Combat readiness patrols are a very boring, even a little painful, and even more so for pilots of heavy fighters.

For a long time, the pilots of the Imperial Navy were not very fond of heavy carrier-based aircraft.

The reason is also very simple: the endurance of heavy carrier-based aircraft is simply too strong!

During patrol missions, pilots of heavy carrier-based aircraft prepare several special sealed bags for excrement. In the days of propeller aircraft, pilots were able to throw full sealed bags out of the cabin. In the last war, there were strange incidents of patrol planes attacking enemy ships with "bombs", forcing the enemy to abandon ships and surrender. It's just that after entering the jet age, it's not so convenient. When it comes time to return home, especially when you land on an aircraft carrier, if you accidentally break the sealed bag, you will be covered in feces and urine.

In addition, peeing while flying a fighter jet, and not peeing on top of the pants, is still a technique.

Of course, after the "Zhan-9" entered service, this "technology" basically lost its usefulness.

Compared with the previous carrier-based fighters, the "Zhan-9" is equipped with a more complete and advanced autopilot, which greatly reduces the burden on the pilot.

Crucially, the navigator in the back seat can also fly a fighter.

Although the navy has never required navigators to meet the technical level of pilots, it has carefully listened to the opinions of grassroots officers and men when designing the "Zhan-9" and has reserved a set of operating systems for navigators to ensure that if the pilots have an accident and cannot operate the fighters, the navigators can fly the fighters to make an emergency landing. Even just controlling the flight of the fighter is much better than directly losing control.

This design also has the advantage of not having to purchase a supporting high-level training aircraft for the "Zhan-9".

The pilots of the "Zhan-9" flew over the intermediate-level training plane, and after obtaining the permission to board the ship, they completed the last five test flights on the "Zhan-9".

Usually, the instructor in charge of the assessment sits in the back, while the novice who takes the assessment is in the front.

Although the Imperial Navy still purchased advanced training aircraft, the main reason is that the "Zhan-9" flight cost one hour, which is enough for the training aircraft to fly for 10 hours, so the cost of purchasing advanced training aircraft for daily training is lower, but through the training of the same type of aircraft, the training pass rate of "Zhan-9" pilots is much higher than that of the "Zhan-6".

It was precisely in this way that after the "War-9" was refitted, the Imperial Navy did not encounter a shortage of pilots, and it took only 3 years to raise the pilot coefficient to 1.5, reaching the minimum standard for forming combat capability, while it often took 5 years before.

In addition, some gifted navigators, there is also a chance to become pilots.

Zhu Tingwei's partner, Second Lieutenant Hu Haitao, is like this.

In late June, he passed the third test, that is, the flight assessment. After a six-month observation period, he will become a fighter pilot.

The one who recommended him was Zhu Tingxuan.

Of course, recommending navigators to participate in the pilot assessment is actually a matter of one sentence for Zhu Tingxuan.

The current commander of the Imperial Naval Aviation, Vice Admiral Zhu Yaozu is Zhu Tingxuan's uncle and the youngest son of Imperial Navy Admiral Zhu Huasheng.

After taking off, Hu Haitao told Zhu Tingxuan that he had received an order and would report to the new unit in a few days.

The Great War had broken out, and the Imperial Navy had been expanding its strength, creating several new wings and requiring pilots, so the observation period was cancelled.

In accordance with the order issued by the command of the Navy, prospective pilots who have passed the three tests are directly integrated into the combat unit.

Of course, this is not to say that the two are going to be separated.

The 12th Carrier-Air Wing to which they belong is itself a "reserve unit," and its value for existence is to expand its strength in wartime.

To be precise, it acts as the backbone of the expansion.

Although the Imperial Navy retained a total of 15 aircraft carriers and 15 carrier-based aviation wings, at any one time, a maximum of 10 aircraft carriers were deployed, and only 10 carrier-based aviation wings served as the main force, and the other 5 wings were substitutes.

The key is that in accordance with the adjustment made in the third military reform, the carrier-based aviation wing does not correspond to the aircraft carrier, but is deployed in a rotational manner.

This arrangement is to keep the five teams acting as substitutes in a state of overstaffing.

For example, in the 12th Wing, in addition to the regular 2 fighter groups and 3 attack aircraft groups, there are also 5 additional mixed groups. Even in peacetime, the 12th Wing has 140 combat aircraft, and in wartime it can be doubled in size.

In order to maintain combat capability, the regular brigades in the wing will be temporarily assigned to other wings in a rotational manner, and carry out deployment tasks with other wings.

