australia's raptors

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Australia’s Raptors

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This word document is a fictional story about the F-22 Raptor in service with the Federal Republican Air Force of Australia (Australia is portrayed as a republic) in the next two decades, taking on enemies in different corners around the globe during World War III. Hayley Joanne Greenwood (FRAFA) is the central character in the story, appearing in the first and third chapters as a major and a colonel respectively.Captain Giora Ramon (Israeli Air Force) is the central character in the second chapter, which is a miscellaneous and irrelevant part of the story.If you wanna read, strap on your flight suit and helmet, sit back on your ejection seats and propel yourself into the world of 21st century dogfights as a combat pilot.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Australia's Raptors

Australia’s

Raptors

Story Written By: Anthony Nguyen

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Australia’s Raptors

Friday, August 12, 2016

1310 hours

Airspace above the Taiwan Straits

A Republic of China Navy S-70 Seahawk helicopter took off from a coastal airbase on the Taiwan’s west coast, searching for survivors of a boating accident. Following a frantic distress call from the survivors, the helicopter flew flank speed toward the green smoke emitted by one of the survivors, wearing a lifejacket and holding the smoke grenade.

S-70B Seahawk

At around the same time, a flight of six Lockheed Martin Boeing F-22A Raptors were airborne and now 160 kilometers west of Taipei flying at 25000 feet at 600 kilometers an hour, having taken off from Kadena Air Base in Japan and refueled midflight as part of a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) mission over the Taiwan Straits, a known flashpoint theater since 1949. The state-of-the-art stealth air superiority fighters were the epitome of 5th Generation fighter aircraft. The Raptors were purchased from the United States by the Australian government as part of a $72 billion arms package for the Federal Republican Air Force of Australia (FRAFA), with 44 in the inventory and an additional 88 pending delivery.

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Lockheed Martin Boeing F-22 Raptor

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Leading an element consisting three of the six F-22 Raptors is Major Hayley Joanne Greenwood, squadron leader of No. 114 Tactical Fighter Squadron. The 34 year old from Sydney was considered to be almost a professional top gun, with a sharp mind and an iron nerve. Today was Hayley Greenwood’s chance to demonstrate that professionalism in the controls of the world’s most advanced and first operation 5th Generation fighter.

Hayley’s fighter wing commander for the mission was Colonel Nadine Lynette Garner, a 45 year old veteran of the FRAFA, with 24 years in service, earning her wings and commission at age 21. A Melbourne native, she first joined the FRAFA’s predecessor, the Royal Australian Air Force when Australia was then a constitutional monarchy. Now, Australia was a federal republic.

Unbeknownst to neither Garner nor the Taiwanese helicopter crew, a formation of twenty Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrums from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force were flying east toward the Taiwanese S-70, and they had their target locked on! Easy prey! The MiG-29s opened fire on the chopper with R-73 heat-seeking air-to-air missiles!

The helicopter floated above the survivors, winching one of them on board, when suddenly, an R-73 heat-seeking missile splashed into the water near it. Panicked, the rescue helicopter jinked hard left, and then right to avoid more R-73s until one hit it in the tail rotor, sending it into the sea, just after the pilot issued a distress call. “Mayday mayday mayday!”

Colonel Garner heard the distress call over her radio set then static and ordered her flight to activate their APG-77 AESA (Active Electronic Scanned Array) radar sets to lock up the bandits west of the Taiwanese helicopter’s last known location. Unlike conventional radars, the radar waves emitted from the APG-77 had a low probability of intercept, meaning they were much less likely to set off the radar warning receivers (RWRs) in the enemy aircraft, alerting them to their presence.

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Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum

At a distance of 140 kilometers, Nadine Garner and her fellow Raptor pilots got a good radar lock and “Fox Three”! She depressed the red button on her side stick controller with her thumb, and at that same moment, the F-22’s ventral internal weapons bay doors opened to reveal an AIM-120D AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile). They did the same, and six AMRAAMs rocketed westward at a speed of Mach 4.

The AIM-120D AMRAAM was the premiere beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile, manufactured by Raytheon & Hughes Corporation and in operation service with the FRAFA, in which it carried an active radar set and a 20 kilogram explosive charge to guide the deadly weapon to its target.

Warning alarms blared inside the MiG-29 cockpits, scaring the PLAAF pilots until it was too late.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Six MiG-29s exploded in flames when they were hit by the AMRAAMs.

