Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 302 The Vulcan Bomber Gets Shot Down! Super 7 Did a Great Job!
Bathed in sunlight, the Rose Palace is even more beautiful.

"The British have lodged a strong protest with us through diplomatic channels, and they say they will attack if we don't withdraw our troops immediately," de Cuéllar said with some concern.

“Don’t worry, the British are just putting on an act,” Castelli said calmly.

“They’re not just bluffing. Their warships have begun to assemble, and even merchant ships have been requisitioned. Clearly, they really intend to cross the ocean to attack us.” De Cuéllar was somewhat anxious. With war seemingly imminent, he needed to make preparations quickly.

“Britain is no longer the powerful country it once was,” Castelli said with a smile.

Just then, a commotion arose outside, and Castelli went to the window and looked out.

"Reclaim the Falklands! Long live the Weeping Nation!"

"Long live Galtieri!"

The public outcry grew louder and louder.

Previously, protests were against rising prices and inflation, expressing dissatisfaction with the government. Now, those protests have turned into worship of the government!

Castelli opened the window, and when his figure appeared outside, the crowd outside became even more excited.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

Countless people gathered in front of the Rose Palace, their eyes filled with fervor as they looked at the person who appeared in the window—their greatest leader!
"Ladies and gentlemen, people of the Land of Tears, the Falkland Islands are ours, and will always be ours!"

Castelli's words once again stirred excitement among the crowd.

"I know that we are facing some economic problems right now. Please believe me, these economic problems can definitely be solved. Our nation of weeping will surely rise again to the top of the world's nations, starting with our reclaiming of the Falklands! Long live the great nation of weeping! Long live the great people of the nation of weeping!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The shouts started again from below.

Closing the window, Castelli looked proudly at the others: "See? We have a people of fire. With these people, we will definitely win this war... Even if the British come, they will be scared away by our people..."

Just as he was about to continue his eloquent speech, he noticed... that something seemed off about his subordinates present.

"what happened?"

“We just received a call,” De Cuéllar said. “The British launched Vulcan bombers from Asunción two hours ago, and at their speed, they should be at our Falklands in about eight hours to begin bombing.”

Castelli frowned. "Are you sure they're coming to bomb the Falklands and not our capital? And who made that call? Is it reliable?"

"I don't know, but they suggested that we send special forces to Asunción Island, or even just fishing boats near the island. As long as they see a large number of aircraft taking off from the island, they will come and bomb it in ten hours."

Castelli paced back and forth, "Impossible, impossible, I don't believe the British would actually dare to bomb us..."

"General, although we don't know the source of this phone call, nor whether the British really intend to bomb us, as long as we take off two Super-7s in seven hours and fly over the Falkland Islands just when they might arrive, we can intercept the enemy. If it's a prank, then we can treat it as our rational training."

Castelli nodded: "Yes, Anaya, you're right. Let's proceed with the arrangements then. Our fighter jets should be patrolling over the Falkland Islands now. By the way, how long will it take for the airport on the Falkland Islands to be repaired?"

"Within a month at most, the airport will be able to meet the requirements for take-off and landing of fighter jets."

"Hmm, by then our air force patrols will be much easier... Now I feel like we only bought ten Super-7s back then, was that a bit too few?"

"Indeed, it's not a lot, but... with our financial resources, this is all we can buy. Please rest assured, General, although we don't have many planes, we can still complete the mission of defending Falkland Islands!"

I chose different payment methods to complete the purchase. If I have any regrets, it's whether I should have used the money I would have spent on the Super 7 to buy the Strong 5.

The Weeping Country, Bad Congonia Naval Air Base.

As the setting sun casts its rays upon the air force base, countless ground crew members are busily making preparations.

The Super 7 fighter jet has external fuel tanks mounted on its belly and inner wing pylons. The configuration of three external fuel tanks adds an extra 1.5 tons of fuel. Combined with the 2 tons of fuel inside the aircraft, this greatly increases the aircraft's loiter time. If it only flies to the Falkland Islands, patrols for a round, and then returns, it may not even need to refuel in the air.

However, for safety reasons, aerial refueling tankers will take off half an hour after their takeoff. This way, when they return after completing their mission, they will dock with the aerial refueling tankers. These precious fighter jets absolutely cannot be allowed to run out of fuel and crash into the sea; that would be heartbreaking.

The remaining four racks were equipped with two Lightning Tens and two Rattlesnakes, a fully armed setup that looked incredibly powerful.

Major Augusto Bedakaraz, accompanied by his wingman Lieutenant Armando Majora, approached the Super 7 aircraft. The two circled their respective planes, inspecting them carefully, before climbing into the cockpit and closing the canopy.

"Aries calling, all pre-flight preparations complete, requesting takeoff!"

"Flatcap reporting, requesting takeoff."

"You're ready to take off! Best wishes for a successful launch!"

Upon hearing the reply over the radio, Major Bedakaraz started the engines, and with a roar, the planes taxied onto the runway. The two aircraft took off in formation and soared into the sky.

