480: Chapter 477: Iroquois with Broken Wings 480: Chapter 477: Iroquois with Broken Wings Two Stinger missiles were launched, one after the other, hurtling towards the two UH-1 Iroquois helicopters that were not far apart.
Since the needle-type missiles were fired first, after a two-second delay, the UH-1 Iroquois helicopters had already realized something was amiss, so the machine guns mounted at the cabin doors immediately opened fire.
Although the machine guns opened fire, hitting a mobile target on the ground was no simple matter, and accurately killing the two shooters carrying anti-aircraft missiles was even more difficult.
If the machine gunners had a chance to adjust their fire, it might be different, but once the pilots of the UH-1 helicopters realized their targets were not easy pickings but tough nuts with anti-aircraft missiles, their first move was definitely not to keep a flight attitude convenient for the gunners but to immediately evade the incoming missiles.
The two UH-1 Iroquois helicopters were originally flying side-on to Gao Yang’s convoy, and upon realizing the danger, they immediately banked to the side, exposing their bellies, but by then the Stinger missiles had already been launched.
Given the helicopters’ slow flight speed, any attempt to dodge the incoming missiles was in vain.
The Stinger missiles hit their respective targets.
One helicopter’s efforts did yield some result—the missile struck the Iroquois’ belly.
The warhead of the man-portable anti-aircraft missile wasn’t very powerful, and although it scored a direct hit, it didn’t hit a critical part, so the stricken Iroquois managed to keep flying, albeit shakily.
The luck of the other Iroquois wasn’t as good.
The Stinger missile didn’t hit the body of the helicopter but struck directly on the tail rotor, blowing it clean off.
The Iroquois without its tail rotor started spinning wildly before tumbling through the air and then nose-diving down.
As the two Iroquois were hit, a Black Hawk helicopter had already spiraled down to the ground.
After a loud crash, the fallen Black Hawk turned into a massive, burning fireball.
The next to fall was the tail-rotor-less Iroquois.
The crashing Black Hawk had been spinning as it fell, while the Iroquois without a tail rotor plunged headfirst at a tremendous speed.
Just as the first Black Hawk hit the ground, the higher Iroquois followed close behind and smashed into the earth.
However, it didn’t fall on the street where Gao Yang was located, so he didn’t see the explosion of the crash, just heard a loud boom.
The other injured Black Hawk was still trying to land.
Even if it couldn’t land safely, attempting a forced landing after descending to the lowest possible altitude was the next best thing.
Black Hawks had a high survivability—if the altitude wasn’t too high, even a crash could leave several cabin members alive.
Only the Iroquois that had been hit in the belly was not only lucky but also had a highly skilled pilot.
Despite serious damage to the aircraft, the pilot miraculously managed to keep the wobbly helicopter in the air instead of going down.
There were only four anti-aircraft missiles, but there were five helicopters.
However, with four helicopters already downed, even a fool knew it was time to flee, and the sole remaining small reconnaissance helicopter turned and ran without hesitation.
Gao Yang looked up at the two wounded Iroquois helicopters in the air, not sure whether the Black Hawk would crash or manage to land, but knowing it couldn’t possibly fly away.
If the pilot could control the Black Hawk to land, it would be a great success, while the Iroquois, which had been dominant during the Vietnam War but was now obsolete, seemed like it might still manage to fly away.
Regardless of the final fate of the injured Black Hawk and Iroquois, Gao Yang was no longer too concerned.
Even if these two aircraft hadn’t been destroyed, they surely had lost the capability to keep flying and no longer posed any threat to them.
“The American’s missiles lack power, they can’t even bring it down.”
Gao Yang turned his head and glanced over—the speaker was Nate, and the two weren’t too far apart.
At that moment, Nate’s face was filled with regret, as if he was discontent that the Iroquois could still fly away.
“Enough, as long as it’s no longer a threat, that’s good enough.
Let’s hurry up and pull out.”
Gao Yang shouted to Nate before he was about to get back into the vehicle, but he noticed that Nate didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave.
Nate continued to watch the Black Hawk Helicopter that was forced to land.
Just as the Black Hawk was about to touch down, after checking where it was going to land, Nate suddenly yelled out, “That helicopter can land safely, we can’t give them a chance to fire back.
Rocket-propelled grenade, take out the Black Hawk.”
After Nate shouted the order, a member of the Angel Mercenary Corps, carrying a rocket launcher, quickly ran out.
Gao Yang and the others weren’t far from the Black Hawk Helicopter that was about to land, just over a hundred meters away.
The man with the rocket launcher ran to a relatively open area, but he didn’t fire the rocket launcher in haste.
Instead, he waited for the Black Hawk Helicopter to land.
When it was still a dozen meters off the ground, the Black Hawk Helicopter finally lost control and fell to the ground.
Yet, from this height, it was within the Black Hawk’s tolerable range for a crash landing.
Moreover, with the lift provided by the main rotor, the Black Hawk, although it fell, did not fall rapidly and should ensure that its crew would be injured but not killed, or possibly not be hurt at all.
After hitting the ground, the Black Hawk Helicopter immediately tipped onto its side.
The spinning main rotor blades struck the ground, instantly shattering into countless flying fragments, but the Black Hawk, at last, could be deemed to have made a successful forced landing—at least it didn’t turn into a raging fireball like the other two helicopters.
Without completely crashing, it still couldn’t avoid being destroyed.
The bastards of the Angel Mercenary Corps always liked to thoroughly finish things off.
The moment the Black Hawk had just touched the ground, the soldier carrying the rocket launcher immediately fired.
Before the crew inside the Black Hawk Helicopter could celebrate their fortunate landing and the passengers could attempt to escape the cabin, an AT-4 high-explosive rocket hit their helicopter.
The high-explosive rocket directly struck the top of the descending Black Hawk Helicopter.
First, there was an explosion from the rocket, followed by the helicopter’s fuel tanks igniting, then another explosion, and finally, the helicopter turned into a giant fireball.
Watching the helicopter being thoroughly destroyed, Nate satisfactorily blew a whistle and then loudly said, “Everyone in the vehicles, we’re pulling out.”
While following Nate towards their vehicles, Gao Yang, quite puzzled, said to Nate, “They were no longer a threat, why the need to completely eradicate them?
Hey, you guys didn’t have some kind of beef with Jaguar from before, did you?”
Nate didn’t even look at Gao, and with a laugh, said, “You guessed it, we’ve had run-ins with Jaguar before.
So, given the chance, we can’t let a single one of Jaguar’s men go.”
(To be continued.
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