“Lock them bandits up and shoot again!” Garner ordered as she prepped another AIM-120D. “Fox Three!” The medium-range missiles raced a distance of 130 kilometers toward the

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fourteen remaining Chinese MiGs. Hayley Greenwood’s AMRAAM was evaded by one of the MiGs but destroyed another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The eight remaining MiG-29 Fulcrums retreated west toward their airspace, desperately calling for reinforcements.

“Oh, yes, we bashed the crap out of those ChiCom MiGs!” Garner exclaimed in excitement. Another Raptor pilot, Captain Lance Stewart, briefly cheered, but Greenwood was not that excited at all. She checked her radar screen and to her amazement, counted 34 blips! “Boomerang Flight, everyone, check your radar screens.” Hayley ordered.

One hundred and fifty kilometers away, a mass formation of thirty four Sukhoi Su-30MKK Flankers and Chengdu J-10s raced toward the MiG-29s for assistance. The six Australian F-22s were outnumbered nearly 6:1.

Sukhoi Su-30MKK Flanker

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Chengdu J-10

“Oh no, dear me,” Colonel Nadine Garner muttered. “Call in the B-1R Lancers ASAP.”

The Boeing B-1R Lancer was a heavily modified derivative of the venerable Rockwell B-1B in service with the United States Air Force since 1986. Unlike the B-1B, the B-1R had a V-tail, advanced AESA radar, provision for 20 AIM-120D AMRAAMs in the missile carrier role and four powerful Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofans producing up to 35000 pounds of thrust each, the same engines that powered the F-22 Raptor, enabling supercruise (supersonic cruise without use of afterburner) up to Mach 1.82 (1960 km/h).

The Federal Republican Air Force of Australia had purchased 24 of these high-tech supersonic bombers as part of the $72 billion arms package, giving them an offensive strike capability with a maximum range of 9600 kilometers, a 20% range reduction from the B-1B’s 12000 kilometers, but with a top speed of Mach 2.2 (2340 km/h)

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Boeing B-1R Lancer

Meanwhile, Garner orders Boomerang Flight to speed up at full supercruise power toward the enemy formation. She plans to use their remaining AMRAAMs against the Chinese formation, insufficient to eliminate them completely, but sufficient to sow discord and uncontrolled panic, hoping that it would protect the two B-1R Lancers from a counterattack.

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F-22 Raptor cockpit

The six Australian Raptors ripple-fired their twelve remaining AIM-120 AMRAAMs, and all that was left in their side missile bays were short-range heatseekers. The salvo of missiles thundered toward their targets at a speed approaching 4000 km/h. A dozen Communist Chinese Su-30MKKs and J-10s were vaporized from beyond visual range.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Like a squad of Special Air Service elite commandos deep in enemy turf, they finished their one-two punch, and it was now Greenwood’s task of issuing the order, through a secure broadband data link, to the B-1R Lancers behind them to open fire on the enemy formation at a distance of 180 kilometers, ripple-firing a dozen AMRAAMs each, like a modern fusillade in medieval combat.

Warning systems blared in the cockpits of the enemy fighters, but to no avail. The Communist Chinese fighters were too disorganized from the Raptor missile assault to effectively counter. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The radio chatter was instantly overflowing, the pilots trying to determine who was dead or alive, but among the scattered formation were eight surviving Chengdu J-10s.

How they survived the AMRAAM onslaught from the B-1R Lancers was a mystery to the six Australian pilots, but they managed to defeat the high-tech radar-guided missiles by flying a

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path approximately perpendicular and releasing chaff, basically strips of aluminum confetti made to confuse radar.

“All right, Boomerang flight, we’re gonna have to go visual range on the bandits. Engage supercruise and saddle up!” Colonel Nadine Lynette Garner ordered. Each of the F-22 pilots punched the throttle forward and the stealth fighters dashed at a speed of Mach 1.2 (1280 km/h), their twin Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofans squeezing out 70000 pounds of thrust.

Meanwhile, the surviving Chengdu J-10s started to move against the distant pair of B-1R Lancers, the only detectable targets on their radar scopes. They all fired eight PL-12 radar-guided missiles at the US-built Australian supersonic bombers, 170 kilometers away and retreating from the scene. One of the PL-12s detonated like a firecracker in close proximity of the lead B-1R.

BANG!

PL-12 radar-guided air-to-air missile

The Lancer was damaged, but not knocked down! It was emitting a trail of thick black smoke from one of its damaged F119 turbofans on the starboard side. The pilots then engaged full supercruise power for a speedy return to base.

