The Irish Navy training base, located in the northern suburbs of Galway, has a full range of land-based and deck take-off and landing facilities, and every carrier-based aircraft pilot must pass the technical test here before he can board the "Angus" for real carrier-based aircraft training. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 Info came to this base to receive formal training, and it is the dream of many young Irish people to become a proud son who soars between the sea and the sky. People can see vibrant faces here, but also can see resolute faces, can see the most classic military aircraft models, and may also see the latest blue sky war eagle here.

On this day, next to runway 3 at this training base, there were two single-engine single-seat aircraft with a single-wing structure, and the beautiful silver-gray livery meant that it belonged to the German army. A group of Japanese officers without military uniforms salivated as if they had seen a stunning woman, but only one of them had the opportunity to take to the skies and participate in an air combat training. The lucky guy looked a little awkward in a German flight suit that didn't fit well, but that didn't dampen his excitement in the slightest. You must know that the fighter with its spindle-shaped fuselage and semi-circular wingtip design has not been installed for a long time, but it has long been famous. Nicknamed the "Peregrine Falcon", it is known as the most advanced carrier-based aircraft in Europe at the moment, and it is said that it can fight against the main fighter aircraft equipped by the Luftwaffe Fokker D-XI.

This is the new generation carrier-based fighter of the German Navy, the Albarrot H-25.

Before coming to Ireland, the Japanese officers had gone to Germany for more than a month of investigation, and were extremely impressed by the H-25 equipped by the German Navy, which has many innovations from the overall structure to the technical details, fast speed, long range, strong firepower, and the special aluminum alloy it uses has low density and high strength, and only Germany has the ability to produce at present, which is a technical advantage that the Germans are proud of, But it is also the biggest concern of Japan to introduce this naval fighter: Japan's domestic research and use of aluminum alloy is still in the primitive stage, even if Germany is willing to transfer the production process, it is difficult to manufacture qualified quality products with Japan's existing industrial technology level, before the localization of special aluminum alloy, Japan will have to purchase spot from Germany, which means high production costs and raw material channels that are subject to others.

The H-25 is the number one in Europe, but it is not completely without rivals in Europe, and the Irish Navy's main carrier-based aircraft, the IR-29T, is a fierce rival to the H-25, which has been verified in the joint training between the two sides. Compared with the high technology content and high cost of the H-25, the IR-29T carrier-based fighter produced on the basis of the IR-29 can be called a grassroots hero. In addition to the BMW-290A liquid-cooled engine with complex technology and difficult maintenance, it is very common from the body structure to the manufacturing materials, and its uniqueness lies in the particularly excellent aerodynamic design, the low-altitude dogfight ability is extremely strong, and the technical breakthrough of the German-made water-cooled engine makes this fighter obtain an ideal dive climb rate and strong firepower configuration, which is an ideal choice for defending the airspace, competing for air superiority, and sneak attack and hunting.

In addition to the factor of good quality and low price, the IR-29T is also very attractive, that is, its improved and upgraded model IR-30T, which has not yet been officially put into production, has received high praise and expectations in the industry. In terms of technical performance on paper and prototype testing, the IR-30T, which still uses a two-wing structure, is superior to the H-25 in terms of firepower, maneuverability, vision and protection, so it attracted the interest of the German Navy early. The shrewd Japanese certainly did not let go of this important information, and the Germans also wanted to make a comprehensive comparison of the IR-30T and H-25, two excellent carrier-based fighters, so a special confrontation training was arranged: the German Navy transferred two H-25s from a military base in northwestern Ireland to act as the defender, and Ireland used an IR-30T, two IR-29Ts to cover a "Swordfish" to act as the attacker, attacking an unprotected ship that was slowing down in the Gulf of Galway.

The German Navy had planned to send two German pilots to fly the H-25s, but at the strong request of the Japanese side, one of the H-25s was given to Japanese officers to fly.

There is still half a day before the start of the confrontation training, and the fighters of both sides are already in position. In order to increase the realism of the confrontation, two H-25s deployed by Germany will be on standby at the naval base in the northern suburbs of Galway, and four Irish planes will depart from the military airfield north of Limerick.

It was late autumn, cloudy and cool, with a cloud height of about 3,000 meters, which was suitable for flight training.

In a hangar at the military airport north of Limerick, the pilots had finished their final inspection of the plane, and as they left the hangar, they greeted the black-haired youth who had been stuffy in the cockpit all morning. At this moment, this shy Chinese young man, who usually blushes when he says a few words, is actually a solemn and murderous momentum, and if it were not for the air combat drill without live ammunition, people could not help but worry that he might accidentally shoot down the target of the exercise.

"Hey, Liu, do well in the afternoon! Good luck! ”

"Yanagi, the Japanese pilot hasn't been in contact with the 'Peregrine Falcon' for a long time, and he is definitely not very familiar with its performance, don't worry, you will definitely be able to beat that guy down!"

