"Beep beep beep"
The airborne laser warning system issued a piercing alarm.
"We've been locked on, it's laser-guided!"
The weapons officer in the back seat of the Mirage-2000D immediately shouted to the pilot in front.
For a second, their minds went blank, and instantly a bad feeling crept in.
Damn it, could it be the starlight of the British?!
"Buzz"
The pilot pulled up the nose of the plane, throttled the fuel to increase speed, and began a final struggle.
The two-seater Phantom-2000's top speed is less than Mach 2, so how could it possibly outrun Starlight within range?
The missile's second-stage engine ignited, and its speed began to increase as it came into view.
Mach 1!
Mach 2!
...
Mach 3.5!
This starlight, which gradually accelerated to its maximum speed, arrived first and, just seconds before the power phase ended, fiercely bit the rear of the Mirage-2000D.
"boom"
Of the three separated bullets, one grazed the fuselage, while the other two pierced deep into the aircraft, instantly igniting flames and smoke.
"Abandon the aircraft and eject!"
"Whoosh!"
After being hit, before they could even feel the violent shaking of the aircraft, the pilot in front immediately pulled the yellow ejection handle under his seat.
"Whoosh!"
The two ejected 0.5 seconds apart, and just as the weapons officer left the cockpit, the time-delay fuses of the two bullets inside the aircraft were activated and detonated.
"Boom!"
The fighter jet, which was originally just damaged and smoking, suddenly exploded into a huge fireball in mid-air.
If it were a more robust and durable ground-based aircraft, there might be a chance of survival from an explosion of this magnitude. But for a French-made aircraft, the fact that it wasn't immediately destroyed at high speed and gave the crew time to eject is already considered excellent.
And this war machine, which cost tens of millions of dollars, was shot down by a portable anti-aircraft missile that cost only a few hundred thousand dollars.
It's normal to be ambushed. If it weren't for supporting the Americans and maintaining the flight altitude, these small missiles wouldn't have been able to reach us at all. Fortunately, the Americans can afford the losses, as long as no one is hurt.
"Go to two cars and bring them back alive, understand?"
Standing beside the missile launcher with two missiles remaining after the initial hit, Belmukhtar, having lowered his binoculars, gave orders to his men.
"Yes, Chief!"
Two pickup trucks and two motorcycles left the main force and sped off in the direction where the parachutes had landed.
The Green Shell Squad and the remnants of the government forces on the opposite side were now plunged into their darkest hour.
Air support arrived just in time, but despite having so many missiles mounted on its belly, it was shot down without firing a single one, offering absolutely no help!
Given how things have developed, you might as well not have given them any hope in the first place. Who can handle such dramatic ups and downs?
"We're running low on bullets. We can't keep fighting them. We have to break out in different directions to survive."
After counting the ammunition, and seeing the two vehicles of people leaving, Johnson shouted to his men as the firepower suddenly weakened.
The most they had left was three magazines. Once they ran out of ammo, they were basically doomed. They might as well take advantage of the opportunity when the enemy went to hunt high-value targets and try to break through.
“I agree. There will be no more reinforcements. You know what will happen if we stay. I don’t want to fall into their hands.”
After eliminating the two people who had already been lost, the remaining 10 people of Green Bay reached a consensus: to break through the encirclement.
The government troops, with only 12 men left dead, naturally had no objections, so let's do it this way!
"Put-put-put"
The machine gunner no longer conserved ammunition and fired a long burst from his M240.
"Run!"
The first group of 10 people, carrying the wounded, began running desperately towards the bushes on the other side.
They needed to escape the heavy machine gun's range as quickly as possible. Even if the enemy could chase them in a pickup truck, it was still better than being trapped here. They might even be able to use their last ammunition to launch a counter-ambush.
"Chief, they did break through."
The subordinate who discovered this immediately reported it to Belmukhtar.
"Let me see, their drones will be here in 20 minutes at most. We need to end the battle and withdraw as soon as possible."
Old Berlusconi glanced at the time again and gave the final instructions.
It's time to withdraw. We must capture the Americans alive, while we'll capture them if we can, and kill them all if we can't. We don't have much time left for them.
"Yes, Chief."
Xia Yu didn't have much time left, so he gathered his employees for a combat readiness assembly. He and Andrei quickly checked the condition of the Mi-24V and Super Frelon.
