On the afternoon of the first day of the war, at the Parker military airfield in the south-west suburbs of Belfast, a series of brand-new IK-48 tactical bombers glowed in the sunlight with an all-metal luster. Compared with the usual bombers, the biggest difference is that they do not have propellers and use the front three-point landing gear.

These new bombers, which have been in service for less than half a year, use two H-1 axial turbojet engines produced by Limerick Aerospace. This mature jet engine has a single thrust of 3150 kg, which has the advantages of stable performance and reliable operation, and the cost has been greatly reduced compared with the early test model.

The maximum flight speed is 940 kilometers per hour, the practical ceiling is 12,300 meters, the maximum bomb load is 4 tons, and the conventional combat radius is 1,200 kilometers...... In terms of overall performance, the IK-48 is undoubtedly the best tactical bomber at present, coupled with the new United Kingdom's first-class airborne avionics technology and first-class aviation weapon system, these new bombers have become another powerful combat force under the command of the god of war Joachim I!

During the Austro-Italian War, the new United Kingdom did not send the IK-48 to southern Europe to participate in the war, both out of concern for Austria-Hungary's air support capabilities and trust in the Austro-Hungarian heavy artillery forces. Now that the war against Scotland is going to war, although Austria-Hungary has sent the world-famous heavy artillery to come, after all, the number is limited, and the war is on the doorstep of the new United Kingdom, and the participation of the IK-48 in the war is a matter of course.

After receiving the order to attack, the conventional configuration of the -48 is 3 crew members, the pilot and navigator are in the nose, and the communicator is in the tail. This tactical bomber has a set of twin 20mm guns with good range at the nose and tail, and can also carry 2-4 air-to-air missiles under the wings, which is enough to repel the invading enemy.

A squadron of IK-48s quickly took off and flew in a well-organized flight formation from the prosperous city of Belfast. Next, they flew over the Irish Sea at cruising speed, adjusting course as they approached the Scottish coast and heading straight for Ellsden Fort in southern Scotland.

"Confirm the radio beacons of the ground forces, the target is directly ahead."

At the bomb targeting position of the nose of the flowery room, Sprulet, the navigator of the pilot, skillfully manipulated the sophisticated guidance and control system, and at the same time informed the entire flight squadron of the flight situation by radio. Next, he checked the aerial photographs provided by the Air Force Staff and confirmed the target of the bombing through visual inspection.

"The target has been identified and the attack can begin."

"Attention to all aircraft, Zhanlong No. 1 is ready to drop bombs, and the target of the attack is the No. 7 artillery fort in the northeast corner, and each aircraft will attack in order!"

With the command of the squadron commander, the lead plane quickly opened the hatch of the built-in pod, and a special bomb of the "Reaper-II" type was hung inside. This kind of "ground-penetrating bomb" with a total weight of 2,200 kg and a warhead of 287 kg can penetrate a reinforced concrete wall of about 3 meters or a thick soil layer of 15-20 meters, and its penetrating power has surpassed that of the Austro-Hungarian "Karl Mortar Cannon." Moreover, the "Reaper-II" that uses radio-guided and rocket control technology has a circular diameter error of only 10 meters for attacking ground targets, and its accuracy is much higher than that of the "Karl Mortar Cannon." Of course, the cost of a "Grim Reaper II" is equivalent to 24 "Karl Mortar" special armor-piercing shells, and the cost of a IK-48 group sortie is much more expensive than the cost of operation and maintenance of the "Karl Mortar Cannon", in terms of cost performance and deterrence on the battlefield alone, the "Karl Mortar" has an advantage, which is also a major reason why Austria-Hungary particularly prefers heavy artillery, but from the perspective of the development trend of military science and technology, the "Karl Mortar" represents the past, and the "Reaper II" represents the future......

Spruulley kept an eye on the bombardment radar sights, and although the ground attacking forces had suspended their offensive before the bombing began, in order to avoid accidental damage as much as possible, the sky over the Ellsden fortress was still filled with gunsmoke, and the smoke from the various incendiary materials and the smoke from the defenders' anti-aircraft guns seriously interfered with visual observation from the air, and the role of the radar sights was to penetrate the smoke and reflect the topography of the radar irradiation area on high-speed electronic picture tubes—these patterns were both aesthetically pleasing and illegible to the eyes of ordinary people, and in the eyes of a trained bombardier, they are a mystical symbol leading to victory!

"Hey, sergeant, hopefully you'll lead us to the score with your first shot!" The voice of the pilot of the friendly plane was heard in the headphones.

Spruullet raised the corners of his mouth: "I'm trying to ......"

Dropping bombs from a height of 6,000 meters, the "Reaper-II" radio-guided bomb in addition to obtaining considerable kinetic energy through gravitational acceleration, in the last 3-4 seconds before touching the ground, the rocket engine will also be started, and the speed of sound can reach 1.5-2 times when landing, and the whole process can theoretically be semi-automated, but based on the complexity of actual combat conditions, the attack effect still depends on the quality and play of the bombardier.

Moments later, the bomb landed, and Sprulay hurriedly switched his perspective to an optical sight. Through the gap in the smoke, a mushroom-shaped cloud of black smoke could be seen rising from the northeast corner of the Scottish Fortress.

