.At 2:30 a.m. on the 28th, the Indian Navy's anti-submarine patrol aircraft arrived south of the Sunda Strait.

Compared with the Chinese Navy, the Indian Navy has more experience in using anti-submarine patrol aircraft. It purchased a batch of anti-submarine patrol aircraft from the former Soviet Union more than 40 years ago. At the beginning of this century, after the improvement of relations with the United States, the Indian Navy obtained eight P-8i anti-submarine patrol aircraft from the United States.

p-8i is only a number for India and has nothing to do with the p-8 of the US military, but is an improved version of p-3c.

Strictly speaking, the p-8i is based on the p-3c, which is aimed at the needs of the Indian Navy and some improvements in export restrictions, such as adding sea search capabilities, which can act as a maritime patrol aircraft, and can carry printed anti-ship missiles to perform sea strike missions, etc.

In the Indian Navy, the P-8i is not a simple anti-submarine patrol aircraft, but a multi-purpose aircraft.

Most of the time, the p-8i performs maritime search missions, that is, acts as a fleet's reconnaissance aircraft to search for attack targets for the fleet.

To this end, the p-8i is specially equipped with a sea search radar.

When the flight altitude is 7,000 meters, the p-8i can discover warships 250 kilometers away or fleets 350 kilometers away. At the beginning of this century, this performance was not bad. It was just measured by the standards of the 20s that the p-8i was not as advanced.

Relatively speaking, the biggest advantage of the p-8i is its range.

Flying at a speed of 540 kilometers per hour, the p-8i has a range of more than 7,500 kilometers. If you refuel in the air when you return, you can patrol three thousand kilometers away from the base for four hours, or fly to 4,000 kilometers away for reconnaissance missions.

This time, the p-8i has to fly for 4,000 kilometers.

The two P-8i took off at 6:30 pm on the 28th and flew for eight hours before reaching their destination.

According to the arrangement of the Indian Navy, one of the P-8i will patrol the south of the Sunda Strait, while the other will enter the Java Sea through the Sunda Strait.

However, at this point, there was not much fuel left in the fuel tanks of the two P-8i.

When returning, you must refuel in the air, otherwise you will not be able to return to the local air base in India and can only fly to the field airport of the Andaman-Nicobar Islands.

It can be said that the two anti-submarine patrol aircraft arrived at the right time.

If Imai Yoshimura's judgment is correct, the Chinese fleet will enter the Sunda Strait between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., and the Indian fleet will need to obtain intelligence at least an hour in advance.

In other words, when the p-8i arrived at its destination, the Indian fleet also arrived at the south of Sumatra.

Because there is not much fuel left, the Indian fleet did not navigate according to the route arranged by Imai Rikura. The straight-line distance from the Sunda Strait is 1,100 kilometers, which is within the maximum strike range of the F-35c carrying four anti-ship missiles to perform attack missions, and within the maximum cover range of mig-29m. If the Chinese fleet in the Sunda Strait is attacked, the fighter fleet must reap Sumatra Island.

Imai Tatsu Village did not consider this issue at all, and did not even report to Toshio Nakajima.

In his opinion, if Chinese fighter jets can use Thai airspace, there is no reason for Japanese and Indian fighter jets to bypass Indonesian airspace.

Besides, Indonesia and China have not had a harmonious relationship.

Even if you inform the Indonesian authorities later, you can understand it.

...After not, Imai Tatsumura asked the carrier-based aviation troops to prepare for combat.

Because the aircraft carrier's dispatch capacity was limited, he had to redistribute the fighter jets on the three aircraft carriers, and deploy twenty F-35cs on the Vikramadia and Vikrat, and deploy fifteen Mig-29s on the Vikrat, while the twenty LCAs on the Vikrat were deployed on the Vikrat. When launching the attack, the Vikrat would be out

Forty F-35cs will be deployed, the Vikramadiya will be deployed, the Vikramadiya will be deployed, the Vikramadiya will be deployed, the Vikramadiya will be deployed, the Vikramadiya will be deployed, the Vikramadiya will be used to carry out air defense missions to deal with possible blows.

It can be said that this is the greatest dispatch capability of the Indian fleet.

Although there are only ninety fighter jets and sixty F-35cs carry only 240 anti-ship missiles, as long as they can determine the right time, they can kill the Chinese fleet. You must know that in the narrow strait, the escort warships in the Chinese fleet will definitely not be able to provide all-round cover for aircraft carriers.

Imai Tatsumura thought very well and made arrangements very appropriately, but the situation was different from what he expected.

When he issued the preparation order, p-8i sent no messages.

This made him a little confused because, in theory, the Chinese fleet had reached the north of the Sunda Strait, and more than a dozen warships would definitely not be able to avoid the p-8i.

Did the anti-submarine patrol plane be shot down?

Imai Rimura asked Ajapai to ask the rear base, and the reply he received was clear. The anti-submarine patrol aircraft had not been shot down, and one of them had entered the Java Sea and was searching for the Chinese fleet.

However, the anti-submarine patrol aircraft did not discover the Chinese fleet.

Now, Imai Rimura was a little confused. Did the Chinese fleet not go to the Sunda Strait, but turned to the Strait of Malacca a few hours ago?