It was now the Raptor pilots’ task of protecting the B-1R Lancers from another counterattack before they were lost.

As they neared, one of the Raptor pilots, Captain Darcy Hale, spotted a shiny glint several kilometers away. “Bandit spotted at 11 o’clock, six kilometers.” she radioed.

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Major Hayley Joanne Greenwood raced toward the Chengdu J-10 Captain Hale had spotted, overshooting it at Mach 1.

Now, this aerial dogfight would be decided close up, as six FRAFA F-22 Raptors duel against eight PLAAF Chengdu J-10s.

Chengdu J-10

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Raytheon AIM-120D AMRAAM loaded into an F-22 Raptor

Just like dogfighters of past generations, Greenwood’s F-22 and the Chinese J-10 turned toward one another, initiating the dogfight. All six Raptor pilots got to work immediately, with all their training starting to kick in. Greenwood slid behind her J-10 as the ChiCom pilot swung it hard left, then reversing his turn hard right. A big mistake! She fired a heatseeker and it slammed into the enemy fighter, forcing him to eject.

But five kilometers away, another Raptor duel was taking place. Garner was dueling against her own J-10, but suddenly, another J-10 busted its way in and fired a PL-9 heatseeker at her. A missile warning tone bleated inside her headset. BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP! She dodged it, spitting out a short trail of flares to confuse the missile. “I could use some help here!” Nadine yelled out loud.

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Hayley was the one who responded to her wing commander’s plea for help in the nick of time, and dedicated herself to be her guardian angel. She maneuvered her F-22 Raptor toward the J-10 chasing Garner and then locked onto it.

The heatseeker Greenwood was preparing to fire was an Israeli-made Python 5. The Python 5, manufactured by the Rafael Armament Development Authority, was state-of-the-art for its kind. A 5th Generation air-to-air missile, it had a 100 degree off-boresight capability (i.e. 200 degree field of vision).

Rafael Python 5

One feature that made the Python 5 unique was its ECCM (Electronic counter-countermeasures) capabilities. Its seeker head was immune to IR jammers and flares and had eighteen control surfaces to maneuver the missile at extremely high G maneuvers.

Major Greenwood locked onto the J-10 pursuing Garner and “Fox two!” she uttered, the brevity code for a heatseeker missile launch. The ChiCom fighter was obliterated, but suddenly, another J-10 started to pursue Greenwood, a radar lock warning tone beeping in her headset. Major Hayley Joanne Greenwood must do something drastic, fast!

Captain Hale and Colonel Garner, who were nearby, watched in astounding awe as Hayley performed a special dogfight maneuver known as a Kulbit. She used the thrust vectoring on her Raptor to pull the plane in a tight-diameter loop, forcing the pursuing Chengdu J-10 to

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overshoot.

Kulbit maneuver

At exactly the moment the J-10 overshot, the F-22 Raptor was upside down and flying much slower. It shot ahead, Hayley leveled off her plane, locked on a Python missile and fired. The missile hit home, destroying the ChiCom fighter.

BOOM!

The three remaining Chengdu J-10s then flew west, retreating home towards their airbase in Fujian province on the Chinese mainland. The island of Taiwan and the Nationalist Chinese are saved from an aerial invasion, for the time being.

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F-22 Raptor in Australian livery

“Yes! We did it, Boomerang flight! Congrats to everyone on a mission well done! Returning to base!” Nadine Lynette Garner ordered.

“Hey, Major Greenwood,” one of the Raptor pilots, Major Jim Coots commented, “we heard about the stunt you pulled against your last ChiCom fighter. Way to go, Hayley!” he saluted. She returned the salute. “Thanks.”

“Hayley, I wonder if you could teach me that move.” Darcey offered. “Nah, learn it yourself.”

In air-to-air combat, the Federal Republican Air Force of Australia believed the Lockheed Martin Boeing F-22 Raptor would remain the dominant air superiority fighter in the skies for the next 15 - 20 years.

As the six Australian Raptors landed safely back at Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa, Japan, the FRAFA ground crew eagerly anticipated their arrival and greeted them the moment the top gun pilots, three men and three women, stepped out of their cockpits and exchanged handshakes and high-fives. Then they stood before USAF (United States Air Force) Major General Richard Fullerton. The six Australian pilots exchanged salutes with the American two-star general.

“General Fullerton,” Colonel Garner greeted.

“Colonel Garner,” Major General Fullerton greeted in return. “Congratulations on your successful mission.”

