136: BeiDou-2 construction is completed, and the network covers Asia-Pacific!

There was a fighter jet that came into being when Dragon Country was at its most helpless!

Besides high altitude and high speed, it had nothing else!

However, it used its steel backbone to prop up a sky for Dragon Country!

In later generations, some called it the “Air Gentleman,” but more military enthusiasts preferred to call it “Old Eight”!

Because it was the most tragic and greatest generation of fighter jets in Dragon Country’s history!

Today, the USA has already commissioned the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, the Gaul Rooster has the Mirage 2000, and the Soviet Union has the Su-27, all of which are third-generation fighter jets!

In comparison, the J-8 Fighter Jet was only at the level of imitating the Soviet Union's MiG-21 second-generation aircraft!

What's more despairing is that the J-8, a second-generation aircraft, had just entered service with the Dragon Country Air Force today, but as early as nine years ago, in 1971, the USA’ fourth-generation stealth fighter F-22 “Raptor” began its project!

It can be said without exaggeration that the second-generation J-8 and the stealth fighter F-22 “Raptor,” a fighter jet comparable to alien technology, were simply despair-inducing!

In later generations, after the F-22 “Raptor” made its maiden flight in 1997, the J-8 once independently shouldered the backbone of the Dragon Country Air Force and confronted it in the sky!

And the classic “Eight-for-One Tactic” was born!

Eight-for-one meant using eight J-8 Fighter Jets to exchange for one opportunity to fire at an F-22 “Raptor”!

Because the F-22 “Raptor” theoretically could only carry a maximum of eight air-to-air missiles!

So the first eight J-8 Fighter Jets were sent to their deaths!

Ascending to the sky meant becoming a martyr!

But later, when Dragon Country’s own J-20 stealth fighter jet emerged, the Dragon Country Air Force and military enthusiasts realized how “naive” their thinking was!

In addition, the most humiliating and tragic 81192 fighter jet in the history of the Dragon Country Air Force was also a J-8!

“This time, at least I’m not letting you go alone!”

Peng Lin, seeing “Old Eight” again after his rebirth, couldn't help but murmur with a myriad of emotions.

“Salute!”

At the same time, with the command from the duty officer in the Air Force base, the entire場 immediately stood at attention.

The military band played the “Air Force March,” and ground crew lined up to salute the J-8 Fighter Jet that was about to be commissioned into service.

Subsequently, the roar of the engine suddenly tore through the silence, and the J-8's tail spewed a dark blue flame, piercing the sky like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The J-8 Fighter Jet has an empty weight of 9.8 tons and a maximum takeoff weight of 13.8 tons, making it a second-generation, twin-engine, medium-sized, high-altitude, high-speed interceptor.

Its maximum speed can reach 2.2 Mach, maximum ceiling altitude is 20,000 meters, combat radius is 800 kilometers, and endurance is about 2.5 hours.

It carries two 23-millimeter caliber cannons and is equipped with Pl-2 air-to-air combat missiles with a range of 10 kilometers.

In addition, it is equipped with a Type A interceptor radar, with a range of approximately 30 kilometers.

In every technical indicator, the newly born J-8 was far behind the mainstream fighter jets of the Soviet Union and Western Countries.

But on the Grandstand, the white-haired old expert clenched his binoculars, and the eye sockets behind the lenses were incredibly red!

The young technicians held their breath even more, their notebooks unconsciously crumpled!

Because the J-8 was already the most advanced fighter jet that the Dragon Country Air Force had spent 15 years developing, pouring all its resources into it!

Before the new fighter jet, jointly developed by all of Dragon Country's aviation units, came into being, the J-8 was the face and strongest combat power of the Dragon Country Air Force!

No matter how strong the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets were, they could not protect the sky of Dragon Country!

Even if the J-8 Fighter Jet was far behind foreign aircraft, it had the courage to advance fearlessly against strong enemies!

Under everyone's gaze, the empty-weight aircraft suddenly accelerated and climbed at an altitude of 2000 meters, its contrail like a galaxy streaking across the sky.

“Entering aerobatic maneuvers!”

