The two TF30-P-412 turbofan engines output surging power, and after being squeezed out of their performance potential by Arcee, they pushed the heavy-duty fighter aircraft with a load of nearly 30 tons to an altitude of 15,000 meters.
During the climb, the fuselage vibrated slightly under the impact of airflow. As the altitude increased, Zhou Qingfeng saw the first ray of morning light at dawn.
The ground shrinks rapidly, the sun rises slowly, fighter planes ride on the clouds, and the horizon rapidly extends into the distance. Only by flying in the air can you feel the vastness and magnificence of this world.
The Persian response to this Tomcat that suddenly took off was extremely slow. HESA was undergoing purges. When they heard the roar of the engine, they sent people to check. After checking the factory area and the airport, all the fighter jets that could fly were still there.
No one expected that the "organ donors" piled in the warehouse would actually be renovated and repaired, and they would soar into the sky.
Although the ground radar found Zhou Qingfeng flying in the air and tried to establish communication with him, for a while, no fighter planes were sent to intercept him.
As for ground-based anti-aircraft missiles, they are all important for protection. As long as the Super Tomcat does not hit them directly, it is enough to stay away from them.
Zhou Qingfeng's target is Kuwait, which is more than 500 kilometers away. Since the distance is quite far, he chooses to approach from a high altitude to save fuel. After all, flying from a low altitude cannot avoid the E-3 early warning aircraft deployed in the Middle East.
The 'Super Tomcat' had not yet flown from Persia to Kuwait. Zhou Qingfeng chose to take a slightly detour, taking a northerly route. He first broke into Iraqi airspace and passed near Basra.
This series of shameful operations shocked the ground radar stations of the two countries, and the communication lines became hot. Persia thought that one of its own 'Tomcats' had defected, and Iraq thought that its old rival was coming to harass them.
It just so happens that these two families are currently weak chickens.
Not to mention Iraq, which had just been hit by a bomb. Various ground facilities and equipment were blown to pieces. Basra is close to Kuwait. The radar station and airport were almost completely destroyed, and not much could be repaired.
Persia has been blockaded for years. Its 62nd Tactical Fighter Squadron in the Gulf only has a dozen Tomcats that can fly, and only a few of them have radars that work properly. The rest have to rely on ground guidance.
The two comrades could only watch the Tomcat flying above their heads at a cruising speed of Mach 0.8, unable to react.
The only one who could respond was the Eagle Garrison, which was on a no-fly mission in the Gulf. When Zhou Qingfeng broke into the sky above Basra, the E-3 early warning aircraft on a mission nearby spotted him on the radar screen.
This E-3 belongs to the Eighth Air Force. It took off from a base in Qatar and used the large S-band pulse Doppler radar on the back of the aircraft to monitor air conditions within a range of 300 kilometers around Kuwait.
The four F-15Cs are divided into two groups, responsible for air escort within a hundred kilometers of the E-3 to ensure the safety of the early warning aircraft.
The E-3 is modified from a Boeing 707 passenger aircraft. There are several multi-function display consoles in the fuselage. Twelve radar operators and one officer on duty work in them.
When the radar operator recognized a Tomcat appearing in the direction of Persia, the officer on duty inevitably came over to take a look.
Since all fighter aircraft have a service life, in addition to general training, the Persian Tomcats are assigned to the cheaper F-5E for routine patrol missions.
"This should be a Tomcat that was transferred to Bushehr." The officer on duty didn't pay much attention, "I wonder how many Tomcats Persia still has that can fly?"
Yingjiang has just won the Gulf War and has an unshakable military advantage in this area. No one in their right mind will stir up trouble.
To be on the safe side, the E-3 performing air traffic control tasks asked a group of F-15Cs escorting it to come up to it.
Theoretically, the two sides will pass by each other on the center line of the Persian Gulf with a distance of more than 100 kilometers, drawing a territorial boundary like a dog peeing, but neither will provoke the other.
But not long after, the radar operator issued a warning and reported strangely: "This 'Tomcat' has broken into the Iraqi airspace and is flying over Basra. It is accelerating and is facing our 'Flogger' No. 6."
."
On the green radar display console, icons representing fighter planes were jumping from frame to frame. All kinds of vector data were changing all the time. The officer on duty realized that something was wrong, and ordered the two F-15Cs to conduct tactical maneuvers and not stay in the enemy plane's path.
front.
Unlike early warning aircraft with omnidirectional detection, fighter radars can only detect a certain sector area in front of the aircraft's nose. There is also a 'no-escape zone' for missiles within this sector.
Radars and missiles with different performance constitute different "no-escape zones". The F-14A's radar performance is particularly powerful, and the "Phoenix" is a large, long-range missile with active guidance.
When the two are combined, the ‘no escape zone’ is very large.
In contrast, the F-15C's trump card, the 'AIM-120', is a medium-range bomb, and it has just been equipped with the A-type. Its maximum range is only 70 kilometers, which is far inferior to the 150 kilometers of the 'Phoenix'.
In the E-3 cabin, the officer on duty's judgment was correct. The two F-15Cs that were 100 kilometers ahead were immediately ordered to deviate from their course and avoid the opponent's radar.
According to common sense, this was at most a demonstration aerial encounter. The two sides said hello in the airspace dozens of kilometers away, used radar to detect each other from a distance, and then "each went back to his own home, each to find his own mother."
"Major, this Tomcat is still accelerating. It has not responded to our evasive maneuvers, and it is still approaching Whiplash No. 6." The radar operator shouted.
The 'Tomcat' has already crossed the sky over Basra and continues to fly south. It has just broken through the speed of sound and thrown out a beautiful Mach ring behind the aircraft. At this moment, it moved forward rapidly with a thunderous boom.
The officer on duty quickly grabbed the microphone and sent a radio warning to the F-15C ahead. But before he could speak, a curse call from the pilot ahead came from the encrypted radio.
"Damn, he's locked on us, his radar is locked on us. 'Eagle's Nest', I'm 'Flogger' No. 6, we're asking for fire back."
The officer on duty could imagine the mood of the crew ahead. They must have been upset by the beeping of the radar warning aircraft. But now no one was authorized to fight back, and he had to report the situation to his superiors.
But things are not over yet...
Just the next second, a beep sounded in the cabin of the E-3. This large aircraft weighing more than 100 tons was also equipped with a radar warning aircraft. But the crew in the cabin had never heard it since it entered service.
This sound.
Whether it was the driver, the radar operator, or the highest-ranking officer on duty, everyone was stunned when they heard the sound, wondering where the sound came from.
After several seconds, more than a dozen people in the cabin yelled in unison: "Fuck, we're locked."
It's the 'Tomcat'. Only its 'AN/AWG-9' pulse Doppler radar has this ability. It's really impossible for other fighters to lock on targets one or two hundred kilometers away.
Provocation, this is a naked provocation!
The officer on duty was furious. He did not bother to report the military situation. Instead, he ordered the F-15C that was protecting him: "I am Eagle's Nest, Flagellant No. 6. I authorize you to fight back against the enemy's provocation.
Allowed to shoot the opponent down."
Before he could finish his words, Whip No. 6 shouted, "Damn it, we are running for our lives. The other party launched a 'Phoenix'."