What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 574 Iron Wings Fall
Eagle Frith
This port city, located between the north and south of Sugo, is not large, but it is a rare prosperous area for a land area with only a few million people.

As a port, when news of the Third Fleet's southward march first spread, countless people gathered here, hoping to escape by ship.

However, before Mark could launch his first attack in the afternoon, the area was designated as a control zone, all non-military activities were halted, and personnel began to be evacuated.

Even so, 50% of the population of Eaglefris remained, and they all witnessed an unforgettable scene:
The clear night sky echoed with thunder of varying intensity, the roar of fighter jets maneuvering across a wide area and occasionally activating their afterburners; the engines of hundreds of jet fighters shook the entire earth.

Every now and then, you could see flashes of light suddenly appearing in the sky, like specks of noise against a black background—that was an exaggerated number of AIM-9Ls locking onto and attacking each other in the sky.

The Third Fleet alone has more than 400 aircraft carrying nearly 1200 missiles, enough to provide considerable sustained firepower.

But the most impressive were definitely the stealth Swifts: although their numbers were small, whenever a solid rocket booster was activated, its light illuminated the clouds and even the dark shadows of the fighter jets, before swooping down on the coalition aircraft at an astonishing speed.

If a mosquito or swift is hit and happens to detonate the explosives in the nose of the aircraft, an explosion cloud can be seen expanding in the sky.

The remaining 93 Stealth Swifts, 213 Gnats, and 65 coalition aircraft engaged in a fierce battle, resulting in what may be the largest single jet battle in history.

Almost every time the citizens looked up, they could see the fighter jets disintegrating in mid-air. They could only huddle in the corners, watching helplessly as fiery meteors fell to the ground and then exploded in a deafening roar.

Experienced veterans or enthusiasts know more:

If there is a sudden burst of fire (ejection seat), it is a coalition aircraft; otherwise, it is a Third Fleet aircraft.

However, how large is the combat airspace of nearly 400 fighter jets? The small eagle Fries could not only see them, but also many surrounding towns and villages!

Those expensive iron wings, whose cost was enough to buy a car with just one refueling and whose price could make even billionaires tremble, were now falling from all parts of the sky like fireworks.

The Allied forces did not want to avoid cities and control the combat zone, but the Third Fleet's aircraft, taking advantage of their numerical superiority, once again attempted to assemble a small group that broke through the defensive perimeter, forcing them to be constantly on the move and unable to attend to anything else.

A stealth Swift with its tail section destroyed crashed out of control, landing right on a group of fishing boats crowded in the harbor. The 350 kilograms of RDX immediately destroyed a small group of boats.

Fighting in the air is completely different from fighting on the ground or at sea. The intensity and speed are ridiculously fast, and life and death can often be decided within a few seconds.

The 24 Gripen reinforcements almost risked their lives, using their speed to carve out a huge hole with missiles, then using their remaining speed advantage to immediately climb up and turn back to continue repeatedly attacking the formation.

The remaining 41 fighter jets were mainly responsible for interception, but three stealth Swifts and six Gnats successfully broke through the defenses using low-altitude tactics.

From a purely tactical standpoint, this is of little significance; there are no strategic points nearby, and the aircraft could be caught up and destroyed very quickly.

But at this moment, Mark's E3B was positioned too far forward, making this strange, slow-moving target very conspicuous.

Civil aviation in the UK had long been grounded, so the identity of this aircraft is beyond doubt.

Mark had originally gone forward to facilitate command and boost morale, but when he saw nine enemy planes approaching, he turned back without hesitation. He wasn't going to throw his life away for nothing.

Moreover, he had been communicating with Wayne and knew that 27 reinforcements that took off from the south would arrive in five minutes and had already entered the E3B's radar range.

The reason there were 27 aircraft is that one fighter jet had a fuel tank leak and had to land at a nearby airport.

In addition, all the other reinforcements that took off from the south also took off, even though they took off later, they were already rushing to the scene despite the fuel consumption.

But the three stealth Swifts restarted their damn solid rocket engines to accelerate, while the six Gnats pulled out a 13G high-maneuver turn that was enough to disintegrate and intercept the pursuers.

The E-3B desperately tried to escape, but the stealthy Swift was gradually closing the distance. In front of the E-3B were 27 F-15s coming to put out the fire.

1分钟、2分钟……最前面5架F15显然是知道E3B遇到了麻烦，刚进入临界射程就发射了6枚AIM120.
The three Swifts that were locked on immediately lowered their altitude to the extreme, only to discover that there was actually a forest below!
They once again used their expertise in hiding in the tree canopy, even using the trees to obscure the E3B's radar, which mistook the target for a shot-down.

However, just over ten seconds later, two more targets appeared out of nowhere at low altitude, attempting to launch a fatal attack.

The ever-vigilant E3B immediately began dropping heat decoys and maneuvering to evade, but the bulky airliner had very limited maneuverability.

