Koenig of the Gra Valkas Army Air Corps assigned to the Doiva Base was on a patrol flight. Soon, his standby time would be over. While heading towards the Doiva Base for landing, he received an emergency alert over the radio.
"Emergency alert, emergency alert! Unidentified echo approaching from the southeast. Distance 50 kilometers, altitude 200 meters. Approaching at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. Possibility of enemy aircraft that attacked the Capital. Air units, launch immediately!"
Koenig immediately pressed the radio's button.
"This is Call 7, I'm on my way."
Koenig lightly banked his Antares and signaled to his wingman, then changed course to the southeast and descended rapidly. Three wingmen followed slightly behind.
"Can we witness the flying wheel that raided Ragna?" Koenig muttered, but something else awaited him.
He confirmed three dots with his naked eyes.
"Visual confirmation of enemy aircraft. Three conventional fighters! Engage!"
Each Antares turned its nose towards the enemy aircraft and closed in. It seemed like a game of chicken. The Mirishial fighters moved first. They had been flying at a low altitude of 200 meters, but the three fighters began to disperse while climbing. The Antares continued to steer to keep the enemy in sight, but due to the rapid dive, their relative speed was too fast and they missed the opportunity to shoot as they passed each other.
As each Antares attempted a sharp turn to pursue the Mirishial planes, they noticed something unusual.
"We can't catch up!"
Until now, Mirishial fighters had not matched the Antares' top speed, making them easy to capture. But these fighters were faster than Antares.
'New enemy planes!?'
Realizing this, Koenig pressed the pre-talk button.
"This is Call 7. Enemy fighter is a new model, faster than Antares."
A reply came from the Doiva Base, but there was more noise than usual. However, Koenig didn't have time to worry about it. More squadrons of fighters appeared behind them. Koenig was a cautious man. He ordered his wingmen to stop pursuing too far and prioritized evading.
. . .
"Captain, did you see that? We've just outrun the Antares!"
While hearing the somewhat excited voice of his wingman, Taurus pondered.
It wouldn't be a problem to return to the mothership as it is. The chaff deployment was successful. The superiority of Elpacio 3' was proven. The captain would praise him. If Koenig were in Taurus's position, he might have done that.
But Taurus didn't do that. There was a sense of guilt in leaving the battlefield without firing his gun even once while allies were fighting enemies, and above all, the temptation to try out this new model was strong.
"We will continue to support our allies."
. . .
Lettal Kauran was on the bridge of the flagship Scathia, checking the progress of the battle.
"The enemy's anti-aircraft fire is sporadic. No damage to our allies."
"There are fewer than ten enemy fighters in the air. The entire attack group has successfully penetrated the enemy base's airspace."
Lettal Kauran nodded. "It seems that radar interference with chaff was effective."
"At any rate, we will be able to secure air superiority over the island by sheer numbers," the staff replied, but didn't forget to drive in a nail. "Until the enemy carrier-based planes appear."
"Indeed, time seems to be the ruler of this battlefield. Fleet, advance."
The Mirishial Navy 4th Fleet began its assault with the flagship in the lead.
"What is the enemy fleet's position?" Lettal asked the staff while examining the sea chart.
"The information obtained from Japan's Mystar indicates here. It's from an hour ago."
"Send recon planes to the expected enemy positions. Don't forget to jam the comms to conceal our position."
The staff, anticipating this order, handed the pre-prepared flight plan to the air wing commander. Glancing at it, he passed it on to subordinates. Reconnaissance planes and chaff dispersers left the aircraft carrier.
"It would be good if we could detect the enemy with the magic detector."
"I heard that the Gra Valkan people's mana level is not very high."
Lettal, faithful to the mission but finding the staff somewhat lacking in reading the atmosphere, felt a slight irritation.
"But the enemy has no means to interfere with our radar."
"That's a relief."
Lettal's mood quickly improved.
. . .
The command center of the temporarily organized fleet in Irnetia was in disarray.
"We can't contact the Doiva Base? Is it a communication equipment failure?"
"This is right after the air raid warning! It can't be a coincidence!"
"Don't tell me they were wiped out by the flying wheel!?"
Listening to the cries of his subordinates, Admiral Kealling gathered his thoughts on the bridge of the Hercules-class battleship.
He was given the absolute imperative from above to secure Irnetia Island. To do so, it was unavoidable that the fleet would be ground to a pulp. Personally, it was an order that Kealling found difficult to agree with, but good soldiers follow orders. It was certain that Irnetia Island was under threat. In that case, even if he had to expose the fleet to danger, there was no way he could refrain from helping.
"Have recon planes been deployed?" Kealling asked the staff.
"Yes, sir, they have already been deployed."
"Set course to Irnetia Island at full speed."
But before the subordinate could recite it, a new report came in.
