Regardless of size, this thing is no better than a mortar.
Without interference, FPV drones equipped with armor-piercing and fragmentation warheads are indeed more effective in combat than indirect fire weapons like mortars, since they are still considered precision strikes.
This also made Tequadda feel like he was being left behind by the times, and the mortar crews he had painstakingly trained had all become sitting ducks.
No, if the enemy can use it, they can use it too.
Because the barrier to entry for using this weapon doesn't seem very high, they should be able to afford it with the money they make from selling tanks and artillery shells.
Once they learn this new tactic, the organization's young men will be able to turn the tables and attack the enemy's armored forces.
It would be worthwhile to exchange ten of these drones for one of the enemy's infantry fighting vehicles.
Even weapons like those portable anti-aircraft missiles that can be shot down by concentrated fire defenses shouldn't have much trouble dealing with this, right?
Tequadda suddenly thought of equipment to counter drones and realized that mortars weren't so useless after all, since the shells couldn't be shot down.
However, it seems that only one company, Focusfire Defense, currently possesses this type of weapon, and it doesn't pose a problem when fighting government forces or Taiwanese.
"Boom boom boom"
The explosion brought him back to reality; those were things for later, and for now, they were still fighting the enemy.
"All mortar crews, take cover. You are the enemy's target."
Old Tai ordered all mortar units to cease their counterattacks, and the third batch of armed drones that had taken off suddenly lost their targets and could only target the nearby groups of militants to bombard them.
Trading a thousand dollars for two or three kills is a pretty good deal, especially while you're resupplying for ammunition.
The sturdy doors of the armored container opened, and piles of machine gun and cannon ammunition belts were carried by the village protection team soldiers to the convoy.
All three tanks that had emptied their autoloaders were also reloaded with high-explosive fragmentation rounds. In this combat environment, a tank can fire one shot at a time, and the lack of reinforced concrete for cover would be too detrimental.
However, the Tuareg people also built numerous tunnels in the easily excavated sandy soil strata.
These tunnels are unsuitable for offense, but more than enough for defense. No one knows how many armed militants are hiding under the courtyard that has been bombed into ruins.
"Let's go straight to flamethrowers. We've replaced all our units with S-8BM penetrating rounds."
Xia Yu gave the order over the radio.
For targets hiding in tunnels, fire attacks and direct penetration are the most effective tactics.
Needless to say, the fire attack was carried out. Three FPH02C flamethrowers and the modified supply equipment had been transported to a temporary supply point in the city and distributed to three digital teams.
The CH-4 patrolling above Kidal didn't stop after running out of ammunition; they marked dozens of ruined courtyards where people were coming and going, ready to provide guidance for the two attack helicopters at any time.
"Yes, boss!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action.
"Splash splash"
After resupplying their ammunition, the old deer tiger and the longbow cross deer took off again and flew over Kidal once more.
"Calling Yellow Weasel, this is Bulldog. Our mine-clearing vehicle in Team 2 has been destroyed, and our advance is stalled. We request air support."
Henry pleaded for help over the radio.
The tractor was just a tractor after all. Despite being protected by several VBCIs, it was still destroyed by the recoilless rifle. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
"Weasel understands, Cold-Weather Bird, go to provide support immediately!"
Xia Yu assigned the work to Lao Han and the others.
"call out"
"boom"
The Longbow Crossbow turned around and fired an anti-tank missile, blasting the pickup truck equipped with an SPG-9 recoilless rifle on the street corner into the air.
This time we're playing Red Hellfire, specifically Bluearrow7 with identical stats.
Priced at 60,000 euros per round, only twice as expensive as a laser-guided rocket, the massive tandem shaped charge warhead, despite its weak splash damage capability, still wiped out half an infantry squad next to the pickup truck.
"Knock knock knock"
As the distance closed, the roar of machine guns filled the air. The Hanhao Bird crew unleashed a barrage of fire, instantly relieving the encirclement of the nine VBCI infantry fighting vehicles.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu, guided by CH-4, successfully locked onto her first target.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
Aiming at a seemingly ruined earthen courtyard, Old Deer Tiger fired a volley of four S-8BM penetrating rounds.
This rocket's specially optimized warhead can easily penetrate 800mm thick reinforced concrete; it is designed to destroy bunkers and runways.
"Boom boom boom"
Immediately after landing, a series of explosions rang out, and a gunnery squad hiding in the tunnel lost all combat capability before even seeing the enemy.
The two attack helicopters carried six rocket pods with a total of 120 penetrating missiles. They cleared the pods one by one, and by the time all the ammunition was used up, they had conservatively destroyed 30 of them.
