Thunder Strikes Back

Chapter 561 False Alarm at Bareilly Airport
Night has finally fallen in Panipat, a small town north of New Delhi, which has been without nighttime lights for a month because its power plant has been shut down due to a lack of fuel.But at this moment, the residents of the small town still can no longer find peace in the darkness, because the huge mechanical roar is shrouding here.

The Indian armored forces are practicing day and night in the surrounding area of ​​​​the town.During the day it is a synthetic offensive project, while at night it is a cross-country marching project under the condition of night vision goggles.Before the 21st Army was fully assembled (its assembly and reorganization area was in the vast area south of New Delhi), the divisions below the 12th Army (including the 4th Armored Division) were the most powerful fists defending New Delhi.Once, as Lieutenant General Spanga expected, something goes wrong with Meneam, who does not listen to opinions, and the Chinese army finds a gap from the snowy mountains in the north or other directions, and drills in. The 12th Army must do everything possible to block the enemy Outside the capital circle.

As compensation for the loss of troops and equipment in the southern Pakistan campaign, the division received a large number of supplementary troops, including 2 supplementary armored battalions using new equipment.When the White Tiger Division replaced the T90A, the 4th Armored Division got the British Challenger tank, which was in line with the experience of the unit in using the 60-ton Arjun tank in southern Pakistan; and in order to assist India, the British pieced together, Its army no longer has a full armored division (of course, these old equipment are paid for).Lieutenant General Pacianita, the commander of the 4th Armored Division, estimated that there would be more or less problems with Meneam, so he must not slack in his preparations.He predicted that the enemy is likely to drop paratroopers around New Delhi by airborne, with the purpose of capturing an airport, and may also rush down a situational armored force from a high mountain as support.So I have to cheer up and be ready to smash the scene that happened in Assam at any time.

Problems soon arose during the night drill. After nightfall, a T72 platoon ran into a village during the night field march, leveled a hut, and crushed two scalpers to death.After midnight, a Challenger platoon got stuck in the mud while driving, and one of them couldn't get up.The regiment headquarters urgently transferred 2 БpЗМ-2 tanks to tow rescue vehicles, but they could not follow the old experience to pull the cumbersome heavy tanks out of the quagmire.This kind of rescue vehicle developed using the Soviet-made T1 chassis may be able to connect two vehicles to drag the T72 up, but it is somewhat powerless for a challenger of more than 2 tons.Generally speaking, foreign aid is not very matching, which makes the future battlefield rescue and maintenance of Challenger tanks very difficult.

Before the third recovery vehicle was connected with a cable, the precious tank was completely submerged in the mud, almost pulling the tank recovery vehicle into the mud.Before the enemy was in sight, the 4th Armored Division ushered in its first unnecessary loss after reorganization.To the many superstitious soldiers in the army, the crushing of the sacred animal and the sinking of the tank in the mud were clearly two related and suggestive events.So there were rumors among the troops that the prospect of participating in the exhibition may not be very good.

Pacianita was furious, and called the staff officer who set the route to scold him, but the staff officer argued that such problems did not exist in the previous command specifications of the staff department.Even the equally heavy Arjun tank is only used independently, and a special route is made to pass through a special bridge, and it will not enter the water network rice field area, let alone be dispatched at night.Now, however, it is insisting that the exercise be close to the actual combat environment, and the unfamiliar tanks are scattered into the field training. It is difficult for the staff to see from the map that the river mud is more dangerous, and the equipment for the rescue troops is not suitable. new weapons.In other words, the entire region is not suitable for such 60-ton tank operations.

Pascianita was speechless for a moment. The order to strengthen the field subjects was given by his own son. He also knew that something would happen, and the staff of the staff only followed his orders.However, the battle situation is so close to the capital, and the number of new recruits in the army is as high as 3%. Although the 4th Armored Division added an armored regiment and a mechanized infantry regiment on the original basis, the number reached 3, but they did not hurry up. Training, you won't be able to fight at all in the future.

