Empire Conquest-Chapter 713 - 30 Battle of Systems_2

To put it bluntly, facing a modernized air defense system, the risk of an aerial assault is extremely huge.

Iraq possessed the most thorough air defense system in the Boss Bay region!

Having gone through the Iran-Iraq War that lasted for eight years, with the full support of the Tiaoman Empire, Iraq built up the most meticulous and densest air defense system in the entire Boss Bay region using hundreds of radars and thousands of air defense missiles, boasting the capability to handle any level of foreign invasion.

In addition, the Iraqi military also retained tens of thousands of High-altitude Guns.

Frankly speaking, Iraq’s air defense system was not poor; the mainstay air defense radars and air defense missiles all originated from the Tiaoman Empire or other member nations of the West Continent coalition.

During the Iran-Iraq War, the Iraqi military, relying on these air defense systems, shot down hundreds of Boi fighters!

According to simulations, using traditional penetration tactics, one must be prepared to accept the loss of 80 to 100 fighters.

The key point is, even after suffering such massive losses, one might not be able to complete the assault mission.

Over the past dozen years, the Empire’s Air Force had been researching tactics for breaking through enemy air defense networks, sparing no expense.

To this day, the tactics developed by the Empire’s Air Force were no longer limited to merely breaking through air defense networks.

In a modern military system, air defense is actually just one part; hence, breaking through the enemy’s air defense network is merely a prerequisite for achieving the goals, not the goal itself.

That’s exactly why, when planning, Ding Zhennan repeatedly emphasized that breaking through the air defense network is just one aspect; the key is to destroy or cripple Iraq’s communication command systems at the first opportunity, slowing down the response time of the Iraqi command system, and thereby seizing control of the battle initiative.

Clearly, the key is the communication command system, not the air defense system.

Or rather, both have equal importance.

It was for this reason that it was first determined that it was necessary for the "Attack-11", which had made its debut during the Sri Lanka rebellion and had been a focus of the outside world’s attention over the past few years, to participate in the combat.

To speak frankly, the 8 "Attack-11" planes stationed in Saudi Arabia after nightfall were Ding Zhennan’s only ace in hand.

The reason is simple; only this type of stealth attack aircraft is capable of penetrating Iraq’s air defense network without the need for external support.

However, only a maximum of 4 "Attack-11" aircraft could be deployed tonight.

The main reason is that the stealth coating used by the "Attack-11" is too delicate and maintenance is quite challenging, which is why the actual combat readiness is extremely low.

According to Ding Zhennan’s plan, 2 "Attack-11" would strike Baghdad with laser-guided bombs to destroy 4 targets: the President Mansion, the Republic Guard headquarters, Baghdad’s air defense command center, and the National Telecommunications and Communication Building. At the same time, another 2 "Attack-11" would be on standby in the rear to ensure they could complete the primary bombing missions if necessary. If the 4 main targets were already destroyed, these 2 "Attack-11" would, depending on the situation, bomb Baghdad’s National Television Station, the power transmission and distribution center, or other strategic targets.

Based on the performance of "Attack-11" in the exercises over the years, unless there was a malfunction or accident, they were certain to complete their bombing missions.

Theoretically, the destruction probability was as high as 96%.

Merely destroying a few strategic targets was not enough to break the deadlock.

For secrecy and also due to the low sortie rate, not many "Attack-11" were deployed to Saudi Arabia, which also meant they could not all be launched.

Even though the Air Force had promised to send all the "Attack-11" planes, the earliest they could arrive would be in 10 days.

The reason was simple; there were no hangars with the necessary controlled temperature conditions to provide maintenance for the "Attack-11" at the King Khalid Military City.

The Air Force was in the process of setting up temporary maintenance centers, but it required sufficient time.

Striking strategic targets near Baghdad entailed mobilizing other forces.

However, the difficulty and risk were both exceedingly high.

That’s why Ding Zhennan chose cruise missiles, which did not need to worry about casualties.

Here, Ding Zhennan made a compromise, entrusting the Navy with the first round of missile assault tasks to launch cruise missiles from naval vessels.

It could also be considered a nod to the Navy’s pride.

After all, the Navy had deployed 6 carrier battle groups, sending hundreds of large battleships; they couldn’t just spectate.

According to Ding Zhennan’s arrangements, the Navy would launch over 150 cruise missiles, focusing on striking the air defense positions of Iraq in and around Baghdad and Basra.

Simply put, it was about taking out the Iraqi air defense capabilities to clear a path for the Attack Aircraft Group that would follow shortly after.

This included the "Attack-11".

Although it was a stealth attack aircraft, the "Attack-11" could still be detected by radar; the stealth design just significantly reduced the radar’s detection range. To put it directly, as long as one is close enough, radar can still detect, and even lock on to the "Attack-11".

When carrying out the attack mission, the "Attack-11" needed to avoid enemy Air Defense Radars as much as possible.

Indeed, this was the main challenge.

Iraq had too many Air Defense Radars!

According to intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Bureau, let alone the "Attack-11", even cruise missiles flying at ultra-low altitudes throughout their journey might not be able to successfully penetrate Iraq’s air defense network. Because of their slow flying speed and following a preset route, once detected, cruise missiles are extremely likely to be shot down by air defense fire. There was no need for Air Defense Missiles, just small-caliber High-altitude Guns could take down a cruise missile.

Simply put, the penetration ability of cruise missiles mainly relies on their stealth and surprise.