Chapter 177
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Chapter 177: Fireworks in the Sky
The so-called theoretical maximum range of 80 kilometers for India’s domestically produced "Astra" missile is heavily exaggerated. Even launching it at 40 kilometers may not pose a threat to the Chinese volunteer pilots.
The rocket propulsion lasts only a few seconds; victory and defeat depend on the high overload. Once the launch begins, evading it becomes much easier, and catching up is not simple.
“Lock on to R-77. I can take out one, the rest is up to you!”
In this first night dogfight, Lin Mo was especially cautious. He lightly tapped the cannon, firing a few scattered 23mm rounds, destroying the closest and most threatening R-77 air-to-air missile in the second wave, igniting it into a fireball.
The operational range of the R-77 air-to-air missile is only 45 kilometers, and as part of the beyond-visual-range arsenal, its lack of stability is a significant flaw. It can inexplicably lose its target even when there is no interference.
“Well done, Dragon Knight!”
“Great sharpshooter!”
“Hera smiles! Hooray!” Meat Sauce excitedly pulled down his oxygen mask and whistled!
The pilots in the channel cheered as Lin Mo’s fighter jet was known for shooting down missiles with its cannon, making him a powerful ally.
The remaining three missiles were now manageable. The two FC-20s from the Ghoul Squadron each lured two missiles away. After making some sharp evasive maneuvers, the missiles had no choice but to crash into infrared flares, and the Wild Wolves Squadron used infrared flares to detonate the last missile.
Almost simultaneously, two fireballs erupted from the ten Indian fighter jets, as the Wild Wolves Squadron launched three AIM-7F Sparrow air-to-air missiles, two of which surprisingly hit their targets.
The radar and warning aircraft quickly confirmed the results as two Mirage-2000s were shot down amidst the chaos.
In missile engagements, both sides rely on flying skills; the more experienced one will win. Being locked on by a missile doesn’t mean a certain death sentence.
“’Ghoul’ Squadron, let’s divide and conquer six of the Indian MiG-29s. I’ll take two!” Lin Mo said in the channel, “’Wild Wolves’ Squadron will handle the Mirage-2000s, three against two, is that clear?!”
With the first victory under their belt, the comrades’ confidence soared.
“Roger! ‘Ghoul’ Squadron received!”
“’Wild Wolves’ Squadron will definitely give them a hard time!”
“Hooray! Comrade ‘Caviar’, let’s show them that not just anyone can fly a MiG!”
“’Dragon Knight,’ you stole my line; I’m the leader today!”
“Who told you to be so slow, poor ‘Meat Sauce’!”
“Haha…”
Laughter filled the channel, and the laughter of the Pakistani Team 1 pilots was equally lively.
The four FC-20s broke formation and simultaneously illuminated the six Indian MiG-29s in the distance with their fire control radar, issuing a duel challenge to the aerial knights.
Both formations became completely chaotic, turning the sky into a battlefield where everything was up for grabs—fighters against fighters, troops against troops, and small teams against small teams.
The roar of engines filled the air, and bright streaks of light shot everywhere as continuous cannon fire echoed throughout.
“’Dragon Knight,’ cover us! We’re making a move!” Meat Sauce’s adrenaline surged, his voice trembling as he focused on the night navigation and radar displays. In the dark sky, he could only see the fighter jets, missile trails, and the faint signals of their lights amidst the cannon’s tracer rounds and cockpit instruments. They trusted their night combat systems more.
Whoosh!
The FC-20 next to Meat Sauce emitted a series of lights, disappearing into the darkness, while Lin Mo surprisingly got ahead again.
“You’re moving too fast again!?” Meat Sauce yelled as he quickly locked onto a MiG-29. The opponent was cunning—realizing it was about to get locked on, it swayed left and right, either making sharp turns or barrel rolls to evade the FC-20’s targeting.
“I’m covering you. My night vision is better than yours! Be careful; the enemy launched a missile; it’s a Sidewinder!” Lin Mo’s voice came through the channel.
“Little did you know! You think I can’t play tricks!” In Lin Mo’s view, the semi-transparent light mirror technique array in his cockpit made his vision indistinguishable from daytime, allowing him to operate without the night navigation and low-light aiming systems. To outsiders, his cockpit only appeared slightly brighter, especially during intense maneuvers, making it harder to see the illuminated light mirrors in the air.
Night combat was destined to be devoid of many strange maneuvers. Even with no fear of crashing into mountains, one must still avoid colliding with other fighter jets. Unintentionally, the air combat area suddenly expanded greatly, with soldiers confronting soldiers, knights facing knights, each searching for their opponent to engage in a duel.
“I’ll go left, you go right! Three! Two! One! Go!” Meat Sauce, as the leader, initiated the evasive maneuver.
With a sudden pull of the joystick, Meat Sauce pushed the fighter jet forward, and Lin Mo almost simultaneously pulled the joystick to fly in another direction. A missile zoomed past their previous formation, twisting and turning as it made a big loop to pursue them again.
