Switching to a red Rattlesnake, or a Rattlesnake NG, might just bring it down.
Wait, I almost forgot. Newer, improved air defense systems are more likely to have backdoors. Only the 7-series Red Sidewinder is safe against French aircraft. Replacing the radar command vehicle with a phased array radar is even better.
However, even this old version couldn't gain an advantage against the F-111 Aardvark back then, let alone against modern fighter jets.
The problem is that there are not only fighter jets in the airspace above Kidal, but also a reconnaissance and strike drone flying at a height close to a portable air defense missile, which is now desperately climbing.
"Whoosh!"
The last two Sidewinder missiles to take off did not chase after the departing bombing formation, but instead bit the nearby MQ-9 Reaper, which could only fly at subsonic speeds.
At that moment, all that could be seen was the drone fleeing for its life, while the ground control station manipulated the MTS electro-optical turret under the nose of the drone to rotate to the six o'clock position.
The thermal imaging channel transmitted a highly oppressive scene: two anti-aircraft missiles, one in front and one behind, were chasing them at speeds exceeding Mach 2.
"boom"
There was no explosion, no fire, but the crew members, who had lost all footage and data, knew that the Air Force's Reaper drone, worth tens of millions of dollars, had been destroyed.
"You said the German MQ-9 was taken down by the French Rattlesnake?"
Xia Yu received the intelligence immediately.
"Yes, boss. The Azawad Coordination Movement has at least two Sidewinder launchers. They have definitely found Gaddafi's secret arsenal. The bombing contract will be temporarily suspended."
On the way back, Hans contacted Xia Yu.
Today, he and Lao A are in the most danger. The F-4K's maneuverability is only better than other Phantoms, and it is still far inferior to third-generation fighters.
If the Fruit Bat crew had been the first to drop bombs, the two men might have been ejected.
Old bullets hitting old planes, isn't that a sure thing?
"Let it end then, it's the Chinese people's own doing."
Xia Yu replied with a pout.
In his hometown dialect, Gallic Rooster's actions were a classic case of "doing nothing right," sacrificing his life savings in an attempt to save a little money.
The procurement cost of a single MQ-9 aircraft by the US military is over 30 million, and even if the export price doubles, it's still not enough. The cost of training, ground stations, spare parts, and all other miscellaneous items would exceed 100 million dollars.
With so much money, you could buy so many AASMs, but you insist on throwing away old gemstones just to save money.
However, the Americans only have a few MQ-9s, while the Americans have many more that have crashed or been shot down. One Rafale fighter jet deployed in the Middle East was ordered to destroy a Reaper drone that was unable to return due to a malfunction.
After all, if it crashes so completely, the electro-optical head can be removed and used to guide air-to-air missiles to launch surprise attacks on fighter jets from the ground.
If you encounter a cheat like Xia Yu, just upgrade it to be a brand new one.
But the German MQ-9A exploded in mid-air, and it's estimated that even if you searched the entire city, you wouldn't be able to find 10% of the parts.
So thankfully, the intelligence gathering mission was carried out by the Germans. Trading a CH-4 for a Busa would have yielded the same result—just a few million dollars. It seems like trading one CH-4 for a Sidewinder wouldn't be a bad deal.
Using reconnaissance and strike drones as consumer-grade drones, like Sutter did, is also a tactic.
Problems that can be solved with money aren't really problems, but it seems like the French can't bring themselves to lose face.
"Afika is getting more and more chaotic. Short-range air defense missiles are so rampant. I remember the Sidewinder only has a single-stage engine and can reach Mach 2 in 3 seconds. Our Cheetah A9 can't really stop it!"
Xia Yu wasn't trying to boost the enemy's morale while diminishing his own; rather, this thing really is more powerful than a portable anti-aircraft missile.
The only good news is that antique missiles are easier to fool. Since we can't stop them, we can at least make sure they can't hit us accurately.
"I'll stop talking now. I'm flying to Oga right now. We'll talk again when I get there."
With such a big incident happening, he, as the owner of PMC company, definitely has to go there.
"Where's the Siberian Wren? Let's go to Oga."
After finishing the communication with Hans, Xia Yu went outside and called Lao Han.
The crew of the Siberian Hornet, which does not fly the Longbow Crossbow, will be split into two teams, taking turns piloting the company's Super Hornet.
According to Fennec Fox, the two are undergoing conversion training and are quickly getting the hang of French helicopters.
"Yes, boss!"
Old Han, who was on duty, went to the tarmac first and started the engine of the Super Hornet.
When the two arrived at Oga Airport, it was just getting dark, but the nearby Fajun camp was brightly lit.
The other side was also panicked, especially since news of the equipment loss had already been reported back to China.
