The sunset reflected in the sky is colorful, and the golden glow renders the vast sea of the North Pacific, the sea and the sky are connected, looking at the wind and clouds in the sky, and the sky is constantly changing, like a thick and huge oil painting with a hazy thought, filled with humid air.

The MZD aircraft carrier fleet cleaved the waves and reached 500 kilometers east of the predetermined Miyako Strait in the evening. The MZD aircraft carrier fleet has a control area of 1,000 kilometers in the North Pacific Ocean from the eastern end of the Miyako Strait. But the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet and no suspicious targets were found.

Wang Wei, commander of the MZD aircraft carrier fleet, ordered submarines to be deployed prominently, antisubmarine helicopters to conduct antisubmarine searches in this sea area, and other ships of the fleet to conduct horizontal patrols along the eastern end of the Miyako Strait.

On the sea of Scarlet Twilight, after more than 2 hours of training. The MZD aircraft carrier fleet finally received a report on the enemy situation from the Chinese "Divine Eye" reconnaissance satellite forwarded by the Ryukyu detachment of the East China Sea Fleet from the Naha naval base. The bulletin shows the position, formation, speed and direction of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet in the North Pacific. At this time, the all-nuclear aircraft carrier fleet of the United States was still more than 1,000 kilometers away from the MZD aircraft carrier fleet.

"Damn, what is Lao Mei doing so slowly?" Wang Wei couldn't help scolding: "Is this a fucking war, or a group for sea sightseeing." ”

The reason why the US USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet is late is also very simple: the USS Enterprise nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was commissioned at the end of November 1961, and their "all-nuclear" aircraft carrier fleet is also a brand-new fleet that has only been formed for a year. Although the United States has a wealth of experience in the operation and management of a conventionally powered aircraft carrier fleet, as well as in training and combat, the ships of this new nuclear-powered fleet still need to be familiar with many of the new equipment on it. It also takes a certain amount of time to master the use, maintenance and repair, that is, the vast sea of thick manuals of various equipment, program manuals, and manuals is enough to digest for a while. Nowadays, many times you still need to turn through the manual while doing it.

Historically, it was only in the second half of 1964 that the US Enterprise formed its initial combat effectiveness, and after more than two and a half years of familiarization and actual operation, they dared to carry out an unprecedented circumnavigation of the world that lasted 64 days with a total voyage of more than 30,000 nautical miles, and showed off their armed forces around the world.

So in accepting a trip to the East China Sea to defend the sunken "George. The "Washington" nuclear submarine could not be salvaged by China, and after entering the "Dragon Slaying Operation" mission, it was also marching and carrying out various drills at the same time. For such hard training, it is completely understandable that the "new trainees" are late.

Understanding is understanding, but the taste of "waiting for others" is not pleasant after all. Wang Wei roughly calculated that according to the fastest speed of the old American fleet, it would take more than 10 hours to approach the edge of the defense circle of the MZD fleet, so he decided that the fleet would continue to train at night in this sea area. After organizing another offensive and defensive drill in the cruise formation of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet transmitted from satellites, Wang Wei issued an order to the entire fleet to alert the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet and prevent the US aircraft carrier fleet from approaching China's first defensive island chain and defending against the enemy thousands of miles away. The warning ring of the USS MZD aircraft carrier fleet is set up at a distance of 300 kilometers centered on the USS MZD nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and the USS Enterprise can be tracked at a distance of 300 kilometers; For US [***] ships and military aircraft that enter the 300-kilometer warning circle, a combat order to open fire without prior warning.

Suddenly, the entire fleet of aircraft carriers of the MZD entered combat condition. From the bottom of the sea to the sea and then to the air, it has woven a three-dimensional defense line with tight defense.

After the deployment of the MZD aircraft carrier fleet was completed, according to the reconnaissance of the 200 balance beam early warning aircraft of the Air Police, the US enterprise aircraft carrier fleet was still more than 200 kilometers away from the edge of the MZD defensive circle. Wang Wei instructed that a series of latitude and longitude points be sent to the US USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet by international clear code telegram, and informed that "these areas are the sea areas where the Chinese Navy is holding military exercises, and ships and aircraft of various countries are not allowed to enter, and if they enter without authorization, they will bear the consequences."