The Sidewinder air-to-air missile used by the Indians was an improved variant with a longer range, unlike the close-range Sidewinders mounted on the FC-20s, which only had a range of around four or five kilometers.
“Damn it! It’s locked onto me!”
Lin Mo’s angry curses filled the channel.
He had kindly reminded Meat Sauce to evade, and now that pesky Sidewinder missile was chasing him instead, which was truly infuriating.
Supersonic propulsion! The FC-20 roared as it dashed through the sky, creating a thunderous sound.
Although the Sidewinder missile moved at 2.5 Mach, just 0.5 Mach faster than the FC-20’s supersonic speed, catching up to Lin Mo in a short time was still difficult.
The FC-20’s afterburner flared dramatically as it broke the sound barrier, heading straight for the two Mirage-2000s, which were now very close. A barrage of cannon fire aimed directly at Lin Mo intercepted his maneuvering path.
The sky was wide open, and anything could happen at any moment.
“Be careful, be careful! Deploy flares!”
Seeing Lin Mo’s fighter jet trapped between enemy fighters in front and a missile behind, Meat Sauce quickly pulled off a sharp turn, preparing to assist.
“No problem! No problem! Closer, closer!” Lin Mo’s FC-20 deftly maneuvered through the incoming burst of fire, weaving left and right and executing rapid roll maneuvers. At this point, there were no classic dogfighting techniques; everything relied on various improvised small movements to evade.
Incredibly miraculous and perilously exciting, the crazy high-speed small maneuvers helped him dodge bullet after bullet. Meanwhile, the relentless Sidewinder missile was entering a direct attack mode.
In formation fighting, the tactic of striking the enemy’s rear often posed a threat, but victory could come down to a single moment. Even an outdated fighter jet could threaten a more advanced one, as both sides had the capability for a lethal strike. A hit from a large-caliber cannon could easily take out even a tank.
Facing a fighter jet already locked onto by a Sidewinder missile, the Indian pilot didn’t hesitate to waste his missiles and instead eagerly fired a series of cannon shots, waiting for Lin Mo’s fighter jet to explode into flames.
“Beep beep!”
A locking sound echoed from the radar screen, which sounded like heavenly music to Lin Mo’s ears. The FC-20 was known as a fierce model that could attack from any locked-on state.
Enjoy it, enjoy it! Oh Indians!
“You can’t catch a wolf if you’re too attached to your child! You won’t earn a trump card if you’re too stingy!”
Lin Mo quickly tapped the launch button; two Sidewinders shot straight out from beneath the wings, while at the same time, the cannon on Lin Mo’s belly fired continuously, launching shimmering infrared flares that sparkled like pearls.
Such a complex operation was completed in an instant, a display of almost ghostly blind operation—Lin Mo felt a profound familiarity with the control panel deep in his bones.
One vs. Two!
At an almost two thousand-meter distance, the opponents failed to react in time. The cannon fire from the fighter jet that should have been impossible to hit suddenly forced them to dodge, thinking they were only being fired upon in a last-ditch effort. They didn’t realize that Lin Mo was disregarding the pursuing missile and was directly aiming at their cannon.
At that moment, it was too late for evasive maneuvers. The two MiG-29s, barely managing to turn their aircraft, got hit by the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles coming from the left and right—struck head-on. For such close-range combat missiles, launching from a distance where the cannon could easily hit them made for the perfect target.
Boom!
Two massive fireballs erupted in the sky, and a shadow shot out from the gap between the exploding fireballs.
Lin Mo heard the light sounds of fragments hitting his aircraft, followed by another explosion. The infrared flares and two large explosions directly confused the guidance systems of the pursuing Indian Sidewinder missiles, which detonated just 200 meters behind Lin Mo, the shockwave weakly trailing behind the FC-20’s afterburner.
Poor Indian Sidewinder missile; its infrared guidance system couldn’t distinguish the enormous explosion from the jet engine’s afterburner and crashed right into it, causing a direct self-detonation.
“Arrr!”
Lin Mo heard the wolf-like howl of excitement from Meat Sauce, “Double whammy! Nicely done!”
The superiority of the MiG fighters had vanished completely. In a one-on-one fight, who could the FC-20 possibly fear?
“Let’s help the ‘Ghoul’ Squadron; let’s hope they’re still alive!”
Lin Mo’s Light Mirror Technique quickly locked onto the Ghoul Squadron, which was still engaged in battle. The four FC-20s faced off against the remaining four MiG-29s, which were clearly panicking, and the outcome was all too predictable.
Just moments ago, the two squadrons had formed a line, yet six MiG-29s suddenly pursued the Ghoul Squadron, four against two. The pressure they faced was entirely understandable.
“Found them! Hold on, brothers!” Meat Sauce flew closely beside Lin Mo’s aircraft, the on-board radar scanning the entire airspace, while the updates from the Tiger Shark about the ongoing battles filled his ears.
