radicalducati Page 12
Page 12
“If they can’t board us, we can force them to fly along our route,” the squadron leader said slowly. “Have you ever eaten a hamburger? Our planes are like hamburgers, sandwiching enemy planes—except we sandwich them from both sides, restricting their flight path. Then, one of us follows behind the enemy plane. If they don’t follow our route and try to escape or attack us, we just shoot them down cleanly. I admit, capturing an enemy plane is much more difficult than shooting it down, but we can gain more honor from it. This might be our only chance to capture an enemy plane.”
“I feel like it has potential.” Dmitry Heinrich, the squadron leader of the Deep Blue fighter experimental flight squadron of the 22nd Squadron, was eager to try.
“We can give it a try.” After a moment’s thought, the men from Squadron 23 agreed. After all, a Belken Air Force squadron is a 12-aircraft formation; 12 pilots vying for one spot? That’s not a good idea.
So all eyes turned to the squadron leader of the 21st squadron, who shrugged and said, "Why are you looking at me? If the boss has a solution, I have no objection."
With everyone agreeing, the battalion commander began assigning tasks: "This task will be assigned to the 23rd Company."
Dimitri retorted, "No, our Deep Blue Squadron has the best technology in the entire battalion, so why not assign the mission to us? Besides, our squadron's newly acquired Zero fighters from the beginning of the year still lack combat testing, which would be perfect for us."
This immediately drew angry glares from the 23rd Squadron. Dmitry glared back without flinching, "What are you worried about? Am I not telling the truth?"
"That's enough." The battalion commander tapped the ammunition box table, calming the two squadron leaders who were about to engage in a full-blown brawl. "Intelligence indicates that the Amelia people have more than one aircraft, and it's very likely that their air force will send reinforcements after we begin our operation. Don't forget, we're also trying to put radios inside the aircraft, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Amelia people's aircraft can call for reinforcements."
"So our mission is to sit at the base and wait for the Amelia Air Force reinforcements that may never even appear?" Dimitri was not very accepting of this statement.
“That’s right. Your skills are the best among us, and your aircraft firepower is also the strongest. If the Amelias deploy their fighter units, I can only be somewhat confident if you are sent up,” the squadron leader continued to explain. His 7th Flight Group was equipped with two types of fighters. The 21st and 23rd Squadrons were equipped with the FX-98 fighter, which was finalized and put into production in 1898. This was a high-wing light fighter, with four 10mm machine guns with 300 rounds of ammunition mounted under each wing, powered by a 500-horsepower radial engine, and a maximum speed of 320 kilometers per hour.
At the beginning of the year, the "Deep Blue" squadron was equipped with the new FX-00 fighter jet. This aircraft is equipped with a liquid-cooled engine that provides 650 horsepower, and the high-wing configuration has been changed to a low-wing configuration, increasing the top speed to 360 kilometers per hour. More importantly, the R&D department attempted to reduce the caliber of a 40mm small-caliber cannon from the Navy by half and fit it onto the 00 fighter jet's shaft. However, based on the Deep Blue Squadron's testing time over the past six months, the 00 fighter jet still has many problems that need improvement, such as the shaft cannon frequently jamming and the liquid-cooled engine being prone to overheating. These problems have caused considerable trouble for the pilots.
……
No third update today.
Book 1: Chapter 62 The Belken Men Who Came to Our Door
The squadron leader's further explanation eased Dimitri's expression slightly, but he was still troubled by the question of whether the Amelia Air Force would appear. After all, his "Deep Blue" squadron had consumed so many resources; if it didn't demonstrate its value in the war, the squadron would probably be nearing its end.
"This is wartime, you know. Getting your kill count shouldn't be that hard," chimed in the 21st Squadron. "Why fight over a single plane?"
Dimitri readily agreed, saying, "Then it's settled. You can't try to take the next mission from me."
The battalion commander and the other two company commanders nodded repeatedly in agreement, exchanging glances and marveling at how easily this guy could be fooled.
