Munitions Empire

Just as the Dwarf troops were assembling and attempting to launch an attack on the Tang Army, real carrier-based aircraft flew in from the sea.

Previously, the Tang Army had relied on Yinglong fighters taking off from the Northern Island to maintain air superiority. These planes took off at night and arrived at the battlefield in the early morning, exhausting the pilots, so it could already be said that they were near the end of their strength.

Now, as these Yinglong fighters began to return, the newly arrived Flying Shark fighters started to play their role.

Sun Rui piloted his Flying Shark fighter, roaring over the battlefield. He heard from the early warning aircraft's command channel that the Dwarfs' aircraft had been completely destroyed, so he didn't rush to lower his altitude.

Beneath him, several Intruder attack aircraft had already started dropping bombs. They were carrying conventional iron bombs, unguided and the cheapest and most traditional type of aerial bomb.

These free-fall aerial bombs had a very large spread, but there was a benefit to using them: they packed a powerful punch. After all, in warfare of this scale, it's impossible to only use guided bombs.

As these planes flew by, flower-like explosions bloomed one after another on the ground. The massive explosions lifted roads and the Dwarf troops clogging them into the air.

Even though, due to the lack of precision, the Dwarfs did not suffer heavy losses, such terrifying scenes still thrust the Dwarf troops into chaos.

"High-altitude target spotted at 2 o'clock southeast! Repeat, high-altitude target spotted at 2 o'clock southeast! The target has no enemy identification system! The target has no enemy identification system!" As Sun Rui was looking down at the ground, enjoying the sight of the Intruder attack aircraft continuously destroying the enemy, a rapid voice rang in his headset.

"Red Two and Three, proceed to intercept! Repeat, Red Two and Three, proceed to intercept!" Without any hesitation, Sun Rui accepted the mission. His wingman followed closely behind, and the two fighter jets rushed towards the direction of the approaching target.

Indeed, the blips appearing on the Tang Army's early warning aircraft radar were Dwarf fighters, and they were the Dwarfs' latest Jian Liu Gai fighters.

The airfield from which these Jian Liu Gai fighters took off was beyond the Tang Air Force's operational radius, so the bombings had not affected their takeoff.

Looking at the operational radius of both sides, the Dwarf airfields that the Tang Army could destroy were mostly forward-deployed, used as frontline airfields to counter the Tang Army's landing forces. The rear airfields that launched aircraft to the coastline were actually quite safe.

The Jian Liu and Jian Liu Gai fighters taking off from these airfields could barely reach the coastal line to engage, so they were not able to threaten the Great Tang Empire's naval fleet.

In fact, since the Tang Army had switched to Flying Shark fighters, their operational radius covered some of the Ice Cold Empire's inland airfields. However, due to the overwhelming number of strike targets, the Tang Army couldn't keep up for now and so hadn't launched attacks on the Dwarf airfields deep behind the lines.

At this moment, inside the cramped cockpits of the Dwarf fighters taking off from the rear airfields, a bald Dwarf pilot was complaining to the ground command center: "Dammit! Ever since taking off, the warning light has been flashing all the time. Is it broken?"

The warning light he referred to was actually a radar signal receiver. The constant flashing indicated that his aircraft was continuously being scanned by radar...

It wasn't malfunctioning but because the Tang Army's early warning aircraft, from hundreds of kilometers away, had already detected these Ice Cold Empire fighter jets flying at an altitude close to 7000 meters.

"Almost all frontline airfields have been destroyed! Now, the brothers on the ground can only rely on us!" said the Dwarf commander sternly to his subordinates while piloting his jet.

This time, they had deployed en masse to risk everything against the Tang Army: a massive formation of 60 Jian Liu Gai fighters equipped with nose radars and the first generation of air-to-air missiles, along with 40 Jian Liu fighters equipped with cannons.

The Dwarf Air Force hoped that with these fighters, they could rely on their numbers to disrupt the Tang Army's defensive perimeter, allowing the following attack aircraft and bombers to seize the opportunity and gain some advantages over the Tang Army.

"Don't worry! We will definitely give the Tang People a show!" one confident Dwarf pilot said. His aircraft was outfitted with an ejection seat and the latest onboard equipment, making him feel he couldn't possibly lose.

"Maintain altitude!" The Dwarf commander ordered before turning to glance at the continuously flashing warning light next to him. An uneasy feeling lingered in his heart.

With his extensive combat experience, he felt certain that their fighter group had been detected by the enemy, and that enemy fighters were undoubtedly heading their way.

He knew those Tang Army fighters were formidable, but he wasn't sure if his Jian Liu Gai was a match. However, he had to fight — this was a matter of his dignity.

Dashing towards these Dwarf fighters, Sun Rui had already received detailed coordinates of the enemy from the early warning aircraft. Furthermore, he knew he was within an optimal range to launch a missile.

"Radar on!" Sun Rui activated the radar on his aircraft and began engaging the easiest-to-lock enemy fighter signals.

"Locked on!" He skillfully completed the operational steps, then selected the four most vulnerable targets, before promptly pressing the missile launch button: "Missile launch!"

"Missile launch!" His wingman, flying beside him, wouldn't miss this opportunity to boost his own record, following his lead in launching four long-range Thunderbolt air-to-air missiles.

Attacking four targets simultaneously wasn't the limit of the Flying Shark fighter's radar capacity, but pilots generally avoid using max performance in combat to ensure effective strikes.

After all, missiles are precious, and once exhausted, a return to base is necessary. Thus, conserving ammunition is the right choice when uncertain.

A few seconds before Sun Rui launched his missiles, a pilot within the oncoming Dwarf fighter group suddenly heard a warning tone: "You've been radar-locked! You've been radar-locked!"

His hand on the control stick trembled slightly, and the Dwarf pilot immediately glanced at his radar warning indicator. This gadget was imported from Tang Country, with absolutely no quality issues.

Stories about Tang People overcharging have been heard, and stories about them selling outdated equipment, but tales of defective Tang weaponry are unheard of.

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Not in good form today, just two updates.