It can take off, but after checking the distance, the fuel is only enough for a one-way trip, and the ammunition can only be carried in one load.
There's definitely no time to deploy tanks and infantry fighting vehicles; all their fire support comes from these two helicopters right in front of them.
That's already pretty good; Americans don't even have helicopters in Niger.
Compared to the lavish spending in the Middle East theater, their Afica theater is like a stepchild.
"Buzz"
The Tiger armored vehicle rushed in, and Paul, carrying a sniper rifle, was the first to jump out of the vehicle. They didn't even need to change their equipment; they could go straight to the plane and wait for orders.
"Palmaro, your gun, the boss said we might need it."
Mariano, who shared a barracks with Paul, tossed him a gun pouch.
Inside was the VSS silenced sniper rifle. Because previous missions were either assaults or coordinated assaults with the vehicle crew, Paul only used this gun during training after he got it, and never used it in actual combat.
Xia Yu specifically told him to bring it this time, in case there was a chance of bloodshed.
"Calling the weasel! Calling the weasel! This is Monier! Where are you all? Can you gather your forces and move out immediately?"
Not long after, Xia Yu received a radio call from Lao Mo.
"Weasel received. We can be deployed. What happened?"
After Xia Yu responded, he asked in a pretentious manner.
Sure enough, something went wrong; his judgment was correct.
"The US Army patrol was ambushed in Niger and requested our air support. As a result, the Mirage-2000D was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile."
Monier spoke very quickly.
Is it also starlight?
Xia Yu asked a question.
"Maybe, but that's not the point. The point is that we have to send someone over there."
Lao Mo emphasized.
If it were a few days earlier, before the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment had withdrawn, they would have had to rent Super Pumas from Jihuo Defense because they didn't have enough Super Pumas.
Now the only option is to rent both personnel and helicopters; the mechanized infantry in the camp are simply not up to the task of handling this incident.
The Foreign Legion's second-circle special operations units are capable, but the enemy is deployed in Kidal, and they don't have enough transport helicopters. At this point, the only relatively reliable option is outsourcing.
"Gather your best men, pack your gear, and head to Niger immediately. The Americans will coordinate with you."
No details were discussed. For these kinds of unexpected events, the priority is to get the work done first and then finalize the contract later. Anyway, the client is a big company and won't shortchange us on what we're owed. The important thing is to do the job well.
"Yes, we'll set off immediately."
"Stay connected."
After ending the communication, Xia Yu started the engine and immediately called Andrei to take off and fly in formation with him.
"Splash splash"
Two helicopters took off and sped off toward Nirier.
At the same time, the American MQ-9 also painstakingly mounted its weapons and took off towards the scene of the incident.
Unfortunately, they were too slow; the battle between the two sides had just ended.
After landing, the two German pilots threw away their pistols and surrendered to the enemy.
Three or four government soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered during the breakout, but Old Bei did not accept them.
The men below simply pulled the trigger, and the AK took care of these burdens with a single burst.
In contrast, the Green Bay soldiers were much more tenacious in their fighting spirit. Not counting the three who were killed by snipers, five of them either died or were wounded due to running out of ammunition and supplies. When they ran out of rifle bullets, they used pistols, and not one of them surrendered.
There were four survivors, all wounded and captured, but upon closer inspection, it seems one person is still missing.
There was no time to lose. They tied the four men up, put them in the back of the pickup truck, and the Al-Qaeda faction left a pile of corpses and spent shell casings before disappearing into the desert.
So the belated Death drone only captured a scene of utter devastation.
Xia Yu and his team arrived an hour later, while the Niger Air Force's Mi-171 had just transported the first batch of bodies they found back to the US military camp.
The scene was even more horrific to the naked eye: each body had been heavily riddled with bullets by the attackers, with the bullet holes concentrated in areas not covered by body armor. One man even had his arm severed by a 7.62x39mm bullet.
Is this the famous green beret?
Of the 12 people who went out, only one returned. The remaining 11 cannot be said to be dead, but it can be basically assumed that their chances of survival are slim.
The lack of firepower in special operations forces resulted in this outcome. Xia Yu was unaware of Green Bay's achievements and losses in other war zones, but in Afica, it must have broken records.
