Empire Conquest-Chapter 849 - 94: Calamity Strikes (Part 2)
The "Destruction" missile’s cruising speed is not fast enough, prolonging the time required, and needing advanced guidance.
For this reason, the technology from the SS-N-19 was also borrowed.
The "Golden Bell Shield" system carried by the "Qingzhou" class can detect high altitude targets at over 500 kilometers, and even small targets like missiles can be detected at 400 kilometers. However, for sea-skimming targets, due to the Earth’s curvature, it cannot exceed 40 kilometers.
This means that when intercepting ultra-low altitude targets, the combat efficiency of the Anti-Air Cruiser will be significantly reduced.
This is also the key reason why the Empire’s Navy has always emphasized data link systems and attempted to integrate ship-borne early warning aircraft with anti-air warships to expand the air defense system.
Unfortunately, the advanced data link that can directly guide air defense missiles, the "Zhi-6D," and the new air defense missiles with active radar seekers are still under development and not yet in service, so the "Qingzhou" class remains on its own.
What the Early Warning Aircraft can do is inform the cruiser of the direction and arrival time of the incoming anti-ship missiles.
At this point, air defense operations enter the most perilous stage.
At 4:58, the northernmost "Huizhou" ship of the fleet opened fire first.
Within half a minute, the vessel launched eight air defense missiles from each of its two vertical launch systems, attacking four targets.
All interceptions were aimed at missiles flying at high altitudes.
Using two DK-8D missiles to intercept one anti-ship missile is clearly a waste of ammunition.
But with an attack impending, there’s little time for caution.
Since the anti-air warship had already opened fire and entered the air defense combat phase, it might not distinguish friend from foe in time. The ship’s fire control system would often treat all nearby airborne targets as threats, firing at the largest threats, such as the closest or fastest targets, which led the intercepting fighter jets to veer away and exit the engagement zone, halting their missile pursuit.
At this moment, an issue appeared.
On the north side of the fleet, there was only one Anti-air Cruiser, the "Huizhou."
The other two Anti-Air Cruisers in the fleet, the "Tanzhou" and "Mingzhou," were positioned to the west and southwest, respectively.
In fact, the "Huizhou" was initially in the northwest of the fleet. It only changed course eastward after the Early Warning Aircraft detected the bombers approaching from the north.
The "Tanzhou" had also shifted course, but it was too distant.
When the "Huizhou" began intercepting the incoming anti-ship missiles, the "Tanzhou" was about 60 kilometers to the southwest.
This distance meant the "Tanzhou" couldn’t provide cover for the "Huizhou."
Just past 5 o’clock, the "Huizhou" was hit.
Although its two rapid-fire guns shot down five anti-ship missiles in the final seconds, more than ten missiles were directed at the ship.
Subsequently, the "Huizhou" was struck by three anti-ship missiles.
According to reports from neighboring ships, at least three anti-ship missiles, after being confused and misled by decoy rounds, gave up on the "Huizhou" at close range.
However, the attack was not yet over.
At this moment, the "Destruction" anti-ship missile’s "intelligent" features became apparent.
After the "Huizhou" was attacked, the remaining 30 or so anti-ship missiles continued southward without attacking the ship.
Crucially, they bypassed an anti-submarine guard ship south of the "Huizhou" and headed directly for the "Li Mingbo" carrier.
In fact, the "Li Mingbo" was approximately 10 kilometers south of this guard ship.
This means that as the anti-ship missiles climbed back to high altitude for guidance, they detected both the guard ship and the carrier to its south.
Clearly, the carrier was more enticing.
As a result, at least 20 "Destruction" missiles surged towards the "Li Mingbo," with about two-thirds adopting a dive attack trajectory.
This is also a major feature of the "Destruction."
Against high-value targets like carriers, even when infiltrating from low altitude, the "Destruction" will climb in the terminal phase and initiate a dive attack from several kilometers high.
The key is that intercepting diving missiles is even more challenging.
Moreover, diving can increase speed, thereby enhancing the missile’s power.
However, this also precisely "saved" the "Li Mingbo".
