Chapter 122

In the past, whenever the Ugly Nation's F-22 appeared, it dominated the era with an invincible posture.

So much so that after the dissolution of the Su Union, the Ugly Nation felt too invincible, lacking any opponents, and coupled with the exorbitant costs,

they even shut down the F-22 production line.

At that time, the F-22 indeed had no rivals whatsoever.

Mao Xiong, who inherited the majority of the Su Union's military industry, was so poor they were about to sell their pants,

naturally lacking the funds to develop a fifth-generation fighter.

As for the Dragon Nation, it had only just begun reform and opening up; its economy was backward, and although it had the desire, it lacked the strength to develop a fifth-generation fighter.

But after the year 2000,

with Mao Xiong's economy improving and the Dragon Nation's economy taking off,

both sides commenced the development of fifth-generation fighters.

Against this backdrop, Mao Xiong's Su-57 and the Dragon Nation's J-20 came into being.

It was not until then that the F-22 finally encountered a true rival.

However, compared to Mao Xiong's economic weakness, although the Su-57 was also a stealth fifth-generation fighter, it suffered from various defects.

In terms of overall performance, it was inferior to the Ugly Nation's F-22.

The only aircraft capable of contending with the F-22 was the Dragon Nation's J-20.

Merely because both sides possessed their strongest equipment, there had never been any possibility of actual combat between them.

However, in combat simulations, this wish was realized.

Since it was a 100% simulation based on real fighter jets,

it was something no ordinary game simulator could compare to.

At this moment, the situation was that Lin Yi, piloting the F-22, carried two AIM-9M short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles,

while the J-20 carried two PL-10 short-range dogfighting air-to-air missiles.

Because the J-20 featured an original lift-body canard-delta wing configuration, this granted it superior stealth capabilities and supersonic maneuverability.

At this moment, Lin Yi's opponent,

a pilot controlled by the system AI, possessed terrifying flying skills that were undoubtedly ace among aces.

Very quickly, Lin Yi detected that he had been locked onto by the J-20.

Thus, he immediately turned the aircraft's nose to flee from the opponent's field of view,

forcing the J-20 side to search anew for a suitable attack angle.

(PS: For the new book, we beg for flowers, tips, and review tickets; your support is the author's motivation!)

A brief note here: because the F-22 is equipped with thrust-vectoring engines, it boasts superior maneuverability, supersonic cruise capability, and beyond-visual-range combat performance.

Lin Yi glanced at his helmet display, which showed an altitude of 18,319 meters and a speed of 488 km/h.

Yet no matter how he dodged, he found it nearly impossible to break the J-20's lock.

Immediately, a PL-10 short-range air-to-air missile streaked toward him.

In modern warfare, whether military fighter jets or military transport aircraft, they all face numerous threats in actual combat—ranging from man-portable air-defense missiles to radar-guided surface-to-air missiles, and even short-range air-to-air missiles.

Generally speaking, once an enemy-fired missile has locked on,

even an excellent aircraft like the F-22 would find it extremely difficult to evade through maneuvering alone.

Moreover, the F-22 carries very few decoy flares, far fewer than the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Furthermore, with increasingly advanced air-to-air missiles nowadays, even decoy flares struggle to be effective.

Lin Yi was shot down without any chance to react.

In fact, the reason he was destroyed so easily

lay in two factors: stealth and radar.

In terms of exterior design, the stealth capabilities of both aircraft were not vastly different; the real gap lay in the intake design. As one of the largest radar reflection sources on the fuselage, the intake is key to the aircraft's overall stealth performance.

In this aspect, the J-20 held a clear advantage.

The J-20 adopted a DSI (Diverterless Supersonic Inlet) design, resulting in a radar cross-section far smaller than the F-22's traditional caret intake, while also reducing weight.

Although their RCS values were similar, the F-22's larger vertical stabilizers, combined with its radar-absorbent coating frequently cracking, meant it had lost its stealth advantage,

at best managing a stalemate with the J-20. Under the premise that both sides were well-hidden, whoever could detect the other first became crucial.

However, after precise calculations of both aircrafts' radar performance, it was revealed that their detection ranges differed by a full seven kilometers.

Starting with the F-22, it was equipped with the AN/APG-77 active phased-array radar, a product of the 1990s, with a total power output reaching 20 kW.

Its detection range for a 1-square-meter aerial target was 200 kilometers, and for a 5-square-meter target, 296 kilometers.

According to the radar equation, the F-22's forward detection range against the J-20 was 75 kilometers.

As for the J-20, its radar system was a full generation ahead of the AN/APG-77, offering advantages in stability, anti-jamming capabilities, and transmission power.

Moreover, the J-20 had a larger nose cone, accommodating a larger radar with a power output reaching 44 kW, far exceeding the performance of most similar products worldwide.

Therefore, its detection range should be 30% greater than that of the F-22, capable of detecting aerial targets up to 400 kilometers away.

Calculations showed the J-20's forward detection range against the F-22 was 82 kilometers; coupled with its three-faced radar coverage,

whereas the F-22 only had forward-facing radar, the J-20 naturally held the advantage.

Thus, when the two met, the J-20, piloted by the system's AI, detected Lin Yi's F-22 beforehand,

with this time difference in the air amounting to roughly ten seconds.

This brief time gap became a fatal factor in fighter combat.

He had been locked onto before he even realized it.

Just then, Lin Yi heard a voice calling out.

Immediately, his consciousness returned to reality.

"Mr. Lin, your tea..."

Li Li Xueying entered, carrying a cup of tea.

Although nearly an hour had passed within the "combat simulation,"

in reality, less than five minutes had elapsed; the time ratio between virtual and reality was 12:1.

Unfortunately, this function was limited exclusively to the system's host.

Otherwise, he would have wanted to start a virtual reality gaming company immediately.

It would surely make money at lightning speed.

"Mm, just put it on the desk!"

Lin Yi rubbed his temples and said.

The sensation of dying twice just now was still vivid in his mind.

To be honest, with this level of 100% sensory immersion, dying too many times in a single day

would likely cause psychological trauma.

However, at this moment, his little secretary, Li Li Xueying, naturally knew nothing of this;

she simply assumed her boss was feeling mentally exhausted.

"Boss, shall I give you a massage?"

Li Li Xueying asked cautiously, testing the waters.

Hearing this, Lin Yi paused for a moment but did not object:

"Sure!"

So, the little secretary clicked her high heels over to stand behind Lin Yi,

using her slender hands to massage his head.

Perhaps she was afraid of hurting him.

Her touch was very gentle.

It had to be said, Lin Yi was quite enjoying it.

After a few minutes, coincidentally, an employee coming to report work arrived outside the CEO's office.

Since the door wasn't closed, he witnessed the scene.

Consequently, he quietly closed the office door.

The two, deeply concentrated, naturally noticed nothing.

However, from that day on, some rumors began circulating within the company.