Empire Conquest-Chapter 817 - 79: Feint Operation_2
On a routine day, being able to park in a narrow aircraft bunker is already considered good.
Most of the fighters are parked out in the open.
In fact, this is one of the main reasons why the Empire’s Air Force selected Bashaw.
Although it’s close to Bakistan’s capital, the airbase is built in the desert, where the sunlight is intense, and the air is extremely dry.
Obviously, fighters are not afraid of sun exposure, but they are afraid of moisture!
As such, almost all the fighters deployed at Bashaw base are parked outdoors, with over a thousand parking slots along the sides of the runway.
However, the problem is that there are no large support aircraft deployed here at Bashaw.
Those few "Zhi-8C" already went to Boss Bay last month, deployed at an Air Force base in Saudi Arabia, and the electronic reconnaissance aircraft did the same.
The large aircraft left at Bashaw are almost all bombers and refueling aircraft.
Actually, Bashaw is not far from the border, making it easy to be hit by a surprise attack, so the Empire’s Air Force did not deploy high-value support aircraft here.
The bombers deployed here are all "Hong-9D".
All "Hong-10A" are deployed at domestic airbases in the Empire, to be precise, at the end of last year. Due to design issues and serious safety hazards, the Empire’s Air Force recalled all "Hong-10A" to domestic bases for control program upgrades.
Additionally, the "Hong-10A" is temporarily grounded.
The Empire’s Air Force currently deploys "Hong-9D" overseas.
This type has been in service with the Empire’s Air Force for over 30 years, older than Li Tianling, and doesn’t require meticulous maintenance.
The Empire’s Air Force has hundreds of "Hong-9D" and has archived over a thousand "Hong-9", ready to be deployed to supplement the bomber forces, thus they are often treated as tools for showcasing power, like carrying out strategic deterrence missions in hot spots.
This is the key reason why the "Hong-9D" remains in service until now.
Due to their sturdiness and low malfunction rate, requiring minimal maintenance, the Empire’s Air Force plans to carry out a modern upgrade on these bombers, specifically to strengthen the body structure and add 20,000 hours of service life, aiming to fly another 30 years.
To ease maintenance, the Empire’s Air Force also abandoned many superficial improvement projects.
Most notably, the Empire’s Air Force did not replace the high fuel consumption but reliable turbojet engines with more fuel-efficient turbofan engines, even though this would result in an additional 500 million Gold Yuan of fuel costs each year in the future.
The "Hong-9D" at Bashaw is also parked outdoors.
Frankly speaking, these bombers are not as valuable as the "War-11B", so even if there is an empty hangar, it should be prioritized for the fighters.
As for the refueling aircraft, they are even less necessary.
Among all large support aircraft, refueling aircraft not only exist in the greatest number but are also the most durable.
Because they are not equipped with many electronic devices, they do not suffer much wear and tear during daily use, so their maintenance requirements are very low.
According to the plan of the Empire’s Air Force, the design service life of large refueling aircraft is at least 40 years, and with extensions, they can reach 50 years. In many respects, large refueling aircraft are no different from civil airliners or commercial transport aircraft of the same platform.
For this reason, the Bashaw base has only 4 large hangars.
They solely serve large support aircraft, which is sufficient.
If war breaks out and stronger logistical support is needed, engineering troops can also be arranged to build hangars on reserved open grounds.
In theory, it would take a maximum of half a month to build dozens of large hangars.
"Zhang, is there some treasure hidden in here?"
"You got it right."
"What?" Li Tianling was stunned but quickly sped up to catch up with Zhang Jiazhen.
The hangar’s main door was closed, and the side door was on the other side, requiring them to go around the nearby green belt.
When getting off the vehicle, Li Tianling noticed that there were surveillance cameras all around the hangar and several groups of patrolling guards.
"Zhang, is it the ’War-X’?" Li Tianling was noticeably excited because he thought that only such a legendary fighter would qualify to be housed in a temperature-controlled hangar.
For Li Tianling, the "War-X" isn’t just some legend.