“Over forty Communist Chinese planes destroyed with no losses.”

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The end.

Monday, May 25, 2020

0145 hours

Airspace above northern Iran.

A joint U.S. – Israeli task force of F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs soared in the inky dark early morning sky above the Caspian Sea, nearing Mazandaran province of northern Iran. Their mission was to clear the corridor of Iranian S-300VM SAM (surface-to-air missile) sites so a pair of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers could fly in and bomb a Shahab ballistic missile factory.

Six F-22 Raptors of the United States Air Force fly ahead of fourteen Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs of the Israeli Air Force. The F-35 Lightning II was a stealth multi-role fighter that entered service in the early 2010s. With the Israeli Air Force having 52 of these fighters in their air arsenal, they were the most useful asset in defending the homeland of the Jewish state while giving them a technological edge.

Captain Giora Ramon, flying one of the Israeli F-35s, felt an uneasy tension run up his nervous system, despite the hard-core elite pilot training him and many of his fellow IAF pilots endured from day one of their recruitment. It only relaxed a little bit as the formation of six American F-22s and fourteen Israeli F-35s penetrated the Iranian air defense system without detection. What a relief, Captain Ramon sighed.

Giora then looked at his radar screen in the center console between his knees. There were eight blips flying in two separate flights of four to the left of the screen. Then he turned his head left, and Ramon noticed the blips were Ryan AQM-34 Firebee jet-powered drones, sent in as decoys to help expose the SAM sites.

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Ryan AQM-34 Firebee

The Ryan AQM-34 Firebee was an unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company and operationally used by the United States military during the Vietnam War over the skies of North Vietnam. Now, long considered obsolete, these outdated machines were relegated to a suicidal role as decoys to be fired upon and destroyed by enemy SAMs.

On the ground below, the Iranian radar operators aimed their 9S32 target acquisition radar sets to lock onto the decoy formation the moment they were detected. A volley of 9M83 telegraph pole sized missiles raced at a speed of Mach 4.2 (ca. 4400 km/h) toward the Firebees and blew them up, the explosions illuminated into the inky dark sky.

Fortunately, for the stealth strike formation, this had exposed the position of the Iranian radar sets, and the Israeli F-35 Lightning IIs got to work in no time, locking onto the radar targets with their APG-81 AESA radar sets and seamlessly communicating with one another through wireless datalink. One unique feature to 5th Generation fighter aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II was the touch screen glass cockpit, the tranditional analog dials done away for good. It was basically a 20 x 50 centimeter glass display with customizable display screens.

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Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

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F-35 Lightning II cockpit with virtual HMD

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F-35 Lightning II cutaway

Then the F-35s each fired one or two Raytheon AGM-88E HARMs (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) at the radar sets, homing in on the radar signals emanating from the devices.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Five of the Lightning IIs, carrying out the ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) role, emanated jamming signals from their electronic attack equipment against any remaining S-300VM radar sites, preventing further launches.

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Raytheon AGM-88 HARM

9M83 missile

After successfully doing so, the Israelis were alerted to a new threat on their AESA radar sets.

The Iranians had scrambled a dozen Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrums in two separate flights of six, one from the west and a second from the east. They were boxed in between. They had to act fast, but fortunately, for the mission, the F-35 Lightning II was a multi-role fighter, and it would have lived up to its capabilities right now. Instantly switching from ground attack to dogfighting mode, the strike formation focuses their attention on the Iranian MiGs. The six American F-22s dealt with the formation coming from the west, and the fourteen Israeli F-35s did so with the formation coming from the east.

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Almaz-Antey S-300VM missile launcher

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Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit

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Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrum

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MiG-35 cockpit

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force had purchased 40 MiG-35 Fulcrums from the Russian Federation several years earlier. An advanced Generation 4.5 multi-role fighter, the MiG-35 Fulcrum was equipped with state-of-the-art avionics such as an optical locator system; it was capable of operation independent of ground control.

For instance, the Phazotron Zhuk-AE AESA radar set was one of numerous new features on the MiG-35 as opposed to its older MiG-29 counterpart.

Meanwhile, a pair of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri had refueled in flight three times while flying from the United States, on their way to northern Iran. They were close to deep danger now due to the Iranian MiG-35s. At close range, a MiG-35, with its Zhuk-AE radar set, could have detected the low radar cross section of a B-2 and saddled up for a missile shot.

But fortunately, they had the protection of the Israeli F-35s on their side.