"We seem to have hit the target!" The voice of the communicator and tail gunner is heard through the headphones.

"Yes, it seems to have hit, but it's not 100% sure yet." Spruullet replied.

Regardless of whether the first hit is scored or not, the attack continues to be carried out. Soon, another bombardier's voice came from the earphones: "Attention all planes, Zhan Long No. 2 dropped bombs, and the attack target was No. 9 fort on the north side!" ”

Immediately, someone said, "Good luck, Grant!" ”

After a short wait, the bombardier shouted, "The attack is complete, and the results of the battle cannot be confirmed for the time being." ”

Then came the voice of the third bombardier: "Attention everyone, Zhan Long No. 3 dropped bombs, and the target was the No. 12 fort on the west side!" ”

Immediately after that, the communicator connected the communication signal of the fighter squadron.

"Call the War Dragon Squadron, call the War Dragon Squadron, the No. 7 unit of the Black Griffin Squadron reported that the first heavy bomb failed to destroy the enemy's artillery fort, and the impact point was about five meters south! Repeatedly, the first heavy bomb slightly deviated from the target, and the impact point was about ten meters south, and failed to destroy the enemy artillery fort! ”

Hearing the reconnaissance report of his own fighter jet, Spraullet patted his head in annoyance. Although they only had a 30%-40% hit rate in training, they missed the first hit in the first game, and the regret was obvious.

After only two seconds, the voice increased in volume by half a degree: "Correction report!" Corrective report! The first bomb exploded violently, possibly hitting an enemy bunker or concealed ammunition depot! Repeatedly, the first heavy flight caused a violent explosion, and the preliminary judgment was that it hit the enemy's underground facilities, causing the ammunition to detonate! ”

Sprulet suddenly turned from sadness to joy.

After a few moments, the fighter pilot continued to provide a low-altitude reconnaissance report: "Call the War Dragon Squadron, Black Griffin No. 7 report, the second bombshell hit the enemy's No. 9 artillery fort!" Repeatedly, the second bombshell hit the enemy's No. 9 artillery fort, and the explosion was very violent, but it is not possible to judge the damage to the enemy artillery barrier for the time being...... The third bombshell missed the enemy fort and the impact point was off target......"

After completing the bombing mission, the IK-48 tactical bomber numbered D-101 pulled up the nose slightly, deflected its wings to the right, and made a small radius of horizontal steer in a dashing manner. Looking down from above, under the rain of artillery fire and bombs, the Ellsden Fortress, which the Scots painstakingly managed, is like a child knocking over a chocolate cake on a carpet, black and yellow, and uneven everywhere. For those who have a habit of cleanliness, such a picture is nothing short of a disaster!

Meanwhile, at the front-line observation post overlooking the Scottish fortress, Crown Prince Louis from Germany and officers from the German General Staff were closely watching the small air raid. Those bombers with a dull roar, dropping one cigar-shaped bomb after another from a high altitude, although they did not bring the shock of landslides and ground cracks when they landed, but two or three attacks, there was always one time that could destroy the enemy's artillery fortress, you must know that after the large-scale bombing and shelling, what remained was the strongest defensive fortress.

"How thick can our guided aviation armor-piercing projectiles penetrate fortifications?" Crown Prince Louis asks questions of the staff officers who accompanied him.

The man immediately replied: "The 600-kilogram HS-600 is capable of penetrating 300 mm thick hard steel plates or 1,000 mm thick reinforced concrete layers; The 900 kg HS-900 type can penetrate a 440 mm thick hard steel plate or a 1500 mm thick reinforced concrete layer; The 1500 kg HS-1500 is capable of penetrating 800 mm thick hard steel sheets or 2000 mm thick reinforced concrete layers. ”

In peacetime, people do not have much intuitive concept of these data, after all, the situation in Europe and even the world pattern have undergone great changes, many fortresses and defense lines that cost a lot of money have gradually become historical relics, even on the Eastern Front, the German and allied armies have long stopped expanding the border defense line, but under the guidance of the doctrine of elastic defense, the establishment of a large depth and multi-level defense system.

Judging from the current technical standards, whether it is the border defense line of the Allied camp or the defense fortifications of Soviet Russia, it is no longer an insurmountable "steel wall". The Castle of Elsden of the Scots seems to have become the "last samurai".

"The guided aviation armor-piercing projectile you use seems to be 2,000 kilograms?" Crown Prince Louis turned his head and asked Simon Bradley.

The new British Air Force lieutenant general, who was in charge of air-ground coordination at the coalition front command, politely replied: "Those bombers are supposed to use the 'Reaper II' special bomb with a total combat weight of 2,200 kilograms, which was specially developed to deal with land fortresses." In fact, if the Scots hadn't built a fortified fortress complex like Ellsden Fortress, we wouldn't have needed to develop a special bomb of this class. ”

Crown Prince Louis nodded, and said as if asking: "We should also order a batch in case we need it." ”

General Bradley smiled faintly: "From the independence of Ireland, to the birth of the new United Kingdom, and to the present, any weapon we produce is supplied to the German military at any time, and the priority level is equal to that of our own army, and even in special situations, priority is given to our own army. You can rest assured! ”

Crown Prince Louis looked at the other party's face, as if he was observing, as if he was speculating, and then, showing a satisfied smile.

(End of chapter)