Empire Conquest-Chapter 690 - 20: Versatile Talent

Although he was full of confidence in the Air Force, Shi Shouliang could not have imagined such an outcome!

Since he became the Commander-in-chief of the Northwest Battle Zone, Shi Shouliang had served as the Commander of the "Westward" exercises for five consecutive years. He had a very deep and comprehensive understanding of the Air Force’s combat capabilities, especially the capabilities of the "Expeditionary Mixed Wing," and he believed in the abilities of the younger generation like Li Tianling.

However, as a seasoned veteran with a steady approach, Shi Shouliang was never blindly optimistic.

In his words, being overly optimistic becomes arrogance.

The last thing a soldier should have is arrogance.

After all, this is also a major change in the mindset of the Imperial military after the Great War.

Before and during the last Global War, every member of the Imperial Army, from top to bottom, believed they could achieve a comprehensive victory to end disputes with the Western Powers once and for all, become the undisputed, unique global hegemon, and establish a permanent peace in the world.

After the Global War, the Empire seriously reflected on their past experiences.

The most discussed topic during the reflection was whether the Empire had the capability to dominate the globe and defeat all adversaries in a single Global War.

Following this line of thought, a movement for the revolution of military philosophy emerged after the war.

Recognizing the strength of the enemy and facing one’s own shortcomings became a collective understanding throughout the Empire, providing theoretical basis for the subsequent military reforms.

Clearly, leaders like Shi Shouliang, who joined the army after the war, were the main receptors of the military philosophical revolution.

Compared to leaders during the Global War, the post-war Imperial commanders showed a notable change: they no longer clung to outdated doctrines and were more willing to accept the notion that the enemy was formidable.

But this was something Shi Shouliang had not expected.

In the recently concluded air battle, two "Expeditionary Mixed Wings" of the Air Force—or more precisely, 32 fighters from only four squadrons—under the command and support of two Early Warning Aircraft and two Electronic Reconnaissance Aircraft, not only withstood the onslaught of nearly hundred Iraqi fighters from two directions but also shot down at least 58 enemy aircraft without suffering any combat losses themselves.

The only loss was Li Tianling’s own aircraft, whose No. 2 engine shut down mid-air on the return flight, and subsequently, the No. 1 engine malfunctioned due to overheating and ultimately crashed in the desert about 40 kilometers northwest of King Khalid Military City. However, Li Tianling had successfully ejected.

The Special Forces of the Air Force, who were tasked with the rescue, had already departed by helicopter and would soon bring him back.

In less than an hour of combat, they had cleanly shot down nearly 60 enemy aircraft without suffering any losses themselves.

This result was so unbelievable to Shi Shouliang that he suspected something was amiss.

As a result, after receiving the battle report, he did not let his staff release the news; instead, he immediately contacted the frontline commanders—the captains of the two Early Warning Command Aircraft, and the four squadron leaders—to have them re-report the engagement and reconfirm the results to ensure there were no false reports.

The reconfirmed results were the same, actually even more exaggerated.

The downing of 58 enemy aircraft was verifiable, either through radar signals or photographs taken by gun cameras.

Moreover, approximately 20 enemy aircraft crashed within Saudi Arabian territory.

The sticking point was at least 16 unverified kills, where pilots believed they had made a kill but could not produce evidence.

If the pilots were not lying, then at least 74 enemy aircraft were downed.

If so, this was the highest number of downed enemy aircraft in a single air battle since World War II, or rather since entering the jet age.

As for losses, those were completely impossible to falsify.

Out of 32 fighter aircraft that participated in the battle, 31 had returned to King Khalid Military City, the only one not returning being Li Tianling’s.

At lunchtime, Shi Shouliang received a report submitted by another Wing Captain.

At that time, the rescue forces had already found Li Tianling and were bringing him back.

According to the message sent back by the Special Forces, this newly emerged top ace of the Imperial Air Force, born after the Boi War, had only sustained minor injuries.

If there were still fighter aircraft available, he would be able to return to the battlefield immediately.

Unfortunately, there were no operational fighters available at the moment.

The engagement process was not complicated, almost identical to the most basic tactics used in the "Westward" exercises over the past few years.

During the beyond-visual-range air combat phase, just two "War-11B" tactical units, consisting of 8 heavy fighters, fired three times, shooting down 34 Iraqi fighters. Entering the dogfight phase, 9 kills were achieved by 8 medium fighters from two "War-10B" tactical units. In the end, in that direction, only about 10 Iraqi fighters managed to escape narrowly.

About 15 minutes later, on the western segment of the border, the second air battle broke out.

This battle was even less suspenseful.

After being intercepted twice by four "War-11B" fighters, a total of 15 enemy fighters were shot down, and the remaining Iraqi fighters all turned to flee.

Since the Iraqi fighters quickly left the no-fly zone, the Wing Captain commanding the battle issued a cease-fire order.

Based on the shooting down of 58 enemy aircraft, 49 were shot down by medium-range air-to-air missiles beyond visual range, and only 9 were shot down by combat missiles.

As for aerial cannons, there wasn’t even a chance to use them.

This was the first time in air combat history that medium-range air-to-air missiles played a leading role, and beyond-visual-range air combat overshadowed within-visual-range air combat.