"They must have identified us as Sentinels," Liu Jun said quietly.
The J-15S had been flying close to the Sentinels. On the Arleigh Burke's phased-array radar, their returns completely "overlapped." On top of that, there had been no response from IFF Identification, and Sentinel interference had cut off communications.
From the Arleigh Burke's perspective, they had charged straight at it as if launching an attack. Though it had been unintentional, that was indeed how it looked. It was only natural for the other side to identify them as enemies.
"What do we do now? Break away?" Leng Pei Qiang asked.
"No. Punch through!" Liu Jun said.
The J-15S was caught between the Sentinels and the Arleigh Burke. Though sea-skimming flight could use multipath clutter to evade Standard 2 missiles, the 21-cell RAM short-range air defense missile system had been specifically developed to deal with high-speed targets. It posed a greater threat than the Sentinels behind them!
Both weapons could engage sea-skimming cruise missiles and aircraft. If they closed the distance any further and the infrared-guided RAM missiles opened fire, exposing their six o'clock would be even more dangerous. The J-15S's flares were nowhere near as effective as the Sentinels' optical decoys.
"Understood!" Leng Pei Qiang adjusted the onboard systems to assist Liu Jun, allowing him to focus on flying the fighter. In this situation, charging through really was the best option.
The supersonic J-15S tore across the sea with shockwaves trailing behind it, six Sentinels close on its tail. Once their closing rate dropped to zero, the distance between them gradually widened.
Through the rain-swept canopy, Liu Jun watched Standard 2 air defense missiles shift their flight attitudes and dive from the sky. Their monopulse seekers tried to capture the signals of the sea-skimming target.
He eased off the throttle