Chapter 474? Self-Forgetting Reef

Chapter 474 Self-forgetting Reef

Some people who care about current affairs don't know about the Forgetting Reef, but if you mention the Si Nian Island, which is more than 500 kilometers away to the west of the island, it will be a big deal to many people, because the name Si Nian Island often appears in many media reports. inside.

Li Zhan had a rough impression of Forgotten Reef precisely because the reef corresponded to Missing Island - the former was in the east and the latter was in the west.

From the navigation map, if the South China Sea is compared to the legs of the Eastern Giant, then Zengmu Shoal is Bigfoot, and Forgettable Reef and Missing Island are like the knees of the two legs. You can imagine how important this part of the knee is to people. Obviously, the geographical location of Forgotten Reef is very important.

After flying more than 300 kilometers northeast and entering the airspace of Forgotten Reef, Li Zhan even suspected that he had seen land when he looked eastward after reaching an altitude of 5,000 meters. In fact, it was not an illusion. There was land dozens of kilometers away, which was a long and narrow island. Of course, Li Zhan could not really see the land, it was just in his imagination.

After Li Zhan flew with him and communicated with the ground control of Forgotten Reef, it was determined that Gaoxin No. 33 would land first, and then test No. 16 through the field once before landing.

Gaoxin 33 landed smoothly. When clearing the airport, Li Zhan discovered that the runway on the Forgotten Reef was actually an unfinished small airport. The length of the completed runway was about 1,200 meters, extending from south to north. , there is still a section under construction at the northern end. It is roughly estimated that the total length of the runway is between 1,800 and 2,000 meters. This standard is enough to take off a 100-seat passenger aircraft such as the Airbus-320.

What surprised Li Zhan was that the north, south, and west sides of the runway faced the sea, and the breakwaters were obviously created by man-made land. In fact, not only the runway, but also the trapezoidal land on the east side was probably created by artificial land creation. A dock was even built on the east side, and several bulk carriers were unloading construction materials, while at the southeast end there was no There are two strange-looking ships working in the distance. Sea sand is sprayed out from the stern of the ship. They are cutter suction dredgers blowing and filling.

After re-entering the landing route, Li Zhan said with laughter and tears, "Forget-Self Reef, this is almost becoming Forget-Self Island. It's almost as big as a large airport."

Chen Fei smiled and said, "It's no different from a large airport. To be precise, it should be a comprehensive maritime transportation hub. Look at that pier, it's no problem to berth ships with tens of thousands of tons."

Smiling, Li Zhan gently pulled the control stick. The two tires of the main landing gear of the No. 1616 J-16 touched the ground gently. After the front landing gear tires touched the ground, Li Zhan released the double speed parachutes, and the fighter plane slid for 400 meters. After a few meters, the speed dropped to 20 kilometers per hour, and he drove aside according to the instructions of the ground guidance vehicle.

What makes people laugh or cry is that the ground guidance vehicle is a wheeled forklift!

The huge tires of the forklift were still caked with mud. It had obviously come from the construction site. The red-and-white sign hanging behind the cockpit was obviously a sign of urgent work. It read: Please follow me!

There is a large slogan hanging on the construction site not far away: It will take 100 days!

Under the guidance of the wheeled forklift, Li Zhan drove the J-16, which was not much taller than the forklift, to the side of the Yun-8 maritime patrol aircraft and stopped. There was a basically completed apron with a low bungalow on one side. The frame should be a supporting facility for the apron, and workers are decorating it. A little further away, you can see several two- and three-story buildings, surrounded by green trees. The largest of them is a three-story building with a radar base on the top. The one inside the radar dome should be an air-to-air radar. The dual-use radar may be a more advanced three-coordinate radar.

Two soldiers ran over carrying a wooden ladder. After the canopy was opened, they quickly set up the ladder. There is not even a boarding ladder used with fighter planes here. It does not have to be for the J-16. The boarding ladder used by the J-11 series, including imported Sukhoi fighters, is acceptable. Don't underestimate the boarding ladder. Whether it is convenient to use is directly related to the dispatch rate of fighter planes.

Obviously, in an emergency situation, we can only try our best to solve the problem of the boarding elevator.

Li Zhan discovered that the officers and soldiers of the reef guarding force carefully wrapped both ends of the ladder with soft cloth to protect the outer paint of the fighter plane. Li Zhan was immediately moved. Such details fully reflected all the efforts made by the officers and soldiers of the reef guarding force after receiving urgent orders from their superiors.

After Li Zhan got off the plane, he moved the ladder to the back cabin to pick Chen Fei down.

There were several school officers waiting below. Li Zhan quickly took off his flight helmet and tucked it under his ribs. He strode over and stood at attention, saluting, "Li Zhan, the front cabin pilot of the No. 16 Project Test Flight Unit of the Space Division, hello, leaders!"

