What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 565 Stealth-Style Fighter
[Three of our fighter jets have been shot down!]

[Three of our fighter jets have been shot down!]

[Three of our fighter jets have been shot down!]

[Our side...]

Upon seeing the exaggerated number of kills, Tang Wen, who had initially thought victory was assured, couldn't help but frown.

The F-16s attacking the second wave of gnats have begun reaping kills with AIM-9M missiles, and are very cleverly occupying altitudes above 2000 meters, maintaining high subsonic speeds to launch continuous attacks.

The maneuverability of third-generation fighter jets is not just for show. Although the Gnat is lighter than the F-16, it only has a maneuver advantage in low-altitude dogfights at speeds below 500 km/h and altitudes below 1,000 meters. Once the distance increases, it is no match for the Gnat.

At the same time, more information was popping up in his mind:
[Enemy fighter jets detected*24!]

[Enemy fighter jets detected*6!]

[Enemy fighter jets detected*6!]

[Enemy fighter jets detected*10!]

【…】

The pace of the air battle was advancing almost every second. Mark's saturation attack tactics, imitating those of the gnats, had already begun. Hundreds of fighter jets, taking off from different airfields at different times, were all converging on the battlefield under the command of two E-3Bs.

The losses in the direct combat far exceeded Tang Wen's expectations, and at this time, the first batch of 80 mosquito gnats launched into the air also encountered damage.

"Commander, this is the direction from which multiple enemy aircraft groups are approaching. I think this may not be the upper limit yet."

Halsey also appeared on the bridge, glanced at the map, and made a judgment:
"This is a typical saturation attack, but there should be a second echelon, and the number of the second echelon should not be less than that of the first echelon, at least 35 or more! And there is an 80% chance that there are dedicated anti-submarine fighters."

Of course, your gnats are endless; even just by expending ammunition, you can easily turn the tables. The worst outcome would be the U-boat and the attacking fighter jets both perishing together.

Halsey thought it was nothing to worry about, but Tang Wen fell into deep thought:
Mark's saturation offensive was somewhat unexpected, and the phased attacks ensured both the continuity of the attack and mitigated the risks... a very cautious commander.

U-boats can indeed continuously release gnats, but there is one problem:
This aircraft appeared out of thin air, unlike the USS Zeppelin which had a complete process of being "taken out" of the hangar. Previously, the Second Fleet's catapult aircraft were also launched under the cover of smoke.

Continuing to launch the third and fourth batches of fighter jets would be too alarming if they were photographed appearing out of thin air.

Even if you have strong suspicions, there's no evidence if you're not photographed. But being seen in person is definitely not a good thing...

"No, stop releasing the gnats from the U-boats and dive. These old U-boats can be abandoned."

"What about those fighter jets?"

"Small things."

As Tang Wen spoke, he appeared on the Zeppelin with the legendary captains. Eight ME262s—stealth versions—were already parked on the deck. To be precise, they were stealth-flavored fighters.

After the Christmas update that tweaked the fighter reload time, the time it takes for the Zeppelin to respawn a fighter squadron was increased to 90 seconds, but this is not a major issue.

"The stealth Swift has a practical range of about 1800 kilometers. It must fly at subsonic speeds in the initial phase and can only sustain intense combat for about 10 minutes in the final phase. The Third Fleet is currently 1300 kilometers away from the British mainland, which is theoretically sufficient."

我们用大约23分钟弹射15轮雨燕集结120架战机，外加4艘战列舰、2艘巡洋舰一起每分钟能弹射12架蚊蚋，可以集结396架战机的机群。

They started by skimming the sea to evade radar, then launched a surprise attack when the coalition fighters were returning to base—perfect timing!

……

The Imperial Air Force, drawing on its extensive combat experience, has derived three rules: -
Avoid close combat with mosquitoes and flies; the safe distance is beyond the range of the AIM-9, i.e., about 10 kilometers.
-
Avoid engaging in combat at night, at low altitudes, or in adverse environments. Dogfights should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. After firing missiles, immediately withdraw and hand the task over to friendly forces or ground-based air defenses.
-
Avoid fighting in unknown areas and prevent indiscriminate coverage and strikes by Hans anti-aircraft guns.

These three rules, known as the "Amazonian Air Combat Taboos," were strictly enforced by Mark.

Today happens to be a cloudy day with no rain, the coalition forces have ample ammunition, and the waters north of Britain are right on Britain's doorstep, completely circumventing the three rules!
At this moment, the 24 F-15 air support aircraft launched AIM-120 missiles just 50 kilometers away from the first gnats.

先遣F16机队的先例已经证明1枚AIM120足够，所以24架F15也只发射了96枚AIM120，毕竟主动雷达弹也是很贵的！
The annual production of AIM-120 missiles has now reached around 1100, but that is to supply all aircraft deployed globally and all naval and air force aircraft, including purchases by allies. The 252 AIM-120 missiles carried in this sortie have almost exhausted most of the stockpile in the UK.

80枚AIM120在E3预警机的引导下很准确的找到了各自目标，虽说E3B理论上能处理600个目标，但这是第一次在实战中发挥作用。

The results are unsurprising: the AIM-120A/B has a hit rate of 90% under ideal conditions and 75% under electronic countermeasures and evasion maneuvers.

High-altitude gnats have no electronic interference, and their high subsonic maneuverability is too slow and their defenses are weak, so their hit rate can reach almost 80%!

All 24 F-15s released 4 missiles each, and 96 solid rocket motors started up in the same direction, creating white contrails that looked like a spindle-shaped cloud appearing out of thin air from a distance!
The F-15 pilots who launched the missiles even had the illusion that they were line infantry. The dense formation of missiles launched seemed no different from the tactic of firing in a line.

And the AIM-120 did not disappoint. The previously suffocating lights on the E3 AWACS screen flickered and went out like a match-3 puzzle, and large patches of them fell off!
"Fantastic! 69, 69 enemy planes have been shot down!"

The operator on the AWACS shouted excitedly. At the same time, the low-flying F-16s also launched an attack on the second wave of gnats. As long as the F-15 fleet helps, the 160 gnats will be nothing more than sitting ducks!

Everyone was thrilled, especially the British officer on the plane. Only Mark himself stared nervously at the screen, remaining silent. Only after the others noticed the anomaly and looked at him did he coldly ask:
"What was our previous estimate of the fighter jet's speed during reloading, catapult release, and takeoff?"

The entire cabin fell silent for a moment, then someone said:
"The Navy conducted a simulation using a retired submarine, and with the support of modern technology, it can be completed in as little as 5 minutes."

Mark: "The second batch of gnats was ejected in just one minute, while the anti-submarine squadron will not arrive for another 30 minutes..."

马克的原计划是9架F16作为先遣机队探路，剩余的24架F15和3架F16、10架狂风组成第一主力攻击群消灭掉绝大多数蚊蚋的攻势；
第二主力攻击群12架F15和8架狂风、20架海鹞组成的40架战机稍后抵达；
第三批才是反潜机队，由4架EF111-a，12架猎谜和3架P3C前来反潜。

After the first and second attack groups shoot down most of the gnats, they can firmly control the sea surface, prevent the submarine from launching more fighter jets, and allow the anti-submarine aircraft to launch their attacks at their own pace.

But if a U-boat could launch a volley every minute, then I'm afraid...

(End of this chapter)