The squadron leader cleared his throat and instructed, "Then this operation is set. Squadron 23 will be responsible for execution, while Squadron 21 and Deep Blue Squadron will stand by. Remember, your lives are the most important thing. If the plan cannot be carried out, abandon it decisively. As long as you drive the enemy planes away from the ground forces, the mission is complete. Capturing enemy planes is just icing on the cake. But glory is of no use to the dead."
"clear."
"Alright, let's set off in 15 minutes! Let's see what this little-known Amelia Air Force is all about!"
The Type 98 fighter jet has a simple structure, which also makes its cold start procedure relatively simple: adjust the propeller pitch to the lowest setting, adjust the air-fuel mixture (although the altitude of Villan is not high, there is no need to reduce the amount of fuel injected), crank the handle to open the engine cooling fins, check the range gauges of the main fuel tank and auxiliary fuel tank, check the magneto switch, add oil to the engine, and then the ground crew starts cranking the starter motor with tools. The inertia drives the starter motor to work, and then the hand-cranked generator handle is turned to supply power to the engine. After pressing the ignition switch, the Type 98 fighter jet's radial engine starts smoothly, beating vigorously like a heart. The exhaust pipes on both sides of the nose quickly begin to spew out high-temperature steam. After checking all the control surfaces, the ground crew removes the triangular block placed in front of the tires, and the wooden-fuselage, extremely lightweight aircraft begins to taxi on the ground.
The conditions at the field airfield were ultimately less than ideal. Although the ground crew had done their best to level the grass, the soft ground caused the aircraft to shake violently up and down. It seemed that the Belken research department had not taken into account the vibrations that might occur during takeoff and landing in field conditions when designing this aircraft, so the pilots of the 23rd Squadron were shaken quite a bit.
The twelve Type 98 fighter jets, arranged in pairs, formed a neat formation on the 300-meter-long runway that had been simply cleared and leveled, and then began takeoff. These lightweight aircraft did not need to reach speeds of two or three hundred kilometers per hour like the MiG-21 to pull up; once they exceeded one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour, a force was already pushing the aircraft up, and the pilots could easily achieve a nose-up takeoff by slightly pulling back on the stick in response to this force.
The last to take off was the squadron leader of the 23rd Squadron. After visually confirming that the other 11 aircraft were flying normally, he shook his plane's wings and made a hand gesture to each side. Then, the pilots skillfully used his lead plane as the apex and flew in an inverted V formation, heading towards the direction reported by the air defense sentry.
At this point, Captain Valerio was unaware that the Belken Air Force had been deployed. He searched along the road for nearly half an hour without success. Because the Mi-4 helicopter lacked radar and thermal imaging, he chose to descend further, using binoculars to continuously examine the conditions on both sides of the road.
"12 o'clock, 4 o'clock, above the horizon, do you see it?" The pilot's co-pilot's words broke the silence in the cabin.
"I see it." The pilot's reply was brief. "Eagle's Nest, this is Kestrel 1. We have encountered an unidentified aircraft and request the location of nearby friendly aircraft."
"Falcon 1, you are the only friendly aircraft in this area. We believe you may have encountered Belken's air force. Reconnaissance mission aborted, retreat immediately. MiG-21s have taken off and are en route to your location." By comparing the mission allocation area and contacting other pilots, Eagle's Nest quickly confirmed the identity of the UNKNOW target.
“Kestrel One understands. Captain, I think you heard it too, it's regrettable, but this mission has to be aborted.” Kestrel One said to Valyria in a stance. Valyria shook his head helplessly, and could only accept the arrangement.
The cumbersome Mi-4 helicopter turned around and began to retreat along the route it had come from. However, there was a fatal problem: as a rotorcraft, the Mi-4's speed was inherently slower than that of a fixed-wing aircraft—even the Belken Type 98 fighter jet had a top speed almost twice that of the Mi-4. Therefore, the crew of the Mi-4 helicopter could see the Belken fighter jet, which had initially appeared as an inconspicuous black dot, gradually closing in and revealing its true form.
