Chapter 259: Steel Seventh Battalion Gains Another Trump Card!
Because there was the more eye-catching Chen Jun ahead, plus everyone fundamentally didn’t understand the new sergeant major system, or even know exactly what it did.
So Shi Jin being appointed as sergeant major didn’t cause much of a reaction.
And with the final personnel appointments ending, the combined arms battalion that was even more exciting than the New Year had officially come to a close.
Next came naturally the troops’ signature feast, to celebrate the combined arms battalion’s official establishment.
Such an important event.
Had to be celebrated.
After more than ten days, the entire Seventh Zero Two Regiment gathered again and started eating and drinking wildly.
The troops’ exclusive feast.
The atmosphere was always so nostalgic, always so satisfying no matter how much you ate.
However.
The feast could be enjoyed fully, but training couldn’t fall behind.
This was also a troops characteristic.
No matter how crazy the feast the day before, even if you drank until you passed out and couldn’t get up, after sleeping and waking up, the next day’s training had to proceed as usual.
And you couldn’t hold back the company, otherwise the punishment wouldn’t be spared a bit.
Therefore, with the Seventh Zero Two Regiment’s celebration venue ending, the next day the entire regiment returned to normal tracks, all entering normal training.
The training of the other three conventional battalions didn’t have much change.
The main changes concentrated on the combined arms battalion.
To let Steel Seventh Battalion evolve into complete form, from initial combat effectiveness to full combat effectiveness, more work needed to be done.
Chen Jun tailored exclusive training plans for each company in Steel Seventh Battalion based on their situations.
It took a full ten days to complete all five companies.
It showed how much effort it took.
And in these past ten days, Steel Seventh Battalion’s five companies all smoothly entered the intensive training stage, starting more diversified composite training.
The three new companies from the military region’s expansion also had new progress at this time.
Among them, the armored company, infantry company, and army aviation company were all formally arranged with new designations, plus Steel Seventh Battalion’s original five companies, undergoing a unified formal planning.
The original Red Third Company converted armored company was granted the new designation Armored Company One.
The newly equipped armored company was granted Armored Company Two.
The newly joined infantry company was granted Infantry Company Three.
The newly joined army aviation company was granted Army Aviation Company Four.
The original artillery air defense company was granted Heavy Artillery Company Five.
The original logistics engineer company was granted Support Company Six.
The original special reconnaissance company was granted Special Reconnaissance Seventh Company.
The original electronic warfare company was granted Information Eighth Company.
Although Steel Seventh Battalion was still a pilot combined arms battalion, compared to before when it hadn’t passed assessment and each part was just a simple code name.
Now each company had a formal designation, finally having the flavor of a standard combined arms battalion.
With Steel Seventh Battalion’s company designations standardized, there was also a significant update in equipment, quite having the flavor of forging iron requiring one’s own hardness.
Among them, the heavy artillery company added a missile platoon, equipped with the “Red Flag”-7 anti-aircraft missile system.
There were a total of three vehicles!
Respectively radar vehicle, missile vehicle, and maintenance vehicle.
This anti-aircraft missile mainly consisted of search command unit and launch unit, both installed on a semi-cross-country 4×4 wheeled armored vehicle.
The search command unit could be understood as the radar vehicle, the launch unit as the missile vehicle.
The missile’s shape was quite like the R440 missile of France’s “Viper” anti-aircraft missile system.
It also adopted duck aerodynamic layout, conical bullet head, four duck rudders in front of the missile body, four fixed wings in the rear, one pair of fixed wings with aileron rudders on the trailing edge.
Power unit was a single-stage solid rocket engine, using photoelectric composite/radio guidance.
Maximum speed reached 4 Mach, operational altitude 30 meters to 5 kilometers, operational radius 5 to 12 kilometers, one sortie could launch four times.
Don’t think that only four launches per operation seemed to lack much suppressive power.
But don’t forget this was just one battalion, facing usually an enemy battalion as imaginary enemy, the joined war situation at most to regiment level.
And even for a regiment-level army aviation brigade, the maximum helicopters and fighters that could sortie at once was just three or five.
The missile system’s four anti-aircraft missiles were absolutely low-altitude killer aces at regiment level.
Able to exert absolute suppression!
With such an anti-aircraft missile platoon, Steel Seventh Battalion’s combat effectiveness could directly rise a level, and Seventh Zero Two Regiment from then on no longer feared air strikes.
Suppose taking today’s Seventh Zero Two Regiment out for another Sharp Sword Action mountain exercise.
If old A-led Blue Army establishment unchanged, still army aviation brigade cooperating with special operations brigade, the outcome would definitely have earth-shaking changes.
