Chapter 1889 - 1405: Asymmetric Suppression_2

In an instant, the tarmac was engulfed by the shrill howl of jet engines starting up, followed by a deep, rumbling roar.

The Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines of the F-15E, the General Electric F110-GE-129 engines of the F-16CJ, and the F414-GE-400 engines of the EA-18G ignited in succession. The scorching airflow kicked up the sand on the ground, distorting the scenery in the distance.

The blue flames from the exhaust nozzles were particularly dazzling in the night.

"Death God 01 requesting clearance to taxi."

"Cleared to taxi to runway 03 holding point."

Mike released the brakes and advanced the throttle, as the over forty-ton fighter-bomber began to move slowly, turning towards the taxiway.

The ground guide, holding fluorescent wands, made steady gestures amidst the engine airflow.

The entire formation of ten aircraft, like a giant steel dragon awakening from slumber, taxied out of their respective ramps one by one, forming a line on the winding taxiway, heading towards the runway head.

The two EA-18G Growlers were the first to enter the runway.

They needed to take off first to establish an electromagnetic barrier in the combat zone ahead of time.

"Ghost 01, cleared for takeoff, wind 080, speed 8 knots."

Rodriguez pushed both throttles to the maximum. Despite the heavy load, the two F414 engines provided ample power to the Growler.

The aircraft began to accelerate, and the wings bent slightly under lift. About two-thirds down the runway, the nose lifted, the front wheel left the ground, and soon after, the main wheels also departed from the concrete runway.

Its climb was not rapid but steady and powerful. The landing gear retracted as it turned northwest and quickly blended into the gradually brightening sky.

Next were four F-16CJ "Wild Mink" aircraft.

They needed to clear the path for the strike group.

"Villain 01, runway cleared, you may take off." Lead aircraft Captain Daniels pushed the throttle forward, and the F-16 leapt into the air lightly, demonstrating excellent acceleration and climb performance.

The remaining three followed at 15-second intervals, quickly forming a tight four-ship diamond formation in the air.

Finally, there were four heavily-loaded F-15E "Strike Eagles."

They were the core striking force of the entire operation.

"Death God 01, ready for takeoff."

Mike took a deep breath, pushed the throttle to military power, and then swiftly to afterburner position.

Boom!

The two engines erupted with immense thrust, the tremendous overload pressing him firmly against the seat back.

The runway flew by the side windows at high speed, the speed indicator needle spinning rapidly.

At a speed exceeding 170 knots, he gently but steadily pulled back on the stick.

The nose pitched up, the desert ground abruptly dropping away, and a dull thud was heard as the landing gear retracted.

Morning light poured into the cockpit from the side, illuminating the flickering data on the instrument panel and the clear navigation charts on the multifunction display.

"Death God 02 airborne."

"Death God 03 airborne."

"Death God 04 airborne."

All four F-15Es took off in succession, leveling off at 1500 feet to begin formation.

They formed two two-ship combat formations, maintaining visual contact with each other and leaving sufficient maneuvering space.

"Attention all, this is 'Bayonet.'"

Mike called out over the encrypted, anti-interference tactical data network.

"Formation complete, check data link status. Heading 340, initial climb to 25,000 feet, cruising speed 0.82 Mach. Estimated time to target zone, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 'Ghost' crew, proceed ahead; we need your spectrum assessment report before reaching 150 miles from the target."

"Ghost 01, understood."

Larson responded promptly.

"We are already ahead, accelerating. The ALQ-218 has begun full-band scanning. The electromagnetic environment is relatively clean, but in the target area... there are faint, irregular pulse signals flickering, like a heartbeat. They may be probing or using low probability of intercept modes to search. We are analyzing the characteristics."

"Roger that. Stay vigilant."

Mike adjusted the layout of the displays in the cockpit, placing the main navigation and situational awareness information centrally.

Jensen monitored the weapon systems and target data from the back seat.

"Villain Squad, maintain positions to our left rear and right rear, providing medium and high altitude cover, watch out for potential aerial threats, though the probability is extremely low. 'Death God' Squad, check final weapon status."

A series of confirmation replies flickered on the data link.

The mixed formation of ten aircraft, like a precise and deadly aerial combat system, advanced toward Illiguo's airspace to the northwest.

An hour later, the formation smoothly entered Illiguo's airspace.

"Villain Squad, check weapon status."

Captain Daniels' voice broke the silence of the long-range cruise.

The SEAD mission required them to be ready to react at any time.

"Villain 02, HARM missile power on is normal, seeker head cooling complete, ASQ-213 system online, self-defense jamming pod normal." "Villain 03, status the same, two AARGMs ready."

"Villain 04, ready, monitoring Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)."

Their Radar Warning Receiver screens were relatively quiet, with only some faint civilian air traffic control radar signals.

"Approaching target radius of 180 miles."

Mike watched the decreasing distance numbers on the navigation display and the brightly highlighted target area on the map.

"Ghost, report situation. You should have a clearer view now."

"Bayonet, this is Ghost 01."

Larson replied on the channel: "We have moved out to approximately 40 miles ahead of the formation. The ALQ-218 is conducting deep scans. Multiple radiation sources confirmed. *Classifying... hang on."

In the back seat of the Growler, lines of prominent "ridges" began to stabilize in the waterfall signal spectrum on Larson's screen, marked and tracked by the system with colored boxes. An identification window popped up showing match percentages.