The remaining targets will be dynamically acquired after the airstrikes begin. After all, once the fighting starts, the Tuareg people aren't stupid; they have a large number of bungalows vacated by the civilians who have fled, and anyone can hide in one of them.
Now it's all about real-time intelligence. The somewhat outdated Snowy Owl drones have all been withdrawn to the mainland and replaced with a new batch of MQ-9 Reaper drones that can carry ammunition.
It's one thing if the enemy numbers are small, but for a town clearing operation like this, using Hellfire is a bit too costly.
Overall, the old GBU guidance kit is still more cost-effective. The Chinese don't even use their own domestically produced JDAM AASM hammers much; they're really stingy.
Over the next week, two MQ-9 drones, unarmed but equipped with external fuel tanks, took turns flying for long-endurance reconnaissance missions.
In the city of Kedar, which is being scanned frame by frame by the drone's photoelectric head, an elder's eyes, veiled, gaze at the sky.
He couldn't see the Reaper drone flying high in the sky, but there had been no news from the Chinese and Jihuo Defense for several days.
Something's not right. The other side must be observing them using unseen means, looking for weaknesses to prepare for an attack.
If it's a military satellite, they have no way to deal with it, but if it's a large drone, there are ways to counter it.
But the problem now is that we can't alert the enemy; the organization's secret weapons must be saved for after the war begins.
Yes, portable air defense missiles can't take down high-altitude reconnaissance drones and long-range bombing fighters; what's needed is a proper short-range air defense missile.
"Keep all members on high alert during this time; enemy airstrikes will come soon."
The elder gave instructions to his deputy beside him.
Unlike the government forces, the ground troops of the French only enter the field after the air force's fighter jets have bombed them. The survivability of the few toucans of the Marie Air Force can only be said to be slightly better than that of attack helicopters.
"This time, many more young people from the tribe will die or be injured, but the Tuareg people will not accept their fate. Only Azawad can decide our destiny!"
Despite his sadness, the deputy reaffirmed his convictions once again.
But the Kurds think the same way; whether they can achieve this can only be determined on the battlefield.
The date for the attack arrived quickly, and at the Oga Airport hangar, an F-4K and two F-16s completed their pre-flight preparations.
Twelve GBU-12 missiles filled the heavy pylons of three fighter jets, while a C-135FR outside the hangar taxied to the runway starting point and took off before the fighter jets.
Aside from the Red Falcon with its modified conformal fuel tank, the combat radius of the F-4K and Mirage-2000D in Beast Mode is somewhat below par.
Therefore, even though the straight-line distance from Oga to Kidal is less than 500 kilometers, refueling aircraft are still needed to protect fighter jets in case of emergencies.
Of course, the price is 150,000 per flight.
This brought in 450,000, plus the base cost of 200,000 per flight for the Spyder Phantom and 400,000 per flight for the Red Falcon.
In addition, there's the launch cost of 20,000 euros per GBU-12, so for such a ground bombing mission, Jihuo Defense's total revenue is around 2.2 million euros.
Yes, that's roughly the price of two target drones: a MiG-21 and a Yak-52.
But that benefit comes from the support of an entire aircraft carrier museum system, while these three fighter jets are merely part of the concentrated air power for defense.
Such a level of profitability is already quite good, not to mention that there are quite a few air strike contracts throughout the entire deployment cycle.
"Buzzing"
Two Mirage-2000Ds then took off, and Xia Yu, fully equipped, sat in the back seat of an F-16.
He was there to experience it, while Hans from next door was there to help the old man.
With his physical condition declining, Alvin is preparing to switch jobs next year to fly electric fans at a museum.
During this period, Hans will help share the workload of ground attack.
As for the Horseshoe Bat crew, which only has one person, he has wingmen to help with illumination and guidance when he is too busy.
However, in a low-intensity battlefield like Afica, the pace of ground attacks is very slow, which a single crew can easily handle; it's just that Fruit Bat is a bit too old.
Horseshoe bats and tube-nosed bats, all in their thirties, are very energetic and can work for another ten or twenty years after returning home from their overseas labor service, unlike Alvin who retires and then finds new employment.
"Set off!"
Following Xia Yu's order, the three fighter jets taxied out of the hangar in turn and headed towards the starting point of the runway.
"Buzz boom"
The throttle valve was pushed forward, and the lead fruit bat crew engaged afterburner and took off, followed closely by horseshoe bats and tube-nosed bats. The three aircraft joined the two Mirage-2000Ds hovering in the sky, forming a five-aircraft formation and accelerating towards Kedar.
