Chapter 588

Chapter 588: Energy Attack Techniques

The battlefield’s situation constantly changed, and unexpected events could happen at any moment. In the chaos of battle, even Lin Mo couldn’t predict some sudden occurrences.

This was when the difference between an ordinary pilot and an ace pilot became evident; if it had been any other pilot, they might not only have jumped out of the aircraft but possibly turned into a fireball on the spot.

When the last “Gazelle” exploded, two air-to-air missiles shot out, startling the ground command personnel, who feared their pilot would meet a terrible fate.

Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, those missiles ignored their own fighter and raced toward the infrared flares, creating another fireball.

When the ground commander queried through communication, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief, responding, “All is normal.”

The explosion had occurred so close that he felt the aircraft shaking dangerously close to its design limit. He planned to have Gold Coin inspect the damage after the battle; for now, he needed to deal with the enemies on the ground.

Checking the recent records, he confirmed the two missiles were SA-7 “Graal” missiles, using infrared guidance. It was unfortunate for the modified “Mustang,” which had infrared flare dispensing systems installed.

The thermal reaction from the flares was noticeably stronger than that of the “Mustang,” which made it predictable that the "smart" missiles would naturally choose them as targets.

From the missile model fired, Lin Mo deduced that the two destroyed “Gazelles” were likely customized versions from Yugoslavia. Since the U.S. had already taken action against Yugoslavia, it wasn’t surprising that some armed helicopters had gone missing.

If it had been a Chinese version of the “Gazelle,” Lin Mo would have to bid farewell to his little secret.

The destruction of the two “Gazelle” armed helicopters eliminated the primary reliance of the armed organization. Without air superiority, they fell into a disadvantage, suffering from relentless attacks.

A “Gazelle” officially sold for $800,000, but to operate one effectively, maintenance and pilot costs alone wouldn’t be less than $600,000 annually. Although powerful, these aircraft were a significant financial burden.

With this loss, the leader of the armed organization, Captain Heim, fumed as he commanded a dual-purpose anti-aircraft machine gun to fire at the obnoxious propeller fighter in the sky.

The ammunition belt rolled rapidly, and bullet casings sprayed out like seeds from an automatic seed spitting machine. Amid the rapid gunfire, the bullets flew into the air like a fiery whip.

It felt like Lin Mo had unexpectedly struck at their core, as suddenly, the ground fire intensified. The “Mustang” showed no intention of fleeing, playfully taunting the frantic armed personnel below.

“Have these guys gone crazy?”

Lin Mo promptly released two 50-kilogram small bombs while rolling.

These were special additions from the Special Operations Team for his “Mustang.” With limited payload capacity, “Mustang” couldn’t carry as many bombs as larger jet fighters.

For close combat, the “Mustang” proved to be more economical. The U.S. Military had even equipped a batch of “Mustangs” to supplement ground attack missions, suitable for complex terrains in places like Afghanistan.

Moreover, this cheap fighter had solid striking power, so damaging it wasn’t financially troubling.

“Bring out all the anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missiles. Even if this deal falls through, we need to take that plane down!”

Captain Heim, with bloodshot eyes, was nearly driven mad as he ordered to unveil the shipment for this transaction, determined to go all-in.

Without support from armed helicopters, they couldn’t escape while under relentless harassment from the aircraft above. If they wanted to break out, they had to shoot down this annoying plane.

Unbeknownst to them, the aircraft seemed to have an endless supply of bullets, always striking critical spots. The gunfire and the mortar positions had been thoroughly pulverized. Had it not been for the armored vehicles providing cover and their experienced veterans, they might have been overwhelmed after the first few assaults.

This relentless plane seemed like a ghost; no matter how the ground forces fired at it, the propeller fighter found gaps to slip through unharmed, its twisting form mocking the ground troops as if they were fools.

Captain Heim regretted not bringing along two armored vehicles for this mission, but by now, he still didn’t know who dared to challenge them. Didn’t they fear retaliation from their powerful backers?

Or perhaps there was some formidable force among the women they had captured, though that seemed unlikely. Before taking action, their organization would certainly investigate anyone’s background, and even someone with minor influence would just be the daughter of a county governor from a small town in Northwest China.

Their movements were incredibly covert, remaining low-key even when not on missions. Yet, it was unexpected that they had been targeted and suffered greatly.

