Sky-cracking Rider

Chapter 553: Section 549 - Victory Off the Field



After the "Genuine Fragrance" squadron's four combat aircraft took off, Hanna Gagel and Shen Fei, among others, arrived at the indoor spectators' area, and moreover, they were in a VIP private box. This privilege came from rubbing shoulders with the Northern Weapons Industry Group—when the sugar daddy asks for an observation room, the organizers dare not refuse such a face. With the images captured by a dozen unmanned drones, a three-dimensional holographic projection that filled the entire room was constructed. In terms of visual effects, it was even more outstanding than Chen Fei's "macro" perspective. Sky, earth, drifting clouds, fighter jets—all before their eyes. "Both teams have taken off, and using the five-minute lead time advantage, 'Genuine Fragrance' has dived down. They've changed their formation, planning to use the two-dimensional plane perspective shown by radar feedback to catch 'Hanuman' off guard with a three-dimensional formation—a very clever psychological warfare tactic indeed. But they've underestimated the precision of the F-40 'Horned Eagle's' onboard radar; such tactics are futile." "'Hanuman' has reacted; they've split their forces, one continuing to face the enemy head-on and the other circling around attempting a sneak attack from the side and rear. As the Art of War says: 'In battle, there are only the normal and the extraordinary, and the infinite variations of the extraordinary and the normal are endless.' Both teams of pilots have a wealth of actual combat experience..." The commentator, a colonel from the Sovereign Air Force, spoke incessantly about the tactical shifts between the combatants. As a professional, whether in regards to understanding the aircraft models or the familiarity with tactics, even laypeople could listen with interest without being so confused by the specialized terminology that they lost track of the discussion. - Adam: Target locked, data link synchronization rate 100%. Adam: 'Canglong' avionics and flight control system adjustments complete. Adam: ... Not long after the "Canglong" advanced fighter jet took off, "Adam" was still assisting Chen Fei with various fine-tunings, continuously updating subtitles to show progress. This was actually its main job, originally an auxiliary flight system. The emergence of the higher-level AI was purely because humans couldn't resist tampering. Chen Fei made pre-battle preparations methodically. "Confirm target assignments, 'Devil Pepper' against 'Horned Eagle'-1, 'Fragrant Orchid' against 'Horned Eagle'-2, 'Peanut Butter' against 'Horned Eagle' X-3, 'Rookie' against 'Horned Eagle' X-4, cues are set up." The "Genuine Fragrance" squadron split into four groups. Chen Fei, with the help of the artificial intelligence AI "Adam", used his own "Canglong" advanced fighter as the core of the data link, providing real-time battlefield data to three L-22 advanced trainer jets. With the potential of his biological brain, drawing upon nearly infinite computing power extracted by "Adam," was like carrying a supercomputer, perfect for the complex calculations required now. The Hanuman Airborne Group had calculated every move of the "Genuine Fragrance" squadron but overlooked the balancing impact of the AI "Adam" on the duel. This meant that within the "Genuine Fragrance" squadron, there was the equivalent of half an Early Warning Aircraft that didn't exist in reality. "Spread apart, avoid interfering with each other!" "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios realized that her chosen opponent was following suit with corresponding maneuvers. Both sides, as if connected telepathically, maintained a certain tacit understanding. The pilots from the Hanuman Airborne Group didn't have much choice but to engage in telepathy. If they didn't go for one-on-one fights, their previous tactical plan would be no different from serving their heads on a platter. Tactical flight formations, in a sense, amounted to targets for high-probability focus fire. "'Peanut Butter' has not confirmed the target." Chekhov Big Bear glanced at the radar screen; even though the opponent was still beyond visual range and indistinguishable by the naked eye, the data link shared from the battlefield showed that the target closing in was one of the two experimental improved F-40X "Horned Eagle" units. He and Chen Fei were tasked with tackling the tough nuts, dealing with those two X experimental units. Chekhov relied on his abundant combat experience, while Chen Fei counted on the advanced capabilities of "Canglong"—specifically, its aerodynamic design. Although this wasn't the first time the "Canglong" advanced fighter jet had taken off, it was the first time in Chen Fei's hands. The exterior was that of "Canglong," but as for the interior... Emmm, that was up for debate. The avionics system and flight controls were definitely not the set from the Northern Weapons Industry Group. For one thing, they couldn't give it, and for another, they hadn't brought it along. Apart from some of the R&D team, all that was brought to the exhibition was this one shell with a complete aerodynamic design plan. As a future support combat aircraft, its aerodynamic design was definitely superior to the main combat aircraft that had been retired, and its tactical thought was even more advanced. Even if it was just a shell, it saved Chen Fei a great deal of effort. Since there was no hypersonic wind tunnel to conduct fluid validation, he had to try various iterations in aerodynamic design for his personally modified Crystal Jet, partly by imitation, partly by trial and error. Without much theory and formulas for theoretical pre-research, even with "Adam's" assistance, it wasn't much help—far from being a half-expert, doing such work as an outsider meant brute-forcing it. The three essential