It's just that the additional brigades are usually equipped with old aircraft that have been retired from the front-line troops.

To put it bluntly, it's really about maintaining the scale, so that more pilots have access to training opportunities and can maintain their status in peacetime.

Relatively speaking, the difficulty of training pilots is much higher than that of producing fighters, and even more so for carrier-based aircraft pilots in the Navy.

Because the establishment was too large, there were only a few regular brigades, so the replacement wing was usually deployed on the ground, based on the naval air station.

Zhu Tingxuan had already received the news that the 12th Wing was about to be divided into three.

In addition to the existing wings, the 22nd and 32nd wings will be added, and the backbone of the 12th wing will serve as the wing commander and captain.

As expected, Zhu Tingxuan will go to the 22nd Wing and serve as the captain of the heavy fighter group.

Critically, Hu Haitao may also be assigned to the 22nd Wing and incorporated into the Heavy Fighter Group.

In this way, he is still Zhu Tingxuan's subordinate.

It's just that Zhu Tingxuan didn't tell Hu Haitao about these things, after all, he obtained the inside information through his relationship, and the relevant appointment has not yet been issued.

It flew for almost 1 hour before it joined the tanker.

It's not that the cruise speed of the "Zhan-9B" is not fast enough, but if the fighters in front of them want to refuel first, they have to fly a little slower.

It took about 5 minutes before and after, and the "Zhan-9B" piloted by Zhu Tingxuan obtained 5 tons of aviation kerosene from the "You-29A" of the Air Force.

The flight altitude is more than 8000 meters, above the clouds, the air flow is stable, and it can be considered smooth.

After that, the tanker turned to return home.

Prior to this, this "Oil-29A" had already replenished 7 other "Battle-9B" fighters with 5 tons of fuel each.

If you want to say, this is also the advantage of large tankers.

Replacing it with the Navy's own attack aircraft, even if it is the "Attack-5", after flying 700 kilometers, it can provide up to 6 tons of fuel for other aircraft.

It's just that there is a problem that Zhu Tingxuan has never been able to understand.

In order to serve the Navy's carrier-based aircraft, the Air Force specially improved dozens of "Oil-29A", to be precise, one set of hose refueling equipment was added to this tanker.

Interestingly, each "Oil-29A" has only 1 set, which is installed on the hardpoint on the outside of the left wing, and only 1 carrier-based aircraft can be refueled at a time.

The reason given by the Air Force is that the "Oil-29A" has only 1 operator of refueling equipment.

Obviously, this reason simply doesn't make sense!

The "Oil-29A" usually has a crew of 5 people, a pilot and a co-pilot, as well as a refueling equipment operator, a navigator and a mechanic. When refueling is carried out, it is completely possible for the navigator or mechanic to control a set of refueling equipment. Besides, it is not difficult to install one more set of control equipment and add one more fuel equipment operator for a fuel dispenser with sufficient internal space.

WestContinent has always used hose refueling equipment, and its large tanker has three sets of refueling equipment, which can theoretically refuel three aircraft at the same time.

Even if it doesn't have to be so complicated, a set of refueling equipment can be installed under the right wing.

If anything, the real reason may be that the Air Force does not want to take on additional tasks and wants the Navy to pay for large tankers on its own.

Actually, the Navy has a similar idea, but on lease.

Of course, these have nothing to do with Zhu Tingxuan.

After replenishing the fuel, Zhu Tingwei caught up with the other seven fighters in the squadron and flew more than 100 kilometers eastward.

To the east of him there were 2 more squadrons.

Strictly speaking, there are actually only one and a half squadrons.

The Battle-9 was the largest and heaviest carrier-based fighter ever built by the Imperial Navy, and it used a variable sweep wing with a main wing that could not be folded to reduce the deck area it occupied when parked, and when deployed, it took up about 20% more space than the previous generation, the Battle-6.

As a result, the size of the heavy fighter group equipped with the "Zhan-9" was reduced to 20 aircraft, from three squadrons to two and a half squadrons.

Because the performance of the "Zhan-9" is better, and in particular, its interception capability far exceeds that of the "Zhan-6", the combat effectiveness after the downsizing has not been weakened, but has also been greatly enhanced.

Normally, the group leader directly commands that half of the squadron, that is, 1 squad of 4 fighters.

Now, that half of the squadron "Zhan-9" is at the front.

The four "Zhan-9Bs" maintained a distance of about 150 kilometers from south to north, and searched and flew about 550 kilometers in front of the AWACS aircraft.

In this way, it is equivalent to extending the search range to the east by more than 200 kilometers!

