Empire Conquest-Chapter 721 - 34: Swarming In

Following the "Attack-11" Plane Group, the fighter jets that stormed into Iraq belonged to the "Snowy Owl" squadron, which had 12 air defense suppression fighters.

These were "War-10AD" fighters equipped with anti-radiation missiles and suitably modified for electronic warfare.

Among the thousands of tactical aircraft in the Empire Air Force, the "Snowy Owl" squadron’s "War-10AD" can be considered the most specialized and most vital.

Of course, this is also because air defense suppression is both highly challenging and risky.

In a pilot’s words, this is a battle between the Falcon and the Cobra, where even though the Falcon is the natural predator of the Cobra, it might still fall victim to it.

To outsiders, the squadron’s pilots are a group of daredevils!

Moreover, it takes more than just a pilot’s courage and skills.

During the early stage of the Boi War, the Empire Air Force suffered from a lack of air defense suppression capabilities and recognized its importance.

By the later stages of the war, the Empire Air Force had modified several attack aircraft to carry anti-radiation missiles, undertake air defense suppression missions, and named them "Snowy Owls," meaning they can launch an attack just by "hearing" like Snowy Owls.

In the last few years of the Boi War, the value of the "Snowy Owl" squadron was thoroughly proven.

According to statistics by the Empire Air Force, under intense air defense suppression, the efficiency of the enemy’s air defense systems was reduced by several orders of magnitude, and the hit rate of air defense missiles was reduced by a hundredfold. Correspondingly, the operation loss rate of the Empire Air Force significantly decreased.

How significant was the reduction?

In the four years after the war, the tactical loss rate of the Empire Air Force fell from fifteen per thousand in the preceding four years to less than one per thousand.

That’s why the "Snowy Owl" squadron became the star of the Empire Air Force.

The "Snowy Owl" squadron, or the 777th Tactical Air Force Wing, possessed a total of 244 combat aircraft, of which more than 160 were air defense suppression fighters, with over 120 of the recently commissioned "War-10AD" fighters, and the other 40 also being the upgraded "Attack-7ED."

Moreover, the pilots of the "Snowy Owl" squadron were all elite members of the Air Force.

To join the "Snowy Owl" squadron, one needed at least 2500 flight hours and experience flying more than three types of tactical aircraft.

Out of approximately 40,000 pilots in the Empire Air Force Tactical Air Force, only about 5% met this criterion.

Moreover, even meeting the standard did not guarantee selection.

Every two years, the "Snowy Owl" squadron held a public selection from other Wings of the Air Force, with three rounds of assessments, and an acceptance rate between 1% and 2%.

Certainly, the strength of the "Snowy Owl" squadron was not just in its excellent pilots and advanced combat aircraft but also in its equally advanced weaponry.

Yes, that’s the anti-radiation missile.

The only difference between the "War-10AD" and "War-10A" is the ability to carry and use anti-radiation missiles.

Now, the Empire Air Force’s anti-radiation missiles had evolved to the third generation.

Compared to the earlier two generations, such as the still-in-service second-generation anti-radiation missiles, the third-generation anti-radiation missile, nicknamed "Meteor" or "KD-18," was actually developed from the "KK-6," to be precise, using the "KK-6" missile body but replacing the guidance head and warhead. Besides being capable of flying at a speed of 2.5 Mach and having a range of up to 80 kilometers, it also featured a wide-band guidance head and had memory functions.

In simple terms, a single guidance head could cover most radar operation frequencies.

Moreover, once it locked onto a radar, even if the radar suddenly turned off or shifted its beam direction, which were tactics commonly used against anti-radiation missiles, the "KD-18" could still calculate the radar’s position based on the signals received and complete the attack under the control of its inertial guidance system.

Moreover, the "KD-18C" had enhanced resistance to interference, so even if the enemy used active jamming devices, they might not be effective.

In theory, a "War-10AD" could carry four "KD-18C" missiles on a composite rack.

Additionally, a typical attack formation consisted of four "War-10AD" aircraft to ensure sufficient firepower to destroy the enemy’s air defense system.

Tactically, it often involved flying two "War-10AD" at high altitudes to lure the enemy’s air defense radars to activate.

This way, the "War-10AD" flying at lower altitudes at the rear could fire without being threatened.

However, facing a high-intensity air defense system still required the assistance of electronic warfare aircraft.

This time was no exception.

Twelve "War-10AD" were divided into three groups, with two specialized "Attack-8FZ" electronic attack aircraft about 20 kilometers behind each group.

This was also the last batch of "Attack-8" still in service with frontline units.

This type of attack aircraft, which had been equipped by the Empire Air Force over twenty years ago and almost served in the Imperial Navy during the Boi War, began withdrawing from frontline units years ago, with the last "Attack-8E" squadron officially retiring from active duty the year before last.

However, about 40 "Attack-8FZ" developed from the "Attack-8E" were still in service with the Air Force.

The reason was simple: the Air Force had not yet found a replacement for the "Attack-8FZ" electronic attack aircraft.

The key issue was that within the Air Force’s tactical aircraft, none could match the "Attack-8" in terms of tonnage and size!

To put it simply, the "Attack-8" is the only 50-ton class attack aircraft from the war to the present!

Not just in the Empire Air Force, but looking at the world, no other attack aircraft matches the tonnage of the "Attack-8."

The closest equivalent to the "Attack-8" is the Newland Air Force’s F-111, which has a maximum takeoff weight of just over 45 tons, still nearly 6 tons lighter than the "Attack-8."