83: The Dragon Country has caused the Russian army to suffer from "dinosaur syndrome"!

Early September.

Since the strategic counter-offensive began on July 14th, the Afghan resistance forces have been engaging the Soviet Union for a month and a half.

The Soviet Union army, after initially suffering heavy losses, gradually began large-scale encirclement and suppression campaigns against the Afghan militia resistance forces.

And it increased its initial force of 80,000 troops to 100,000.

The fighting and struggle between the two sides officially entered a fever pitch.

For example, for anti-guerrilla warfare, the Soviet Union directly adopted a “scorched earth tactic” in rural Afghanistan!

For any suspicious village, the Soviet Union army would immediately dispatch large-scale armored units for encirclement and suppression!

They used powerful artillery to directly cover entire villages with firepower, leveling them to the ground!

As for the villagers, they were forcibly relocated to “strategic villages,” guarded by the Afghan government army assembled by the Soviet Union, cutting off contact between the guerrillas and the populace!

Additionally, the Soviet Union air-dropped 120 million propaganda leaflets within Afghanistan, launching a psychological offensive.

It declared that “resistance fighters’ families will be executed” and broadcasted recorded “confessions” from captured guerrilla members.

Furthermore, the Soviet Union's KGB also began to leverage its expertise in espionage and infiltration.

As the world’s top intelligence organization, the KGB planted agents within the guerrilla forces, providing false intelligence to lead ambushes to failure.

For instance, in late August, the Soviet Union army intentionally leaked a false transport route, leading to an ambush of guerrilla forces in the Sadray Asam Highlands, resulting in a 40% casualty rate!

Soviet Union's GRU special forces also disguised themselves as Afghan civilians, infiltrating guerrilla command posts to carry out raids.

In early August, this unit successfully killed guerrilla commander Massoud in Khost Province, paralyzing the local resistance for half a month!

Beyond this, the most important measure taken by the Soviet Union army was to switch all logistical supplies to air transport from within the country to Afghanistan.

Although this method of transport and supply was extremely costly.

It was still less than the losses caused by Afghan guerrillas attacking transport convoys.

In this month and a half, the Soviet Union army’s supply lines suffered thousands of attacks in total.

Excluding logistical supplies, the losses in weapons and equipment alone, such as helicopters, tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles, amounted to over a billion US dollars.

Even as a world superpower, the Soviet Union felt quite pained by such losses in a short period.

So, they simply sent a large number of An-22 and Il-76 strategic transport aircraft, as well as An-12 and An-26 tactical transport aircraft, to the front lines to deliver supplies.

Like the An-22 “Cock” strategic transport aircraft, as the world’s largest turboprop transport aircraft, it can carry 80 tons of cargo at once!

It can even transport T-62 tanks and “Scud” missile launchers.

After modular modification, it can transport 2,000 soldiers.

Its cargo capacity for a single flight can equal that of several motor companies.

As for others like the Il-76 “Candid” strategic transport aircraft, An-12 “Cub” and An-26 “Curl” tactical transport aircraft, their load capacities are 40 tons, 20 tons, and 5.5 tons respectively.

The daily material supply needed by the Soviet Union's 100,000 troops in Afghanistan can be fulfilled solely by these transport aircraft.

This is the formidable foundation of being the world’s number one military power!

Facing the Soviet Union army’s series of counter-attacks and remedial measures, Abdul, the leader of the Afghan resistance forces, has also maintained communication with the Dragon Country.

Following the Dragon Country’s advice, he has been continuously adapting guerrilla tactics.

September 3rd.

A hint of dawn just appeared on the eastern horizon.

Abdul personally led guerrilla fighters to the perimeter of the Bagram Air Base, where the Soviet Union troops were stationed.

This is the largest air base in Afghanistan, storing 70% of the Soviet Union army’s ammunition and fuel in Afghanistan.

Facing the repeated encirclement and suppression campaigns launched by the Soviet Union army against the resistance, Abdul was also extremely enraged.

Therefore, after communicating a new counter-attack tactic with the Dragon Country, he decided to personally lead the guerrilla fighters to plan this raid.

To boost the confidence of the entire Afghan resistance forces!

“Remember, our target is the Soviet Union’s An-22 “Cock” strategic transport aircraft; ignore other transport aircraft!”

“This time, we must make the Soviet Union pay a price, to know what true pain feels like!”

“Let the An-22 never dare to land in our Afghanistan again!”

Abdul said to the guerrilla fighters around him.

The An-22 is a global strategic transport aircraft developed by the Soviet Union specifically for NATO and the USA.

The cost of a single unit is at least around 200 million US dollars.

Even though the Soviet Union is a vast country with a large enterprise, it has only produced 45 units to date.

And this time, Abdul led nearly a hundred guerrilla fighters, carrying 20 “Flying Crossbow” man-portable air-defense missiles, to ambush within ten kilometers of the airport!

Just as Abdul was briefing on the mission, a deafening roar of transport aircraft engines suddenly came from the nearby airport!

These roaring transport aircraft engines rose and fell, making people involuntarily want to cover their ears.

Immediately after, about 10 transport aircraft suddenly took off densely from Bagram Air Base, ascending into the sky!

“It’s the An-26 “Curly” transport aircraft, ignore them!”

