Chapter 432

Chapter 432: The Mystery of Ultra-Low Altitude

Meng Yinan’s dull nerves finally understood what Lin Mo meant by the ultra-low altitude Cobra maneuver. He was completely terrified; such an operation felt like committing suicide to him.

Flying at an altitude of 500 meters directly above Number One Aircraft, Wei Yuni’s jet maintained a safe distance, expressing close attention while also filled with anticipation.

She watched as Number One Aircraft descended to 100 meters, flying almost right above the ground, then suddenly pulled up the nose with the remaining thrust from the engine, engaging in angle maneuvers while slightly climbing to 200 meters, and then sliding down again at a high angle.

The Cobra maneuver truly played out, and it was so thrilling.

Below them stretched a vast expanse of saline-alkaline land.

Just as the aircraft was about to sit down hard on the ground, the engine’s tail nozzle suddenly erupted with a dazzling flame, as if an acetylene cutting torch was scorching a large dark area on the ground.

The aircraft nearly arched backward as it slid several meters, momentarily stabilizing by using its wings to counteract the momentum. The canard wings adjusted to the maximum angle of attack, allowing the aircraft to rapidly climb to 500 meters, with engine output rising once again, leaving the ground behind.

In less than four or five seconds, Number One Aircraft, flying almost at ground level, performed a Cobra maneuver with precision and grace, mastering every ounce of power as if a skilled embroiderer deftly twisted the needle in her hand, threading the finest stitch with remarkable accuracy.

The public channel of the radio fell silent for ten seconds, with even the tower staff’s voices vanishing. Everyone’s gaze, whether on the on-board radar screen or the ground radar screen, was fixated on the small light spot representing Number One Aircraft.

“What is this?”

Wang Xuejun pushed aside the visor on his helmet, his eyes nearly popping out as he rubbed them in disbelief while watching the incredible Cobra maneuver below.

No crash? How is that possible?

Shouldn’t there be two small white parachutes plus a big fireball?

How could this be?

“Ultra-low altitude Cobra! It’s actually real!”

Wei Yuni murmured to herself, replaying the lightning-fast maneuver in her mind. Behind her, Number 45 was already stunned, completely dazed.

Due to ground effect, or wing-ground effect, the J-10B remained stable at ultra-low altitude as long as it didn’t collide with any protrusions. Besides a slight increase in radar stealth, the stability of the aircraft improved, making it fly even more smoothly than at high altitudes.

“Ha ha, I’m alive! Oh my, I’m alive!” Meng Yinan shouted in joy, having just experienced the incredible maneuver as if he had just been fished out of the water.

He finally understood that what his boss called the ultra-low altitude Cobra maneuver was indeed achievable and was executed flawlessly, without any hesitation.

“Did you get it?”

Lin Mo gently asked from the rear seat.

“I get it, I get it! Boss, you’re amazing! You must teach me; you absolutely have to teach me! I want to learn! Hahaha, this move is just incredible and so flashy!”

Meng Yinan didn’t care about feeling soaked and uncomfortable; instead, he was ecstatic. He realized this was a secret move, a true secret move that couldn’t be learned even for a hundred thousand in advisory fees. His boss was truly impressive.

The Cobra maneuver is commonly used at high altitudes to switch between attack and defense positions. However, this move is not always effective.

A fighter jet’s advantage lies in its speed; once it slows down, it becomes a sitting target, especially when facing all-direction air-to-air missiles. If locked on, even a one-second delay in reaction time could lead to explosion into a fireball.

Don’t think that fighter pilots react as slowly as civilians; their reaction times rival those of martial artists and quick-draw shooters, and may be even better. Otherwise, they wouldn’t manage high-speed air combat.

However, using the Cobra maneuver at low altitude is a different story. It takes advantage of mountains, urban areas, and clouds as cover to launch surprise attacks from below, making it very suitable for unexpected tactical strikes during dogfights.

Meng Yinan proved to be a talented prospect, quickly realizing the brilliance of this maneuver.

No wonder the superiors picked him from among many rookies and were willing to invest significantly in Lin Mo as a mentor. Although his reactions were slow, his understanding was no less impressive.

Lin Mo held nothing back; for him, the ultra-low altitude Cobra and the Cobra maneuver above 1,000 meters were not much different. However, it required higher demands on reaction ability, operational speed, and control of the aircraft.

As long as he managed the ascent, descent, and engine thrust output well, he could keep the delayed response of the Cobra maneuver within a safe range.

Lin Mo devotedly taught every detail of this special dogfighting technique to the Tabby Cat, Meng Yinan, carefully explaining each operation and precaution, as well as how to handle unexpected changes in airflow.

