Great Power Long Sky

Before launching carrier-based fighter jets, an aircraft carrier has almost no air defense capability. Its air defense capability, and even its entire combat capability, comes from carrier-based aircraft and escort ships.

The core of an aircraft carrier battle group is the aircraft carrier. It does not mean that it relies entirely on the aircraft carrier, but rather that it is a comprehensive strike force that can move rapidly at sea, composed of various types of ships with the aircraft carrier as the core.

Aircraft carriers and escort ships complement each other and are indispensable.

Simply put, an aircraft carrier battle group can be viewed as a naval and air force with integrated combat capabilities.

However, once the enemy's fighter jets or missiles break through to the core defense zone, the aircraft carrier, as the core, will be in danger.

Previously, Li Lu piloted J-6 Modified No. 101 to break through the core defense perimeter of the USS Kitty Hawk carrier battle group at low altitude, performing several somersaults inside, like Sun Wukong, before leisurely escaping into the distance.

This incident brought an extremely shocking and psychological impact to the USS Kitty Hawk carrier strike group.

Such a powerful carrier battle group, with so many aircraft, so many escort ships, and such advanced phased array radar, was actually penetrated by a backward jet fighter with technology from the 1950s!

It's a complete penetration that goes through you from head to toe, from the outside in!

This tactical "penetration" not only exposed huge vulnerabilities in the Kitty Hawk carrier battle group's defense system during actual combat, but also dealt an unprecedented blow to their pride in their carrier defense.

The defense perimeter, which was originally considered impregnable, turned out to be as flimsy as paper in the face of a fighter jet with technology decades behind. This stark contrast plunged the entire fleet's officers and men into deep self-doubt.

Many of them immediately thought of the Korean Peninsula more than forty years ago, and of that war of extreme cold and bloodshed.

The opposing side, using extremely outdated and even unstandardized weapons, utterly thrashed them, who were equipped with the world's most advanced weaponry, leaving them utterly defeated and crying for their mothers...

Therefore, they began to re-examine their defense strategies, radar early warning systems, and the coordinated combat capabilities between their ships, seeking effective ways to deal with ultra-low-altitude penetration aircraft.

In fact, the psychological impact was even more unsettling to them than the actual military losses.

Because what they possess is already the most advanced weaponry in the world.

What if one day, the enemy's weaponry and technology level catches up with ours? The thought sends chills down many people's spines.

Strategically, after the USS Kitty Hawk carrier strike group was thoroughly penetrated by the J-6 (farmer fighter jet), they were already utterly and undisputed losers.

Tactically, in order to deal with targets such as ultra-low-altitude penetrating aircraft and missiles, they made an adjustment by expanding the radius of the core defense circle—using space to gain early warning and counterattack time, while also widening the firing range.

One of the key reasons Li Lu was able to escape unscathed was that he took advantage of the overlapping fire channels between the escort ships and the aircraft carrier. If the escort ships opened fire, they might accidentally damage the aircraft carrier or other friendly ships, so they had many concerns.

In the formation of a carrier battle group, the Ticonderoga-class cruisers are the absolute main force and escort. Starting with the sixth ship, their air defense combat system was replaced with the MK-41 vertical launch system, with one on each of the fore and aft decks, which can carry 122 Standard SM-2 air defense missiles.

The two Ticonderoga-class cruisers carry more anti-aircraft missiles than most countries have in their entire countries combined.

The Kitty Hawk carrier strike group includes three Ticonderoga-class destroyers and four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers—the newest type of dedicated air defense destroyer in the U.S. Navy, capable of carrying 90/96 Standard SM-2 air defense missiles.

The improved version of the Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) has a maximum range of 150 kilometers.

In a Kitty Hawk carrier strike group, the escort ships alone carry 750 anti-aircraft missiles with a range of 150 kilometers!

This is a formidable air and sea force capable of taking on the air power of a single country and overthrowing the regimes of 95 percent of the world's countries!

Seven hundred and fifty... This is a terrifying number, even more than the number of second-generation fighter jets currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Before setting off, Li Lu and Xue Shuang's crew had thoroughly grasped all the intelligence at hand and knew very well the specific composition of the "Kitty Hawk" carrier battle group—provided there were no new reinforcements.

At this moment, seeing the highly recognizable side profile of the Ticonderoga-class cruiser, Li Lu and his companion fully understood their predicament.

"Yongwu, hold on tight, watch out for their opportunities," Li Lu said in a deep voice.

Maintaining radio silence at this point is pointless—we're now within the other side's line of sight.

The opponent is not reacting at present, firstly because it was unexpected, and secondly because of the limited visibility.

The sky was dark and visibility was decreasing. Moreover, the Americans relied heavily on electronic devices, and their human lookouts were practically useless, like a deaf person's ears.

The JH-7 fighter-bomber No. 81291 flew past the Ticonderoga-class submarine about three chains away on its port side, and they didn't react at all!

Actually, it was because Li Lu and his team were flying at an extremely low altitude, beyond the Americans' imagination. Their air defense was extremely rigorous and serious.

Currently, or rather the entire 1990s, is the peak of the US Navy's military power. A single carrier strike group often consists of more than a dozen ships, and they have a total of thirteen such carrier strike groups!

Moreover, the U.S. Navy during this period, starting with the Gulf War, launched several local wars in succession, and its forces had very rich combat experience, a fact that must be acknowledged.

"Yongqiang! No! No, no, no! The Ticonderoga-class shouldn't be here. Our position is at the edge of the designated airspace. Even the Kitty Hawk shouldn't be here!" Xue Shuang quickly calculated his position and suddenly shouted.

Li Lu's reaction surprised Xue Shuang. Li Lu said, "I know that the Kitty Hawk carrier strike group has moved at least 200 kilometers westward. This is a very crucial signal. Once we find the Kitty Hawk, we'll immediately disengage and return to base!"

"clear!"

Xue Shuang breathed a sigh of relief, but then her heart jumped again—she had to bring back the crucial intelligence about the significant positional changes of the USS Kitty Hawk carrier battle group!

Upon spotting the USS Kitty Hawk, they immediately returned to port, as a lone Ticonderoga-class cruiser could not definitively prove that the USS Kitty Hawk was present.

Soon, Li Lu spotted the second enemy ship, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The ship didn't react much, clearly not having seen him yet.

The probability of the USS Kitty Hawk being ahead is higher.

Li Lu is racing against time and against the enemy ships' detection nodes. Once discovered, the escort ships will swarm to attack, and those Phalanx close-in weapon systems alone are a major headache.

"Faster, faster, faster," Li Lu silently chanted to himself, but his heart rate remained normal.

The rainfall is gradually increasing, and visibility has dropped to four kilometers. There is still no sign of the USS Kitty Hawk in the distance.

Is it ahead of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers?

Did I accidentally puncture the core defense perimeter of the USS Kitty Hawk carrier strike group and fly into their rearguard formation?