Chapter 592 Tomcat Vs. Tomcat (Part 2)

The second round of medium-range air combat ended quickly. Due to the evasion of the Blackjack Squadron, none of the Sparrow missiles fired at them hit the target. However, the missiles fired by the enemy did hit four Tomcat fighters! Two were shot down and the pilots parachuted. Two were injured and the pilots tried hard to operate the planes to leave the airspace of the battle.

This result shocked Hughes very much. In this kind of medium-range combat, whoever gives up first will be beaten passively. However, the Iraqi Air Force used Soviet-made weapons, and the performance of its medium-range air-to-air missiles was poor. How could such a powerful combat capability appear?

"Damn it, the Soviets are using both infrared and radar guided missiles together!" A voice on the radio cursed. If he hadn't been quick-eyed and quick-handed, he would have been shot down too. The wingman was furious.

The missiles of the United States all use radar seekers, while the missiles of the Soviet Union, due to their poor performance, use both radar and infrared seekers. The evasion methods of these two types of missiles are different. To evade radar seekers, you must turn on the afterburner, throw platinum bars, and evade quickly. To evade infrared guidance, you must never turn on the afterburner, as that will make you an obvious target!

Now, the two sides were tied. Both had eight fighter planes, and four of them were destroyed in the medium-range combat, which made Xius extremely annoyed. The two sides were still approaching each other rapidly, and soon they would be able to see each other visually.

When he could clearly see the two dots turning into outlines, Zeus was stunned. Damn, wasn't that a Panda fighter flying over?

He could already see that the wide body and the dashing appearance were exactly the same as his own fighter plane!

How is this possible? When did the Iraqi Air Force equip itself with Tomcat fighters? In a flash, Hughes realized that this was an Iranian fighter!

In the world, besides the US Navy, only the Iranian Air Force is equipped with Tomcat fighters! If the Soviet Union got the Tomcat fighter and then copied it, I would never believe it. The Soviets did not need to do that.

The Iranian Tomcats, except for the IFF, are exactly the same as those of the US Navy, without any shrinkage! Now, these aircraft have become a major concern for the US Navy!

However, after all these years of embargo, can the Iranians still maintain the combat effectiveness of these fighters? Moreover, aren't the Iranians and the Iraqis mortal enemies?

These problems will be left to be solved later. Xius knows that the problem he is facing now is how to defeat them!

"Pair formation, prepare for combat!" Hughes shouted on the radio.

Due to the high speed of the jet, the airspace required for combat is large, so a two-plane formation is the most suitable choice. Flying head-on, Hughes quickly switched the fire control to the Sidewinder missile while controlling the flight.

Although there is no gap in long and medium ranges, the US Navy's Tomcat has an advantage in close combat, and that is the Sidewinder missile!

The Iranian Air Force operates the AIM-9J missile, which has only a certain omnidirectional attack capability. When used, it is more focused on rear-hemisphere attacks. The U.S. Navy's missiles have been updated to the AIM-9L, which have full omnidirectional attack capabilities and are also very powerful in head-on attack capabilities!

Therefore, the opponent's fighter jets will definitely not have the advantage this time!

The distance between the two sides was shortening rapidly, and both had obviously turned on the afterburner, preparing to accumulate more energy. Looking at the Persian cat opposite, Hughes pushed the nose of the plane, steadily tracking the other side, waiting for the signal of the Sidewinder missile's lock.

His finger is already on the launch button. As long as it is locked, he can fire his missile!

At this time, the seeker of the AIM-9L missile was working very hard. It only had a 30-degree viewing angle, so the carrier aircraft needed to change its direction to provide guidance signals to its own seeker. At this time, due to the difference in height and direction between the two sides, the seeker was working under extreme conditions, making it difficult to track stably.

At this moment, a flash of fire appeared under the bracket of the wing box on the opposite side, and a missile flew over without any warning!

How is this possible? In this case, the AIM-9j's launch envelope has long been exceeded. Could it be that the other party has not yet locked on to it before launching?

Ridiculous! Although he despised it in his heart, Hughes still released the flare bomb and then pulled the nose of the aircraft to get rid of it. In an air battle, to despise the opponent is to not take your own life seriously.

Pull up the nose of the plane, and use the wide belly to block the heat flow. At the same time, the flare bombs are enough to divert the missile!

But later, Zeus felt something was wrong. The missile was not deflected by the flare at all and was still flying towards him!

How is this possible! What was flying over here was definitely not an AIM-9J missile!

At this moment, Hughes pushed the nose of the plane, climbing and rotating at the same time, a standard poke-roll maneuver. The radar operator in the rear cabin, who was now acting as an observer, kept shouting, warning that the missile was getting closer!

Barrel rolling can consume the energy of the opponent's missile. If the missile keeps correcting its direction, it will consume more energy. This is also a tactic to get rid of the opponent.

The sudden overload made Xius feel that his body was at its limit. At the critical moment of life and death, he unleashed his greatest potential.

The missile was still flying closer and closer. There was no sound in the rear cabin. The radar officer might have fainted!

After leveling the plane again, Hughes released another set of decoy bombs. At this time, the energy of his fighter plane was rapidly declining and its speed dropped to the lowest.

The incoming missile finally lost its target, hit a decoy bomb, and then exploded a few kilometers away.

Xius felt that his whole body was wet. This had never happened before in previous confrontation drills.

Turning on the afterburner to continue to let the fighter plane gain energy, Hughes looked at the Tomcat fighter plane painted with the symbol of the Iranian People's Air Force, which was flying from his left side. At this time, the angle between the two sides had reached 40 degrees. The opponent's eyes were always facing Hughes. Above the helmet, an additional device was working non-stop. Then, on the rack under the wing box, the flames flickered, and another missile was fired!

How is this possible! The off-axis launch angle reached 40 degrees. What kind of abnormal missile is this? It is definitely not our sidewinder! After seeing the opponent continue to launch missile attacks at an incredible angle, Hughes was filled with surprise and fear. His fighter plane had lost energy due to the maneuver just now. Now, can he avoid this infrared missile? It's all the damn engine!

Pushing the nose of the plane, Hughes' Tomcat fighter swept its wings back and dived downward rapidly. Now, it could only rely on altitude to exchange for energy!