128: Chapter 128 Military Exercise Begins

A stage of air combat exercises is divided into two parts: the first part is free engagement, and the second is tactical offensive and defensive drills.

There was a huge display screen on the west side of the viewing platform showing real-time simulated data of the fighters from both sides. Next to it were several small screens for pilot cockpit monitoring. After the announcer finished broadcasting, many people walked over there.

Most of those who went over were foreign buyers interested in the fighters. Chu Ge, Commander Leng, and the others didn't join the crowd.

The first stage of the exercise involved Russia's four SU-30SMs and four SU-35 fighters. The F-16s did not participate; it was purely Russia playing with itself, which was interesting. Rather than an exercise, it was more like an air show.

However, while the laymen watched the spectacle, the experts looked for the technicalities.

These military attachés and technical experts from various national Air Forces were clearly not so easily fooled. Therefore, from the process, Chu Ge felt that Russia was still being very serious.

As for why the F-16s didn't participate, it was likely a decision made after G Istanbul's overall consideration.

These two factions of fighters were direct competitors in the international market. Even if they didn't want to openly fall out, they had to consider the reaction of the American government if they found out. Uncle Sam's sanction stick still held quite a bit of lethality for these small countries.

Moreover, the F-16 and these two Russian aircraft were not on the same wavelength. One was a light fighter with more ground-attack missions, while the others were heavy twin-engine air superiority fighters whose primary mission was national air defense.

America's F-15 heavy fighter was the peer-level opponent for these two Russian aircraft.

Chu Ge and Commander Leng were still observing those F-16s. They could see their own planes anytime, but these things from the Americans were not common.

Furthermore, although the F-16 was a bit old now, it was, after all, a fighter that had led the trend. Some of its design concepts and aerodynamic layout were quite different from China's.

"Academician Chu, you seem to have a great interest in these planes?"

Commander Leng followed Chu Ge for a few laps and couldn't help but ask.

"It's alright. After all, they're not common. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. As far as I know, the production of this fighter is close to 5,000 units, so it must have its unique features."

Chu Ge replied to Commander Leng while carefully observing its craftsmanship.

"So, Academician Chu, do you see anything special?"

Chu Ge's words successfully piqued Commander Leng's interest.

"The latest F-16 has been refitted with AESA radar, and the engines, cockpit displays, aiming helmets, onboard mission computers, fire control, and avionics have all been optimized and upgraded. It's quite different from this version. As for the airframe, there haven't been any changes. So, although its combat power has increased twofold compared to the original model, it still can't compete with stealth aircraft."

Chu Ge reached a conclusion. This was an insurmountable gap; with the platform as it was, there was a limit to how much it could be modified.

"That's for sure. If a generational gap could be smoothed over just by improving these stats, then who would bother developing new fighters? Everyone would just modify old platforms, haha."

Chu Ge nodded.

Commander Leng's words woke him up. He had unconsciously fallen into a trap again. What was there to reference from fighters on Earth?

According to the carrier-based aircraft system data from the Military-Industrial System, the speed of the drones on it was at least Mach 10 even in the atmosphere. Chu Ge couldn't say for sure what the maximum was; it depended on the materials' resistance to ultra-high temperature fluids. He hadn't had time to study the specifics carefully yet.

Chu Ge remembered that the fastest modern air-to-air missiles were only around Mach 6. No matter what color of fire they spewed, they couldn't catch up. This was awkward. Perhaps dimensional reduction strikes were just this shameless?

Chu Ge thought for a long while. When he came back to his senses, he realized he had been spacing out for quite some time. Commander Leng was staring at him blankly from the side.

"Ah? Ha, I was just distracted. Overall, these American F-16s are still commendable. After all, it was the world's first aircraft to use static instability + fly-by-wire controls. It could be said to have pioneered an era."

"I think that's why it has such a large production volume. Later fighters, whether Russian or from some Western countries, redefined their design concepts based on this model."

Chu Ge finally gave this old plane a good evaluation. For a research expert, only by seeing the opponent's strengths could one better improve oneself.

"Academician Chu's understanding of fighters is much stronger than that of a layman like me."

Commander Leng let out a long sigh.

"Haha, those were just past hobbies. As for now, this aircraft has no value to me. Its craftsmanship and technology have already been surpassed by our current stealth fighters. As for other aspects, they aren't even in the same league. Let's go, Commander Leng."

After speaking, Chu Ge strode toward the rest area. Commander Leng was still behind, reflecting on the meaning of Chu Ge's words, and didn't catch up for a while.

There weren't many people in the rest area; most had gone to watch the "live broadcast" of the exercise. Chu Ge and Commander Leng enjoyed this rare leisure, eating fruit and chatting about trivial matters.

Half an hour later, Chu Ge saw Deputy Commander Ran walking over from a distance.

"Haha, you two are certainly taking it easy."

Before Deputy Commander Ran even arrived, his hearty laughter preceded him. Chu Ge was about to stand up but was pressed back into his seat by Deputy Commander Ran.

"Academician Chu, how is it? Have you seen anything interesting? Although these fighters aren't the most advanced, they're still considered mainstream in today's world."

"Commander, Academician Chu really increased my knowledge today. I think he understands fighters even better than you do."

Chu Ge was about to speak when Commander Leng cut in and replied to Deputy Commander Ran.

"Oh? What's so surprising about that? Chu Ge is a legend in our military now. In my view, any action he takes is understandable, haha."

"Commander, don't listen to Commander Leng's nonsense. What I know is just what any serious military fan would know. There's still a gap between a military fan and an Air Force professional like you, and it's not a small one."

Chu Ge wasn't being modest. A military fan might know the specs of a certain aircraft like the back of their hand, but war isn't fought on specs alone. Things within the system are hard for outsiders to understand.

"Let's not talk about that for now. There are no outsiders here. As far as I know, the aerospace carrier also has a fleet of carrier-based aircraft, right? How does Academician Chu plan to configure them? Just give me a general idea so I can have an inkling."

Seeing no one around, Deputy Commander Ran spoke to Chu Ge in a low voice.

"Well, the carrier-based aircraft of the kunpeng are primarily drones. The manned fighters configured are more for reconnaissance, jamming, and auxiliary military operations. The dirty and tiring work in the Interstellar Fleet is all performed by drone swarms."

Chu Ge thought for a moment. In the framework of the Military-Industrial System, he felt the role of fighters was more like harassment and scouting. They could only attack small vessels; they really couldn't make a dent in something the size of an aircraft carrier or a heavy cruiser. Their armor was just too thick.

As for the deeper reasons, Chu Ge wasn't sure either. He didn't know what the opponents looked like. In short, if it exists, there's a reason for it. Chu Ge just needed to follow the blueprints of the Military-Industrial System.