2架最后的雨燕在露面30秒后就被AIM120击落，然而终归是有6枚AIM9L飞向目标。

The E3B cabin was already in chaos. Mark, completely disregarding his image, grabbed the handle on the bulkhead and finally felt the aircraft shudder violently.

Through the porthole, he saw that one of the engines on the left wing was on fire, and a section of the wing was also missing from the middle.

Unbeknownst to him, the fiberglass radome of the antenna was also affected by the debris. The drastic changes in aerodynamics and center of gravity made the aircraft extremely difficult to control. Various alarms, clanging metal sounds, and violent vibrations occurred simultaneously. After struggling to maintain control for more than ten seconds, Mark suddenly felt as if he had been hit hard. His last sight was of the giant waves outside the porthole.

Thanks to the pilot's efforts, the early warning aircraft struggled for half a minute and, using the reflection of the water's surface, made an emergency landing in an inner lake of a forest park. The massive impact caused the main wing to break off almost simultaneously, and the already damaged radar dome detached like a meteor hammer and flew off, crashing heavily into a distant mountainside.

The F-15 fighter jets that came to reinforce did not see the explosion from high altitude, which at least meant that there was still a possibility of survival.

But the crash of the supreme commander's plane also enraged them. All the pilots were on their way with great anxiety and immediately went all out to participate in the chaotic air battle over Eagle Frith.

Mark is right. Crossing 1000 kilometers would consume most of the fuel for the Third Fleet's aircraft, and even if the route were unobstructed, they wouldn't be able to reach Lundon.

His first interception caused most of the mosquitoes to drop to the red line, and the offensive was only maintained thanks to the better-performing Swift.

However, the Swift's thrusters are consumables, and in the fierce air battles, some Swifts/Gnats have already crashed because they ran out of fuel.

The reinforcement of 27 F-15s halted the final wave of attacks, and less than two minutes later, another 36 reinforcements joined the battle. The 63 fighter jets created an overwhelming advantage, acting as the final steel bar that broke the camel's back, tipping the scales of victory in their favor.

At 18:23, the last Swift was surrounded and attacked by AIM-9Ms, and exploded and disintegrated in mid-air.

Looking down from the sky at this moment, the ground was ablaze with light—the fierce battle had only just ended, and the wreckage of more than 400 warplanes that had crashed to the ground was still burning fiercely, creating a mesmerizing sight.

The extravagant offensive of 428 fighter jets was finally thwarted within 20 minutes, but no one cheered for it.

Another E-3B, which was monitoring from a distance in the north, scanned the number of aerial targets with its radar:

One.

Of the originally planned 157 aircraft, 152 eventually arrived.

Only nine of the last arriving aircraft were shot down, but the first batch of fighters to take off and the Gripen fleet suffered heavy losses.

But this is only the battle damage; the rest of the losses are yet to come.

The first batch of combat aircraft were now out of fuel and urgently needed to land. Just below, in Eagle Fries, there was a sizable civilian international airport, and the civilian ground crew had already begun risking their lives to clear runways for passenger planes, preparing for the fighter jets to land.

The nearest other airport is 0 kilometers away, and at this time, 23 fighter jets have nearly zero fuel. They may be able to fly to the airport, but they will not be able to queue up for landing.

Even after the enemy was completely eliminated, they could only watch helplessly as one fighter jet after another had to bail out due to insufficient fuel. As for a forced landing? In the dark, it was simply not feasible.

In the end, only 6 fighter jets successfully landed at the airport, while the other 17 had to evacuate and bail out.

至此，第一批战机中的全部65架、以及增援的24架鹰狮共89架最终只有2架幻影2000C，1架狂风和2架F16、1架F15成功落地。

75% of the fighter jets were lost in the high-intensity air combat within 20 minutes, and less than 7% of them eventually landed.

The 24 Gripen reinforcements played a crucial role, but after two attacks, they ran out of ammunition and fuel and were all shot down.

Of the remaining 63 fighter jets, 52 are still in urgent need of refueling and rest.

All the pilots who participated either took off again within a short period of one or two hours and experienced two unprecedented high-intensity battles, or they participated in the battle after a long journey and under high tension.

The fatigue after the battle far exceeded that of any ordinary duty mission, almost draining them of their last bit of energy.

Everyone's body is now completely exhausted, relying solely on a last shred of faith and self-discipline to stay afloat. The best course of action is to immediately fall into a deep sleep in a comfortable bed. It will take at least a few days to recover from the immense mental trauma and excessive energy depletion.

Fortunately, they had enough fuel to fly to another airport and land.

By this time, Wayne had taken over command and considerately allowed all the participating pilots to land and rest. Meanwhile, more support from the south and across the sea was arriving in a steady stream, enough to take over the defense.

But for the people on the ground, everything has just begun, and they have to clean up the mess.

The authorities in Eagle Fries spontaneously organized various vehicles to rescue the pilot, and many ordinary people near the crash site also joined the effort.

Meanwhile, on the other side, rumors of a nuclear leak emerged near the Aldgrove base.