"Alright, guys, please get back to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We're about to start moving."
As the Belken fighters drew closer, the pilot of the Kestrel 1 reminded the crew in the back seat and then began to pull the control stick to avoid being caught by the Belken fighters at the 6 o'clock position.
Looking at the strange, clumsy-looking plane in front of him that kept trying to evade him, the squadron leader made a spreading hand gesture, signaling his team to act according to the plan. They were to use their numerical advantage to compress the space for the Amelia plane to maneuver, using their own plane as an obstacle, and thus hijack the enemy plane back to the airport.
However, the aircraft did not want to act according to his intentions, constantly maneuvering up, down, left, and right, trying to break free from his encirclement. The squadron leader quickly lost patience with this game and fired long bursts of warning shots into the enemy aircraft's flanks. At the same time, the Belken fighter pilots flying on either side of the helicopter were also gesturing to the Mi-4 pilots, trying to make their intentions clear to the Amelia pilots.
"What do they mean by this?" The nearly twenty people on the Mi-4 looked at each other, bewildered by the actions of the Belken pilots, which were nothing short of humanly baffling.
"Whatever they mean, Ruslan, I'll pull up the plane to slow it down, let them rush ahead, aim and fire, understand?" The pilot ignored the Belken's confusing behavior and said to Ruslan, who was controlling the machine gun in the nose of the plane.
“Wait, don’t move.” Valyria had a sudden inspiration and quickly stopped them. “These Belken people may be trying to force us to follow their route.”
"So what?" the pilot asked impatiently. He disliked the feeling of being restricted and having someone watching him from behind.
“We did as they asked,” Valyria said. “They wanted to capture our planes, so they had to provide a place to land, right? This saved us the trouble of searching everywhere.”
……
First update
Tickets for the hour?
Volume 1: Chapter 63 (Sixty-One) - Rotor vs. Piston
"Golden Eagle 1, Golden Eagle 2, mission paused. Proceed to designated airspace and await further instructions."
The 48th Air Regiment, which was rushing towards the location of the Mi-4 helicopter in Valerio at full speed and with afterburner engaged throughout, at an altitude of 200 meters, received the communication from Eagle's Nest.
"Eagle's Nest, I didn't hear the instruction clearly, please repeat."
Faced with this order that sounded like it was to abandon the rescue of friendly forces, Golden Eagle 1 cautiously confirmed it.
“The situation has changed. Captain Valerio plans to use this opportunity to find the Belken Air Force’s airfield and give them a big gift,” Eagle’s Nest explained. “The Witch Squadron of the 588th Air Regiment is already preparing for the attack. Once Captain Valerio has a preliminary understanding of the enemy airfield’s location and anti-aircraft firepower, you can bring Captain Valerio back. The rest can be left to the Witch Squadron.”
"Golden Eagle 1, understood." Relieved that they weren't being abandoned, Golden Eagle 1 breathed a sigh of relief. "Golden Eagle 2, we'll climb to 2000 meters and change course to 220..."
The two MiG-21s pulled up at an angle and climbed to an altitude of 2000 meters. After the afterburners were shut off, a sonic boom cloud quickly reappeared on the two fighter jets, signifying that they had exited supersonic flight.
Back on Valerio's side, after the squadron leader fired a warning shot, the Belken were pleasantly surprised to find that the Amelia helicopter in front of them had actually become obedient.
"Ha, it seems that even if you Amelia people have more advanced technology than us, your fighting spirit is lacking." The company commander shook his head with a hint of disdain. High-tech weaponry like this should belong to the strong. As for why the army was beaten so badly by these cowards, the company commander believed there was only one reason: they were simply too stupid.
This strange plane with a huge propeller on its head is really slow. Judging from their reaction to the machine gun, although it is huge, its defense is probably not very good. Its advantage probably lies in the carrying capacity brought by its huge fuselage.
