Sky-cracking Rider

Beep!

The radar screen flickered once and then disappeared, possibly due to interference or birds.

This situation often occurred in simulated combat environments and required pilots to make judgments based on their own experience.

The radio was silent, with no teammates, no support, no ground assistance, and no early warning aircraft in charge; it was purely a one-on-one battle.

"F-22?"

Chen Fei's muttering would not reach Old David, the other pilot in the flight simulator.

It was better to act on the assumption that the old man was attempting to deceive, considering that it was better to mistakenly engage than to miss an opportunity.

"Eagle King," the Special Class Pilot from the Federation's past, was not to be underestimated, even in his twilight years.

Both parties were essentially in a blind combat state; however, as accurate radar lock-on and visual range were achieved, the situation of searching for each other in the combat airspace could change at any moment.

He wasn't accustomed to such a scenario, since back at the Aircrew Base, there was always ground support and aerial assistance, and his colleagues from the Genuine Fragrance Combat Flight Squadron were always there to report the real-time battle situation, making it incredibly less eerie and quiet than it was now.

At an altitude of 35,000 feet, the F-22 "Raptor" jet fighter is a stealth fighter with a radar cross-section theoretically designed to be as little as 0.005 to 0.01 square meters; in reality, it's at least ten times larger. Nevertheless, a radar reflection of 0.1 square meters is not much larger than that of large birds like geese, swans, or eagles, which makes it easy to mistake for interference. Stay connected with empire

On the other hand, Xiao Jiu was a natural expert in stealth; no radar, even with disabled filters, could detect it so far, as birds are omnipresent and would render radar useless if detected.

The APG-77V2 radar equipped on the F-22, which integrated the spear and the shield, also included a side-looking system and, in conjunction with ALQ-94's passive mode, could maintain a 400 kilometer early warning range.

The "Raptor" Derby was a test of the strength and weaknesses of the spear and the shield on this model, but even more so, it was a test of the tactical experience of the two pilots.

The F-22 "Raptor" jet fighter had a service ceiling of 65,000 feet, equivalent to about 20,000 meters above the ground, an altitude that civil aircraft rarely reach. Chen Fei continued to pull on the control stick, maintaining a steady climb.

Without engaging the enemy, his aircraft was less likely to come under fire and more likely to spot targets with its radar. If anything happened, he could quickly respond, transforming altitude into mobility and unwinding a series of tactical maneuvers seamlessly.

To put it plainly, at this moment, Chen Fei was gathering strength, readying himself to "slap the old man to death" secretly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

No matter how cunning Jianghu experience was, strength could overcome all tactics. With enough altitude, he could freely use his maneuvers. The "Second Stage Strike" was Chekhov Big Bear's specialty, and everyone in the Genuine Fragrance Squadron knew that old fellow loved to climb high, always ready to ascend to immense altitudes at a moment's notice.

Chen Fei also gleaned an advantage from the flight simulator, which, no matter how realistic, could not simulate the true low-pressure, low-oxygen environment.

In the real world, such conditions are a great strain on both humans and fighters, and it isn't always possible to reach this theoretical maximum altitude. However, in the flight simulator, one simply had to pull back on the control stick.

The flight simulator also had its limitations; it did not accurately reflect real-world complex airflow, sometimes even providing incorrect responses.

After actually flying the F-22, Chen Fei felt the significant differences.

However, above the thin air of tens of thousands of meters, the algorithm-based differences were much less noticeable. Aside from the continuous increase in the altimeter reading, the cockpit was in a relatively quiet state, with only a slight vibration, as if the roar of the two engines had also diminished significantly.

Additionally, the simulation of the distant scenery was rigid, lacking some reflective effects.

In real combat, the reflection from the canopy of an enemy aircraft is an important reference; simply judging by contrails was far from sufficient. Some individuals with exceptional vision were capable of keenly detecting abnormal reflections beyond the normal visual range. However, pilots typically have exceptional eyesight, and the flight simulator clearly had much room for improvement.

Beep beep!

The passive radar suddenly issued a warning.

Chen Fei's F-22 was briefly illuminated.

A multiple-choice question now presented itself, to chase after the source of the emission, or make a detour and attempt a sneak attack.

Beyond bayonet charges within visual range, jet combat tactics often involve stealth and counter-stealth.

Chen Fei was most familiar with turboprop aircraft, which more closely resembled heavy infantry tactics – resilient and forceful, with formation tactics and mutual cooperation taking precedence.

The first and second generation jets needed to utilize their speed advantage, much like heavy cavalry – high altitude, high speed, deep maneuvers; third-generation fighters, like light cavalry, tended to focus on tactical mobility, surprising the enemy with low-altitude breakthroughs, dealing a heavy blow and then quickly disengaging; the fourth and fifth generations became increasingly sly, sneaking up to hit the enemy from behind, turning stealth attacks into an art form.

