Chapter 518

Chapter 518: The Arrogant "Red Eagle"

This was a highly confidential operation authorized by superiors, one that absolutely could not be exposed.

As the Intelligence Group’s Colonel Xie had anticipated, Lin Mo had to be ready at any moment.

How to execute the mission was entirely up to Lin Mo; the superiors only provided him with the time, location, and target.

Lin Mo happened to have a perfect scapegoat in mind, feeling completely at ease without any twinge of guilt.

The clouds served as the best optical cover, and the roar of the engines was nearly indistinguishable from the rolling thunder within the clouds.

“‘Raptor’, I see you.”

The voice of the ground radar station reached Lin Mo’s ears.

As the only fourth-generation and a half combat aircraft in service domestically, the J-18 had outstanding stealth capabilities. The stealth coating underneath its surface paint was equal to that of a genuine F-22 Raptor, with some foreign intelligence agencies claiming that the J-18’s stealth performance even surpassed that of the F-22.

The stealth capabilities of the J-18 "Red Eagle" were so remarkable that even the Chinese military’s own border radar stations could not detect its presence; only very large phased array radars could pick up signals from the "Red Eagle."

“It’s frustrating that you saw me!”

The Dragon Knight was feeling proud again.

The internal weapon bays of the J-18 "Red Eagle" remained open, yet instead of missiles, a metal rod was attached to the mounting point.

What is this? It looked rather dubious.

The peculiar metal rod half protruding from the belly of the aircraft was actually a half-wave dipole. It didn’t require power, yet it could reflect radar waves, easily displaying a signal point on the screens of the ground radar stations.

“Ha ha…”

The radar operators laughed uproariously, enjoying the rare opportunity to navigate for the fighter pilot. Sometimes, they hid in the vast mountains, feeling quite frustrated. Engaging with Lin Mo felt as if a cat were toying with a mouse.

Detecting fighter jets was the job of the radar operators, but now they had cheated.

When domestic fighter jets executed combat missions, no matter how secretive the task, they usually had to be monitored by the air defense system unless special permission was granted. Otherwise, if a pilot impulsively flew over a city and dropped a bomb, the reputation of the air force would be utterly ruined.

This electronic warfare interference technology, once used in World War II, now served as a makeshift method to indicate the position of the J-18 "Red Eagle." After all, it required no expenditure and was effective, right? By closing the internal weapon bay doors, the aircraft could disappear from the radar screen again.

“Direction and flight path are normal. You will reach the border line in thirty minutes. Good luck.”

The soldiers at the radar station compared the parameters of the mission sent by their superiors, using radar to focus on a location far off in the distance. With the same high-power signal sending equipment, radar antennas could sometimes be used as directional communication antennas.

“Can I close the weapon bay doors? It’s really awkward.” Lin Mo subconsciously disliked having his fighter jet appear on anyone’s radar screen, even friendly ones.

The weapon bay doors should only be opened during combat; the fighter jet was like an assassin. Once exposed, it meant doom was near.

“Not a chance.”

The soldiers at the ground radar station unhesitatingly refused. They specialized in capturing aircraft signals. If you go invisible, how would they make a living?

“Annoying guy!”

Lin Mo’s remark directly highlighted the antagonistic relationship between pilots and radar operators; by their professional nature, they were natural enemies.

The J-18 "Red Eagle" finally closed its weapon bay doors within fifty kilometers of the border line, and in that instant, its signal disappeared from the ground radar station’s screen.

Perhaps only a satellite positioning system could track it, but Lin Mo quickly pushed the throttle, rapidly lowering his altitude to hide the aircraft within the mountains. Only the deafening roar was heard, while the aircraft itself was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, even without stealth capabilities, the radar station was powerless in the blind spot at that altitude. No matter how effective the radar, it could not penetrate the mountain ranges.

Even an optical satellite would find it extremely challenging to track the J-18 "Red Eagle" as it performed terrifying high-frequency evasive maneuvers among the mountains.

It was as if they had practiced it thousands of times before; the complex and winding valley did not slow down the "Red Eagle" at all. It flew not only at ultra-low altitude but also at supersonic speeds. Even a genuine F-22 Raptor wouldn’t be able to match what the "Red Eagle" accomplished here.

“Entering Afghanistan!” Lin Mo maneuvered the fighter jet to avoid the reconnaissance posts set up by the Chinese military and the Dragoon Corporation.

To ensure the connection between Gem Valley and mainland China, both sides invested significant manpower and resources to build roads and established guard posts to protect the transport routes. Several villages along the way were relocated to maintain the roads and provide supply services.

