The Irish Navy Training Base located in the northern suburb of Galway has a complete set of land-based and deck take-off and landing facilities. Every carrier-based pilot must pass the technical assessment here before he can board the "Angus" for real carrier-based aircraft training. Coming to this base for formal training and becoming a pride flying between the sea and the sky is the dream of many Irish youth. People can see the vibrant faces here, the strong faces as strong as iron, the most classic military aircraft models, and the latest Blue Sky War Eagle here.

On this day, two single-engine single-seat aircraft with a single-wing structure were parked next to the runway No. 3 of the training base. The beautiful silver-gray paint meant that it belonged to the German team. A group of Japanese officers who were not wearing military uniforms seemed to have seen a stunning woman, all of whom were salivating, but only one of them had the opportunity to fly the plane and participate in an air combat training. The lucky guy wore a not-so-fitting German flight suit, which looked a bit awkward, but this did not affect his excitement at all. You should know that the fighter with a spindle-shaped fuselage and a semicircular wingtip design in front of him had not been equipped for a long time, but he had already become famous. It was nicknamed "Pertoon Falcon" and was known as the most advanced carrier-based aircraft in Europe at present. It is said that he could not lose the disadvantage in confronting the main fighter aircraft equipped by the German Air Force.

This is the new generation of carrier-based fighter jets of the German Navy, Albarot H-25.

Before coming to Ireland, Japanese officers had already visited Germany for more than a month of inspection, leaving a very deep impression on the H-25 equipped by the German naval. It has many innovations from the overall structure to the technical details, with fast speed, long range, strong firepower, and the special aluminum alloy it uses is small density and high strength. Currently, only Germany has the ability to produce it. This is a technological advantage that the Germans are proud of, but it is also the biggest concern for Japan to introduce such naval fighter jets: Japan's research and use of aluminum alloys is still in its original stage. Even if Germany is willing to transfer the production process, it is difficult to produce qualified products with Japan's existing industrial technology level. Before the special aluminum alloy is domestically produced, Japan will have to purchase spot stock from Germany, which means high production costs and restricted raw material channels.

Although the name of H-25 is famous in Europe, it is not completely without rivals in Europe. The main carrier-based aircraft of the Irish Navy, the Irish Navy, is the strong rival of the H-25, which has been verified in the joint training of both sides. Compared with the high technical content and high cost of the H-25, the ir-29t carrier-based fighter jet produced based on the ir-29 is a grassroots hero. In addition to the complex technology of the BMW-290a liquid-cooled engine, it is difficult to maintain, and it is very common from the body structure to the manufacturing materials. Its uniqueness lies in its excellent aerodynamic design and strong low-altitude fighting ability. Coupled with the technical breakthrough of the German water-cooled engine, this fighter has obtained an ideal dive climbing rate and strong firepower configuration. It is an ideal choice for defending airspace, competing for air excellence, and sneak attacks and hunting.

In addition to the quality of quality and low price, there is another very attractive thing about the ir-29t, that is, its improved and upgraded model, which has not yet been officially put into production, has received high praise and expectations in the industry. In terms of the technical performance of paper and the prototype test, the ir-30t, which still uses a biplane structure, is better than the H-25 in terms of firepower, maneuverability, vision and protection, which aroused the interest of the German navy early. Of course, the savvy Japanese will not let it go.

After this important intelligence, the Germans also wanted to make a comprehensive comparison of the two excellent carrier-based fighters, the ir-30t and the h-25, so a special confrontation training was arranged this time: the German Navy transferred two H-25s from a military base in northwest Ireland to play the defensive side, and Ireland used an ir-30t and two ir-29t to cover a "swordfish" to play the offensive side, attacking an unprotected ship sailing slowly in the Gulf of Galway.

The German Navy originally planned to send two German pilots to fly the H-25, but at strong request from Japan, one of the H-25s was handed over to a Japanese officer for a flight.

There is still half a day before the confrontation training begins, and both fighter planes are in place. In order to improve the authenticity of the confrontation, two H-25s dispatched by Germany are on standby at the naval base in the northern suburbs of Galway, and four Ireland aircraft will depart from the military airport in northern Limerick at that time.

It was late autumn, cloudy and cool, with a height of about 3,000 meters, which was suitable for flight training.

In a hangar at a military airport in northern Limerick, the pilots had finished their last inspection of the plane. When they left the hangar, they greeted the black-haired young man who had been in the cockpit for a morning. At this moment, the shy Chinese man who blushed when he said a few words had a murderous aura. If it weren't for the air combat drills, people would not help but worry that he might accidentally shoot down the training target.

