Chapter 757: Drawing the Tiger Away from the Mountain

The Turkish F-16 squadron “White-shouldered Eagle” loaded with air-to-ground combat munitions was heading towards the designated mission coordinates.

“Calling ‘White-shouldered Eagle’ squad! Calling ‘White-shouldered Eagle’ squad! This is Ankara Base!”

Two pilots were reviewing the weapon systems and starting their pre-combat preparations when they suddenly received a call from Ankara Air Force Base.

“I am ‘number one’ of the White-shouldered Eagle!”

The lead pilot of the F-16 squadron responded to the base call.

“To the northeast, coordinates longitude ×××, latitude ×××. We’ve detected an unidentified aircraft. Have you picked it up on your radar?”

Ankara Air Force Base received an alert from the ground radar station about an unidentified aircraft signal suddenly appearing near the airspace over Elazig city.

The Turkish Air Force headquarters in Ankara initially planned to send aircraft from the nearby Incirlik Air Force Base to investigate, but since the “White-shouldered Eagle” squad was closest to the target, they redirected them to take a look first.

“Um! I’ve spotted a signal, 230 kilometers away, moving slowly; it seems to be a helicopter.”

“This is ‘number two’. I see it too.”

The two pilots confirmed a small light on the radar screen.

Of course, there were other aircraft in the sky besides the F-16; if the base didn’t alert them, they might not have distinguished which were authorized and which were illegally flying.

“Change course temporarily to check it out. If it’s a civilian aircraft, warn them and then continue your original mission; other fighter jets will be sent to force it down. If it’s an unidentified military aircraft, shoot it down.”

Ankara Air Force Base would never allow an unidentified aircraft to swagger through its national airspace.

When the distance closed to 200 kilometers, the F-16 “Falcon” identified the radar reflection as a Mi-24 helicopter.

A small “female deer” with long fangs.

Perhaps it had sneaked over from Armenia or Georgia; these guys were always so unruly, and it was time to show them a lesson.

“Number one” said to his wingman, “‘number two,’ it’s a Mi-24; it definitely isn’t our aircraft. Let’s go take it down.”

Turkey had never operated Mi-24 helicopters, so this one was for sure flying illegally.

“Confirmed! ‘number one!’”

The two F-16 “Falcon” jets formed a dual aircraft team, each activating an air-to-air missile, slightly altering their course as they dashed towards the Mi-24.

Armed helicopters naturally suppressed ground armored units, while jet fighters were the natural nemesis of armed helicopters.

A solitary Mi-24 helicopter was just an easy target for the White-shouldered Eagle squad.

Detect and destroy; it was that simple.

Facing two advanced F-16Es, any helicopter would struggle to defend itself.

“Distance 50 kilometers, FOX3! Target locked!”

The jet fighters were fast. When “number two” was ready to execute the launch sequence, the target still showed no response.

This was the difference in aircraft type; even a real Mi-24 would have difficulty detecting the F-16 “Falcon” flying in from the 5 o’clock position with its onboard radar.

“FOX3” was a combat term Turkish pilots learned from U.S. instructors, alerting nearby friendly fighters: I’m about to launch an active radar-guided missile; be careful not to get hit.

“‘number two,’ you are cleared to launch!”

This attack mission posed no challenge; the lead pilot handed it off to the wingman to complete.

A white smoke shot out, revealing an AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missile.

“Did it take the bait?!”

Lin Mo, using the Light Mirror Technique, watched clearly from the cockpit.

The radar camouflage signal device was still operational, but Lin Mo had already pressed down on the throttle.

At this moment, the X-8 “Monstrous” was controlled by the auxiliary pulse detonation engine and dual main engines with vector propulsion for speed and balance.

In other jet fighters, a speed of 270 kilometers per hour would hardly provide enough lift and thrust-to-weight ratio.

The cursor signal representing the missile was rapidly approaching; the X-8 “Monstrous” still maintained its flight parameters, mimicking a helicopter.

“Dragon Knight, be careful!”

The alert from the “Night” base echoed in Lin Mo’s ear as they shared battlefield information through the X-8 “Monstrous” combat data link.

Lin Mo counted down in his mind, seemingly oblivious.

3000 meters!

2000 meters!

1000 meters!

500 meters, evade!

The dual engines of the X-8 “Monstrous” suddenly unleashed tremendous thrust, with high-temperature airflow rushing out from the vector nozzles. In the powerful thrust, the fighter jet changed its posture.