…At the fifteenth minute, the Indian Navy Command sent a good news: the p-8i found the Chinese fleet.

Imai Rimura's judgment is correct. The Chinese fleet is indeed in the Java Sea and is sailing towards the Sunda Strait, but it arrives a little later.

According to the intelligence provided by P-8i, the Chinese fleet will enter the Sunda Strait at around 5 a.m.

Imai Tatsumura did not hesitate anymore and immediately issued a combat order to allow the first batch of fighter jets to take off at 30 minutes. All fighter jets will be launched before...55 minutes. It is expected to arrive at the attack area around 5:15 minutes and launch anti-ship missiles at the Chinese fleet entering the Sunda Strait.

However, what happened next exceeded Imai Rimura's expectations.

After sending back the information, the P-8i immediately turned back and reported that it was exposed to the radar of Chinese warships. It was only half an hour later that the message was sent back again, saying that it had entered the Indian Ocean through the Sunda Strait and was returning to the refueling airspace, preparing to join the refueling opportunity.

Before four o'clock, the p-8i patrolling south of the strait also turned back.

Now, Imai Tomomura had to judge the course of the Chinese fleet based on outdated intelligence.

The question is, is the information sent back by the anti-submarine patrol aircraft at...the fifteenth lunar month?

The Chinese fleet must have discovered the anti-submarine patrol aircraft, otherwise it would not have activated the air defense radar, which would have sufficient basis to determine that the Indian fleet has been deployed. Even if the Chinese fleet does not turn to the Strait of Malacca, it is likely to slow down and delay entry into the Sunda Strait. During this period, the Chinese fleet will definitely arrange early warning aircraft to take off, and will even send air defense fighters to enter the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Sunda.

Even if the Chinese fleet commander did not expect that the Indian fleet's combat opportunity would arrive over Sumatra, the early warning aircraft that took off could provide the fleet with enough air defense preparation time. More importantly, neither the f-35c nor the mig-20m could enter the Java Sea. The early warning aircraft that attacked the Chinese fleet could guarantee that the attack aircraft group could launch an unexpected attack.

If the Chinese fleet does not enter the Sunda Strait on time, the attack will return in vain.

It takes at least four hours to organize the attack again. With the logistics support capabilities of the Indian Fleet Air Force, it may take five hours.

During this period, the Chinese fleet was able to sail east for four hours not only through the Sunda Strait.

This means that the Chinese fleet can leave the strike range of Indian fighter jets before the Indian fleet launches another attack and then launches a counterattack.

Imai Tatsumura faces multiple choices, and they are all uncertain choices.

After careful consideration, Imai Tatsumura decided to dispatch carrier-based fighters as planned and let the fleet continue to sail eastward, shortening the distance from the Sunda Strait.

According to his idea, if the first round of attack fails, a second attack must be launched in time.

During this period, the fleet will sail about seventy nautical miles eastward. As long as the Chinese fleet is not within the range of attack, the second attack will remain deadly. It is only before that, the Chinese fleet must be found.

To this end, Imai Tatsumura arranged two LCAs to perform reconnaissance missions.

After carrying three secondary fuel tanks and performing a partner aerial refueling after flying 500 kilometers, the LCA can fly 1,200 kilometers away to perform reconnaissance missions. Therefore, Imai Tatsumura arranged not two LCAs, but four, two of which performed refueling missions.

Fortunately, with the help of Japan, India has improved the LCA and is able to perform partner aerial refueling.

When Imai Tatsumura made these arrangements, the attack aircraft group began to take off.

The first thing to take off is not the escort mig-29m, but the f-35c that performs attack missions. Because the combat radius of f-35c exceeds mig-29m, it can hover in the air for fifteen minutes and wait for mig-29m to take off. If mig-29m is allowed to take off first, it will not be able to cover f-35c throughout the journey. You should know that there is no early warning aircraft on Indian aircraft carriers, so the escort fighter must be accompanied by attack aircraft groups throughout the journey and cannot adopt the forward escort tactics.

…Fifteen minutes later, the last mig-29m was lifted from the "Vicramadia".

According to the arrangement of Imai Tsukumura, the LCA that performs reconnaissance missions will be launched at 4:30. If the first round of attacks receives results, the reconnaissance aircraft will go to confirm the impact of the strike to determine whether additional attacks are needed. If the first round of attacks fails, the reconnaissance aircraft will go to find the Chinese fleet.

It must be admitted that Imai Rimura has arranged very well in terms of time.

As an admiral from the Air Force, Imai Tatsumura is very proficient in aviation operations and is at the same level as Yang Yufang in terms of tactical arrangements.

It can be said that the previous failure has nothing to do with the tactical command of Imai Tatsumura, mainly because there is a problem with the intelligence system.

If Imai Tatsumura had obtained enough intelligence support, the joint fleet would definitely not be wiped out, and Mu Haoyang would not have made a good start.

This time the situation is the same, intelligence has become the weakest link in the Indian fleet.

At 4:25, when LCA was sent to the takeoff position of the "Verat", a telegram was sent to Imai Rimura.
Chapter completed!