Chapter 186
February 2, 2021, 10:05, The sky at an elevation of 35 kilometers, Kyushu, Japan
Beeep~ Beeep~ Beeep~ Beeep~
Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho had passed the practical ceiling of elevation of 30 kilometers. As soon as he reached an elevation of 35 kilometers, the warning alarm in his cockpit rang, signaling a mechanical abnormality. Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Commander Choi gave his orders to the members of his squadron. Immediately, the four planes in the Black Moon Squadron sharply turned at a 90-degree angle while maintaining level flying. This high-speed maneuver allowed them to fly past the Japanese fighter planes.
The AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles that were speeding towards the Black Moon Squadron began to lag behind as the planes sped away. As soon as the elevation increased to 30 kilometers, the active RADAR system’s seeker built into the missiles began to malfunction. As a result, several of the missiles self-destructed in mid-air, missing their targets completely.
The Black Moon Squadron had managed to slip away from the 24 AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, outpacing them at a speed faster than a missile, and with more than twice the practical elevation limits of an average fighter plane. Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho’s orders came again:
“Black Moon Squadron! D-set strike, go.”
The planes were flying at high speeds and at an elevation of 35 kilometers, at the borderline of the atmosphere’s ozone layer. Due to the air friction, the planes’ nose and wings heat up so much that they burned scarlet red. The four Red Phoenix fighter planes lived up to their name, displaying a phoenix-like image in the sky. The planes then sharply turned and aimed their nose cones to the ground and started to descend.
Meanwhile, the eight F-22 Raptors and the 16 K-15J Eagles maintained their formation as a squadron while flying at an altitude of eight kilometers. They immediately scattered. Part of the F-22 Raptor fighter planes had attempted to raise their elevation to give chase to the Red Phoenix planes, but they stopped at their elevation limit of 15 kilometers and had no choice but to give up.
The Black Moon Squadron was currently armed with air-to-air missiles: five S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles for Black Moon 1, five S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles for Black Moon 2, four S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles for Black Moon 3, and four S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles for Black Moon 4.
It would be quite a tragic waste to use up all of these high-quality missiles, with a slope range of 200 kilometers, in a dogfight-style engagement. At the same time, it would be a problem if they did not use them in a situation where life and death hung in the balance. These complicated thoughts circled around the mind of Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho, but then he made his decision.
“Damn! If only we’re a little further away, I wouldn’t be questioning whether now is the right time to use these missiles.”
“Black Moon Squadron, attack now! Use two missiles each! After this attack, each squad member can use more at will!”
Black Moon 2: Copy that.
Black Moon 3: Copy that.
Black Moon 4: Copy that.
Almost immediately, the four planes in the Black Moon squadron, which had been diving straight down at an 80-degree angle towards the earth, fired two S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles each.
Pheew~ pheew~ pheew~ pheew~
The S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake mid-range missiles gushed out blue propellant and flew off in the Japanese fighter jets’ direction. The targets immediately took evasive maneuvers, as if they were trying to escape from getting stabbed.
Two of the F-22 Raptors and six of the F-15J Eagles were unable to hit the high speed of Mach 8, and so, they took direct hits to their upper sections, shattering the planes into an explosion of shrapnel.
The Red Phoenix fighters, which had descended to an elevation of eight kilometers, swapped to horizontal flight by engaging the Spirit S maneuver. The jet planes then split, off two at a time, in opposite directions and once again entered close engagement with the Japanese fighter planes.
<ul>
Spirit S: It is also known as the ‘letter S maneuver’. It is a maneuver where, after rising rapidly and then turning about halfway (half loop), a pilot flips their fighter plane around 180 degrees, continuing into a dive in the complete opposite direction of the way they were turning before then.
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Beep! Beep! Beep!
At that moment, the RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) alarm went off, triggering a notification on Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho’s combat display.
“Alright! Let’s get going, guys.”
The F-22 Raptors and F-15J Eagles maneuvered dizzyingly around him, their reflections visible in the visor of the helmet that Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho was wearing. Each time a jet appeared before him, he expertly aimed the reticle of his missile launchers at them. However, he did not push the button to launch the missiles. Instead, he piloted his Black Moon fighter jet, weaving past the Japanese fighter plans. He dove towards the center of the Japanese formation, planning to gun down the enemy with just his 12 millimeter Razor Vulcan Beam.
Beeep~
The RWR alarm suddenly warned him of an incoming missile. He checked his combat display and quickly noticed the two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles that were flying toward him from the 3 o’clock position.
Lieutenant Commander Choi urgently performed ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) and sprayed chaff into the sky. To avoid the AIM-120 missiles flying straight towards him, he performed an emergency barrel roll. His quick reflexes allowed him to dodge the rockets, which exploded upon colliding with the metal chaff.
