Chapter 289

Chapter 289: "Dark Sabre" Strikes

The improved Taihang engine produces 700 kilograms more thrust than the AL-31FN engine originally made in Russia by Ross, and the climb rate and performance of the J-15 "Dark Sabre" are close to that of the Su-27S.

"This is Cat Paw 15. Instructor Lin, you fly just like in the textbooks."

The public channel crackled with voices from the training group patrol in the sky. Cat Paw 15 and Cat Paw 16, flying at an altitude of 300 meters, were performing a double aircraft Immelmann maneuver. They caught sight of Lin Mo’s aircraft leaving the end of the ski jump deck, successfully gaining altitude from the burst of thrust produced by the engines.

"Thank you! In fact, this isn’t too difficult," Lin Mo said, unusually not being modest.

After circling around the "Shilang" aircraft carrier training ship, Lin Mo caught up with the instructor Cang Zilong, who had also just pushed off from the flight deck. Sixteen J-15s were already engaged in training flights, and as soon as they saw the formation of two instructors, they quickly approached and formed a single line formation, resembling a black line as they flew around "Shilang," eliciting cheers and waves from the personnel working on deck.

Eighteen J-15s "Dark Sabre" flew past in perfect formation, creating a spectacular sight with the thunderous roar of their engines. Without blocking their ears, they could risk rupturing their eardrums, which is why everyone who stepped onto the flight deck had to wear a pair of helmets.

"Instructor Lin, show us your skills again!"

"Show us some more! Instructor Lin, please demonstrate your special move! Surely, you have more than just vertical landing!"

"I heard Instructor Lin is an ACE, a real ACE!"

"Oh my! Instructor Lin, display your ACE presence! We all admire you."

"Hehe, did you see that, Instructor Lin? These students also want to see your signature moves. If you don’t impress them, it might be hard for the later students to follow."

Taking the chance, Instructor Cang on Aircraft No. 12 chimed in, eager to see how this ace pilot flies.

In the military, those in combat positions earn their place through strength. Being overly modest might even lead to contempt.

"Alright, alright, no problem. If I don’t show off a bit, you all won’t let me off the hook. Let’s begin the departure; I’ll disengage from the left."

In the cockpit, Lin Mo extended his hand to make a V sign and began to push the control stick. With his left foot, he pressed the tail rudder, making the J-15 "Dark Sabre" on the far left of the formation execute a classic tactical maneuver, quickly departing the formation. The strong turning moment almost made the aircraft turn on the spot, lingering for a moment before heading in a different direction.

"Beautiful!"

While spectators were watching in awe, the aviation crew and deck crew on the flight deck understood the high physical burden and skill needed for Lin Mo’s quick turn in the "Dark Sabre."

For an ordinary person, before completing a full 180-degree turn, they would already injure their internal organs.

This was a maneuver a fighter jet could perform; if it were a passenger plane, let alone the passengers inside, the tail rudder would have broken off due to such harsh handling, leading to destruction and loss of life.

A crowd of enthusiastic onlookers plugged noise-cancelling headphones into the public channel and became a live radio broadcast. The communication crew on the training aircraft carrier began managing various requests to access the carrier-based aircraft’s public channel signals.

Several high-definition long-focus cameras on the ship automatically tracked and locked onto Lin Mo’s J-15 "Dark Sabre." The news team had personnel on-site for live editing, turning it into a live news broadcast, even streaming to the flat-screen TV in the cafeteria.

"Let’s get started! Mark the airspace: the training ship’s port side, altitude from 0 to 7000 meters, radius of 10 kilometers."

Lin Mo outlined the flight area and began maneuvering the carrier-based aircraft.

Like a rolling thunder, one "Dark Sabre" flew just 200 meters off the port side of the "Shilang" aircraft carrier, performing a move similar to a tiger leap, known as the "Mongoose" maneuver. It quickly pulled up, climbing to an altitude of 2000 meters, executing a "hook" maneuver as it seemed about to stall. With a sudden change of direction after a simple "Hoover oscillation", it gained enough speed and swept its body into a "Herbst climbing wall."

The wingtips left long trails of white smoke behind, like dancing ribbons, continuously drawing patterns in the air above the sea, which was breathtaking.

On the port side of the "Shilang," the sea was turbulent, and the powerful twin engines caused the water’s surface to stir up chaos.

The flight deck was filled with cheers, and more people gathered on the port side, even affecting the normal landing of the carrier-based aircraft.

