Empire Conquest-Chapter 831 - 86: Critical Issue_2
Upon receiving the message, the Air Force had already destroyed the frontline headquarters of the West Continent Group and blown up the command trains stationed at the Volgograd station.
In addition, the Tactical Air Force had destroyed several other command trains.
Here’s where it gets crucial.
Although only one of these command trains was the "true," and the others were "fakes," there were no hardware differences among these command trains; the only difference was whether or not they carried the headquarters. In other words, the other command trains were also command trains.
On any of these command trains, there is a complete set of communication equipment.
These communication devices require the use of encryption chips.
Since it’s impossible to guarantee that these command trains won’t be used, and the communication equipment has long been installed, the chips used for hardware decryption are stored within the communication equipment on these command trains, and they may not be destroyed in the event of a bombing.
As long as a complete chip can be obtained, there is confidence in mastering the military communication codes of the West Continent Group.
This is the real key.
According to the telegram from the Navy Headquarters, the reprisal action in the first half of the night was a cover for this, and the operation was led by the Military Intelligence Bureau.
Once the reprisal action begins, the Military Intelligence Bureau will dispatch special forces.
As for how certain this is, no one dares to guarantee.
However, this instead pushed Li Shenzhi to the brink of danger.
Since there was no way to predict whether the actions of the Military Intelligence Bureau would succeed, all combat forces involved in the operation, including the 51st Special Mixed Fleet, had to act strictly according to plan. Li Shenzhi could only return the fleet to Alexandria upon receiving orders from the Navy Headquarters.
Even before that, in order to cover Alexandria, the 51st Special Mixed Fleet had already sailed offshore and was primarily operating in the East Continent Heart Sea, without deploying ship-borne aircraft for bombing Iraq, avoiding the need to venture north into danger, or to challenge the enemy.
Most of the time, the 51st Special Mixed Fleet operates under the cover of our own shore-based air force.
Because there is no clear threat, the 51st Special Mixed Fleet is not very noticeable in the East Continent Heart Sea, and the likelihood of facing an attack is not very high.
According to Li Shenzhi’s arrangement, the 51st Special Mixed Fleet can withdraw toward the Xifan Canal at any time.
If the threat increases, they can retreat into the Narrow Sea.
Now, that is clearly impossible.
Upon receiving the order, Li Shenzhi commanded the 51st Special Mixed Fleet to maneuver south of Cyprus and enter a state of combat readiness.
Just before dawn, dozens of sorties of ship-borne aircraft were dispatched.
According to the plan, ship-borne fighters extended their patrol range near the airspace of the Ter Republic and repeatedly entered its western Aegean Sea.
Although carrying out a defense mission, this is a typical offensive deployment.
This form of deployment is often used in high-risk sea areas and is adopted when there is a clear threat.
Offensive deployment can expand the fleet’s defense range, increase the number of intercepts, and improve intercept probability, but it has a very prominent problem.
It rapidly depletes the combat capability of the carrier battle group, specifically the combat power of the shipborne air force.
Of course, an aircraft carrier battle group in an offensive state is itself a massive threat.
It can be said that this is also the value of an aircraft carrier.
In any situation, an aircraft carrier’s role is deterrent strikes—in other words, the carrier itself is a massive threat, and only by demonstrating its presence can it achieve a deterrent effect.
To put it bluntly, only a carrier that demonstrates its presence can achieve deterrence.
For this reason, for decades, the Empire Navy has never considered the concealment of carriers, and at the tactical level, stealth is not an option.
Aircraft carriers rule the seas not through concealment.
In executing combat missions, the carrier embodies aggression.
In the past, when dealing with regional conflicts and even local wars, this approach was very effective, often proving to cure the problem swiftly.
As a result, carriers have become the Empire’s "elixir," wherever there are issues, sending one carrier often yields immediate results. If that’s not enough, then dispatching two or three carriers is sure to eliminate potential threats.
Globally, fewer than 20 countries can withstand an attack from a carrier battle group.
The strike capability of a three-carrier battle group exceeds 95% of the countries around the world.
But the problem is, in an all-out war, this approach may not be effective.
Although the West Continent Group still doesn’t possess Super Carriers, and the few large carriers they have use technological foundations provided by the Liangxia Empire, the West Continent Group pays significant attention to anti-carrier warfare, especially the Tiaoman Empire, which has always prioritized countering the Empire’s Navy carrier battle groups as their top mission.
For this reason, the West Continent Group not only possesses the largest number of Anti-ship Missiles globally but has also formulated specific anti-carrier tactics.
Yes, it’s the saturation attack tactic with Anti-ship Missiles.
This represents the most severe challenge encountered by the Empire Navy after the war. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
The heavy Anti-ship Missiles of the West Continent Group, often with a range of over 500 kilometers, flying speeds of 2.5 Mach or more, and a warhead load of at least 500 kg, with some reaching one ton, require only one to take out a ten-thousand-ton cruiser, and three to five can heavily damage a carrier. Theoretically, dozens of such heavy Anti-ship Missiles could destroy a carrier battle group.
