Enduring the load of high G-force, although Arslan's eyes were starting to become bloodshot, he could still clearly see the various instruments on the dashboard.
At an altitude of only 500 meters above the ground, Arslan struggled to pull up the nose. At this moment, it was a miracle that the Flogger didn't fall apart.
Adjusting the wing sweep angle to the minimum to obtain maximum lift, Arslan pulled the control stick hard with his hands, using all his strength, and the plane finally leveled out.
The MiG-23 uses ordinary hydraulic operation. This mode of operation leads to very high resistance in certain situations, such as high speed at low altitude, requiring a great deal of strength. Sometimes, flying a fighter jet is also physical labor.
The terrifying beeping sound in the headset finally vanished. Arslan knew he had accomplished a miracle: he had survived the attack of the Tomcats and the Phoenix missiles!
He rubbed his aching eyes with his hand and felt somewhat relieved. Ahead was Karchimain, where an anti-aircraft missile site was deployed. Once past here, he would be safe.
Suddenly, the beeping sound returned to the headset. Damn, he was locked on again!
A total of four F-14 Tomcats provided air cover. One had been taken down by Arslan, and two others had lost their target, but there was still another Tomcat monitoring from high altitude.
Seeing that two Tomcats had fired two expensive Phoenix missiles only for them to self-destruct in the sky, the lead pilot, Colonel Afshar, said dissatisfiedly to the weapon systems officer in the back seat, "Prepare a Phoenix missile."
At that distance just now, the Tomcat didn't need to use the expensive Phoenix missiles at all. Iran's entire inventory of Phoenix missiles was now less than a hundred, which couldn't withstand the consumption of battle. Using AIM-7E-4 Sparrow mid-range air-to-air missiles would have been enough.
Development of the Sparrow missile began in the fifties. Early missiles were very immature with various defects, exposing many problems during the Vietnam War. By the time it reached the E-series, it had become slightly more stable. The -4 model was specifically developed for the F-14, with a range of 30 kilometers and using semi-active continuous wave radar homing, which was enough to eliminate the opponent at the previous distance.
But now, the distance exceeded 30 kilometers. To eliminate this potential threat, he had to use the last Phoenix missile carried by the entire formation.
Although there were problems with the Phoenix missiles just now and they failed to hit the target, the most suitable weapon now was still the Phoenix missile, because only the Phoenix could fire that far.
The weapon systems officer in the rear cockpit activated the missile and simultaneously locked onto the opponent firmly with the radar.
It seemed he wanted to escape at low altitude. At this distance, the AWG-9 radar could still perform its function well; the opponent had nowhere to hide.
Colonel Afshar accelerated the fighter to Mach 1.5. The huge Phoenix missile detached from under the fuselage and began its rapid flight.
Arslan felt like it was a tragedy. Now that he was already at low altitude, those maneuvers from earlier could not be replicated. If he tried another dive, he would crash directly into the ground.
Pull up? The speed of ascent was certainly not as fast as descent, and valuable kinetic energy would be lost during the climb, which was simply not an option.
Escape using the terrain? This area was not mountainous, and no cover could be found!
Fly toward the sun? The opponent's missile was radar-guided; this method of dealing with infrared missiles was useless against radar guidance. Besides, modern infrared missiles were already very advanced, and this method was outdated.
The MiG-23 lacked an integrated electronic countermeasure system for self-defense. The only self-defense equipment installed was the PKIBP-23 chaff and infrared decoy dispenser. Located on the central pylon under the fuselage, the dispenser contained two sets of 12 descent-phase trigger decoys. The aircraft imported by Iraq added two sets of BVP-50-60 dispensers with 50 chaff and infrared decoys each, located on the upper middle part of the fuselage.
Arslan knew that whether he could escape with his life depended on whether these decoys would work.
For a Phoenix missile flying at Mach 5 at high altitude, a distance of dozens of kilometers was only a short twenty-odd seconds.
By the time Arslan was ready to deploy the decoys, the Phoenix missile had already dived down from high altitude.
Arslan quickly flipped the switch, and countless chaff strips were scattered in the sky.
Chaff is a conductor. When the opponent's radar beam hits the chaff, the radio waves are reflected back, forming a patch of snow on the radar screen. This is very useful against outdated radars.
However, against the powerful AWG-9 radar, this effect was very small, especially since Arshaf's crew was experienced. While dealing with this enemy, the radar had been adjusted to the most suitable mode, and that chaff interference had been filtered out by the radar.
Arslan looked up and saw a streak of fire flying toward him. He unhesitatingly pulled the ejection handle between the seats.
Although Arslan was brave, he was by no means reckless. By the time the opponent's Phoenix missile hit, he would be finished. The immense power of the Phoenix missile made it nearly impossible to parachute out of a struck aircraft.
Arslan was probably the first to parachute before being shot down. He wasn't afraid of the enemy—otherwise, he wouldn't have flown to engage the Tomcats—but he was certainly not stupid. Risking his life to protect his beloved plane? Going down with the aircraft in the end? Arslan was unwilling to do that. His life was the most valuable thing, and he had to survive to pass on his experience to everyone.
Arslan felt a loud bang overhead as the canopy-breaker gun pierced the cockpit canopy. Then, the seat's rocket ignited, sending the seat and him out together.
After flying out of the cockpit, he heard a loud explosion below. He saw that his plane had already become a fireball.
The Phoenix—there really are no birds that don't die under its strike. Arslan was glad that if he had been a second later, he would have been buried in the sea of fire.
The parachute opened in the air, forming a beautiful umbrella flower. Beneath it, a young favored son of heaven hung from two straps, his eyes filled with a melancholy that was quite unsuited to his age.
After the thrill passed, Arslan began to think about the consequences. This time he had defied orders to take off, and it ended with him being shot down. He wondered if the Air Force Commander would let him off. This was after repeated warnings, and especially since he had written off a fighter jet this time, what consequences would fall on his head?
Arslan wasn't afraid of facing military law; with his father's connections, everything could be resolved in the end. He was just afraid that if his father got angry, what if he wasn't allowed to fly fighters anymore? What if the Air Force discharged him?
allah above, you must protect me. I must fly fighter jets. Only in the sky can I feel my own existence.
Arslan took a breath and prepared for landing.
PS: Breaking through the heavy interception of several Tomcats seems a bit detached from reality. In history, Arslan was shot down several times but always returned to the blue sky. So, after Arslan performed the feat of taking down one Tomcat and escaping the pursuit of two Phoenix missiles, he was finally hit by the third Phoenix. But this is just his beginning. In the future, he will fly more advanced aircraft and dominate the skies of the Middle East!
Regarding economic construction and the introduction of various weapons, those plots will have to wait until after the next major battle, the Battle of Abadan, is completed. Once the Iranian offensive is contained and the situation is stabilized, they can be carried out. Basra is originally an oil city; the emerging oil refining industry, the construction of the south, and the introduction of new weapons will all begin.
The struggle between major powers and the games played by various forces—Iran, Israel, Europe, the United States, and the Soviet Union—will all be involved.