Munitions Empire

In the cramped electronic early warning aircraft soaring in the sky, the Tang Army's dispatch personnel complained while staring at the radar screen: "Commander! There's too much ground clutter! We can't distinguish the enemy planes flying close to the ground from anything else."

"How about at high altitudes?" The commander behind him rubbed his tired eyes and asked, "Have any enemy planes appeared?"

"So far, no enemy planes have appeared at high altitudes. Our fighter jets are patrolling in Zone 4 and Zone 2." The dispatcher looked at the signal feedback of friendly aircraft on the radar screen and reported to his commander.

The Dwarves launched a large number of propeller aircraft, flying close to the ground attempting to cover the ground troops in combat. These aircraft have a small radar cross-section and aren't fast, allowing them to fly low and evade the Tang Army's early warning aircraft detection.

However, the Tang Army also has ways to deal with these targets. Firstly, the Tang Army is equipped with shoulder-launched air defense missiles, which are extremely effective against propeller aircraft.

Additionally, along with the heavy weapons equipment brought ashore by the Tang Army, there are also self-propelled anti-aircraft guns similar to the Cheetah Anti-Aircraft Gun with dual 35mm barrels—this thing is a reinforced version of the "Shileker River," extremely ruthless against propeller aircraft.

If they want to avoid these low-altitude killers, the Dwarves' aircraft must climb, and once they start ascending, they will face the even more terrifying pursuit of the Yinglong Fighter.

Confusion on the battlefield is an inevitable phenomenon. No matter how skillfully organized, no matter how advanced the equipment, all sorts of problems will eventually arise, leading to a certain degree of confusion on both sides.

Amidst the chaos, MiG-3 fighter jets of the Ice Cold Empire Air Force entered the battlefield. Relying on their numerical advantage, they disregarded losses and entered the airspace full of "traps."

"Are we poking a hornet's nest here?" A Tang Army soldier complained while changing magazines, looking up at the sky and seeing the propeller aircraft.

"Shut up, help me check the power! Damn it! Why wasn't this thing this hard to use during exercises?" Beside him, his comrade was fiddling with a heavy piece of equipment.

This was a sight aiming device; once attached to the air defense missile launcher tube, it could be lifted for direct firing. This first model of the Tang Army's man-portable air defense missile introduced in combat had a fire-and-forget feature, but it was still too complex in certain aspects.

Only soldiers who received good training and had a certain level of education could operate such complex equipment, meaning only highly skilled troops like the Tang Army could effectively use such weapons.

Once ready, the Tang Army soldier lifted the air defense missile launcher tube up onto his shoulder, placing his face against it, finding a comfortable position, and then aimed through the sight at an approaching Dwarf plane.

"Here's a big gift for you!" He pressed the launch button, and after the power was connected, the launch tube emitted a puff of smoke from the back. The missile shot out and only after flying a good distance, did the engine ignite and then suddenly accelerate, heading toward the not-too-distant target.

The Dwarven pilot, diving and preparing to give a little shock to the Tang Army on the ground, suddenly saw a black dot approaching through the cockpit windshield. That thing, trailing a white streak, was rushing towards him at great speed.

He had no time to think and immediately moved the control stick to avoid the incoming object, but almost simultaneously with his aircraft veering off course, that black dot also corrected its trajectory.

It can track me! The Dwarf pilot suddenly realized, but it seemed too late for anything.

The shoulder-launched air defense missile easily collided head-on with the Dwarven fighter jet, exploding at a point less than ten meters away from both sides.

The warhead burst into countless fragments, instantly engulfing the Dwarf fighter. The unfortunate MiG-3 engine immediately spewed thick smoke, and the cockpit glass shattered.

Flames and smoke filled the cockpit, and before the Dwarven pilot could eject, the aircraft, dragging a long trail of black smoke, plummeted toward the distant ground.

Simultaneously, many such air defense missiles fired on the battlefield, and seven or eight Dwarven fighter jets were shot down and crashed in this manner.

The Dwarven pilots, who had struggled to approach the coastline, hadn't had time to drop the two 100-kilogram bombs they carried over the Tang Army's heads before they saw lines composed of tracer bullets sweeping toward their position.

Two MiG aircraft, caught off guard and unable to evade, were riddled by 35mm anti-aircraft gun shells. Guided by the fire control radar, the Tang Army's anti-aircraft precision far surpassed the Dwarves' expectations. Two planes disintegrated in the air, and the remaining two immediately veered away, attempting to avoid this dangerous anti-aircraft gun emplacement.

But the Tang Army anti-aircraft gun rounds followed closely, and after a brief pause of a few seconds, they fired again at the maneuvering Dwarf fighter jets.

With ballistic computers aiding them, a series of tracer bullets anticipated the trajectory, and the Dwarf aircraft virtually collided with the Tang Army projectiles, exploding into a ball of fire in mid-air.

The sole remaining MiG aircraft, with the Dwarf pilot frightened and fleeing from the Tang Army's anti-aircraft gun emplacement, was like a rabbit escaping the tiger's jaws.

He maneuvered his plane to turn, quickly retracing his path, wanting to leave this dangerous place.

He couldn't even bother with the Tang Army helicopters hovering in the distance. Originally, he planned to go after the Tang Army helicopters after completing his bombing run.

But now, he didn't know what else awaited him ahead. He no longer had the courage to glance back at that damned Tang Army anti-aircraft gun emplacement, which incessantly fired with almost perfect accuracy.

"Earthfire! Earthfire 01! This is Earthfire 07! Answer if you hear! Answer if you hear!" He nervously called his comrades on the radio while maneuvering his plane to return.

Unfortunately, there was no sound on the communication channel anymore, only the interference noise of electromagnetic currents disrupting his nerves incessantly.

"Calling Earthfire 01! Calling Earthfire 01! The Tang Army's anti-aircraft fire was too fierce. Earthfire 08, Earthfire 11, and Earthfire 12 were all shot down! Repeat, Earthfire 08, Earthfire 11, and Earthfire 12 were all shot down..." While glancing at the ground to his sides, the Dwarf pilot codenamed Earthfire 07 kept calling his comrades.

No one responded to his call. At the time they arrived, Tang Army's interference had already prevented these Dwarf planes from contacting the ground control tower, but back then, they could barely maintain contact among themselves.