The Chinese military satellites also aimed at Kidal, repeatedly searching for the two coordinates that the MQ-9 Reaper drone had finally locked onto.
They didn't lose any personnel, but they lost a lot of face, and in order to regain face, they decided to spend even more money.
A total of 50 AASM250 missiles will be loaded into an A400M and transported to the Afika. The Mirage-2000D can use this precision-guided munition.
The problem is that the French only think that the Middle East war is too intense, so they haven't deployed such expensive weapons in the Sahel region, and now they have to transport them from their own country.
However, the price is too high, so the quantity is a bit small, but this means that the opportunity for concentrated fire defense has arrived.
Xia Yu can provide precision-guided munitions with performance indicators on par with the JDAM, but at a much lower price, costing only 80,000 euros per munition.
This is comparable to the standard AASM. The high-end version with all-weather combat capabilities costs 110,000 euros. Outsourcing it to Focusfire Defense saves them not only money but also a lot of trouble.
"Replacing all GBU-12s with FT-6s and renegotiating a one-week bombing contract, is that right?"
"Yes, Mr. Sherlock, Azawad coordinated the movement and they moved the Sidewinder anti-aircraft missile launchers. Our satellites have found nothing, but for the safety of the ground troops, we must increase the bombing intensity."
"That's what the brigadier general in charge of the camp said."
"I understand, then let's do it this way!"
Xia Yu suppressed a smile and signed his name on the contract.
As a 500-pound satellite-guided glide bomb using the MK-82 airframe, the FT-6 uses NATO-compliant pylons and electronic interfaces, which can be used not only by the Red Falcon but also by the Spy Phantom.
However, laser-guided bombs were sufficient in the past, and Jihuo Defense had no need to drop satellite-guided glide bombs. Xia Yu brought in a batch of these bombs and left them in the warehouse.
Little did they know that the Tuareg's six rattlesnakes would turn the Chinese into frightened birds, and the original plan to bombard ground targets outside the range of portable anti-aircraft missiles was completely changed to dropping satellite-guided bombs from outside the defense zone.
This more than doubled the gross profit margin per unit, thanks to the company's incredibly low purchase price – basically just cost price plus a little. They act as ballast when transporting fighter jets.
Of course, Xia Yu could also print the JDAM kit directly, but those things sold in the US are not in the same league as those sold on Gem Road, so there's no need to leave a loophole just to save a few tens of thousands of dollars.
Using the FT series would be a great way to help my hometown consume excess production capacity, and I could also offer some suggestions for improvement.
At this moment, the members of the Azawad Coordination Movement, who were celebrating by slaughtering cattle and sheep in the city of Kedar, found it hard to believe that the people of the country had suddenly become so willing to spend money, showing none of their usual stinginess.
The main concern is that their own Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles might shoot down their own planes; who knows how many anti-aircraft vehicles the other side inherited from Colonel Gaddafi.
If they have the Rattlesnake, who knows if they'll have the SAM-8 Wasp that connects to the Arrow-2M?
If we don't move further away and bomb all the key areas, the advance of ground troops will result in even greater casualties.
Xia Yu could only thank Tu Tie for the missiles. He hadn't originally planned to make much money from ground bombing during the capture of Keidar, but Tu Tie insisted on putting euros into his pocket.
The flying foxes, who had originally planned to deliver food supplies, disregarded the vegetables and meat and first sent over a container FT-6. Then, they followed the A400M, which had just finished unloading, back to Konluga.
Speed is of the essence. Before the second batch of supplies arrived, the two Mirage-2000Ds each carried four AASM missiles, while the F-4Ks and F-16s of Jihuo Defense each carried 12 FT-6 missiles, ready to take off and bomb Kidal.
Because of the limited production, military pilots didn't have many opportunities to fire live ammunition for the AASM, so their operation skills might not have been very proficient.
However, on the side of Jihuo Defense, the horseshoe bat and tube-nosed bat were used by JDAM a lot when they were working in the Middle East, and Alvin was already familiar with the operation of other FT series bombs.
Only Hans, who had never handled satellite-guided bombs before, was of no help. The bombing was scheduled for tomorrow, and there was no time to learn now.
So Xia Yu took him directly back to the border base, preparing that once the bombing was over there, ground forces would rush into Kidal.
"Buzz"
The next morning, the roar of fighter jets taking off woke up Xiao Hei, who was sleeping in the residential area.
Realizing something was wrong, he rushed out of the house without even putting on his pants, grabbing his binoculars.
"Buzz"
The second Mirage-2000D took off immediately afterward, and he quickly went back inside to find the satellite phone and dialed the number.
"The Germans are here again."
