After takeoff, the excitement of Xu Huansheng and everyone gradually subsided, and compared with the vast sky, no matter how large the group on the ground was, it was only a small point. The long-haul flight was exhausting, and to avoid Soviet planes in Herat, the formation needed to make a detour through India's Muslim League-controlled area, and then enter the Indian Ocean from the port of Gwadar and head west, crossing the skies over Muscat.

A total of 3,250 kilometers and ten hours to complete.

After the group climbed to 6,500 meters, Xu Huansheng let the 1 and 4 engines go along the way. This is a way of working that reduces the power and uses the windward to drive the propellers to rotate so that the engine does not turn off, which can reduce fuel consumption. Then turn on the autopilot again and hand the plane to the co-pilot.

"Captain, give it, the strong tea that was just brewed."

After adjusting the radio to the frequency of the Persian Gulf theater of operations, the navigator handed over the vacuum cup. There is a lot of tea and it tastes bitter, but it is very refreshing.

Because it is a long-distance transition, the bomber will not carry bombs. The speed is faster with less payload, but in order to synchronize with the transport aircraft, it is necessary to maintain a cruising speed of 330 kilometers per hour.

Through the porthole, you can see that the whole group is like a flock of migrating geese, with 76 Yun-9 formations in the east, and two in the middle, 48 Yun-10 in front and 52 H-5 in the back. The H-7 is in the westernmost part of the geese-type formation, with a total of 44 aircraft in two squadrons. Fortunately, three years ago, several ground soldiers invented the soft fuel tank technology, that is, when a long-distance transfer is required, a soft fuel tank made of rubber and cowhide is added to the cabin. Each soft fuel tank can hold one ton of gasoline, and because it is stuffed in the engine room and does not affect the wind resistance, one or more can be installed as needed when used.

The H-5 with a soft fuel tank can have a transfer range of up to 3700 km. Yun 10 is a transport aircraft, the cabin is wide, stuffed with two plus 1 ton of dry cargo, and it can also fly 3800 kilometers.

The flight formations were not haphazard, due to the proximity to Afghanistan to the west. So in case of an enemy aircraft, the H-7 can also rely on 10 machine guns to protect the transport aircraft. Of course, they are only the last line of defense, and the two squadrons scattered on the periphery, 44 twin-engine J-6 fighters sent to escort are the main force of escort.

J-6, nicknamed "Double-headed Jiao", was developed by Shenyang Northern Raytheon Company. It adopts two Hanyang-made Kunlun 1937 12-cylinder electric jet water-cooled engines, a single 1500 horsepower, a supercharger in the tail support, a water injection limit output of 1750 horsepower, and a maximum take-off weight of 9.9 tons. The maximum speed is 660 km/h, and the ceiling is 13,400 m. This engine is also standard equipment for the new fighters of the Y-7 and the Air Force. According to the analysis of the Merlin physical test obtained by the Air Force from secret channels, in addition to the processing fineness of the Kunlun series is not as good as others, the spark plug and EFI technology are also slightly ahead, and the others are basically the same.

When it comes to "Double-Headed Jiao", it is necessary to mention its designer, the Czech Cross (book friend crossover cameo). The designer, who fled to China during the European war and settled in China, is an unusual man, who is said to have intermittent madness, and many of his designs are post-insane works. In addition, this person has a very unknown characteristic. It's obsessed with all things fuel-efficient!

As early as 1933, when the H-5 was finalized, the Air Force found that there was a lack of fighters that could accompany the escort, and the radius of the Snake fighter was only 330 kilometers at that time, so it put forward the concept of a twin-engine long-range air superiority fighter. As one of the leading designers of Raytheon. Cross, a fuel-saving maniac, took the initiative to take over the business, and after two and a half years of hard work, he came up with a prototype of the "Double-Headed Jiao".

In appearance, the "double-headed Jiao" is very similar to the American P38 fighter. It is a product of the Air Force's pursuit of a large range, using more flexible flaps, and slightly stronger firepower than the P38. Installed 2 x 25 mm cannons, 4 x 12.7 mm machine guns. The "fuel-saving maniac" also gave full play to its ability to tap potential, so that the combat radius of the double-headed Jiao was as high as 1,300 kilometers, the maximum range was 3,930 kilometers, and when two 500-kilogram auxiliary fuel tanks were hung, the maximum transfer range reached a terrifying 4,400 kilometers.

Looking at the existing models of fighters in the Republic of China and even all over the world, the only one that can defeat the double-headed Jiao in terms of flight range is another masterpiece of Cross, with a range of up to 4,000 kilometers, and the Raytheon Jian-8 "Tianquan" fighter that is in the final test flight. Of course, each aircraft has its own disadvantages, if you ask about the biggest failure of the "double-headed Jiao", that is, under the ultra-long range, but only one pilot, even if the autopilot is installed, the double-headed Jiao is also the nightmare of all pilots.

