Chapter 195
February 4, 2021, 22:30
The skies of the city of Hira, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan
Several hundred JDAM precision-guided munitions were dropped from the four fighter wings of Dark Phoenix planes, following the GPS guide signal of the satellite directing them.
A moment later, these old models of the JDAM, with a range of up to 24 kilometers, struck several spots in the Sasebo Port Naval Base. As they did, huge columns of fire shot up, and the flames began to rage. Everything in the area, from the small vessels anchored in the harbor to the storage facilities and headquarters of the base, was crumbling under the explosive power.
The fiber of munitions that rained down on Sasebo was around 200, each weighing 900 kilograms—it was almost as if the military had intended to try to use up all the conventional weapons that were collecting dust in the storage.
An area within a radius of several kilometers went entirely up in flames, and as a bright red wave of heat spread over the western part of Kyushu, the port of Sasebo, which had played such a crucial role, was destroyed without a trace.
Seventy-one kilometers away in the central part of Kyushu was the target of the second strike group, the Omuta Techno Park, which bordered the Ariake Sea in the east. It was an independent metro area made up of the former town of Miike (now the city of Miyama), the city of Arao, and the towns of Nankan and Nagasu. It was the fifth largest such autonomous community in Fukuoka prefecture by population.
It began early as a coal chemical business founded on the Mitsui Miike coal mine’s resources, and flourished in the mid-century, boasting a maximum population of 208,887 people in 1959, but due to the energy revolution and other factors, its conventional business declined and the coal plant closed in March of 1997. Later on, an “Eco Town” based on developing the infrastructure for the up-and-coming business of refuse-derived fuel, as well as the favorable geographic conditions, helped bring back the Omuta Techno Park as an enterprise zone, and it was experiencing a second period of revival.
But soon, the Omuta Techno Park which had contributed so much to the region’s economic development would come to an end. The JDAM precision-guided munitions that dropped from a high altitude of 20 kilometers had already turned several spots in the industrial facility to piles of ash, and now all it did was brighten the night sky as it was swept by great flames.
The industrial facilities in the city of Arao were the target of the third strike group. After Japan declared itself a normal country in 2016, the building up of defense industry business facilities to meet the demand for weapons followed, and one small existing facility expanded to about 50 defense industry facilities. Presently, there were at least 200 of them gathered there including subcontractors, and it had transformed into a large-scale industrial park.
Even this huge industrial facility was also swept up in fire like Omuta Techno Park, and as the flames danced, the chemical components that had been inside caused enormous ear-splitting explosions in the aftermath of the attack, causing the flames that had spread over the whole facility to burn long into the night.
Booom~ Booom~ Booom~
The image of the flames, which rose meters high, could clearly be seen from the town of Omuta. The pilots flying high in the sky in the CF.A-25P Dark Phoenix fighters could easily confirm this destruction, and at the Squadron Commander’s orders, soon turned their planes and maneuvered to return to the Corean peninsula.
This mixed squadron made up of CP-21P Red Phoenix and CB-30P Phoenix fighters were launched to strike the 11th Air Wing of Japan’s Western Region Air Self-Defense Force. Now, two fighter groups from the 159th Air Squadron that had undertaken the mission of escorting the other fighters flew forward and increased the output of their engines to meet the eight F-35A Lightning II and five JX-1 Zero fighter planes of the 11th Air Wing of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.
Japan’s E-767 early warning planes had detected the CB-30P Phoenix planes, which had a significantly lower stealth ability, and so they had scrambled the planes from the 11th Air Wing. But these planes were all locked on by missiles from 150 kilometers away, and these 13 mid-range Rattlesnake missiles flew to meet them.
The F-35 Lightning II planes and JX-1 Zero fighters from the 11th Air Wing, which had prepared for battle having only detected the CB-30P Phoenix fighters, tried to take emergency evasive maneuvers and release chaff, but they were shot down one by one by the supersonic missiles which flew at the speed of Mach 8, either turning to firebombs and plummeting down to earth or breaking into pieces and exploding.
