Leitao’s thumb hovered over the weapons release button, his gaze locked onto the pulsing thermal signatures of the Freya radar on his holographic screen like a hawk eyeing its prey. Under the cloak of night, the silhouette of his fighter jet loomed in the darkness, while toward Handan Airport, the enemy radar signals flickered like ghost fires, completely exposed.
As the distance between his jet and the airport closed to 100 kilometers, Leitao’s expression grew icy. He decisively pressed the red icon in the bottom left corner of the touch screen and said in a low voice, "Launch AGM-173 infrared-guided thermobaric missiles."
The rotary launcher inside the weapons bay turned slowly with a low mechanical whir, and a streamlined missile detached from the rack. The infrared seeker at its tail instantly locked onto the thermal signature of the Freya radar like a starving wolf. The solid-fuel rocket engine erupted with immense thrust, spitting out an orange exhaust plume that propelled the missile across the night sky at Mach 3. At the same time, Leitao activated the AN/ALQ-218 electronic support system, attempting to analyze the frequency characteristics of the Japanese Army’s anti-aircraft fire-control radar in real time to provide the missile with pinpoint guidance.
Chapter 480