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

Chapter 331 Shoot down the early warning aircraft first!

Bomb! This is a huge bomb!

Looking at that streamlined object several meters long, the rocket launcher operator was filled with anticipation and even forgot to continue running.

A group of David's soldiers pounced on him like wolves!

He kept looking at the sky, watching the giant bomb fall, observing its trajectory; it seemed to be…

David's soldiers were also stunned, and looked up at the sky.

Boom!
The large bomb landed near them, but it didn't explode. It just broke apart, and then... the liquid inside splashed onto them, giving off a strong smell of aviation kerosene.

"Damn it!" A David soldier raised his middle finger to the sky, and the next moment, he raised his gun and opened fire in front of the enemy.

Ta-da-da…

Flames shot from the muzzle, and instantly, his entire body burst into flames. He screamed in agony amidst the fire, and the others dared not approach, quickly removing their gear, which was stained with aviation kerosene.

On the other side, the rocket launcher operator was extremely excited and quickly retreated.

Machine gun fire erupted overhead from the ruins, and the David soldiers who were hit burst into flames!

The battle continues.

In the sky, the three twin-engine Q-6 helicopters, having jettisoned their auxiliary fuel tanks, continued to climb rapidly!
That's right, what we just threw away was the auxiliary fuel tank.

At the rear, two WP-15 turbojet engines unleashed 26 tons of thrust, propelling the fighter jet, which weighed less than 24 tons at the time, to climb like a rocket.

The fuel was flowing rapidly and being consumed at an alarming rate, but they didn't care. Even if they couldn't fly back, as long as they could shoot down the early warning aircraft, they would have done a great service!
One thousand meters, two thousand meters... ten thousand meters! Seventy seconds later, we successfully climbed to ten thousand meters!

At sea level, the maximum climb rate can exceed 300 meters per second. However, that is only the maximum. As you climb, the air density decreases, the engine thrust decreases, and the climb rate also decreases. Especially now that it is in combat mode, carrying two Lightning-20, two Lightning-10, and two Lightning-9 missiles, it can still fly this fast, which is already outrageously powerful.

Even if it were replaced with an F-15, it wouldn't be able to fly that fast. Once it reaches high altitudes, the F100 engine becomes ineffective.

At an altitude of 10,000 meters, Major Adil leveled the plane and shouted, "Dates, dates, how's it going? Is the radar on?"

"Radar normal, target detected, locking on... Target locked, range 80!"

"Launch! Launch!" Major Adil shouted excitedly, "We're going to take out the E-2 AWACS! Our wingmen, deal with their escort fighters!"

Two soft sounds came from under the fuselage.

Bang! Bang!
The Lightning-20 missile detached from its pylon and fell downwards. A few meters later, a blazing flame erupted from its tail.

Attack! Attack!
Eighty kilometers away.

"Quickly, descend and dive to escape!" The cabin was in complete chaos.

When they spotted the three targets rapidly ascending, they sensed something was wrong and called for nearby fighter jets to come to their aid. However... it would take time for nearby planes to arrive, and they simply couldn't make it in time!
The two F-15s that were originally escorting the aircraft have already rushed forward. Both of them are experienced pilots. As they rush forward, they have already activated their weapon systems and missiles. Once they reach a distance of 30 kilometers, they can launch Sparrow missiles.

But... at a distance of eighty kilometers, they heard the radar alarm that they were locked on, and then... echoes appeared on their radar screens.

What's going on?
Eighty kilometers away, it was locked on and attacked? In the whole world, only the Phoenix missile can do that, Syria definitely doesn't have one!

However, that was the reality. Watching the target ascend to an altitude of 32,000 meters and fly towards them, they felt a chill in their hearts, but... there was no way to escape now; they had to protect the safety of the early warning aircraft behind them.

They still have to keep flying forward!
Sixty kilometers, thirty kilometers, ten kilometers...

High in the sky, two missiles were flying towards an F-15. The pilots gritted their teeth, engaged afterburners, and flew towards the direction from which the missiles were coming.