"Pfft"
The fire was sprayed into the tunnel from the entrance, and the three flamethrower teams on the ground reloaded multiple times, consuming a whole barrel (158.98 liters) of pre-mixed solidified gasoline.
"Boom boom"
Several muffled explosions came from the tunnel, clearly indicating that the RPG and artillery shells had detonated after being burned.
The fighting lasted from afternoon until nightfall. With intense air and ground coordination, the clearing forces completely occupied the southern part of Kydal and captured the central urban area.
Escorted by the instructors, the transport convoy delivered supplies into the city once again.
Besides ammunition, the concentrated fire defense side also has dinner for today and breakfast for tomorrow, while the soldiers can only eat individual rations.
"The Mighty Eagle crew has returned to Oga, and the Roaring Eagle crew has taken over the patrol."
A fully armed CH-4 re-flyed over Kidal, signaling the end of today's offensive.
Human physical strength and energy are limited. It is not impossible to fight continuously for a day and a night, but that would not only fail to take down the entire Kidal, but also completely deplete the personnel and equipment, making them unable to sustain their efforts.
It would be better for the war zone to rest and recuperate on the spot, leaving some combat teams to take turns on duty to deal with possible attacks.
It is only with the advent of reconnaissance and strike drones that the danger of doing so has been greatly reduced.
"Splash splash"
Driving the old deer-tiger with its second batch of ammunition back to the village camp, Xia Yu, who was starving, devoured an entire bowl of braised pork rice.
Having eaten his fill beforehand, Andrei sat in the cockpit of an armed AS550, ready to take off at any time to provide fire support for the city's ground forces.
With the combination of two HOT-3 cannons and an RH202 autocannon, the light attack helicopter's firepower is relatively weak, but it is enough to repel enemy night raids.
The maintenance team uses the nighttime hours to perform maintenance on the Deer Tiger and Longbow Cross Deer, which are used intensively during the day.
With the cover of night, a sneak attack seems like a good option.
It's not that the Tuareg people are forgetful of past mistakes; they haven't learned their lesson even after losing a large portion of their multiple rocket launchers and attack helicopters. It's that they have no other choice.
Only by destroying the two attack helicopters in the concentrated fire defense area can the pressure on them in Kedar be alleviated.
Tonight, when the casualty figures were tallied, Tequadda discovered that the organization had lost nearly 1,000 men in just one day, which was almost as many as the casualties from the earlier bombings.
The horror of urban warfare lies here; it's a veritable meat grinder.
Despite having the advantage in the clearing operation, the Germans suffered two deaths and three injuries due to gaps in their defenses.
The situation at the concentrated fire defense was not bad; only one BTR-82S of the village protection team was hit by five or six bullets from the side by a 14.5mm machine gun, killing two rotating infantrymen who had not dismounted.
At this intensity of combat, the armored vehicles' protection was still insufficient. Fortunately, they had heavy equipment belonging to their regular employees to absorb damage in front, so they only needed to take care of the rear.
The government forces responsible for the perimeter lost a company. They were at a disadvantage in terms of firepower and defense. Even if they did not take the lead in the attack, they could not avoid this level of casualties. However, it was still better than being suppressed before.
The only movement that suffered truly heavy losses was the Azawad Coordination Movement. They thought they were incredibly strong and that as long as they could withstand the enemy's initial bombing, everything would be fine once they entered urban warfare.
Little did they know that this was just the beginning of a nightmare. The enemy's methods were dazzling, and their own portable anti-aircraft missiles became useless, while their mortars became targets.
The pre-laid anti-tank minefields were passable by pickup trucks, but as soon as their pickup trucks came out, they were shot down by attack helicopters from the sky. Not to mention, the combat teams hiding in the tunnels lost contact one by one and were all taken out by flamethrowers and those special rockets.
It was a massacre, an absolute one-sided massacre.
Moreover, if we don't take out the attack helicopters that are concentrated on defense tonight, this kind of massacre will continue tomorrow.
Therefore, when Tequadda gave the order, he did not hesitate at all and directly mobilized the armed personnel scattered outside the city to prepare for a strong attack on the village camp.
The main reason for not transferring people from the city is to avoid being photographed by drones from the sky.
But if there are drones flying over Kidal, why aren't there village camps 20 kilometers from the city?
The Sparrowhawk B of the concentrated fire defense team took off after nightfall and hovered over the camp, monitoring any abnormal heat sources within a 10-kilometer radius.
Then they discovered four 107mm multiple rocket launchers being towed by pickup trucks.
Unauthorized pirated products have a theoretical range of just over 8 kilometers, but the actual range is best kept within 5 kilometers.
