Previously, the PLA's MQ-9 Reapers were responsible for reconnaissance of Kidal, while the Central Firepower Defense borrowed two CH-4 crews from Busa to take turns guarding the border base.
A patrol radius of 30 kilometers is sufficient, since the longest-range weapon in the Azawad Coordination Movement is the BM-21 Hail rocket launcher, which can only reach a maximum range of 20 kilometers.
Of course, Xia Yu was aware that there were now extended-range rockets with a range of 40 kilometers, but the Tuareg people definitely couldn't get their hands on such a new thing. They basically just used whatever type of rockets they had in their arsenal.
As for whether they will launch a Scud-A ballistic missile, there's not much to worry about. The circular error probable (CEP) of a brand-new missile is already incredibly high, let alone after being in stock for so many years.
When the colonel made a desperate attempt in 2011, he fired a shot that went 80 kilometers off course. It was like setting off an invisible firework, as the guidance system had become completely random.
Therefore, the biggest threat at present is these three BM-21 Hail rocket launchers heading towards them.
"They turned a corner; they're afraid of being discovered and want to attack us from a different direction."
Xia Yu said, looking at the rocket artillery convoy that was starting to turn on the screen.
If the CH-4 is armed, three missiles could eliminate the threat, but halving its range is still too much of a blow.
The more crucial question is, who knows if these three multiple rocket launchers are decoys used by Azawad's coordinated movement?
In any case, according to known intelligence, Gaddafi bought several hundred sets of Hailstorm weapons back then. The Tuareg people used this weapon in different directions, and their number was conservatively more than 10.
So, it's not impossible that they would use three old Hailstorm tanks left in the city of Kidal, which couldn't be of much use, as bait for a surprise attack.
Xia Yu immediately called the Mengdiao air rig and ordered them to search within Nirier territory.
The Tuareg are a nomadic people who roam the desert regions of multiple countries. Borders do not mean much to them, so it is not surprising that they hide their weapons and equipment in Niger and Algiliya.
After enduring 10 days of bombing in Kedar, with ground troops about to break into the city, seizing the last opportunity to launch a surprise attack was the best course of action.
Xia Yu didn't have a reliable intelligence network in the Sahel region, but he understood human nature.
For the past few days, Jihuo Defense has been preparing for this counter-attack operation, until this moment when the dust has settled.
"Calling the Siberian Wren, Nirier direction, Level 1 combat readiness!"
"yes!"
Old Han, who had been sleeping with one ear perked up, instantly woke up, nudged the flying squirrel in the next bed, grabbed his helmet, and rushed out of the room, heading ahead of the longbow-wielding deer, which was fully fueled and ready for battle.
"Buzzing"
On the other side, Xia Yu also started the engine of the old deer tiger and headed towards the rocket artillery convoy that the Mengdiao crew had given up on pursuing.
"Calling Huangyou, this is Mengdiao crew. We have spotted a second rocket artillery convoy. There are a total of 6 BM-21 Hail and 4 armed pickup trucks on guard. The people in the truck beds are suspected of carrying portable anti-aircraft missiles."
Busa's message arrived immediately.
The Azawad Coordination Movement is indeed going all in; there are nine Hail rockets, and they've deployed more than half of their large-caliber rocket artillery.
If the three decoy vehicles succeed, it means that 240 122mm rockets will be launched at the government army's border base, where personnel and equipment are gathered, causing a large number of casualties and losses.
But is that all?
Looking deeper, the fact that the enemy brought anti-aircraft gunners suggests they were prepared for the decoys to fail and for them to attack under attack helicopter fire.
So, keep a backup plan. Deploy their old Hinds nearby to ambush them, and finish them off when the rocket artillery attack goes smoothly.
If the attack doesn't go smoothly, you can also help upgrade the main force and take advantage of the gap when the defensive attack helicopters are tied up to rush up and unleash a barrage of attacks.
The problem is that they underestimated the sophistication of the concentrated fire defense equipment. Even the Chinese might have suffered a setback, but Xia Yu specifically reinforced the radar detection this time.
The Hanhao Bird crew, which was rushing towards the rocket artillery convoy 30 kilometers away, opened the millimeter-wave active phased array radar on the mast of the Longbow Cross Deer.
Combining phase scanning and mechanical scanning, the rotating radar scans 360° in all directions, detecting every movement within a 20-kilometer radius.
"Something's up. An aerial target has appeared at the 9 o'clock position."
Before the target convoy was even detected, the flying squirrel in the front seat noticed the anomaly on the screen.
The Eagle crew had been keeping a close watch on the rocket artillery convoy, and couldn't cover other directions at the moment, but the Longbow Cross Deer successfully caught them off guard.
