Chapter 197 Searching for the U.S. Aircraft Carrier Fleet

The waves beat against the hull of the warship, but the Kiev, fully loaded with 40,000 tons, stood tall in the wind and waves.

The dark green deck gradually became busy, and a helicopter took off from the deck.

This helicopter has a wide body and a short tail. Compared with ordinary helicopters, the unique feature of this helicopter is that it has no tail! Instead, the tail is a rudder like a fixed-wing aircraft! In order to balance the reaction force of the rotor, the top of this helicopter is not a huge propeller, but two propellers, which counteract the torque of the propellers through coaxial reversal.

This is the masterpiece of the Kamov Design Bureau, the Ka-25 ship-borne helicopter, code-named Hormone in the West. It is also the main helicopter of the Soviet carrier-based aviation.

Compared with other helicopters, this Ka-25 has a huge bulge under the front nose. Anyone with a little common sense will know that there is a huge radar equipment inside!

This is the Ka-25B electronic warfare model! The main function of this helicopter is to launch missiles for ships to intercept targets, including launching SS-N-3 missiles from the cruiser "Kresta" I, launching SS-N-12 missiles from the cruiser aircraft carrier "Kiev", and launching SS-N-19 missiles from the later-served battle cruisers "Kirov" and "Frunze".

As a practitioner of missile omnipotence, the Soviet Union developed a series of missiles. In order to deal with the American maritime threat, the Soviet Union's anti-ship missiles are even more numerous and crazy, such as the SS-N-12 "Basalt" heavy long-range anti-ship missile, which is 11.7 meters long, weighs 4.8 tons, has a diameter of 880 mm, a wingspan of 2.6 meters, a flight speed of 2.5 Mach, and a maximum range of 550 kilometers. The warhead is 1 ton of conventional explosives or 350,000 tons of tantalum equivalent nuclear explosives. The body is made of titanium alloy, and the power unit is a liquid rocket ramjet engine plus two external solid rocket boosters. If an American aircraft carrier is hit by one, it will definitely sink into the sea.

Due to the influence of the earth's curvature, more than 80 kilometers is almost the limit of shipborne radar's detection of surface ships. For longer distances, other methods are needed. Therefore, many of the Soviet Union's long-range anti-ship missiles require relay guidance, and helicopters are the most commonly used method.

This Ka-25B helicopter was specially developed to guide anti-ship missiles. In addition to a large spherical radar antenna cover under the nose to house the radar, a cylindrical radar antenna cover is installed at the rear bottom of the cabin. There are also complete data transmission equipment.

This is also what Andre criticized. Your anti-ship missiles are extremely powerful, but they need to be guided by helicopters. In front of American aircraft carriers and powerful carrier-based aircraft, your guiding helicopters cannot take off normally and can be easily knocked down.

We must develop an aircraft carrier fleet similar to that of the West!

"Flight Control Center, Flight Control Center, Flight 003 has taken off, Flight 003 has taken off." The staff on the deck reported.

"003, 003, pay attention to search Sea Area 16, pay attention to search Sea Area 16." On the bridge, the guide called to the helicopter.

Just an hour ago, a Soviet reconnaissance satellite discovered the American aircraft carrier formation. The Americans actually made a circle and sailed another 300 nautical miles east!

This is better, the American aircraft carrier fleet will not be protected by land-based carrier-based aircraft!

At the same time, in order to search for the American aircraft carrier formation, the ship-borne helicopters carried by the warships also began to take off.

It is not easy to search for an aircraft carrier formation in the vast ocean. Moreover, the Soviet Union did not have powerful carrier-based early warning aircraft and could only rely on ship-based helicopters. In later generations, the Soviet Union developed the professional Ka-31 early warning aircraft to make up for the defect of having no carrier-based early warning aircraft.

And now, we can only rely on the Ka-25B temporarily. Since this helicopter was originally designed to guide anti-ship missiles, it has a powerful sea search radar and can operate within a range of 200 kilometers away from the fleet. At the same time, it can also detect aircraft carrier formations at a distance of about 300 kilometers. After all, aircraft carriers are huge in size. To detect large targets such as aircraft carriers, sea search radars can detect them at a very long distance.

Pilot Captain Kulikov flew the helicopter to the east after leaving the aircraft carrier. The most likely activity area for the American aircraft carrier is Sea Area 16!

The endless sea was clear and blue. The cockpit glass was open. Captain Kulikov was excited as he breathed in the familiar smell of the sea breeze.

As an excellent carrier-based aircraft pilot, Kulikov has more than ten years of service experience. Initially, taking off and landing from the narrow flight deck at the stern required superb flying skills. Now, being able to take off and land on the wide flight deck is a great blessing. At the same time, Kulikov is also witnessing the growing strength of the Red Navy.

In the middle of the fuselage, on a control console, the radar operator was staring at the radar screen nervously.

Time passed by little by little, and nothing was found on the nearby sea, not even a fishing boat!

"Keep flying forward!" Unconsciously, they had already flown to the sea 300 kilometers away from the aircraft carrier. As a helicopter with a maximum range of only 650 kilometers, the current flight range is already the limit.

"Prepare to return," said the captain.

"Target found!" At this moment, the radar operator behind suddenly shouted: "In the No. 17 sea area, bearing 050, 300 kilometers away from us!"

The American aircraft carrier formation actually sailed further, to Sea Area 17! It was like an ambush at sea! Fortunately, we found their traces!

"After calibrating the nautical chart, we will return home immediately!" said the captain. The fuel in the plane can only last until it returns to the aircraft carrier, and there is no time to delay.

In addition to reporting to the mother ship via radio, it is also very important to calibrate the nautical chart.

At this moment, suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded in the headphones.

"Damn it, we're being targeted by American planes!" Kulikov cursed as he quickly lowered the helicopter's altitude.

In order to search for the American aircraft carrier formation at a long distance, our helicopter has to increase its altitude. Therefore, when our side discovers the American aircraft carrier formation, the American aircraft carrier formation will also discover our helicopter at the same time!

The Ka-25 is equipped with a sea search radar and does not have air search capabilities, so it does not have the ability to detect aircraft in the air. Now, it was not until the sound of the radar warning receiver was heard that the people on board realized that they were in danger.