Chimera

Another six Mirage-2000s over Assam were also instructed to join the fight while more aircraft were being scrambled into the sky. The only available Phalcon AWACS in the east was refueling on the ground at Kalaikunda and was told to immediately lift off in case it was needed to take over airborne-control. Fighter aircraft were being scrambled from Kalaikunda, Hashimara, Baghdogra and Bareilly airbases but they would take time to get up there.

This battle would be over in minutes…

* * *

The Chinese KJ-2000 detected the ten inbound Indian Su-30s from the south soon enough. They also noted that the Indian AEW had broken pattern south of Lhasa and was accelerating south, but was keeping its radar operational. The Colonel commanding the 55TH Regiment Flankers noted this and ordered his aircraft to engage the ten Indian fighters. Thirty of his fighters climbed higher.

The other twelve continued on their original mission and intended to bypass the Indian fighters and kill their prey, the Indian AEW aircraft.

This battle had more tactical dimensions than simply numbers. The Chinese pursuit of the Indian AEW allowed them to pivot the Indian defenses around it, reducing their flexibility and giving the Chinese more aggressive options.

The Indian Su-30s were outnumbered three-to-one and could not disengage. But their version of the venerable Flanker was much more advanced than the baseline Chinese one. And Indian pilots were better trained and by now more combat experienced than the newly arrived 19TH Division pilots entering combat for the first time.

The human element was important in war. It had allowed Indian pilots to win engagements against numerically superior Chinese formations. But the Flanker was still a Flanker and handled competently, a danger to anyone. And with so many enemy Flankers in the sky, the odds had been evened. That was a big change for the Indians. They were now equally matched by the enemy.

And that meant trouble.

The first missile shots were traded several minutes later as thirty PLAAF J-11s and ten Indian Su-30s fired volleys of R-77s until their wing pylons went empty except for R-73 short-range missiles. With over a hundred missiles crisscrossing each other over southern Tibet, the threats instantly overwhelmed the onboard systems on both sides. All aircraft broke formation and dived just as the missiles tore into their formations.

The Indian pilots were counting on their superior onboard ECMs to spoof enemy missiles. And many did. Others didn’t and went after the chaff clouds left behind by the diving aircraft. But with so many missiles flying around, not all could be spoofed. Three Indian Su-30s were blotted out of the sky in fireballs as missile exhaust trails left a spider web of white lines across the blue afternoon sky.

On the Chinese side, twelve J-11s went down under Indian R-77 hits, shattering several aircraft and sending others down trailing thick black smoke. Several pilots managed to eject near the ground.

By this time the seven surviving Su-30s merged with the eighteen J-11s in a visual dogfight at close range. This was something the Indians excelled at and had a clear advantage over the PLAAF pilots.

And the results showed.

Five J-11s were hit within minutes by R-73 missiles. Two more got hit but pulled out of the fight and headed north trailing flames and smoke from one of their engines. But with so many aircraft in the sky, the Indian pilots began running out of missiles and unable to escape. Two more Indian Su-30s were hit. Both sides had by now resorted to cannon rounds and lines of yellow-white tracers were filling the skies…

* * *

Further to the west, the twelve Flankers going after the Indian AEW bypassed the murderous battle taking place on their left flank and continued south on full afterburner, effortlessly eating up the distance between them and their prey. As the pilots began cycling through their weapons to take the shot, their airborne-radar confirmed the arrival of the six Mirage-2000s streaking north into southern Tibet from Sikkim. Ten of the twelve Flankers diverted to engage these aircraft while the Colonel commanding the 55TH Fighter Regiment and his wingman headed in for the kill…

* * *

On board the Embraer, Roy knew exactly what the threats were. He found a lump in his throat as he heard the desperate radio chatter from the cockpit. He saw his hands and forehead were sweaty and could hear his own heartbeat as he realized that friendly fighters would not get there in time. The operator in front of him looked back as he came to the same conclusion.

He kept his hand on the young operator’s shoulder to keep him calm before walking over to his seat and strapping in. The aircraft suddenly lurched to the side and vibrated as they heard the whumps of chaff being punched out by the pilots. But he understood that with forty-two enemy fighters in the sky, every available friendly aircraft was engaged in battle.