Chapter 86 Remote Reconnaissance
Just when Chang Haonan and the joint power research team finally found and verified the cause of the fault overnight.
Across the ocean, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
Colonel Jason Brooke, deputy commander of the 78th Air Base Wing, was holding a paper cup filled with coffee, leaning leisurely on the back of the sofa, looking at his old friend behind the desk at the far end of the room, who was also the third Brigadier General Thomas Stephens, commander of the 93rd Air Control Wing.
"Tom, have you heard that the new Chinese aircraft that looks like a thin-mouthed bottle had a serious accident during its test flight yesterday?"
Jason and Thomas were classmates when they were in flight school. In addition, the 78th Air Force Base Wing has a special nature (it does not have an aviation unit, but is responsible for maintaining and operating the entire air base). Therefore, although the two have different military ranks, they have never been above each other. The subordinates looked at each other.
"New aircraft? You mean the ones they gave Grumman to improve?"
The 93rd Air Control Wing has been focused on Europe for the past few decades. mission, so Thomas doesn’t know much about the situation in East Asia.
But nearly ten years ago, when he was just an ordinary pilot, he once saw an aircraft that was somewhat similar to the Su-15 at Grumman by chance, so he After hearing these words from my old classmate, I was still a little impressed.
“I think Jason is talking about something else.”
The speaker was an Army colonel sitting on the other side, Mitchell Sherrin.
“After Grumman sent those two aircraft back, they started a new in-depth improvement project. The internal code name should be Project 83. However, judging from the situation yesterday, the progress was obviously not It’s not going well.”
Jason picked up the cup and took a sip of coffee:
“A cousin of mine who works for the Defense Intelligence Agency told me at the bar yesterday that someone saw that. An engine of a plane appeared in mid-air with fire spraying from it. It was probably an engine accident, and it was very serious.”
As I said before, things like airplane test flights cannot be hidden.
And the noise made by Prototype 01 yesterday was actually a bit too big.
"This is not surprising. I have seen that kind of aircraft by chance before, at Factory 42 in California. Although I only saw it from a distance, I have to say...it is very rough."< br>
Thomas said as he took out a box of cigars from the drawer, took one out, and trimmed it carefully with cigar scissors.
"It seems that after all these years, they have not made much progress." Jason shook his head and replied with a smile.
“Time can change a lot of things.” Thomas slowly burned the cigar on the flame of a butane lighter, then put it to his mouth and took a puff: “But time alone cannot teach a monkey to use tools. ”
"Okay, I admit that your metaphor is very appropriate..."
"Hahahaha..."
The happy laughter of three people sounded in the office.
After a while, Jason, who regained his composure, continued:
“But having said that, although their own planes pose no threat to us, those aircraft from the Russians Buying Flankers is another story, they have great range and maneuverability, which can be a problem for thin people.”
"The flanker is indeed a powerful opponent, but only in the hands of the Russians themselves." Thomas put the cigar in his hand again and watched the light blue smoke rising: "I have seen the navy According to the report given by the Intelligence Bureau after the confrontation at the beginning of this year, the Chinese Air Force has no experience in operating third-generation fighter jets. Their pilot skills are immature, and their dispatch rate is also very low. Many maintenance tasks even require the Russian side to send personnel. Go ahead."
Hearing what Thomas said, Jason raised his head and thought for a few seconds:
"What you said may be right, but even if there is only one A plane is dispatched, and the range of the Flanker is enough to follow any aircraft of the 93rd Wing, making it impossible for you to perform the mission properly."
"As for the flight issue, there is actually no need to worry."
Colonel Mitchell, who had not spoken for a while, cleared his throat and then explained:
"Based on intelligence obtained through satellite reconnaissance and some special means, Su-27's oil and electricity equipment and other support systems and the Chinese Air Force The original facilities are completely incompatible. They currently only have a battalion-level service support unit equipped with all-Russian equipment at Suixi Airport in Guangdong Province. In other words, those flankers cannot operate away from this airport, and our main mission area is in To the east, there are only some short-range imitation MiG-21s in this direction. "
"Compared to the mere 40 Flankers, the top brass is more worried about the dozen or so S300 air defenses deployed near the eastern coastline. Missile Battalion,"
Thomas put the cigar in his hand on the lid of the box, waited for it to extinguish naturally, then raised his head and looked at the two old friends:
"In the past few years, we passed the independent The Commonwealth countries have obtained several sets for testing, but what China has in hand is an updated version that has undergone major changes. The evaluation results...at least it will not be weaker than the Patriot PAC2."
"No weaker than the Patriots... Doesn't this statement sound like a threat?"
Jason's cold joke was not clever, but it still made Thomas and Mitchell laugh.
All three of them participated in the Gulf War and are very aware of the amount of water contained in Raytheon's propaganda about the Patriot missile.
In the entire war, most of the Patriots' provable results were from accidentally shooting down the coalition's own aircraft. The most they shot down were 3 F16s and 2 Tornados in one week.
Correspondingly, many coalition pilots will not hesitate to launch missiles to destroy their own patriots after being targeted.
Thomas, who had a higher military rank, was the first to regain his serious expression:
“No joke, we tested the oldest S300PT. For aircraft such as A6 and F15, at a distance of 60-70 kilometers, The threat within the range is very large, and the improved model sold to China by the Russians can double the range, and the kill envelope even exceeds our Ham missile. "
AGM88 "Ham" anti-radiation missile, specially designed for use. For attacking enemy radar facilities, the combination of EA6B or EF111 and AGM88 is the most powerful weapon for the US Navy/Air Force to break through the imaginary enemy air defense network.
A weapon that can pose a threat to carrier aircraft beyond the range of Hamm will undoubtedly arouse the vigilance of the US military.
"Yes, this is also the reason why the Joint Chiefs of Staff requested to send the latest reconnaissance aircraft that have just entered service to Kadena. We need to conduct reconnaissance on the anti-aircraft missile positions deployed around the capital and Shanghai."< br>
Colonel Mitchell stood up and looked at a brand new four-engine large jet on the tarmac not far away through the huge floor-to-ceiling window in front of him.
The E8C "Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System" developed on the Boeing 707 passenger aircraft platform has just been officially put into service in June this year. It is also the only model in the US military that is dedicated to ground reconnaissance.
The long strip radar located under its belly can detect and track vehicle-sized ground targets more than 150 kilometers away. For a long time to come, it will be the most advanced ground target surveillance aircraft in the world. .
In fact, Mitchell, who is an Army officer, appears here precisely because of this E8C. After all, this model was jointly developed and used by the Army and the Air Force.
"Okay, I wish you all the best, I have to arrange manpower to serve the most advanced baby."
Jason drank the last bit of coffee in the cup, threw the paper cup into the trash can nearby, then stood up, straightened his clothes, and left Thomas' office.
(End of this chapter)