Like the F-22 Raptor, the F-35 Lightning II had an integrated avionics system and carried its armament in internal weapons bays.

Taking the flight leader’s lead, the Israeli F-35s fired a volley of missiles. The AIM-120D AMRAAMs fired from the Israeli F-35s raced toward the Iranian MiG-35s, and some of the pilots reacted quick enough to use their AESA radar sets to jam the missile guidance

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systems on the AMRAAMs and turning in hard maneuvers, trying to break lock, but five of the MiGs blew up in flames!

Unfortunately, for Captain Giora Ramon, the immediate situation had changed for the Israeli F-35 pilot.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

An AIM-120D AMRAAM was jammed in the starboard internal weapons bay, keeping the weapons doors open. The malfunction had disrupted the Lightning II’s stealth outline, exposing his position in the air to every single Iranian S-300VM SAM site in the vicinity. The radar sets pinpointed Captain Ramon’s location, visualized as a bright fat blip on the operators’ radar screens. Giora Ramon had to exploit every advantage his US-built stealth fighter had to offer in order to get home to Israel alive, even this revolutionary and fundamentally important gadget: the helmet-mounted display (HMD).

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F-22 and F-35 Helmet Mounted Display

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A helmet-mounted display, unlike a heads-up display, displayed critical navigation and targeting information on the pilot’s helmet-attached visor as opposed to a glass sheet in the front of the cockpit. The advantages of having a helmet-mounted display were tremendous, such as where the pilot could aim and slave his/her heatseeking air-to-air missiles to targets simply by looking at and aiming at them so he/she did not necessarily have to aim the nose of the plane to get a lock-on.

Captain Giora Ramon, alone in the inky dark sky, fought to save his own life. A MiG-35 had locked onto Ramon’s F-35; the Iranian pilot pressed the button and fired a heatseeking R-73 air-to-air missile.

Ramon first used his APG-81 AESA radar set to jam the missile. It did not work because it was a heatseeker. He then rolled inverted and pulled the stick back, diving into a Split S maneuver, orienting the still stealthy top side of his Lightning II and causing the R-73 to lose lock. One missile evaded.

The Israeli pilot had turned on his HMD to night vision mode, and the inky darkness turned to green night vision color, thanks to the pilot-friendly Human-Machine Interface (HMI). Turning his head around, he spotted a glowing afterburner plume racing for him at his five o’clock: An Iranian MiG-35. The gung-ho pilot, hell-bent on killing the Israeli, fired his 30mm cannon at the F-35. Precisely the same moment, Ramon instinctively reacted by barrel-rolling around and behind the Iranian. Ramon then slaved his HMD toward the MiG-35. Just a peek and the Iranian met his untimely death. The Israeli fired a Python 5 heatseeker from the port weapons bay and it flew up the hot tailpipe, blowing the plane asunder.

Ten seconds later, a SAM warning tone emanated within Captain Ramon’s headset. The SAM’s position was accurately pinpointed and tracked on Ramon’s visor and he tried to jam the missile with his AESA radar set. Suddenly, another missile warning tone then bleated. He turned his head round to see another Iranian MiG-35 fire an R-73.

The Vympel R-73 was the standard heatseeking air-to-air missile, equipping MiG and Sukhoi fighters since the mid 1980s. It had comparably good ECCM (Electronic Counter-Countermeasures) capability, a 50 degree off-boresight shot (i.e. 100 degree field of vision) and although surpassed by the US AIM-9x Sidewinder and Israeli Python 5, continued upgrades rendered the R-73 a dangerous weapon long into the future.

Ramon broke away from the missile’s path and released a trail of flares, but the R-73 was equipped with an ECCM computer that differentiated between flares and an aircraft turbofan’s heat.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! The Israeli F-35 was sandwiched between the 9M83 SAM and the R-73 missile. Ramon was in serious trouble! But one more maneuver was drawn from his sleeve, taking advantage of the F-35’s maneuverability and fly-by-wire system. He rolled his F-35, trailed off some chaff and flares and dived into a Split S. The R-73 started to chase the SAM instead and BOOM! They destroyed each other!

Captain Giora Ramon then flew north, away from the SAM corridor that his comrades flew away earlier. He was informed by radio that all twelve Iranian MiG-35s were shot down and destroyed. Over the Caspian Sea, Ramon then turned west and then south, crossing airspace above Azerbaijan, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea and finally, into Israel where he

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landed safely, although running on vapors, at Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev Desert, reunited with his comrades.

