Source: China Military Network
In the middle of winter, when the cold wind whistled, Li Ling, commander of a brigade of the Air Force Aviation Corps, piloted a fighter plane at full speed in the clear sky.
Jumping, flipping, tail biting, attacking, defending, attacking again... After a round of fierce fighting, Li Ling triumphantly returned, opened the cockpit, stepped off the fighter, and his helmet, which was soaked with sweat, took off his helmet, and the heat on his head steamed...
The siren sounded again, and he, who had just played the role of a combatant, was in the next position, the commander-in-chief of the ground.
Pilots, commanders, subject heads... At the end of the day, Li Ling has to constantly switch between at least four or five roles. This year is li ling's 24th year as an aviation soldier. Flying in the blue sky, the world before his eyes was so small—no more than the size of a cabin.
But his world is actually very broad -- following the process of the development of the People's Air Force, he flew from the fertile land in the north of the motherland to the parade ground of the Red Flag Hunting, from the old model to the domestic new fighter, from a fledgling aviation school instructor to a special pilot of the Air Force, more than three thousand hours of flight time, Li Ling has long since lost, when flying has long become an indispensable part of his life.
Crossing the mountains and flying over the sea, those places where Li Ling has performed tasks outline his life trajectory and also constitute his life coordinates. In his "small" world, Li Ling, together with his comrades-in-arms, soared into the air, boosting the Chinese war eagle to a more "big" world.
Li Ling (second from right), brigade commander of a brigade of the Air Force Aviation Corps and special pilot of the Air Force, and comrades-in-arms discuss the flight training that has just ended (Photo by Yu Hongchun)
"If you can't practice to the limit in peacetime, you won't be able to reach the peak in wartime!"
"New aircraft and new technologies to achieve combat effectiveness" entered the air service building of a certain brigade of the Air Force Aviation Corps, and a row of large red characters above the hall was particularly eye-catching.
As the first heroic flying brigade of the People's Air Force to be formed, the first to participate in the war, and the first to win victories, the ancestors set the first record of air combat, close combat, and night annihilation of the enemy in the history of the People's Air Force on the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In recent years, they have flown to the distant sea plateau and fought in the Gobi Desert, highlighted practical training in actual combat, dared to show their swords and compete for the front, and 4 of them have won the "golden helmet" of the air force's air combat competition five times.
In July 2019, the brigade was awarded the honorary title of "Strong Army Pioneer Flying Brigade" by the Central Military Commission, and President Xi Jinping personally awarded them the award flag.
Honor is encouragement, affirmation, and motivation for continuous improvement.
"The last time I fought closely to defeat my opponent, this one turned my face and didn't recognize anyone?" Just after a flight training, wang Yu, a young pilot, stepped off the plane and could not take off a sweaty flight suit, and began to pour his stomach full of grievances at Li Ling: "I have been forced to be powerless to fight back, there is no need to chase after the 'ass' to fight for my life!"
Wang Yu's words are not false. In the last 2-on-2 air combat training, Li Ling ventured to lure the enemy to create an attack opportunity for Wang Yu, and after Wang Yu shot down the enemy plane, he formed a trap with Li Ling against another enemy plane, and the two won a complete victory. However, in the subsequent 1-on-1 air combat training, Li Ling instantly "turned his face" and attacked Wang Yu in an all-round way, and Wang Yu was suppressed by death, not only did not fire a shot, but also was hit many times.
"If I show mercy to your men in training, will the enemy be merciful to me or to your men on the battlefield?" If you don't practice to the limit now, can you be strong enough to reach the peak when you fight?" Li Ling did not say much, and the smiling rhetorical question made Wang Yu fall into deep thought.
This is just a typical fragment of Li Ling's training. In his view, as a fighter pilot, we must hone our ability to win wars close to the limit, firmly establish the idea of "training and fighting", and demand this from ourselves and other pilots. "This is not only an essential quality for controlling weapons and equipment, but also a support for the ability to fulfill mission responsibilities."
Li Ling (left), brigade commander of a brigade of the Air Force Aviation Corps and special pilot of the Air Force, exchanges experience with his comrades after completing training (photo taken on January 8). (Photo by Yang Pan)
With the extension and expansion of national interests and the upgrading of war-style weapons and equipment, the requirements for the capabilities of air force pilots are becoming more and more complete and higher, and if the level of combat effectiveness and capability cannot be improved and expanded, it is inevitable that the rights and interests of the state will not be effectively safeguarded.