But sixth-generation aircraft are destined to live for early warning aircraft, devoid of freedom, firmly in the role of mistresses or even dowry maids, with a lower status, obligated to perfect their use of "soy sauce" – they suddenly appear in combat zones, deploying all attack weapons like unloading cargo, and then turning tail. What era are we in, that anyone would face their adversary head-on?

That's basically a death sentence upon being exposed.

Besides the National Treasure Artifacts, the Crystal Jet, all currently active jets are essentially missile carriers, with their cannons going from production to retirement without a chance to replace the barrel. Dogfighting is an antiquated concept; now it's more like playing with dogs!

Following traditional tactics, Chen Fei, piloting the simulated F-22 "Raptor" jet fighter, was prepared to carry out fourth and fifth-generation stealth tactics to the fullest and see who could be more sly.

When an adult faces multiple-choice questions, they either select all options or none at all.

After contemplating, Chen Fei decided to continue climbing and make a decision once he reached the predetermined altitude of 65,000 feet.

Once at the ceiling altitude, it would be harder for the old man to sneak up on him. At least half the airspace below was safe, and an attack from below compared to one from above was entirely different in aerial combat.

Beep beep!

The passive radar suddenly issued a warning, with the signal source changing direction.

As expected, Old David was waiting for Chen Fei to sneak an attack, seizing the moment to set a trap, a counter-ambush to the ambush.

"Heh, Old David, this move is useless against me."

Chen Fei opened the public communication channel and began to openly mock.

At this stage, it was trash-talk time, purely wildcat tactics.

Serious pilots communicated directly with their cannons—not with trash talk. What could trash talk do? Flip an F-35 off the deck of an aircraft carrier and into the sea?

"..."

There was no response on the public communication channel, just occasionally one could hear Old David's cough.

The old guy must have heard it, but he was really holding back.

Beep beep!

The frequency of the enemy's active radar search was increasing.

Chen Fei's ALQ-94 warning system identified the signal source as getting closer, and its position was constantly changing—now left, now right, with no pattern. The maximum distance between signals exceeded 60 kilometers, but you could still roughly make out a direction.

However, Chen Fei still couldn't fathom what Old David was plotting.

"Beep...beep...…beep...beep…"

The warning system suddenly emitted an unusual sound—a point of light was approaching fast.

Missile!

Old David had finally made his move.

Chen Fei's eyes widened as he stared at the instrument panel in front of him, which displayed a pattern resembling the Chinese character "甲." He didn't need to look "outside" the cockpit because the missile was still beyond the crystal-clear visual range of 20-30 kilometers in the high altitude, completely invisible.

The only thing he could do was to keep climbing. The missile's propellant was limited; it was much more difficult to compete with the "Raptor" in a climb than to pursue horizontally.

The onboard system identified the missile type—an AIM 120-D long-range missile with a theoretical range of 160 kilometers. Halve the actual range, and you still get a solid 80 kilometers. It used a dual-pulse engine and was very fast, capable of reaching Mach 4 or 1.2 kilometers per second, capable of flying the practical range within a minute.

But for Chen Fei, Old David wouldn't have aimed for the practical shooting range. He had even less time, possibly under 40 seconds.

He gently pushed the joystick to the side, increasing the distance from the missile. The F-22 "Raptor" began to tremble more violently. The altitude was now about 54,000 feet, and the thin air caused engine efficiency to decrease, making the climb not as fast as before.

Old David had chosen this moment to launch the missile, based on this fact.

Not right!

Chen Fei frowned, thought for a moment, and then steered in another direction.

"Heh heh!"

Old David's chuckle resounded through the public communication channel.

No doubt about it!

Skilled hunters often lead their prey towards traps they believe are escapes. The direction Chen Fei initially took seemed to offer a better chance of evading the AIM 120-D long-range missile, but that was exactly what Old David wanted him to do.

Unfortunately for him, Chen Fei reacted instantly and corrected the direction in time.

"…beep…beep…"

The warning system emitted a different tone, and a second fast-approaching point of light appeared on the radar screen. Another AIM 120-D long-range missile was enveloping from another direction.

Traditional tactics of the Federal Air Force—Second Stage Strike!

The American Federation, once not short of money, often used this lavish tactic, which could easily disorient the opposition. Coupled with early warning aircraft, known as force multipliers, hovering nearby, the hit rate of this tactic was usually quite impressive.

Relying on a two-on-one missile situation, even a 50% hit rate was often enough to decide the outcome of a battle.

The best solution was to stop climbing and convert altitude into speed, significantly increasing the success rate of evading the pincer maneuver by the two Mach-4 missiles.

But Chen Fei hesitated, the thought of climbing consumed him while Old David was waiting below.

The quantity of missiles wasn't important; what mattered was who had the precise shot.

At this moment, the first AIM 120-D long-range missile had come into visual range, and Chen Fei, without hesitation, released jamming bullets—all the jamming bullets, cashing them in all at once.

He didn't have much time left to make his move.

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