After receiving the notice from the Chinese Navy, Rear Admiral Danielson, commander of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet, immediately contacted the two E-1 airborne early warning planes that were carrying out reconnaissance and alert in front of his fleet to inquire about the position of the Chinese Navy. The two E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft replied that "no Chinese fleet or suspicious aircraft have been found."

Rear Admiral Danielson thought to himself that this must be a bluffing telegram sent to him by a Chinese satellite after discovering the whereabouts of his fleet. He ordered two E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning planes and four escort A-4 "Skyhawk" jet attack planes to continue to collect and advance, and promptly report the discovery of the Chinese fleet and the abnormal situation. At the same time, the fleet was ordered to stop the training between the marches, and the entire fleet was deployed in battle formation, and if the Chinese fleet was encountered, it would not move forward or retreat, and it would not take the initiative to provoke the Chinese fleet, but it could make an appropriate counterattack against the Chinese provocation, but it should not take the initiative to attack the Chinese fleet.

The fact that the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet did not detect the Chinese fleet and suspicious aircraft cannot be blamed for the fact that these two E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning planes, which were on alert duty for the entire fleet.

As a matter of fact, the United States has always attached great importance to the early warning of the aircraft carrier fleet. It was the first country in the world to develop and use AWACS. The USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet departed from Guam, and two E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning planes each took off from the USS Enterprise nuclear-powered aircraft carrier carrying a huge oval radar radome and four A-4 Skyhawk jet attack planes escorting it. At 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock in the direction of the route of the enterprise aircraft carrier fleet, the airspace of 150 kilometers of the forward convex is to serve as a 24-hour all-weather aerial reconnaissance and alert mission for the entire fleet.

The E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft that served as the entire air alert mission for the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet. It is the first generation of practical carrier-based early warning aircraft of the United States. It is based on a TF-1 transport aircraft equipped with two turboprop engines, and an early warning aircraft using an AN/APS-82 radar with a working band of 100~300 mm, which conducted its first flight test on March 1, 1957 and entered service in 1958. Originally called, the WF-2 AWACS was later renamed the E-1 AWACS. Its main airborne equipment includes a search radar, a communication system, a friend or foe identifier, a directional instrument, and a radio command system. It has a certain ability to detect surface ships and air targets, and can also guide a small number of aircraft to fight.

The E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft has a short and stubby airframe and a streamlined body, with a crew of 6 people, namely the chief and co-pilot, and 4 air electrical equipment crews. It has a wingspan of 22.05 meters and a length of 13.82 meters. The maximum level flight speed is 466 km / h. Maximum take-off weight 16200 kg. The practical ceiling is 7010 meters, and the combat radius is 650 kilometers. The E-1 early warning aircraft works at a frequency of 2850-2910MHz, with a scanning range of 360 degrees and a 360-degree sector scan, which can detect low-altitude moving targets within a distance of 200 kilometers and high-altitude targets up to about 300 kilometers. Supposedly, in this era when missiles are still in their infancy, these functions are powerful enough.

If it were not for the fourth-generation early warning aircraft such as the 200 balance beam of the Chinese Air Force, the American E-1 carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft would undoubtedly be the most advanced airborne early warning aircraft in this era.

However, with the addition of the new element of "base", this is the era, and it turns out that all the "high technology" of this era is so immature and clumsy. Even some of the decisions made by people in this era seem so ignorant and so stupid. This is by no means that people in this era are stupid, but people's understanding is limited and restricted by history and times, and no one can imagine what food tastes like they have never heard of.

The reason why Rear Admiral Danielson gave such an order is not that he despises the Chinese Navy. Rather, it is based on the limitations of his political history and the limitations of the times, and makes wrong judgments. Although they think they have overestimated China's strength. But the truth is that China's power is far beyond their imagination.