But the "fuel-efficient maniac" came up with an even more alternative solution, and he was inspired by his Chinese wife's diapers for children, so he invented the first Air Force adult diaper.

"Captain, how did you say that madman came up with it? I've heard that they almost didn't beat Cross up. The bomb was pointed at the double-headed Jiao gloating, and he didn't notice that the corners of his captain's eyes twitched.

After the double-headed Jiao was finalized, the Air Force placed an order for a total of 1,180 aircraft in 10 groups in the first batch. Xu Huansheng, who wanted to drive a fighter jet at that time, saw the data of this fighter jet and took the initiative to apply to fly, but in a long-distance transfer training, he suddenly had a stomach trouble in the middle of the flight, and after getting off the plane, he was miserable, and since then he has no shame and applied to be transferred back to the bomber unit.

"Captain! See. ”

When Xu Huansheng couldn't look back, the four "double-headed Jiao" on the outermost part of the west side that had already abandoned the auxiliary fuel tank suddenly dived downward, and looking in the direction of their swoop, several black dots were rapidly approaching. "British planes?" Xu Huansheng looked at his watch, he had been flying for more than 5 hours, and the position of the formation should be near Gwadar Port from the distance. The British had planes in Gwadar and Muscat across the Channel, so he thought before setting off against British Air Force patrol planes.

If it was a British plane, there was no need to be nervous, because Britain now wanted a big war between China and the Soviet Union, so it had promised to open the airspace in the area controlled by the Muslim League, but his idea was quickly shattered by the navigator's report.

“bf109！ It's 2 BF109s, 6 I16s! ”

"Damn, how can there be bf109 here?!" Xu Huansheng was taken aback. According to previous intelligence, the Soviets already controlled Talom and Bandar Abbas, so the only point that could be intercepted should be near the Strait of Hormuc. Therefore, when making the plan, the port of Gwadar, which is 650 kilometers away, was deliberately selected to go to sea, so that the BF109 could not reach even if it was hung with auxiliary fuel tanks. And for the sake of double insurance, two aircraft carriers of the 22 fleet have also been patrolling the waters off Muscat.

"The second, third, and sixth squads go up and kill them! Cancel autopilot. The remaining planes went east and went to sea via Bosny. Called the 22 fleet, intercepted by enemy aircraft, coordinates 122 km north of Gwadar, 2 BF109, 6 I16. Attention all battle formations! Be sure to make sure the transport plane is safe! Xu Huansheng didn't have time to think about it, rushed into the cabin, turned off the autopilot, and led the group to quickly deflect to the left.

The Soviet fighters painted with red stars saw that the group wanted to run, and they threw away their auxiliary fuel tanks and rushed over at full speed. I found out later. The Soviets had already guessed that the Wehrmacht would reinforce Saudi Arabia by air, so they deliberately deployed six BF109s and 24 I16s to the port of Chakhbahar near the Indian border. And this Soviet squad was also lucky, and just arrived here and collided with the group. Of course, this is also due to the fact that piston fighters are less restrictive, and a small field airfield can be quickly built with just a piece of flat land and enough fuel and ammunition. Moreover, after the experience of Afghanistan, the Soviet army also learned from the method of the Wehrmacht to use external auxiliary fuel tanks to increase the range.

The huge fleet of planes made the eyes of the Soviet pilots bloodshot, especially when they saw that there were no escort fighters, they jumped up and down excitedly. As for the "double-headed Jiao", it is the first time it has appeared. And it is large, so it is used as a small transport aircraft.

But the problem is that the double-headed Jiao is not a transport aircraft! At the beginning of the design, Cross was not only trying to increase the range by any means. Air combat flaps were also installed for it. Although it is not as good as the cutting-edge fighter, it is much better than the i16 and the earlier models of the snake.

The 12 "Double-headed Jiao" of the three squads quickly met the two in pairs, although the pilots were all participating in the battle for the first time. However, they had all received intensive training from veteran Afghan pilots before, so they immediately divided 8 planes to focus on dealing with the most threatening BF109.

The performance of BF109 in the Spanish Civil War surprised all countries, and the Soviets were even more precious after getting it! How had they ever seen such an advanced fighter? All-metal construction, on-board radio, excellent ability to hover at low and medium altitudes, moderate firepower (4 7.62 machine gun versions were sold in the USSR). Even the defect of the short range is beautified as very suitable for fighting bayonets in the air. So the Soviet Union immediately mobilized the best pilots in the country to fly these planes, and tried to imitate them, but because the Mercedes DB engine was too well made, it was really not produced by the crude industrial model.

