Chapter Fifty-One: The Air Force Arrives

  After a night of preparation, the air force's attack fleet finally took the stage on the Suzan Jirde swamp.

  Flying in the front were two Mig-25 interceptors.

  As an interceptor, the MiG-25 is outstanding, with its two turbojet engines producing 110 kN of thrust each, allowing it to reach speeds of over Mach 3. However, this state can only be maintained for three minutes. Even so, thanks to its excellent aerodynamic layout, the MiG-25 cruises faster than the MiG-21.

  MiG-25 arrived on the battlefield, its main task was to scout out the battlefield situation and contend with the troublesome F-14 for air superiority.

  MiG-25's long machine, still driven by "Tian Xun" Lei Ye, this is his fortieth combat takeoff.

  Is the F-14 intimidating? Every time they encounter a panda, the Iraqi Air Force would drop their helmets and flee in disarray. Ray decided to change this situation and let the Iraqi Air Force regain its confidence. Because Ray learned from his Soviet instructor that the pulse Doppler radar is quite good, but also has a major flaw: he practiced a move that could make his plane's signal unlock on the opponent's radar.

  Next was a four-plane formation of MiG-21s, also carrying empty air-to-air missiles, their mission being to protect the slow-moving Su-20 attack planes behind them.

  The Su-20 is an export version of the Su-17M, a variable-sweep wing single-seat fighter-bomber developed by Sukhoi Design Bureau from the fixed-wing fighter-bomber Su-7.

  Due to the adoption of a nose air intake, it looks similar to the MiG-21, but the central cone is enlarged, and internal fire control electronic equipment such as rangefinders and omnidirectional warning radars can be installed. Two pitot tubes are mounted on top of the nose. The upper part of the fuselage has a high dorsal spine, used to accommodate more fuel and equipment. In this era, the most popular was the variable sweep wing, and the Su-20's distinctive outer wing section had a variable sweepback angle of 28-62 degrees. There are eight weapon hardpoints, two of which are dedicated to carrying auxiliary fuel tanks, and the remaining six can carry up to 4,000 kg of various air-to-ground weapons (such as rocket launchers, 240 mm large-caliber rockets, retarded bombs, AS-7 Kerry air-to-ground missiles, etc.). The wing roots have two internal 30mm HP-30 machine guns, each with 70 rounds. The overall shape is quite sleek and powerful.

  Due to the backwardness of the engine, the thrust-to-weight ratio was less than 1 even when empty, and the Su-20 attack aircraft dragged its ammunition and slowly crawled over.

  The slower Mi-24 Hind will arrive on the battlefield in half an hour.

  At this time, the MiG-25 had already scanned the entire airspace and did not find any activity of enemy fighters.

  They knew that the Iranian air force was no longer as good as it was at the beginning of the war, and many Kowsar jets could not take off due to lack of parts. Since Iran's air force didn't come, this is our own sky!

  At this moment, the Iranian armored forces on the ground have become a little flustered.

  Rajavi did not think that he had forgotten the most important thing: although there were rarely any fighter jets here, if Iraq's slow-acting air force could make it here after discovering him, it would be a completely different outcome.

  Armored troops against air force, it's a dead end, no residue left.

  He immediately asked for support from the rear, no matter what, to dispatch fighter jets to drive away these guys on their heads, even if the F-14 Tomcat couldn't come, it would be fine as long as the old-fashioned F-5 Tiger fighter jet came.

  Come on, time is life. After discovering two MiG-25s above his head, Rajavi immediately asked for help from Avaz.

  The second order is: The armored division will launch a full-scale attack!

  Before one's own air force has arrived, if one wishes to avoid the enemy's air strikes, there is only one method: mix in with the enemy!

  As soon as both sides clashed, the formations between them became disordered, and there were war chariots everywhere. In this situation, those attacking aircraft in the sky could not effectively strike their own side. Distinguishing between friend and foe was a very troublesome matter.

  Moreover, both sides are currently lacking in precise attack ammunition, relying on rocket shells, and it is somewhat difficult to avoid casualties.

  So Rajavi ordered all his armored vehicles to charge at full speed and mix with the enemy.

  What a pity, one second too late.

  The enemy's tanks were all retreating, and the armored vehicles were even more eager to retreat. Although the enemy was reversing directly in reverse gear, which made it impossible for them to move too fast, this was a swampy area, and our own tanks' advancing speed was not fast either. As a result, there was always a clear distance between the two armies.

  This distance is the distance between life and death. In a short while, the opponent's rocket projectiles will come down from the air, if on the ground, the rocket projectiles are not to be feared, but in the sky, the rocket projectiles falling from the sky, for the weak top armor, even the tribal chief can't bear it, let alone the large-caliber rocket projectiles that can be mounted on attack aircraft, a 240mm large rocket projectile will come up at once, as long as it's not the front armor, nowhere can bear it.

  Rajavi's third order was for the M163 self-propelled guns, converted from M113 armored vehicles, to enter combat immediately.

  This is a 6-barreled 20mm caliber anti-aircraft fire power, used to accompany armored troops for field air defense. However, as for the fighter planes overhead, what effect it can have, I'm afraid only God knows.

  Rajavi was unaware that at this moment General Shafiq and Commander Abolhassan were in big trouble.

  Upon learning of the appearance of Iraqi aircraft, Abolhassan ordered two squadrons of F-5 fighter jets at a base east of Ahvaz to take off and drive away the Iraqi planes over the wetlands.

  As for the powerful panda, it needs to take on the responsibility of defending the important land and air, but Abel has no ability to mobilize.

  It turned out that the air force base refused to carry out the order of Abel, chairman of the Supreme Defense Council, on the grounds that the Supreme Spiritual Leader Khomeini had issued an order and the Air Force was directly executing his orders.

  Aber knew he was in big trouble.

  In the revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty, Abolhassan Banisadr and Khomeini were intimate friends but as time went on, differences between them grew.

  Abolhassan Banisadr was Iran's first elected president and Khomeini its spiritual leader.

  Abele has always maintained that spiritual leaders are spiritual leaders, and presidents are presidents. However, now the president is just a fig leaf, while the spiritual leader is the highest ruler of this country.

  He immediately called Khomeini, but he could not find the president. He did not know that at this moment, Khomeini was presiding over a parliamentary session, specifically to impeach him in his situation.

  This time's offensive was Abercrombie's last command of the army; he failed, defeated by one man's lust for power.

  At this time, Abel was still trying to get in touch and make a last-ditch effort to salvage the raid that had originally held such great promise.

  During Mig-25's third pass over the armored division, Rajavi did not wait for his own fighter jets but saw attack aircraft flying from afar loaded with weapons.

  This attack is over.