In just 3 minutes, at least 11 "Destruction" missiles hit this carrier, with 7 striking the carrier’s flight deck.
Although the carrier’s flight deck was completely destroyed, the bridge was also ruined, and hundreds of officers and soldiers were casualties, these missiles did not cause severe damage to the hull, and the damage caused by the explosion, especially the fire, was brought under control, avoiding irreversible loss.
The "Xue Yuanzheng"-class not only used armored decks but was also the first to utilize composite armor.
When designing, the Empire Navy actually valued the weight reduction effect of composite armor. Compared to traditional armor, it could reduce weight by about 1,500 tons at an equivalent protection level. After installation, it was discovered that facing supersonic anti-ship missiles, the protective efficiency of composite armor far exceeded traditional steel armor, such as being able to prematurely detonate the warhead of the anti-ship missile, thus reducing the damage caused by the explosion.
As a result, starting with the "Bai Zhizhan", composite armor became standard, with critical parts all reinforced. The "Xue Yuanzheng" also underwent necessary modifications during its first factory repair, including strengthening the flight deck with composite armor.
Moreover, several large "Chen Bingxun"-class carriers all made similar modifications during midterm overhauls.
In fact, this was also to counter the serious threat posed by heavy anti-ship missiles.
To put it bluntly, the 4 "Destruction" missiles that hit the hull almost took the life of the "Li Mingbo". 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
These 4 missiles all struck near the waterline, more precisely about 5 meters above it, and exploded inside the hull after penetrating the shell.
Critically, they all hit the right side.
In less than 10 minutes, the "Li Mingbo" took in over 5,000 tons of water, and the hull listed over 10 degrees to the right!
If not for the full-load displacement of up to 100,000 tons, if it were the over-70,000-ton "Chen Bingxun"-class, taking in 5,000 tons of water might have been hopeless.
But by this time, the battle was not over yet.
The "Bai Zhizhan" was just to the south of the "Li Mingbo", about 20 kilometers away.
Immediately, the "Bai Zhizhan" also came under attack.
"Destruction" missiles surged toward the "Bai Zhizhan".
At the critical moment, air defense missiles launched by the "Tanzhou" shot down 4 high-altitude "Destruction" missiles and subsequently intercepted 2 climbing "Destruction" missiles.
In the end, only 6 low-flying "Destruction" missiles approached the "Bai Zhizhan".
In the final stage of the interception battle, the 730 close-in weapon system on the "Bai Zhizhan" only shot down 1 "Destruction", but the radar interference bombs released successfully diverted 2 "Destruction" missiles.
Within 10 seconds from front to back, the "Bai Zhizhan" was hit by 3 "Destruction" missiles.
When the battle erupted, Li Shenzhi was escorted by security personnel away from the Command Bridge to the tactically protected area inside the hull, to the armor-protected tactical command center.
To be precise, this is the safest place on the carrier.
Even so, when the "Bai Zhizhan" was consecutively hit by missiles, the violent explosions still made the officers and soldiers inside the command center suffer.
When Li Shenzhi emerged from the command center, the captain of the "Bai Zhizhan" had already issued an evacuation order.
It wasn’t an abandonment of the ship, just a transfer of the Fleet Headquarter to other battleships, meaning the "Bai Zhizhan" had lost its operational capability due to the damage.
In fact, the situation of the "Bai Zhizhan" was not much better than that of the "Li Mingbo".
All 3 missiles struck near the starboard waterline, with the impact points relatively concentrated, all near the middle of the hull, specifically near the right-side No. 2 elevator.
The carrier was already severely listing to the right, and even if there was no risk of sinking, it certainly could not continue fighting.
At 5:15, Li Shenzhi boarded a helicopter and left the "Bai Zhizhan", heading towards the "Mingzhou" that had come over for support.
As for the remaining ship-borne aircraft in the air, those running low on fuel could only make emergency landings, while others with enough fuel had received orders to fly to Alexandria. Meanwhile, the fighters that took off urgently and hadn’t used up their ammunition would stay over the fleet to continue providing cover.
By now, 2 carriers had suffered heavy damage, and the 51st Special Mixed Fleet had lost its operational capability.
