Chapter 14: To Draw Out and Then Strike (Three)
(Three)
A sudden heavy rainstorm in the middle of last night disrupted Lieutenant Ling Fei's peaceful sleep, and this young Chinese naval aviator had a bad mood all day today.
Gadan Island: Also known as "Golden Island". It is the largest and highest island in the Mergui Archipelago of Myanmar. Located 16 kilometers west of Mergui in the Andaman Sea. The island is 40 kilometers long from north to south, 15 kilometers wide from east to west, with an area of 460 square kilometers, and a maximum elevation of 700 meters. In the southwest of this small island, across a dense red forest, lies the Chinese naval frontline airport numbered "Dragon Claw-17". The Dragon Claw-17 is not large in size, with two runways over 2,000 meters long, eight permanent hangars, and some supporting facilities that make up the entire life of the base.
The radio on the duty room table crackled with the latest news from Thai radio. Ling Fei didn't have much concern for this war. Although yesterday, when Xiao Liu came back from patrol, he excitedly said that he saw a mysterious nationality aircraft carrier fleet entering the islands. But at this moment, what was on Ling Fei's mind was to quickly complete his transfer and go home as soon as possible.
In 2005, Ling Fei, who was only 25 years old at the time, had just returned from further studies at Guilin Air Force Academy. With great enthusiasm, he volunteered to go to the place where his country needed him most. As a result, more than 40,000 elite members of the Chinese Navy, including Ling Fei, secretly entered Myanmar and began building the second-largest naval base group in Myanmar - the Danlao Archipelago Naval Base Group.
But now three years have passed, the romanticism of the overseas garrison and the thrill of secret flight missions are just a distant memory, replaced by a monotonous life that repeats itself. As a soldier, Ling Fei is not afraid of hardship and loneliness. However, he cannot bear to see his youth being wasted away, when his classmates who graduated at the same time as him are already flying Su-30s and JH-7s, while he, as a squadron leader, is still flying a J-7, albeit the latest upgraded version, the J-7G.
Nighttime patrols were the only thing that could get Ling Fei excited these days. For most of the time since the base was built, the mission of the Chinese naval aviation deployed in Dan Old Islands had been simulated flights in the hangar. Until midnight one day in 2007, when the conventional-powered submarine "Song" with hull number 327 secretly entered the base's sea area, Ling Fei felt the thrill of flying again. From then on, Ling Fei fell in love with nighttime patrols, and it was only in the boundless black night that he could find himself and a sense of honor as a soldier.
Long Claw-17 Airport deployed two squadrons of Chinese naval aviation, with a total of 8 fighter jets, including 4 J-7E and 4 J-7G light fighters. Due to the secrecy of the deployment, all aircraft were painted in Myanmar Air Force's army camouflage. After ground crew completed pre-flight preparations, Ling Fei and his wingman Chen Qun flew two J-7G light fighters into designated airspace for a routine patrol mission.
The war eagle soared over the runway, gradually climbing into the night sky. Looking down, only the western shore of the massive Gadan Island, the fishing port of Kiato, was still flickering with star-like lights. "Is she okay?" Ling Fei's mind flashed back to the Anhui girl who ran a laundry shop in the small town, and he didn't know when he would see her again after his career change.
It's hard to believe that in this not-so-vast ocean, China's engineering corps has built the largest forward base on the Indian Ocean. On Sagandi Island south of Gadan Island, 9 underground caves are being secretly constructed, with the two largest capable of accommodating nuclear-powered attack submarines. On Ganmao Island south of Sagandi Island, there are 40 berths and temporary anchorages that can accommodate small aircraft carriers. Although it looks chaotic and dark from the night sky, Ling Fei knows that the last seed of the ASEAN Navy - the ASEAN Joint Fleet - is anchored there.
"Dragon Claw-17, this is Dragon Scale One, respond if you hear. Dragon Claw-17, this is Dragon Scale One, respond if you hear." The radio crackled with the call from the base command center, and Ling Fei's spirit was shaken by his sense of mission as a soldier. "Two unidentified flying objects have entered our base's warning airspace and will enter your squadron's flight zone within 20 minutes. Order your squadron to intercept, target flight direction is..."
"The target has been discovered, and preliminary judgment is that it is an Indian unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. Request instructions on whether to shoot it down?" Through the SY-80 airborne radar named "Shenying", Lingfei locked onto the two small flying targets 20 kilometers away. Shooting down an unmanned aerial vehicle was not a difficult task, and giving it a PL-8 air-to-air missile would be enough to make it disappear in the night sky. However, considering the cost, the ground command ordered the use of cannon fire instead.
Chen Qun's wingman entered the firing position first, and the 30-1 naval gun fired a dazzling fireworks display in the night sky. Perhaps due to tension, the first burst of fire was missed repeatedly. "Let me do it."
Ling Fei flew the fighter jet close to the target, 300 meters away from the airspace, and opened fire. A string of tracer bullets streaked across the night sky, and the first drone turned into a ball of flames and fell onto the dark sea surface. As the distance approached 150 meters, Ling Fei aimed at the second target again, accompanied by the fighter jet's tremble. The second Indian Navy "Eagle"
The "Cang Er" drone was hit in the left wing and plummeted down quickly...
The Thai Navy's flagship, the HTMS Chakri Naruebet, with a full displacement of 11,486 tons, is quietly berthed at the No. 07 berth carefully prepared by the Chinese Navy. This was originally intended for China's Type 071 amphibious assault ship. Standing on the flight deck and watching his sailors busily pushing six S-70B anti-submarine helicopters onto the elevator, Vice Admiral Wichet of the Thai Navy felt a twinge of unease in his heart. Although not directly participating in the war, the Indian government's firm determination to fight and its powerful attacking force had indeed surprised him, but what really frightened him was the Chinese people's ability to accumulate strength and then suddenly unleash it: fully equipped secret naval bases, ubiquitous special attacks. If they could easily rescue their fleet from the jaws of the Indian Navy, how difficult would it be to sink them?
Vichai felt a faint chill, turned around to face the Chinese girl who suddenly appeared in front of him today. A colonel of the Chinese Marine Corps, she suddenly appeared on his bridge at dawn today, guiding his fleet into this archipelago smoothly. In any case, this is a strange woman, but Vichai, who has been through many accidents, can also clearly feel the faint sadness revealed between her eyebrows.
"Do you mind if I smoke? Comrade Leng Shang."
Wei Cha broke the silence with a forced joke, taking out a cigarette and waving it at the girl named Leng Ziyin.
"It doesn't matter. Please go ahead ~~ This is your ship."
Leng Ziyu smiled politely and turned her gaze towards the distant horizon.
"It's still my ship after all."
Wei Zha lit the cigarette in his hand, and in his mind, he recalled Bai Tian's cold voice commanding him to bring his fleet here. He had to admit that this archipelago was an impregnable fortress in Chinese hands. But how long could his own fleet stay here?
"Don't worry, the war has just begun."
Leng Ziyu seemed to understand his worries, but who could understand her own sorrows?
Under the night sky, a solitary drone flew over the outer circle of Ganmao Island, and the shipborne sea scanning radar clearly recorded the specific location of the berthed ASEAN joint fleet.