"Don't be nervous, Liu, just play as usual, you're sure you can do it!"

The "willow" in the mouth of the Irish pilots is one of the third batch of Chinese pilots to come to Ireland for further training. Due to the recent war situation, most of these pilots returned home early, and only the four pilots with the best training performance and the most room for improvement stayed for the second phase of study and training, and Liu was one of them. At the Irish Air Force training ground, it took him just over a month to go from losing every battle to winning many battles, and after knocking out three Irish ace pilots in a row, he was awarded the title of "King of Spades", which was the highest praise among brave and aggressive Irish pilots.

In the second phase of training, the Chinese pilots will not only fly the IR-26/27 fighter jets, which Ireland sells in large quantities, but will also have access to the IR-29, which Ireland considers a strategic secret. In fact, Ireland has made a secret agreement with the Chinese government to provide 60 IR-29s in batches at the latter's request to counter the formidable Japanese Army Air Force.

As early as the end of the 10s, Japanese military enterprises actively contacted the two major aircraft manufacturers of Britain, Bristol and Gloucester, and through continuous study, imitation and technology introduction, formed an aviation industry with both British and domestic characteristics. In 1930, the Type 90 fighters that were installed in the troops were not only similar in appearance to the British Gloucester "long gloves", but also relatively close in performance, and were significantly superior to the various models put into production in the mid-to-early 20 s in both single-plane confrontation and formation combat, so on the Chinese battlefield, the Japanese Army Air Force, with the Type 90 as the main force, achieved an overwhelming advantage over China's "international miscellaneous" air force by virtue of its fighter performance and pilot experience.

Before the Japanese army launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, Ireland's diplomatic relations with China were in a state of "friendly but not intimate", and the Chinese government's arms procurement was always Germany's first choice, but from the end of 1929, due to a certain political tacit understanding between Germany and Japan, German military enterprises no longer accepted arms orders from China, and those that had signed contracts were postponed or cancelled. Ireland's military products appear in the hands of the Chinese government army in the role of substitutes, and its weapons and equipment production is far less comprehensive than that of Germany, but fortunately, the Irish army is dominated by German equipment, and the ammunition specifications of firearms and artillery are matched with those made in Germany, and the Hubert II bolt-action rifle, T Beretta-26 light machine gun and MK-22 field gun exported to China can be used immediately. By the summer of 1930, Ireland had completely replaced Germany as the number one supplier of arms and materials to China, and at its peak more than 100,000 tons of weapons and equipment were delivered every month, including technical equipment such as IR-27 fighters, MK-27 light cannons and even Hubert-20 light tanks. In several important battles in the spring and summer of 1932, the IR-27 had become the most powerful weapon of the Chinese Air Force against the Japanese 90 fighters, and volunteers from Ireland even set a record of shooting down four 90 fighters in three days, which shook the Japanese government and the public. If the IR-29, which is completely superior to the British Gloucester "Long Glove" and the 90 fighter in the main data, joins the Chinese Air Force, it is not impossible to pry the balance of war with a small and large scale.

The export of large quantities of weapons to China and even the provision of aid free of charge is not only due to the will of the King of Ireland, the Irish people who have lived under the shadow of British rule for hundreds of years are very sympathetic to the Chinese who are being invaded by foreign enemies, but most people have this doubt: How can a country with a much larger area and a much larger population than the other side be in a position of being passively beaten?

In response to the royal family's call, many Irish officers went to war-torn China to serve as military instructors, and some even participated in the war directly as volunteers. Because of this relationship, the Irish military has paid close attention to the situation in China, and the Celtic newspaper, Ireland's largest circulation, is closely tracking the protracted war.

Unfortunately, Ireland's limited help could not change the contrast between China and Japan, and since 1931, the Japanese army's increasingly tight naval blockade has caused at least one-third of Irish arms to be intercepted or even seized before they reach the shore. In addition, the situation is becoming increasingly dire due to the difficulty of the Chinese government in making timely cash payments. Because of this, it was already difficult for the Irish to see the rustic smile of the past on the faces of Willow and his companions, replaced by a deep apprehension.

In the empty hangar, the young Chinese pilot silently took out a letter from his pocket, with only six lines of Chinese characters written on the white stationery, the handwriting was not beautiful, but the penmanship was vigorous and powerful, and the content made his blood boil, and his mood could not be calmed down for a long time: the Great Wall of thousands of soldiers is thousands of soldiers, and the national shame should not be treated by children and grandchildren; Study hard and practice first-class skills, and the eagle strikes the sky to shock the enemy's courage; Coming to Japan, the teacher rejuvenated China, and jumped into Tokyo with a knife.

(End of chapter)