<ul>
Barrel roll: an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a rotation that follows a barrel’s shape.
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Having avoided the potentially deadly emergency, Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho responded by firing two S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles. He aimed at the two F-15J fighter pilots that were designated in the visor of his helmet.
<ul>
Black Moon Squadron, Fox Two.
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Since the two S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles that blasted out of the internal bomb bay were short-range air-to-air missiles, they showed off their thrust vectoring abilities. The flew at incredible speeds towards the front sections of the two F-15J fighters. At the same time, they displayed high-agility turning abilities.
Boom boom!
One S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missile directly hit the canopy of an F-15J fighter plane. The target split into two and immediately blew up. The second S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missile crashed into the other fighter jet’s tail, leaving a destructive explosion. Metal shrapnel and debris flew in every direction. The pilots of the two F-15J planes did not even have time to eject from their seats, and they blew up in a ball of flame.
Satisfied with the outcome of his revenge, Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho checked his radar monitor. He was concerned for the well-being of his wingman, Captain Oh Gil-sung. He turned his attention towards his squadron, paying close attention to the tactics of his allies.
“Ha ha! He’s going for it...”
His wingman, Captain Oh Gil-sung had shot down one of the F-15J Eagles, and was currently trying to shake off the two F-22 Raptors on his tail. He performed the jinking maneuver. From what Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho could see, his teammate was not in a favorable situation right now.
<ul>
Black Moon 1 to Black Moon 3: Run the TCS (Transparent Concealment System) and then perform the Cobra maneuver.
Black Moon 3 to Black Moon 1: Are you ordering me to use the TCS technology?
Why are you talking so much? I’m telling you to do it, so do it!
Black Moon 3 to Black Moon 1: We are under strict orders from our superiors not to use this technology for the time being...
Bitch! This is no time to question me. I’ll take the responsibility, so just do it, now! Bitch!
</ul>
In tense and urgent situations, Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho and his wingman Captain Oh Gil-sung ignored the use of official communications terms. They communicated in a more conversational style.
During the Sino-Korean War, the Ministry of Defense had passed an order to cease the use of a few of the most critical technology in Corea’s military. This was the result of a finding that confirmed that this technology allowed the United States to gather top-secret information about the Federal Republic of Corea’s new weapons. One of the banned technology was the TCS (Transparent Concealment System), a stealth system that could conceal fighter jets by making them appear to be transparent.
<ul>
Black Moon 3: Copy that.
</ul>
A few seconds later, Captain Oh Gil-sung’s Red Phoenix fighter, which had been dodging left and right, suddenly blended in with its surroundings. The plane entered stealth mode and its visage became distorted and within moments, it completely disappeared. The pilots of the two Japanese F-22 Raptors were shocked. They did not know what to do and continued flying straight ahead, past the invisible CF-21P Red Phoenix fighter. Suddenly, the Red Phoenix reappeared, right on the tail of the two F-22s.
To the two F-22 Raptor pilots, something impossible and ridiculous had just happened. Just as they were trying to wrap their heads around what had just happened, the beam of Captain Oh Gil-sung’s Razor Vulcan Beam shot out.
The high-intensity laser beam struck the upper section of the F-22 Raptor on the right, and immediately, smoke started escaping. Within seconds, the plane exploded.
<ul>
Nice.
</ul>
Captain Oh Gil-sung blurted the word out on the communications network without even realizing it. He was enjoying the rush of adrenaline from using the TCS technology in a real fight, and making a direct hit to shoot down an F-22 Raptor.
<ul>
Black Moon 1 to Black Moon 3: Now take care of the other F-22!
Black Moon 3: Copy that.
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Suddenly, the screams of First Lieutenant Ha Young-joo was heard over the communications network. Despite being outnumbered, First Lieutenant Ha Young-joo had just been systematically shooting down Japanese fighter planes, one by one. But now, he seemed to be in trouble.
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Black Moon 4: My weapons systems are disabled. There’s some sort of machine error here. I need backup! Over!
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Hearing this, Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho checked the location of Black Moon 4 on the radar screen of his combat display. He quickly turned his nosecone towards the 9 o’clock direction and activated his afterburner.
The Black Moon 4 Red Phoenix plane was being tailed by two F-22 Raptors and one F-15J Eagle. It was desperately dodging the rapid-fire coming from the Japanese plane’s M61A2 machine guns.
<ul>
Black Moon 1 to Black Moon 4: Activate your TCS immediately, and then break away from the battlefield.
Afterburner: The combustion equipment attached to the back end of the turbine of a jet engine. When activated, it reheats the gas that exits the turbine, allowing the pilot to increase the force of thrust without affecting the weight of the plane. The afterburner is typically used after takeoff and when speeding up. The former uses a regular combustion engine, while the latter uses a piece of very simplified combustion equipment.
