China News Service, Nanjing, February 6th: Visiting the "Wang Hai Brigade" of the Chinese Air Force: Where does the confidence to put the word "dare" in the forefront come from?
Author Li Chun Chi Yuguang
Next to the main road in the camp of the First Brigade of the Chinese Air Force Aviation Brigade, a huge stone is engraved with 12 words: "Dare to fight and win, dare to be the first, and dare to take responsibility." This unit is the well-known "Wang Hai Brigade" of the Chinese Air Force. Yang Juncheng of the brigade said that this stone with the word "dare" symbolizes the value pursuit of "Wang Hai Brigade" that has always maintained the courage to challenge and pioneer and innovate for more than 70 years.
In October 1951, just one year after its establishment, the average flying time of each pilot was only a few dozen hours. The brigade immediately flew to the battlefield to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. Under the leadership of the first brigade captain Wang Hai, it shot down and damaged 29 enemy aircraft. In the air battle, Submit the "15:0" "transcript". This is how the name "Wang Hai Brigade" of the Chinese Air Force came into being.
At that time, the brigade had almost no air combat experience, and its winning password was "learning war in war." Wang Hai wrote in his memoirs: "We have just been equipped with the MiG-15 aircraft. Everyone is not familiar with it, and we don't understand the tactics. In order to win the battle, everyone gets on the plane after studying, studies after getting off the plane, and turns it off at night." There are also comrades standing on stools and using the corridor lights to learn navigation."
This period of history was called "learning navigation while holding a lantern" by later generations. To this day, the fine tradition of using learning to boost combat effectiveness has been integrated into the blood of this heroic unit, and is accelerating the improvement of the unit's capacity building level.
Yan Yiheng still remembers that when he first joined the "Wang Hai Brigade", the fast pace here made it difficult for him to adapt. In addition to being in the camp during physical training, the pilots are usually either conducting flight training in the field or studying topics in the brigade study room. The study room is often brightly lit late at night. “There is too much to learn, too much to research, and too much to review and summarize.”
Li Peng of the brigade believes that for more than 70 years, the "Wang Hai Brigade" has always been a learning force. As the technological level of weapons and equipment continues to improve, this ability and habit of studying, exploring, and learning to win has become a key factor that keeps the "Wang Hai Brigade" at the forefront of combat effectiveness building.
Exploring new ways to reform the training model of the aviation force, and taking the lead in modifying new aircraft models five times... This has opened up the link between learning ability and combat effectiveness. The "Wang Hai Brigade" has entered the fast lane in improving its capabilities and ushered in new lives one after another.
The J-20 aircraft is a new type of stealth fighter made in China. The Chinese Air Force's first combat unit to modify the J-20 aircraft is the "Wang Hai Brigade". Different from the past, this time there is no system textbook for reference, and there is no past experience to follow, so we can only cross the river by feeling the stones.
Yan Yiheng said that the basic operation of the J-20 is "better to fly", but it requires pilots to shift their attention more to combat. The requirement for information-based thinking is "cross-generation improvement", and it is necessary to complete the transition from pilot to combat. transformation of officers and commanders. "When training with veteran pilots, they always study every detail to perfection."
"Why pursue details? We just want to become stronger." Li Peng said that as an aviation unit, to improve its capabilities, it is necessary to fundamentally understand aviation theory. Calculate the data on the ground and complete the desk preparation; then fly the fighter plane into the air to test it; after returning to the ground, adjust and improve it, consolidate and refine it into tactics and tactics, and promote them. There are more and more things to learn and test, and “there is never enough time” is a common feeling among pilots of the “Wang Hai Group”.
In that era when there was little "steel", the Chinese army relied on more "qi" to achieve victory from victory. Today, the Chinese army has more "steel" and more "qi". "In our generation, we have such good equipment and opportunities, and we are more confident," Yan Yiheng said. "We must pass on the spirit and spirit of the older generation who put the word 'dare' first."
"Heirs of heroes are also heroes", this is the request put forward by the "Wang Hai Brigade" to the officers and soldiers today. When asked how to understand this sentence, Li Peng said that each heroic army has its own temperament. For the "Wang Hai Brigade", the confidence to "dare" comes from the ability improvement brought about by research and study.
Flying over the Miyako Strait and Tsushima Strait, patrolling the East China Sea, and flying to the ocean, the "Okai Brigade" in the new era, the "report card" of a strong military is still growing. (over)