147: Third-generation aircraft showdown: J-10 VS Mirage 2000!

“The Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000 from Gaul challenges our J-8?”

“Why don’t we change the approach? We’ll directly challenge Gaul’s Mirage 2000 with our J-10!”

Peng Lin looked at Long Country’s ace pilot, Lei Yi, and said.

In his previous life, it was the “Eighth Master” who single-handedly carried the banner of the Long Country Air Force, safeguarding the security of Long Country’s territorial airspace!

He used the steel body of a second-generation aircraft to contend with the third-generation and even stealth fighters of Western countries!

It’s no exaggeration to say that the “Eighth Master” once defended the skies alone, propping up the Long Country Air Force through its most difficult era!

But now, Long Country has developed a third-generation fighter that rivals the world’s superpowers, so how could they let the “Eighth Master” go “fight to the death” alone again!

“Yes!”

Lei Yi stood at attention, saluted, and looked at Peng Lin, saying.

At the same time, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl into an irrepressible arc!

As the test pilot for the J-10 fighter, Lei Yi had long been incredibly eager for the “Vigorous Dragon” to make its dynamic debut at the Paris International Air Show!

Since Gaul’s ace pilot had now initiated a challenge, he naturally couldn’t ask for more!

Soon, the broadcast response from Long Country’s pilot Lei Yi echoed over Le Bourget Airport:

“Friends from Dassault, since your side has so graciously invited us to battle, the Long Country Air Force will respond with its newest third-generation fighter, the J-10 ‘Vigorous Dragon’!”

Lei Yi’s voice appearing over Le Bourget Airport immediately caused the entire airport to erupt!

The Long Country Air Force actually has a brand-new third-generation fighter?

At this moment, many countries attending the Paris International Air Show were completely stunned!

The name J-10 “Vigorous Dragon” fighter entered the ears of global nations for the first time!

Within the Soviet Union aviation industry delegation, both Yuri Leonid, Director of the Mikoyan Design Bureau, and Gennady Ustinov, Chief Designer of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, looked on in shock!

Previously, they had tried to find Peng Lin to “promote” their third-generation MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters to the Long Country Air Force!

But they never expected that the Long Country Air Force, in addition to the J-8, had secretly and independently developed the third-generation J-10 fighter?

Director Yuri Leonid and Chief Designer Gennady Ustinov exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of panic in the other’s eyes!

If the Long Country J-10 “Vigorous Dragon” fighter had already reached the point where it could participate in an international air show and conduct simulated aerial combat, wouldn’t its progress be even faster than the MiG-29 and Su-27?

Could it even be possible that the Long Country Air Force would be equipped with third-generation fighters before the Soviet Union Air Force?

Next to the Soviet Union aviation industry delegation, members of the delegation from USA were also shocked by the Long Country ace pilot’s response.

The appearance of the J-10 fighter and the level of development of the Long Country Air Force definitely exceeded their expectations!

This directly disrupted the White House and Pentagon’s strategic planning for their chess game in East Asia and with Long Country!

All along, the White House had hoped to sell F-15 and F-16 fighters to the Kimchi Country, Island Country, and Bay Island, putting significant pressure on Long Country’s territorial air defense!

This was to prevent Long Country’s military influence from expanding outwards!

But who knew that now, Long Country also possessed a third-generation fighter?

And besides the two superpowers, the most bewildered was undoubtedly Gaul.

Although they knew that Long Country had brought a new type of fighter in addition to the J-8, they had never once associated it with a third-generation aircraft!

After all, Long Country had only just equipped its air force with the second-generation J-8 fighter this year!

Who could have imagined that they had also simultaneously developed a third-generation aircraft?

This simply did not conform to the intergenerational development laws of the international aviation industry!

Faced with this sudden situation, the Gaul Air Force, in conjunction with the Paris Air Show organizing committee, urgently revised and set the rules for the simulated aerial combat!

The Gaul Air Force’s challenge to the Long Country Air Force with the Mirage 2000 fighter was fundamentally aimed at using the Long Country Air Force’s J-8 as a stepping stone to showcase the powerful aerial combat capabilities of the Mirage 2000 as a state-of-the-art third-generation fighter!

And to use the opportunity of the international air show to “promote” the Mirage 2000 fighter to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia!

