Great Power Long Sky

Li Lu piloted the JH-7 fighter-bomber to fly at extremely low altitudes over the sea. After successfully passing the second predetermined node and adjusting the course for the second time, he decisively switched off radio silence, exactly as planned.

Now, the fighter jets have completely shut down all external electromagnetic signals, leaving only their receiving function, thus becoming completely stealthy and "listening but not speaking."

That is, the "dumb" state.

The enemy's electronic reconnaissance and surveillance are not just for show. To ensure that this reconnaissance is absolutely not exposed, we must not only strictly adhere to the rule of radio silence, but also absolutely not turn on the airborne active detection radar.

The reason for such strict electromagnetic control is, frankly, to do everything in our power to ensure the safe and successful completion of this reconnaissance mission, and to absolutely prevent the enemy from getting the slightest hint of our activity.

Among all the pilots who can withstand long-duration, complex low-altitude flights over the sea, Li Lu is universally recognized as the number one and the most reliable candidate.

According to previously obtained intelligence analysis, the US Navy's aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk is currently located in the waters east of the first island chain, specifically on the eastern side of the island chain, more than 400 kilometers away from the mainland coastline.

From a military strategic perspective, this distance is tantamount to holding a knife to our throat, posing a very deadly threat.

The USS Kitty Hawk's Carrier Air Wing 15 possesses formidable air superiority and offensive capabilities, with its F-14 and F-18 carrier-based fighter jets having an effective combat radius easily exceeding 700 kilometers.

At this distance, the air force's operational range can cover all the key areas of our entire eastern coastline, creating a high-pressure situation right in our face.

This reconnaissance mission was both important and difficult.

Previously, Li Lu had successfully penetrated the core air defense perimeter of the USS Kitty Hawk carrier battle group while flying the old J-6 No. 101, causing the Americans to lose face.

This time, the USS Kitty Hawk carrier strike group will definitely learn from its mistakes and will certainly increase its defenses against low and very low altitudes, making more stringent air defense arrangements for the strike group to avoid repeating the same mistake.

The JH-7 fighter-bomber driven by Li Lu had only average downward-looking radar detection capabilities for sea targets, and it had to climb to a certain altitude to reach its theoretical maximum detection range.

In reality, as long as Li Lufei's height exceeds 500 meters, and he is about 200 kilometers away from the "Little Hawk", he will most likely be detected by the advanced "Aegis" phased array radar on the enemy escort ship.

If an E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft were deployed over the USS Kitty Hawk carrier strike group, the detection distance would be significantly increased.

Therefore, the only path Li Lu could take was to grit his teeth and fly at extremely low altitudes for extended periods, which was fraught with risks. There were virtually no other options.

However, flying at extremely low altitudes also has significant drawbacks—flying so low directly reduces the effective reconnaissance range of fighter jets to an extremely narrow level.

At this altitude, airborne radar is affected by the curvature of the earth and sea clutter, making its search performance even worse than that of a pilot's visual search.

However, the objective systemic disadvantages are even greater.

We lack airborne early warning aircraft to provide aerial intelligence, reconnaissance satellites to capture real-time images, and long-range land-based phased array radars to guide us. We lack all the technological means that can help fighter jets expand their perception capabilities.

This is the stark reality we must now face.

The only thing that can offer a slight sense of relief is that, so far, the entire advance has not been detected by the enemy.

Neither the various radar stations on the island nor the ships and their onboard radars deployed for combat readiness in the vast waters east of the strait were able to detect any trace of the JH-7.

The tactic of making a stealthy, low-altitude advance followed by a high-altitude reconnaissance has been carried out successfully so far.

In the front and rear cockpits, Li Lu and Xue Shuang worked together very well, their eyes scanning the airspace and sea surface to the left, right, up, and down.

The clouds overhead were very high. Today was a clear, cloudless day with excellent visibility. The line of sight extended to the horizon, and the vast ocean stretched out in a pristine, clear expanse.

When Li Lu maintained his speed and altitude and flew more than 30 kilometers west of the designated reference point, "Tower 101", he noticed that the waves on the sea surface were becoming whiter and more conspicuous. This clearly indicated that the sea conditions were deteriorating and the sea was no longer calm.

Based on his experience, he estimated with the naked eye that the wave was already over three meters high, but for a fighter jet flying at a height of fifty meters, this wave was not enough to directly threaten flight safety.

As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire.

Li Lu could clearly feel the joystick in his hand begin to vibrate gently and rhythmically, while the subtle vibrations of the rudder and elevator were also clearly transmitted to the soles of his feet through the pedals.

How precise is his control over fighter jets now?

It's like driving a car that's exactly two meters wide and smoothly backing it into a garage that's only two and a half meters wide. You have to be completely focused and highly concentrated, and every maneuver is almost flawless.

He carefully coordinated with the control stick and throttle, adjusting the rudder and elevator little by little to stabilize the attitude when crosswinds came, and fine-tuning the throttle accordingly, so that he could maintain the flight parameters at this altitude.

If we're just talking about the feeling of flying an aircraft, the JH-7 is much more comfortable to fly.

Whether it's the ergonomically designed seats that won't make you too tired no matter how long you fly, or the sensitive and easy-to-use control response and clear operational feedback provided by the flight controller, it's far superior to the J-7 and J-8, making it perfect for the "long-haul" missions that require flying for a long time and over long distances.

After the 8th Air Regiment was transferred to the East China Sea Air Base, Li Lu had just completed all the solo flight training for the JH-7 fighter-bomber and obtained the qualification to fly this type of aircraft completely independently.

He then immediately began conversion training on J-8B fighters from the 8th Air Regiment, and within just one week, he successfully obtained his J-8B flight qualification.

His flying talent was on full display as combat readiness training intensified and training intensity increased.

That's why he has a thorough understanding of the characteristics and performance of the J-7, J-8, and now the JH-7.

In terms of design, the JH-7 uses a high-wing design in a conventional aerodynamic layout. This layout provides the aircraft with excellent low-altitude, low-speed flight stability, as well as better payload coefficient and fuel economy.

To put it simply, when this aircraft was first conceived and designed, it was positioned as a professional air-to-sea and air-to-ground attack aircraft, and all the design was centered around this core mission.

The military industry has developed air-launched anti-ship missiles specifically for aircraft such as the JH-7 and H-6.

The combination of JH-7 and H-6 bombers with air-launched anti-ship missiles is currently the only and most important long-range air anti-ship strike force of our military, and the only means to strike enemy large surface ships at long range.

Specifically, the JH-7 is the mainstay of long-range anti-ship warfare because the H-6's penetration capability is too weak.