Black Moon 4: Squadron Leader! My equipment is malfunctioning badly. It’s serious. And I’m losing power too. Over.
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Dudududududum~ Dududududum~
As he was talking over the communications system, 20-millimeter machine gun shells hit the rear section of Black Moon 4. Fortunately, the exterior of the Red Phoenix was made with an ultralight reinforced alloy known as “liquidrinium”, a material that can withstand a few shots from a 20-millimeter machine gun. The Red Phoenix was not pierced or shot down — for now.
Vehicles such as the C-3 Baekho tank and the Hyunmoo armored vehicle utilize an alloy called the “hydrinium alloy” for their heavy armor. This material possesses an incredibly defensive strength. Aircrafts, however, use an ultralight, reinforced armor known as “liquidrinium alloy.” This is an incredibly lightweight material with a defensive strength (KE) of at least 120 millimeters.
Despite its armored frame, it would only be a matter of time before the Black Moon 4 Red Phoenix fighter plane was shot down. So, under the pressure of time, Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho decided to go on the offense. He selected his remaining S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles and locked his target on the two most threatening F-22 Raptors. Without hesitation, he pressed the ‘launch missile’ button.
The S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles flew out, leaving a trail of blue flames in their wake. The missiles quickly broke Mach 6 speed and continued accelerating as they hurtled in the direction of the two F-22 planes that were chasing Black Moon 4. In response, both of the F-22s split in opposite directions, taking evasive maneuvers and continuously releasing anti-missile chaff.
The metal pieces scattered and spread out across the sky, glinting manically as they reflected the sunlight. As a result, the radar-guided missiles were distracted by the chaff. One of the two S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missiles unfortunately collided with the metal pieces and exploded in mid-air. However, the remaining missile successfully navigated through the chaff pieces and hit the engine area of one F-22 Raptor, blowing it up.
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Black Moon 4: Launch arms!
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The F-15J that was tailing Black Moon 4 seemed to be slowing down, but all of a sudden, not one, but two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles launched out from it.
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Black Moon 1 to Black Moon 4: The heat is on! Turn brake! Chaff, chaff, chaff!
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Lieutenant Commander Choi stopped chasing the F-22 Raptor that survived the S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missile attack. He quickly swerved to the left and shifted his attention to the radar system in his visor. He was on a mission to shoot down the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, no matter what it took.
Whirrrrrr~ Whirrrrrr~
Under the pressure of time, Lieutenant Choi Young-ho fired his 12-millimeter Vulcan beam. He had nothing in his targets, so he was aiming blindly. Meanwhile, in Black Moon 4, First Lieutenant Ha Young-joo was desperately trying to survive by any way he could; he increased his SECM thrust as far as it would go, he scattered chaff as a distraction, and he pulled his control stick as far to the left as he could.
The Black Moon 4 Red Phoenix fighter plane banked left in a sharp, tight angle. It was a close call: the S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missile missed the turn and brushed past the fighter jet. Fortunately, the second S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missile was hit by the wild shots of the 12-millimeter Razor Vulcan beam. The missile immediately lost its balance, stopped mid-air and fell to earth.
Black Moon 4 had escaped one emergency, but the F-15J Eagle was still chasing it. Meanwhile, the F-22 Raptor had once again changed direction; this time it was on the tail of Lieutenant Commander Choi Young-ho’s Red Phoenix plane.
Lieutenant Commander Choi had gone through many air fights before, but today was the first time he felt such pressure. He never had this much sweat running down his back! But he was not just worried for himself; he was also concerned for the safety of the youngest of the Black Moon Squadron, First Lieutenant Ha Young-joo of Black Moon 4.
Lieutenant Commander Choi continued to aim for the F-15J Eagle that was chasing after First Lieutenant Ha. He tried his best to lock the enemy plane in his sights, but he had trouble identifying the target point. It was almost as if the urgency of the situation was getting the best of him.
All of a sudden, the F-15J Eagle that had been following Black Moon 4 exploded in the sky. At the same time, the F-22 Raptor that had locked onto Lieutenant Choi Young-ho’s Red Phoenix fighter was also blown up by a missile that seemed to come out from nowhere.
“What on earth?”
It was an unexpected turn of events. A message came across the communications network. It was from the Rainbow Squadron.
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Rainbow 1 to Black Moon 1: You looked like you were about to piss your pants just then! Over.
Black Moon 1 to Rainbow 1: It’s about time you bitches got here. What took you so long? Over!
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The Rainbow Squadron had just finished performing an airstrike on a second target area. Once done, they immediately turned their planes around and headed towards the Black Moon Squadron. They had arrived to find their allies in trouble. Rainbow Squadron had fired a mid-range S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake missile in the moment of crisis, shooting down the enemy F-22 Raptor and the F-15J Eagle and saving their teammates.
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