Chapter 559 Hunting the Maritime Self-Defense Force!
After giving this order, Luo Zhangming glanced at Yang Shuyu who was sitting next to him with some worry.
It took off with live ammunition, and it was in non-territorial waters.
In fact, there are still certain risks.
I saw that the latter was looking down at the chart in front of him and did not stop the staff officer next to him from sending the order, so he was relieved.
It wasn't until the series of instructions and replies came to an end that Yang Shuyu asked:
"If two rounds of ammunition are hung at the same time, will the time to perform the mission be affected?"
"Also, If you can finally catch the opponent, how are you going to deal with it? "
As a senior commander who has been away from front-line command positions for some years, he needs to control the command of the ship very accurately.
Neither interfere too much with the captain's command and dispatch as a professional, nor interfere too roughly, affecting the captain's authority in the minds of the commanders and fighters on the ship.
But at the same time, it must also serve as a stabilizing needle to ensure that the situation is within control.
Faced with the question of the deputy commander of the Navy and the pressure from unidentified foreign submarines, it is impossible to say that he is not nervous.
Luo Zhangming took a deep breath:
“According to the previous experience given by the aviation department, the new helicopter will not have any problems with the standard mount of two radars and hoisting sonar. It has an impact on flight performance and can also ensure that a standard submarine search-submarine attack process can be completed within a combat radius of 50 nautical miles."
In fact, he had heard these data from people in the aviation department before. .
But in the past, the actual performance of the Chinese Navy's equipment was always at a discount compared to what it looked like on paper.
So I have never dared to push the performance too far.
Until that moment, he suddenly felt confident.
So in accordance with the standards of the technical manual, we chose to hang an extra live ammunition to deal with various possible emergencies.
"As for what to do if you find the other party..."
Luo Zhangming hesitated for a moment, and then replied firmly:
"Although this is not territorial waters, it is also our exclusive economic zone. In any case, the submarine ran to our pre-demarcated exercise area while submerged. , It’s a naked provocation, so I think we must at least force the opponent out of the water!”
On the flight deck, after the first helicopter took off, just in case, the second 9696 The aircraft has already begun preparations for takeoff.
Now after receiving the new order from the captain, it is only necessary to mount another A224 torpedo live ammunition.
This kind of torpedo was imported from Italy in the late 1980s to fill the vacancies before the Yu-7 torpedo entered service. There are only 40 in total, which is very precious.
"The friendly aircraft is in the direction of the ship, 20 nautical miles away. Your aircraft needs to be quickly supported."
The flight commander's voice came from the radio equipment of the three crew members:
"I stress again, this is not an exercise, there is no plan, and there is no predetermined sea area. Use your special skills and don't let the target escape under any circumstances!"
"Yes!"< br>
The three of them answered in unison.
A few minutes later, the helicopter took off and flew quickly towards the direction of the two warships.
……
At the same time, about 20 nautical miles away, under the water.
The captain of the SS588 Winter Tide submarine, Second Class Haisa Hayakawa Yoji, was in the command module, his eyes fixed on the display control screen of the ZQQ-5B digital sonar system in front of him.
Compared with the old sonar, which can only detect and analyze targets by the sonar operator's ears, the latest digital sonar can more intuitively display the environmental data captured by underwater acoustic equipment like radar. .
However, now, Captain Hayakawa actually does not need this advanced equipment, because even with just his ears, he can hear the sound of the sound waves emitted by the active sonar hitting the submarine shell.
For a submarine officer, this sound is almost a death knell.
According to the results of sonar analysis, the sound source location should still be about 15 nautical miles away.
The Winter Tide has quite advanced anechoic tiles laid on its surface. At this distance, the sonar normally used by helicopters is not enough to accurately detect this silent submarine.
But if this continues, as the other party's search scope expands, it will only be a matter of time before it is discovered.
Another troublesome thing is that in order to better collect hydroacoustic data, the Winter Tide aimed its bow head-on at the two destroyers. Now this awkward position makes it difficult to retreat.