And this is impossible to do just by thinking about it, and experiencing setbacks and even failures is inevitable. In the process of modifying the new outline, Li Ling was warned by the instructor for not understanding the tactical intentions sufficiently; Participating in the Air Force "Golden Helmet" competition, he was full of confidence and lost his "Golden Helmet" twice.
He was not discouraged and never gave up. Introspecting himself, he changed from leaving a margin to flying on the border, from studying what cards the opponent had to studying what cards the opponent played, and in the research and training that approached the limit again and again, step by step, he "changed the algorithm into a tactic and changed the arithmetic into tactics", and accumulated a little bit of thick winning skills.
After a long period of theoretical and practical tempering, he not only shot down the "enemy plane" in one fell swoop in the new outline examination, but also gave the instructors a thumbs up and praise for his outstanding insight and overall view. In the third time to participate in the "Golden Helmet" competition, Li Ling even turned the tables in one fell swoop, winning by a large score in the confrontation with the same model and the special model, and steadily pocketed the "Golden Helmet" and was rated as an "air combat expert".
"The first place now is only a starting point, and only by achieving the 'first' in the future battlefield is the real victory." Li Ling said firmly. In his view, every training is a shortcut to the battlefield and a pre-practice of war, and the more firmly grasped, the more capable and confident we will be to win the war.
Li Ling, brigade commander of a brigade of the Air Force Aviation Corps and special pilot of the Air Force, piloted a plane to participate in air combat confrontation training (taken on January 10) (video screenshot). (Photo by Yang Pan)
"Clenching fingers into fists is harder, and sand into towers is higher!"
The score of "59:166" is a number that every pilot in the flight group will always remember.
10 years ago, in 2011, the Air Force held the first "Golden Helmet" competition, and the brigade was selected by an unknown opponent in its first battle as a seed player, which became a negative teaching material for a time.
"When we are still pulling larger loads and moving faster than anyone, the opponent has already relied on electronic countermeasures to occupy the commanding heights of the battlefield." Li Ling, then deputy captain, remembered this particularly deeply. It was as if we had entered a black hole and become 'deaf' and 'blind' in the air. ”
Later, the opposing pilot simply did not make any evasive movements, and directly rushed over to carry out the attack.
Defeat is like a head-to-head drink, and everyone's face is hot. After the construction, they cast the score of 59:166 into a bronze plaque and embedded it in the wall of the air supply building's foyer.
This is a warning of good intentions: The ancestors who had only a dozen hours of flight experience on the jet plane created a glorious history with the momentum of "learning war in war", and as heroes and descendants, what reason and excuse do they have to forget history, give up study, and lose honor?
It was precisely the huge defeat of this peak fall that prompted the brigade to creatively carry out the activity of "creating a learning-type flying brigade and striving to be a learning-type flight personnel"; the concepts of "learning ability is combat effectiveness," "information power dominates combat effectiveness," and "team tackling key problems to boost combat effectiveness" have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and a number of training methods have taken shape rapidly.
10 years later, in 2021, in the 11th Golden Helmet Competition, they competed for the 8th time and won the first place in the team for the 5th time.
The implications are self-evident. This is not the achievement of one person or one generation, but the result of the efforts of a group of people and generations, which is the best proof of the continuation of the first-class combat effectiveness of this team. In the past 10 years, Li Ling, as a contestant, a teacher, and a conductor, has played a different role at each stage, and has continued to contribute to and guide the direction of this first-class team building.
From ground research preparation, to the same cabin to take off and fly, and then to the tower personally command, Li Ling led these pilots to pass on experience drop by drop, little by little, and finally completed the modification training with high standards.
Li Ling's eagerness to learn is not only to study flight movements and flying skills, when he leads the team to deduce tactical tactics, when he is modified, he leads the pilots to "ask the experts down", this spirit is like a silent spring rain, penetrating into every corner of the brigade, penetrating into the nerve endings of each pilot.
Under the suggestion and encouragement of Li Ling, the "Huwei Classroom" has also become more and more famous. Every month, pilots take to the podium to share classic examples, training experiences, and reflection lessons. No matter how busy he is, as long as he is in the unit, Li Ling will definitely go to the audit. After the class, he will also specially invite military and local experts in related fields to enter the barracks to solve the outstanding problems and doubts in the classroom.
