While covering other helicopters, you must also pay attention to your own safety... it is no joke if you are targeted by an anti-aircraft machine gun or even an ordinary machine gun!
Hence Zhao Jingping’s words: Our army must protect the safety of five helicopters for every two Z-5 helicopters. This is obviously very difficult for the Z-5 helicopters with insufficient firepower!
"Then how do we change the method?" the instructor asked: "Should we increase the number of helicopters responsible for covering in the formation?"
"Otherwise..." Zhao Jingping said hesitantly: "We can expand the formation to six, with three helicopters responsible for landing and three helicopters responsible for fire cover!"
"No!" I shook my head and said, "My idea is to reduce the number of helicopters in the formation!"
"What?" Zhao Jingping and the instructor were stunned upon hearing this.
"Battal Commander..." Zhao Jingping asked: "Our firepower itself is insufficient, how can we reduce it?"
"Yes!" The instructor also looked at me doubtfully: "This reduction...do we still use one helicopter to cover four helicopters?"
"Why not four planes covering four planes, or three planes covering three planes?" I asked rhetorically.
"What the battalion commander means is..." Zhao Jingping seemed to have heard something.
"That's right!" I nodded: "I want the Z-5 helicopter to carry infantry as well as ammunition! This way, each helicopter can have combat capabilities, which can also make up for the firepower of our military helicopters.
It’s not enough!”
"This is good..." Zhao Jingping said: "But in terms of the load capacity of the straight-five modification..."
"This is what I think!" As I spoke, I squatted on the ground and wrote a few numbers: "I remember the load capacity data of the Z-50. Under normal circumstances, it can carry 1,200 kilograms, and it can reach 1,550 kilograms when overloaded.
kilogram……"
"What the battalion commander means... is to let the helicopter fight in an overloaded state?" Zhao Jingping said with doubts: "In an overloaded state... the helicopter will appear very bulky, which will greatly increase the risk of the helicopter being shot down!"
"I know this!" I continued: "What I mean is... control the weight between 1200 kilograms and 1550 kilograms, and load both personnel and weapons on this weight! For example... you can appropriately reduce the armament
personnel, reduce the weight of the equipment they carry, equipment that is not too necessary when performing certain tasks
For example, you don’t need to bring marching quilts, cans, etc. In addition, the AK74 we use is relatively light in terms of gun body and bullets. If the weight can be controlled at about 150 kilograms, the saved load capacity can be used for helicopters.
Used to mount weapons and ammunition... This will achieve the purpose of being able to carry both infantry and weapons!"
After being silent for a while... Zhao Jingping nodded and said: "What the battalion commander said makes sense... This plan may be feasible. On the one hand... this can make full use of each helicopter, so that the helicopter can fully play its role on the battlefield, and
It's not like we thought before... either it only has armed capabilities, or it only has the ability to carry infantry! On the other hand... for the same mission, the number of helicopters can be reduced, which invisibly reduces a lot of dangers!
"
What Zhao Jingping said here... reducing the number of helicopters means reducing many dangers. Although he did not explain it in detail, I firmly believe it... The main reason is that our army's Z-5 reform is not the Soviet Mi-24...
...For helicopters like the Soviet Mi-24, of course, the more, the safer... Because of its strong firepower and defense, its ability to provide cover on the battlefield is obviously much greater than its danger.
But what about our Z-5... While providing firepower on the battlefield, they are also themselves dangerous, so a problem arises... If the same mission is performed, according to the previous formation method, one company is required, which is fifteen.
Helicopters, only six of them can provide fire cover. But now...it also requires a company to perform this task, but only nine helicopters are needed, and all nine helicopters are enough to provide cover...
This is not only because there are fewer helicopters, so there are fewer targets for the enemy to attack, but it is also an improvement in firepower, so the danger is naturally much less!
"But there is a problem here!" After thinking about it, the instructor said: "Have you ever considered... Under such restrictions, the helicopter cannot carry too much ammunition, and the weapons mounted on the helicopter are all
It’s a 12.7mm machine gun and rocket nest. These are high-rate equipment... In other words, it is very likely that they only have instant strike capabilities, but lack the continuity and persistence of firepower!"
I nodded... The question the instructor said is indeed reasonable. This is the two sides of things. If there are advantages, there must be disadvantages.
only……
"This may not be a big problem!" I said: "On the one hand... the war we are facing now, or the mission we are going to perform is probably not like the Soviet army... using helicopters to fly in positions
Go up and carry out a strong attack..."
This is very obvious, and it is also determined by the weak defensive capabilities of the Z-5 fighter... Our Z-5 fighter can even penetrate anti-aircraft machine guns. How can it be like the Soviet army using Mi-24 on the battlefield in Afghanistan?
Fight head-on with the enemy's regular army!
Zhao Jingping and the instructor both nodded without objection to this point... They had also participated in the war in Afghanistan. Of course they knew this truth.
"That is to say..." I continued: "The nature of the mission we are going to perform...is a quick attack and quick retreat type. What is needed is the instantaneous firepower of the helicopter, but the continuity of the firepower is not high!"
"On the other hand..." Seeing that neither Zhao Jingping nor the instructor spoke, I continued: "We can also use tactical means to solve these problems... For example, some tasks need to take into account the issue of firepower continuity, then we
You can divide the helicopters into two batches...one batch will be used as an early strike force, and the organization of this batch of troops will be
The grouping method is just like what I just imagined. Mount a small number of weapons and carry infantry, and use this moment of firepower to successfully deliver the troops to the destination...another group of helicopters will follow closely...this group of helicopters are simply
The weapons are mounted to provide aerial fire cover for the infantry, and some reserves can be brought in if necessary!"
"Oh!" Zhao Jingping and the instructor couldn't help but nodded after hearing this.
"This plan should be feasible!" Zhao Jingping agreed: "I will discuss it with the staff immediately and work out specific training subjects. We can try it tomorrow!"