"Enemy recon plane spotted! Southeast direction, distance 3.000, altitude 2.500!"
Kealling readjusted his hat.
"We've been outmaneuvered yet again. Launch all Antares."
. . .
Koenig was a cautious man. After scrambling from the Doiva Base and joining forces with the allies, he confronted the enemy attack group. Up until then, with many of the attackers using Elpacio 3, they had an advantage. However, the situation changed when the new fighters, Elpacio 3', entered the battle.
When the Four Nations Alliance was formed, due in part to the Emperor's policy, the Holy Mirishial Empire was unusually humble. When they learned from the Japanese the bypass ratio of the magical chant-powered compressed air emission engine, they also learned aerial warfare tactics from Japan, referring to the F-4 Phantom II's tactics during the Vietnam War.
Although Elpacio 3' had superior speed performance to Antares, its turning performance was inferior. It was similar to the situation when Phantom II faced the smaller and lighter MiG in Vietnam. Therefore, Elpacio 3' pilots were trained in the yo-yo maneuver used by Phantom II pilots at that time. The yo-yo maneuver, which involved turning and ascending/descending simultaneously, was quite effective, especially since Antares pilots were not accustomed to it. The Army's Antares pilots did not have the suicide attack spirit of fighting to the last man. After suffering heavy losses and being torn apart, Koenig and some others left the airspace above the base. Up to this point, Koenig was an average Army pilot. His cautiousness was evident in choosing the direction of retreat where the allied fleet was present.
Koenig tuned in to the radio receiver, attempting to intercept and eavesdrop on allied communications. As planned, he intercepted naval transmissions.
"This is Second Lieutenant Koenig of the 401st Squadron of the Army Air Corps from Doiva Base. Requesting landing on the friendly carrier. Low on fuel, I repeat, low on fuel."
The sudden transmission seemed to cause a bit of confusion on the other side. After a short pause, a reply came.
"This is the aircraft carrier Sadalbari. Koenig, respond."
"This is Koenig, thank you for the response."
"Report the situation at the Doiva Base if possible."
"Doiva Base is under attack by enemy aircraft and we have lost air superiority."
"...Is the enemy aircraft the flying wheel?"
"No, but they are new fighters. Faster than Antares. We were attacked near the end of our patrol and we're really low on fuel. Requesting permission to land."
"...We recommend landing at the nearby sea. Rescue will be swift."
Ah, that's how Navy people are!
"No need to worry. Permission for approach."
. . .
Having safely landed on the Sadalbari, Koenig was directed to the pilot's briefing room. In front of the lined-up Navy pilots, he faced questions from the carrier's air group commander.
"Your landing was splendid, not something expected from an Army soldier. But even with your skill, it's surprising that you lost air superiority at the base. What kind of enemy fighters are we dealing with?"
"They look like their conventional fighters... Elpacio 3, I think. But the air intake on the underside of their fuselages was different. Above all, their speed performance was different. The maximum speed was clearly exceeding 600 kilometers per hour."
A murmur arose among the pilots.
"Those savages couldn't possibly create a fighter faster than the Antares!"
Koenig eyed the one who spoke, causing them to flinch a bit. He decided not to take it personally.
"The new fighter is just part of the whole. However, it's difficult to distinguish from the old model, so it complicates things. If you challenge them with a scissors maneuver, you'll end up being caught."
"Does the new enemy surpass Antares in maneuverability as well?" the air group commander asked.
"No, their turning performance hasn't changed. The issue is the tactics. When the enemy performs a scissors maneuver in a turn, they always execute an upward turn. That forces them to keep their turning radius inside ours."
"But then their speed should drop, and whether horizontally or vertically, they should be left behind by Antares, right?"
"Then they switch to a rapid descent and close the distance at once. They attack with shots at a speed we can't evade, and then they withdraw at a speed we can't catch up with. Many of my fellow pilots fell victim to this tactic."
Koenig mimicked Antares with his right hand and Elpacio 3' with his left, reproducing the movements of both aircraft. The pilots watching were captivated by the demonstration, causing them to fall into silence.
"Have you also been a victim of that?"
"Yes, that's right."
"How did you escape?"
Feeling the penetrating gazes of the pilots, Koenig raised the right side of Antares diagonally upwards in a climbing turn.
"I used the left corkscrew."
The left corkscrew was an advanced technique that only ace-class pilots, even in the Navy, could use. By utilizing the torque of the left rotation due to the recoil of the right-turning propeller, the nose was lifted, bringing the aircraft to the brink of a stall. This allowed for precise control of posture using the rudder, taking advantage of the most effective rudder response at this speed (without reducing speed), allowing for a left turn without losing altitude. If the same Antares attempted this, it would overtake the opponent during the left turn and fly out in front of them. Even the Navy pilots, who usually looked down on the skills of Army pilots, believed Koenig's words, who demonstrated a landing skill not inferior to theirs.
