 100 kilometers, represents a significant advantage over the J-6.

They are not afraid of being detected by our ground radar, because even if we do detect them, we have no way to deal with them as long as they do not cross the territorial sea line.

The Yuanling radar station detected two F-14 fighter jets, and Fang Dong immediately notified Li Lu.

Li Lu was overjoyed and said, "What I wished for has come true! Eagle's Nest, scout the course!"

"Understood!" Fang Dong immediately calculated based on the direction the F-14 appeared and quickly reported to Li Lu, "Eagle Nest is calling Yongqiang. The enemy aircraft carrier may be between 60 and 90 degrees."

Li Lu marked it on the nautical chart and adjusted the course.

The E-2 carrier-based early warning aircraft took over command of the two F-14s. After the command staff saw the two J-6 modified fighters change course, they immediately ordered Lone Ranger and Iceman to speed up and intercept them.

Li Lu maintained a cruising speed at an altitude of 6,000 meters. He turned his head to look down, where thick clouds obscured the view of the sea.

He did not know where the naval detachments were located, nor could he directly contact the surface ships; the communication problems for sea-air cooperation remained unresolved.

The Eastern Command reported the real-time location of the two F-14s to the Naval Command, which then relayed this intelligence to the ships carrying out the mission. This process was quite lengthy.

For the People's Liberation Army, inter-service cooperation is still a completely new challenge.

The mission was reconnaissance; the task was to evade the F-14s that came to intercept and locate the Kitty Hawk.

This is a crucial prerequisite for combat; you need to know where the target is in order to establish the conditions for attack.

Although we currently lack the means to attack aircraft carriers.

As the distance between the two sides closed, the Mavericks realized that something was wrong, because the two J-6 modified fighter jets were not flying towards them, but were flying steadily at cruising speed on a fixed course.

This doesn't look like an attempt to intercept or expel them.

The Maverick reported to the AWACS and, after receiving approval, engaged afterburner to accelerate toward the direction of the two J-6 modified fighters.

At a distance of ten kilometers, the Lone Ranger made a small-radius turn and suddenly appeared on Li Lu's left.

Li Lu turned his head and coldly watched two F-14s flying alongside him. He freed one hand to take out a film camera and started snapping photos of the F-14 with the serial number "VF-51-1".

It was the F-14 that the Mavericks were piloting.

"Stupid goose, he's taking pictures. Let's teach him a lesson," said the Lone Ranger, his eyes fixed on Li Lu's white work gloves, which were too conspicuous.

The weapons operator in the back seat, Ben'e, agreed and took out a more advanced SLR camera. He operated it with both hands, aiming it at the J-6 modified No. 101, taking pictures from panoramic views to close-ups of the cockpit, and even adjusting the focus to shoot Li Lu's face.

The lone wolf was highly skilled and daring; he kept close to Li Lu, keeping the distance between the two aircraft no more than ten meters.

Li Lu kept the course steady, unmoved.

Li Lu turned to the Lone Ranger and said sternly, "Attention US military aircraft, you are affecting my flight safety. You must leave immediately!"

I don't have to answer your question. This is international airspace, and aircraft from any country have the right to use it.

The Americans are used to being domineering and treat international airspace as their own territory.

The Lone Ranger maneuvered his fighter jet slowly intruding into Li Lu's flight path, attempting to force Li Lu to change course by pressuring his flight path.

Li Lu's response was to maintain the course and speed, refusing to give an inch.

The lateral distance between the two aircraft continued to decrease, with the right wing of the F-14 only three meters away from the left wing of the J-6 modified No. 101.

This is a very dangerous distance, and mid-air collisions are very likely to occur.

The J-6 modified No. 101 remained motionless. If the Lone Ranger did not change course, the two aircraft would soon collide.

He immediately stopped his approach and suddenly engaged afterburner, adjusted the sweep angle of the wings, and accelerated forward to cut in front of the J-6 modified No. 101. The two Pratt & Whitney F110-GE-400 turbofan engines emitted powerful airflow, and the resulting wake enveloped the J-6 modified No. 101.

The plane suddenly began to shake, and the engine showed signs of surging. Li Lu decisively pushed the stick and dived down, using the altitude to gain kinetic energy and quickly increase the speed.

Xue Shuang followed closely behind.

Instead of pulling the plane up, Li Lu plunged headfirst into the thick clouds below, and Xue Shuang followed suit.

The Iceman crew, who were providing cover, saw this and called out to Lone Ranger, "They're running down, into the clouds."

The Lone Ranger turned a corner and flew back, chasing after the Iceman crew one after the other.

Li Lu called out to Xue Shuang, "Yongwu, be careful! We need to pick up the pace. You cover me, I'm going to advance and conduct reconnaissance!"

"Understood, be mindful of fuel consumption!" Xue Shuang replied.

The pilots in the tactical test group all gave themselves radio call signs: Li Lu was Yongqiang, Xue Shuang was Yongwu, and Chen Qi was Yonggan, collectively known as the "Three Courages".

The pilot's only call sign is in line with international standards.

Xue Shuang pulled the control stick, causing the aircraft to climb while decelerating, while Li Lu engaged afterburner to accelerate, increasing the airspeed to nearly 1100 kilometers per hour before disengaging the afterburner and keeping the throttle stick at its maximum position.

Li Lu controlled the depression angle at 3 degrees, maintaining a continuous descent to gain extra kinetic energy without losing too much altitude in a short period of time.

Now he can only choose a course and take a gamble, betting that the USS Kitty Hawk is at a 70-degree angle, which is directly in front of him right now.

Xue Shuang abandoned the reconnaissance mission and instead engaged in dogfighting with two F-14s to buy time for Li Lu.

The J-6 is a bit old, but this type of fighter jet, which uses a turbojet engine, may even have better acceleration performance than a turbofan engine.

Li Lu suddenly accelerated, covering more than ten kilometers in one breath, and disappeared from the Lone Ranger's sight.

However, even with the cover of clouds, the J-6 modified No. 101 could not escape the detection of the E-2 early warning aircraft.

Soon, the intelligence was relayed to the Lone Ranger crew, who immediately realized that J-6 Modified No. 101 had ulterior motives.