Meanwhile, 600 kilometers above the eastern part of the Falkland Islands.

Eight Victor aerial refueling tankers have already completed their missions and returned to base. Now, only the Vulcan bomber XM607 and the last two Victor aerial refueling tankers remain.

Onboard the XL189 aerial refueling tanker, Captain Michael let out a long sigh of relief: "Call XL193, give them our fuel, and then we can return to base!"

"Understood, call XL193!"

Their aerial refueling relay is finally coming to an end!
Behind, the massive XL193 slowly approached, extending its aerial refueling probe toward the cone-shaped sleeve of the swaying aerial refueling probe in front.

One hundred meters, fifty meters, ten meters, five meters...

Just as the docking was about to be successful, suddenly, an unexpected gust of air surged in, and the aerial refueling probe in front lashed out at the nose of XL193 like a whip!

The pilot of XL193 was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat on his back and quickly released the throttle to create distance.

Snapped!
It's too late!
The aerial refueling probe flew in at high speed and slammed into the refueling probe of XL193.

Snapped!
The oil receiver pipe broke in the middle.

Finished!

On board XL189, Michael listened to this frustrating reply: "Looks like we'll have no choice but to go with them."

Originally, the fuel in the two aerial refueling tankers was to be concentrated on one tanker to refuel the bomber before it returned. Now, the other tanker cannot continue refueling and has to return. So XL189 will have to continue to accompany the Vulcan bomber to complete the last aerial refueling mission before the attack. Then... they will have to wait for the bombing to end before they can break the radio silence and call for the aerial refueling tanker.

There are risks involved. If they cannot receive aerial refueling in time, they may run out of fuel and crash into the sea, which would be no different from going to hell.

How to do?
We're already in the last few hundred kilometers, so of course we can't back down!
"Change course! We'll follow XM607 and fly its final leg!"

"Yes!"

No one else hesitated. When they were required to take risks, they had to keep going because it was for their honor!

The formation continued flying forward, covering another 300 kilometers, when XM607 began making calls.

"Nanny, requesting one last in-flight refueling."

The docking went smoothly, and XM607's empty fuel tanks were refilled. After detaching, Captain Martin-Vision looked up at the distant sky: "Gentlemen, it's time for us to bomb the invaders!"

They are lone warriors, like knights of old, bravely brandishing their sharpest swords at the enemy!
The XM607 bombers charged headlong toward the Falklands. The sky gradually darkened.

"We're still 200 kilometers from the Falkland Islands!"

"Descend to 150 meters!"

Using the Earth's curvature to reduce the probability of being detected is a common practice in this era. Not only does the Navy of the Crying Nation use ultra-low-altitude sea-skimming attacks, but British bomber pilots also do it!
They rushed toward the sea as if they were plunging into it. Once leveled out, the massive bomber had completely disappeared into the darkness, with only its roar still echoing across the sea.

The distance was constantly closing, one hundred kilometers, fifty kilometers... They could already see the lights on the island. Next, all they needed to do was find the designated landmark, perform a final course calibration, and then they could fly precisely to Stanley Airport to blow up the runway there. This was their primary mission.

Meanwhile, over the Falkland Islands, two newly arrived Super-7 fighter jets activated their onboard radars, and a flashing bright spot appeared on the screens.

"Aries reports: Target spotted, distance 50, altitude 150, rapidly approaching. Target echo is very strong; estimated to be a bomber..."

When the news reached back, the leaders of the Weeping Kingdom were instantly shocked.

"It really is British bombers!" Castelli's face darkened. "They really came!"

"General, order the attack!"

"No, we have to wait, wait until..."

“Once they destroy our airfield, our planes won’t be able to deploy to the Falklands. They’ll have to take off from our mainland, which will take a very long time. General, this is war!” De Cuéllar said anxiously.

Castelli didn't believe the British would go to such lengths; he even suspected the incoming target was just a reconnaissance plane, but...

You can't gamble!

He paced back and forth, time slowly slipping away, one minute, two minutes, three minutes...

In the sky, the two sides were rapidly closing in: forty kilometers, thirty kilometers, twenty kilometers...

"Where is the target now?"

"We're already very close to Masakazuki!"

"Shoot them down!"

In the sky, Major Bedakaraz had already activated the missiles and was ready to lock on and launch at any time, but he hadn't heard the order to fire from above. This made him anxious. If they didn't intercept soon, the enemy might fly over the airport and bomb it!

"Aries, Flat Hat, launch the attack immediately!"

Finally, a voice was heard in the headset. Major Bedakaraz answered while switching the radar to lock on. Instantly, continuous waves hit the target, triggering the radar warning receiver of the XM607.

"We've been locked onto by radar!" the avionics operator shouted in panic.

"Don't rush, activate the electronic countermeasures pod." Captain Martin-Vicys said calmly, "Their ground radar uses our British products! Our electronic countermeasures pod has been optimized for this type of radar. Once activated, their radar screen will turn into static."