The division commander returned to the headquarters angrily. The new issue of the enemy situation summary urgently compiled by the Army Intelligence Bureau had arrived. He picked it up and turned over two pages. It was the data of the enemy tanks destroyed in the battle of Leh.In the photo, white circles are drawn on the front armor of the tank, which are the traces that the fortress artillery hit and did not penetrate. There are several marks on the side that say 20mm and 100mm artillery strikes, and 100mm artillery strikes. In the area, it just left a blackened burn mark.In the end, the tank was destroyed by a grenade fired from a 180mm gun at a distance of 900 meters.He noticed that the background of the tank was the battered Leh camp, which shows how tense the situation was at that time.Just a 30-ton mountain tank is already so strong, and the rumor that the enemy will sweep the plains of India with its armored forces may not be unreasonable.He remembers the situation when he fought against the Pakistani troops in southern Pakistan. Those Type 99 tanks basically did not wear reactive armor, but it was very difficult for the main gun of the T90S to penetrate it from the front, and the United States determined that the Chinese army already had it. I don't know if the heavy-duty Type 99 tank with superior turret defense capabilities will appear in front of my troops.The enemy's tank ammunition was all destroyed in the explosion, which makes the penetration data of its 105mm main gun still a mystery, but judging from the bullet holes left on the bunker in Leh, its armor-piercing projectile can penetrate the bunker A hole was opened in the two one-meter-thick concrete walls at the front and back.

He walked to the map with his hands behind his back, and looked across the northern front, where Meneam's troops were fighting and claiming victory, evenly distributed and apparently invulnerable.

"Maybe we still have time? No, the enemy is always taking advantage of our self-comforting mentality and launching attacks at a faster pace. They won't give us time." The division commander muttered to himself.

"It's hard for mechanized troops to cross the roof of the world. They can at most send some light troops from the direction of Gemoli," said someone next to them.

"If you think about it from the enemy's perspective, do you really think they're actually going to come over the hill?"

"However, Jamoli is the closest area to New Delhi, and the straight-line distance is less than 300 kilometers?" The officer next to him said, he didn't understand the commander's intention at the moment.If you just look at the map or past experience, it is really not difficult to draw the conclusion that the enemy must go back to the old road in 1962. Apart from this, they really have nowhere to go.

In the Bareilly Air Force Base, 4 kilometers away from the 250th Division's base, most members of the 13th Wing are gathering at the airport.The airport was brightly lit, but it was not due to combat missions, but a rare Hindu prayer ceremony was held.In previous ages, similar superstitious activities rarely appeared in the technically dense Air Force.Sometimes, the army troops will invite priests to consecrate their artillery or shells, praying for more accurate shooting and killing more enemies; while the air force usually scoffs at this absurd behavior, thinking that it is pursued by uneducated people Self-deception stuff.

But today is different from the past. After experiencing huge setbacks and losses, the new batch of Su-30 fighter jets acquired by the Eagle Squadron seems to be quite regular. Doctrine sentiments also require some supernatural sacrificial activities to resolve them.The main god invited for this sacrifice is Kadimai, the goddess of strength, and the other god is Yama, the god of death; they pray that the god of strength will be their strong backing, and the god of death will become the end point where the enemy planes will not disperse.

Goya, the squadron leader of the Eagle Squadron, and Colonel Mo Xing, the acting wing captain, stood side by side at the front of the entire wing formation, waiting for the Hindu priests in front of each newly arrived Su-30MKI-2 (actually Su-30MKM ) and missiles stacked in front of the plane, prayers and milk were poured.The priest muttered something, to the effect that he hoped that these weapons would be invincible and the enemy would be defeated.

At the rear of the fleet, there is also a small buffalo tied up, which will be slaughtered at the end of the ceremony, as a necessary part of releasing the god of death. In Hinduism, where cattle are revered, it is not common to kill a cow to release the god of death. A means of winning in danger.

Goya is not interested in religious ceremonies, his mind is wandering, thinking about the upcoming battle.He is very clear that even if the Air Force can replenish these weapons, it is not unlimited.In the second half of the year, the Rafale fighter jets provided by France were rampant for a while, making the enemy afraid, but now, the Tiger Shark Squadron equipped with this aircraft has no strength to continue to stay in the first-line squadron, and France is unable to deliver more aircraft. In fact, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier There are only a few planes left to support the facade.The enemy's production line has been steadily providing weapons. It is said that with the help of the Chinese, Pakistan has increased the monthly production of JF17 to 5, which means that the nearly defeated empire's aircraft production has been on par with India. As for how many weapons China has produced behind the thick fog, it is really a mystery.The information that can be obtained is that China has recently obtained the first batch of 12 Su-35s from Russia.

