Chapter Text
11:00 pm, Korea Standard Time
Somewhere over Pyongyang
Approximately 12 hours after the raid at Sunchon Airport, the Operations Officer of the Carrier Air Wing assigns Lieutenants (junior grade) Minatozaki Sana and Myoui Mina to “Operation Black Mamba”, a joint Navy-Air Force air raid on Pyongyang: escorted by four Air Force F-22A Raptors, two spearheading Navy EA-18G Growlers will take out the four early-warning radars, followed by ten Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs that will to take out all surface-to-air missile site and anti-aircraft cannons protecting Pyongyang, as well as various high-value targets like command-and-control centers, electricity grids, military barracks, and so on. When Mina asked why the hell their presence is required when both the F-22A and F-35A are stealth fighters, the Operations Officer, a full Commander, told her since the Lightning IIs are carrying their AGM-88E AARGMs and CBU-103 guided cluster bombs externally (the two internal weapons bays are reserved for the GBU-31 JDAMs and AIM-120D AMRAAMs), they’re no longer stealthy and need some additional electronic warfare support.
Just like Operation Hell in Heaven, this time the strike package also came under fire from a crazy amount of North Koreans SAMs and AAAs, and Mina evaded at least six missiles from two SA-3 batteries before a F-35A fired two AGM-88Es on top of each of them. (At this point the LTJG is convinced that the North Koreans have some sort of home-on-jam system on their SAMs.) On a positive note though, after all North Koreans SAMs and AAAs are down and the F-35As starts dropping their GBU-31s, the pair has a rare moment of peace. Now flying at the spearhead of the F-35As at 30,000 fleet alongside another Growler (flown by her flight leader, a full Lieutenant, with a Lieutenant Commander serving as his EWO), Mina and Sana are spending their time to discuss various crazy topics - for example, the name of this operation.
“Seriously, I can’t believe the CAG will approve the name ‘Black Mamba’. Is he also a secret K-pop fan?” Having nothing left to do, LTJG Myoui jokes to her EWO. Officially the name is to suggest they’re just as swift and lethal as a blank mamba, but Mina finds it interesting that the United States Navy is naming an operation after a song from a K-pop girl group - again .
“That’s perfectly possible Minari. A friend of mine in the Operations Department of the Carrier Air Wing - he’s a multi-stan, by the way - proposed this name to the CAG, and he approved it right away, just like how he did with Hell in Heaven. Hell, I even heard some rumours that the Indo-Pacific Command is planning to invite TWICE to pay us a visit after the war is over.” Sana can’t help but to chuckle a bit. Being deployed to the 7th Fleet and Japan for around one and a half year, LTJG Minatozaki notices a lot of her fellow officers are K-pop fans, especially in the Carrier Air Wing Five. (She will never forget that awkward moment when she accidentally met her Department Head, a Lieutenant Commander, at a TWICE fan-meeting.)
“They’re going to invite TWICE? Really? I’m not even sure if the group still exists after this Charlie-Foxtrot.” As much as LTJG Myoui wants to give the girls from TWICE a demonstration ride on her Growler, she chooses to be more skeptical when three of them are in ICU, and two of them are suffering from PTSD.
“Stop being that pessimistic Minari. I’m sure TWICE will survive this - wait, four bogeys at bullseye 280 at 7, angel 30. Switching to the FLIR now.” Looking at her radar screen, the EWO suddenly picks up four unidentified aircraft at 7 miles from the bullseye (the reference point) at a heading of 280 degrees and flying at 30,000 fleet - or in simpler terms, they’re just 10 miles away, and right in front of them. Although LTJG Minatozaki is quite certain they’re not friendly, she still turns on her AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) targeting pod to get a visual confirmation; just as she predicted, they’re four North Korean MiG-29S Fulcrum-Cs, apparently looking for those American imperialists who almost killed their dear leader.
“Heads up Minari, I have a positive ID on four bandits - all MiG-29s. I’m jamming them right now, but who knows how long it would last.” Sana reports her findings to her pilot as she enters the four signal sources to the jammers. After Operation Hell in Heaven, she has very little faith in those AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System (TJS) jamming pods she has been using, and their unreliability is definitely getting on her nerves.
