Chapter 822
Joint Operation: Completely Taking Down the Aircraft Carrier Fleet
They managed to sink two destroyers!
According to the Aegis radar system, the number of anti-ship missiles in the second wave of attacks has been determined to be less than 200, to be precise, only 182.
In terms of quantity, it was about a hundred fewer than the first wave of attacks, but for the Enterprise carrier fleet, there was less carrier-based aircraft squadrons in the air and two destroyers involved.
This would also be extremely dangerous for the aircraft carrier fleet, as there is simply no possibility of intercepting it completely without suffering any damage.
Assuming the aircraft carrier fleet has a very sufficient stockpile of ammunition, especially anti-aircraft missiles.
If this assumption is followed, the three-tiered air defense interception network that is built could indeed intercept all of these anti-ship missiles, thereby ensuring the safety of the aircraft carrier fleet and preventing the loss of a single warship.
Of course, this is just a hypothetical scenario, an ideal state.
After all, the Enterprise carrier strike group lost two destroyers in the first round, creating a gap in its air defense formation. This gap is extremely dangerous, meaning that even with full force and equipment, there is a high probability that some ships will slip through the defenses.
Just as Captain Willis was racking his brains, trying to find an excuse to appease the crew and boost their morale, the vice-captain, who had just left, suddenly strode over.
The first mate whispered in his ear, "Captain, news from headquarters has finally arrived."
"We have news from headquarters. What did they say?"
Willis's eyes lit up instantly, and he asked impatiently. He had high hopes for the garrison base and hoped that they could provide a better solution to prevent the Enterprise carrier fleet from being completely wiped out!
The first mate sighed and said helplessly, "General Koro told us to do everything we can, use every means at our disposal, and try our best to weather this storm. General Cruise reported the matter to headquarters and is seeking a solution."
What kind of talk is that? Captain Willis almost spat out a mouthful of blood. If he could come up with a solution, would he need to ask the garrison base for help?
"Fuck, how could they say something like that, telling us to do everything we can to hold on? What am I supposed to do to hold on? With my own head?"
"If my head can intercept an anti-ship missile, then cut it off and use it to intercept it. If other people's heads can, then take them all."
"Damn it, the key question is, can it even work? Is it even useful?"
The barrage of questions, delivered like a machine gun, left the vice-captain completely overwhelmed. He was well aware of the extreme situation the Enterprise carrier fleet was facing, but to avoid affecting morale, he could only give Captain Willis a meaningful look.
Willis, of course, understood immediately. He suppressed his anger, picked up the now-cold coffee, and drank it down in one gulp to vent his frustration.
"Can we hold on? What do you think?" Willis asked in a low voice.
The vice-captain didn't speak, but shook his head and then nodded.
Seeing this, Willis sighed and said, "Forget it, you wouldn't know anyway."
The vice-captain breathed a sigh of relief, but inwardly he thought to himself, "I'm just a vice-captain. We're in the same boat. If I could come up with a solution to this terrible situation, I would have said so already."
If I had that much power, I could directly order the Longxia Navy to retreat and end the war, but is that even possible?
A moment later, the radar monitor suddenly reported: "Captain, the first line of defense will make contact with the anti-ship missile at 56 kilometers."
"Twenty-two seconds left."
Willis hurriedly went to check the radar display, silently counting down in his mind.
At this moment, the vice-captain also came over, staring intently at the rapid movement and interaction between the green and red cursors on the radar screen.
In the brief span of a breath, some of the red cursors did disappear, but the vast majority had already broken through the interception network and continued rushing toward the carrier fleet at an incredible speed, exceeding Mach 3.
"Report to the captain: 42 anti-ship missiles have been successfully intercepted. The remaining 140 missiles have successfully penetrated the defenses and are expected to collide with the second interception network at a distance of 30 kilometers in 25 seconds."
This result caused Willis to frown deeply and his face to turn pale.
If he remembered correctly, they intercepted nearly sixty anti-ship missiles during the first wave of attacks, but this time they intercepted almost twenty fewer, a significant reduction in interception efficiency of one-third.
He was well aware that not every anti-aircraft missile could shoot down an incoming anti-ship missile, because interception is a matter of probability.
If every anti-aircraft missile could intercept an anti-ship missile with 100% accuracy, he wouldn't be so anxious and unhappy now.
After all, even with two destroyers sunk, the remaining carrier fleet was still able to shoot down all incoming anti-ship missiles.
However, the reality is quite different. Often, it takes several anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down a single incoming anti-ship missile, and sometimes even more. This is because a significant number of the anti-aircraft missiles will lose their targets, resulting in a situation where they cannot hit the target.
This is a real and normal phenomenon that exists in the military equipment of various countries.
Suddenly, he understood that the reason for the one-third decrease was due to the two Burke-class destroyers that had been sunk. Secondly, the density of the ships was not as high as before.
The combination of these two factors has led to the current situation!
Although they have successfully constructed the first line of defense and intercepted some anti-ship missiles, as their advance speed increases and they get closer and closer to the carrier fleet, this vulnerability will become larger and larger, and eventually more anti-ship missiles will successfully penetrate the defenses.
It is an indisputable fact that, under the current conditions, neither of them can narrow this loophole.
How many anti-ship missiles successfully penetrated the defenses and ultimately hit the warship was a question Willis no longer wanted to think about, as it was a headache for him, because even if he wanted to, he couldn't change the reality.
At that moment, the radar monitor asked, "Captain, should we construct the third line of defense?"
Willis's heart sank lower and lower, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. This was the last air defense interception network that the aircraft carrier fleet could build, and they only had a quarter of the original ammunition left!