"So, did you shoot down the enemy?"
But Koenig shook his head.
"The enemy disengaged with a right turn. Seems they were familiar with the left corkscrew."
This time, a murmur arose among the pilots.
"The enemy is—" Koenig raised his voice louder than before. "—studying us. Don't underestimate them!"
With this voice, the Navy pilots fell silent again.
"As someone who has experienced real combat, how do you think about countermeasures against the new enemy fighters?" the air group commander asked again.
"The odds are against us one-on-one. We have no choice but to operate in pairs, constantly covering each other's backs like wingmen."
The air group commander nodded.
"That will do. Each of you, decide on a wingman before the sortie."
However, the opportunity to sortie did not come for these pilots.
. . .
Sareck, a Zigrant 2 pilot of the Mirishial Navy, was in the midst of an assault. Although the improvement in the engine's bypass ratio was effective even for the Zigrant 2, the resources needed for modification were prioritized for the air superiority fighter Elpacio 3. As a result, Sareck's plane and his crew remained conventional Zigrant 2.
However, the reason Sareck and others had remained safe until now was due to flying at sea level, performing skimming flights just above the water surface. The Mirishial military, having acquired knowledge of radio radar from Japan, also learned tactics exploiting this weakness from Japan – chaff and sea skimming.
"Enemy fleet is 10 kilometers away and will soon be visible on the horizon," an announcement came from the manacomm. Until now, the planet had served as an obstruction, concealing them from Gra Valkas' radar, but that wouldn't be the case anymore. However, according to Japan, radar waves reflect even on the sea surface, making it difficult to detect objects skimming just above the water. While Japan apparently overcame this weakness with their radar technology (which they didn't share), Gra Valkas radar hadn't advanced enough to do that (apparently). Hence, as long as they continued sea-skimming, they wouldn't be easily shot down (apparently).
Sareck asked, "Does a safe zone that convenient exist?" but he didn't voice it. He didn't have an alternative proposal. Opposition without an alternative is irresponsible, a lesson he learned from his military life.
"9 kilometers to the target," the manacomm announced.
The Zigrant 2 cruised over the sea at 400 kilometers per hour, a speed that covered 1 kilometer in 9 seconds. They will drop their payload a kilometer before the target.
'The next 72 seconds will probably be the longest 72 seconds of my life.'
Intuitively sensing this, Sareck readjusted his control stick.
. . .
Alarms blared inside the aircraft carrier Sadalbari.
"Enemy torpedo bombers approaching from the port bow! I repeat, enemy torpedo bombers approaching from the port bow! Intercept immediately with fighter cover! We will perform evasive maneuvers. All personnel, be cautious."
Simultaneously with the alarm, gravity was applied within the carrier. To be precise, while the carrier made a turn, the inertia of the crew continued their motion, resulting in the crew being pushed sideways concerning the ship's course.
"Quite intense," Koenig, who lacked experience in carrier landings, murmured.
"This is normal," replied the air group commander beside him.
. . .
On the open-air bridge of the Ophiuchite-class destroyer 087, Captain Thorn visually confirmed the Mirishial Navy's attack group. The young captain, still in his thirties, barked orders in a resonant baritone.
"Enemy planes on the port side, commence anti-air combat!"
His men reacted immediately.
"Full speed on both sides, hard to starboard!"
"All anti-air guns on target!"
The 087's hull shuddered and rushed to the Sadalbari's port side at a speed of 33 knots.
The Ophiuchite-class was a wartime production destroyer. Since there were many ships of this class, individual ships were not given names; only numbers. The crew, including the captain, were all young, hastily assembled due to wartime promotions. They received training at the homeland's naval academy under Luxtal. Thanks to the training training, the 087 bravely attacked the enemy's front while engaging in anti-air barrage.
. . .
Sareck desperately gripped the control stick, not in the sense of a strong grip, but rather resisting the temptation to break away. Shortly after the enemy fleet became visible beyond the horizon, they subjected them to anti-air fire. The density of the projectiles made it seem as if one could walk over them. However, the number of downed wingmen was surprisingly low. When the barrage momentarily ceased, enemy fighters attacked from above, resulting in more casualties than the anti-aircraft fire.
Nevertheless, Sareck's attack group didn't alter its course. If they changed direction now, they would have to abort the attack. However, given the current situation without air superiority, the next opportunity for an attack was not guaranteed.
"...3, 2, 1, drop now!"
Following the manacomm's announcement, Sareck's squadron dropped their payload. Now lighter, the planes attempted to climb and break away. However, during the climb, Sareck's plane was hit by fragments of anti-aircraft shells. The pilot desperately tried to control the aircraft, but the engine stalled, and the plane stalled before crashing into the sea.