Although the Phoenix missile has a long range, its maneuverability is too poor. It can be used to deal with slow targets such as bombers, but against fighters... it can't keep up with them at all!

The fighter jets that were shot down were all because they had no idea they were being attacked!
Now that I know, I'm sure I can get rid of it!
Two bright spots appeared in the sky ahead, and the pilot flew towards them, counting down in his mind.

Ten, nine, eight...

Before we even reached zero, brilliant flames burst forth in front of us.

Boom, boom!
It was only then that he suddenly realized he had misjudged the situation!

The Phoenix missile's warhead weighs as much as 60 kilograms, which is more than ten kilograms heavier than the Soviet R-60 missile. With such a heavy warhead, the kill radius is very large, so it can be detonated in advance!

Finished!

He pulled the stick and applied the rudder urgently, but still couldn't avoid the flying sticks. The next moment, he felt a crashing sound coming from the fuselage, and flames rose up.

The other F-15 fighter jet successfully evaded the attack and continued flying towards the other side. Even though it was one against three, it was determined to take down the other one!

The exclamations from the E-2 early warning aircraft were still coming through my headset.

"Damn it, we're only five kilometers away!"

"Escort fighters, where are the escort fighters?"

The pilot realized that his task was no longer to intercept the enemy, but to intercept the incoming missiles!
Now, those two Phoenix missiles aimed at the E-2 early warning aircraft have already swooped down from high altitude, and his Sparrow missiles are well within reach!

He turned the plane around, aimed at the Phoenix missiles, and locked onto the target. He did it very quickly; within three seconds, two Sparrow missiles flew over. He could only hope... he could make it in time.

The radar warning receiver sounded in his headset. Clearly, after missing two Phoenix missiles, the enemy had relocked and was about to attack him.

Now, he cannot change his posture; he must keep the nose of the aircraft pointing at the target and keep the radar continuously illuminating it… At this moment, he needs to face death head-on, but he is not afraid!
At this moment, the E-2 early warning aircraft continued its dive, hoping to shake off the missiles, which was its only way. Inside the cabin, exclamations of alarm continued to rise.

They are different from fighter jet pilots; they are more like civilian staff. They originally thought they were safe, but unexpectedly, they were also hit by missiles.

On the radar screen, the target is getting closer and closer!
Three kilometers, two kilometers, one kilometer...

One target disappeared, taken down by a Sparrow missile, while another target narrowly missed the Sparrow missile and flew over.

boom!
A huge explosion rang out, and the next moment, the E-2 early warning aircraft's large disc was blown off, and the fuselage broke in half... That's how powerful a half-ton missile is!
At this moment, the escort F-15 fighter jet that turned around to provide support was only a dozen kilometers away from the E-2 early warning aircraft. He watched helplessly as the early warning aircraft exploded into a fireball in front of him. Everyone inside was definitely dead. Even if they could leave the cabin safely, they would fall to their deaths.

Don't assume you're safe just because it's the ocean below. At that height, you could be smashed to death the moment you touch the surface.

That damned E-Tu, it actually attacked our own AWACS aircraft!

The pilot gritted his teeth, wanting to turn around and shoot down the attacking fighter jet, when he heard a loud bang.

boom!
The next moment, his rear fuselage burst into flames.

He was so focused on saving his own early warning aircraft that he didn't even care about being locked on by the enemy. Of course, the enemy didn't hold back and launched a missile after locking on. Five seconds after the E-2 was shot down, his fighter jet was also hit by a missile!
Seeing the fire alarm flashing, he knew he couldn't fly back. He quickly pulled the ejection handle, and soon a white parachute bloomed in the sky. Three to zero!
Didn't the Davidians boast about their zero casualties? Now, an early warning aircraft and two escort fighters have all been shot down!
Major Adil was excited. Soon, he heard the sound of an early warning aircraft through his headset.

