Chapter 4, The Aerial Scalpel

The flight in the air is measured in seconds. Just after Belyenko issued the command, Andrei's fighter jet had already flown to the lower rear side of the EP-3. Then, under Belyenko's watchful gaze, Andrei's aircraft swiftly flew past from below the opponent.

Generally speaking, to expel the opponent's aircraft, one must fly above it, pass in front of its nose, and then apply pressure to the control stick, similar to overtaking a vehicle on the road, forcing the opponent to turn and play with them

Americans, I have arrived! In an instant, madness filled Andre's eyes, and the scenes from years past reappeared in his mind

032, pay attention to the altitude! The sound of the long machine came through the headphones, at this moment, Belyankov already felt that something was amiss

The aluminum alloy J-8II cannot compete with the EP-3, but the stainless steel MiG-25 is a different story

The American EP-3 was recklessly flying over the South China Sea, conducting reconnaissance of the mainland's electromagnetic signals. The brave and fearless naval aviator Wang Wei piloted the outdated J-8II fighter jet to intercept it. During the confrontation, the American pilot maliciously approached Wang Wei's aircraft, and the massive EP-3 quickly collided with the rear fuselage of Wang Wei's J-8II. Wang Wei had no time to react as the nose and left wing of the American aircraft struck the rear fuselage of Wang Wei's plane in succession. The outer propeller of the left wing, resembling a chainsaw, shattered the vertical tail of Wang Wei's J-8II into pieces. During the confrontation, the American pilot maliciously approached Wang Wei's aircraft, and the massive EP-3 quickly collided with the rear fuselage of Wang Wei's J-8II. Wang Wei had no time to react as the nose and left wing of the American aircraft struck the rear fuselage of Wang Wei's plane in succession. The outer propeller of the left wing, resembling a chainsaw, shattered the vertical tail of Wang Wei's J-8II into pieces

At this temperature, aluminum alloy becomes as soft as tissue paper, making any mechanical movements impossible, and even normal flight cannot be guaranteed

The overall framework of the MiG-25 is made of stainless steel, and the tall vertical tail at the rear is also made of stainless steel

Andrei's first intimate encounter with the EP-3 ended just like that. As Andrei pressed the accelerator and sped away, the EP-3 began to sway like leaves in the wind

Andrei's aircraft swiftly flew past from below the opponent's left side. To ensure the effect, as the opponent's wing passed over Andrei's head, he deliberately pulled back on the control stick.

With this mindset, the Americans on the plane were no longer afraid; instead, they felt relaxed. Once this mission was over, they could go on vacation to Hawaii, find a beautiful woman, and show off this operation!

In order for aircraft to breach this restricted zone, both the United States and the Soviet Union adopted their respective methods. The Americans utilized advanced titanium alloys to manufacture the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft, which, aside from its high cost, had rather limited performance and almost no maneuverability, thus could only be used for reconnaissance and was incapable of engaging in air combat. The Soviets, on the other hand, took a more straightforward approach by using stainless steel. Its performance was also quite limited, with almost no maneuverability, so it could only be used for reconnaissance and was unable to engage in air combat.

At this moment, the departure of EP-3 has entered the countdown, with only thirty seconds remaining. Once all data collection is completed, this mission will be considered concluded. Although there are terrifying Soviet aircraft in pursuit, it seems they have not caused any harm to our side. After all the commotion just now, it appears to have had little effect.

This was a malicious collision incident! Hero Wang Wei's aircraft lost its tail and could no longer continue flying. In desperation, Wang Wei chose to parachute, and from that moment on, he was never found again. The Republic lost an excellent pilot, yet Wang Wei's spirit continues to inspire everyone in the Republic, including the pilots who fight in the skies! Having traversed through the thunderous skies of the past, even though he was not part of the frontline combat troops, he still kept this humiliation in his heart

Damn it, so close, we are going to collide

The sharp vertical tail, like a knife, cleanly sliced off the outer part of the left wing of the EP-3! The vertical tail continued forward, colliding with the propeller, sending metal sparks flying

The damned Soviets, they are simply mad! From the porthole of the main observation station on the port side of EP-3, the observer watched as our wing was severed and fell away, and saw sparks flying from the number one engine's propeller, and could not help but shout: "Quick, shut down the number one engine, a piece of our wing has been cut off!"

Unfortunately, his warning came too late. Just as his words had not yet finished, the tall vertical tail of the MiG-25 had already swept past the left wing of EP-3, near the number one engine

Now, once again encountering the Americans' EP-3, Andre's heart is naturally filled with anger. Bullying the old J-8II is one thing, but now, let you experience the power of my stainless steel fighter jet!

In order to possess sufficient lateral control capability at high altitudes, the MiG-25 features a tall vertical tail and is designed with a twin vertical tail layout. It is the world's first fighter aircraft with a twin vertical tail. The aerodynamic design choices of the American F-15 fighter jet were significantly inspired by the MiG-25.

And now, the advantage of this dual vertical tail is that in the event one vertical tail is damaged, Andrei can still bring the aircraft back!

The MiG-25 has no rear visibility, so during this maneuver, Andrei had to rely entirely on his own experience to pilot the aircraft

The two engines at the rear emitted flames as Andrei piloted the MiG-25, rapidly flying towards the EP-3.

In this era, the pursuit of speed is endless. When the speed exceeds 2.5 Mach, a problem known as thermal barrier arises. Due to friction with the air, a significant amount of heat is generated. At lower speeds, this can be disregarded; however, when reaching a speed of 3 Mach, the temperature of the aircraft's nose can exceed 300 degrees Celsius

However, at this moment, Andre's fighter jet is flying at a lower altitude than that of the opponent. What is going on with Andre?

Polar bears are not frightening! They are also afraid of accidental discharges!

"Andrei, pull the control stick, we are about to collide!" The rear observer, Belyenko, saw it clearly; Andrei's nose of the aircraft flew past, but the right side of the tail would collide with the American EP-3.

Some so-called experts provide seemingly conclusive analyses, claiming that the heavy stainless steel structure of the MiG-25 necessitated sacrifices in structural strength, thus rendering it incapable of withstanding high g-force maneuvers. This assertion relegates the MiG-25 to the roles of interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft, which is merely theoretical speculation. The MiG-25, constructed with a stainless steel body, is quite robust; there have been instances where pilots have pulled 11.5 g of overload, and the aircraft remained intact. Furthermore, some experts argue that the Soviet Union's titanium alloy technology was inadequate at the time. In reality, the Soviet Union's Yakovlev Design Bureau, which later became the Sukhoi Design Bureau, had already developed the titanium alloy T-4 prototype. The titanium alloy technology had long been established; however, after careful consideration, the Soviet Union opted for stainless steel.