It was the end of a daring but successful raid over enemy airspace. The mission was successful, with the USAF B-2 spirits successfully penetrated the gap in the Iranian air defense shield, bombed the Shahab ballistic missile assembly plant into kingdom con and flew their voyage home.

Vympel R-73

The end.

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Saturday, November 6, 2027

1745 hours

Airspace above the Bering Sea

A formation of eight RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force) Eurofighter Typhoons flew a combat air patrol in the chilly cold airspace above the Bering Sea. Accompanying them was a flight of four FRAFA (Federal Republican Air Force of Australia) F-22 Raptors.

Even two decades after service entry with the United States Air Force, the F-22 Raptor was expected to remain the dominant air superiority fighter.

Colonel Hayley Joanne Greenwood, now 45 years old and commander of the 17th Fighter Group led her flight of four F-22 Raptors from No. 122 Fighter Squadron into battle. The Raptors, in their Block 60 variant were now equipped with new additions to their arsenal of cutting edge technology: Advanced electronic attack equipment, upgraded digital systems and the F-35 Lightning II’s helmet mounted display (HMD) and Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS).

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Eurofighter Typhoon

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Eurofighter Typhoon cutaway diagram

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Electro-Optical Targeting System

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F-22 and F-35 Helmet Mounted Display

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F-22 Raptor in Australian markings

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F-22 Raptor cutaway diagram

F-22 Raptor systems growth

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F-22 Raptor weapons configurations

At 1752 hours, local time, it was sunset. Colonel Greenwood’s F-22s detected an ominous signal on their APG-77 AESA radar sets at long range: A formation of 20 Su-35 Flankers. An air superiority fighter flown by the air forces of several enemy and rogue nations.

“We have 20 Russian bandits, Su-35 Flankers at 50 kilometers, dead ahead, course heading 095.” Colonel Greenwood pronounced as the Russian formation materialized on the Raptor pilots’ HMDs in 20 separate blips.

Hayley and her fellow Raptor pilots monitored their progress and radioing it to the unstealthy New Zealander Typhoons. “Kiwi flight, this is Kangaroo flight lead. We have 20 Russian Su-35s coming at our direction.” Then, at a range of 44 kilometers, the Su-35s fired on the Typhoons with a volley of R-77 radar-guided air-to-air missiles, racing toward the Kiwi pilots at a speed of Mach 4. “Kiwi flight, missiles incoming! Evasive maneuvers, evasive maneuvers!” the flight lead shouted. The RNZAF Typhoons used evasive maneuvers to shake off the R-77s but two were destroyed.

BOOM! BOOM!

“Kangaroo flight, this is Kiwi flight lead, we’re returning to home plate. Too hot out here for us! See you later!” The six remaining Eurofighter Typhoons retreated and flew back to the operating airbase in western Alaska, unable to stand and fight in 3:1 odds.

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A radio voice crackled in Greenwood’s headset. “Kangaroo flight, you’re cleared hot to engage any bandit at your discretion, over.”

“Roger that, command.” Hayley Joanne Greenwood was a combat-seasoned veteran fighter pilot, and holding the rank of Colonel, the highest rank for servicewomen in the Australian Defense Forces, her instinctive experience kicked in. She datalinked the target coordinates of one of the Sukhoi Su-35s through the Raptor’s broadband datalink system…

…to a Boeing 747 AL-1 Airborne Laser, equipped with a solid state chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) on a nose-mounted rotatable turret.

Boeing 747 AL-1 Airborne Laser cutaway diagram

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Boeing 747 AL-1 Airborne Laser

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Airborne Laser turret

The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system was a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It was primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), similar to the Scud, while in boost phase. The low-power lasers have been test-fired in flight, aimed at an airborne target board. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The ABL used chemical fuel similar to rocket propellant to generate the high laser power. Current plans called for each 747 to carry sufficient laser fuel for about 20 shots, or perhaps as many as 40 low-power shots against fragile TBMs. The ABL aircraft must always land to refuel the laser. Preliminary operational plans called for the ABL to be escorted by fighters and possibly electronic warfare aircraft. The ABL aircraft would have likely orbited near potential launch sites for long periods, flying a figure-eight pattern that allows the aircraft to keep the laser aimed toward the missiles. The aircraft can be refueled in flight, enabling it to stay aloft for long periods.