Chen Fei also came to his side at the right time, and then saluted, "Chen Fei, the rear cabin pilot of the Space Division No. 16 Project Test Flight Crew, hello, leaders!"

"Captain Chen! Don't take this seriously! You are the leader." A middle-aged man who was the deputy lieutenant colonel waved his hand quickly.

Chen Fei smiled and said, "I'm just an ordinary pilot."

He pointed at Li Zhan and re-introduced to everyone, "Comrade Li Zhan is the team leader of our crew and a member of the acceptance team of Space Division No. 16 Project."

"Captain Li, Commander Chen, welcome to the Forgotten Reef. I am the Navy's reef guard... Zhong Guobang." The middle-aged lieutenant colonel smiled and shook hands with Li Zhan and Chen Fei, "I am also the reef commander of the Forgotten Reef. These are the leaders of the naval engineering department, and they are responsible for the Forgotten Airport project."

Another round of pleasantries.

Li Zhan found that although Zhong Guobang looked smiling, the determination between his brows and eyes showed that this person was not a person who wanted to follow the crowd. His politeness to Chen Fei was completely formulaic. This person's skin color is a typical tropical black, which shows that he has been guarding the reef for a very long time. Such a person probably wouldn't feel any fear when meeting the head of the military region. In fact, anyone who stays in the vast sea for so many years will not care about anything.

Tropical Black and Plateau Red are both very tough and admirable troops.

Li Zhan was extremely polite to Zhong Guobang. It is entirely appropriate to show any high respect to the officers and soldiers guarding the reef.

"Li Zhan, you are Li Zhan, and our reef guarding troops all know you." Zhong Guobang said to Li Zhan with a smile.

Now Li Zhan was extremely surprised, "Captain Reef, how do you know about me?"

Zhong Guobang said, "Mad Dog of the South China Sea, you are a powerful auxiliary to our reef guarding troops. Hahaha, now some people will be scared away when they hear your name, which saves us a lot of trouble."

Li Zhan smiled awkwardly, waved his hands and said, "It's just a false name. It's just a false name."

"Hahaha!" Zhong Guobang smiled heartily, "Chief of Staff Wu is waiting for you in the lounge. I will take you there. Get in the car."

Zhong Guobang pointed to the pickup truck and asked Li Zhan and Chen Fei to get in.

Everyone in the engineering department went to do their own thing. Zhong Guobang took Li Zhan and Chen to the living area. He introduced on the way, "The road on the reef is basically completed. Three phases have been planned. What is going on now is the second phase." , the third phase is mainly for civilian life. Once completed, Forgotten Reef will become an important maritime transportation hub, and of course it will mainly be for civilian use."

Zhong Guobang pointed to the southeast side and said, "After it is completed, three large ships of 10,000 tons can be berthed at the same time and berthed directly. All the engineering materials we use now, including sediment and stones, are all transported from the mainland, so the construction of the port is The first one to start.”

"Have you seen the area to the east? The long-term plan there is a civilian living area and a tropical tourist resort area. Although it is far away from the mainland, the tropical ocean scenery is quite beautiful. Oh, there is a shallow reef area under the water. It’s easier to make land from the sea.”

After being introduced along the way, we arrived at the living area in a few minutes. After looking at the distance, he found that the living area was actually only seven or eight hundred meters away from the runway. Zhong Guobang specially asked the driver to go around in a circle so that Li Zhan and the two could have a preliminary understanding of the Forgotten Reef.

Chen Fei said, "After the completion of the Forgotten Reef, I am afraid it will become a very important military base in this region and an important node in the coastal defense strategy."

"No, no, no, you can't say that. Our reef is mainly for civilian use." Zhong Guobang smiled and waved his hands quickly.

"Understood." Chen Fei nodded with a smile.

Li Zhan looked at the surrounding environment, looking a little further away, he saw the endless sea and sky, the vast sea and the blue sky that might turn against him at any time. Living here would really make you forget yourself.

He stopped in front of a three-story building with a radar on the roof. When he got out of the car, Zhong Guobang pointed at the radar and said, "It's really an unlucky time for you to come. A tropical storm is coming soon and will hit our reef head-on. You are expected to be there." Stay here for at least two nights."

Li Zhan suddenly realized, "Is it possible that along the way I saw officers and soldiers doing defense against typhoons?"

"I'm used to it, and I have to be on guard against typhoons and winds every now and then. Don't look at it. The weather is pretty good now. It changes at any time, and sometimes the weather radar can't detect it accurately." Zhong Guobang said.

Li Zhan smiled and said, "That's not a weather radar, right?"

"Multi-purpose." Zhong Guobang smiled and invited them in.

Li Zhan asked, "Is there an underground hangar? Is there any problem with the plane?"

Zhong Guobang said, "After receiving the order from our superiors, we immediately conducted urgent discussions and research with the people in the engineering department, and finally came up with two options. I am now ready to discuss with you which option to choose. Please come here."