components that determined an aircraft's combat capability were aerodynamics, control, and thrust. Having already attained one of the three, dealing with issues inside the airframe was relatively easier by comparison. Most of the computational power of the artificial intelligence AI "Adam" was spent on dynamic balance calculation. Mainstream combat aircraft follow an inherently unstable design in stasis, but require stability during flight, meaning the pilot's inputs need to be accurately interpreted, decomposed into various response actions by a computer, finally achieving the desired posture. Sometimes, due to safety thresholds, G-lock strategies are employed. When the pilot is immobilized by overload, an automatic adjustment takes place. It's not as simple as flicking a control stick, throttling the throttle, or tapping the rudder—especially with aircraft that have many aerodynamic control surfaces, where related calculations become more complex. If it were not for relying on Chen's biological brain, "Adam" would not have been able to accomplish such a large volume of calculations in such a short time. In his attempt to bring the design to life with absolute precision in reality, Chen Fei almost rubbed his palms raw. Adam: "The opponent is 'Divine Eye' Li Lin." Based on the aircraft's paint scheme, "Adam" had identified the personal information of Chen Fei's opponent for him. Chen Fei switched the communication channel and said, "Hello, Li Lin, goodbye, Li Lin!" The "Canglong" advanced fighter jet released a missile from its external hardpoint, which roared straight out—thanks to Uncle, thanks to National Defense Star, thanks to Northern Weapons Industry, thanks to Big Brother Xiao, thanks to… Just before its launch, the AIM-290D long-range missile had been custom programmed by "Adam" with preset flight parameters. "Ah? Who?" Suddenly hearing the voice over the public communication channel, Li Lin, the Hanuman Airborne Group's pilot who was preparing to intercept the "Canglong" advanced fighter jet in his F-40X "Horned Eagle," was caught off guard. The next second, he saw a line of dotted white contrails suddenly appear in the sky, rapidly approaching. Beep beep beep beep… The warning sound of being locked on by the fire control radar went off. "Motherfucker!" Divine Eye Li Lin, infuriated, pushed the control stick forward. The "Horned Eagle" went into a full dive. At this moment, changing direction—to either side or upward—was not the best choice; it might even bring him right into the missile's no-escape zone. A series of eye-catching infrared decoy flares were released with the maneuver and scattered across the sky. That "Canglong" pulled a ruthless move, having launched the missile first, then locked on with the fire control radar afterward. This unconventional move undoubtedly caught Li Lin by surprise. A key principle of aerial combat: strike first for strength, hesitate and face disaster. Li Lin quickly glanced at the missile type and couldn't help but inhale sharply—it was the still-in-service AIM-290D long-range missile. No wonder there was such a rush to launch it. With a 30-kilometer attack range, it was simply a long-range missile's home court. Is it like two old acquaintances stabbing each other in the face when they meet? Such a cruel tactic! "Old friend, please stop for a moment!" Chen Fei had anticipated early on that the opponent would leverage energy tactics, trading altitude for speed, trying to shake off the lock of the AIM-290D. The threat of an active service missile, particularly a long-range one, was undeniable. A slight misstep could indeed fulfill his words. Goodbye, Li Lin! The opponent would certainly not politely type out GG (Good Game), only FF (F*ck-F*ck). Any device that can be programmed probably couldn't escape the clutches of the AI "Adam." Adam's preset flight parameters included a dive to predict the opponent's prediction, ignoring the fiery decoy flares, and diving as well. It was like playing chess; no matter how the opponent might change, they would meet the fatal strike that had long been lying in wait. WHAT? Seeing the stubborn AIM-290D long-range missile persistently following him down, the Hanuman Airborne Group pilot Li Lin couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. He leveled out decisively to maximize the distance from the missile, while looking for an opportunity to change direction and burn off more of the missile's propulsion fuel. Every engagement with a missile is a life-and-death gamble. Almost simultaneously, "Peanut Butter" Chekhov, "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios, and "Fragrant Orchid" Carlos found themselves engaged in exchanges of fire with their respective opponents. "...Let's pay attention to the latest changes in the battle, 'Genuine Fragrance's 'Rookie' was the first to fire a missile, it turned out to be the active service long-range AIM-290D missile. It's a supersonic missile with a three-pulse engine, with a theoretical maximum speed of up to Mach 5.5, and the no-escape range is..." The commentator, who had been speaking non-stop, suddenly paused and then, somewhat awkwardly but politely, continued, "Very unfortunate, it just happens to be 30 kilometers. 'Hanuman' is in big trouble this time!" The rules of "Abyssal Gladiatorial" combat happen to be 30 kilometers, essentially forcing the Hanuman Airborne Group's pilots into their opponent's missile no-escape zone. Although the no-escape zone is a theoretical radius, it equally represents the degree of danger and the slim chance of survival. Jiang is still the old hot, the silent Uncle Chen Haiqing sent the missiles to the "Genuine Fragrance" squadron, probably with this rule in mind. He decided the victory from outside the arena and took a nasty shot at the Hanuman Airborne Group.

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