In this world, no fighter pilot could possibly understand the violent airflow in a high-altitude, high-speed environment better than the Dragon Knights who fought exposed in the atmosphere. Without the protection of Air Knight secret gear and battle energy, simply being at high altitude could easily take a life due to oxygen deprivation and low temperatures, even for fighter pilots with above-average physical fitness.

In terms of physique, fighter pilots fell short compared to the Air Knights from another world, not by just a little bit.

Lin Mo’s voice rang out over the public channel, and all who heard fell silent, listening intently, imprinting his words deeply in their minds.

It turned out that the ultra-low altitude Cobra was not a myth but a truly viable tactical secret, even worthy of inclusion in the list of strategic secrets.

Even Wang Xuejun, despite his reluctance, closed his mouth. Those who mastered such secret techniques, regardless of location, were respected experts. Moreover, they shared their knowledge openly, benefiting the combat power of the Chinese Air Force directly.

This wasn’t just guidance for Aircraft Number Eighteen.

Others were fortunate enough to bask in the same light.

The high-altitude, high-speed, and incredibly agile fighter jets could only be fully understood by the pilots who commanded them. Creating a tactical attack move, especially an advanced one, was no easy feat.

They had to consider more than just the performance and limits of the aircraft; they also needed to account for airflow effects and the physical limits of the pilots.

Sometimes overload might concentrate on a single point, causing deadly injuries to both the person and the aircraft, injuries that were simply unbearable.

Every maneuvering secret in the world was forged through rigorous training, sometimes at the cost of lives.

Within the secrets file of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force, a complete and mature set of dogfighting techniques would now be confirmed. This move had already been executed by Lin Mo three times, fully proving that the previous two times were neither luck nor coincidence, but true skill.

After thoroughly explaining the technique and practicing briefly with Meng Yinan, Lin Mo began the return journey.

It wasn’t because the fighter jet was out of fuel; rather, after two thrilling maneuvers, this baby-faced lieutenant looked as if he had just been pulled from the water, feeling all wet and unable to maintain his condition.

Seeing Number One Aircraft returning, Wang Xuejun and Wei Yuni in Aircraft Two and Three quickly followed, forming a three-plane v-formation, one on each side to guard Lin Mo and Meng Yinan’s Number One Aircraft as they flew towards the Fifth Aerospace Training Center airport.

Although they remembered the complete operating methods, memorizing them was one thing; truly understanding them was another. Both were filled with questions, like holding a little kitten in their arms, scratching their hearts and making them anxious to learn.

Wang Xuejun and Wei Yuni had far too many questions for Number One.

Even Wang Xuejun had to swallow his pride to seek guidance. It was unavoidable; this air combat skill was simply too amazing, and as professionals, they could hardly contain their eagerness to understand and learn such maneuvering tactics.

Another proud young man had fallen, and no wonder Lin Mo remained indifferent; he was fishing with a straight hook!

Wei Yuni, as an observer, had a clear understanding of the situation.

This was a typical scene of a nouveau riche meeting the world’s wealthiest.

The J-10B smoothly landed on the runway, gliding just six hundred meters before spending all its momentum and came to a slow stop on the main runway, using the engine at minimal power.

The following two J-10B fighters landed just twenty meters apart, with both aircraft landing in unison.

As among the finest pilots, Wang Xuejun and Wei Yuni could team up effortlessly with anyone of equal skill, performing as if they had trained together countless times. This was thanks to the standardized training model of the Chinese Air Force.

With completely uniform flying rules, they could coordinate with each other swiftly and completely as if they were industrial products.

“Hey! Number One, you… what the hell is that?” Wang Xuejun exclaimed as he pushed open the cockpit cover, intending to greet the two pilots disembarking from Number One Aircraft. To his surprise, he found one of them emerging from the backseat wearing a pressure suit he completely did not recognize.

When Lin Mo and Meng Yinan boarded, Wang Xuejun and the others had been undergoing separate health checks and hadn’t seen them, let alone Lin Mo’s specialized gear.

“What is this?” Wei Yuni maneuvered her J-10B into the hangar and also noticed the unusual “pressure suit” worn by one of the pilots disembarking from Number One Aircraft.

The sleek black design exuded strength, adorned with various defensive plates, a full tactical helmet covering the entire head, and seemingly featuring some plugin modules with reserved ports. Was this really just a pressure suit?

Even as ground tactical armor, it would be more than sufficient. Was this meant for ground combat?

It looked like a warrior from the future.

Neither Wei Yuni nor Wang Xuejun had ever seen a “pressure suit” in this style.