by Tom Jones
Around the same time that the MAV-29’s WSO had completed the test of the laser weapon system, he could see a tan MQ-8B Fire Scout enter his field of vision and begin to hover in place. The MQ-8B pilot spoke over the radio to the control tower again, “Command, this is Peafowl. I have arrived at the operations area. Over.” The control tower could visually see the unmanned helicopter hovering over a location that would be safe for it to crash if it were to be taken down by the laser. Underneath the flight path unmanned helicopter, there was an array of stationary targets; each of them spread apart by about twenty meters. The targets and the UAV were all positioned about two hundred meters from the location of the parked MAV-29. With everything in place, the control tower spoke to the MAV-29 pilot, “Softshell, we are ready for the testing operation. The first test is to track the unmanned helicopter with low power output. Do not shoot down the UAV. Proceed with the test. You are weapons free.”
The MAV-29 pilot briefly replied to the tower to acknowledge the order, “Roger. Beginning test now. Standby for effect on target.” The pilot turned to his immediate right, and he gave the weapon systems officer the go-ahead to aim the laser and fire it at the UAV. The WSO grabbed a control stick on the instrument panel, and he looked at the infrared display that also contained a system for the laser weapon system to lock on to certain objects. In this case, the WSO was able to lock on to the MQ-8B, and he made sure that the laser was operating under low power output before firing at the helicopter. The laser beam was visible from the infrared display, but it was completely invisible to the naked eye. Since the control tower did have some infrared imaging equipment installed, the mission controller was able to see the beam as it fired directly on the hull of the Fire Scout. The WSO made sure to aim a bit higher when targeting the UAV; he did not want to bombard the pilot’s camera with light that would prevent him from being able to see. Though the pilot’s eyes would not be damaged from viewing the laser through the camera, the light would still be visible from the camera, and the pilot would be unable to see where the aircraft was flying if his camera feed was lit up by the laser.
The mission controller spoke over the radio to both the MAV-29 and the MQ-8B, “Positive effect on target. Phase one of the test has been completed. Standby for phase two of the test.” When the WSO heard the radio transmission, he disabled the MAV-29’s laser, and he waited for the mission controller to commence the next phase. As the WSO waited for the next phase to begin, the pilot of the MAV-29 commented aloud to his crewmate, “So far so good.” The mission controller changed the channel on his radio again, and he spoke to the pilot of the Fire Scout, “Peafowl, begin the next phase of the operation. Fly around the area of operations, but make sure that you do not exit the designated area. Over.” The pilot of the unmanned helicopter replied to the mission controller right before he disabled the automated aircraft stabilization system, “Copy. Peafowl proceeding to phase two.” The human pilot started by pushing the rudder pedals in his cockpit, and he rotated the aircraft about ninety degrees to the left. He then pushed the stick forwards and gave the aircraft throttle to make it fly forwards. After flying a couple hundred meters, the pilot turned around and proceeded in the opposite direction. Each time the pilot flew to the edge of the operations area, he turned around to fly to the other end.
After a few cycles of repeating the process, the mission controller spoke to the MAV-29 operators, “Beginning phase two of the operation. Target the UAV. You are weapons free.” The MAV-29’s WSO activated the laser weapon system once again, and he used the stick to guide the targeting reticle on top of the Fire Scout. It did not take long for the targeting system to lock on to the MQ-8B, and the WSO activated the laser beam once the Fire Scout was locked within the reticle. The laser fired at the center fuselage of the aircraft, and it even stayed on the aircraft when it changed direction. After a few more laps around the operations area, the mission controller declared that the results were satisfactory, “Phase two of the test has been completed. Standby for phase three.” Once again, the WSO disabled the laser beam, and he disengaged the target lock which was still moving the laser back and forth in synchronicity with the movements of the unmanned helicopter. With the laser no longer seeking a target, the WSO aimed the laser downwards at the stationary targets, but he did not open fire. The mission controller spoke to the pilot of the Fire Scout again, “Peafowl, your part in the mission is complete. Land your UAV on helipad 6A. Over.” The UAV pilot replied to the mission controller as he increased the helicopter’s attitude to exit the area of operations, “Roger. Withdrawing from the mission area.”
Once the Fire Scout had moved out of the way from the MAV-29, the mission controller spoke to the crew of the vehicle once again, “Softshell, it is time to begin phase three of the test: Fire the laser at each stationary target with maximum power output.” The pilot of the MAV-29 acknowledged the new order, “Solid copy. Beginning phase three of the operation.” Once the pilot finished speaking to the mission controller, the WSO used the stick to manually move the reticle over the center of the target that was downrange. By using a zoom feature on the targeting camera, the WSO was able to get a better view of the target he was aiming at, and he made sure that the laser’s reticle was placed directly in the middle of the target before even starting to turn up the power. Once the reticle was in the middle of the target, the WSO turned up the power, and once the power was at its maximum output, the pilot fired at the target. The laser made quick work of the target, and the WSO had to turn off the beam before the laser began to severely overpenetrate the target. From the view of the pilot, the target simply appeared to disintegrate as it was engulfed in flames. However, the WSO and the control tower were both able to see the beam of intensified light strike the target and burn through it thanks to their imaging hardware.