"AWACS calling Bald Eagle, AWACS calling Bald Eagle, ten fighter jets are flying toward you. Immediately fly north, bypass the Lituo coastline, and then return to base!"

Seeing the approaching enemy aircraft's flashing lights appear on the head-up display, Major Adil calmly replied, "Bald Eagle received."

Their mission was to shoot down the early warning aircraft, not to engage in aerial combat with the subsequent fighter jets. Now that their mission is complete, they are heading back. If they simply fly north with all afterburners engaged, they can evade this wave of interception.

If our side can fly at Mach 2.5, even if the other side discovers us, they simply cannot catch up.

Of course, this is all predicated on knowing the location of enemy aircraft at all times. This requires the command of an early warning aircraft. With this early warning aircraft, their battlefield awareness is greatly enhanced, making warfare much more enjoyable! The previous Soviet model simply doesn't work!

During the high-speed return flight, Major Adil was also worried about their remaining two twin-engine Q-6 fighter jets. According to the plan, those two were sent to attack the electronic jamming aircraft, and he didn't know if they had succeeded.

A few minutes ago, in the southern part of the Bekaa Valley.

Compared to early warning aircraft with a search range of several hundred kilometers, electronic jamming aircraft have a much shorter effective range, generally only one or two hundred kilometers. Therefore, they cannot fly over the safe Mediterranean Sea via the Lebanese chariots, but can only fly over the southern Bekaa Valley to cover the entire Bekaa Valley with jamming electromagnetic waves.

At this moment, the Boeing 707 modified electronic warfare aircraft was flying steadily, with two F-15s escorting it on both sides. If any situation arose, these two fighter jets would swiftly pounce and take down the target.

However... it was almost impossible to get through the interception line of the fighter jets ahead and reach this place, so they considered themselves very safe.

The lead pilot, Joshua, looked out at the scene with boredom. After several days of attacks, they had firmly grasped air superiority over the Bekaa Valley. The actual performance of the Syrian Air Force was like a pile of shit.

"Huang Que, what's wrong with the Xu Tuo over there?" came the wingman's voice through the earpiece.

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to fight back before they die, like the dead sometimes have a final burst of energy,” Joshua replied.

Faced with the sudden deployment of a large number of fighter jets by Syria, they were not too worried. In their eyes, Syria was just putting up a last stand. Once this wave was over, the hopes of the Syrian Air Force would be completely shattered, their bones would be broken, and they would never dare to confront the David Air Force again.

The two were chatting when suddenly they heard the alarmed voice of an early warning aircraft coming over the radio.

"Attention! Attention! Three targets have suddenly taken off from the Lituo coastline..."

Both men's expressions changed drastically: "What happened? Was our early warning aircraft attacked?"

"Yes, those damned Syrian camels are targeting our early warning aircraft. We need to go and provide support immediately."

“No, our mission is to protect electronic warfare aircraft. We need to get ready and turn on the radar…” Joshua said as he turned on his onboard radar.

In this era, the trouble-free working time of airborne radar is very short. Therefore, once in the air, the radar is definitely not turned on all the time. Otherwise, a full inspection would be required after landing. This is especially true for the David Air Force, which has electronic support from early warning aircraft. They only turn on the radar when needed.

Now, after the radar warmed up and started, Joshua was surprised to see four bright spots flying towards him at high speed. What the hell, were those four missiles?
"Oh, damn it, we're under attack! Quick, engage the enemy!" Joshua shouted as he rapidly operated his fire control radar to lock onto the incoming lights, praying, "God, quick, lock onto them immediately!"

What on earth is flying here? Why didn't the radar warning receiver react at all before?
Now, they don't have time to think about these issues; they must take out these four incoming lights, otherwise their electronic warfare aircraft will be in danger.

On electronic warfare aircraft.

When they learned that a target was rapidly approaching, everyone above was dumbfounded.

What's going on? The leisurely, carefree scenes of the past are gone; they're getting beaten up too!

"Quickly, return to base, return to base!" shouted Avdia, the commander of the electronic warfare aircraft.