"Who is on Aircraft No. 49?" Colonel Bai Yaoping, the duty captain standing on the bridge, looked through his binoculars at the "Dark Sabre" performing various maneuvers on the port side.

"Report, Captain. It’s the new instructor, First Lieutenant Lin Mo. He’s showcasing his abilities at the request of the students and instructors," a communications officer quickly reported after understanding the situation, as he’d been watching intently from the corridor outside the bridge. This kind of dazzling maneuver was rare, and only those with professional training and strong skills could perform such acrobatics.

"I see. Get the Marine Corps soldiers to the deck, and clear all personnel from other departments below deck except for the aviation crew and deck crew. Too many people on the port side might affect the ship’s balance."

Colonel Bai had no intention of stopping Lin Mo’s fighter demonstration. In fact, watching a master perform live was excellent teaching material, and the students were more willing to learn, though the noise was quite daunting.

Flying fighter jets from an aircraft carrier was part of the job after all, so Lin Mo’s actions were impeccable according to fleet regulations.

"Yes, I’ll arrange it immediately." The communications officer approached the fixed communication device, dialing a few numbers. "This is the bridge calling Sergeant Hu. Please bring your team and have everyone except the aviation crew and deck crew clear out from the deck. Don’t let any of them affect the flight deck operations. Yes, act immediately."

Like a shadow, the J-15 "Dark Sabre" moved across the sea, changing positions like a ghost in a mystifying dance, and the next maneuvers brought waves of gasps from the aviation students on the deck. This was not just a showcase of the instructor’s skills but also a real demonstration of the J-15 "Dark Sabre"’s capabilities.

As a high-tier combat force on the battlefield, Dragon Knight could always push the performance of air combat weaponry to the limit.

"Look! That’s a tail chase! Yes, it’s a tail chase! Oh my, he just performed the Frolov Cherry maneuver! I never thought the ‘Dark Sabre’ could perform such stunts. It’s simply eye-opening! I need to save this video on a disk!"

"That’s amazing! I totally believe Instructor Lin could even land the ‘Dark Sabre’ vertically. I’m eager to ask him to be my teacher."

"Come on, with your skills? Forget it! If Instructor Lin is going to teach, he’d need someone as elite as me. Just go chill somewhere else."

"Yeah, right! You need to practice before you challenge me!"

"Practice? I’m ready! One-on-one! No beyond-visual-range allowed!"

"Please! I could take you out with the cannon in moments."

"Just keep bragging! I bet you don’t even need a plane; you could just blow yourself up into the sky and maybe pull off a Cobra maneuver!"

"What are you all arguing about? The instructors issued an order for all of us to observe and write a report. Make sure to detail every maneuver’s operational steps, advantages, disadvantages, and precautions; otherwise, we’ll be doing ‘Dark Sabre’ manuals."

Just thinking of those thick flight operation manuals, the pilots who were arguing suddenly turned pale. Transcribing that material would be exhausting—an utterly brutal punishment.

The noisy carrier-based aircraft students immediately fell silent, borrowing binoculars to study with earnestness.

"Well done, Instructor Lin! I’m duty Captain Bai Yaoping, but I have to interrupt your performance for a mission."

"Yes, Captain Bai, what is the mission?"

Lin Mo quickly aborted his upcoming hook maneuver, transitioning into a moderate-radius roll, leveling off at an altitude of 500 meters.

"South-east, 300 nautical miles out, our fishing regulation ships 310, 303, and Marine Monitoring 84 are currently surrounded by many Filipino fishing boats and are facing off against Filipino naval vessels. We need to send someone to intimidate them."

The communications crew muted all voices plugged into the public channel, preserving only Captain Bai’s voice on the dedicated channel.

"I accept the mission, but I need to refuel, and it would be best if I could carry weapons."

"Not a problem. I’ve already notified the weapon crew to prepare for you. You’ll be ready to launch in fifteen minutes."

Even instructors and training ships must respond to commands from superiors and can be sent out for tasks of a combat nature. To ensure successful completion of the mission, Lin Mo was definitely the most suitable ace pilot for this deterrent task in the entire aircraft carrier training group.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre" surged up from the flight deck into the blue sky. Unlike before, the 30mm cannon was now loaded with shells, and under the wings, two C-802 "YJ-2" anti-ship missiles and two rocket pods were attached. Although not fully armed, it was enough to intimidate regular military vessels and fishing boats.

After all, this deployment was not an actual declaration of war; the anti-ship missiles beneath the wings would surely deter the Filipino naval vessels.