In theory, the ABL could have been used against hostile fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, or even low-earth-orbit satellites. However, as they were not their intended targets, the capabilities against them were unknown. The ABL infrared target acquisition system was designed to detect the hot exhaust of TBMs in boost phase. Satellites and other aircraft

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could have a much lower heat signature making them more difficult to detect. An analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists discussed potential ABL use against low earth orbit satellites.

Meanwhile, the chemical oxygen iodine laser was charged to full power and the nodule emitted a ten megawatt power infrared laser beam at one of the lead Su-35 Flankers from a distance of 280 kilometers, obliterating it in an explosion.

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Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker

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Su-35 Flanker cockpit

Colonel Greenwood punched in another set of coordinates and relaying it to the 747 Airborne Laser through datalink. In an instant, the laser fired again. BOOM! Another Su-35 was destroyed and the 18 remaining Russian fighters dived earthward toward the Bering Sea, fleeing the lethal laser beam.

Then suddenly, the missile warning tones bleated loudly in the Raptor cockpits. “Ah, damn, what the hell!?” Hayley uttered in bewilderment. Despite their stealth, the F-22 Raptors were actively tracked by S-300VM SAM sites, with four 9M83 missiles racing toward the stealth fighters at Mach 5 (ca. 5300 km/h). Instantaneously, their stealth advantage was compromised, the F-22 Raptor pilot’s worst nightmare of all!

How did those SAMs manage to lock onto such a stealthy plane like the F-22 Raptor? How could the Russians have managed to do so?

The answer: Extremely low frequency radar. It was the same counter-stealth method used by a Serbian S-125 SAM battery against a USAF F-117 Nighthawk, shot down over Kosovo on March 27, 1999, during the NATO-led Operation Allied Force. During the operation bombing campaign, an F-117 Nighthawk was shot down by an S-125 SAM battery with its radar set was modified to use low frequency. This was a critical weakness of stealth technology

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cleverly exploited by the Serbs; however, the exorbitant amount of ground clutter prevented this feat from being repeated, until now.

Canopy of destroyed F-117 Nighthawk, S/N 82-806, now on display in the Belgrade Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum

“Kangaroo flight, take evasive maneuvers!” Colonel Greenwood commanded. The four Australian F-22 Raptors used their great maneuverability to try to evade the SAMs. The pilots relied on their helmet-mounted displays to track their rapid approaches.

Unfortunately, one of the SAMs found it mark. BOOM!

The 9M83 missile detonated like a telegraph pole sized firecracker in close proximity to one of the Raptors. “Colonel Greenwood, I’m hit, I’m hit!” The pilot, Captain Caitlin Galveston shouted over her radio.

“How bad is it?” Hayley asked.

“Minus one Raptor, out of control, I’m losing it! I’m punching out!” Captain Galveston was forced to eject from her stricken fighter as the starboard vertical stabilizer and tailplane was torn off. She yanked the ejection lever up, the heavy protective polycarbonate canopy snapped off and an ACES II ejection seat popped out. Her Raptor then spun earthward repeatedly until it splashed into the sea. Caitlin splashed into the frigid Bering Sea, sitting on

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an inflatable raft and a SAR (Search and Rescue) helicopter was on its way the moment she activated her emergency GPS locator beacon.

Meanwhile, the three remaining F-22s managed to outmaneuver their SAMs and retreat at Mach 1 speed. “This is mission abort. Full abort! Full mission abort! Returning to base!” Colonel Hayley Joanne Greenwood ordered.

But as they retreated, the missile warning tones bleat again. They have been fired on again! “Oh, damn no, not again! Back into the fight!” A volley of R-77 radar-guided AAMs raced toward the Raptors, seemingly launched out of the bright morning sky. This adversary seemed to be equipped with 5th Generation technology and fighter aircraft.

Colonel Greenwood detected the incoming missiles with the aid of her HMD and proceeded to dodge them by using her APG-77 AESA radar set to jam its guidance electronics and pulling a high-G maneuver. Her two squadron mates did the same.

Peeking at her radar screen, the Raptors picked up faint radar locks on multiple bogeys from the west: Enemy aircraft racing toward them at almost Mach 2! The trio sped toward the merge and efforts to gain lock for AMRAAM shots all but fail.

Seconds before reaching visual range, an E-3D Sentry AWACS called out over the radio to the three Australian Raptors, with confirmation to the identity of the mystery aircraft: Russian Sukhoi Su-50 Firefoxes!

