Chapter 10 F-4 Prepares to Attack

The Fifth Air Force is one of the four air forces under the command of the United States Pacific Air Force. Its predecessor was the United States Army Air Forces Command in the Philippines, which was established in August 1941 and renamed the United States Air Force in the Far East in October. In January 1942, the Fifth Air Force of the Army was established on this basis, with Major General Brereton as its first commander. After the islanders provoked the Pacific War, this air force participated in various wars, such as the Marshall Islands, New Guinea, Palau Islands, Mariana Islands and Philippine Islands. In 1944, it was affiliated with the rebuilt United States Air Force in the Far East. In July 1945, it entered the island country of Okinawa to participate in supporting the landing operations on the island country's mainland. After the outbreak of the Korean War, this air force participated in the Korean War and fought with the Chinese Volunteer Army many times. After the smoke of the Korean battlefield had dissipated, the Fifth Air Force was still stationed in the island country.

This air force has three wings under its jurisdiction. The 18th Wing is stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, the 35th Fighter Wing is stationed at Misawa, and the 374th Air Transport Wing is stationed at Yokota.

In later generations, in order to contain the emerging China, the main force of the Fifth Air Force was deployed in Okinawa to prevent China's military force from breaking through the first island chain. Now, at the most intense time of the Cold War, the main force of the Fifth Air Force is deployed in Misawa to guard against the invasion of the polar bear.

The headquarters of the Fifth Air Force is in Yokota. At this time, the commander of the Fifth Air Force, Lieutenant General Paul James, who is also the commander of the US forces in Japan, is frowning.

One of our EP-3 electronic reconnaissance aircraft encountered two Soviet MiG-25 fighters in the waters north of the Sea of ​​Japan, near Vladivostok. During the confrontation, an aerial collision occurred. The EP-3 electronic reconnaissance aircraft was seriously damaged and had to make an emergency landing at a Soviet air force base near Chuguyevka!

When receiving this news, Lieutenant General Paul slammed his fist on the table. Damn, are the flight crews on the plane all fools? Even if they were forced to land on the sea, it would be better than forced landing in the Soviet base!

If it was forced to land on the sea, the air force and navy could quickly dispatch to rescue the people in distress! However, if it fell into the hands of the Soviets, the situation would be different!

Now, it's already dark and the day is almost over, but we have remained silent and done nothing!

"Ring..." At this moment, the phone on the table rang. Paul picked up the phone and heard a voice from the other side of the ocean: "Lieutenant General Paul, diplomatic progress is not good. The president has ordered to put pressure on the Soviet Union starting tomorrow! Be careful not to take the initiative to open fire!"

Put pressure on the Soviet Union! Now is the peak of the Cold War, any carelessness may trigger a world war, so after receiving the news that the EP-3 was hit, Lieutenant General Paul did not immediately order an attack, but was waiting for orders. Now, with the president's order, Paul can finally take action!

On the one hand, there was diplomatic pressure, forcing the Soviets to hand over the planes and personnel as soon as possible, and on the other hand, there was military pressure!

"Yes!" Paul put down the phone and issued his own order: "Misawa Base, make preparations for the war, and take off a large fleet of aircraft immediately starting tomorrow, plan number three!"

Plan No. 3! The biggest threat to the US troops stationed in Japan is the Soviet Union. In order to deal with the Soviet Union, the US troops stationed in Japan have already formulated a variety of plans. The current Plan No. 3 is a plan to carry out deterrence actions against the Soviet Union's Vladivostok region!

After the president's authorization, the war machine of the US military stationed in Japan quickly started moving.

Misawa Base is located in Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture, 644 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, at the northern tip of Honshu Island.

This was originally just a remote and backward village. Before World War II, the islanders built a coastal railway and set up a station here. Misawa began to move towards modern civilization. Later, the island navy built a military base here, and it gradually developed into a military stronghold in the northern part of the island. After World War II, the United States established the Misawa base here. Due to its suitable geographical location, it became the most important military base for the United States to balance the Soviet Far East. It was also a military base for detecting Soviet electronic intelligence. The EP-3 took off from here.

Inside the hangar, fighter planes are undergoing maintenance before taking off.

The pointed nose of the aircraft droops a little, and behind it is a tandem two-seat cabin. The huge air intakes on both sides extend almost all the way to the rear, turning into two chrysanthemums. Above the chrysanthemums, the tail extends backwards, especially the horizontal tails on both sides, which are folded downward, and the vertical tail is surprisingly wide. It does not look beautiful at all, but rather like a clown.

Even Americans thought this fighter jet was not very beautiful, so they gave it the nickname "Phantom".

This type of fighter is the main force of the second-generation fighter of the United States, the F-4 Phantom! It was first designed as a carrier-based aircraft, so all fighters are two-seaters. Later, the US Air Force thought it was good and equipped it in large quantities, becoming a famous second-generation aircraft in the United States.

At this time, the U.S. Air Force's third-generation aircraft were still in their early stages. The F-15s that would later become so powerful had only just been delivered to the U.S. Air Force in the first batch, and it was impossible for them to be equipped with U.S. troops stationed in Japan. The prototype of the F-16 fighter jets, which had the largest production volume, had not yet flown, and it was still a long way from being equipped with the troops. The main force of the U.S. Air Force was these F-4 fighter jets.

Now, these fighters, all of which are F-4 fighters, belong to the 13th Fighter Squadron of the 35th Fighter Wing of the U.S. 5th Air Force stationed at Misawa Base. They are making preparations before dispatch. The hangar is brightly lit, and bomb carriers are moving missiles back and forth. In accordance with the air superiority method, four AIM-7 Sparrow missiles and an auxiliary fuel tank will be mounted under the belly of the fuselage, and four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles will be mounted on the wings on both sides. This is also a standard air combat mount.

The entire base was mobilized, and the flight preparation room was brightly lit. American pilots were conducting tactical analysis and preparing for the attack tomorrow morning.

The pilots were full of fighting spirit, for they already knew that an EP-3 electronic reconnaissance aircraft that took off from this base had been forced by Soviet aircraft to fly to a Soviet air force base!

This made them indignant. At this time when the Cold War was at its most intense, they had extreme disgust for the Soviets. In their eyes, the Soviets were demons from the Arctic.

"Pay attention, we must put maximum pressure on the Soviets, but we must not open fire first." The commander of the corps said to his subordinates.