……

Lakenshire
The coalition forces are holding a teleconference via secure satellite communications, and at the base, Wayne stood up and said:

"Let us first observe a moment of silence for the warriors who just sacrificed their lives in Sugon and North Ellan."

There was a half-minute silence on the conference call before Wayne sat down and said bitterly:

"A preliminary loss report has been compiled and faxed to everyone 3 minutes ago. Please take a look."

While still in Downing Street, Terren sat at his desk, and with great determination, he picked up the report and began to read:
[Statistics on air damage from 18:00 to 18:35:]
F15 (Mi): 21 aircraft;
F16 (Mi): 7 aircraft;
F-16 (Alliance): 20 aircraft;
Mirage 2000C (hair): 4;
Gale: 15 aircraft;
Gripen: 24 aircraft;
E3B: 1 aircraft

Note: 17 fighter jets bailed out due to insufficient fuel.

Loss at Lossiemouth base (as of 18:25 PM)
F-15 (Mi): 3

F-16 (Mi): 10

KC135: 3 aircraft;
C130K: 5 aircraft;
Canberra GR9: 2 aircraft;
VC10: 1 unit

Note: Only aircraft losses are counted; ammunition and other damage are still being tallied.

Odgrove Base:

Harrier: 31 aircraft;
F15 (Mi): 3 aircraft;
C130K: 1 aircraft;
Helicopters of various types: 8;
Note: The casing of a suspected B61 bomb has been damaged by the shockwave. Requesting chemical defense support.

Due to the time constraints, the three reports were very rudimentary except for the figures, but they were still shocking enough.

If classified by type, the number of British aircraft was the largest, especially the Aldgrove Air Base, which suffered huge losses, losing a total of 46 fighter jets and 17 auxiliary aircraft, for a total of 63 aircraft.
The Empire is second, with 44 fighters and 1 early warning aircraft, for a total of 45.
The allies lost a total of 48 fighter jets.

If we include the losses from the afternoon, Britain has already lost 101 aircraft!
Fifty years ago, this amount would have been insignificant. Whether it was Huppert or Hawke and Gloucester, they could have easily replenished it with a little time, or even just used up their inventory.

If it were 40 years ago, the Royal Air Force would have suffered huge losses, but with some effort, it could have been slowly rebuilt in about a year. However, it would have inevitably required dismissing a few responsible persons to vent the anger.

Currently, the total number of active aircraft in the UK is approximately 700, including about 250 fighter/attack aircraft and about 270 support aircraft.

This time, they lost about 30% of their fighter/attack aircraft and 11% of their support aircraft.

The fact that the air force suffered such losses in just one afternoon is no exaggeration to say that it is almost crippled, and even Britain's global strategy has been severely shaken.

No matter how much the pace is accelerated, the long-term consequences of the losses over the next five years will remain indelible, becoming a permanent scar on the Royal Air Force.

Teren stared blankly down for several seconds, his gaze unfocused, while the others sitting around him remained painfully silent.

Suddenly, the scene became chaotic. When everyone came to their senses, they found that the servant was wrestling with Terren, whose drawer had been pulled open and who was holding a fine pistol.

The others rushed forward to stop Terren. Having his weapon taken away, Terren was no longer the spirited man he once was. He slumped into a chair, muttering to himself:
"It's over, everything is over, I am the biggest sinner of the Royal Air Force."

His subordinates rushed over to comfort and console him—"Boss, you absolutely can't die now!"
The war isn't over yet. At least hold out until everything is over and take all the blame. Can't you learn from Dalton?

The meeting was suspended for several minutes due to the chaos on Terren's side. After learning the general situation, Wayne could only sigh in exasperation.
In reality, the 45 aircraft they lost was not a small number, but the Empire still had a very strong production replenishment capacity.

Fern and Calvin lost over 70 carrier-based aircraft but weren't dismissed, only demoted. They're even being considered for reinstatement recently!

In fact, the Imperial military-industrial complex was secretly pleased, especially regarding the replenishment of the Enterprise's carrier-based aircraft. McDonnell Douglas hoped to replace all of them with F-18s, while Grumman was still determined to promote the "Super Tomcat" program, and the two sides were fighting tooth and nail for it.

McDonnell Douglas's recent performance, in particular, is truly despicable: due to the Empire's massive losses of F-15s, it had no choice but to increase its purchases from McDonnell Douglas, which ironically caused the latter's stock price to rise somewhat!

Robert's despicable acts, including colluding with foreign powers (referring to the sale of MD11 technology) and profiting from national crisis, infuriated Wayne.

Therefore, for Prism Building, which has already clashed with the Lost Empire many times, this 38 aircraft is just a drop in the ocean, or at least it was expected and acceptable.
However, apart from Wayne, who remained calm, the other allies were all complaining bitterly. Teren tried to commit suicide to atone for his sins, Gustav kept complaining, and Holland and Norwegian, who had contributed the most and suffered the most losses, were playing the victim, turning the war meeting into a crying contest!
Of course, their actions also imply:

We've shed so much blood for you two, this bonded father and son, we should at least show our appreciation!
(End of this chapter)