As the squadron leader escorted the helicopter back to the airport, he observed its design and began to speculate about the aircraft. Then he suddenly realized that there might be a dozen or so burly men hiding inside the helicopter, and if the airport security wasn't prepared, they might be at a disadvantage. It seemed he needed to return first and notify the airport to prepare.
He wiggled his wing, and after his wingman looked over, he pointed to himself with his thumb and made a gesture to return to the airport. After his wingman nodded in confirmation, his Type 98 fighter jet broke away from the formation, increased the throttle, and quickly left the formation behind.
After about ten minutes of flight, the formation finally flew back to Belken Field Airfield, which was located behind the front line. The two squadrons deployed at the airfield had also taken off, and the 24 fighters had an absolute altitude advantage, trying to create a sense of pressure on the Amelia prisoner of war.
The entire field airfield was very small, with only a very simple runway in the center. Beyond the runway on both sides of the open space (Valerio judged this to be the location of the helipad) were numerous tents. A large number of soldiers were already deployed along both sides of the runway, waiting to take control of the enemy aircraft as soon as the helicopters landed. The airfield and surrounding area lacked not only anti-aircraft missiles, but even decent anti-aircraft firearms. If it weren't for the dozens of aircraft overhead, Valerio suspected that his own helicopter alone could have destroyed the entire airfield.
"Captain, do you have any ideas?" The Belken pilot outside was already signaling them to land, and Kestrel 1 quickly asked. In order for the aircraft to land successfully, the Belken removed the obstructions in front and behind, clearing a landing path.
"Have you been informed of the location of Eagle's Nest Belken Airport? How long until our fighter jets arrive?" Valerio asked rhetorically.
"Three minutes left? Can you hold out against these dozens of planes?"
Kestrel 1 clicked its tongue in amazement. "Isn't this a bit too advanced? This wasn't taught in flight school."
"Just tell me if you can or can't you?"
Rhodes 1 licked its lips, glanced at the co-pilot, and after seeing the co-pilot nod slightly, replied, "We can try, but it'll be quite exciting. Ruslan, prepare to fire."
In the brief moment they discussed their strategy, the Belken pilot impatiently fired another warning shot. The Kestrel 1 glanced at the line of fire flashing past the window, snapped back his black sunglasses, and gave the Belken pilot the middle finger. Then, as the Belken pilot pondered the meaning of this gesture, he activated the helicopter's hover mode. The sudden stop caused the two Type 98 fighter jets flying alongside him to rush in front of the Kestrel 1. The A-12.7 machine guns, with their 60-degree field of fire, precisely targeted the two extremely close targets. The ground-attack ammunition belts, with ammunition types arranged in the order of IAI, AP, API-T, AP, easily tore through the Type 98 fighter jets' waterproof canvas skin. The armor-piercing rounds shattered the wooden frame and penetrated deep into the Belken pilot's body. The tumbling bullets inside caused the pilot extreme pain, while the IAI and API-T rounds even ignited the aircraft. In just a few seconds, the two planes were reduced to two shattered fireballs.
"Damn it! These Amelia people aren't going to surrender! Shoot them down!" Seeing that the Amelia people not only refused to surrender but also dared to fight back, Dimitri was furious. He pushed the control stick and swooped down from the sky, determined to avenge his comrades.
But the Kestrel 1's actions weren't over yet. It pushed the control stick forward and pulled the trigger towards the Belken troops on the ground. 96 S-5K rockets fired from the six rocket pods turned the runway and Belken soldiers into a muddy mess. After barely managing to pull up its Mi-4 to avoid a direct hit from the Sun, the Kestrel 1 performed a tail-drift. This 180-degree turn left the Belken pilots wide-eyed. However, the next second, Ruslan's A-12.7 machine gun opened fire, and a Type 98 fighter that was rushing faster than Dmitry was killed along with the two accompanying Type 98s.
"Damn it!" Dimitri, who never expected Amelia's plane to be able to perform such a bizarre maneuver, abandoned his attack and rolled to the right to avoid the oncoming machine gun fire. He pulled up again, intending to circle around slightly and launch an attack from the side and rear of the plane, where the target area was not only large but also unprotected.