However, at this distance, the radar can only see it, but cannot track or illuminate it; it must get closer.
The problem is that the rocket artillery convoy has already advanced to within 25 kilometers and will soon be within the range of the hailstorm to establish firing positions and begin firing.
"Calling the Eagle Crew, please provide the Mole with the real-time coordinates of the target convoy and execute the harassment strike as planned."
Xia Yu contacted the drone ground control station and Kuhn.
"Yes, boss!"
Kuhn answered immediately.
This time, instead of bringing their old TRF1 towed howitzers, they borrowed a truck-mounted howitzer and a self-propelled howitzer from Busa, which were ready for combat after the two attack helicopters took off.
Two large-caliber howitzers cannot pinpoint and kill six moving targets, but they can prevent them from establishing a firing position and fire all their rockets at once.
"Knock knock"
Two loud cannon shots rang out in succession as two 155mm grenades, manufactured in the UK, were fired from barrels with diameters of 45 and 52 calibers respectively, traveling 22.3 kilometers to land directly in front of the target convoy.
"Boom boom"
Two explosions, much smaller than a 500-pound bomb, left the lead armed pickup truck covered in shrapnel.
"We've been discovered!"
"The Tuareg leader said in horror."
"Quickly, advance the attack helicopters. They only attacked us with howitzers; the drones weren't carrying any ammunition."
He quickly contacted several female deer that were hovering at low altitudes, but the Longbow Cross Deer was faster.
"Locked up, fire!"
"call out"
The flying squirrel pressed the missile launch button, and a TY-90 missile on the outermost left twin pylon ignited and shot into the night.
Meanwhile, just 5 kilometers away in the cockpit of a Mi-25, the Tuareg pilot, wearing night vision goggles and comparing his real-time coordinates with those on his handheld GPS, was unaware that he had been locked onto.
He just wanted to fly to that government border base as quickly as possible, fire all his bullets and rockets, and then leave.
Two other pilots shared the same idea; the Azawad Coordination Movement deployed a total of three old female Hinds this time.
Two of them were in this direction, so the Hanhao Bird crew immediately fired their second and third air-to-air missiles.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
At the same time, Xia Yu also cleared out the rocket nests of the three rocket launchers in the decoy convoy.
The metal jets of a total of 80 S-8M high-explosive anti-tank rockets penetrated the directional tube and the outer casing of the 122mm rockets without any obstruction, and the subsequent explosion directly destroyed the entire multiple rocket launcher.
"Boom!"
Meanwhile, the Mi-25 at the other end also exploded into a huge fireball in the air, with the S-8M rockets detonating in the rocket pod fueling the fire.
"Boom!"
The second Mi-25, lagging behind by 1 kilometer, was also hit head-on by an incoming missile. The old Hind, which had rendered the government forces unable to raise their heads, was mercilessly destroyed by the Longbow Crossbow on the same platform.
So what about the last one?
It is unclear how many attack helicopters, specifically the "Hanyu" type, were deployed by the Azawad Coordination Movement. After eliminating two targets and confirming that there were no other helicopters in that area, they turned around and headed towards the rocket artillery convoy that had been blocked by howitzers and had abandoned its mission and scattered in all directions.
While the CH-4 high-altitude patrol aircraft, equipped with only a synthetic aperture radar in its electro-optical head, is adept at locking onto multiple targets at once, the Longbow Dragonfly aircraft, equipped with a millimeter-wave active phased array radar, is still the best choice.
This is also the reason why the Cold-Weather Bird crew prioritizes hunting aerial targets; the tactic of splitting up and running is ineffective against the Longbow Cross Deer.
"Whoosh!"
"Knock knock knock"
The high-speed helicopter fired an invisible coded laser beam, followed by two 90mm laser-guided rockets. Finally, the muzzle of the 30mm cannon turned and fired as the flying squirrel's gaze shifted.
The two-man crew worked together seamlessly to unleash a combo attack. While the rockets were following the laser's guidance, more than a dozen shells hit the fleeing armed pickup truck first.
"boom"
The high-explosive bomb directly detonated the fuel tank, while a BM-21 Hail, which was fleeing further away, was locked in place by the laser until the two shots, which flew over 7 kilometers, successfully hit the target.
"Boom!"
This is an asymmetrical battle, or you could say a one-sided hunt.
The old weapons and equipment were ruthlessly crushed by the new ones. So what if they obtained Colonel Gaddafi's secret arsenal? It could only suppress the government forces, while Concentrated Fire Defense had always maintained a generational advantage.
"Whoosh!"
"Knock knock knock"
Two more laser-guided rockets were fired, and with the roar of the machine gun, the number of targets locked on the screen was decreasing at a visible rate.