The stabilization regiments stationed in the city, having received bombing notices, were on high alert, as were the Azawad militants mixed among the Tuareg civilians.
Especially after their hired Black informants reported that five armed fighter jets had taken off from Oga Airport.
This is why clearing operations are difficult; once your fighter jets take off, the enemy will know, and the bombing effect will be greatly reduced.
But this is Afica. Not to mention the buildings of the former Sufian Union that were comparable in strength and fortification, it can't even compare to the ordinary brick and concrete buildings of Syria.
The bombardment formation that arrived in the airspace near Kidal began to take up their attack positions one by one until the first Mirage-2000D dropped a GBU-12.
"boom"
After flying a mere 12 kilometers, the Mk82 warhead of the precision-guided munition exploded in the center of a courtyard, the shockwave leveling three mud houses along with the surrounding wall.
The violent explosions and billowing smoke sent civilians of Kidar fleeing in all directions.
Some of them ran out of the city, some ran home, and some ran to the headquarters of the stability mission. Many of the Azawad militants on the street followed the civilians they knew and ran back to their homes for refuge.
This tactic was very effective, but after several days of reconnaissance and analysis, it was determined that the building belonged to armed militants, and that no one inside the building or in the pickup truck could escape.
"Boom boom boom boom"
One GBU-12 missile after another rained down, destroying the target compound in sequence according to the briefing.
However, all 52 laser-guided bombs landed, conservatively eliminating only 100 militants from the Azawad Coordination Movement and more than 30 pickup trucks.
These separatist armed groups are better at using civilians than extremist groups. They not only hide their troops among the people, but also remove the supports from their vehicles and park them alongside civilian pickup trucks.
Since drones cannot distinguish targets, the primary targets are still people.
After dismantling more than 60 courtyards, the bombing squadron, having exhausted its ammunition, began its return flight.
The two F-16s, with 65% fuel remaining, returned to Oga first, then refueled the other three fighter jets that were waiting in line with the crew of the "cow" aircraft before returning to base.
The city of Kedar below was in ruins. From the perspective of the MQ-9, which was left to continue reconnaissance, the first convoy had already packed its bags and was making its escape.
The refugee camp next to the UN mission's headquarters has also officially opened, accepting refugees from outside.
"Why doesn't the leader shoot down those damn fighter jets?"
"A Zawad militant, collecting the bodies of his comrades amidst the ruins, complained."
“We clearly have…”
“Bache, the leader told us to be patient and wait until the enemy lowers their guard before we can strike a fatal blow.”
The companion who was helping to move the body spoke up.
Bache could accept this explanation; the first time attacking the enemy, one's vigilance is certainly at its highest, but losing a comrade who fought alongside the government forces was very painful for him.
"Don't worry, we will avenge them."
His companions' comforting words gradually calmed Bache's anger.
The two of them survived the first day and the second day, but they didn't live to see the sunset on the third day.
"Boom boom boom boom"
The continuous bombing caused the Azawad Coordination Movement to lose nearly 400 men. There was nothing that could be done about it, since the mud-brick houses made of wood offered no protection whatsoever!
However, just as Chief Tequidda had predicted, the bombing squadron gradually lowered its guard.
Dropping laser-guided bombs from outside the defense zone renders the target utterly unable to retaliate.
However, while Xia Yu, a military pilot, couldn't control the situation, he could still remind his own employees to be vigilant.
“I strongly suspect that the Tuareg have obtained Gaddafi’s arms depot in the desert. The desert has no secrets from them, so the threat we face is not just man-portable air defense systems.”
Back at the government forces' base on the border, Xia Yu, after arranging for the ground forces to prepare for departure, held a conference call with the four people in Oga.
"The French did not provide anti-radiation missiles. In case of encountering short-range air defense fire, immediately jettison all missiles and leave the battlefield."
"Especially the Fruit Bat crew, the F-4K's maneuverability is poor, and it has no advantage against older anti-aircraft missiles. If you have to evacuate, you should evacuate."
If a fighter jet crashes, you can still ask the French for some compensation, but if an employee loses their life, there's no going back.
"Yes, boss!"
The crowd responded in unison.
The Chinese have similar speculations, except that both the doe and the hailstones are equipment that can be purchased on the international arms market.
In comparison, short-range air defense missiles are not only shipped in smaller quantities but are also more expensive and not as common as portable air defense missiles.