As his mind raced with thoughts, Captain Heim suspected there might be a traitor in the organization. If he could survive this, he would rigorously cleanse the team and the secret base, ensuring betrayal was punished severely.

He imagined a gruesome scene where disloyal traitors would be beaten into skeletons to set an example.

“Great job, ‘Mustang’! Support us on the east side again; I estimate we can wrap up this fight in an hour.”

The ground operation commander of the Special Operations Team sent Lin Mo a congratulatory message. The reinforcements from the “Mustang” had been a tremendous help, playing a crucial role in the battle.

The “Mustang” had cut off enemy pursuit of the rescue team right from the start, ensuring the mission could proceed smoothly.

Then, after taking down the last “Gazelle,” it allowed the ground attack troops to focus without fear, successfully closing in on their encirclement. They then wiped out the enemy’s most threatening mortar positions, allowing the ground troops to minimize casualties and methodically pick off the opposition, securing victory.

The “Mustang” fighter’s ultra-low altitude maneuvers through the enemy’s firepower network left a deep impression on the soldiers of the Special Operations Team.

Lin Mo didn’t follow the typical pattern most imagined of launching a quick attack and retreating immediately to find another strike opportunity. Instead, he pressed down, dazzling the ground forces by mercilessly assaulting every fire position, dismantling the most threatening targets with ease like a butcher skillfully cutting meat. The soldiers felt a seamless coordination that was exhilarating, downright joyful!

He didn’t even need to call for air support; the “Mustang” acted like the most attentive caretaker, always appearing where they needed it most, carefully clearing every obstacle in their path.

The Night Special Forces had struck gold. The commander of this operations team revealed a deep jealousy, realizing that having this ace pilot made each battle feel like a form of entertainment. Yes, indeed, it was entertainment.

“Understood, sir!”

Lin Mo adjusted the aircraft’s nose, preparing to perform an Immelmann maneuver to climb to an appropriate altitude and sweep fire over the designated area, switching to a rapid-fire setting.

The computer-controlled machine gun allowed Lin Mo to freely set it to three-round bursts, five-round bursts, ten-round bursts, or continuous fire. This method conserves ammunition, and the internal wing storage had enough room for quite a bit. If he wished, he could even install an automatic continuous feed system for additional ammunition.

Altitude, speed, firepower, and maneuverability; aerial combat was no longer just about these four elements.

From geometrical air combat techniques to energy maneuvering tactics, warfare theory had reached a new height alongside fighter performance upgrades.

Climbing built energy, while diving released it; this was just a small glimpse of energy maneuvering tactics.

Linear acceleration and sudden barrel rolls combined formed a foundation for Lin Mo to morph the “Mustang’s” flight envelope into limitless possibilities.

This was the energy maneuver theory established by U.S. Air Force Major John Boyd in the early 20th century. Lin Mo had his profound understanding of it and loved to experiment with various small techniques combined into unexpectedly powerful air combat skills.

If the aerial knights were classified by their techniques, Lin Mo stood out as the ace of the energy maneuver faction.

Just as Lin Mo lifted the aircraft’s nose, he was suddenly barraged by an onslaught of bullets from below, lines of flame wrapped around the “Mustang.”

He could even hear the sounds of bullets scraping against the aircraft’s skin. He quickly halted his ascent, executing a sideslip roll to escape. Looking back, he discovered that ten anti-aircraft machine guns had appeared from nowhere in the armed organization’s position, relentlessly firing into the sky, trying to ensnare his “Mustang.”

It seemed incredibly bad luck; these arms dealers had brought far too many anti-aircraft guns. This was a major miscalculation, and the repair costs would need to be demanded from the Special Operations Team below. While the bullets rained down, Lin Mo couldn’t help but feel pained about the losses of his newly modified fighter.

Suddenly, Lin Mo felt a violent jolt; bullet holes appeared on the surface, and the “Mustang” hadn’t been able to evade. Truly, in the tumult of the battlefield, it was impossible to avoid being hit.

Had it not been for flying along the bullet’s path, the damage could have been much worse.

What a significant loss, what a major setback, Lin Mo muttered to himself as he looked back, relieved to see that the bullet from the aircraft had created a small smoke plume but was quickly sealed by the internal gel, keeping the damage manageable.