"Captain, sonar has detected a surface target using a medium-speed diesel engine about 40 nautical miles away, approaching us at a speed of 25 knots."
"In addition, about 55 There is another underwater target with a louder sound outside the sea, just like a train, but it is not very fast and should not pose a threat to us in a short time.”
The first officer on the boat, Kenjiro Hayashihara, is the third class. Report not far away.
“The diesel engine surface target should be the French Navy destroyer.”
Hayakawa's face was gloomy, but his tone was quite calm:
"The target itself is not a big threat, but unfortunately, the noise of the diesel engine completely covered up the sound of the gas turbine of the other destroyer with it... "
The purpose of the Dongtide's voyage this time is to lurk at the edge of the exercise sea area designated by China, waiting for opportunities to collect as much target information characteristics of the Daocheng destroyer as possible.
This is actually an order from the Seventh Fleet.
But it is difficult to deploy a huge nuclear submarine in the relatively shallow East China Sea.
The task naturally fell on Hai Zi's head.
"Captain, are we going to sit on the bottom, or..."
Compared to the experienced Hayakawa, First Officer Hayashihara joined Haizi in 1992. I have never experienced a battle of wits and courage with the Red Navy, so I was naturally a little panicked when encountering this situation.
The former shook his head slightly:
"Don't be in a hurry to sit on the bottom. The two destroyers will not arrive nearby for almost an hour. We have to maintain our maneuverability."
"Calculating the time, the helicopter above us now should be about to run out of fuel and return. There may be another one coming to take over. But before I set off, I studied the French-produced helicopter. In the submarine search state, We can’t hold on for too long.”
“When the two helicopters take over the mission, we first turn the bow of the boat 90°, and then wait until the second helicopter returns, and they will show up to search for submarines. During the window period, we can leave at full speed at that time.”
The battery of the Winter Tide can support the submarine to sail at an underwater speed of 22 knots for more than an hour, thanks to its excellent appearance design and low noise. Propeller, when using batteries, this submarine can ensure extremely quiet performance.
Enough to leave this relatively dangerous sea area.
Hayakawa's calm speech restored the calm and orderly atmosphere in the entire command module.
Although generally speaking, submarines have little ability to resist the anti-submarine mode of ship-to-aircraft cooperation, but in the 1990s, the technical level of the Sea of Japan surpassed the Chinese Navy by so much that a tie seemed to be possible...
It is not impossible. Imagine.
What excites the crew of the Winter Tide even more is that Hayakawa's control of the timing is very accurate.
During a sonar detection interval that was significantly longer than before, the submarine finally completed a difficult 90° turn.
Next, all we have to do is wait until the second helicopter runs out of fuel and the next time window appears.
...
It should be said that there is nothing wrong with Hayakawa Yoji's plan on paper.
However, he did not know that the first helicopter that had just left had already been conducting submarine searches for a period of time before tracking him.
So, there were some problems with rhythm control... "Captain, 20 minutes have passed. Why does that helicopter... not mean to retreat at all?"
< br>
As time passed by, the command module, which had just regained its composure, became tense again.
In the extended spiral submarine search mode, the helicopter is now only about 10 nautical miles away from them.
In principle, the ability of hoisted sonar to judge the target direction is relatively weak. If there is only one helicopter searching for submarines, even if the distance to the target is found in active mode, it often requires multiple measurements to finally determine it. Specific location.
But 10 nautical miles is really a bit too close.
Even Hayakawa himself gradually began to doubt his previous judgment.
"Captain, if this continues, the opponent's destroyer will be getting closer and closer..."
The first mate's voice sounded next to him again.
Compared to carrier-based helicopters whose air time is ultimately limited, conventional submarines will lose if they are entangled by surface ships.
There is almost no other way than to float up and admit defeat.
Hayakawa originally wanted to find the safest way to leave, but the opponent's helicopter stayed in the air for far longer than expected, which made all previous plans come to nothing.
Under tremendous pressure, he finally changed his mind:
“Start the battery and maintain a speed of 4 knots.”