Using an infrared-tracking Sidewinder missile against a helicopter with a low heat signature was something only the most foolish pilots would do. The Turkish pilot thought he had made the right choice; using an AIM-120 with active radar guidance against a helicopter was indeed effective.

However, both sides found themselves in a subtle information asymmetric situation; the X-8 “Monstrous” variable wings fighter jet was not a helicopter, so the methods used against helicopters could not be applied to it.

The attack outcome of the “White-shouldered Eagle” squad was bound to turn out very strangely.

As the missile closed to 500 meters, the “Monstrous” decisively altered its posture and disabled the radar reflection camouflage system, instantly executing an ultra-maneuverable feigned detonation tactic.

Boom!

The AIM-120 medium-range missile was triggered by the close-range feint.

It is no easy task for an active radar-guided missile to hit the X-8 “Monstrous” variable wings fighter jet, which was in an electromagnetic invisibility state. It was not a missile with an infrared imaging guidance system and was destined to miss.

The plan to draw the tiger away from the mountain succeeded perfectly!

The X-8 “Monstrous” variable wings fighter jet surged ahead at full speed, quickly reaching a high-speed cruise state of 5 Mach.

Lin Mo had gained enough time for himself.

In that brief moment, due to information asymmetry and the time difference, both sides had yet to actually engage in combat, but the balance between them had tipped in an instant.

The “Monstrous” now had enough speed to get ahead of the F-16 “Falcon” squadron.

Everyone in the “Night” Special Forces base monitoring this battle sighed with relief.

Fortunately, Lin Mo returned to the team in time, and only his variable wings fighter jet could handle the aerial support this time; no other fighter jet or pilot could achieve the current effectiveness.

The performance of the dedicated fighter jet was indeed surprising, and Captain Feng had no doubt that Lin Mo possessed the strength of a special tier pilot.

However, the 26G overload was exceedingly brutal; only a monster like Lin Mo could handle it. Any other pilot would likely not survive.

“Report to base: the ‘White-shouldered Eagle’ squad has completed its mission!”

The missile and the two radar signals from the Mi-24 vanished upon contact. The lead pilot of the F-16 "Falcon" squadron showed no change in his voice; the outcome was entirely in line with his expectations, as it should be.

For the “White-shouldered Eagle” squad, this was merely a trivial task, just a simple favor along the way.

“Hmm, I think I saw something?”

The wingman pilot, “White-shouldered Eagle number two,” looked outside the cockpit, blinked a few times, then turned back to the radar; everything was normal, with no anomalies.

“What’s wrong? ‘Number two’!”

The lead pilot of the F-16 formation glanced toward the cockpit of the right-side wingman after finishing his report.

“No, no, it’s nothing. I might have imagined it; it could have been a bird.”

The wingman pilot, “White-shouldered Eagle number two,” shook his head. A small light had suddenly sped past from a distance below, disappearing in an instant.

It must have been an illusion; that speed was probably faster than a missile. If it were a missile, it would have shown up on the radar already.

“Four minutes! Hold on!”

Lin Mo observed the point from the fourth squad drawing closer to the fighter jet’s point in the cockpit.

“Four minutes! Hold on!”

This was Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu shouting encouragement to his teammates.

Lin Mo could hear gunfire and explosions suddenly intensifying over the radio.

After confirming the attack points, Lin Mo quickly marked a box on the operational electronic map, selecting all attack targets. Each firepower point flashed with a red cursor marked by a circle and cross, continuously blinking.

The first round of attack targets included the combat weapon “Ya Zi-2.”

Lin Mo’s previous bait tactic bought over two minutes for the fourth squad.

“Attention! First wave, two Sky-Ground 88 missiles, laser-guided; ‘Avanti,’ prepare for guidance, and the second wave will follow closely behind.”

Lin Mo knew that once he launched an attack, the F-16 “Falcon” formation left behind would immediately detect his presence, meaning his attack time was limited. He had to unleash all his ground attack weapons as quickly as possible.

“Preparation complete!”

Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu shared his communications with Lin Mo among all his teammates.

The ground laser guidance equipment was essential for each “Dragon Guard” digital tactical armor, and instantly, several light blue beams shot out, dividing into two groups; one group locked onto the leading armored vehicle, while the other targeted the captured “Ya Zi-2” combat-powered armor.

All team members could see the shared battlefield data on their helmet displays. Two light points moved swiftly forward, and suddenly, two massive fireballs erupted five hundred meters from their position.

A white light flashed and vanished, as a powerful shockwave swept everything within a radius of one hundred meters in an instant.

Before the enemy could approach, they received two powerful blows.