Chapter 189 Kiev Aircraft Carrier

The tracks rolled over the Port of Tokyo as the steel chariot rumbled up to the dock. The addition of this latest type of tank instantly excited everyone.

Why did they stop fighting? Why did they agree to the Soviet Union's proposal to give up northern Hokkaido to the Soviet Union? It was because the Soviet armored forces were too powerful! No Western tank could withstand the shooting of 125mm tank guns, and the West did not have enough confidence to penetrate the main armor of Soviet tanks.

In terms of air force equipment, the United States was ahead of the Soviet Union, and in terms of army tanks, the Soviet Union was far ahead. Now, the arrival of this tank gave confidence to those present.

"Yes, just half a month ago, this tank has been finalized and entered the low-speed production stage. First, 30 tanks were produced and all equipped with our First Cavalry Division." Major General Field, the division commander, said proudly: "Our tank uses gas turbine power, has excellent acceleration performance, and its armor protection is much higher than previous models. Now it is temporarily using 105mm tank guns. When 120mm tank guns are available in the future, we can directly replace them."

The power of the gas turbine! The biggest feature is the high torque and fast start. After entering the First Cavalry Division, the first batch of tank soldiers equipped were stunned. The automatic transmission, as long as the accelerator is pressed, can accelerate to 50 kilometers per hour in a few seconds! On the battlefield, it is completely possible to avoid the enemy's artillery shells at the moment of firing!

With a combat weight of more than 50 tons, its armor protection is also quite outstanding. In terms of tonnage, it is already up to the standard of heavy tanks in World War II. When depleted uranium armor had not yet come out, this early production model used Chabhan composite armor, and its own protective capabilities, that is, its ability to resist armor penetration and armor breaking, were comparable to those of the British Chobham.

In later generations, this type of tank began to be developed in 1971, Chrysler won the bid in 1976, and it was officially unveiled in 1978. It was given the number M1 by the Army. The 110 M1 early mass-produced models produced from 1979 officially entered service in the US Army in 1981.

Now, the Americans can’t wait any longer. Although the M1 tank is still under development, it has been hastily finalized and a small batch of it has been produced for the Army to use. It must have a ground combat vehicle that can compete with Soviet tanks! The M60 is not qualified!

Sure enough, seeing the arrival of this tank, the island nation's Self-Defense Forces were jubilant, and the gloom of many days was swept away, as if foreshadowing that they were about to launch a counterattack and retake Hokkaido.

However, the 1st Cavalry Division only entered the Yokota Base and did not immediately launch an attack to the north.

The US Army and the Soviet Army are directly engaged in a firefight? Even a fool could have guessed what this meant: the outbreak of World War III!

The arrival of the US Army was to prevent the Soviets from continuing to move south, and at the same time to encourage the islanders to move north on their own!

"We now have six divisions on hand, three of which are armored divisions. If the islanders dare to provoke us, that will be our chance." In Kushiro, a meeting is being held.

The Soviet Union's occupation of Hokkaido has been consolidated through an agreement reached with the United States. The Americans have long lost their opportunity. Now, it is simply a pipe dream for the Americans to plan a counterattack by the islanders!

"Yes, the order has come down from Moscow. If the islanders dare to continue to provoke war, we must fight back fiercely!" said Commander-in-Chief Yazov, waving his hands and then slamming them heavily on the table.

"Right now, the islanders in front of us have mobilized eight divisions, but most of them are equipped with Type 61, and there are only two divisions with Type 74. We are not under much pressure." Andre said: "Our soldiers have high fighting enthusiasm and firm beliefs. It is not difficult to hold the defense line and fight a beautiful counterattack. However, I am still worried about the threats from the air and sea."

The combat effectiveness of the Soviet Army is beyond doubt. However, in modern warfare, it is very important to control the air and sea. With the MiG-29 and Su-27 still a long way from entering service, the main force in the air is still the MiG-23. The number of MiG-25s is small and they cannot bear the huge air consumption.

The Soviet Union could not hide the Americans' troop deployment. In addition to the 1st Cavalry Division transferred from the sea, several fighter squadrons equipped with F-15s were also transferred from the country. At sea, the United States' second aircraft carrier battle group, the Enterprise, also arrived, forming a dual aircraft carrier battle group with the Kitty Hawk, greatly increasing its power.

Andre would have a headache just thinking about forty or fifty Tomcat fighters flying over at once. Once air superiority is lost, the US Army will not move, but the more than 400 UH-1 armed helicopters of the 1st Cavalry Division will definitely come in droves, posing a serious threat to their own armored forces.

The existing air force of our side is already at the maximum limit for dealing with land-based fighters. Moreover, this problem cannot be solved by simply increasing the number of fighters. The narrow airspace makes the command of the Soviet Air Force and Air Defense Force, which have weak electronic information capabilities, even more vulnerable.

"Yes, Moscow also attaches great importance to our current problems." Yazov said: "As long as we hold on for another ten days, the Kiev heavy aircraft carrier cruiser will arrive. We can use the formation of this anti-submarine cruiser to contain the American aircraft carrier formation. As long as we tangle with them and make them unable to launch attacks on land, we will reduce a lot of pressure."

The Kiev aircraft carrier cruiser, the Soviet aircraft carrier! Andrei kept his eyes on it. With this aircraft carrier, it would be much easier for us!

Kiev aircraft carrier! As a huge red empire that could compete with the United States, the Soviet Union also had aircraft carriers. In addition to the first-generation Moscow-class helicopter carriers, it also began to build the second-generation Kiev-class aircraft carriers.

In September 1968, the Soviet government passed a resolution approving the proposal of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry to stop the construction of the third "Moscow" class anti-submarine cruiser at the Black Sea Shipyard and to build a Type 1143 anti-submarine cruiser. This Type 1143 heavy aircraft carrier cruiser will carry 20 to 22 Ka-25 helicopters and Yak-36M vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

In 1970, the construction of the No. 1 ship "Kiev" began at the Black Sea Shipyard, and V.N. Korchagin was appointed as the chief builder. In December 1972, the anti-submarine cruiser "Kiev" was launched, and in 1974, it completed the outfitting and began the mooring test and sea trial. In 1975, the first stage of state acceptance of "Kiev" and its carrier-based aircraft was completed. In July 1976, "Kiev" carried 5 Yak-36M and 1 Yak-36MU, sailed around Europe to its base in the Northern Fleet, and became the flagship of the Northern Fleet.