While the Hanhao Bird crew was progressing smoothly, Xia Yu was also searching for other possible targets.
While the Old Deer Tiger's Osiris mast-top observation instrument isn't as extreme as the Longbow Dragonfly Head, its efficiency in searching for single targets using a thermal imaging channel that can see up to 18 kilometers away is still quite good.
So he actually saw an old Mi-25 Hind fleeing.
Yes, they've already run 15 kilometers. If they had gone any further, they would have escaped successfully.
"Splash splash"
Xia Yu chased after it without hesitation. The Mi-24V, equipped with a new engine that was more powerful, had a top speed that was faster than the export version of the Mi-24D. Not to mention that the other side had not fired a single missile and had more than a ton of weight.
In situations like this, one should discard the empty rocket pods like he did, but the Tuareg people are so poor that they've all become mercenaries; they're unwilling to throw away the pods along with the ammunition.
There was nothing Xia Yu could do but take out the enemy along with their machine.
"Whoosh!"
Once within range, the Mi-24V fired two Mistral missiles directly from its left outermost pylon.
"Boom!"
The third Mi-25 that tried to escape was also turned into a fireball. Tonight's counter-attack operation was a complete success, and they successfully destroyed a wave of heavy equipment in the Azawad Coordination Movement.
The Hind series is not without air-to-air missiles; the Mi-24bm even integrated the Igla. However, the biggest problem with the old Hind was its inability to detect the enemy.
The Tuareg also deployed anti-aircraft gunners in the three Mi-25 transport bays involved in the operation, ready to hunt down helicopters that were focusing their firepower on the defenses from the doorway with portable anti-aircraft missiles.
As a result, they all became useless units that went down with the pilots. Even with night vision goggles, they couldn't find the target in the vast night sky, and then missiles would come knocking on their door.
Perhaps they should have chosen to strike during the day, when the attack helicopter's air-to-air missiles were within range, and definitely within visual range; even without radar or electro-optical sensors, they could still see it with the naked eye.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." If they chose to die at midnight, Xia Yu wouldn't let them stay until dawn; they wouldn't see the morning sun.
"Splash splash"
Old Han and his men returned to the base a step behind, and after calculating the results of this counter-attack operation, they found it to be quite profitable.
The Chinese paid for the rocket pods that Xia Yu abandoned, the Hanhao Bird crew shot down 3 missiles, and laser-guided rockets emptied two 7-tube rocket pods.
The simple inertial guidance rockets were never fired. The low price was only one reason; the inability to provide continuous guidance also made them ineffective against moving targets. He could only reluctantly accept the 420,000 euro revenue.
The missiles are even more expensive, costing 100,000 euros each, but they are still more affordable than the Russians that put the R-73 attack helicopters on.
Xia Yu did have an excuse to integrate the R-73 data for Lao Lu Hu, but there really weren't many clients who could afford to use this thing outside of museum target practice.
"Mr. Sherlock, thank you for your efforts tonight. I can't believe how much the Azawad Coordination Movement has grown."
Henry, who had been watching the entire match from CH-4's perspective, came over to thank Xia Yu.
"You're welcome, you've already paid the bill."
Xia Yu waved his hand to indicate to Henry that he didn't need to do this, but inwardly he was thinking, "Why have they become so arrogant? Shouldn't you be the ones who know best?"
"In the upcoming battle, we need to do everything we can to seize and destroy all the weapons and equipment that the Tuareg people obtained from Libya."
Henry continued.
They released the tiger, but now that the situation has deteriorated, they have no choice but to spend money to hire PMC to teach the disobedient Azawad Coordination Movement a lesson.
"Jihuo Defense is willing to fully cooperate with your side, as unregulated weapons and equipment are seriously affecting peace and stability in the Sahel region."
Xia Yu followed the other person's tone and spoke boastfully.
But it's still exciting to have the chance to see Colonel Gatchaman's armory, even if there aren't any good items left inside, a large amount of near-expiry ammunition can still be sold secondhand.
Especially the 122mm rockets, which the government forces of several countries cannot consume. Once Xia Yu's Cold War branch opens, there will definitely be wealthy people willing to pay $1 million for a salvo.
This is much more profitable than selling weapons for seven or eight thousand dollars. With a little renovation, he can save on system man-hours.
While Xia Yu envisions a bright future, the Azawad Coordination Movement headquarters in Kedar City is shrouded in gloom.
The members who participated in the raid sent back a message before they died, saying that the operation had completely failed, their Hinds were being shot down one by one in the air, and the number of artillery crews responding was decreasing, and they could not hold on any longer.
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