Sareck's 72 seconds became eternal, never-ending.
. . .
"What's that!?"
Thorn's baritone murmurs were heard on the open-air bridge, but due to the gunfire from anti-aircraft weapons, his mutterings were unheard by other crew members. Still, surprise spread among the other crew members. The bombs dropped by the Zigrant 2s suddenly bounced up as soon as they touched the sea surface. It was like skipping a stone on water.
. . .
The Mirishial Navy not only learned from Japan but also from the history of the world (Earth) where Japan came from. In naval battles, the torpedoes of the Gra Valkas Navy were considered a significant threat. Although the Mirishial Navy wanted to equip torpedoes on its ships as well, Japan's response to their request for technological assistance was tepid.
From Japan's perspective, naval battles between surface ships were dominated by missiles, and torpedoes were only used for anti-submarine warfare. While Japan supplied Type 89 torpedoes to Mu with the La Kasami Kai, there were no other weapons in the La Kasami Kai that could counter the Gra Valkan battleships. This was a stopgap measure due to the lack of suitable weapons. Moreover, the Holy Mirishial Empire was a country of magical civilization. It was hard to believe that Japanese-made weapons could be used directly on the current Mirishial Navy vessels. When they borrowed the device to receive images during Operation Super Hammer, they had to lend a generator using a lightning-type rotary magic engine.
Unable to receive a favorable response from Japan, the Mirishial Navy had to find its own solution by adopting a solid and proven strategy. They learned from the wisdom of their predecessors. What the Mirishial Navy referred to was the bouncing bomb. It was a type of depth charge that maintained a high hit rate by bouncing on the water's surface like a skipping stone, extending its range and exploding near the target in the sea. During World War II, the British military used the Highball bomb for anti-ship purposes and the Upkeep bomb for dam-busting. The Upkeep bomb was actually used in the successful Operation Chastise, which targeted the Ruhr industrial region in Germany. While Operation Chastise was successful, the aerial units carrying the bombs suffered significant losses, and the Upkeep bomb was never used again.
Nevertheless, the Mirishial Navy developed bouncing bombs. It was far easier than developing torpedoes from scratch. They poured their know-how accumulated over the years using water and wind magic, focusing on improving accuracy and range. The result was astonishing. The bombs could skip for more than one kilometer with hardly a drop in accuracy. The Mirishial Navy promptly put these to use and named them the "jumping charges."
. . .
Thorn compared these jumping charges with the carrier he was supposed to protect and made a weighty decision.
"Change the helm."
Saying this, he received the helm from the navigator and issued a new order.
"We will intercept the enemy's new weapon to protect the Sadalbari. All hands, abandon ship at once."
The previously noisy deck was momentarily engulfed in silence. However, the silence didn't last long, and the noise returned.
Thorn yelled at his men on the open-air bridge. "Did you NOT hear the order? ABANDON SHIP!"
"Captain, it's unfair to take all the credit. Please share the medals with us too," the gunnery officer responded.
"This is the engine room, the intercom seems to be malfunctioning. We couldn't hear your orders, Captain."
A report came from the engine room. Similar reports flooded in from all departments on the ship.
"Captain, this is what we learned as 'wise disobedience' from the instructors at the Naval Academy," the executive officer added as the finishing blow. Thorn gave up.
"Don't you dare complain in the afterlife, then!"
The 087 plunged into the jumping charges' path.
. . .
Frantic maneuvering continued on the Sadalbari's bridge.
"Do you think we can lose them?"
"We can evade most of them, but we can't dodge one!"
In response to the captain's question, the staff officer gave a harsh reply.
"We have to rely on that destroyer."
Being told by the staff officer, the captain looked at the sea again. There, he saw the wartime production destroyer attempting to cut into the course of the enemy's new weapon. What a devoted ship, the captain thought, gazing at their fate and that of his own crew.
. . .
The open bridge of the 087 was enveloped in an enormous roar. She had intersected with the jumping charges. Sounds of metal colliding, crunching, tearing, and then the sound of water could be heard.
Everyone braced for imminent death, but it did not come.
Thorn involuntarily closed his eyes. When he timidly opened them again, the 087 was floating on the water. However, the antennas that were positioned higher than the open bridge were gone.
A roar echoed from behind, and almost all of the 087's crew turned around. A high column of water rose from the aircraft carrier's belly.
Thorn finally understood the situation. The jumping charge had bounced unexpectedly high, passing over his destroyer.
"Contact Sadalbari and confirm the situation," Thorn ordered the radio operator and looked around again. The enemy aircraft were no longer in sight.
"The communication device is malfunctioning, probably due to the antenna's damage."
Thorn switched to the next order.
"Hard to starboard. We will now head to assist the Sadalbari."