……
Second update complete.
The next chapter will be the much-anticipated jet versus piston matchup.
Book 1: Chapter 64 (Sixty-two) - Jet Against Piston
Within just three minutes of the start of the battle, the 23rd Squadron had already lost four aircraft, none of whose pilots had managed to eject. This casualty rate weighed heavily on the squadron leader's mind. Fortunately, the situation was improving—although the Amelian planes below were constantly maneuvering to evade friendly fire, their massive size, slow speed, and extremely limited defensive firepower put them in a very passive position. Belken's planes began to employ pre-determined tactics, using their numerical advantage to attempt simultaneous attacks on the target from multiple directions. Although this tactic carried significant risks due to communication issues, it successfully forced the Amelian planes into a situation where they were overwhelmed and unable to defend all sides.
The Amelia's planes were only a hundred meters high; even if they crashed, they wouldn't be completely shattered. Their engineers would surely find something valuable in the wreckage. In that case, the sacrifice of the 22nd Squadron would have been worthwhile. The squadron leader thought to himself.
"Golden Eagle 1, how much longer until you arrive?" The pressure on the Kestrel 1 was immense. A fighter jet with dark blue stripes was incredibly maneuverable, successfully launching attacks from the Kestrel 1's blind spots several times, creating numerous close calls. The Kestrel 1 had to focus most of its attention on this dark blue striped aircraft. Fortunately, there was more than one Mi-4 pilot; the co-pilot could also help him keep an eye on the surroundings, greatly reducing the possibility of being ambushed by the "Old Six." Even so, after shooting down another enemy aircraft through the window, the Kestrel 1 couldn't help but ask.
“Не спеши，Нет н4е спе零ши…” The voice of Golden Eagle No. 1 came from the wireless radio.
At this point, Golden Eagle 1 was only 20 kilometers from the engagement airspace. After receiving the airport coordinates from Eagle's Nest, she switched the radar on the right side of the cockpit to the middle position. The RP-21 "Sapphire" radar had now warmed up and entered standby mode. The malfunction indicator light on the radar did not illuminate, so Golden Eagle 1 entered radar self-test mode: a false target appeared on the radar screen. She turned the throttle lever to overlay the target indicator cursor onto the false target, then pressed the lock button to switch the radar to tracking mode. The seeker ready, launch, and disengagement control lights illuminated in sequence. After passing the test, the image on the screen disappeared, and the radar automatically returned to standby mode.
Golden Eagle 1 is currently at an altitude of 1000 meters, a distance that is just enough to avoid cluttered ground echoes. So she turned the radar main switch to the top, turned on the radar, and had "Sapphire" scan the airspace in front of the MiG-21 at a horizontal angle of ±30 degrees, a vertical angle of 20 degrees, and an airspace of 18 kilometers.
The Sapphire radar takes 3 seconds to complete a full scan in scanning mode, so Eagle 1 maintained its course in one direction for 10 seconds to allow the incoming strike to thoroughly search the airspace. Dozens of T-shaped markings appeared on the radar screen a few seconds later. This indicated that these targets were at a lower altitude than Eagle 1. She pressed a button on the auxiliary control panel in the center of the cockpit, below the radar screen, to activate IFF (Identification Friend or Foe). One of the Ts quickly changed to an equal sign (=") and displayed on the screen for a few seconds.
Zhongjin Diao 1 slightly steered, moving one of the T-shaped markers, which was far from the "=" position, to the two vertical bracket marks on the radar screen. After the target designator completed target coverage, the radar switched to lock-on mode. The lock-on light on the ASP optical sight illuminated, confirming that the target was locked. Because the MiG-21 was approaching the target at high speed, the two separate vertical bars on the radar screen were converging towards the center. When the distance to the target reached 3.5 kilometers, the launch indicator on both the radar screen and the ASP optical sight lit up simultaneously. Although the infrared radiation emitted by the engines of these piston-engine aircraft was much weaker than that of jet aircraft, their lack of SA awareness, straightforward flight path, and low speed largely offset the negative effects of the weak infrared radiation signature and the outdated lead sulfide seeker. Therefore, Zhongjin Diao 1 pressed the launch button.