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Sukhoi Su-50 Firefox (PAK FA)

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Sukhoi Su-50 Firefox (PAK FA) orthogonal diagram

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Vympel R-77 BVRAAM

The Su-50 Firefox was the first non-U.S. operational 5th Generation fighter which entered service with the Russian Air Force (VVS) in 2015, and seen as the answer to the American F-22 Raptor. Equipped with stealth, three-dimensional thrust vectoring, advanced avionics system and a Phazotron N050 multimode AESA radar, the Su-50 posed as a lethally formidable adversary.

“Fox Three!” Colonel Greenwood called out as she loosed off a pair of AMRAAMs at medium range. “Fox Three!” the two other Raptor pilots repeated. The eight Su-50s did the same, each firing off an R-77 at the Australian F-22s. Their instincts kicked in immediately, as the high-tech fighters used their AESA radar sets to jam the missiles’ guidance systems, and along with neck-breaking high-G maneuvers, break missile lock. The missiles overshot each other’s targets harmlessly.

In a visual range close-in dogfight, all that high-end technology in the 5th Generation fighter aircraft of the opposing forces was rendered a virtual wash, trickling down to pilot vs. pilot, as the three Australian Raptors and eight Russian Firefoxes overshot each other.

Colonel Hayley Joanne Greenwood was unfortunate enough to arouse the attention of three Su-50s. All those years of combat and training experience would prove to save the life of the 45 year old veteran female fighter pilot.

The Su-50s engaged Colonel Greenwood’s F-22 at short range, lobbing off R-73 heatseekers. She pulled a hard right turn while spitting off a short trail of flares. The Russian pilots had contained Hayley as she wildly maneuvered her highly agile stealth fighter through the frigid skies at least 15000 meters above the Bering Sea. Despite their best efforts, they had trouble shooting Hayley down!

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Greenwood then maneuvered her Raptor close toward one of the Firefoxes. Using her HMD, she swiveled her head and locked onto the Russian stealth fighter 65 degrees to the right of her nose.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Hayley got a solid tone on one of her four Python 5 heatseekers and fired. “Fox Two!” The colonel depressed the trigger as the Israeli-made air-to-air missile raced toward its target and straight up the tailpipe of the Sukhoi Su-50. The Python’s continuous rod warhead, a packed ring of welded steel rods exploded inside the target aircraft.

BOOM!

The F-22 Raptor rolled and turned wildly, but Hayley glanced around side to side and to the rear, realizing that she was horizontally sandwiched in between the remaining pair of Su-50 Firefoxes. Quickly, the FRAFA colonel then improvised a plan, harkening back to the early era of dogfighting.

Again, using her HMD, Greenwood pulled 70 degrees up into the vertical, looked down through the floor where she observed the movements of the two Russians below her. Hayley then rolled inverted and quickly gained lock, using the Python’s accessibility to track targets from anywhere. Hayley lobbed off the Python at one of them and deftly aimed the nose in the path of the other, firing off a well-aimed 120 round burst of 20mm cannon fire from the Raptor’s M61A2 Vulcan Gatling-type autocannon, mounted in the starboard wing root of the jet fighter, less than a second or two before blacking out due to the high positive G forces, a dark curtain temporarily descended over her field of vision. She recovered in the nick of time to see her Python missile obliterate the last of her three Russian Sukhois.

BOOM!

Colonel Hayley Joanne Greenwood had scored her last three kills on the last day of World War III, taking it to a total of 84, making her Australia’s top scoring flying ace. Now, alone, Hayley tried to reestablish radio contact with her fellow Raptor pilots. One other, her wingman, Lieutenant Colonel Lachlan Lodge, had survived the lopsided battle. Two F-22s were lost in the day’s battle.

The Russians, badly wounded, were in open retreat as three surviving Su-50 Firefoxes sped west toward the Russian Far East. The two surviving FRAFA F-22 Raptors, Hayley and her wingman then sped east home at near Mach 1 toward their base in Alaska.

A radio transmission barked to life in their headsets.

“All units, return to base ASAP. Return to base ASAP. This is your only message. Return to base ASAP. World War Three has ended. All hostilities have ceased. Repeat, all hostilities have ceased.”

“Did you get that?” Colonel Greenwood asked Lieutenant Colonel Lodge. “World War Three is over. Oh, thank God we survived the war alive in one piece,”

“To the detriment of the rest of the world,” Lachlan replied.

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Minutes later, the two surviving Raptors safely landed at their airbase in Alaska.

F-22 Raptors on the ground at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam

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20mm M61A2 Vulcan autocannon

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F-22 Raptors in flight

The end.