Empire Conquest-Chapter 689 - 19: The Dragon’s Sky_2

Because the "KK-6F" did not perform well, the "War-10" pilots did not like the medium-range air-to-air missiles.

As a result, eight "War-10B"s did not carry medium-range air-to-air missiles and each carried four combat missiles.

According to the tactics arranged by Li Tianling, the task of these eight fighters was to engage in dogfighting with the invading enemy aircraft, specifically to deal with the ones that slipped through the net.

Of course, the initial interceptions at long distance were made by the "War-11B" patrolling high in the sky using "KK-12A" and "KK-6F".

However, the real main force was not the 16 fighters deployed forward.

About 150 kilometers behind the fighters, a "Zhi-8C" was using radar to scan the northern airspace and sent the information to the nearby fighters via a data link.

The key was that the battlefield information mainly relied on data link transmission.

Only in special circumstances, such as when the identity of the invading enemy aircraft was unclear or combat orders were not confirmed, was it necessary to communicate with pilots through voice channels.

With the support of the data link, the "Zhi-8C" could simultaneously guide 48 fighters of 12 tactical units in aerial combat.

Comparatively, the previous "Zhi-8B" could at most command 12 fighters in aerial combat at the same time.

The reason was that "Zhi-8B" had 12 tactical command stations and 12 communication channels.

Clearly, this quadrupled the combat efficiency of the early warning command aircraft!

However, this time the star of the show was not the "Zhi-8C", but the "Reconnaissance-29C" electronic reconnaissance aircraft flying with it.

The electronic reconnaissance aircraft is a general term, more aptly described as a "large electronic warfare aircraft" or "electronic jamming aircraft."

Simply put, this large support aircraft, which used the same platform as the early warning command aircraft, could detect and intercept electromagnetic signals within hundreds of kilometers and also jam nearby electronic devices, especially radars, using its onboard high-power jammer.

Additionally, the large aircraft could patrol the airspace for many hours without the need to frequently return for refueling.

Although the jamming effects were inferior to those of a dedicated electronic warfare aircraft and it did not have hard-destroying capabilities, it still held tremendous value in battles primarily aiming for air superiority.

Simply put, it was able to decrease the detection range of enemy fire control radars through jamming, or even cause them to malfunction.

Without functioning radars, even the most advanced fighters could only endure strikes.

Clearly, that "Reconnaissance-29C" was the protagonist.

The battle for air superiority revolved around that "Reconnaissance-29C."

In the words of the pilots, as long as the electromagnetic jamming was effective, air combat would become as simple as playing a game.

However, this was true for beyond-visual-range air combat.

Before long, the "game" began.

When the indicator light lit up to alert the pilot he had received new information, Li Tianling glanced at the navigation screen’s clock; it was already 11:15 AM.

It was enemy situation information from the early warning command aircraft.

A large enemy formation was flying over from Nasiriyah and was about to enter the no-fly zone, preliminary estimates put the number of enemy aircraft at over 40.

Because the enemy aircraft might be flying in tight formation and they were more than 300 kilometers from the early warning aircraft, an accurate count of the enemy numbers was impossible.

Nevertheless, even 40 was a substantial number!

Only the Iraq Air Force would deploy so many fighters at one time.

If this was 40 years ago, it would make sense, as in that era decided by machine guns and cannons, having more numbers definitely provided an advantage.

But now, numbers were not the deciding factor in victory or defeat!

In air combat dominated by missiles, having greater numbers was not necessarily an advantage.

Relevant tactical information was sent directly to each fighter in the formation.

Following the commands from the early warning command aircraft, another "War-11B" tactical unit from the west also received orders to join the battle.

The interception tactic was very simple; Li Tianling’s tactical unit would make the first interception at 60 kilometers.

Subsequently, the other "War-11B" tactical unit would make the second interception at 40 kilometers.

When the distance was reduced to about 30 kilometers, the two "War-11B" tactical units would use "KK-6F" to perform the third interception together.

The next phase would be dogfighting.

Of course, this was based on the premise that the enemy aircraft had not been defeated and were still flying south.