Chen Jun dared to guarantee…
Old A would definitely lose miserably!
The heavy artillery company adding an anti-aircraft missile platoon made Steel Seventh Battalion’s other companies extremely envious, one by one running to battalion headquarters to bother Gao Cheng.
Letting Battalion Commander Gao think of a way, to give the others also some gun changes.
Gao Cheng was bothered by those below with no choice, could only privately call Chen Jun over to discuss together how to solve this “red eye disease” problem.
Hearing Gao Cheng use red eye disease to describe, Chen Jun really couldn’t help but laugh wryly.
After thinking back and forth, there was only one method.
That was to have Gao Cheng write a report, putting all of Steel Seventh Battalion’s situations in it, and the required demands attached at the end, then let the regiment send it to the military region.
The reason for specifically having Gao Cheng write it, Chen Jun also had some small calculations.
Wanting Gao’s father to move a finger.
From Gao Cheng still being able to act as Steel Seventh Battalion battalion commander, Chen Jun guessed that Gao’s dad probably couldn’t hold back, absolutely having exerted effort for his son in it.
Many things were the same.
That was as long as there was once, there would be countless times.
Since Gao’s dad had already set the precedent, then as long as Gao Cheng had demands in the combined arms battalion, he as father would definitely think of a way.
Otherwise if he personally exerted great effort, making his son acting combined arms battalion commander, but in the end failed to turn formal, even got kicked down.
Then what was lost wasn’t just Gao Cheng’s face, but the entire Gao family’s face.
Still that old saying—
Soldiers don’t covet wealth, money, or beauty, in peacetime no way to strive for military merit, the most cared about was left with only face.
Chen Jun believed as long as the report reached the military region, it would definitely be sent to Gao’s dad’s hands.
Seeing the report personally written by his own son, Gao’s dad out of the aforementioned reasons would inevitably think of a way to satisfy Gao Cheng’s requirements.
Gao Cheng’s brain wasn’t as cunning as Chen Jun’s, didn’t realize the tricks in it.
Thought it was just normally writing an application report, so wrote it out according to Chen Jun’s requirements and format, had Chen Jun personally send it to regiment headquarters.
Chen Jun brought the report to the regiment, and with Regiment Commander Wang had what to say what.
Directly stated the real intention.
“You kid, simply sharper than a fox.”
Regiment Commander Wang learned the ins and outs, understood why Chen Jun specifically had him send the report to division headquarters, using connections to definitely send to military region, couldn’t help laughing.
On the principle that the combined arms battalion’s combat effectiveness stronger, Seventh Zero Two Regiment’s benefits would be greater.
Regiment Commander Wang almost without thinking, immediately agreed to Chen Jun’s request.
Prepared to send this report upward for equipment, to update Steel Seventh Battalion with latest domestic equipment and weapons, according to Chen Jun’s requirements.
There were many many requirements listed in the report by Chen Jun, but actually he was just for bargaining.
Openly wrote a big pile.
Actually only needed that few.
For example, replace Armored Company One’s tanks with the latest main battle tanks same as Armored Company Two; again like replace all rifles with Type 95; and add more logistics support vehicles etc.
How many requirements the military region would ultimately satisfy, Chen Jun had no way to precisely predict.
Everything could only wait for the result!
The equipment problem already filed an application report, personnel training also formulated training plan, main things basically completed.
The rest were more detailed, more refined related arrangements.
Chen Jun had to get busy again!
Next waited another half month, time unknowingly arrived in June.
The expanded armored company’s personnel began collection, first uniformly assembling at military region, equipment also began scheduling, similarly first sent to military region.
The other armored infantry company was the same, personnel and equipment first assembling at military region.
The military region had many idle barracks, first settling them there.
Only the army aviation company because situation more special, helicopters not placeable anywhere, daily maintenance etc. needing professional training ground.
Plus army aviation company’s numbers also relatively few, including ground crew only less than fifty people.
So the military region quickly assembled the people, temporarily settling them all at T Division army aviation brigade, but not under army aviation brigade management, instead Steel Seventh Battalion remote command.
And on the combined arms battalion side came an engineer battalion, several hundred people all starting to build new barracks.
The reason for sending a whole engineer battalion was to complete the expanded three companies’ camp and training ground in the shortest time.
The military region’s preliminary estimated time, must finish within one month.
This time was indeed very tight.
If not adding manpower, fundamentally impossible.
And on the day the army aviation company was formally established, Chen Jun also accompanied Gao Cheng to visit the army aviation brigade once, just to personally see their own helicopters.