The target information was input into the R-3S "Atoll" air-to-air missile mounted on the right pylon. The R-3S then detached from the pylon, its engine ignited, and the solid-fuel rocket engine propelled the 75-kilogram missile to Mach 1.7. Before exhausting its fuel, the air-to-air missile exploded behind the unfortunate Type 98 fighter jet. Its ring-shaped fragmentation warhead shattered, easily covering the area around the Type 98. By the time the flames and smoke dissipated, the Type 98, along with its pilot, had been reduced to thousands of pieces, scattering like dandruff across the ground.
Because the MiG-21s were in afterburner mode, the relative speeds of both Eagle 1 and Eagle 2 and the Belken were extremely high. There was simply no time for another round of radar locking and missile launch. So they merely adjusted the direction of their noses. Eagle 1 did not adjust the target parameters on its ASP optical sight; it simply predicted the flight path of the nearest aircraft based on experience, pulled the trigger briefly, and fired a short burst. Unsurprisingly, another Type 98 was torn to shreds by the twin-mounted GSh23 cannons.
"Damn it! What is that?!" The squadron leader, fortunately, wasn't the first target of the two golden eagles. He saw two delta-wing aircraft, almost twice the length of a Type 98 fighter jet, streak across his formation at high speed, followed by the downing of four Type 98 fighters. The speed at which these two delta-wing aircraft flew was far beyond the reach of the Type 98 fighters. He broke out in a cold sweat and completely lost the will to fight.
Dmitry, attempting to deploy a Rep. helicopter, was unaware of the battle unfolding behind him. Unfortunately, he was positioned to the left of the speeding Eagle 1's flight path. The MiG-21's high-speed airflow created such a disturbance that it tore apart part of the right wing of his Zero fighter. With its aerodynamics disrupted and its center of gravity unbalanced, the Zero quickly lost control and plummeted towards the ground. Dmitry couldn't even make out the insignia on the delta-wing aircraft before frantically pulling on the control stick, trying to regain control of his Zero. At a mere 400 meters altitude, there wasn't enough time for his parachute to fully deploy and slow him down; a hasty ejection would likely result in him being turned into a bloody pulp. A forced landing became his only chance of survival.
……
Due to my limited expertise, I couldn't find real-world data for some of the information, so I used data from Antonstar. Please don't take it too seriously.
What does your Earth data have to do with my Antorn Star data?
Volume 1: Chapter 65 (Sixty-Three): The Tragedy of the Belken Air Force
Dimitri, who was focused entirely on controlling the damaged aircraft, was unaware that a massacre of Belken's air force was unfolding right before his eyes.
In just half a minute, two MiG-21s shot down half a squadron of fighter jets. Most of the Belken pilots, ignoring the low-flying helicopters, scattered like frightened birds, trying to avoid the golden eagles' prey.
However, the two MiG-21s, with their powerful production capacity and ferocious firepower, weaved freely among these piston-engine aircraft. With each burst of cannon fire, one of the fighters was inevitably reduced to dust and dissipated in the air. Even the members of the "Deep Blue" squadron, known as the experimental flight squadron, could not withstand the MiG-21s for even a second longer. The Zero fighters, which embodied the hard work and high hopes of the Belken researchers, were utterly useless in front of the MiG-21s.
When facing these piston-engine machines, Eagle 1 and Eagle 2 employed drastically different combat strategies:
Wu Laocheng's Golden Eagle No. 1 knew how to maximize its own airframe advantages and avoid the opponent's advantages. It continuously launched high-speed attacks on the Belken fighter, seizing the window of opportunity to strike. Regardless of whether the attack was successful, it would immediately disengage at full speed and then turn around to repeat the process. It can be said that it fully demonstrated the caution of an old pilot.