Modern defense cannot be bought, because the technology that is bought has no secrets whatsoever!
At present, the airports on the Falkland Islands are certainly not capable of launching and landing fighter jets. If they are locked onto by radar, it can only be by ground radar, so there is no need to worry too much.

The avionics operator quickly activated the electronic countermeasures pod, one second, two seconds, three seconds...

"The target remains locked!"

At that moment, Captain Martin Wessey's mind went blank.

what happened?

The enemy's ground radar wasn't jammed, that shouldn't be the case.

and many more!

A bright line appeared in the distant sky, rapidly approaching their position; that was…

A missile launched from the air!
"Damn it, the threat is coming from the air. Hold on tight, I'm about to..."

As he spoke, he pushed the radar control lever forward.

How do you get rid of a radar-guided air-to-air missile?

If it's a highly maneuverable fighter jet, it only needs to turn 90 degrees to the side, which will unlock due to the Doppler principle. But if it's a bomber... turning 90 degrees would take tens of seconds, which is simply not enough time, so it would continue to dive, flying close to the sea surface and using the sea surface clutter for cover. Moreover, once it enters the land ahead, there will be even more clutter.

In this era, most radar-guided air-to-air missiles only have limited dive-firing capabilities. When the missile's seeker is facing the ground, it will be overwhelmed by countless echoes from the ground.

Even the US Sparrow missiles, only the AIM-7M missile currently under development can avoid this effect. However, they seem to have forgotten that their Skyflash missiles have this capability! And the Lightning-10 flying towards them is based on their Skyflash missile technology... cough cough, it has nothing to do with British technology!
At the moment the missile was launched, Major Bedakaraz lowered his goggles, and all that remained in front of him was a not-so-intense missile exhaust plume. He looked toward that plume, watching the missile fly forward.

Inside the nose of the missile, the radar was still intently focused on the target, radiating the most intense electromagnetic waves. Although the night sky was dark, the radar waves acted like a giant flashlight, illuminating the target and leaving it nowhere to hide. After being reflected back, the radar waves entered the Lightning-10's seeker, guiding the missile accurately toward its target.

Because it was a two-aircraft formation, if one failed, the other could take its place at any time. Also, because the target had already flown into the missile's no-escape zone, Major Baydakaraz did not use the method of firing two missiles simultaneously, but only launched one first.

War is about to break out, and missiles will be consumed at an alarming rate, so they need to use them sparingly.

Time seemed to stretch on and then fly by as the missile rapidly closed the distance to its target.

Ten kilometers, five kilometers, one kilometer...

boom!
The missile exploded a few hundred meters in front of the target, sending countless fragments of the warhead flying and splashing towards the Vulcan bomber.

Boom!
Boom!

The warheads kept slamming into the bombers, creating holes. The collisions in the sky were terrifying; even a bird could cause a flight accident, let alone such a hard warhead.

Boom!
A broken rod crashed into the wing, and the next moment, fuel gushed out from inside the wing, igniting fiercely under the influence of a small spark.

"Oh, damn it, jump now!"

When the explosion rang out, Captain Martin Wessey knew it was all over!

Their bulky bombers had almost no chance of survival once hit by a missile. Even if they could still fly, they would be very difficult to control, and aerial refueling would be out of the question. Therefore, they were destined never to fly back to Asunción.

Rather than flying into the sea at the end, it's better to do it now, since it's closer to the Falkland Islands...

Whoosh!
Flames were billowing beside him, and the passenger seat had ejected first.

"Damn it, do it in order!" he couldn't help but curse.

The Vulcan bomber had a crew of five. The first two people sat in the bubble-shaped cockpit and could eject directly from it like a normal fighter jet. But what about the three people in the back?
The old H-6 bomber was difficult to launch, with different positions and launch angles, resulting in a very low success rate. In fact, other aircraft of the same era as the H-6 were similar. The other three crew members of the Vulcan bomber sat behind the bubble cockpit, which they jokingly called the coal pit.

In earlier years, coal pits did not have ejection seats. Crew members had to open the hatch below, carry parachutes, and continue down. This was no more convenient than the old H-6 bomber.

They once designed an integrated escape pod, just like the F111, where the nose of the aircraft carrying all the crew could detach as a whole and then parachute down, but designing such a system was too difficult.

Later, Martin-Baker added a clever ejection system to the coal pit, with an ejection window at the top. The ejection seats of the crew members were movable, allowing them to reach the ejection window in turn and be ejected.

According to the plan, the pilot in front would only be able to eject after the three brothers in the coal pit had ejected. Unexpectedly, the co-pilot was so afraid of dying!

He had just finished cursing when, boom! An explosion rang out, and the 21 bombs carried inside the fuselage were detonated!
The entire plane exploded into a fireball in mid-air, and above the fireball, there was a rocket-like flame—that was the only survivor!

The Vulcan bomber was shot down more than ten kilometers away from its target!
(End of this chapter)