But now, suddenly having the Mirage 2000 fighter conduct a “simulated aerial combat” with Long Country’s newest third-generation J-10, the Gaul Air Force instantly lost its confidence!

They could only leverage their convenience as the host to urgently set and modify “arena” rules that were more favorable to the Mirage 2000 fighter!

...Approximately one hour later.

The Air Show organizing committee urgently designated a no-fly zone over Paris and set the simulated aerial combat conditions:

1. Weapon Simulation: Onboard systems virtually launch missiles; after radar lock, ground computers determine a “kill.”

2. Altitude Limit: Airspace below 5000 meters, to avoid high-altitude, high-speed evasion tactics.

3. Victory Condition: The first to “shoot down” all aircraft in the opposing formation wins.

At the same time, the original single-aircraft challenge was changed to a four-aircraft formation “confrontation” mode!

The stated reason was that the era of third-generation aircraft would be about systemic confrontation, no longer single-aircraft confrontation!

This was clearly a plan hastily devised by the Gaul Air Force after learning that the Long Country Air Force only had one J-10 participating in the exhibition!

The purpose was to force the Long Country Air Force to form a mixed J-10 and J-8 fighter formation to respond, or to voluntarily concede and abandon this aerial simulation confrontation!

Faced with the Gaul Air Force’s shameless act of urgently modifying the “simulated aerial combat” rules, the Long Country aviation industry delegation was filled with indignation, wanting to confront the organizing committee.

However, Peng Lin stopped everyone and tacitly approved the Gaul Air Force’s revised rule!

Because among the core indicators of third-generation aircraft, in addition to “beyond visual range strike capability,” there is also the ability to “fight one against many”!

In later generations, the Mirage 2000 was also a relatively well-known Western fighter internationally, and Peng Lin was quite familiar with its parameters.

But even Dassault Aviation’s more advanced Rafale fighter, currently under development, was no match for the J-10, let alone the Mirage 2000!

Even if the J-10 and J-8 formed a mixed formation, as long as the tactics were applied properly, relying on the J-10 “Vigorous Dragon” fighter’s radar and medium-range air-to-air missile advantages, there was a great chance of winning!

“Although the Beidou satellite positioning system cannot cover Paris, limiting many functions of the J-10 fighter.”

“However, I will negotiate with the Paris Air Show organizing committee to allow us to use mobile relay stations to maintain the J-10 fighter formation’s tactical data link communication function!”

“In this simulated aerial combat confrontation, you can use the J-10 as the lead aircraft of the formation, and then share enemy aircraft dynamics with the J-8, acting as a wingman, through the tactical data link to engage in combat…”

Peng Lin found the J-10 pilot Lei Yi and instructed him.

In an aerial combat system, the lead aircraft and wingman are the most basic tactical formation units.

The lead aircraft is the core of the tactical formation, responsible for command decisions and primary attack missions, usually held by a senior pilot or commander, leading attacks, target allocation, and flight path planning.

The wingman, on the other hand, is the assistant to the lead aircraft, undertaking alert, cover, and coordination tasks, primarily responsible for ensuring the safety of the lead aircraft, filling in for attacks, and providing information alerts.

Its weapon load also focuses on short-range dogfight missiles and jamming flares, among other defensive weapons.

Although a mixed formation of J-10s and J-8s would certainly not be as powerful as an all-J-10 third-generation fighter formation.

However, under the coordination of the tactical data link, it could still dominate the battlefield with the underlying logic of “mutual cover and complementary shortcomings”!

Overall, Peng Lin was quite confident in the J-10 fighter!

...Half an hour later, after a brief negotiation by Peng Lin, the Paris Air Show organizing committee agreed to the conditions proposed by the Long Country aviation industry delegation!

At the same time.

At Le Bourget Airport, four silver-grey fighter jets were poised on the runway, ready for action.

The J-10 “Vigorous Dragon” led in the center, its slender canards sweeping upwards like sharp blades, and the WS-10 afterburner exhaust glowed a deep blue!

Three J-8s flanked it in an arrow formation, their improved delta wings reflecting a cold light!

Ground crew members, holding glow sticks, moved among them, and the pilots in the cockpits were ready to go!

Amidst the hum of the hydraulic systems, all four aircraft simultaneously powered up for self-check, then glided and took off to meet the challenge!