Therefore, their level of vigilance was not high. On the fourth bombing day of the week, the pilots walked towards their fighter jets after breakfast.
The four pilots from the Hair Army were already chatting about how they would spend their vacation back home, while the four from Jihuo Defense looked much more serious.
The opposing side operates on a "no rest, no rest" basis, limiting the number of Mirage-2000Ds to six, with pilots rotating in for combat missions. Their deployment cycle ranges from a few months to half a year.
This group of four should have returned home in early April, just in time to end this week-long bombing mission.
But the Azawad Coordination Movement clearly didn't want them to go back, so two wheeled platforms carrying four cylindrical cannons each drove from two basements to the earthen houses on the ground.
The leader officially issued the order for today's counterattack. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, they will launch all eight missiles.
Because that secret arsenal only contained those two vehicles and the eight missiles on them.
This is why they refurbished the missiles and kept them at the bottom of the box without using them; today is the perfect time.
"Ager, the enemy has taken off."
Tequadda's deputy entered the room with a satellite phone and spoke to Ag, the college student in charge of the two anti-aircraft missile vehicles.
Their informant called to inform them of the bomber formation's takeoff; according to previous data, the enemy would arrive over Kidal in at most half an hour.
"By the time their first bomb lands, this missile will have a maximum range of 16 kilometers, and we don't even have a command vehicle yet."
Ag replied calmly.
Letting the enemy in to fight was a tactic they had agreed upon.
This is also the only flaw left by the French in using the second-generation gemstone road in order to save money.
If the US were to replace all its missiles with JDAMs, how could those crappy 16-kilometer missiles possibly hunt down fighter jets dropping bombs from tens of kilometers away? They should be focusing on medium- and long-range air defense missiles.
"May pearls bless them, and may their target not be our two courtyards."
The deputy prayed devoutly.
According to probability theory, it's not a big deal not to pray. There are tens of thousands of houses in Kedar. Randomly selecting a few dozen each time is less likely than having someone in your contacts who wants to mess with you.
In fact, these courtyards connected by tunnels were not on the list of targets selected for reconnaissance by the MQ-9 UAV.
Until the door, which had never been opened before, was pushed down along with the mud wall by two pickup trucks with welded bulldozers.
"boom"
The first GBU-12 landed today, and the long-awaited incident involved a pickup truck crashing into an earthen wall and ending up in a courtyard.
Two Sidewinder anti-aircraft missile vehicles rushed out afterward. The five fighter jets, focused on ground bombing, did not see this, but the MQ-9 Reaper patrolling the entire Kedar quickly noticed the anomaly.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
Four French-made Sidewinder short-range air defense missiles were launched from the two vehicles in succession from the launch tubes and flew toward the locked Mirage-2000N and the single-seat Fighting Falcon next to it, guided by the KU-band target indication radar on the launch unit.
"Beep beep beep beep"
The alarms blared in the cockpits of both fighter jets, and the distance of less than 10 kilometers made it seem as if they would clash at any moment.
Horseshoe Bat remained calm. From a distance, it shed all the laser-guided bombs and made a turn, changing direction and successfully breaking the sound barrier, leaving two anti-aircraft missiles behind.
For no other reason than the radar warning receiver identified the incoming missile as the Sidewinder short-range air defense missile, also known as the Gallic Short Arrow.
This missile can only fly at a little over Mach 2. As long as the position is right, it can escape without even needing to use flares.
But the pilots on the other Mirage 2000D panicked; their radar warning receivers also identified the missile as their own.
So is this a boomerang?
The Frenchmen who sold rattlesnakes to Gaddafi in the last century probably never dreamed that 18 years later, their fighter jets would be chased and shot down by their old comrades in Marie.
Fortunately, there were two people on the crew, and the weapons officer in the back seat managed to jettison the unfinished GBU-12 in time.
Seeing that he couldn't shake off the two Sidewinder missiles by changing direction and accelerating, the pilot simply stopped trying to escape and started climbing while firing all his infrared decoys and chaff.
"Boom boom"
It was an old relic after all. When it got to within 350 meters of the Mirage-2000D, the missile's infrared proximity fuse was automatically activated, and then it was prematurely detonated by a dense barrage of flares.
That was close! We almost shot it down. Even if we could have ejected and escaped, it would have become the biggest joke in the Air Force.
"Whoosh!"
Seeing that all four shots missed, a ground-based launcher fired the last two Sidewinder missiles.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com