However, Germany's sale of the BF109 to the Soviet Union still aroused the high vigilance of the Chinese Air Force, and after Jin Bihui obtained one through the transaction, he immediately arranged for the best test pilots to test it, and its speed, circling and fighting ability once worried the Air Force high-brass. Finally, after competing with various types of domestic aircraft, the Air Force also asked the pilots to avoid fighting with them at low altitudes as much as possible.

Therefore, the attacking "double-headed Jiao" directly threw away the idea of grappling, took advantage of the height difference, and quickly relied on diving to seize the lead.

The Soviet pilots who could fly the BF109 were also the most experienced, and Second Lieutenant Bebelaev was one of them. He shot down two snakes in Afghanistan, so when he saw the two-headed Jiao welcoming him, he immediately shouted that it was not good. "This is not a small transport plane, it is a fighter!" Seeing the clue, he immediately turned around and notified his partner to avoid it together. But he forgot that, in addition to another BF109, six I16s had no radio at all.

When the two BF109 used their excellent circling ability to evade, the i16 behind them was unlucky, and they were already bulky and bulky with their extremely poor maneuverability, and they couldn't escape after being bitten by four "double-headed Jiao" using their dive speed. The terrifying net of fire consisting of 8 25mm cannons and 16 12.7mm machine guns hit three at once, one of which was even broken by the cannon.

"Sure enough, it's a fighter!" Second Lieutenant Bebelaev sighed, didn't think much about it, held the operating stick tightly, and stared at a two-headed Jiao with the color of the national flag painted on the fuselage.

Excellent German craftsmanship, rough Slavic operation style, the BF109 in the hands of Second Lieutenant Bebelaev was not much worse than the German ace pilot, and he quickly used his circling ability to bite this "double-headed Jiao" and shoot a string of bullets. The clattering sound of strafing caused Ensign Bebelaev's adrenaline to soar, and he finally shot down one.

But just when he was about to look for his next target, something dumbfounded happened! I saw that after the fuselage of the double-headed Jiao that was hit flashed a few hit fire points, it didn't even smoke, but accelerated forward violently, more flexible than a lively groundhog.

"What's going on?!" Don't be mad with Second Lieutenant Rayev. He bet that at least 20 bullets hit the opponent just now, and even if you fly here, the fuel tank is half empty and it won't catch fire, but you should give a reaction! After being shot, he ran faster than himself! Is this a fighter jet, or an aerial tank?

He knew there that the madman Cross, while ensuring the range, also focused on strengthening the airframe structure with Chinese designers and covering it with 1.5 tons of armor! The water spray and pressurization device in the cylinder ensure that it can reach 660 kilometers at the limit output, while the BF109B sold by Germany to the Soviet Union is nothing more than the use of four Soviet-made machine guns, but the engine is only 970 horsepower and the maximum speed is 610 kilometers, so when Ensign Bebelaev came back to pursue, this double-headed Jiao had already escaped the range of the machine gun.

Second Lieutenant Bebelaev had to let go of the double-headed Jiao first, and was just about to go to see the position of the wingman, when another double-headed monster rushed over from the side. To be honest, even if the data of the double-headed Jiao is good, it is difficult to catch the low-altitude BF109, so Ensign Bebelaev swung the operating stick and turned down to avoid the nose fire. But the line of fire from the 25mm cannon and the 12.7mm machine gun still scared him into a cold sweat.

After avoiding two double-headed Jiao in a row, Second Lieutenant Bebelaev found that all six 116s had been destroyed, and his wingman was entangled in six double-headed Jiao. The most infuriating thing is that these twin-haired monsters don't fight at all, they accelerate and rush when they see the opportunity, and run away if they miss, and when you dodge, there must be another one rushing over, plus the skin is rough and thick, which is simply the playing style of the heavy armored knights of the Middle Ages.

This style of play is too torturous! Second Lieutenant Bebelaev immediately rolled to the left, trying to rescue his wingman, but a double-headed Jiao saw the opportunity and rushed from the right. If you can have a camera to shoot the panorama, you will find that the two BF109s roll up and down, rush left and right, and the 12 double-headed Jiao around them are lancers, repeatedly impacting.

After more than ten minutes of fighting, Second Lieutenant Bebelaev finally bit a double-headed Jiao again, and this time he didn't miss again. The double-headed Jiao that was hit emitted billowing black smoke and planted itself towards the sea. But this was also his last achievement, and just as he tried to escape, a double-headed Jiao that sneaked up from behind avenged his comrades with 25mm shells.

After the long plane was finished, the wingman didn't last long, and the tail was broken by the cannon and disintegrated in the air.

After fighting an 8-to-1 "double-headed Jiao", there was not much fuel left, so it could not meet with the group, and after confirming the sacrifice of his comrades, he simply walked directly through the nearest Strait of Hormuc......

(To be continued.) )