Chapter 202
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 202: HAL is Truly a Joke
“I was a bait too, you know? Just get used to it, safety first. By the time you shake off the missile, it will be morning,” Lin Mo reasoned, but his argument clearly fell flat, leading to a series of grinding noises coming from the headset.
“No, no more?! Where’s the missile?”
After launching the missile, the Indian air defense troops received tracking signals from another radar station. They watched as two points representing the missiles disappeared from the screen, while the two fighter jets entangled with the missiles swayed away. They looked at each other, dumbfounded.
What just happened?!
Was it the missile hitting the plane, or the plane hitting the missile? Who was the nemesis of whom?
Except for the radar station that had assisted in locking onto the aircraft group, which was destroyed by an anti-radiation missile, several radar stations still stood dozens of kilometers away, able to relay signals through the same data link.
A fighter jet flickered on the radar screen like a ghost. If not for multiple radars emitting full power radar waves, the jet’s reflection signal would be nearly invisible.
A chill crept into the hearts of the Indian air defense soldiers as they shook their heads at the remaining “Sky” air defense missile on the launch pad. They thought better of sending it out; this missile was no curry tea egg.
“Wild Wolf Squadron has confirmed the target; get ready to drop the bombs!”
“Tiger Shark Squadron has spotted the enemy aircraft—eight in total, four Mirage-2000s and four Su-30s!”
The aircraft group, nearly reaching the combat area, all identified their respective targets simultaneously. The Indian fighter jets responded promptly, beginning to intercept.
“Knight Squadron acknowledges; we’re coming right over.”
The signals in the sky suddenly became active. The Azrael Squadron and Tiger Shark Squadron canceled their radio silence and unleashed their active radar almost simultaneously without any restraint.
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state in southern India, is the fifth-largest city in India with a population of six million. It has become the center of heavy industry in India and is known as the “Silicon Valley of India.” However, the urban environment cannot be compared to the real Silicon Valley, as congestion and poor city sanitation are far from reflecting the name “Silicon Valley.”
The pride of the Indians, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is India’s largest defense contractor and the leading enterprise in the defense industry, located in Bangalore. It is also the production base for India’s indigenous LCA Mirage-2000 lightweight multirole fighter.
However, to foreigners, HAL is merely a joke, a defense firm notorious for its frighteningly high product failure rates. If it were in China, such a company would be better suited as a target practice for bomber fleets.
HAL is known worldwide for the following results:
Assembling two MiG-21s and overhauling eight—of which eight crashed;
Assembling one MiG-21 BISON and overhauling one—of which one crashed;
Assembling three Jaguars and overhauling five—of which six crashed;
Overhauling four Mirage-2000s—all of which crashed;
Assembling three MiG-27s and overhauling three—of which four crashed;
Overhauling three MiG-29s—all of which crashed.
In the past few years, among the 29 aircraft that crashed in the Indian Air Force, 26 were manufactured, overhauled, or upgraded by HAL…
Since the mid-1990s, around 70 combat aircraft in the Indian Air Force have crashed due to “technical defects,” a significant number of which were assembled or modified by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Indian pilots risk their lives flying HAL-manufactured jets, battling enemies on one front and HAL on another.
As a heavy industrial area in Bangalore suddenly came under air attack, the shock to the Indians was immense. Many junior air force officers didn’t even have time to react. Only the garrison forces stationed at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport managed to scramble in a hasty counterattack.
Even so, with little preparation, the F-16 fighter jets from Pakistan’s Tiger Shark Squadron were enough to give them a run for their money.
The Tiger Shark Squadron immediately separated to conduct escort operations, while the Ghoul Squadron launched suppressive attacks on the limited ground air defense fire. The few anti-aircraft machine guns and artillery posed little threat to the “Wild Wolf” Squadron, which had already climbed to a safe altitude and entered an offensive state.
“I see the target! There are plenty of aircraft on the ground; they should be the ‘Tejas’ and Su-30 ‘Flankers’ that haven’t been delivered yet.”
Lin Mo and Meat Sauce were on their way to the attack site when they heard the voice from the Wild Wolf Squadron.
The A-5 strike aircraft formation, with a payload of 1.5 tons, was enough to make the Indians suffer. With external fuel tanks added and aerial refueling en route, the Q-5 model greatly improved its long-range attack capability.
