It hit its target, but trading three Sparrows for a MiG-21 was still a bit of a loss, so we can't afford to waste any more shots.
"Approaching visual range, second-round attack targets have been assigned, B3I mounts are ready, firing is permitted!"
The pilot in the back seat shouted again.
All the wealthy players who chose the Ghost mode were armed with four AIM-7P rounds. After firing that last shot, whether it hit or not, they would have to fight each other within visual range.
"emission!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
After firing their final salvo, the Phantom squadron, having spread out, resembled an open pocket, encircling and attacking the remaining eight MiG-21s.
"Puff puff puff"
"Boom boom boom"
As for Boss Mei's small goal of 1 vs 6, Xia Yu wanted him to achieve 1 vs 8, which stemmed entirely from the ace pilot's confidence.
"Buzz"
"call out"
As Andy spoke, he subconsciously raised his hand to adjust his glasses, but then he remembered that he had specially made flight correction glasses.
The problem is that there are too many air-to-air missiles, so it's all close combat right from the start. At most, it's 1 vs 2 or 1 vs 3, and it's too much of a stretch to fight against 4 target drones.
So, you're resorting to the same old trick? Andy wasn't alarmed when he saw the screen full of infrared jamming flares through the HUD, because he had also adopted the same old tactic.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
"I see it!"
"Because our boss invested a lot of money in modifications, to be honest, those customers who chose the ghosts lost out."
He said, "One against eight, just do it."
"Boom!"
"boom"
Nearsighted people can fly fighter jets, just as nearsighted people have produced Olympic shooting champions. They can simply wear glasses to correct their vision to the required standard.
The target drone control terminal screen lost another frame of image, but that didn't matter. The airport had just successfully launched the second wave of 18 target drones, which were once again heading towards the afflicted Sao Paulo.
They left the operations room and quickly went to the flight deck, heading to their respective aircraft.
The ship's alarm sounded again.
Xia Yu gestured to Boss Mei, the temporary squad leader, to announce.
Of course, if you don't want to buy them, you can choose a light loadout like four R-73 engines and two R-27 engines. The wingman Hamish has this configuration.
The person in the back seat picked up the conversation, saying what they could say.
"I've touched the control sticks of five or six MiG-29s, and this one is the most comfortable for me."
However, since the MiG-29UBK was modified from the MiG-29UB, even though a lot of composite materials were used to reduce weight during the modification, the weight of the airframe was increased again due to the reinforcement.
"They can only fly small planes at most. They can't handle this kind of fighter jet without hundreds of hours of flight time. They simply can't understand the advantages and disadvantages of it."
Consumers are forced to purchase in-flight refueling services costing up to $1 million per trip.
"Dulu dulu"
"Yes, we have to bite it."
At some unknown time, a second Sidewinder missile was fired. It appeared like a ghost the moment the chaff was burned up, and then the proximity fuse detonated the continuous rod warhead, which was several times smaller than the Sparrow. The open metal rod shredded the nose of the MiG-21 without any hindrance.
"Set off!"
Furthermore, since the engine isn't the high-thrust RD33-MK variant used in the original MiG-29K, it can't take off with a full fuel load.
Its legs were already short, and now they're even shorter. If it doesn't want to become a defender of the aircraft carrier, it will have to refuel in the air on the return trip.
If 70% of the profits come from the wealthy class, then the VIPs must experience what it means to be treated like royalty and to turn the impossible into the possible.
At the moment of ejection, Mr. Mei, who was pressed firmly into the seat, felt a strong push-back sensation, more intense than any other time he had ever flown in a MiG-29.
The AIM-9S missile, whose seeker head followed his gaze, was fired forward from the B2 pylon, maneuvering with a critical load of over 30g, and locked onto the MiG-21 across a mere 5 kilometers.
"Puff puff puff"
Few countries with aircraft carriers could accept this, but this disadvantage becomes an advantage for profit-driven PMC companies.
Is this what it feels like to launch a carrier-based aircraft?
Hamish, who ejected first, had the same feeling, especially after the person in the back seat granted him some operational privileges and he personally piloted the Flying Fulcrum.
The pilot in the back seat said that they accelerated and rushed over. Having fired all four medium-range missiles, they were now lightly armed and turned to bite the tail of their old nemesis.
The target drone emptied its simulated missile rockets at the monster outside its range, then, similarly lightly armed, prepared to use its superior maneuverability to turn the tables and engage the enemy.
This time, the enemy didn't even have the unreliable R-3 missiles.
