MTLNOVEL Chapter 355: Lightning War
As the Scorpion Flame Sprayer Mecha wreaked havoc, three armed helicopters from the Siam military began to take off from the hillside tunnel-style hangars, one of which was an Apache Armed Helicopter purchased from the Beautiful Country.
Daring to deploy armed helicopters under the circumstance where the Jieke Group held air superiority, they were indeed left with no other choice,
Hiding in the bunkers might have shielded them from aerial assault and artillery bombardment, but now that the Mechanical Army was about to take the hills, if they did not come out now, there would no longer be a chance.
Down below the hills, a Bee Air Defense Mecha caught sight of this scene. The mecha pilot, who was bored and idling away, instantly saw a glimmer of excitement.
This air defense mecha was also modified from the chassis of the Spider Main Battle Mecha. The huge 203mm main cannon had been removed, and on top of the mecha's body were several towering twin-linked High Altitude Artillery pieces.
The mecha was equipped with four twin-linked 35mm anti-aircraft guns, totaling eight, as well as a short-range air defense missile system fitted with a 3X4 Bee Sting Air Defense Missile launch module. The missiles used a vertical cold launch system and were radio-command guided. After their launch into the air, they had a decent hit rate against low-flying, slow-moving targets and were capable of intercepting low-flying attack planes and armed helicopters.
Seeing the Siam Military dispatching their armed helicopters, the Bee Air Defense Mecha immediately sprang into action, boldly moving towards them, unafraid to take on the three armed helicopters alone.
In modern warfare, a single anti-aircraft gun, except under very special circumstances such as ambushing a hovering armed helicopter, would hardly achieve a kill in anti-aircraft firing. Only by coordinating antiaircraft gun forces in company and battalion units and relying on a larger barrage can they effectively form air defense.
However, the Bee Air Defense Mecha, with its fierce firepower and the massive ammunition capacity brought by its exaggerated size, had eight 35mm anti-aircraft guns and twelve short-range air defense missiles, one unit of which could match the firepower of an entire anti-aircraft gun company.
After closing in, the missile nests of the Bee Air Defense Mecha opened up, and three air defense missiles were launched and ignited, rapidly soaring into the sky toward the armed helicopters.
"Warning, missile incoming! Missile incoming!"
Alarms went off in the three armed helicopters, the pilots were scared out of their wits as they executed emergency maneuvers, continuously ejecting flares.
Still, one of the armed helicopters was hit by a missile and disintegrated in midair.
While the armed helicopters were executing their emergency maneuvers, the twin 35mm anti-aircraft gun mounts on the Bee Air Defense Mecha moved, targeting the remaining two.
The next moment, a deafening sound erupted as the eight 35mm anti-aircraft machine guns fired furiously.
Like a curtain of rain, the shells covered the target airspace in a barrage, blocking the armed helicopters' space to dodge.
This twin-linked 35mm anti-aircraft cannon could reach a maximum firing rate of 550 rounds per minute, with an effective range of 4,000 meters and an effective altitude of 3,000 meters. With four of these gun mounts, the Bee Air Defense Mecha could fire over two thousand rounds a minute at maximum rate.
It's worth mentioning that this anti-aircraft cannon technology was acquired from a neutral country in the European Union. Under the impetus of additional funds from the Jieke Group, those sternly refusing gentlemen ultimately could not resist the charm offensive, and did not only provide the full set of technology for this anti-aircraft cannon to the Jieke Group but also sold the production line to them.
When these anti-aircraft cannons fired at full force, the scene resembled rain pouring down; shell casings cascaded like waterfalls from above the mecha, as a hailstorm of bullets covered the Sky Dome.
The Bee Air Defense Mecha didn't rely on simple ranging for manual shooting. The aiming systems of its four high guns were linked to the Biological Radar, forming a semi-automatic integration of shells and cannons. Under the guidance of the Genetic Warrior pilot, they could continuously intercept target information, calculate the position relationship between the high-altitude artillery and the target, and adjust the firing data according to the corresponding deployment positions.
Despite evasive maneuvers, the two helicopters in the sky could not escape the punishment of the Bee Air Defense Mecha.
One was blasted into scrap on the spot, and the last Apache Armed Helicopter aimed at the Bee Air Defense Mecha, firing a barrage of 70mm rockets to saturate the area and also fired an anti-tank missile.
Yet these efforts were in vain as the Bee Air Defense Mecha swiftly moved aside, avoiding the dense area of the rocket barrage, while its high guns blew up the slow-moving anti-tank missile with a barrage of their own.
Seeing this, the Apache Armed Helicopter turned around and fled, no longer lingering.
But the Bee Air Defense Mecha pursued relentlessly, launching two more air defense missiles. As the Apache Armed Helicopter attempted evasive maneuvers, the Bee Air Defense Mecha below had already opened fire again. If the enemy didn't dodge, they'd be hit by the air defense missiles, and if they did dodge, they'd be struck by the anti-aircraft guns.
Ultimately, a series of 35mm caliber shells covered the airspace near the Apache Armed Helicopter.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several anti-aircraft shells penetrated the underside of the Apache Armed Helicopter. While 25mm shells might not guarantee to bring down the tough-skinned Apache, the 35mm anti-aircraft shells had strong penetrating power and became known as the "Apache's delight." The shells easily pierced the helicopter's under armor, ripping apart various components and instruments within, causing leaks in the fuel tank, damaging the engine, and severing the tail.
No matter how the two pilots tried to control it, the Apache Armed Helicopter was unable to pull up and spun, tumbling down on the hills and exploding into a massive fireball.