The command came from the control tower.

At the same time, the J-8 suddenly dived, leveled off at 500 meters above the ground, then continuously rolled three times, the airflow stirred by its wings swirling dust from beside the runway into a vortex!

As it climbed vertically at a 70-degree angle, sunlight penetrated the haze, plating its silver-gray skin with a golden edge, like a phoenix reborn from fire!

“Data normal! All systems up to standard!”

The report from the Air Force pilot came over the radio, and the Grandstand erupted in thunderous applause.

At the same time, on the runway, more than a dozen J-8 Fighter Jets were neatly arrayed, their silver-gray fuselages reflecting the cold light of the morning sun!

At this instant, the roar of engines suddenly tore through the morning fog, and dark blue flames spewed from their tails, piercing the sky one after another like arrows released from bowstrings!

The incandescent tail flames gushing from the afterburners trailed a kilometer-long rainbow across the runway, and the air currents stirred up a sky full of dust!

In an instant, the entire sky was obscured by steel wings, and the roaring sound shook the heavens!

A total of 12 J-8 Fighter Jets were delivered to the Air Force this time, and they will shoulder the important task of guarding the blue sky of Dragon Country!

Peng Lin, Commander-in-Chief Liu Yufei, and others all looked up at the J-8 Fighter Jets flying in formation in the sky, while also anticipating the third-generation new fighter jet J-10, developed with all the strength of Dragon Country's entire aviation military industry!

If the J-10 is successfully developed and forms the “Air Force Gemini” with the J-8 Fighter Jet to guard Dragon Country’s blue sky, then Dragon Country will truly begin to advance towards becoming a major air power!

...After participating in the ceremony for the J-8 Fighter Jet's entry into Air Force service, Peng Lin more rapidly immersed himself in the research and development of J-10 Fighter Jet related projects.

May 20th.

Under Peng Lin’s leadership as Chief Designer coordinating the efforts of all Dragon Country aviation military industrial units for more than seven months, the J-10 project finally completed over 80% of its progress!

Key technologies such as the weapon system, avionics system, radar, landing gear, and aero-engine have all been developed!

For many components, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC), Shaanxi Aircraft Industry Corporation, Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, and other military factories each performed their duties and began to accelerate production and trial manufacturing.

They were ready at any time for the final assembly and test flight of Dragon Country’s first third-generation fighter jet, the J-10.

In addition, after more than five months, “Beidou” finally ushered in its second large-scale launch mission!

With the Shatt Royal Family as a major financier, the construction of “Beidou” has been very rapid!

Without financial concerns, the original one-year plan was directly brought forward by half a year by Dragon Country!

At the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Gobi before dawn was illuminated like day by searchlights.

Two Changzheng B-type launch vehicles stood majestically on the launch tower, their silver-white coatings reflecting the cold morning light.

This was the Beidou-2 system’s first “one rocket, two satellites” launch mission, with four medium Earth orbit satellites about to ascend, forming a complementary constellation with Beidou-1’s geostationary orbit satellites.

“30 minutes to go!”

In the main control room, Peng Lin gazed at the countdown on the large screen.

Technicians rapidly checked parameters, and the humming of fuel pumps echoed in the enclosed space.

“Ignition!”

The moment the command was given, the Changzheng Rocket soared into the sky!

Tens of minutes later, four satellites slid into their predetermined orbits with centimeter-level precision!

Over the next few days, Dragon Country continuously carried out Beidou Satellite launch missions without interruption!

After more than a week, the Beidou-2 mixed constellation, composed of 14 satellites, successfully completed its network deployment!

When the last Beidou-2 Satellite successfully entered orbit, deafening cheers erupted from the ground control station!

On the electronic screen, the Beidou constellation coverage map suddenly expanded from Dragon Country’s mainland to the entire Asia-Pacific!

East to the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, west to the Persian Gulf, south to the Java Sea, and north to Siberia!

Positioning accuracy improved from 10 meters to 5 meters, short message capacity expanded to 300 characters, and anti-interference capability increased by 200%!

Besides Dragon Country, third countries could finally officially access and use Beidou!