It was obviously a small conference room. Wu Feiyou's crew was already waiting inside. There was lunch on the conference table. Zhong Guobang invited everyone to sit down and eat first.

Lunch time had long passed. After receiving the order, Zhong Guobang quickly instructed the cooking team to prepare lunch to the highest standards. This is all because Zhong Guobang knows that good food supplements are very important for pilots. Some fresh vegetables and fruits that they usually couldn't bear to eat were taken out.

Zhong Guobang sat down and said, "When the tropical storm reaches our reef, it is likely to form a typhoon. The meteorological station forecast shows that the maximum wind force can reach level 13, and the estimated landing time is 9 p.m. We have less than twelve hours left, so you guys Let me explain the two options in detail."

Li Zhan and Wu Feiyou said hello, nodded, ate their rice and listened attentively.

Zhong Guobang said, "The two underground hangars are under construction, so they cannot be used for the time being. Even if Chief of Staff Wu's plane can be used, it cannot fit in it. The two underground hangars are built according to the size of fighter jets. Captain Li's plane is better Solution, the main building of the maintenance hangar has been completed, and it will be dragged in when the maintenance team comes over. The two options now are mainly aimed at Chief of Staff Wu’s large aircraft."

He said, "The first option is to take off and return to the mainland before the typhoon makes landfall. The transport plane sent by the superior is expected to arrive at our reef in three hours, bringing enough oil and refueling equipment. The second option is to secure the aircraft , but this plan cannot guarantee the absolute safety of the aircraft."

After finishing speaking, Zhong Guobang looked at Wu Feiyou, it all depends on what Wu Feiyou chooses.

Wu Feiyou thought for a while and said, "The first option is that we should be able to complete the refueling before the typhoon makes landfall. I will drive back directly. If it is too late, I will implement the second option."

Li Zhan said, "In that case, I'll go back together. There's still twelve hours left before everything is too late."

"Captain Li, I'm afraid you are too late." Zhong Guobang said, "The transport plane on the road does not carry the refueling equipment matching your plane. The superiors are urgently mobilizing, and it will be too late before the typhoon makes landfall."

Li Zhan and Chen Fei looked at each other, and Li Zhan said with a smile, "It's like one wave is coming before it subsides. It looks like I'm going to stay at the Forgotten Reef for one night."

"It's quite comfortable to stay a few more nights at Forgettable Reef," Zhong Guobang said with a smile.

He looked at Wu Feiyou and said, "Chief of Staff Wu, is that the decision?"

"Yes, Commander Zhong Jiao, our crew will be inspecting the aircraft in a while. Do you think it would be convenient for me to arrange some soldiers for me?" Wu Feiyou said with a smile.

In addition to the captain, co-pilot, radio operator, and navigator, Gaoxin Unit 33 also has a mechanic who is fully capable of performing simple maintenance on the aircraft.

Seeing this, Li Zhan secretly thought that in the future he must strengthen his study and mastery of the maintenance knowledge of quasi-piloted aircraft, so that even if there is no corresponding ground support force, he can still carry out a certain degree of maintenance on the fighter aircraft. Simple repair.

Zhong Guobang said, "No problem, I will remove a few soldiers who are familiar with machinery and give them to you. Chief of Staff Wu, Team Leader Li, and Team Leader Chen. You can rest in the rooms on both sides of the conference room. The conditions on the reef are simple and you will feel a little aggrieved."

Wu Feiyou said with a smile, "Compared with the previous stilt houses, the conditions now are much better."

Scenes of the first-generation stilt houses flashed before everyone's eyes. Some stilt houses were built with wood and were no more than a dozen square meters. When the tide was high, the seawater could flood up to the waist. Even under such difficult conditions, the officers and soldiers guarding the reef were They persevered day after day, year after year. The senior reef guards back then were the real heroes.

Nowadays, many islands and reefs have developed to the third generation of stilt houses. To be precise, they are large-scale permanent coastal defense fortifications. The purpose is to improve the living conditions of the officers and soldiers guarding the reefs. The new generation of reef-guarding officers and soldiers not only have a comfortable living environment, but also have much better conditions for performing their reef-guarding duties.

In the past, all freshwater vegetables had to be transported from the mainland by ship. Now some large islands and reefs have seawater purification capabilities and vegetable greenhouses, and they are basically self-sufficient.

Where is Forgotten Reef? If you look up the meaning of "reef", you will know: when the tide is high, it is below the sea surface, and when the tide is low, a little reef is exposed. This is a reef.

Look at what the Forgotten Reef looks like. It takes about ten minutes to drive around it.

Li Zhan looked at the Forgotten Reef from a tactical point of view and believed that there was no problem with still having a flying brigade here. The significance is even more significant - it is equivalent to more than doubling the combat radius of the fighter jet!

Li Zhan smiled and said to Zhong Guobang, "If conditions permit, I would really like to stay at Forgotten Reef for a while. This is a good testing ground."

Everyone showed enigmatic smiles.