With the first target down, the WSO used the stick to aim the reticle at the next target. Aiming at the next target took less time than aiming at the first; both of them were at the same elevation. Once the WSO centered the reticle over the second target, he activated the laser and watched as it disintegrated the second target. As the target was destroyed, the WSO disabled the laser and promptly moved on to the next target. The pilot was not looking at the infrared display, so he was only watching the targets spontaneously combust. The pilot was surprised by how little noise the laser was making. In fact, the vehicle’s engine seemed louder than the noise generated by the laser device operating at full power. As the WSO continued to destroy the targets, the pilot spoke aloud, “This thing’s pretty scary. You can’t see where the laser’s coming from, and you also can’t hear it unless you’re standing close enough to the vehicle.” The WSO replied as he continued to use the laser, “Especially since this thing can take down aircraft and burn through armored land vehicles, I’d say it’s pretty dangerous.”
The pilot spoke about a rumor he heard regarding the production of the MAV-29, “Have you heard the story about a similar vehicle being held in a remote island further north in the country?” The WSO was not present for the raid on Facility Zero, “Nope, but I do remember some CDI guys from elsewhere flying in some hardware that was used to develop this.” The pilot shrugged, “Well, where do you think that came from?” The WSO did not spend too much time thinking about the origin of the MAV-29, “No idea. I do remember hearing about something involving a CDI aircraft carrier that happened about two or so years ago. I don’t think I was at this base until 2029 when they already had this thing being built.” The pilot decided that the WSO did not know anything more than he already knew about the MAV-29’s development, so he just decided to sit back and watch as the distant targets burst into flames. The pilot could not help but still think about that one rumor involving a CDI attack on a secret developmental facility, but the incident seemed to be something that not too many people even heard about. The pilot was not really sure if the event even occurred or not. It could have just been a rumor started to make a boring operation sound thrilling.
As the WSO finished shooting the last target, the pilot looked up at the sky, and he could see about four distant aircraft approaching. The pilot squinted, but he was not able to see any details from his location. Turning to the WSO, the pilot pointed out the MAV-29’s front window, “Do you see that? Are those four helicopters heading our way?” The WSO was not sure what the pilot was talking about, “Four helicopters? Where do you see those?” The pilot pointed from his seat yet again, “Right there. Twelve o’clock high. Do you not see them? The WSO used the infrared targeting system to look up into the sky, and he was able to view the approaching aircraft. The WSO spoke, “Oh shit… I see what you mean. Are these our guys?” The pilot peeked over to view the WSO’s targeting screen and get a view of the helicopters. The four helicopters were not aircraft models flown by CDI, and they almost looked like Sikorsky S-70s but with non-standard angular airframes. The pilot commented on the irregular aircraft type, “CDI doesn’t fly those, and I’ve never seen those around here before.” Before the WSO could say anything, the pilot contacted the control tower, “Control, this is Softshell. We have located a flight of four helicopters approaching the base from the west. Can you confirm that these are allied aircraft? Over.”
The control tower looked at the radar and was unable to see any airborne craft. After a few moments of searching with the radar to no avail, the control tower replied, “Softshell, we do not see any approaching aircraft on our radar. Do you have visual contact with the flight in question? Over.” The pilot continued to look at the screen, and he asked the WSO for the approximate location of the flight, “What’s the bearing?” The WSO replied as he checked the digital compass in the vehicle, “That’ll be bearing 280, and their altitude seems to be about five thousand feet.” The pilot replied to the control tower with the new information, “Control, this is Softshell. We have confirmed visual contact with the flight: Bearing 280; altitude five thousand feet and descending.” The control tower looked out the window for himself; he knew which direction pointed him to the west. After looking up into the sky, the mission controller was able to see flight for himself. The controller went to look back at the radar, but he still could not see the aircraft. The controller tuned his radio and broadcasted in order to hopefully transmit to the incoming aircraft, “To the flight of four unidentified aircraft: You are approaching a restricted airspace. Divert your course immediately, and state your affiliations and intentions. If you do not comply, we will shoot you down.”
The transmission was heard by the Mobile Task Group, but they did not have the intention to reply in mind. The MTG unit was rather surprised to be hearing such a message. After all, their MH-60X Stealth Hawk was designed with the intention in mind to evade radar detection. The operators felt that since they were hearing the warning message, somebody from the ground must have visually located the flight and reported it. Though the MTG was close enough to the ground to see the MAV-29, they flight did not really see the vehicle as a threat. The vehicle seemed to be way too small to be the spiritual successor to the Dreadnought, and they were too far away to see what the Arvak was equipped with. Nevertheless, the flight continued their approach to the CDI base: Each helicopter held eight MTG units, and they would deploy on the ground and eliminate any oppositional forces deployed against them. The MTG was hoping to fly in undetected with the element of surprise, but it seems that the ground forces were already alert to their presence.
