When the altimeter showed a mere 30 meters, he decisively pressed the fuel dump button. The 3.6 tons of aviation kerosene from the 600-gallon external fuel tanks mounted on both sides poured out like a silver waterfall, instantly forming a 100-meter-wide atomized fuel curtain above the tarmac. Immediately afterward, the vector nozzles of the F-35B deflected violently into an X-shape, and the airframe executed a textbook Herbst maneuver in a rapid roll, tracing a spiral trajectory above the fuel curtain to further expand the fuel dispersion range. This compound maneuver, combining a stall-turn and a Barrel Roll, completely caused the pursuing Zero fighters to lose their predictive tracking.
"Baka! What is that fellow doing?" The voice of Aoki, the Japanese wingman, exploded in the radio, his pupils shrinking at the signal curve fluctuating violently on the instrument panel. The wings of the Zero fighter carved a distorted trajectory through the fuel mist, and the engine emitted an ominous surging sound.
Sato, the flight leader, gritted his teeth, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the trigger on the control stick: "Don't be fooled by illusions! Maintain formation! He couldn't possibly..." Before he could finish, the F-35B suddenly hovered vertically in an anti-gravity posture, the vector nozzles on its belly spewing scorching exhaust flames.
Chapter 474