What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 579 First Victory (800 Monthly Tickets in July)

The Blackbird was extremely fast and could accelerate at will during short-range reconnaissance. With a slight boost from its variable-cycle engine, it flew over the Third Fleet and boldly lowered its altitude to conduct reconnaissance first.

They initially attempted to intercept the target, but after detecting the high-altitude target flying at Mach 3 using rudimentary radar, they decisively abandoned the attempt.

When Tang Wen saw the black bird, he knew that the Empire's main force must have arrived.

The threat of fighter jets might not be too bad, but if a few bombers came, it would put a lot of pressure on the fleet. By this time, the B-1B had already entered service on a large scale!
For the first time, the Third Fleet, which instilled fear in the Allied pilots, encountered a target it could not defeat. The SR-71 calmly passed by, turned around and accelerated, and flew over the massive fleet, taking numerous photos before departing with a satisfied expression.

As soon as the Blackbird landed, cheers erupted throughout the coalition command center.

Even in less than ideal weather, the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft captured high-resolution images, allowing analysts to carefully identify the types of ships.

But more importantly, the Blackbird proved that the Third Fleet did not have any technological advantage!
And when the aerial camera film was being processed and analyzed by experts, a lot of good news came in:
Apart from the dozen or so ships in the fast fleet, which are either incredibly fast or shrouded in thick smoke and appear mysterious, the remaining 100-plus warships were identified as a true high seas fleet, with a technological level still at the early days of dreadnoughts.

Those old battleships generally only had a speed of around 20 knots and did not release smoke. The other ships were also basically the ultimate relics from the 20s.

The slow-moving fleet's hundred-plus ships were practically just there to fill a quota; a single anti-ship missile could severely damage or even sink them!

Morale immediately soared at the command center within the Aldgrov base, and an operational plan was subsequently proposed:
At 9 o'clock, a small number of fighter jets were launched to conduct a probing attack on the 12 destroyers that had advanced.

Those photos of destroyers with speeds exceeding 60 knots don't reveal much, but their speeds are so high that naval experts are extremely suspicious of huge flaws in the shipbuilding industry's theories, and are reflecting on whether the world's shipbuilding path has gone astray.

Moreover, this group of destroyers had advanced almost 150 kilometers ahead, and as long as they were alert, they would hardly have to worry about being overtaken by the fighters launched by the main fleet.

With a tentative mindset, Wayne selected 12 F-16s to carry out the mission.

不但是F16，而且是全空战挂载的F16，每一架都舍弃副油箱，通过复合挂架足足搭载了8枚AIM120和2枚AIM9！

The reason for doing this is quite simple:
The Prism Building hasn't forgotten the lessons of the last war. The unpredictable high seas fleet destroyers can not only reach 60 knots but also perform sharp turns at high speeds, making them virtually untouchable by anti-ship missiles.

Only air-to-air missiles can accurately lock onto and hit targets. After all, targets less than 100 kilometers away and on a two-dimensional plane are practically fixed targets to air-to-air missiles, so there is no risk of missing them.

The AIM-120 also has a 20 kg explosive charge, but its terminal velocity can reach Mach 4, making its overall power comparable to a 203 mm shell, equivalent to heavy cruiser artillery fire.

An ordinary destroyer would definitely not fare well after being hit by eight 203mm shells. Since the ammunition has already been delivered to the mainland, it's a good time to test its power.

At 9:30 a.m., 12 F-16s with full loads took off and flew at a low altitude over the sea as soon as they crossed the land.

Whether it was divine intervention or not, the storm cloud moved north and avoided the near sea. There was only light rain between the coast and the destroyer formation, which supported low-altitude flight at 30 to 50 meters.

The E-2 early warning aircraft kept confirming that the Third Fleet only had about 10 fighter jets patrolling for air defense, and that the F-16s would be in no danger if they launched missiles and ran away.

就这样12架F16在预警机指引下一路低飞而舰队毫无察觉，在10点20分时距离驱逐舰编队只有70公里、刚刚进入AIM120最大射程时开始爬升高度，在5000米高空一口气将72枚AIM120全部射出。

After launching its missiles, the F-16 didn't linger in the fight at all. It immediately turned around, engaged in full afterburner, and sped off at Mach 1.8, since it was close to land and could use up its fuel at will.

In the radar view of E2, 12 destroyers immediately launched familiar Gnats after spotting the F-16s that had risen high, and 24 Gnats took off and chased after them in the blink of an eye.

...The F-16's low-altitude penetration strategy was clearly effective. The destroyers built by Tang Wen were equipped with very old search radars, and they were not detected until the enemy climbed up and turned to escape.

The 12 Ernst Gaide-class destroyers also underwent some modifications. Due to the low probability of a fleet decisive battle, the torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with two aircraft catapults. In addition, two gun turrets were removed and replaced with "Beagle" anti-aircraft missiles with a maximum range of 32 kilometers.

However, these arrangements are ineffective against F-16s that can hit and run. With 24 Gnats together, it is clear that they cannot catch up, but they still grit their teeth and fly inland—even if it consumes some missiles.
Tang Wen initially thought it was a harpoon attack, but when the Mach 4 target flew towards him at high speed, he understood.

It is well known that air-to-air weapons are often particularly effective against ground targets.

72枚AIM120其实是分2批发射，因为F16的雷达最多只能同时引导4枚导弹，所以是一前一后48+24的组合。

Both batches of missiles hit their targets perfectly, achieving a 100% hit rate.

来袭的AIM120B型在消耗完燃料后依然有150公斤质量，已经超过了普通203毫米炮弹的120公斤质量，其末端1300m/s的末端速度更是远超203炮弹500m/s的速度。

Even if its body strength cannot compare with that of artillery shells, its power is not much different.

Six AIM-120 missiles hit the warship in less than a minute, and the top-down attack was even more lethal, with many penetrating the thin deck and penetrating deep into the interior.

In the direct damage calculation between warships, the maximum damage reached 5000!

Although hitting a specific area is required to achieve the full 5000 damage, it is extremely dangerous for a destroyer with nearly 16000 HP.

Thin-skinned destroyers are easily hit in areas such as the engine room and ammunition depot, and if this causes a secondary explosion, it would be disastrous!

Just as Tang Wencai was thinking about these things, two destroyers were hit in the engine room, causing them to explode. The destroyer, which was speeding across the sea at 61 knots, exploded directly from the middle and broke into two pieces.

The moment it was determined to have sunk, it degenerated from a magical vibranium destroyer into ordinary steel, and at a speed of 60 knots, the resistance of the seawater truly acted on the wreckage.

The forward section of the ship slowed down drastically and was struck by the broken rear section with a deafening roar.

Because no fuel or ammunition is consumed during the Christmas battle, the fully loaded ammunition and fuel tanks were compressed to the extreme and ruptured, colliding together and triggering a terrifying explosion.

Accompanied by thunder that resounded across the sea, a mushroom cloud filled with black plumes rose into the sky.

Within a dozen seconds, seven destroyers were swiftly sunk, and the remaining five destroyers were left with only a sliver of health.

[Our destroyer has been sunk! *7]

The "Adrenaline" effect has been activated, reducing main gun reload time by 84%.
...Main gun reload time -93%

...Main gun reload time -61%

...Main gun reload time -74%

...Main gun reload time -98%

(End of this chapter)