The electronic warfare aircraft did not have a large plate on top, only some antennas protruding from it, so its aerodynamic shape remained unchanged. At this moment, the fuselage tilted at a large angle, which made the crew members, who were used to stable flight, feel very uncomfortable. Several female electronic warfare officers had already screamed.

The cabin was in complete disarray.

"Damn it, shut up, all of you shut up, keep working, activate the strongest jamming, we need more than just escort planes, we need to rely on ourselves!"

Under Avdia's reprimand, some of the people finally calmed down and started working.

Analyzing the electromagnetic characteristics of the incoming target and carrying out targeted jamming... but it seems to have no effect!
At this moment, the escorting F-15s had completed the lock-on operation, and four Sparrow missiles flew out from under the wings, speeding towards the target.

We must intercept it; we absolutely cannot miss!
"Target hit!"

"Target hit!"

Hearing these sounds, the crew members in the electronic warfare aircraft calmed down a little.

"One shot missed!"

Oh no, we didn't intercept them all!

Joshua raised his head, his gaze fixed on the distant sky. Soon, whoosh! He saw a missile hurtling towards him, with four large trapezoidal wings and a tail fin. This was... a phoenix?

He pulled up the control stick and bravely went to meet it. Now that the missile had failed, he had to use his own aircraft to block it.

Being attacked by the Phoenix is ​​terrifying. The warhead is so large that if you get hit, you won't even have a chance to parachute out; you'll die inside the cockpit.

But now, they have no choice! They absolutely cannot allow their precious electronic jamming equipment to be lost!

The distance was getting closer and closer, and just as they were about to meet, the target suddenly changed direction and passed by him!
No, no, that's impossible. I've already positioned myself in front of it; I should be under the target's gaze. So, there's no reason for the Phoenix missile to have missed me. The only possibility is...

This missile was not actively guided!
what is that?
The thought that the missile was coming without being locked on or receiving a radar warning receiver sent Joshua trembling violently through his body.

"The oriole calls to the crow, the oriole calls to the crow, what's flying in might be an anti-radiation agent like our mockingbird..."

Before he could finish speaking about the missile, he heard an explosion in his headset. He looked up and saw a huge fireball in the rearview mirror on his cockpit canopy. The electronic warfare aircraft had been hit! Its supposed protection against electromagnetic interference had become the very reason it was shot down!
Who says the Davidians have a technological advantage? In this series of battles, the Davidians have been technologically outmatched!
This time they fared even worse, because from the very beginning, they were almost constantly being overwhelmed.

Now that the early warning aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft are gone, the battlefield situation has been completely reversed!

Two twin-engine Q-6 fighters just slipped through David's Eagle's defenses! Under the command of their own AWACS aircraft, David's Eagle's position was known clearly. Although the airspace above the battlefield was narrow, they found a gap to slip through!

After flying over, the enemy's early warning aircraft was shot down. So, the two twin-engine Q-6 fighters quickly took up their launch positions and launched all four of their Lightning-20 missiles. Unlike the previous Lightning-20s, the guidance heads of these missiles had been modified and could switch between anti-radiation mode and active mode.

If the target does not turn off the jammer, it will continue to operate in anti-radiation mode. If the target turns off the jammer, it will switch to active mode and look for the bright spot with the strongest radar reflection intensity. It will definitely not attack the wrong target.

Although three missiles were intercepted, the last one still completed its mission. Now, the skies over the Bekaa Valley belong to the Syrians!
Behind them, MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters were speeding over, catching up to gang up on David's Air Force. In front, the Super-7 fighter group, which had been playing hide-and-seek, finally stopped dodging!

"Sickle Squadron, attention! Continue turning left and cut to the target's right!"

Upon hearing the command through his headset and glancing at the data on the head-up display, Syrian pilot Ham pushed the control stick, applied the rudder, and led his squadron in another maneuver toward the optimal interception airspace.

(End of this chapter)