The superiors authorized a secret mission for the Night Special Forces Aircrew Group, which they had to keep hidden even from their own people. Guided by the readily available information, Lin Mo easily penetrated the Dragoon Corporation’s defense line.

Beep!

A prompt sounded from the satellite-linked data system, and a target signal appeared on the electronic map. Two small triangular light points blinked, seemingly moving towards the northeast.

This was not the "Red Eagle’s" radar system detecting the opponents; rather, it was the military satellites identifying the targets and transmitting the data through the combat data link.

Lin Mo activated the on-board radar and scanned the area; the radar screen confirmed the presence of two distant signals.

After all, the technology difference was significant. The stealth capabilities of the J-6 were no match for the phased array radar in the nose of the "Red Eagle," and they couldn’t even realize they had been scanned.

This was the gap in technology that could not be bridged by simply adding more cannons.

Slightly increasing altitude, the "Red Eagle" fine-tuned its height while beginning to maneuver.

Of course, this was supposed to be a secret attack operation, so Lin Mo wanted to avoid revealing that they were coming from the north.

Perhaps pretending they were approaching from the direction of Iran would also be a good idea.

With a supersonic cruise speed of 1.77 times the speed of sound, he would sneak up behind the J-6 formation and catch them off guard.

The weather in northern Afghanistan was mostly cloudy, making it nearly impossible for the optical satellites to capture any traces of the "Red Eagle." This timing was carefully planned by the Staff Group for Lin Mo’s strike.

Timing!

Two unidentified J-6 aircraft shot down the Super Dodo’s two-plane formation, and the air superiority gained by the Dragoon Corporation’s newly acquired fighters was completely gone. According to the descriptions retrieved from the rescued pilots, the opponents were highly skilled in aerial combat, expertly using tactics with MiG-series aircraft.

Fortunately, at a critical moment, the Chinese military stationed in Gem Valley promised to intervene.

Ground forces inherently faced disadvantages against aerial forces, making them vulnerable and hard-pressed to retaliate.

To coordinate actions with the Chinese military, Abik deployed over a hundred small teams to quietly search for enemy airfields from the ground, keeping a constant watch on the sky. The moment enemy aircraft were spotted, they reported it immediately via satellite phones.

To achieve this, the Dragoon Corporation, unable to establish a wireless communication division, incurred a huge expense. They equipped all combat units and personnel involved with thousands of satellite phones, racking up a significant phone bill every day.

“Boss, we’ve been hiding for four days, and we haven’t seen anything. Could the enemy’s fighters be broken down?”

Hafar, a scout from the Dragoon defense team who hid on a mountain slope, continued his usual duties after the team’s expansion.

However, this boss was Abik’s most loyal subordinate during his time as a mercenary, Omar, who was responsible for reconnaissance missions. The entire reconnaissance team was dispatched, and even this team leader went deep into enemy territory with the scout team, conducting thorough search efforts to locate enemy fighters.

They hoped to find the location of the enemy airfield to take out those two pesky J-6s.

Although the Dragoon Corporation adopted this clumsy approach, it was the best plan they had at the moment.

“Don’t worry, Hafar. Team 44 has spotted the shadow of the J-6s. Teams 52 and 81 have confirmed they are heading our way. As long as we collect more of their flight paths, we might be able to deduce the location of their airfield. Hmph! If they’re capable, they shouldn’t land.”

Omar, one of Abik’s most capable hands, frequently gathered critical military intelligence, helping the Dragoon combat units avert many crises.

“Boss, look, to the north, they’re coming!”

The voice belonged to another scout, Larry, who had stuck close to Hafar during the defense of Gem Valley. The two shared a deep bond and were accustomed to working together.

“Okay, I see them.” Omar raised his military binoculars, adjusting the focus to the maximum. In the shaky view, he spotted two J-6s with swept-back wings and silver fuselages, lacking any markings.

They did not notice that, in addition to the roar of the J-6s’ turbofan engines, there was another, far more powerful sound echoing in the sky.

“Quickly record this and report the coordinates!” Omar gestured to Hafar, who was holding a GPS device.

Nearby, Larry cautiously withdrew a Stinger surface-to-air missile. If the moment was right, he wouldn’t mind taking a surprise shot at the enemy. Many heroes had been caught off guard by minor players like this.

As soon as Omar finished speaking, a small point of light, trailing a long white smoke tail, zoomed in and hit one of the J-6s in the twin formation, causing a massive fireball to erupt in the sky.