Great Power Long Sky

Compared to the 7th and 9th Air Regiments, the 8th Air Regiment seems to have a naturally weaker presence.

Currently, the People's Liberation Army Air Force's aviation divisions generally adopt a three-three organizational structure, meaning each division has three flight regiments. Specifically, the regiments belonging to fighter divisions are called fighter regiments, while those belonging to bomber divisions are called bomber regiments.

Within the 3rd Air Division, the 9th Air Regiment is the elite of the elite, often regarded as the "carriage" and "top performer." It not only enjoys priority in equipment upgrades but is also currently the only air regiment equipped with Su-27 fighter jets, making its technological advantages and combat strength extremely prominent.

Although the 7th Air Regiment is relatively outdated in terms of equipment, it is deployed in a key front-line coastal area, and its geographical location is of great strategic significance. It plays an indispensable and important role in my country's air defense system.

Thus, among the three brother regiments, the eldest, the 7th Air Regiment, is in a crucial position due to its responsibility for frontline defense, while the third, the 9th Air Regiment, is the most cherished and best equipped regiment.

The second oldest regiment, the 8th Air Force Regiment, though part of the same organization, seems to have become an unloved and neglected figure in terms of attention.

For example, Xue Shuang, as a "new recruit" who was transferred in midway, had never even heard anyone mention the 8th Air Regiment before. It seemed as if the 3rd Air Division, an elite force on the eastern coast, did not have such a flight regiment.

Li Lu and Xue Shuang walked towards the tarmac, where pilots from the 8th Air Regiment were lined up.

Prior to this, the maintenance support team of the 8th Air Regiment had already transferred to the Donghai Air Base by land transportation and was now in operation.

Li Lu explained, "The Eighth Regiment may not be well-known, but let me tell you, this regiment is a tough one. You may not know this, but at the end of the year before last, the military region organized an air force aviation unit to conduct a live-fire air combat competition, and the Eighth Regiment outperformed other brother units, achieving the highest collective score."

The 29th Air Division was not in the Southeast Military Region's operational order of battle, so Xue Shuang was naturally unaware of this matter.

At this moment, Xue Shuang asked curiously, "Which unit won first place individually?"

Li Lu smiled and raised his chin, saying, "Guess."

Xue Shuang suddenly snapped out of his daze, "It's you, kid!"

"Haha, it is indeed I, Li Lu, who is not talented enough." Li Lu laughed.

Then, he said seriously, "The fact that the Eighth Regiment achieved first place in the overall score shows its strength."

"This relocation is being led by Colonel Li Dongying, the commander of the Eighth Regiment. He is also a formidable general in the army. He is only thirty-five years old this year, even younger than Gao Wei, the commander of the Ninth Regiment. Hmm, he is from my hometown."

Xue Shuang nodded slightly. "I know this person. He became a regimental commander at only thirty-five years old, a standout in the Air Force aviation unit. Wait, is he another one of your fellow townsmen?"

"Our regimental commander is from your hometown, Station Chief Wu is from your hometown, and Ou Dewei of the Second Battalion is also from your hometown. You have quite a few people from your hometown!"

Li Lu laughed and said, "Otherwise, why would anyone talk about the Cantonese gang behind my back? It's all nonsense. It's just a coincidence, nothing more."

As they talked, the two arrived at the tarmac.

The duty officer of the Eighth Regiment organized the troops and reported to the regimental commander, Li Dongying. After completing the standard procedures, the duty officer led the troops in neat steps along the parallel road towards the inner field, shouting their unit numbers with high morale.

Li Dongying lagged behind, slowly walking this way with her flight helmet tucked under her arm.

"Commander Li!" Li Lu greeted him, laughing heartily as he saluted as he walked.

Xue Shuang saluted in response.

Upon recognizing the person, Li Dongying immediately raised his hand in return, laughing heartily, "Captain Li! We meet again!"