Should they launch at this point? Once the launch is complete, they will only be able to intercept it with their own ships, and the outcome will most likely be disastrous.
At this moment, they are gambling with their lives; it has reached the final, crucial moment.
I glanced at the vice-captain subconsciously and saw that the other man's hands were clenched tightly together, and he looked extremely nervous.
"Construction!"
After gritting his teeth, Willis decisively gave the order. He knew very well that if they didn't intercept them, they would die a terrible death; if they did, there might be a glimmer of hope.
In any case, there will definitely be losses; the question now is how much. They are also betting that the Dragon Xia Navy will not launch a third wave of attacks.
"Yes, Captain!"
The radar monitor quickly relayed the order.
In an instant, the warships of the aircraft carrier fleet unleashed their full firepower, firing all the remaining anti-aircraft missiles, and the third line of defense was quickly established.
The roar of missiles echoed all around, their exhaust plumes flashing like stars in the night sky before disappearing into the distance...
As the sound of missiles whistling rang out, the air defense missiles of the warships, including the USS Enterprise, were exhausted. If another round were to come, even if they only had a few dozen anti-ship missiles, they would all be sunk without exception.
On the other side, at least 320 kilometers away from the Enterprise carrier fleet, in the main control room of the First Combat Group's command ship, a 10,000-ton destroyer, a different scene unfolded. Everyone was busy, but the joy on their faces was impossible to suppress.
"Captain, there is an emergency."
Just then, the radar monitor made an urgent report.
Captain Chen hurried over, his brows furrowed, but he had another guess in his mind. Could it be that there were new reinforcements?
If they come now, the effectiveness of the battle plan will definitely be greatly reduced.
"What's going on?" Captain Chen asked hurriedly.
"Reporting, Captain."
The radar monitor reported truthfully, "According to our radar monitoring, the Eagle Tribe's Enterprise carrier fleet has finally established a third line of defense. The number of anti-aircraft missiles they have launched is still small, less than one-third of the original number."
Less than a third of what it used to be?
Captain Chen looked puzzled and hurriedly went to check the radar screen.
Sure enough, according to the data displayed by radar monitoring, the number of anti-aircraft missiles launched by the enemy was not as dense as before, and the number of anti-aircraft missiles launched by the third interception network last time was significantly reduced.
The first mate also witnessed this and exclaimed in surprise, "Captain, could this be a trick they're playing? Deliberately leaving some behind?"
In any case, even a large aircraft carrier fleet can only carry a limited number of anti-aircraft missiles; it cannot have an unlimited supply of ammunition, not to mention that it also needs to carry other missiles for different purposes.
Captain Chen pondered for a moment, then denied it, saying, "That's not necessarily true. Right now, it's hell for them. They're at the critical juncture where their lives hang by a thread. It's impossible for them to keep anti-aircraft missiles in reserve to prevent us from launching a third wave of attacks."
"Based on the current situation, I estimate that more than 90% of their air defense missiles have been used up."
After a slight pause, he added, "Anyway, our air force fighters will be here soon, and we'll know once we test them."
"We'll see what kind of equipment they use for air defense then. Do they really think there won't be a third wave of attacks?"
As for whether the aircraft carrier fleet still has anti-aircraft missiles, using fighter jets for testing is the most appropriate option, and the vice-captain also strongly agrees with this approach.
Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly said, "Captain, something seems wrong."
"Tell me what's wrong?" Captain Chen paused for a moment, then asked in return.
To be honest, he didn't really notice anything wrong; things had already reached this point and there shouldn't be any problems.
The first mate quickly explained, "Captain, the orders we received from headquarters were to take control of the Enterprise carrier fleet, not to wipe them out completely."
"If the captain is absolutely right, and they have no anti-aircraft missiles left, and our air force launches a third wave of attacks, wouldn't the Enterprise carrier fleet be in danger of being completely annihilated?"
"Wouldn't doing this disrupt headquarters' plans?"
Upon hearing this, Captain Chen finally realized where he had gone wrong. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Oh no! If you hadn't reminded me, I would have completely forgotten about such an important detail!"
"I'm still suffering from the lingering effects of the oppressive atmosphere brought by the Eagle Tribe's navy. I subconsciously used supersaturation attacks and forgot that the situation is different now."
After a moment's thought, he changed the subject, "I need to contact the Dragon Claw Island Air Force Command immediately. I need to speak directly with them and require their cooperation in our operations."
"Yes, Captain."
The vice-captain immediately took action and quickly established communication with the air force command on Dragon Claw Island.
The army commander on Dragon Claw Island was shocked after hearing the report.
Because the radar deployed on Dragon Claw Island has a maximum detection range of 500 kilometers, while the Enterprise carrier fleet is in the relevant sea area 500 kilometers away, he was not able to monitor the battlefield situation in real time.
Furthermore, the battlefield situation is unpredictable, and even if the two sides communicate, it is impossible to have a clear understanding like a live radar broadcast, so his information is delayed.
This maritime conflict, and the joint operations with the three armed forces, made him keenly aware that a powerful data link system must be established among the three armed forces to achieve intelligence sharing.
Mechanization is important, but informatization is equally important and needs to be implemented as soon as possible.
Aside from the previous sudden sweep of the rebels on Dragon Claw Island, this is the first time in a true three-army joint operation against an external force, making communication extremely important and urgently needing to be strengthened.
Otherwise, information asymmetry will occur in joint operations among the three branches of the armed forces, which could potentially lead to serious problems. (End of Chapter)