Without reconnaissance and strike drones, a single salvo at close range would have been enough to hit all 48 rockets into the open, unprotected village camp.
The vehicle can still hold on, and the helicopter fuselage is fine, but if the tail rotor and rotor hub structure are damaged by shrapnel, takeoff and combat are out of the question.
So now that these people are here, they shouldn't even think about leaving.
"call out"
Before the suspicious group could even stop, Sparrowhawk B fired a captured Spike LR, the 14-kilogram projectile trailing a long optical fiber as it flew toward the lead armed pickup truck.
"boom"
The explosion lit up the night, causing all the drivers to slam on their brakes, and the remaining three pickup trucks came to a complete stop.
"It's a drone, damn it, they have drones here at the camp too, shoot it down."
"call out"
"boom"
The commander had just finished assigning the mission when the second missile took him away.
The Sparrowhawk B, having cleared its missile load, quickly increased its altitude to escape above the range of the portable anti-aircraft missiles, and the rest became easier.
"Thump"
The SH-1 gun crew on duty fired a 155mm illumination round, and the sky brightened the next second.
The two surviving pickup trucks had nowhere to escape.
"Waaah"
Two FPV drones carrying missiles drove out of the camp one after the other, flying at breakneck speed toward the remaining targets.
"Boom boom boom"
Two loud explosions followed, and without Xia Yu's knowledge while she was in a deep sleep, the camp's remaining personnel easily averted a crisis.
"Calling the marsupial, this is the meerkat, requesting air support."
The explosions served as a signal, and the militants inside the city launched a nighttime attack. The Howling Eagle crew shot down three AR-1s in one go, and Hans and his men urgently needed assistance.
"Baglet received, on my way in five minutes!"
"Splash splash"
Starting the helicopter at top speed, Andrei took off from the spot and sped towards Kidar.
First, two HOT-3 rockets destroyed two armed pickup trucks with UB32A rocket pods installed in their rear beds at long range. The Tuareg soldiers also complained that the S-5 rockets had low power and poor accuracy, but they were still good at providing ground fire coverage.
Unfortunately, before half of the 32 rockets could be fired, they were accurately hit by an anti-tank missile.
"Knock knock knock"
The roar of the RH202 cannon on the side of the aircraft followed immediately. Its accuracy could not reach the point-and-shoot precision of the 30mm cannon on the Longbow Crossbow, but for nighttime fire support, a large quantity was sufficient.
However, firing the machine gun inevitably requires lowering the flight altitude.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
The armed version of the Fennec Fox, which was firing, was simultaneously locked onto by four or five portable anti-aircraft missiles, and the twin 35mm anti-aircraft guns of the red Cheetah below immediately responded.
"Knock knock knock"
"Puff puff puff rumble"
These missiles were destroyed by the dense tungsten spheres before they could even break through Mach 1, rendering the Azawad Coordination Movement's air defense efforts futile once again.
The red cheetah, having been resupplyed twice, indiscriminately sprayed ammunition, aiming to shoot down all non-friendly aircraft flying over Kidal.
Anyway, there are Chinese people willing to pay 2,000 euros per round for 35mm programmable ammunition.
In addition to air defense, the Cheetah A9's guns were leveled several times, and under the guidance of the Inspire-2 missile, it attacked multiple soft targets that were out of sight at a distance of 500 meters.
The other three infantry fighting vehicles are capable of doing this job, but a single barrel simply can't match the firepower density of a twin barrel.
And so, leaving behind more than 200 corpses, the militants returned to where they came from.
This was a failed night raid, both inside and outside the city. By the time Xia Yu learned the details, it was already the morning of the next day.
"It was quite lively last night."
"Yes, boss, they want to relieve the pressure today by launching a surprise attack, but they don't have enough strength to shoot down our attack helicopters."
Rob, who was on duty, spoke up.
If the enemy had left a few BM-21s to launch the attack last night, Xia Yu wouldn't have been so careless as to just go to sleep.
Unfortunately, they had already destroyed all their stock in the Kedar region. Even if there were a few left, they were in the direction of Tinqbattu and were blocked by the government forces. They simply couldn't get them over there now.
As for the official version of Ace in the Middle East region, they learned how to use drones. The drone jammers in the village camps were always on, and when a drone flew in, the screen went black, so there were no blind spots at all.
In the business of dealing with battlefields, safety is always the top priority, and Xia Yu has never relaxed his vigilance in this regard.
"Beep beep beep"
Suddenly, his satellite phone rang.
When I picked it up and looked at the number I had saved, it turned out to be the old king's.
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