The F-14 Tomcat is the world's first third-generation heavy-duty fighter aircraft in service. As an opponent, the Su-27 entered service more than ten years later than it, and its technical level is far inferior.
Even compared with the F-15, the F-14 has unique skills when it comes out. Its AN/AWG-9 radar is a masterpiece carefully built by Hughes Company. It can track twenty targets at different distances at the same time and lock on six of them.
One strikes.
Coupled with the 'Phoenix''s ultra-long range of 150 kilometers, this heavy-duty fighter aircraft will be invincible before it is retired - the F-15 must be developed into the C model and equipped with the AIM-120D model to compete with it.
rival.
As for the Su-27 series, this is quite confusing. When it really has combat effectiveness, the F-22 comes out and everyone is a scumbag.
At this moment, the Super Tomcat's turbofan engine is turning on afterburner to close the distance with the two F-15Cs. The closer the distance, the larger the no-escape zone, and the higher the missile hit rate.
Zhou Qingfeng's mental power was connected with Arcee's, and he controlled the radar extremely quickly to lock on the target, and the airborne fire control system quickly loaded the target parameters into the mounted missile.
The active radar seeker of the 'Phoenix' began to energize and ejected from the belly pylon with a burst of noise a few seconds later. The missile fell to a certain height and the rocket engine ignited, emitting a long white tail flame.
It will soon be accelerated to a high speed of Mach 5 and attack an F-15C about fifty kilometers away.
The Yingjiang pilot was indeed careless and did not expect that he would be beaten. The moment the missile was launched, its fate was decided.
After one missile was launched, the second and third missiles detached from their pylons one after another, and white tail flames appeared one after another, pushing the projectiles forward. They locked on their respective targets in turn until they hit their targets.
On the radar screen, the two F-15Cs originally locked onto the 'Super Tomcat' without showing any signs of weakness. However, the AIM-120A medium-range bomb they carried was far inferior to the 'Phoenix', and the no-escape zone was pitifully small.
.
After firing three missiles, Zhou Qingfeng became energetic. The variable sweep wings of the 'Super Tomcat' stretched slightly, and the twenty-something-ton body changed from high speed to low speed, turned around flexibly, turned around and ran away.
'Phoenix' is an active radar bomb, which can be fired and left alone. The carrier aircraft only needs to provide the initial position of the target, and it can lock and track it by itself.
It was only at this moment that the two F-15Cs woke up from a dream, and were surprised to find that they had become the target of attack. They quickly turned around, turned on afterburner and tried to escape from the 'no escape zone'.
The E-3, which was one hundred and fifty kilometers away, was also shocked, because the third missile was coming towards it - someone actually dared to launch a missile at Yingjiang's early warning aircraft.
"Turn around!"
In the cabin, the officer on duty saw a small dot on the radar screen rushing towards Mach 5, and rushed into the cockpit with a heartbreaking tone.
"Turn around quickly and you should be able to escape."
"Notify the base that we are under attack."
"Carrying out strong electromagnetic interference against the Phoenix's active radar to make it lose its target."
The cabin of the E-3 was a mess. No one, whether it was the pilot or the radar operator, had ever encountered anything like this. They could only follow their daily training and do some targeted avoidance and defense.
only......
The E-3 is a modified 707 passenger aircraft. Its huge fuselage of more than 100 tons is a big dangling target, not to mention its maneuverability.
The four TF33 engines are not in afterburner mode, so no matter how hard they try, they can't even try to speed up.
After accelerating to Mach 5, the 'Phoenix' ran out of fuel and entered a gliding state. But it was already as fast as lightning, with a speed of nearly 6,000 kilometers per hour. The distance of 150 kilometers could be reached in only two minutes.
Two minutes countdown to death!
The E-3's cruising speed was only Mach 0.6, and its cruising altitude was 9,000 meters. The incoming 'Phoenix' was swooping down from an altitude of 15,000 meters.
The officer on duty only had to do a mental calculation to realize that he could not count on the speed of the E-3. He could only turn around and stare at the electronic countermeasures system of the early warning aircraft, hoping to deceive the Phoenix away.
However, active radar bombs are not easy to fool!
With a body as big as the E-3 and a high-power radar, it is the most eye-catching target in the sky. The 'Phoenix' that attacks it has been fine-tuned by Arcee, with enhanced anti-interference ability and locked signal.
The source will not be released.
Seeing that the incoming missiles were getting closer and closer, the people in the E-3 cabin gradually became hysterical. No one wanted to die, but now death was approaching.
At this juncture, it is difficult for ordinary people to perform at the level of normal training.
"Sir, the two signals of 'Flash' No. 6 have disappeared." A radar operator's face turned pale. He stood up from his display console, hoping that the officer on duty could say something.
Without thinking too much, the two escorting F-15Cs were killed. They were too close to the 'Super Tomcat' and failed to escape from the 'no escape zone', and were torn apart by the 60-kilogram warhead of the 'Phoenix'
Got fragments.
But who can care about others now? The officers on duty only stared at the display console of the electronic countermeasures. The airborne countermeasures system has been adjusted to the radar band of the "Phoenix" to perform reverse interference.
Electronic interference takes a while, but the high-speed bright spot on the radar screen does not change at all.
Another group of escorting F-15Cs were rushing in from the other direction, but it was useless for them to come. The officers on duty in the E-3 had to force themselves to calm down and comfort themselves and their subordinates.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. The maximum range of the 'Phoenix' is only 150 kilometers. We are quickly escaping from the edge of the range. Maybe we will run out of kinetic energy when it comes over."
For the E-3, the missile's maximum range is a "no-escape zone." This time it was killed by the "Super Tomcat" within a distance of 150 kilometers, and life and death could only be a gamble.
Half of the two minutes had passed, but the 'Phoenix' was still flying straight over. Its speed had slowed down, but there was no sign of it deviating from its target.
The Yingjiang ground commander in Qatar has learned about the situation on the radio and is hurriedly asking what happened?
But the officer on duty in the cabin was stunned. He and his subordinates had made every effort to save the E-3. Now time was running out, leaving him less and less room for decision-making.
"Prepare the parachute bag." The flight commander in the cockpit rushed over and shouted to the dumbfounded people in the cabin: "Open the door quickly. If you can't escape, parachute."
People in the cabin were busy again, looking for their own parachute bags.
However, time ran out in the end. The 'Phoenix' fired from a distance of 150 kilometers showed no signs of exhaustion of kinetic energy and hit the 'E-3' directly.
The high-speed projectile passed by the back of the early warning aircraft, and the proximity fuse detonated the 60-kilogram warhead. Thousands of explosive fragments formed a ring-shaped cutting edge, breaking open the body of the 'E-3'.
The more than 100-ton early warning aircraft immediately emitted black smoke, the two engines on the right side caught fire instantly, and the nose of the aircraft fell downwards. The pilot in the cockpit tried hard to control the flight attitude, but it was of no avail.
"Skydive!" The pilot could only make the final decision, but when he turned around and entered the cabin, the skylight had been opened, a large number of instruments and equipment were torn to pieces, and the crew suffered heavy casualties.
At noon that day, the news spread, and the world was once again attracted to the latest situation in the Gulf.
Saddam, who was staying in Baghdad, received news one after another.
"Persian Tomcats launch missiles at our enemies."
"Ha..., those cowards actually dared to take action."
"The evil enemy lost two F-15s and an E-3."
"Ha..., what a brilliant result. Salute to the pilots who achieved such an achievement!"
"The fighter plane that caused heavy damage to the enemy landed at our airport in Baghdad."
"What...? Who is this person so wicked? He wants to drag us into trouble at this time."