The control tower spoke again to the flight, “Unidentified aircraft: You are entering a restricted airspace. Divert your course immediately or we will fire upon your flight.” The WSO was in the process of locking on to the lead aircraft with the laser weapon system while he waited for the control tower to give the clearance to engage the approaching flight. Since the flight was both flying towards the base and lowering their altitude, the WSO was having an easier time getting a target lock. The WSO decided to aim directly at the starboard engine of the MH-60X, and he would plan on firing at the engine to disable the helicopter. Preparing the laser, the WSO raised the power level back to its maximum output capacity, and he did everything he needed to aside from pulling the trigger. The control tower waited a few more moments as he visually watched the flight descend upon the base. The base was now on alert, and a couple CDI Iveco LMVs were starting to drive out to the tarmac in order to confront the flight if they were able to land within the base. The control tower repeated the message yet again, “To the unidentified aircraft on approach: You are in violation of our airspace. Divert your course and exit our airspace. Failure to comply will mean the destruction of your flight.”
The radio message was heard by the MTG units once more, but they were not swayed. They could see the few LMVs gathering on the tarmac, and they were expecting a firefight once on the ground. The pilot of the lead Stealth Hawk spoke to the operatives on board, “They know we’re coming. This landing is going to be rough. Hold on.” The operatives in the helicopter, all dressed in Kryptek Obskura Transitional and Kryptek Mandrake all held on to their weapons and to the railing in the helicopter to keep their balance. The men were equipped with a mix between Desert Tech MDRs and Haenel Defence MK556s. As the flight of helicopters continued to descend at a more rough pace, the control tower broadcasted the radio transmission one last time, “To the flight of four unidentified aircraft: You are in violation of our restricted airspace. Divert your course immediately and withdraw from our airspace. If you do not comply, you will be shot down. This is your last warning: If you do not divert your course immediately, you will be fired upon.”
The helicopter flight continued on the course towards the base, and the WSO was already aiming directly at the lead aircraft. Since the MH-60Xs were made with stealth operations in mind, they had small radar cross-sections, so they were extremely hard to detect by radar equipment. They also had modified engine housing that would leave behind a minimal infrared signature as well to protect them to an extent from being targeted by weapons such as the FIM-92 Stinger. The Stealth Hawk was effectively invisible to radar, and it was also difficult to be targeted by an infrared-guided missile. Since other missile types were radar guided, the Stealth Hawk could only be effectively shot down by manually fired weaponry. However, the Mobile Task Group was unaware of the laser weapon that was being manually aimed directly at their starboard engine. With the WSO poised to take the shot, all he was waiting for was the control tower to give the order. After a few more moments, the control tower finally spoke to all of the CDI units over the radio, “Attention all callsign: You are cleared to engage the approaching flight. Fire at your own discretion.” With the clearance to engage given, the WSO wasted no time holding the trigger down on the laser weapon to fire upon the Stealth Hawk he was aiming at.
The WSO fired the laser of the MAV-29, and the concentrated beam did not take long to ignite the starboard engine of the MH-60X. Since the helicopter was still in the process of making its descent, the pilot immediately lost control of the aircraft due to the unexpected loss of the engine. The pilot was also unable to see what hit the aircraft; he was entirely caught off-guard by the event. Since the pilot was unable to recover the helicopter in time, it impacted directly into the ground and burst into flames as it exploded. The wreckage rolled on the ground, and a fireball blew into the air. While the laser was turning to attack another target, the other three helicopters had finally moved close enough to the ground to deploy the Mobile Task Group. All of the operators disembarked from the helicopters, but a few of the operatives were struck by debris when another Stealth Hawk was struck down by the MAV-29’s laser weapon system. With two helicopters down, the pilots of the remaining Stealth Hawks knew that they would definitely not be able to exit the combat area; they knew they would be shot down by the MAV-29. In a last-ditch effort to make use of the helicopters in the dire situation, the pilots began flying directly towards the vehicle in the hopes of destroying it with a suicide attack. The MAV-29 fired its laser at one of the incoming helicopters, and the Stealth Hawk cras
hed into the ground before it was able to get close enough to the stationary vehicle.
With one last helicopter closing in, the pilot of the MAV-29 stepped on the throttle, and he tried to move the rather slow vehicle out of the way of the incoming helicopter. The pilot exclaimed as he saw the helicopter adjusting its course to ram into the moving vehicle, “Oh shit!” Though the pilot was beginning to panic, fearing an imminent impact, the WSO was already aiming the Shipunov 2A42 autocannon at the helicopter. The WSO aimed at the approaching Stealth Hawk, and he fired the 30mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds at the helicopter. Within seconds, the MH-60X took critical damage to its airframe, and it was unable to continue on its current flight path. The MH-60X flew past the MAV-29, unable to turn around, and it impacted into the ground. Though the helicopter did make contact with the ground, it still took time for the remains of the Stealth Hawk to come to a complete stop. Some shrapnel from the downed helicopter impacted into the side of the hangar which the MAV-29 initially exited from, but it did not do considerable damage to the infrastructure. None of the shrapnel penetrated the buildings either.