The Golden Eagle 2, lacking combat experience and having never even fought a large-scale melee with hundreds of aircraft, was much more casual. Initially, it cautiously engaged in high-speed raids, but after failing to achieve anything within two firing windows, it became somewhat enraged and reckless, even deploying its speed brakes to aggressively engage a Zero fighter at its six o'clock position. After destroying the Zero with its cannon at close range, the Golden Eagle 2 seemed to revel in the exhilarating feeling of close-range dogfighting and adrenaline rush.
"Golden Eagle 2, be careful not to get dragged into melee combat. We can't get around the piston-engines." Golden Eagle 1, who was both swooping down and observing the battlefield, saw that Kestrel 1 had slipped out of the center of the battle while the Belken were distracted and was starting to fly towards the edge of the battlefield. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then noticed Golden Eagle 2 trying to circle around the piston-engines. This was not good.
"It's alright, those tiny water pipes of theirs are no match for toothpicks, I doubt they can even penetrate the skin." Golden Eagle 2 was clearly unconvinced by the wingman's advice. She began to chase after the enemy aircraft that were trying to continue attacking Kestrel 1 and then dragged them into dogfights.
"Why are you dogfighting?" Golden Eagle No. 1 was naturally angered by the wingman's behavior.
"Because of my good maneuverability." Golden Eagle No. 2 naturally couldn't say it was because of my poor marksmanship; everyone has pride, after all. But her answer caused Golden Eagle No. 1 to suffer from persistent high blood pressure.
"Wrong, because you're stupid!" Golden Eagle No. 1 roared. "What good maneuverability? You think your plane's turning radius is smaller than a piston-engine, huh? You like dogfighting so much? Well, when you get back, I'll let you and the 3rd squadron's Il-2s circle around you to your heart's content! Circle around all day, is that enough? If not, I'll have the brigade commander get an I-153 to keep circling you!"
Realizing that the lead aircraft was already in a state of rage, as if about to hang Governor Vesny, and considering that the I-153's turn time only required a mere 13 seconds, while her own MiG-21PFM required almost three times that time, the Golden Eagle 2's euphoria finally subsided somewhat. Somewhat reluctantly, she pushed the throttle valve, then climbed, leaving the close-range aerial combat behind, and returned to the path of high-speed raiding.
Seeing this, Berkut 1's anger subsided somewhat. A jet aircraft should behave like a jet aircraft, especially the MiG-21, a fighter designed for high-altitude, high-speed combat; dogfighting isn't its forte. If you want to use it for dogfights, you need to choose your opponents carefully. No one will say anything if you're flying a MiG-21 into a dogfight with an F-4, but fighting a piston-engine aircraft is truly baffling. Moreover, even if Berkut 2 wins a dogfight against these outdated piston-engine aircraft, what does that prove? Frankly, if it gets used to easily defeating weaker opponents, and then impulsively engages in dogfights against stronger adversaries, it will inevitably fail sooner or later. After all, air combat isn't just about who has superior equipment and technology; it also tests whose operational strategies are more comprehensive and cautious.
It seems I'll need to give my wingman extra training when I get back. Every soldier in the 7th Brigade is extremely valuable; we can't let them die in vain because of such foolish ideas. Golden Eagle No. 1 silently decided to revise the squadron's training curriculum when he got back.
Two MiG-21s employing high-speed stealth tactics swiftly slaughtered the Belken fighters in the air, creating a scene reminiscent of a Mariana Trench hunt in another world. In just five minutes, all 30 remaining aircraft of the 7th Fighter Group were shot down, with no survivors.
"Eagle Nest, this is Golden Eagle 1. Enemy air power has been suppressed, and air superiority has been secured." After confirming that there were no other flying objects in this airspace besides its three aircraft, Golden Eagle 1 turned off its "Sapphire" radar and reported to the tower. She also checked her ammunition—she had one R-3S air-to-air missile, 36 rounds of cannon ammunition, and about twenty minutes of fuel remaining.