The key is the fire control radar of the "Zhan-9B".

As the most powerful carrier-based fighter in the history of the Imperial Navy, and the world's first interceptor equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles capable of firing at enemy aircraft up to 150 kilometers away, the "Battle-9B" has the most advanced and longest-range fire control radar in the Empire and even the world.

The "Zhan-9B" is equipped with a flat slit fire control radar, which theoretically has a detection range of more than 300 kilometers and a tracking distance of no less than 200 kilometers for the high-flying B-52. Even for targets the size of a fighter, the detection range will not be less than 200 kilometers.

It is precisely in this way that the "Zhan-9B" is completely capable of completing the interception mission on its own.

In fleet air defense operations, the "Zhan-9B" is often used as a small early warning aircraft.

In addition, there are tactical considerations for this arrangement.

If the enemy dispatches early warning planes and electronic warfare planes, it may not be able to spot the "Finger-8C" following behind, but it is even possible to think that the "Battle-9B" is operating alone or from a certain aircraft carrier.

If the enemy tries to launch a surprise attack, he must first kill these "Zhan-9B", and the combat intent will be revealed.

It was followed by 8 "Zhan-9Bs" of the 1st Squadron.

All eight fighters remained radio-silent, not only did they not activate the fire control radar, but they did not even use long-distance radio stations that would have been intercepted by the enemy.

Before the start of the battle, only battlefield information provided by AWACS aircraft or other fighters is received.

Theoretically, eight Battle-9Bs would be able to fire at 48 bombers at the same time, and then they would be able to use combat missiles and aerial guns against those who slipped through the net.

From a tactical point of view, it is certainly more than enough.

Although the Nuland Air Force has thousands of strategic bombers, and more than 1,000 of the B-52 series alone have been produced, today's command system, especially the use of air-launched cruise missiles for long-range strikes, can dispatch two groups at the same time, that is, 40 bombers, is the limit.

It's not that I look down on the Nuland Air Force, but no air force can do it.

The Imperial Air Force is no exception!

As for organizing a thousand-plane bombing, as in the Second Global War, it is not impossible, but meaningless.

The so-called thousand-plane bombing, which is not carried out at the same time, often lasts for several hours, or even a whole day, and is put into battle in batches in small groups.

In fact, with the advent of precision-guided munitions such as cruise missiles, the scale of strategic bombing is no longer measured by the number of bombers put into service.

However, it does not mean that the pressure on defense has been reduced.

If nothing else, who can guarantee that the range of the AGM-86C is only 1500 km?

Although the CIA's analysis has a high degree of credibility, the Nuland Air Force will determine the maximum range of air-launched cruise missiles based on the combat radius of the opponent, that is, the heavy fighters of the Imperial Air Force and the Navy, to ensure that the carrier aircraft can deliver missiles beyond the combat radius of the air defense fighter and improve the survivability of the carrier aircraft, but the Imperial Air Force has hundreds of tankers, and the air defense fighters can fly up to 1,500 kilometers away to carry out interception missions.

In fact, the Imperial Air Force itself is developing cruise missiles with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers, or even 2,500 kilometers.

If the range of the AGM-86C exceeds 1500 km, then the Nuland bombers will be able to fire at a greater distance!

Crucially, the longer range gives the attacking side more tactical options.

For example, the B-52 fleet could go around south and launch missiles southeast of Honu Island to avoid air defense fighters east of Honu Island.

No matter what the era, the initiative is in the hands of the attacking side.

It was in this way that a squadron had to be left in the rear.

In order to deal with the threat from other directions, especially from the south and southeast, Zhu Tingxuan's squadron was divided into two squadrons, the squadron under his direct command was in the southeast direction of the AWACS aircraft, the other one was in the east of the AWACS aircraft, and the two squadrons maintained a distance of almost 100 kilometers.

In this way, if the enemy planes come from the south, at least 1 squad of 4 "Battle-9Bs" will be able to arrive in time.

Actually, Zhu Tingwei has never been able to figure it out.

Since it is believed that the Nuland Republic will send troops to the war, and it is very likely that it will launch a surprise attack before the official declaration of war, as Van Roe did, why don't the imperial authorities declare war on the Nuland Republic first, and then send bombers to launch a strike on Nuland proper, at least its west coast.

Even if it doesn't have a good effect, it's better than passive defense.

As long as the two sides officially go to war, then this state of invincibility will not exist now.

However, Zhu Tingxuan also believes that the imperial authorities must have a very important reason, because the current first assistant, Zhou Yongtao, is the person he admires the most.