Goya himself encountered more and more enemy troops on the battlefield, and it was difficult to get rid of radar tracking. This was obviously due to the increase in the enemy's new phased array radar fighters; and many pilots who were shot down claimed that they Before being shot down, the existence of the enemy plane was not noticed. This may be a signal that the enemy has invested in stealth fighter jets.

"Captain, when will this meaningless ceremony end?" Goya whispered, he couldn't wait to take off to perform the mission.

"Don't be so unreasonable. If we want to fight against a powerful enemy, maybe we still have to rely on the power of God." Mo Xin replied frankly. He also doubted the role of this ritual, but he was prepared.

"It's really unwise to concentrate the planes on the airport and turn on all the lights. Once the enemy's satellite detection detects it, they will mobilize cruise missiles to attack." Goya said, although there is no indication that the Chinese have quickly made satellite detection. Mechanisms to respond, but putting valuable equipment on an airfield so close to the border (about 260 km) is just not reassuring

"What do you know? The most important thing now is morale. Soldiers need God's guarantee." The captain said solemnly.

"God can't increase our aircraft production, and God can't make bombs drop more accurately."

"Think about it, why does that crazy Sammy escape death every time he fights alone? I think he prays more diligently than you. Stop talking, and be careful not to pray."

Goya didn't say anything more. He remembered that when he fought against that lunatic for the first time, he was bitten to death. Fortunately, there was a problem with the opponent's weapon, and it seemed to be protected by God's providence.

The Eagle formation will take off before dawn to implement the plan proposed by Major Rolle to completely paralyze the resistance of the Pakistan Air Force. The plan has been reviewed and approved. This is the first time that Goya has returned to combat after being shot down.

Rolle's plan is very large, but it is also very detailed. The first target goes straight to the enemy's command plane. The Air Force intelligence department has already investigated clearly. Among the several early warning planes of the Pakistani Air Force that took turns.Only the ZDK-03 has complete command capabilities. Through some intelligence sources, it can be confirmed that the ZDK-03 that will take off in a few hours will carry a lieutenant general. This is the soul of the entire Pakistani Air Force. It is this person who relies on him Based on his experience, he combined a light thunderbolt with a rookie pilot with less than 100 flying hours; and this obviously weak combination, under his command, was actually worth fighting.If he is killed, the Pakistan Air Force will not be able to organize air support again in a short time.Of course, it would be even better if the lunatic Sami suddenly appeared to rescue him. In Rolle's plan, Goya will take on the task of intercepting and rescuing the enemy plane.This is obviously a good opportunity for revenge.

The ceremony entered the final stage. The priest walked towards the lazy buffalo holding the machete. While chewing the grass, the calf raised its eyelids to look at the knife, showing no fear.It is said that once the knife is cut down, the god of death in the buffalo will be released. Whether the god of death will be guided to those missiles in the end is unclear.Who doesn't know what role Reaper will play in modern warfare, maybe it can make enemy planes need a higher G number to escape tracking?Anyway, Goya does not understand these traditional Indian religious acts such as slaughter and sacrifice ceremonies, or widow burial.

Suddenly, piercing air raid sirens sounded from all sides, and the personnel assembled in front of the fighter jets immediately dispersed.For the Bareilly base, similar air raid warnings are not uncommon. Recently, cruise missiles launched by the Chinese army from within the territory often pass through the Mana Pass and fly southeast along India's Highway 58. They match the scene The way to avoid the satellite navigation jamming zone that the Americans helped Meneam set up on the front line, so that the route of the missiles attacking New Delhi will be very tortuous, and often go around from the west of Bareilly, and touch the radar network of the defense zone .Although Bareilly Airport itself has not been substantially attacked.Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the lengthy sacrificial ceremony was detected by enemy satellites, and they temporarily decided to attack the densely parked planes. After half a year of war, the Chinese army has used all kinds of tactics, which the Indian army has experienced deeply. of.

The sirens gradually subsided, and not a single missile landed on the airport. Goya had excellent eyesight, and he saw two light spots slowly flying away from the black scene in the west, apparently heading straight for New Delhi.The 2 fighter planes that had been doused with milk and prayed for blessings also stopped there.

(End of this chapter)