Munitions Empire-Chapter 1151 - 1071 Fire Turkey
In the cramped cockpit, Sun Rui maneuvered the control stick, piloting the Pirate Fighter from high altitude down to the low skies. His seat was surrounded by instruments, but his field of view was still decent.
The cockpit canopy of the Pirate Fighter slid open backwards, with no obstructions to the left or right, including the pilot’s head, which was under a complete glass covering.
This allowed Sun Rui to easily look through the glass at the outside world, where he and his comrades spotted the approaching Zero Fighters entering the battlefield for the first time.
Although both the Pirate and Zero were piston propeller-driven fighter jets, technologically, they were practically from different eras.
The standard Model 12 engine mounted on the Zero Fighter had a maximum horsepower of only 950, which was not top level at all on a global scale.
Meanwhile, the Pirate Fighter of the Great Tang Empire was equipped with a Twin Wasp air-cooled radial engine producing up to 1850 horsepower—nearly twice the output of the Zero Fighter’s engine.
What was even more terrifying was that this engine had a water and methanol injection system, allowing the plane to fly faster for short periods of time.
In fact, one did not need to look at engine specifications to notice the huge technological gap between the two planes; it was apparent just from the fuselage and canopy design.
The Pirate Fighter adopted a flush riveting structure, which made the surface of the fuselage smoother and the structure stronger.
At the same time, the canopy of the Pirate Fighter used an integrated molding technology, comprising only four glass panels, providing the pilot with a much better view.
In contrast, the Zero Fighter: Its riveting structure was very primitive, technologically backward, with just the cockpit canopy alone composed of 20 pieces of glass, severely limiting the pilot’s visibility.
The Pirate Fighters, which had not engaged in battle yet, were waiting for the potential appearance of Zero Fighters. They had received a warning from the Destroyer Fleet, for the Tang Army’s radar had already detected the targets trying to enter the battlefield.
With early warning support, the maneuverability advantage of the Pirate Fighters became evident as they climbed to a sufficiently high position in advance, waiting for the prey to come to them.
As expected, it didn’t take long for the Zero Fighters to become visible and the Pirate Fighter Troops began their hunt.
Piloting his own fighter jet, Sun Rui aimed the nose of his plane at a Zero that was preparing to chase down a Stuka Dive Bomber.
He approached the target rapidly, so there, among the boundless blue sky and white clouds, a Pirate with a bright yellow nose roared as it bit into that Zero Fighter.
At an altitude of 5400 meters, in excellent flying condition with no abnormal sounds from the engine... Sun Rui confirmed everything was normal with his plane, and circled the helpless enemy aircraft with his front optical sight.
Where the sky meets the earth seemed vastly distant, and in the narrow cockpit, Sun Rui could clearly feel the slight turbulence. He gripped the control stick with both hands, his peripheral vision glancing over at the dials of the instruments being adjusted.
The pilot of that Zero Fighter also saw the enemy aircraft swooping down from above. Abandoning the pursuit of the slow Stukas, he honestly banked to the left, attempting to evade the imminent threat.
Gently shaking the control stick, Sun Rui adjusted to the response speed of the rapidly descending aircraft, then clung as closely as possible to the adversary, intercepting the escape path of that Zero Fighter.
In order not to be shot down by Sun Rui, the Zero Fighter began to swerve left and right, and Sun Rui, unphased, followed the swaying cautiously, occasionally checking his rear for any following enemies.
The details in the chaotic battlefield were decisive for victory or defeat. Sun Rui, the first pilot to land a Stuka onto an aircraft carrier, was cautious in his combat style after switching to a fighter jet pilot, distinctly different from the way Air Force pilots flew.
Air Force ace pilots often got their hands on the most advanced fighter jets, so their combat style tended to be more aggressive. Navy pilots were relatively more conservative because they always felt that their planes were ... "almost" the same as their opponents’.
Suddenly, Sun Rui sensed danger. He quickly pulled the control stick, causing his plane to abandon the chase and swerve sharply to the side. In his headset, the urgent voice of his wingman followed: "Evade! Evade!"
The fast Pirate Fighter still showed swift reactions even at an altitude close to 3000 meters. Following Sun Rui’s pull, the Pirate Fighter instantly vacated its flight path.
The roaring noise from the sudden thrust of the plane’s engine swept through, and Tracer Bullets fired from below grazed Sun Rui’s wing and flew into the higher sky. That was a Zero Fighter covering for its leader, attempting a sneak attack from the blind spot below Sun Rui.
Sun Rui, perspiring with a cold sweat, guided his plane spiraling back to the battlefield. He let the leader go, turning instead to tail the enemy’s wingman.