"Hey, Liu, perform well in the afternoon! Good luck!"

"Liu, Japanese pilots have not been exposed to the 'permanent falcon' for a long time, so they are definitely not familiar with its performance. Don't worry, you will definitely be able to beat that guy down!"

"Don't be nervous, Liu, just perform as usual, you can definitely do it!"

The "Liu" mentioned by Irish pilots is one of the third batch of Chinese pilots to study in Ireland. Due to the recent tight war, most of these pilots returned home early, and only the four pilots with the best training scores and the most room for improvement stayed for the second stage of learning training. Liu was one of them. On the Irish Air Force training ground, it took him more than a month from the beginning that he would lose every battle to win repeatedly. After defeating three Irish ace pilots in a row, he was awarded the title of "K of Spades", which is the highest praise among the brave and combative Irish pilots.

During the second phase of training, these Chinese pilots were able to not only fly a large number of Ireland's ir-26/27 fighter jets sold to the outside world, but also get in touch with the Ireland's ir-29s that Ireland regards as strategic secret. In fact, Ireland has reached a secret agreement with the Chinese government, and at the request of the latter, it will provide 60 Ir-29s in batches to fight against the powerful Japanese Army aviation.

As early as the late 1910s, Japanese military-industrial enterprises actively contacted the two major aircraft manufacturers of Bristol and Gloucester in the UK. After continuous learning, imitation and technology introduction, they formed an aviation industry with both British and national characteristics. The Type 90 fighter aircraft equipped in 1930 not only looks similar to the "long gloves" of the UK, but also has similar performance. They are significantly better than the various aircraft models put into production in the mid-to-early 2020s, so on the Chinese battlefield, the Japanese Army Aviation Corps, which was mainly engaged in the Type 90, achieved an overwhelming advantage over China's "mixed brand" air force with its fighter performance and pilot experience.

Before the Japanese army launched a full-scale aggression against China, Ireland and China were in a state of "friendly but not intimate". The Chinese government's weapons procurement was always German-style equipment. However, since the end of 1929, due to a certain political tacit understanding between Germany and Japan, German-made enterprises no longer accepted arms orders from China, and those who had signed contracts were postponed or cancelled. Ireland's military products appeared in the hands of Chinese government forces as substitutes. Its weapons and equipment production was far less comprehensive than Germany. Fortunately, the Irish army mainly uses German equipment, and the ammunition specifications of guns and cannons matched with German manufacturing. Hubert Ii type bolt-action rifle, TBeretta-26 light machine gun and MK-22 field gun exported to China can all be used as an example.

It was ready to use. By the summer of 1930, Ireland had completely replaced Germany as the number one supplier of arms exporting to China. At its peak, more than 100,000 tons of weapons and equipment were delivered every month, including technical equipment such as the ir-27 fighter jets, mk-27 light cannons and even Hubert-20 light tanks. In several important battles in the spring and summer of 1932, the ir-27 had become the strongest weapon of the Chinese Air Force against Japanese 90 fighters. Volunteers from Ireland even made a record of shooting down four 90 fighters in three days, shocking the Japanese government and the opposition. If the main data completely defeated the "long gloves" of the UK Gloucester and the 90 fighter jets, joining the Chinese Air Force, it would be impossible to leverage the war balance with a small profit.

The large amount of weapons exported to China and even provided free aid is not just out of the will of the Irish king. The Irish people who have lived in the shadow of British rule for hundreds of years are very sympathetic to the Chinese who are suffering from foreign invasion. However, most people have this doubt: How can a country with a much larger area than the other party and a much larger population than the other party, be in a passive position of being beaten?

Despite the doubts, in response to the royal call, many Irish officers went to the ocean to serve as military instructors in the war, and some even participated directly in the war as volunteers. It is precisely because of this relationship that Irish military personnel paid great attention to China's war situation, and the Celtic, the largest Ireland circulating newspaper, is also closely following the protracted war.

Unfortunately, Ireland's limited help cannot change the comparison between China and Japan. Since 1931, the increasingly tight maritime blockade of the Japanese army has caused at least one-third of the Irish arms to be blocked or even seized before landing. With the change of the German government's position, the two ports of Hong Kong and Qingdao are no longer safe, and the losses of land transportation are increasing day by day. In addition, due to the difficulty of the Chinese government to pay cash in time, the situation is becoming increasingly serious. Because of this, it is difficult for the Irish people to see the simple smiles of the past on Liu and his companions' faces, replaced by a deep worry.
Chapter completed!