In the view of pilot Wang Yu, Li Ling is extremely "more serious" about any professional problem. "Sometimes when we report about 'almost how many meters' and 'how much distance is about', the brigade commander will definitely ask the end, whether the left and right are left or right, and how much is the difference in the almost," Wang Yu said with a laugh, "Now the words 'almost', 'probably' and 'estimated' have disappeared from our mantra. ”
One person can fly fast, but a group of people can fly farther—
The benefits of the pursuit of a learning flight brigade, the harshness of flight data, and the strict use of equipment are obvious. In recent years, many pilots of the brigade have been awarded honorary awards by the Central Military Commission such as "the most beautiful revolutionary soldier in the new era," "advanced individual in military training of the whole army," and "advanced individual in safeguarding rights at sea." More than 10 pilots have been diverted to other units to serve as leading backbones.
A brigade of Li Ling's Air Force Aviation Corps organized flight training, and the batch of fighters slid out (photo taken on January 7). (Photo by Yang Pan)
"The motherland names us with the first, and we use the first to repay the motherland"
The word "first" has a special meaning for this force.
"At that time, our brigade was not only the first aviation unit formed by the Air Force, but also the first unit to enter the DPRK to participate in the war and the first to shoot down the enemy plane. Speaking of this word, Li Ling's understanding is particularly profound, and the conversation box is also opened, "It can be said that we were born to be pioneers to do heavy punches!"
In recent years, new laws and regulations and new outlines in the field of training have been comprehensively promoted, and profound changes have taken place in the concept of organizing training and grasping training of air force units, and Li Ling has felt more and more the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Taking the road that others have not traveled, wading through the river that others have not crossed, means taking greater risks and carrying more responsibilities.
"How do I choose a projection time to improve my hit accuracy?" Once the troops carried out a live-fire target shooting mission. In the face of everyone's doubts and hesitations, Li Ling swooped down and led the pilots to study in depth, consulted with factory experts, held a "Zhuge Liang meeting", gradually understood the performance characteristics and use conditions and methods of ammunition, and overcame the difficulties and challenges brought about by meteorology and geography, and finally not only successfully projected ammunition, but also created a record for the longest hit range of a certain type of missile.
"In the face of urgency, difficulty, danger, and danger, we dare to stand on the sword, and show the true color of the vanguard when the enemy shines the sword." This is the assessment of Li Ling by Wang Hongmin, political commissar of the brigade, "I have known him for so many years, and every time there are urgent, difficult, and dangerous subjects and tasks, he has not once been the first to attend." ”
Li Ling can't remember how much he has suffered for load training since he became a pilot, how many times he has been wet by the poisonous sun, and how many nights he has been sleepless in order to study the new equipment and new outline, but he always remembers the sentence "The motherland names us with the first, and we use the first to repay the motherland." "Every officer and soldier of the flying brigade remembers.
Li Ling organizes flight training in a brigade of the Air Force Aviation Corps (photo taken on August 24, 2021). (Photo by Yang Pan)
On the eve of the Qingming Dynasty last year, the complete recording of the conversation during Li Ling's escort of the remains of the volunteer army back to China was made public for the first time, and countless people burst into tears.
"20041 aircraft, I am Li Ling, commander of the Chinese Air Force Aviation Brigade, report on the nature of your mission."
"I am Xu Yanjun, the captain of the Y-20 of the Chinese Air Force, and I am ordered to receive the remains of the martyrs of the Volunteer Army back to China."
"Welcome home loyal martyrs of the volunteer army, two J-11B aircraft of our brigade, ordered to escort the whole process, to pay tribute to the heroes who defended their homes and defended the country."
That was Li Ling's sixth mission. When the captain of the Y-20 carrying the remains of the volunteer army spoke to him by radio, Li Ling was once again excited.
"Fight bravely to be the vanguard, and do a heavy punch without indestruction." When he returned from the escort mission, the comrades who had been waiting for Li Ling in the camp broke out into applause and cheers.
In the applause, it is their determination to continue to write the red legend of their ancestors;
In the cheers, they are determined to keep the solemn promise of the country and the family.
(Source: China Military Network reporter Liu Dan special reporter Wang Xuefeng)