“Thanks for the update Satang.” Mina then switches to the radio to contact Metal 3-1, the flight leader of the F-22As responsible for escorting the strike package, “Typhon 1-2 to Metal 3-1, four bandits at bullseye 280 at 7, angel 30. They’re MiG-29s - what the fuck?! ” Before Mina can properly finish her sentence, the CW alarm in the cockpit starts to blink - one of the MiG-29S has a radar lock on her. With the SAMs and AAAs all eliminated, this time she makes a high-G right turn and dives down to 27,000 fleet, while her EWO is dropping chaffs, in an attempt to break the Fulcrum's radar lock.
Unwilling to give up anytime soon, the MiG-29S maintains the lock and fires a AA-10 Alamo-A (the semi-active radar homing variant) at the EA-18G, forcing LTJG Minatozaki to drop even more chaffs; thankfully that AA-10 malfunctions shortly after launch, and fails to acquire the target.
Oh great, they even have a home-on-jam system on their MiGs too. Keep pushing the centre stick to the right, Mina shouts at the radio, “Metal 3-1, this is Typhon 1-2, I have a Fulcrum firing at us, I’m defending! Do you guys have them?”
“Typhon 1-1 to Metal 3-1, we’re being engaged by a Fulcrum! I need backup now!” As it turns out Mina and Sana are not alone when it comes to suffering; another MiG-29S fires an AA-10 at their flight leader, and lucky to the Lieutenant, this one also malfunctions and misses.
“Metal 3-1 to Typhon 1-1 and 1-2, roger, we’ll take care of them, break.” Metal 3-1 answers the calls for help as he acquires a radar lock on one of the MiG-29S, “Metal 3-3 and 3-4, take the two on the left, I and Metal 3-2 will take the two on the right!”
“Wilco 3-1.” Locking on a MiG-29S, each of the F-22As fires an AIM-120D, “Metal 3-2, fox three!”
“Metal 3-1, fox three!”
“Metal 3-3, fox three!”
“Metal 3-4, fox three!”
That salvo of AMRAAMs certainly gets the attention of the four Fulcrum pilots; at the Growler’s cockpit, both Sana and Mina notice when Metal 3-1 to 3-4 call out their shots, the CW alarm immediately stops - with the hunters becoming the hunted, the Fulcrums choose to disengage and dive to 25,000 fleet, while simultaneously dropping chaffs. Unfortunately for them, modern radars can tell the difference between the chaffs and the actual target by measuring the Doppler shift, and the four AMRAAMs are targeting them instead of the chaffs, then detonate right at the engines.
“Splash Fulcrum four, splash Fulcrum four. I see four chutes.” Looking at the four fireballs and four parachutes in the sky, Sana starts to feel bad for the North Korean pilots, “I hope the North Korean government won’t execute them for incompetence or cowardice afterwards.” Despite flying fighters that are at least a generation behind, they still fight bravely and competently against a group of fourteen stealth fighters and two electronic-warfare aircrafts. If they’re given more modern equipment, let’s say a Su-35S Flanker-E with several AA-12 Adders, then they might actually win. The EWO thinks.
“Same here. They’re anything but incompetents and cowards.” Flying back to the formation and climbing back to 30,000 fleet, Mina switches to the radio to thank the four F-22A pilots, “Metal 3-1, this is Typhon 1-2, splash Fulcrum four, thanks for the assist! Should I buy you guys a drink or something?” Of course she’s not happy with the fact she’s not the one who takes the shot, but she will give them credit where it is due.
“You’re welcome, Typhon 1-2! Do you know any good bars in Busan?” Metal 3-1 is happy with Mina's offer.
“Well Metal 3-1, today is your lucky day! Typhon 1-2 is flown by two K-pop fans!” Typhon 1-1 adds.
“I’ll have to ask my EWO for that one, Metal 3-1, she knows this kind of stuff better than anyone else. Standby.” Mina turns to the intercom and asks Sana, “Know any good bars in Busan?”
“Yep, I know a few.” Sana smirks.