However, this decision was made a little too late...
< br>Above the water, the French AS565 helicopter, which first returned to replenish its losses, returned to the mission area.
Although there is no data link, the pilots of the two countries can still communicate in awkward English through the most basic radio.
In fact, aircraft No. 9696 has detected the existence of targets about 8-10 nautical miles away, but has never been able to determine the direction.
Therefore, the Chinese sonar operator who waited for 20 minutes and finally waited for support asked the French helicopter to drop another wave of sonar buoys.
The latter was completely unaware of the situation and still thought it was part of a normal exercise, so naturally he did as he was told.
They even brought a few extra buoys with them during this takeoff, trying to save some face for returning early.
“Look at these Chinese people. Although their naval equipment is not advanced, the content of the exercises is so realistic...”
The pilot of the AS565 helicopter said with a slightly emotional tone while releasing the buoy in a circular route.
The co-pilot next to me also agreed with this:
“Yes, it is even more like an actual combat than a NATO joint exercise. When I was talking to them on the radio just now, I was like I feel some tension."
"It seems that after the end of the Cold War, our navy has been too relaxed, and many exercises are just a formality..."
"I must admit, at least in this period. In this aspect of the exercise, we completely underestimated the seriousness of the Chinese people..."
"..."
Although the active and passive sonar buoy arrays lack accuracy and sensitivity, thanks to the fact that many are thrown out at once, the search efficiency is far higher than that of suspended sonar.
Soon, the French sonar operator discovered an accelerating target at a depth of about 60 meters underwater.
The two helicopters quickly pounced in that direction...
On the underwater Winter Tide, just when they heard a total of 8 things entering the water, Hayakawa Yoji The captain knew things were going to be bad.
Sure enough, within a few seconds, sound waves from several directions hit the surface of the submarine.
Now, I can’t hide it no matter what:
“Quick, move forward at maximum speed!”
“The ballast water tank is filled with water, and the diving depth is increased. To 100 meters!”
“Also, put out the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and use decoy mode!”
As his order was issued, a small unmanned submarine fixed behind the hull of the Winter Tide broke away from the mothership and then headed in another direction.
Because the bait mode was turned on, its propeller left a long series of air bubbles behind it.
While attracting the attention of sonar, it can also have a certain shielding effect on the mothership itself.
Sure enough, the sonar operator on the French helicopter quickly lost his original target.
“The Chinese also arranged submarine decoys in the exercise?”
The three French soldiers on the helicopter were already a little doubtful about life.
But no matter what, today is here. The dignity and face of soldiers require them to fight this "imaginary enemy" to the end.
After a brief communication via radio, the two helicopters began to simultaneously use hoisting sonar to conduct submarine search operations in accordance with the circular search mode of dual-machine collaboration.
Not long after, the third helicopter, the returning No. 9686, also joined the search team.
In this case, the bait, which does not have a long action time, naturally cannot always guarantee the safety of the Winter Tide itself.
The sound waves emitted by active sonar are like gongs and drums, resounding in the ears of the entire submarine crew.
100 meters underwater, this scene is definitely like a horror story.
Hayakawa still wanted to struggle with the last bit of battery power.
But he soon heard the cardiorespiratory arrest in return.
“3 nautical miles, the projectile enters the water, the speed is 30 knots!”
Everyone knew that this was an anti-submarine torpedo.
“Dong——”
Before everyone could react, they heard a sound far louder than any previous sound, as if a gong was hitting their ears.
Captain Hayakawa shivered, and it took him a while to realize the source of the sound -
The torpedo struck, but did not explode.
It should be a thunderbolt.
Despite this, the moment the sound rang out, there were already people with poor psychological quality who fainted in the command module of the Winter Tide.
Hayakawa can't guarantee that if he insists on not floating, the next time he drops it will be a live ammunition.
Moreover, the battery capacity is no longer optimistic.
"What a bunch of lunatics..."
Hayakawa sat slumped in front of the command podium:
“Come up, come up now!”
(End of this chapter)