Leader Abdul’s raised hand suddenly dropped, and he said.

According to intelligence and tactical planning provided by the Dragon Country, transport aircraft like the An-26, with a load capacity of only about 5.5 tons, are only responsible for “capillary” transport.

That is, to “shuttle transport” the supplies brought by the An-22 to Bagram Air Base to simplified airfields at other army garrisons.

Distributing supplies brought by An-22 and Il-76 to forward outposts of troops throughout the territory.

And the An-22 “Cock” strategic transport aircraft is the true “main artery” of that transport network!

Several minutes later, the squadron of ten An-26 transport aircraft had ascended to high altitude and disappeared over the southern horizon.

However, at this moment, the communication device suddenly issued a warning.

This was a reminder from the reconnaissance team operating dozens of miles away.

When fully loaded, at a distance of approximately forty to fifty kilometers from the airport, the An-22 must descend below 3,000 meters.

And continuously dive to lower its flight altitude, creating conditions for landing at a plateau airport.

“They’re here!”

“The message says there are four in total!”

“All teams, get ready!”

A hint of pleasant surprise appeared in Abdul’s eyes, and he said in a deep voice.

Four An-22s can transport 320 tons of logistical supplies.

These four transport aircraft in one squadron only need to make three round trips daily to transport nearly a thousand tons of supplies!

Excluding costs, this transport efficiency is countless times that of ground transport!

Soon after Abdul, the leader of the Afghan resistance forces, finished speaking, the silhouettes of An-22 strategic transport aircraft already appeared on the distant horizon.

The sun was just rising, and the weather was exceptionally clear.

This state, where only the silhouette of the aircraft could be seen, proved that the An-22 was at least 25 kilometers away.

At this time, the An-22’s flight altitude of about 600 meters had reached the maximum altitude of the “Flying Crossbow,” but the distance was too far.

Abdul’s ambush location was very close to the airport, only about ten kilometers away.

He did this to ensure nothing went wrong.

Everyone waited with immense patience.

In less than half a minute, in the morning glow of the Afghan plateau, four An-22 “Cock” strategic transport aircraft swept low like giant beasts, their engines roaring through the valley!

Their massive fuselages cast shadows, their wing turboprops stirred the air, and their altitude had dropped to 300 meters, aiming for the runway of Bagram Air Base, preparing to land!

“Fire!”

Abdul ordered.

At this altitude, even the An-22 would not have enough time to immediately pull up and maneuver to avoid the attack!

As his command was given, twenty flashes of fire instantly shot through the ground bushes!

“Flying Crossbow” man-portable air-defense missiles, trailing their exhaust plumes, soared into the sky, heading straight for the massive airborne targets of the An-22s!

The first missile struck the right-wing engine of the lead aircraft, and the exploding fireball instantly tore through the aluminum skin, sending propeller blades flying like shrapnel!

Immediately after, the second missile hit the belly fuel tank of the same aircraft; the leaking fuel ignited, creating an orange-black mushroom cloud a kilometer high!

The fuselage broke in two, and the burning wreckage, carrying unexploded ordnance, crashed to the ground like meteorites!

Facing this sudden attack, the second An-22 attempted an emergency climb but was simultaneously locked onto by three missiles!

One “Flying Crossbow” missile penetrated the cockpit, killing the pilot instantly, while the other two exploded in succession at the tail!

The out-of-control transport aircraft tumbled and fell like a leaf, and 80 tons of ammunition inside the cabin were detonated upon impact, the shockwave knocking down guerrilla members several kilometers away!

“Retreat quickly!”

Seeing the successful attack, a look of joy flashed in Abdul’s eyes, and he shouted.

They swiftly ran towards the surrounding mountains and boarded the armored assault vehicles that had arrived to meet them.

And as the guerrilla fighters rapidly moved and retreated, the third An-22, already listing from the attack, crashed into a hangar beside the runway.

The T-62 tanks fully loaded in its cabin slid out of the cargo hold, their tracks crushing the An-26 fleet waiting on the tarmac, triggering a secondary explosion!

The last An-22 attempted to turn and escape, but it was hit by a “Flying Crossbow” missile at the base of its vertical stabilizer!

The entire vertical stabilizer broke off like a snapped sword, and the aircraft disintegrated in an uncontrolled spin, the ammunition transported inside forming a dense curtain of fire in the air, engulfing the base in a rain of bullets!

Approximately half an hour later.

Abdul and the guerrilla fighters successfully escaped into the mountains.

He picked up binoculars and looked back; the entire Bagram Air Base was engulfed in towering flames!

Inside the airport, the runway had a thirty-meter diameter crater, and flowing aviation fuel had ignited half the base!

The Soviet Union's most proud strategic transport capability was now repaying the blood debt of the scorched earth tactic in the most tragic way!

“Quickly go into hiding for a while!”

Looking at such a shocking scene, Abdul and the guerrilla fighters all felt a tingling sensation on their scalps!

With four An-22 strategic transport aircraft attacked and half of Bagram Air Base destroyed, the Soviet Union was definitely going to go crazy!

After all, this was damage to strategic capabilities!

Since World War II, even when vying for bipolar dominance and engaging in an arms race with the USA, the Soviet Union had never lost strategic capabilities!

This world superpower would probably develop “dinosaur syndrome”!