As Li Tianling sped up the fighter jet, he coordinated tasks with his pilots over the formation communication channel, mainly to determine the firing sequence. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The information from the Early Warning Command Aircraft wasn’t detailed, but that wasn’t a significant issue.

Once they were closer, after activating the Fire Control Radar, they would be able to detect specific details of the enemy aircraft and obtain relatively accurate fire control information.

By arranging the firing sequence in advance, i.e., the combat tactics, they could significantly reduce the preparation time before firing.

Speaking of which, aside from the huge overload produced during the jet’s acceleration, it indeed felt like playing a video game.

All the pilot did was manage the control switches on the panel, preparing for firing as if playing a video game.

About 10 minutes later, the Early Warning Command Aircraft issued the firing command.

This was the final safeguard.

After the firing order was given, the initiative in combat was handed over to the pilots, who often acted immediately.

The key was that there was absolutely no time to waste!

By the time they received the firing order, the distance to the enemy Plane Group had already closed to 80 kilometers!

Actually, that distance was a bit close.

For targets like fighter jets, the "War-11B" Fire Control Radar could detect them from about 200 kilometers away and maintain tracking from over 100 kilometers.

However, limited by the missile’s range, the radar’s performance was evidently excessive.

Additionally, this related to the "Reconnaissance-29C."

When the Early Warning Command Aircraft issued the firing command, the distance to the enemy aircraft was about 250 kilometers. If the "Reconnaissance-29C" had accelerated earlier, the distance to the enemy would have already reduced to 200 kilometers, which was also the maximum distance for initiating suppression interference.

Beyond that, the effectiveness of the interference would drastically reduce.

On the lower right of the three head-down displays, the electronic warfare screen already displayed alert information—a strong electromagnetic interference source was behind them.

However, it had not affected the "War-11B."

Among the incoming enemy jets, flying at the forefront were about ten MG-29s followed by at least twenty Mirage F1, and then a group of MG-23s.

These fighter jets weren’t exactly mysterious.

Years ago, the Empire’s Air Force had obtained crucial intelligence about these West Continent aircraft through various means, especially intelligence agencies.

That included data related to the fire control radar, such as working frequency and mode.

Truth be told, this was the largest weakness of the West Continent’s fighter jets.

Whether it was the leading Tiaoman Empire, the rising star Luosha Democratic Republic, or the resurgent Locke, all had strong manufacturing capabilities but were seriously deficient in the electronics industry. They lagged far behind in electronic technology, and the radars they developed were far from advanced.

The Iran-Iraq War was the best proof when the Iraq Air Force was thoroughly defeated by Boi’s Air Force.

Of course, Li Tianling hadn’t thought much about it.

After activating the Fire Control Radar, it took him less than half a minute to assign targets to three wingmen, and then they opened fire.

Within just over ten seconds, each of the four "War-11Bs" launched four "KK-12A" missiles.

At this point, the distance to the enemy aircraft had shortened to less than 60 kilometers.

On the middle radar screen, the dense cluster of dots representing the enemy aircraft hadn’t changed noticeably; it seemed the enemy hadn’t realized they were under attack.

That was the effect of the electromagnetic interference—the enemy’s radar warning system was jammed!

In fact, it wasn’t jammed but had been turned off by the enemy pilots.

Time ticked away, and about 40 seconds later, Li Tianling finally let out a long sigh of relief.

The missiles they had launched were now entering their terminal homing phase.

Moreover, in about 20 seconds, another four "KK-12A" launched by the remaining four "War-11Bs" would also hit.

At low altitude, the same two tactical units of eight "War-10Bs" had also caught up and were expected to join the battle in about two minutes.

Although Li Tianling hadn’t ordered a slowdown to start powering the remaining four "KK-6F" for the second strike as arranged by the Early Warning Command Aircraft, including him, all "War-11B" pilots knew that from now on, this would be the sky of dragons.

After this battle, the rulers of the skies would be the Empire Air Force’s "Tyrannosaurus" and "Fierce Dragon."