179: J-10E refitted with Thunder Stone glide guided bomb!

At a secluded airfield on the border of Iraq, the night was as dark as ink, with only the faint red glow of emergency lights on either side of the runway piercing through the sand and dust.

Thirty-six J-10E “Vigorous Dragon” fighter jets taxied into reinforced hangars in combat posture, the PL-12 medium-range missiles under their wings still bearing traces of gunpowder from the aerial combat, and the silver-gray skin was still covered with frost condensed from high-altitude airflow.

After the fighter jets landed, ground crew, who had already received orders, swarmed towards them like ants.

Soldiers holding high-pressure fuel hoses precisely inserted the connectors into the refueling ports at the wing roots, the roar of aviation kerosene rushing through the pipes intertwining with the residual heat of the turbofan engines.

The numbers on the fuel tank truck's meter jumped rapidly; each fighter needed to swallow nearly 5 tons of fuel to support the next phase of the “Dragon's Roar” operation.

Fuel vapor condensed into white mist in the cold night, then was torn apart by the desert's hot wind.

At the same time, four ammunition vehicles loaded with PL-12 missiles rumbled over the steel plate runway, and the folding mechanism of the missile's tail fins clicked open under the action of hydraulic devices.

The robotic arm pushed the new missile into the centerline dual-pylon under the fuselage, and the torque wrench on the locking bolts emitted a piercing squeak.

At the same moment, another batch of J-10E “Vigorous Dragon” fighter jets was undergoing modular refitting.

Ground crew lifted the camouflage tarpaulins, revealing the 500-kilogram class Leishi glide guided bombs.

Their folding wings were manually extended, like a falcon spreading its wings.

Loaders used a crane to suspend them to the wing hardpoints, and blue electrical sparks erupted as the bombs connected with the pylon's electrical interface.

Additionally, two J-10E aircraft specialized in air defense suppression were being loaded with anti-radiation missiles.

Technicians used portable terminals to debug the missile's passive radar seeker, and the flickering spectrum on the screen showed it had locked onto the Iranian air defense radar frequency band.

While a large number of ground personnel rapidly rearmed and resupplied the fighter jets, the pilots were also intensifying their combat readiness.

One by one, J-10E “Vigorous Dragon” pilots in their cockpits checked fire control system parameters, and the Leishi bomb's release envelope on the HUD was constantly updated.

A mechanic was kneeling at the nose of the aircraft, replacing the high-definition thermal imaging module for the electro-optical targeting pod, the lens glass reflecting the burning wreckage of enemy aircraft in the distance.

A brief counting sound came over the radio; this was the Iraqi ground crew using a code to confirm the sortie sequence of each fighter.

As the safety pin of the last anti-radiation missile was pulled out, the desert horizon was already tinged with the white of a fish's belly.

Thirty-six fully armed “Vigorous Dragons” lined up again, the newly mounted Leishi bombs and anti-radiation missiles under their wings gleaming with the cold, dark light of iron in the morning sun, like the sharpened claws of a giant dragon.

The green light on the control tower lit up, the roar of the WS-10 engines shattered the dawn's silence, and the steel raptors once again plunged into the battlefield... The White House.

As the distant Middle Eastern desert horizon was just tinged with the white of a fish's belly, USA was just being enveloped by night.

After the “Iron Storm” operation in Iran was confirmed to be implemented, the White House paid unprecedented attention.

“This is a rare tacit operation with the Soviet Union since World War II.”

“With the world's two superpowers standing behind Iran, the ‘Iron Storm’ plan is destined to be the most perfect air combat operation in modern times!”

The National Security Advisor said with a smile in the White House Situation Room.

Due to their great confidence in this battle, the atmosphere in the Situation Room was very relaxed.

“Dragon Country's hand is reaching too far!”

“The oil resources and interests of the Middle East are not something they can touch!”

“Since that's the case, let's use the hands of the Soviet Union and Iran to cut off one of their arms and teach Dragon Country a good lesson!”

“After the Soviet Union and Iran overthrow the Saddam government, the Pentagon will then dispatch troops into Iraq to maintain security and peace in the Middle East!”

“And form a peacekeeping coalition with countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE to prevent the continued expansion of the Soviet Union and Iranian influence...”

The USA President stared intently at the Middle East map, outlining his strategic plan.

But at this moment, suddenly, an urgent battle report exploded like a thunderclap in the White House Situation Room.

“Mr. President, the ‘Iron Storm’ operation has completely failed!”

The Secretary of Defense's hand, clutching satellite images, even trembled slightly, and his face showed a look of shock.

“Iraq secretly equipped 36 J-10E third-generation fighter jets, first concealing this news with Dragon Country.”

“Then, during tonight's full-scale air raid on Iran, they dispatched two J-10E aircraft to fly at low altitude, destroying two Il-76 electronic warfare aircraft that served as the aerial command post for Iran's ‘Iron Storm’ operation.”

“And after that, in the subsequent air combat, large numbers of J-10E fighter jets took off from various Iraqi airfields, and the F-14 fleet was hunted beyond visual range without any reaction!”

“The Iranian Air Force suffered heavy losses, with its main forces almost completely annihilated...”

The Pentagon's Secretary of Defense continued, a look of disbelief on his face.

According to the images returned by satellite, the wreckage of the Il-76 electronic warfare aircraft was still burning, while Iran's Su-25 attack aircraft fleet scattered like headless flies, being individually shot down by MiG-25s.

“What?”

“The demilitarization operation against Iraq has failed!”

“The J-10E “Vigorous Dragon” fighter jets have been secretly delivered to Iraq by Dragon Country?”

“When did this happen?”

The USA President slumped into his chair, his expression shaken!

One must know that this was a joint, tacit encirclement operation launched by the world's two superpowers against Dragon Country!

But both the CIA and the KGB had made such a major strategic intelligence error?

“If intelligence cannot be obtained from Dragon Country, can your CIA also not obtain any information from within the Iraqi Defense Forces?”

The USA President glared at the CIA Director and asked.

“Our CIA had many pieces planted in Iraq, but during the public opinion war a month ago, they were all purged by Saddam...”

The CIA Director's voice was dry, and he spoke softly.

He now suddenly felt that Iraq and Saddam must have had a master strategist behind them, first feigning weakness, then, at the most chaotic time of domestic public opinion, sweeping away pro-USA opposition factions and bribed personnel.

Then, they orchestrated this counterattack operation!

...Since Iraq and Moscow are both in the UTC+3 time zone, the Kremlin was also in the early hours of the morning at this time.

Unlike the White House, which had only resumed supplying parts for Iran's F-14 fighter jets, the Kremlin had treated Iran as a quasi-ally, providing military aid through blood transfusions!

The Soviet Union not only urgently trained a large number of Iranian pilots and army commanding officers but also dispatched a military expert advisory group and a complete set of equipment and data link systems!

Therefore, for this major battle, the Kremlin's decision-makers had not slept all night.

But at this moment, on the Kremlin's electronic sandbox, the red arrows representing the Iranian Air Force were rapidly disintegrating at an alarming speed.

This indicated that the “Iron Storm” operation, formulated by their Soviet Union military advisory group, was facing complete failure!

“Dragon Country had long supported Iraq in preparing for a major war!”

The Kremlin had not expected to be so severely outmaneuvered by Dragon Country this time!