Army Aviation Eighth Company had a total of six helicopters.
Among them two were Z-9W attack helicopters, the other four all utility transport helicopters.
Two were takeoff maximum weight thirteen tons, could carry twenty-seven fully armed soldiers at once, cargo transport five tons of goods Z-8 transport helicopters.
And two were with anti-submarine reconnaissance rescue, usable as multi-purpose Z-9 utility helicopters.
Armed, utility, transport each two, the configuration very comprehensive and balanced, could maximize army aviation company’s role in Steel Seventh Battalion.
It showed the military region considered very thoughtfully, the endless meetings weren’t in vain.
“Before only saw others go out helicopter in helicopter out, we only had envy share, now it’s different, we also have our own airplanes, later can also fly out, haha.”
Gao Cheng touching one helicopter after another, standing straight with waist proud, expression indescribably smug.
Summary was two words—
Awesome!
“Yeah, back in Sharp Sword Action exercise, that group of dead old A used helicopters to mess with us, made us very uncomfortable, fighting also very stifled, thirty years east of river thirty years west, today we also have our own helicopters, can also play air-ground joint tactics, refreshing.”
Chen Jun’s mood was similarly very excited, Steel Seventh Battalion’s development already exceeded his expectations.
Originally thinking to reach combined arms regiment level to possibly have own special operations forces and air forces, didn’t expect to achieve ahead at combined arms battalion.
This full sense of achievement.
Made it hard not to feel exhilarated.
Political Instructor Ma Tianxiang and Chief Staff Officer Man Guangzhi, their emotions at this time also very excited, couldn’t help expressing their feelings.
“A battalion not only has tank infantry, artillery air defense, unexpectedly also missiles and helicopters, this in the past I wouldn’t dare think.”
“Such troops, if put on battlefield, really unimaginable, other battalions on battlefield encountering us, probably scared sleepless, haha.”
It wasn’t everyone making fuss short-sighted, really a battalion with missiles and helicopters.
These days was truly rare!
How fierce pulled to battlefield, everyone anticipating.
Even already impatiently imagining, able to have a large-scale military confrontation exercise, let Steel Seventh Battalion fight heartily.
Regiment-level scale already meaningless, couldn’t exert Steel Seventh Battalion’s full strength.
At least whole division-level to be satisfying.
“I was originally preparing these days to handle some matters, just right helicopters arrived, then let me enjoy the blessing, first come enjoy a trip how about.” Chen Jun smilingly said.
“Oh? Deputy Battalion Commander Chen, where you preparing to go? Still need to ride helicopter?” Ma Tianxiang curiously asked.
“I’m preparing to go to A Brigade once, talk another cooperation with them, if can talk successfully, can let our Steel Seventh Battalion gain wings.”
Chen Jun’s words really very attractive, piqued everyone’s curiosity.
“Talk cooperation with A Brigade, old Chen, you planning to pit them again? Haha.” Gao Cheng thinking of previous matters, saying then couldn’t help laughing.
“Hey, how can call pit, that’s cooperation, proper cooperation.” Chen Jun seriously corrected.
“Alright, don’t sell the pass, quickly tell us all, this time you go talk cooperation, exactly cooperating on which aspect.”
Gao Cheng on the two words cooperation, specially emphasized a bit tone, making the words sound more odd.
Everyone couldn’t help laughing!
“A Brigade is war zone’s pilot unit, we also pilot unit, everyone one family, their special operations always at entire army forefront, I’m preparing to send special operations platoon over to learn a few months, train there, better than training here absolutely much stronger.”
As soon as Chen Jun’s words fell, immediately piqued everyone’s appetite.
“A Brigade I also long admired, that troops not easy to deal with, will they willing let us train soldiers?” Ma Tianxiang frowning said.
“Special operations platoon is our sharp knife, at that time if they not let people go how?” Man Guangzhi worriedly said.
“You two don’t need to worry, with old Chen there, A Brigade only has deflating share, you don’t forget, special operations platoon was old Chen hard snatched back from old A.” Gao Cheng full face admiring said.
“Right too, haha, I overthought, Deputy Battalion Commander Chen not ordinary person.” Ma Tianxiang laughed.
“Then, like this.”
Gao Cheng thinking after special operations platoon tempered, absolutely could shed old skin become true special forces soldiers, he heart surging impatient.
Immediately arranged: “Old Chen, how to operate, I won’t manage, you want to do whatever just go handle, everything I back you.”
“Alright, no time like present, I’ll go back prepare now.”
Chen Jun also didn’t want to continue dragging, immediately turned and got on vehicle to set off back to base.