After shooting down 13 enemy fighters in the blink of an eye, the mixed squadron of the 23rd Air Wing went straight to the Kanoya Air Force Base, and although they were there in an escort mission, each released one of the Korean-made “bunker buster” K-CUB-01 missiles that they had stored in their internal weapons systems. Diving down to the airstrip while following precision guidance, the K-CUB-O1 missiles struck the base’s “igloo” in an instant. The explosion penetrated meters underground and razed the bunker’s lower-level facilities.
As the first bunker-buster assault was finished, the CB-30P Phoenix planes lowered their altitude and continued the ground assault. Part of their antiaircraft guns and short-range missiles that was left flew at them, but the missiles took high-speed evasive maneuvers with the wings clustered on their pods, and a few dozen air-to-surface missiles rained down, blowing up several spots, leaving white trails behind them.
Craash~ Craash~ Craash~ Craash~
The 16 CB-30P fighters flew in the flames of the ceaseless explosions happening everywhere, passed low to the airspace of the base, and let loose fire from their 50-millimeter rocket launchers and 30-millimeter Vulcan laser beams. They engaged in second and third rounds of fierce attacks that left the base’s “igloo,” all kinds of buildings, and of course, its wide airstrip in flames.
And so, the planes of the 23rd Air Wing destroyed the base so thoroughly that it could not be used for its original function.
As soon as they had launched such a large-scale major offensive in secret with the help of stealth capabilities, the Japanese Air Force, upon realizing the attack, gave the emergency order for all planes of the Honshu Central command Air Defense Force and the Southwestern Mixed Air Force to launch. At this, a total of 330 planes of all kinds from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force moved towards Kyushu. The order was also given to move all early warning systems and planes equipped with them to Kyushu air space to neutralize the stealth force of the Korean planes. And as this continued, a huge air battle between Japan and the Republic of Corea that would go down in history was about to begin.
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February 24, 2021, 22:40
The waters 32 kilometers off the southeastern edge of Ulsan (aboard the naval destroyer Yi Sun-shin)
Daema Island, only two thirds the size of Jeju Island, was completely swarmed with dark red heat, and thousands of Japanese people who had been unable to flee were hiding in air defense shelters, suffering through the horrifying explosions and shocks.
The shelling of the condensed plasma munitions, which had explosive power hundreds of times greater than that of the ship-to-surface missiles and normal munitions that showered the island for the previous 30 minutes, lasted only a brief time, but in its wake, the military air facilities, the port, and the stationing bases of the ground forces, and even parts of the civilian villages, were swept with gun smoke, completely smashed and destroyed. This level of assault from the combined fleet and the destroyer Yi Sun-shin continued for 30 more minutes.
“Captain!”
“What is it?”
Captain An Yoon-joon was looking toward Daema Island, but he turned his head and answered the call from the communications officer.
“The Commander of the First Fleet has issued an order. It says for the Yi Sun-shin to prepare for naval battle with the 12th Convoy, sir.”
He communicated to the captain the content of the orders.
“So, it’s gradually beginning, then. Bring up the location of the 12th Convoy on my strategic monitor.”
“Yes, sir.”
His second-in-command, Lieutenant Colonel Oh Hyun-oo responded, and immediately gave the order to the battle control room. Then, the location of the vessels of the 12th Convoy came up on his tactical monitor.
“They’re leaving the waters of Shimonoseki, I see. My second-in-command, cease fire from our ship’s artillery.”
“Very good, sir.”
<ul>
Cease fire from the ship’s artillery!
</ul>
“Chief navigator! Hard to the port, azimuth 1-4-3! Maneuver to increase speed to 30 knots maximum.”
“Azimuth 1-4-3, maneuvering to increase speed to a maximum of 30 knots.”
After the Yi Sun-shin destroyer guns stopped firing, its bow turned in a huge movement 235 meters to the port side, veering wildly and plowing through huge waves.