At Peshawar Air Force Base, the A-5s would make their final stand in this battle. In the hands of Chinese pilots, after unleashing their last firepower, they would be retired after returning, all replaced with training aircraft or sent to other countries.
“Got it. Use cluster bombs and cloud explosive bombs on the factory area. We’ll start our attack and withdraw as soon as we’re done; we’re low on fuel.”
“Understood, Ghoul Squadron is clearing the ground; we’ll handle the factory.”
“Don’t worry, brothers! We’re launching the third wave of attacks; let the Knight Squadron take care of the end.”
“Alright, I hear you. Let’s get moving; I can already see the beams from the agent’s laser.”
A line of fighter jets waiting for repairs or final checks came into view of the Wild Wolf Squadron.
The A-5 strike aircraft formation opened their bomb bay and dropped two 500-kilogram cluster bombs one after the other. Then, they pulled up sharply, significantly reducing their weight. The dark spots broke apart, releasing 1,520 small sub-munitions.
The ground defense troops futilely opened fire into the air, but still could not stop the cluster bombs from falling. One of the bombs covered nearly 300 square meters, and each blast had the force of six hand grenades, instantly turning the open apron of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited into a sea of flames.
A total of three tons of cluster bombs fell, thoroughly plowing the entire apron. For the exposed aircraft, it was a deadly weapon.
Shrapnel and intense shockwaves tore several fighter jets to pieces. Even those that didn’t fully disintegrate had their delicate electronic systems destroyed, leading to inevitable structural damage, rendering them completely useless.
The anguish was visible on the faces of Indian soldiers and workers on guard, tears and despair mingling; all those nights and days of hard work went up in flames.
That was not all; the escorting FC-20 squadron followed with cannon fire, shredding a few lucky fighters that had survived the bombing into fragments.
“We continue!” The three A-5 strike aircraft, glowing with pride, banked sharply toward the tall factory buildings.
They shook their wings and continued dropping cloud explosive bombs.
Against buildings, cloud explosive bombs were truly unparalleled. The high-energy explosive fuel expanded near the ground, partially engulfing the large steel structure of the factory. A spark ignited, followed by a dazzling fireball that consumed the entire building.
Personnel on the explosion site were instantly turned to ash by the flames.
At a weight of 250 kilograms, the cloud explosive bombs had power comparable to a 1,250-kilogram TNT explosion. The shockwave and visual effects resembled a small nuclear explosion.
Distant civilians watched in disbelief as the small red mushroom cloud rose, screaming in horror; to them, it looked like a nuclear explosion, a sign of death and despair.
The larger FC-20 followed closely behind, dropping conventional heavyweight bombs and cloud explosive bombs in rapid succession. Sections of factories were overturned and torn to pieces, with various equipment and unfinished fighter jets suffering the same fate.
The F-16s of the Tiger Shark Squadron, responsible for intercepting Indian fighter jets, also joined in to drop bombs, leaving Bangalore in a sleepless night.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, representing India’s defense aircraft suppliers, was thoroughly devastated, effectively cutting off the roots of the Indian Air Force. Without aircraft, pilots couldn’t fight back against Pakistan’s fighter jets with just rifles, could they?
The Tiger Shark Squadron carried newly delivered Chinese SD-10 medium-range air-to-air missiles and had modified their launch racks. They spared no expense and used active radar guidance to shoot down eight Indian fighter jets with ease, even without needing to fire their cannons.
The intercepter Tiger Shark Squadron suffered no losses, showcasing the results of advanced weaponry.
When the Indian pilots saw their on-board radar identify the missile type, they were instantly terrified. The SD-10 medium-range air-to-air missile represented one of the most advanced missiles from China, outperforming America’s AIM-120A/B. It had a maximum range of 100 kilometers, and when Pakistani pilots pressed the launch button, the Indian fighter jets found themselves in an inescapable zone.
There wasn’t even time for a decent dogfight; ejecting with parachutes became the only option for the Indian pilots as their aircraft exploded.
“It’s game over; we need to leave!”
Lin Mo received a warning from the Southern Dipper satellite system; the Indians were going all out. Dozens of fighter jets took off from multiple air force bases, heading toward Bangalore.
The Azrael Squadron and Tiger Shark Squadron quickly began their retreat after emptying their bombs, avoiding ground anti-aircraft fire once again by following a different path at ultra-low altitude.
They launched anti-radiation missiles to destroy radar stations along the way, erasing the Indians’ visibility. With each explosion, money went up in smoke.