The four target drones, which were prepared in advance, naturally defended against the last round of sparrows, but were followed by four old ghosts.
The wing commander's aircraft was, of course, aircraft number 01, which, like aircraft number 06, was fully loaded with eight missiles.
He turned and spoke to the Asian pilot behind him in Chinese.
However, since it was only remotely controlled, its clumsy maneuvering negated this advantage, and it was eventually successfully locked onto by Andy using the AN/AVG-8 helmet-mounted sight.
Hamish spoke from the consumer's perspective.
He is a professional in the field and has driving skills, so he can appreciate the difference. For ordinary people, it's like trying to wink at a blind person; they simply can't perceive it.
"That's true. Mr. Harding has a head start, and our crew has a good chance of exceeding our mission targets."
After the pilot in the back seat expressed his approval, he said with equal confidence.
Besides the 10 target drones purchased by Boss Mei, the rest of their squadron each bought 2, 3, and 4 target drones respectively.
The bigwig who chose four target drones requested six R-73 missiles and two R-27 missiles, seemingly not trusting the Slavic fire sticks.
But those were all dark histories left by the early versions. In the later stages, Russia, Russia, and a certain major country all revitalized the R-27 series by upgrading the seeker.
The batch of R-27s supplied by Xia Yu, well, there are some old missiles nearing their expiration date that were recycled from inventory, as well as older missile bodies that were directly printed. They have all undergone low-cost refurbishment and upgrades.
Its overall performance is comparable to that of the later-stage sparrow.
This project initially addressed the question of whether or not we had such a missile. Once we had it, we naturally needed to develop better missiles to rival the AIM-120 and AIM-260.
It's just that concentrated fire defense doesn't need them. The lower cost of old missiles allows for sufficient profit margins, and the inability to guarantee a kill on the first shot also leads to higher sales volume.
In this air combat group purchase event, in addition to 30 unmanned target drones, they sold nearly 50 air-to-air missiles and medium-range missiles, which is a very good sales volume.
You should know that Xia Yu's profit from selling a BTR-82S is equivalent to the profit from one R-73 and one R-27.
"Calling Ghost Squadron, this is Pivot Squadron. How's the situation on your end?"
Xia Yu gestured for Boss Mei to contact Andy.
"The first wave of 12 enemy aircraft were all killed, and each aircraft had more than half of its fuel remaining, but all of its missiles were emptied."
Andy gave a brief report.
He emptied the pylons when he took down the third target drone, and shot down the fourth one with a machine gun.
The good news is that although the gun pod has high drag, it carries more ammunition than aircraft like the F-4E with internal guns, so the Phantom squadrons that fire air-to-air missiles have not lost their ability to continue fighting.
"The aerial refueling tanker has taken off from the nearest base. Please lead your team to escort it and be ready to provide support at any time."
"Yes, Commander!"
Both sides were reciting their lines with great tacit understanding. The F-4 with its cannon didn't need to rush to escape when facing the MiG-21, especially since this time it was a man-machine battle.
After ending communication, the Pivot Squadron accelerated towards the incoming aircraft group.
The MiG-29UBK's fully upgraded radar detected the enemy formation from the start, but only the rear-seat screen would display the information. After all, it wouldn't matter if the front-seat crew knew, as their medium-range missiles couldn't reach that far.
"Commander, the radar has successfully detected the other side. We expect to complete the tracking and locking of both targets in one minute."
Xia Yu reported to Melnichenko, who was sitting in the front seat.
"A3, B3, A4, and B4 racks are all ready, and launch authorization has been granted."
With the data obtained from the Phantom Squadron's probes, the Pivot Squadron could adopt a more decisive tactic: to fire all the medium-range missiles carried by the four MiG-29UBKs in one go.
Each target is assigned two R-27s, and then close-range combat is initiated.
"clear!"
After finishing speaking, Boss Mei took a deep breath and began a countdown in his mind.
His wingman on the left, Hamish, was busy like a single-seat pilot, controlling the fighter jet's flight attitude while keeping a close eye on various data on the HUD.
Unlike the lead aircraft's loadout, aircraft number 02 only had two R-27 missiles, so it could only engage one target beyond visual range.
However, he was not alone. The only difference between the remaining two crews was the number of air-to-air missiles they carried, and both carried two R-27 medium-range missiles. Therefore, the first wave of attack could only strike five of the 18 targets.
"attack!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
When the countdown ended and he heard the lock-on notification, Melnichenko fired an R-27 at each of the two targets, followed by another round 10 seconds later.
