The Empire Army had already commissioned the manufacturer to convert a portion of the "ZT-99A" into export models and exported them as second-hand goods.
According to the previous plan, even the units that weren’t sold would be stored within a few years.
Of course, given the current situation, the likelihood of storage was no longer there.
Now, these "ZT-99AG" tanks, equipped with new armor-piercing bullets, were charging towards the armored clusters of the Luosha Army.
"Sir!"
Lian Mingyang nodded, indicating that he had seen it.
Although it was several thousand ters away, the muzzle flash from the tank guns firing was still clearly visible.
When they were about 3000 ters from the Luosha armored clusters, those "ZT-99A" tanks fired, and judging from the number of muzzle flashes, the frontline main battle tanks were about 30 in number, which roughly equated to one Armored Battalion.
However, that distance was far too great!
"...11, 12, 13..."
"How many did we hit?"
"14 or 15."
After Jiang Shanggui answered, Lian Mingyang nodded slightly.
A hit rate of less than 50% didn’t seem very high but was actually quite impressive.
The distance was over 3000 ters, and those "ZT-99AG" tanks didn’t stop while firing; the Luosha Army’s tanks were also in motion.
In actual combat, a hit rate close to 50% in a moving-to-moving scenario was quite high!
In fact, the enemy’s reaction was more telling.
After being suddenly struck, those T-80Us didn’t imdiately return fire, even though they had cannon-launched anti-tank missiles with a theoretical range of up to 5000 ters.
Clearly, the enemy tankers didn’t have much confidence in these missiles.
The enemy’s first reaction was to deploy smoke screens!
In just a few seconds, dozens of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles had all launched smoke grenades.
Crucially, most of the tanks were reversing, that is, hiding inside the smoke to maneuver under its cover, seeking an advantageous opportunity to counterattack.
This was basic, or rather, a very common tactic.
Although Lian Mingyang wasn’t a tanker, as a pilot of an attack helicopter specializing in combating tanks, he had to be thoroughly familiar with tank tactics.
At that mont, the mobility of the T-80Us was fully demonstrated.
However, the opposite "ZT-99AG" tanks were not outclassed.
If anything, advanced electronic equipnt, especially the sighting devices, partly compensated for the lack of mobility, and the 1200 horsepower diesel engine’s acceleration was slightly inferior.
While firing, the "ZT-99AG" tanks didn’t stop or even slow down, reaching speeds of up to 30 kiloters per hour.
More than ten seconds later, these "ZT-99AG" tanks fired again, this ti targeting the infantry fighting vehicles which were further away and hadn’t had the chance to deploy smoke screens yet.
Subsequently, the leading "ZT-99AG" tanks began moving westward, with the following infantry fighting vehicles continuing their advance in a southwest direction.
This was also typical armored warfare tactic.
The smoke screen wouldn’t last forever, at most a few minutes, and those retreating T-80Us would definitely re-erge from another direction.
Placing infantry fighting vehicles at the front, slightly farther away, to use anti-tank missiles to suppress the enemy enabled the tanks to envelop them from the side.
It must be admitted, the 22nd Armored Division truly was one of the elite units of the Eastern Luosha Army.
Of course, this had to do with their regular confrontation training with the Empire Army.
As for these tactics, they were actually learned from the Empire Army. The key point was that the Luosha Army’s tanks had a low hit rate at long distances, so it was crucial to control the engagent distance and avoid entering within 2000 ters too early.
As for ammunition consumption, it wasn’t really a big issue.
What needed to be worried about were the enemy’s cannon-launched missiles.
However, for the "ZT-99AG", it wasn’t much of a problem, as both the turret and front armor of the "ZT-99AG" were equivalent to 1000 milliters of homogeneous armor, while the 9M119 missiles equipped to the T-80Us definitely didn’t have an armor-penetration depth of 1000 milliters.
According to intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Bureau, the penetration depth of the 9M119 was around 800 milliters, at most 900 milliters.
It wasn’t that we looked down on Luosha, but the caliber of the tank gun limited the missile’s penetrating warhead diater, thus limiting its armor-piercing capability.
The following infantry fighting vehicles, in fact, needed to worry.
This was also why the infantry fighting vehicles and tanks maintained a distance of over 2000 ters, and why their advance speed was slightly slower.
Don’t forget, the range of the gun-fired missile is only 5000 ters.