<hr />
February 4, 2021, 23:00
The deep seas of Shimonoseki, Honshu, Japan
The Kure regional force that used the city as a base of activity was rapidly entering the East Sea through the Shimonoseki Sea. It had taken on the mission of intercepting the Corean planes that had infiltrated the whole area of Kyushu just 20 minutes earlier, and now that the Air Self-Defense Force had launched to intercept the enemy, the regional force finished this assignment and was leaving the Sea of Shimonoseki.
“Have the support ships get into a straight row abreast formation.”
As soon as the order was passed down, the four vessels of the convoy which had been sailing in a straight line slowly began maneuvering into a row abreast.
“Has the location of the Corean naval vessels been confirmed?”
“Their course is roughly 3-5-0, sir, at a distance of 190.”
“Have you captured their radar signal?”
“Not as of yet, sir.”
“I see. Mobilize the anti-sub helicopters, then continue forward at our present speed after strengthening our own anti-sub barrier.”
“I’m conveying your orders now, sir.”
Then, after ten minutes of moving in a row abreast, an urgent report came into the combat control room of the Setoyuki (DD-131) destroyer.
“Sir, we just detected a large number of missiles from azimuth 3-5-2! Distance is 135.”
The existence of these missiles that had suddenly appeared surprised the captain, his second-in-command, and all of the other crew members stationed on the bridge. This was because there had not been any kind of vessel at all detected in the waters where these missiles were launched from.
“What is this all of a sudden? Did you say missiles? All crew to battle stations.”
“All crew members, take your battle stations! All crew to battle stations!”
All kinds of alarm bells rang out on the Setoyuki (DD-131) and the three remaining support ships, declaring a state of emergency. As they did, more information about the incoming missiles continued to be reported to the combat control room.
“Missile information confirmed!”
“There are currently 12 missiles, sir! Distance is 100, flying this way at Mach 3.5.”
“Supersonic missiles?”
“They are, sir.”
“Move to intercept them at a distance of 70 kilometers. We’ll take the first, second, third, and fourth lead missiles, and distribute the rest to the support ships!”
“Preparing to begin interception.”
A moment later the interception targets were conveyed to the ships under the convoy’s command, and four of the eight RIM-7 Sea Sparrow short-range ship-to-air missiles flew out of the ship’s Mk.29 launching stations. The three remaining support ships also each launched two Sea Sparrow missiles into the sky.
As they reached their pre-determined elevation at a speed of Mach 4, the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles soon maneuvered downward, falling to the surface of the sea as if they were going to dive in.
The Sea Sparrow missiles dropped toward the enemy Haeson-A supersonic missiles, which kicked up five-meter sprays of water as they flew in the direction of the convoy. But their interception failed! They smashed into the surface of the sea rather than the enemy missiles and exploded.
“Target #1 interception failed! Target #2 failed! Target #3 interception also failed! Target #4 successfully intercepted!
Though the RIM-7 Sea sparrow missiles (which were developed 20 years ago) were inadequate to shoot down the supersonic air-to-ship missiles, Captain Tsushima Satoshi maintained his composure and gave the order for a second round of missile interception.
Once again, the Mk.29 launching station sent out three IM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles. Yet again, this round of interception failed! Aside from these, the missiles fired from the support ships also failed to intercept. In the end, all they did was display the atrocious interception chances of the IM-7 Sea Sparrow missile.
The crew of the Setoyuki (DD-131) destroyer were running out of time, but worse than that, they were now in an unbelievable situation where they only had one of their eight missiles left, and their two Phalanx guns were left for close-range defense.
“Captain, sir! Switching over to close-in weapons system.”
This report mixed was shouted out in the combat control room, and soon the two Phalanx guns of the Setoyuki (DD-131) destroyer shifted towards the incoming missiles and began spraying 20-millimeter rounds at a rate of 4500 per minute into the sky.
Dududududun~ Dududududun~ Dududududun~
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