He knows that the Chinese Navy also has aircraft carriers, and it is the second aircraft carrier in the world after the United States. However, China, a weak maritime country that had only heard of aircraft carriers in the past, has a nuclear aircraft carrier, and it is impossible to put into battle a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that integrates many high-tech products in less than half a year, and the level of science and technology is also high, and the longer it takes to master it, the longer it will take to form combat effectiveness. If it were not for this unexpected incident, the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet, which was in service a year earlier than China, would not have been put into the front line so early if it were not for this unexpected incident, and it was in urgent need of showing off its force to China, deterring China by force, and adding some bargaining chips to future negotiations with China. Maj. Gen. Danielson concluded that China would never be able to use a rookie to compete with the United States, an eagle. If China's aircraft carriers do not dispatch, its fleet is still more than 1,000 kilometers away from China's Taiwan Province and the Ryukyu Special Economic Zone, and China's land-based planes, except for bombers, will probably not be able to fly even a single way over the location of the Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet. Bombers without escort fighters came to bomb the aircraft carrier, isn't that looking for death. If China were to come down from the water, the two nuclear-powered Bonito-class attack submarines cruising in the sea around its fleet would not be vegetarians. In addition, what can China do with itself except to bluff and warn itself with a telegram?

Rear Admiral Danielson, a highly talented student who graduated from the US Naval Academy, would never have imagined that on the USS MZD nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, high-tech computers would make many extremely complicated tasks "fool-proofed," all kinds of strange fault diagnoses "computerized," and intricate equipment maintenance "modularized" and rapidly changing communication information systems "digitized"

In the vast night sky, the E-1 airborne early warning plane numbered 7069 on the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Enterprise flew in the direction of 11 o'clock in the route of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier fleet, 150 kilometers in front of the right and 6,800 meters, shouldering the task of aerial reconnaissance and alert for the right flank of the entire fleet. 30 kilometers in front of the AWACS aircraft, there is an A-4 "Skyhawk" jet attack aircraft on the left and right.

The three planes flew helplessly forward like lost lambs in the dark night, and the silence around them was as deathly silent.

"My God!" Radar crew member Sergeant Reynolds, who was sitting in the rear cabin of the No. 7069 E-1 airborne early warning plane, looked at the three very inconspicuous moving bright spots in the clutter on the radar signal display, and suddenly exclaimed in a loud voice: "Directly ahead, three unidentified planes, with an altitude of 200 to 500 meters and a distance of 160 kilometers, are moving towards us at a high speed and ultra-low altitude

The Air Police 200 balance beam early warning plane, which was on alert at an altitude of 6,000 meters from the MZD aircraft carrier, had already spotted the three US planes close to the defense circle. This information was immediately transmitted to the command center of the MZD aircraft carrier and to the air patrol formation of J-10 fighters carrying out cruising missions on the periphery.

The task commander of this patrol was Lieutenant Colonel Liu Hai, the captain of the fighter brigade on the aircraft carrier MZD. He was the first generation pilot of New China, and together with Wang Wei, he participated in lateral patrol missions on the periphery of the aircraft carrier fleet of the Liberation Station www.xstxt.orgzd. After receiving the task of attacking, he hurried over. He immediately ordered the air patrol crew under his command to change from a cruising formation to an attack formation, prepare to meet the enemy, and then quickly fly at an ultra-low altitude 200 meters above the sea surface.

It is very dangerous to carry out this kind of ultra-low-altitude sea flight at night, this kind of flight has no reference material, no sense of speed, and in the dark sea and sky, it is very easy to create the illusion of flight, and the slightest negligence will cause the plane to sink into the sea. However, this kind of flight is definitely trivial for all the pilots on the MZD aircraft carrier, and if you can't even do this, how can you become a pilot on the MZD aircraft carrier, which is one in a hundred. They have long been accustomed to this kind of ultra-low-altitude flight, and everyone stares at the heading attitude indication data and safety altitude warning data on the multi-functional monochrome LCD monitor, and the roaring US planes rush towards the attack.

(To be continued)