On the other hand, the maximum range of the heavy anti-tank missile carried by the infantry fighting vehicles could reach 8000 ters, and the actual range would definitely exceed 6000 ters, allowing them to fire outside the enemy’s missile range and avoid entering the strike range too early.
As for the actual range being 2000 ters less than the maximum range, it wasn’t a problem with the missile, but the sighting system.
If you can’t see or aim properly, the missile being able to travel far is useless.
However, the situation nearly reversed instantly.
When those objects, resembling teors, fell from the sky, Lian Mingyang didn’t react imdiately, but he was soon horrified.
It wasn’t artillery shells.
They were rockets!
At least an entire long-range artillery battalion’s focused assault!
That was just too ruthless.
Hundreds of rockets were flying in, and they were likely all equipped with anti-armor submunitions, spreading over a range large enough to cover most of the "ZT-99AG."
Clearly, the enemy had discovered this reprisal force early on, only the preparations took a bit longer.
The crucial point was, on the west, perhaps on the other side of the Volga River, there was definitely a Group Army level force equipped with long-range rocket artillery.
It must be said, long-range rocket artillery had always been a strength of the Western Luosha Army.
The 9A52, nicknad "Tornado," had a maximum range of 70 kiloters and could fire 12 rockets equipped with anti-armor submunitions at once.
With 9 "Tornadoes" in an artillery battalion firing simultaneously, theoretically, they could destroy all the tanks and armored vehicles of an entire gathered armored brigade.
They were just as powerful against an advancing armored force.
In large-scale warfare, the primary value of long-range rocket artillery was to obstruct the enemy’s armored forces, and deplete as much of the enemy’s armor as possible.
Actually, the Empire’s Army also had long-range rocket artillery, similarly assigned to corps-level combat units, mainly for dealing with Western Luosha’s torrent of steel.
Just a single barrage, and more than thirty tanks of a battalion were lost over half!
That was just too tragic!
The remaining about ten "ZT-99AGs," after firing for the third ti, imdiately deployed smoke grenades and it was evident they were all reversing.
Moreover, the infantry fighting vehicles at the front also fired at this ti, even using machine guns.
With most of the tanks lost, this battle was utterly unwinnable, and without retreat, complete annihilation was certain!
Fortunately, the Western Luosha armored forces had also suffered heavy losses.
Subject to three rounds of attacks, they were unable to counter at all!
Even though in the last two volleys, the "ZT-99AGs" hit rate wasn’t very high, they still achieved so results, destroying nearly 30 tanks and armored vehicles in total. Including those previously destroyed by ard helicopters, the loss of Western Luosha forces in this area was roughly equivalent to an armored brigade.
That’s why, when the "ZT-99AGs" released smoke and retreated, the Western Luosha tanks didn’t pursue but instead deployed BMP infantry fighting vehicles.
This was a very wise decision.
The "ZT-99AG," even while retreating, posed a lethal threat; its armor-piercing bullets did not lose half their power due to the retreat.
Besides, all the "ZT-99AGs" were reversing, their turrets still aid at the Western Luosha armored cluster.
Because the reverse speed was relatively slower, the "ZT-99AGs’" hit rate would actually increase significantly during retreat.
This short, yet imnsely intense tank battle thus ca to an end.
Lian Mingyang also deeply lanted that if it weren’t for the artillery attack, the "ZT-99AG" of the 22nd Armored Division could perhaps have completely wiped out Western Luosha’s armored cluster, creating a small climax of reprisal in that area, thereby breaking the assault montum of the Western Luosha forces in that direction.
However, there are no "ifs" in battle.
While Lian Mingyang and Jiang Shanggui watched the 22nd Armored Division’s reprisal forces retreat, shouts were heard from the west of the forest.
It was the Western Luosha Army soldiers.
A squad of about dozens, nearly a platoon of infantry.
Clearly, they must have seen the crashed "Z-10A."
Lian Mingyang and Jiang Shanggui climbed the tree for the sole purpose of avoiding the pursuing forces that were soon to arrive, not to enjoy a spectacle.
Of course, before climbing up, the two cleared the leftover traces and even sprinkled the drug powder stored in the survival pack, designed to deal with military dogs, around the area. But now it seed, the arriving force was just a regular unit, not specifically searching for hidden helicopter pilots.
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