Eight years ago, Li Tianling participated in the development of the "War-X" as an Air Force advisor, specifically to determine its tactical performance indicators.
Afterward, Li Tianling had multiple interactions with engineers from the aircraft company.
The last time was at the end of last year.
Back then, Li Tianling learned that the "War-X" project had entered the engineering trial production phase. The three competing groups that advanced to the second round are each required to deliver four prototypes this year to participate in the Air Force’s comparative test flights, with the final winner determined by the test results.
According to the Air Force’s usual practice, they would likely select two plans. Besides focusing on the superior plan, they will continue to invest in the second-best plan as an alternative. Simply put, the superior plan has a higher technical starting point, but inevitably comes with many technical challenges. If the superior plan cannot be completed on time, the second-best plan can be used as a contingency, and might ultimately replace the superior plan.
Of course, it’s not just the Air Force; the Navy does the same.
Strictly speaking, the "War-9" is essentially a promoted backup.
In other words, the three types of "War-X" prototypes are under construction.
Actually, Li Tianling almost became a military test pilot for the "War-X" project.
Unfortunately, during the test pilot selection at the beginning of the year, Li Tianling caught a flu, and by the time he recovered, the selection had already ended.
Moreover, Li Tianling has been keeping tabs on the "War-X" project’s advancements.
In his view, the Expeditionary Mixed Wing he commands is highly likely to be the first to be equipped with the new generation of fighters.
This is indeed the main reason why Li Tianling has remained in the frontline units.
In his words, once he flies a fifth-generation fighter, he could spend the rest of his life in an office without any regrets.
As for the source of information, it is absolutely reliable.
As far as Li Tianling knows, all three designs that have entered the third phase are highly advanced, and any one of them winning would be groundbreaking.
To put it bluntly, they will bring changes that will overturn the existing air combat mode.
Although compared to third-generation fighters, like the "War-11", fourth-generation fighters have greatly improved performance and possess an overwhelming advantage in aerial combat, the "War-11" is only technically more advanced, and its influence has not changed the air combat mode. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
To be blunt, it’s just that the radar sees further, missiles shoot more accurately, and fighters are more agile.
In contrast, fifth-generation fighters represented by "War-X" offer not just advantages, but a complete subversion.
Indeed, this includes the stealth technology first used in the "Attack-11".
According to Li Tianling, all three "War-X" prototypes in the competition place great emphasis on stealth performance, and they have perfectly resolved the contradiction between stealth and maneuverability.
This is the crucial reason why the "Attack-11" did not become a fighter.
To obtain stealth capabilities, the "Attack-11" has a very peculiar shape, and it’s already impressive if it can fly, let alone perform intense maneuvers.
Even though during its development, it was always claimed to be a fighter to gain support from the two Houses, thus securing the huge funding required for the project, because the esteemed members of the two Houses preferred to hear about the stronger-sounding "fighter" rather than the more rustic-sounding "attack aircraft". However, upon completion of the development, the Empire’s Air Force had to face reality and categorize the world’s first stealth combat aircraft as an attack aircraft.
If the war hadn’t broken out, Li Tianling wouldn’t have thought of the "War-X".
Now, the great war has begun.
The key is, as early as July, when Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait, signs indicated that a global war might break out soon.
With the Empire Air Force’s usual practice of using real combat to test new weapons, it’s not impossible.
Don’t forget, the "Attack-11" rose to fame after participating in the counterinsurgency operation in Sri Lanka before it was officially commissioned.
If it indeed has immense value, the Air Force might likely send some prototypes over.
For confidentiality and maintenance reasons, letting the "War-X" move into the hangar is quite normal.
If this turns out to be the case, the trip will be worth it.
Zhang Jiazhen didn’t answer Li Tianling’s question, and Li Tianling soon realized that he was overthinking.
After entering through the side door, Li Tianling immediately stood frozen on the spot.
In the hangar, there was indeed a strange-looking plane, but there was only one, and judging from its size, it certainly wasn’t a fighter.
It was a bomber!
