What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 505 The Great Air Raid

[Shot down 1 fighter jet]

Because the Nighthawks were already returning to base and moving away from the anti-aircraft towers when the anti-aircraft guns retaliated, the anti-aircraft guns could not continue to fire as they had when intercepting the incoming air defense group. After shooting down one Nighthawk, they could no longer reach the F117 group, and the enhanced surveillance radar also shut down and entered CD mode.

However, at least one stealth fighter was shot down. Tang Wen, who was forcibly woken up from his sleep, calmed down a little and felt that it was not enough.

He briefly regained consciousness before becoming drowsy again. Before falling asleep, he summoned a ship girl, and together they teleported to the USS Zeppelin, nestled in the rainforest.
"40 Super Swifts and 80 Gnats, all armed with air combat gear, will launch a stealthy attack with a manned-to-unmanned ratio of 1:5. They will immediately strike the Guyana Air Base and complete the operation before dawn!"

After saying all that, Tang Wen wanted to add some more details, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep on the ship girl's lap.

Jean Bart coldly placed him on the bed in the captain's cabin, and then, as the secretary ship, carried out orders. Squadrons of Super Swifts appeared on the deck of the Zeppelin and took off one after another. At the same time, anti-aircraft towers No. 1 and No. 3 began to launch grubs in preparation for the operation.

At 2 a.m., 120 fighter jets assembled in Amazonas state and flew in super-dense formation at low altitude toward the border.

……

Prism Building
If circumstances allowed, Wayne would have preferred to personally go to Guyana to oversee the battle, but at this moment he was also up all night waiting for battle reports.

He timed it perfectly, sending the message to Charles an hour after the F117 formation completed its final aerial refueling, by which time Charles would have already witnessed the attack.

Unlike when he was stationed at E3 to command F-15 formations, stealth fighters don't even turn on their radar during combat in order to remain as stealthy as possible. In most cases, they rely on passive EOTS for detection and locking, and they avoid using communication whenever possible.

Moreover, like the F-22, the F-117 cannot be integrated into the data link, focuses more on individual combat, and cannot obtain information in real time.

He kept calculating the flight path and time of the Nighthawk squadron in his mind. When he calculated that they should be close to the border and enter the radiation range of the Guiana Air Base, the Nighthawk squadron and Charles sent messages almost simultaneously.

Charles angrily retorted in his reply why he hadn't been informed of the air raid beforehand, then said that the unprepared Marines would have to wait until dawn to confirm the results, and finally said that four enemy planes had been shot down, and that one unidentified plane had also crashed, requesting verification.

The Night Hawk Squad's response was more concise and clear:
-
The airstrike mission was successfully completed; all eight GBU-27 missiles were observed to have hit their targets.
An F117 has been lost for unknown reasons. The pilot ejected in area B7 and requests immediate rescue from ground forces.

Upon seeing the second message, Wayne couldn't help but swear, first launching into a vicious attack on Lockma's family.

The Night Hawk team didn't mention being attacked, so it was most likely a mechanical malfunction. In fact, because the F117 had poor maneuverability and the fly-by-wire flight control system wasn't perfect during development, dangerous situations often occurred during training.

Including the prototype, four F117s have already crashed, and just last month at the Maryland Air Show, an F117 crashed after its canopy detached and struck the tail.

Lockheed Martin immediately analyzed the wreckage and discovered that a common design flaw had caused mechanical fatigue in the hatch fixing mechanism after long-term use, and they are considering upgrading it.

In theory, all F117s of the 49th Fighter Wing should have been grounded and awaiting patching, but Wayne did not think it was a big problem. He ordered the F117s of the 9th Squadron to be put into combat after replacing the new fixed mechanism spare parts.

That's why he doesn't think the F117 has been getting much positive feedback lately.

However, considering the long flight time, pilot fatigue is also a possibility. After all, flying in unfamiliar airspace for an extended period of time in a fighter jet is not comfortable. In short... it's most likely just bad luck.

But this still set a bad precedent: the first F117 was lost in actual combat, even though it was not shot down.

After the remaining three Nighthawks landed in Guyana, Wayne gave them two hours to refuel and rest, confirming that their mental state after taking drugs was good enough to fly back home. Only then did he repeatedly call Charles to try and find a way to rescue the F117 pilot.

Stealth fighter pilots are absolutely the most valuable personnel, almost all of whom start as officers. Losing one is considered a serious accident and a painful loss.

……

“I saw Kerry’s plane. His engine was definitely on fire. There was definitely a flash of fire at the tail!”

"Hopefully he's safe. The ejection seat worked. We'd better pray no cannibals caught him."

"What bad luck, guys. We'd better check the plane ourselves again."

At the Guyana base, three pilots, their backsides already numb, enjoyed the highest level of hospitality while constantly discussing the F-117 that had just crashed.

They had a deep impression of the anti-aircraft towers firing, but after being startled at first, they had no further reaction. The threat posed by those old-fashioned machines was less than that of mosquitoes.

At the Guyana base, everyone from the pilots and ground crew of the Imperial Army and the F117s was eager to see the legendary stealth aircraft. The area around the three F117s awaiting maintenance was packed with people.

Although its aerodynamic shortcomings are immediately apparent, the stealth fighter's groundbreaking capabilities and its angular, cool design still garner praise from many.

But just then, a piercing air raid siren blared throughout the entire base.

The three F117 pilots, who were taking a short nap during their brief rest period, immediately jumped up and ran towards the runway like everyone else. At the same time, loudspeakers throughout the airport began broadcasting the situation:
"Border radar warning: A large formation of aircraft is crossing Pakistan. All fighter jets must take off! Take off to intercept the enemy!"

The announcement was first made in French, then repeated three times before it was made in English.

The three pilots were already terrified. It was only 400 kilometers from the border to the Guyana airport, and the attack aircraft could arrive in 30 minutes with a boost.

By the time the ground crew hastily finished packing and the plane took off, it would still take at least 20 minutes, no matter how fast they tried.

圭那亚基地不大，但在上次空战后怀恩调整部署，驻扎了10架F15和22架F16，髪鸡则增派到18架幻影2000。

There are always four to six fighter jets patrolling in the air at night, but this is simply not enough for a fleet of hundreds of fighter jets.

Fortunately, after the massive attack by 300 gnats, ground-based air defense missiles were stationed on the border between Suriname and Guyana, so now all we can do is hope that they can play a greater role.

Three Mirage 2000s were ready first and lined up directly at the takeoff point. While the first fighter jet was still taxiing on the runway, the second fighter jet also released its wheels and began to taxi, and so on for the third aircraft, implementing a high-efficiency takeoff in an emergency.

The Imperial crew on the other side was a step behind, but the two F-16s went even further, gliding side by side on another runway with a slight offset between them, before engaging afterburners and soaring into the sky.

After that, the three F117s hurriedly took off and flew directly eastward over the sea to avoid engaging in combat with fighter jets.

(End of this chapter)