"Eagle's Nest received. Witch Squadron has taken off and is en route to the airport to carry out the destruction mission. Kestrel 1 is also out of danger; you may return to base now." The control tower relayed the return-to-base instructions.
"Golden Eagle No. 1 received eight, Golden Eagle No. 2, adjust course three, RTB three." 01-5
The two MiG-21s re-formed in the air and began their return journey along the same route they had come from.
Dimitri, waking from his coma, watched the two Emeria fighters disappear into the distance. Looking up, he saw that the once formidable Belken formation had vanished, leaving only scattered wreckage on the ground. He staggered out of the cockpit, only to find his Zero fighter broken in two, its vertical and horizontal stabilizers lying a dozen meters behind it. Clearly, the force of the forced landing and the erroneous attitude had caused the main structure of the aircraft to break. He was incredibly lucky to have survived.
Watching the survivors running around the airport, trying to find their faces among the plane debris, Dimitri felt his legs go weak and he immediately knelt down, bursting into tears.
"There's a live pilot here!" Dimitri's cries drew the attention of the searching soldiers, who immediately recognized him from his brown leather jacket.
"Quick! Drive over here and take the pilot to the rear hospital!" a lieutenant hurriedly called out to the others.
Book 1: Chapter 66 (Sixty-Fourth Chapter) The Value of Life
Franz, Matthias, Betty, Hart, Ramons, Mayes, Barry, Pound, Hansen, Gerald, and Marcus—the other 11 members of the Deep Blue fighter experimental flight squadron flashed before Dmitry's eyes. The Deep Blue squadron had not been formed for long. Although they had only known each other for two short years, and although these men were always arguing and bickering about whose skills were better, there was no doubt that they had developed a deep sense of belonging to the Deep Blue squadron through this high-intensity flight training. Dmitry and his 11 subordinates were no longer just in a superior-subordinate relationship; they were like brothers.
But now, he is the only one left in the "Deep Blue" squadron. He doesn't know how his 11 men died, and he didn't even have the chance to see them one last time.
"Are you injured?" The lieutenant ran to Dmitri's side, glanced at the Type 98 fighter jet that had broken in two, and then looked back at Dmitri with a different expression. This kid was really lucky; the plane was destroyed, but he was unharmed.
"Can you hear me?" Seeing Dmitri covering his face and crying, the lieutenant wasn't sure if he had heard him. Although the pilot looked disheveled, there was no obvious blood on him. The lieutenant guessed that if he was injured, it was likely internal injuries from the impact. They could treat external injuries, but internal injuries were a serious condition they absolutely couldn't handle and he would have to be rushed to the hospital immediately.
Fortunately, a jeep quickly responded to his order and drove straight to the two men. Private First Class Belken, driving the jeep, immediately got out and, together with the lieutenant, helped Dmitry into the vehicle. Throughout the process, Dmitry remained immersed in grief, offering no resistance, like a puppet on strings. This relieved the lieutenant but also made him more worried about the pilot's condition. He often saw pilots in this state after their first experience of combat and seeing blood.
"Drive to the field hospital. Those Amelia pilots could be back at any moment," the lieutenant said to the private after sitting down in the back seat with the dazed pilot. The lieutenant knew that these Belken pilots were the result of the Empire's considerable investment in training. The Empire valued these prodigies highly; even the death of one during training would implicate a large number of others. The Amelia Air Force's casualties against the 73rd Division demonstrated that the Empire's investment in the air force was worthwhile. Catching up with Amelia was now the Belken Air Force's only challenge, and under these circumstances, pilots with experience engaging Amelia aircraft were extremely valuable.
Private San then stepped on the gas, and the jeep shot forward.
5. It has to be said that the lieutenant's premonition was correct—or you could say he was jinxing it. Just five minutes after they left the airport and drove onto the highway, they faintly heard a roaring sound coming from the sky. The private's face changed, and he recklessly slammed on the accelerator, the powerful inertia pressing all three of them against the back of their seats.