Thus, in the footage shot by Super Flag, a total of 10 Poplar missiles were launched one after another and disappeared from sight.
At the same time, the five target drones that were being continuously illuminated by the fighter jet's fire control radar immediately forwarded an alarm to the control terminal.
Technicians immediately released chaff and gradually increased the frequency, forming a high-density radar jamming cloud.
"Boom boom boom"
The first volley of five R-27s was successfully intercepted as expected, but the subsequent volley of five quickly filled the gap and successfully hit their respective targets.
"Boom!"
With the deafening explosion, only 13 target drones remained under control.
"If I could actually hit it, I should have fired a couple more R-27s."
The tall, thin German tycoon, who was carrying eight missiles but only two R-27s, muttered to himself in the cockpit.
His father used to fly MiG-29s and always complained to him about the R-27 when he was young, but he praised the R-73 highly, saying that it could be used in two different ways during live-fire exercises.
Instead of becoming a pilot like his father, he accumulated a fortune of hundreds of millions of euros through his business acumen.
He came to Afica this time because he wanted to spend money to fulfill his childhood dream of flying, but when he sat in the cockpit, he found that many things were different from what his father had told him.
Perhaps times have changed. The MiG-29 is no longer the old fulcrum, and the R-27 has also proven itself again in the latter half of its career.
"The same applies to the R-73. If the enemy aircraft carries an excessive number of chaff, then the number of infrared flares will definitely be reduced."
The pilot in the back seat comforted the German customer.
"You're right, let's shoot them down one by one."
The man stopped worrying and looked ahead with renewed determination, trying to catch the targets that had just entered his field of vision with his naked eye.
His eyesight was as good as his father's, 1.0 even at over 40, so he quickly spotted a MiG-21 15 kilometers away.
With that kind of quality, he would have easily earned a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. But he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and didn't even serve in the military. The German Air Force had no future.
"Indeed, your eyesight is amazing. Lock onto the target with your helmet sight. A1 and B1 mounts are ready."
The pilot in the back seat immediately spoke.
Their noses were not pointed at the enemy aircraft, but in this situation, they could use the Sura helmet-mounted sight in conjunction with the R-73 to launch an off-axis attack.
"Whoosh!"
After locking on, press the fire button twice, and two R-73 air-to-air missiles will hurtle toward the target.
"Puff puff puff"
Because it was constantly illuminated by the fire control radar, the target drone released infrared flares and chaff together.
"Boom boom boom"
Two explosions, one light and one heavy, followed by the target drone exploding into a fireball in the field of vision.
The lead aircraft, number 01, which was positioned further forward, did not adopt this tactic. With only four R-27 missiles left to take out six targets, it had to engage in close-quarters combat, eliminating one enemy with each missile.
"Yes, yes, we've got our target on! Fire!"
Urged on by Xia Yu, Boss Mei pressed the machine gun firing button without hesitation.
"Tululu"
A dazzling flash of light appeared from the left side of the fuselage, and the GSH-301 cannon at the wing root began to roar, unleashing 50 rounds of ammunition in one go.
"Boom!"
The MiG-21, which closed the distance to within 1.1 kilometers, was shot down in mid-air.
"Phew, that was exciting. What's that American saying again? 'Have a good hunt and get 6 o'clock quickly.' We took them down."
Melnichenko shouted excitedly.
He was referring to John Boyd, the "40-second man," who, despite not having many kills, founded the theory of energy maneuverability.
Flying is an art, but it can also be used to summarize patterns with data. Xia Yu, empowered by the system, is just like a humanoid computer.
"Captain Melnichenko, get ready, next!"
The cannon has 150 rounds of ammunition, which can fire three long bursts of 50 rounds each. Compared to missiles, which are more dependent on performance indicators, Xia Yu prefers to be called the "Cannon Master".
Cold War-themed air combat mainly revolves around the coexistence of cannons and missiles. Missiles must be used, cannons must be used, and they must be used skillfully.
"What"
"Fire!"
"Tululu"
Melnichenko instinctively pressed the cannon firing button.
Their MiG-29UBK's GSh-301 cannon opened fire again, 50 tracer high-explosive rounds sweeping towards another MiG-21 with clear trajectories.
This anti-ship Yuwo missile, equipped with "anti-ship missiles," was already less responsive than its anti-air counterparts, and it was hit squarely this time.
"Boom!"
The machine exploded instantly after being hit by at least 20 shots, and the still-burning napalm turned into flowing flames that fell towards the sea below, creating a visually stunning effect.
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