This will soon cause turmoil in their country. Not to mention anything else, the army's recruitment next year is definitely doomed.
Although both were from Afica, the Rangers lost with honor, unlike the Green Bay, who were such a disappointing team.
They should just stay as seals; if all else fails, they can always go to Ma Saoke.
It's like agonizing over whether to go to Peking University or Tsinghua University; even if they join the army, they still won't pass the Green Berets test.
"Only pickup trucks and SUVs? When did the US become this poor?"
Johnny posed a soul-searching question.
He clearly doesn't understand the hunger of the starving; the fourth class receives less military funding, but he is not stingy with special operations units.
As for the Afghan, the Hummer is an old vehicle; the new MATV mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle is still in service.
Even if this Green Bay unit had just had two MATVs, the outcome of today's attack would not be what it is today.
It's a pity that they didn't even equip them with Hummers; it was purely a man-made disaster. Even if the Chinese can't provide every team with a VBCI, they still have enough VABs.
Sending soldiers to patrol in civilian vehicles would be met with fierce criticism from the media in the country.
"It's just that Afica's military is relatively poor, and this forward base only started operating at the end of last year, and there are still only two drones."
Xia Yu glanced at the hangar and said.
This used to be an old, makeshift airfield, where fighter jets certainly couldn't take off or land, but surprisingly, there weren't many drones here either.
No wonder they had to beg the Chinese, which resulted in this series of events.
"Let's go, before it gets dark, let's go check it out."
After refueling, the Super Hornet took off again, carrying Xia Yu and the instructors, and arrived at the attack site half an hour later.
Half a company of Greenbeard soldiers came over; they and the government soldiers were searching for the remaining bodies.
Xia Yu stood in front of several car wrecks, looking at the shell casings and empty magazines scattered on the ground, replaying the battle scene in his mind.
If it were concentrated fire defense, they should be able to fight the other side to a draw, because their company has a high proportion of marksmen among their combat employees.
It is very suitable for this kind of combat where the two sides are six or seven hundred meters apart.
The enemy mainly relies on machine guns and mortars, with at most one sniper for output. They can take out these people as soon as possible. Even if those with AKs rush up, they can be dealt with easily.
Unfortunately, they only had one marksman, and the 12-man team had two technical sergeants. Their combat effectiveness with a gun was only equivalent to that of an average elite soldier.
I walked to the bushes on the other side, where two pickup trucks were stranded. They had been hit by M240 gunfire and lost power, and had been abandoned by the attackers.
There is a 90% chance that the attacker was Belmukhtar, and the one who shot down the Mirage-2000D was most likely Starlight.
The British really got their revenge this time. Not counting the careless shot, they hit the target twice out of two shots, which was even more effective than the Stinger.
Of course, it's not about shooting and then ignoring it; there's still a certain learning curve to it.
"Boss, we've found the ejection seat and parachute. The pilot must have been kidnapped by the attackers."
The Inspire 2 reconnaissance aircraft, along with the concentrated fire defense, is more efficient at searching than the government troops' grid search.
Xia Yu immediately took out her satellite phone and contacted Monier to inform him of the news.
Xia Yu only paid attention to the situation of the other green shells incidentally, but as the first client, the safety of the two pilots was always on his mind.
It's already shameful enough to lose your life trying to save someone, but they can rebuild the plane. They would do anything to save a person.
"Colonel, please trust Jihuo Defense. We will bring the man back safely."
The first 24 hours after an incident are the golden time for hostage rescue.
Xia Yu must find the other party as quickly as possible and take action to rescue them.
"Our cooperation has been very pleasant so far, and I believe Firepower Defense can do that. Thank you."
After hanging up the phone, Xia Yu noticed a US Army major walking towards him.
Mr. Sherlock
"I am, you are."
"I'm Joseph, the company commander of the 3rd Company of the Green Berets. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about."
Although helicopters have already been dispatched to Niger, even at the fastest speed, they won't arrive until tomorrow.
Normally there would be nothing wrong, but several bodies were missing from the scene, which most likely meant they were taken away by the attackers.
Once the video is released, they will be in a very passive position; they must find and rescue these guys before then.
Joseph's men could spare two more small teams, but that wouldn't be appropriate.
If the pursuit continues and manpower is lost, he will face even more severe consequences.
But it doesn't matter how many people die or are injured at PMC.
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