"I’ve got your back!" came the reminder from the wingman through the headset, as two Pirate Fighters approached the target, one after the other, at an altitude of around 3500 meters. freewebnøvel.com
Increasing the throttle, the engine revved faster, and the four-blade propeller burst forth with immense power. Piloting the Pirate Fighter, all Sun Rui could see was the Zero Fighter directly ahead of him.
The enemy plane wobbled left and right as it climbed, denying Sun Rui any chance to take aim and fire. Desperately, Sun Rui tried to close the distance between the two aircraft, seeking an opportunity to shoot.
In the gunsight of the Pirate Fighter, the Zero Fighter kept swaying side to side, never entering a position where Sun Rui could fire.
"Quite clever, aren’t you!" he muttered through gritted teeth, while adjusting his flight path and pulling closer to the enemy, his finger caressing the fire button.
Glancing at the altimeter, the altitude was now nearing 4000 meters—a height where the Zero Fighter’s performance could reach its zenith.
The Pirate Fighter’s performance was utterly superior to the Zero Fighter above 4500 meters, so if the enemy continued to climb, Sun Rui’s advantage would keep growing.
Clearly, the enemy also realized this, as any country’s aircraft would be doomed in a high-speed, high-altitude pursuit by the Great Tang Empire’s fighters.
Hence, at an altitude of 4500 meters, the two Zero Fighters stopped climbing and suddenly split apart—one to the left, the other to the right—trying to shake off the Pirate Fighter that had been tailing them.
Sun Rui was not about to miss this chance. He chased after the plane on the left and shouted in the communication channel: "I’ll take left, you stay right! Keep on them! Fire when you get the chance!"
In such a dogfight, predicting the enemy’s maneuvers to shake off pursuit is critical. If you can preempt the enemy’s movements, you gain the initiative.
Continue left or veer right? With narrowed eyes, Sun Rui fixated on the Zero Fighter swaying in his gunsight’s crosshair, constantly guessing its next move.
If the enemy dove, they wouldn’t be able to escape Sun Rui’s pursuit—the Zero Fighter’s dive speed wasn’t fast, a sheer waste of its altitude advantage. A dive too steep could even break the plane apart.
This was a design flaw known well to the pilots of the Great Tang Empire. Therefore, Sun Rui didn’t even consider a dive from the enemy, nor did he expect a sudden climb.
Thanks to his engine’s power advantage, if the enemy climbed, it would only bring them closer. Sun Rui would then have numerous attack opportunities—such a move by the enemy would be suicidal.
In fact, in the face of a Pirate’s chase, the only real chance for a Zero Fighter was horizontal maneuvering... As for whether spiraling was any good, that was known only to heaven.
The enemy would certainly look for opportunities to escape rather than endure relentless pursuit. So Sun Rui kept his eyes on the shaking enemy plane, always guessing which way it would turn.
Right! When he saw the enemy plane shift abruptly to the left, Sun Rui’s instinct gave him the direction. In intense aerial combat, both sides often feint first to buy time for their next move.
And so, as the enemy skewed to the left, Sun Rui immediately realized that they were planning to dodge to the right to escape his pursuit.
Confident in his guess, Sun Rui swiftly maneuvered his plane to the right, anticipating the enemy’s move to catch them in his trap.
"Just what I was waiting for!" As the enemy plane jerked right after its left detour, heading straight for him, a flash of triumph crossed Sun Rui’s mind.
The next second, Sun Rui pulled the trigger. Four 20mm caliber cannons spat out flames, and a stream of tracer bullets hurtled forward, drawing four beautiful arcs in the sky, not stopping until they had pierced the body of the enemy plane.
In an instant, the fragile frame of the Zero Fighter shattered in the sky. It didn’t even emit smoke; it was simply penetrated by streaks of light, followed by disintegration into fragments.
At nearly 500 kilometers per hour, the Zero Fighter’s frame was already at its limit. Hits from the 20mm cannons destroyed its structural supports, and the entire aircraft was instantly torn apart by the airstream.
Indeed, the best weapon against a Zero Fighter would be the 12.7mm caliber machine gun: intense firepower and high ammunition capacity, with far more than enough destructive power for a Zero Fighter. Using a 20mm cannon was practically overkill. However, the Great Tang Empire had a strong tradition of 20mm cannons, and their pilots were incredibly skilled, disdaining the use of .50 caliber machine guns to bully weaker opponents.
Executing a sleek barrel roll to avoid the scattered fragments of the Zero Fighter and its leaf-like wings, Sun Rui glanced over at his wingman. Pursued by his partner, the other Zero Fighter was fleeing in desperation.