His voice is cheerful and straightforward, which immediately suggests he has a cheerful and easygoing personality.

"I'm not even the acting squadron leader anymore," Li Lu quickly corrected, pointing to Xue Shuang and introducing her, "Let me introduce you, this is Comrade Xue Shuang, the squadron leader of the sixth squadron of the third battalion of our regiment."

"Comrade Xue Shuang was transferred from the 87th Regiment of the 29th Air Division. Last year, we worked together at Guanqiao Air Station. We are now in the senior staff department."

Xue Shuang quickly extended her hand, "Commander Li, welcome!"

Li Dongying shook hands with Xue Shuang, "Team Leader Xue, hello."

It's clear that Li Dongying is very approachable and doesn't act like a leader at all.

He laughed and said to Xue Shuang, "Working with Li Lu must be quite a headache, right? That kid is always causing trouble. Being his wingman means constantly cleaning up his messes."

Xue Shuang laughed and said, "Comrade Li Lu is now the leader of the tactical testing group. It's quite pleasant to work with him. Of course, there are still things to worry about."

Li Lu quickly said, "Hey, hey, hey, you've only just met, and you're already inseparable. Okay, enough nonsense, let's go, let's talk as we walk."

The two nodded with smiles.

The three walked slowly toward the inner field. Not far away, a squad leader with two guards saw that the three were in a horizontal line instead of the standard formation of one person leading and two people in a vertical line. They immediately quickened their pace and walked over.

As I got closer and looked up, lo and behold, it was Sixth Brother! The squad leader and two other soldiers turned and walked away, pretending they hadn't seen him.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Li Lu asked, "Is it true that when your airborne radar is activated, a formation of more than three aircraft will interfere with each other?"

Li Dongying said seriously, "You're probably referring to the single-pulse Type 208 radar. That radar never even passed testing or evaluation. The mass-produced J-8B fighter jets we're deploying use the pulse Doppler radar, the SL-8A, which has a maximum detection range of 70 kilometers and has initially acquired beyond-visual-range combat capabilities."

"The transport plane will bring a batch of Aspide missiles tomorrow, forty-eight in total, enough to give the Americans a run for their money."

Li Lu, however, was not so optimistic. He said, "Aspide's technology is derived from the American-made AIM-7 Sparrow missile. They have many ways to deal with it, so you have to be mentally prepared."

Li Dongying nodded slowly and said, "I said at the mobilization meeting before the transfer that if the missiles can't hit it, then we'll crash into it. We must take control of the airspace in Zone 3 at all costs. Even if we can't take it, we can't let the enemy's planes run rampant."

"I'm relieved that you have that confidence," Li Lu said in a deep voice. "The joint military exercise command has given the 7th Regiment two main tasks. Now that you've been reinforced, it's clear that the 7th Regiment is primarily tasked with supporting the army's amphibious landing operations."

He paused, then said, "During our last phone call, you mentioned that you organized your troops to study the case of breaking through the Kitty Hawk's air defense perimeter. How's that going?"

Li Dongying is usually an optimistic person, but at this moment she frowned, smiled bitterly, and shook her head, "The progress is not ideal, and we've encountered problems in every aspect. I wish I could fly over and bring you to our regiment to be an instructor."

Li Lu said, "There's still some time before the battle starts, so I'll use this time to show you all some things. I've discovered that the high-low altitude coordinated attack strategy can also be used in air combat. The J-8B has a speed advantage, so we need to make full use of it."

Nodding, Li Dongying said, "You make the decision, and we'll discuss it together. Our aircraft are outperformed by the enemy, but we can compensate for it to some extent with tactics."

Li Lu suddenly laughed and said, "I've already written my will. It's in my bag. Don't forget our promise."

Li Dongying also laughed and said, "Great minds think alike, and don't forget your promise."

Xue Shuang, who was standing nearby, was filled with mixed feelings after hearing their conversation.