"It's not just the Germans, there are two other types of fighter jets like the ones mentioned before, but it's unclear whether they're targeting you."
He earns tens of thousands of dollars a year, and every time a fighter jet takes off from Oga Airport, he contacts the Tuareg people.
"I see."
The deputy hung up the phone and immediately found Tequadda to report the situation.
"Let them come. We are never afraid of these accomplices of the government forces."
Even with only two Rattlesnakes left, they still…
"boom"
A loud explosion came from afar, interrupting Tequadda who was about to say something.
"boom"
Following the AASM was an FT-6, which was launched after the strike coordinates were entered, without the need for laser terminal illumination. Satellite-guided bombs have a longer range.
Fifty kilometers away from the city of Kedar, the five fighter planes in the bombing formation, without the panic of the previous two days, easily dropped bomb after bomb.
The two Mirage 2000Ds were the first to finish firing their AASMs, while the F-4K and F-16, with three times the ammunition load, were much slower.
But as long as there is no risk of being shot down, and with aerial refueling tankers providing protection, they can fly for several hours without any problem.
The situation was much worse at the Azawad Coordination Movement base in Kedar, where the two compounds where the Rattlesnake launchers had been hidden were the first to be destroyed.
The other targets were all marked with satellite coordinates. Caught off guard, the militants immediately fled their hiding places.
The Sidewinder launcher, with only two missiles remaining, was also pushed out at the risk of being bombed. However, the guidance radar on the launch unit drifted around several times without detecting any signal.
The radar is broken.
The old thing is incredibly durable and won't break down in a critical moment, but when other fighter jets drop bombs from 50 kilometers away, even the radar in the command vehicle can't detect it!
Engaging targets at such a long distance is not the job of short-range air defense systems, and even the latest Buk-M3 medium-range air defense systems cannot reach them; only certain A16B and certain A130 can do it.
Without these missiles, the Azawad Coordination Movement could only continue to be bombed. Unfortunately, the Sidewinder launcher that shot down the MQ-9 Reaper was launched into the air by an FT-6 missile, along with the yard.
In less than an hour, the five fighter jets had dropped all their bombs, and this was only the first day after the bombing contract was interrupted.
If they had simply stayed put and not fought back, the enemy could have easily advanced into a meat grinder on the ground after only seven days of bombing.
It would be better to keep the remaining rattlesnakes for the tiger-fighting style.
But they opened Pandora's box of short-range air defense missiles. The two attack helicopters that the Germans were supposed to send to the front line to cooperate in the operation did not come, and Jihuo Defense also reasonably raised its price.
Dealing with man-portable air defense systems and dealing with short-range air defense systems come at two different prices.
If their own people don't dare to go, then they'll just have to pay more money!
Thus, after ten days of continuous bombing, 500 houses in Kedar were completely destroyed, and more than 1,000 were affected to varying degrees.
Of the 50,000 local civilians, more than 30,000 fled, and more than 10,000 moved into refugee camps next to the stabilization mission.
However, there are still two or three thousand people who are reluctant to part with their few mud houses and choose to stay at home no matter what they will face next.
These individuals need to be identified during the process, and the government forces of the United States and China, who are responsible for coordinating firepower defense and combating the spread of the virus, are doing just that.
Soldiers will confirm that they are unarmed and, after eliminating any threat, transfer them to the blue helmet troops.
"So by now we should have killed a thousand of them."
Looking at the satellite photos on the screen, Xia Yu assessed the bombing's effectiveness.
"According to the original plan, it would be difficult to break 1,000 in 7 days, but with so many bombs dropped, the Azawad Coordination Movement has conservatively lost 1,000 people."
Henry gave an affirmative answer.
Before even making direct contact, they had already wiped out 20% of the enemy's fighting strength; only without the cover of reinforced concrete could they achieve such a good effect.
"The Tuareg will definitely retaliate against us, it's just a matter of whether it's today or tomorrow."
As he drew back the curtains, the bright moonlight spilled onto Xia Yu's face. In the unseen depths of the desert, the CH-4 thermal imaging channel locked onto three sneaky figures.
"Calling Huangyou, calling Huangyou, this is Mengdiao crew, an unusual convoy of 3 trucks has been detected."
Another drone crew from the Busa Air Force made direct contact with Xia Yu's unit, and the footage taken by the drone was also synchronized to the border base via satellite.
"The cargo box was very well covered up, but this six-wheeled truck looked familiar to me."
Looking at the thermal imaging outlines of the three trucks displayed on the tactical tablet, he immediately recognized them as three Ural-375d 6x6 military trucks.
Yes, it's the chassis commonly used by the BM-21 Hail multiple rocket launcher.
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