"I understand. I will order the Far East military base to fully cooperate with you." The Russian President made a decisive statement. Since Japan wanted to escalate the situation, Russia would not back down!
"Understood, Mr. President. Thank you for your support!" The Navy Marshal felt a wave of relief upon hearing the words "Far East Military Base."
Russia had more than a dozen military bases in its Far Eastern frontier. Among them, the Dolinsk Air Base and the Vladivostok (formerly Port Arthur) Air Base were the closest to the exercise area.
As soon as the President issued the order, Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter jets from these air bases could reach the battlefield within 15 minutes, catching Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force off guard!
Two minutes later, Dolinsk Air Base and Vladivostok Air Base, following the President's command, dispatched 12 Su-27 fighter jets and 15 MiG-29 fighter jets toward Japanese waters.
Upon receiving this intelligence, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force immediately dispatched twice the number of F-4EJ and F-2 fighter jets to intercept.
The F-4EJ fighter jets were second-generation aircraft purchased from the United States, while the F-2 jets were third-generation. Compared to Russia's Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters, they were not on the same level.
That was why the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force sent double the number of aircraft to compensate for the power imbalance.
However! What they didn't expect was that, in addition to the 27 Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters that had just taken off...
Russia's Far East Air Force Base also deployed four Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers—each carrying several tons of nuclear missiles—heading straight for the Japanese archipelago!
At Japan's main air force base, an intelligence officer rushed into the operations center, urgently reporting to the commanding general.
"General! We have an emergency! Our reconnaissance aircraft just detected four Russian Tu-95 long-range bombers! They appear to be carrying nuclear warheads and are headed toward our country! Two of them are flying over the Sea of Japan toward Okinawa, while the other two are approaching Tokyo and Osaka from the Pacific Ocean!"
The intelligence officer delivered his report with the urgency of a crisis.
The Tu-95 strategic bomber, codenamed "Bear" by NATO, had earned its name due to its massive payload capacity—25,000 kilograms (25 tons) of nuclear weapons!
This was equivalent to a Tsar Bomba, capable of delivering a 50-megaton TNT explosion—3,800 times more powerful than the atomic bombs the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II!
"What?! Four Tu-95 bombers? And they're carrying nuclear warheads?!" The Japanese Air Force General was stunned! The fear of nuclear weapons ran deep in Japan's national psyche—a terror ingrained in their very souls.
"Deploy every available fighter jet from all bases immediately! We must intercept them before they enter our airspace!"
"And get me connected to the Prime Minister immediately! He must be informed of this situation!" The Japanese Air Force General was drenched in cold sweat. He had assumed that Russia's Far East Air Force Base would only send fighter jets to support the situation over the Sea of Japan.
But never—never—had he expected this level of escalation!
Four Tu-95 bombers—armed with nuclear warheads!
If Russia acted on impulse and dropped them, Japan could be wiped off the map in an instant!
"General, the Prime Minister is on the line!" An intelligence officer hurriedly handed over the phone.
The Japanese Air Force General grabbed it and urgently reported, "Prime Minister! We have an emergency! Russia's Air Force has deployed four Tu-95 strategic bombers, and they appear to be carrying nuclear missiles, heading toward Japan!"
On the other end of the line, Japan's Prime Minister turned pale instantly.
"What?! Russia has deployed nuclear weapons?!" he asked, his voice filled with shock.
Nuclear weapons had always been Japan's greatest vulnerability.
Despite having a formidable Maritime Self-Defense Force with numerous helicopter carriers, destroyers, anti-submarine ships, and anti-ship aircraft, they did not possess nuclear weapons.
Japan was not afraid of a conventional war with Russia—but a nuclear attack was a different story.
Meanwhile, as Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled to alert the Prime Minister...
Near the tense standoff between the Russian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, an enormous jet-black warship suddenly appeared on the horizon!
Trailing behind this massive warship were:
- Six modern destroyers
- Three Kirov-class cruisers
- Fifteen Grisha-class frigates
- Eleven Albatross-class light anti-submarine ships
It was the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier battle group!
Russia's most powerful naval force!
The moment the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted a real aircraft carrier battle group, chaos erupted. Their helicopter carriers were no match for an actual aircraft carrier in combat capability!
After all, no matter how many attack helicopters Japan deployed, they stood no chance against fighter jets—especially against Russia's third- and fourth-generation jets, which had the advantage of speed, altitude, and aerial combat tactics.
Even if Japan's attack helicopters were armed with infrared air-to-air missiles, their effectiveness was barely better than anti-aircraft guns. Unless the fighter pilots made a serious mistake, the helicopters had virtually no chance of victory.
Escape? Not an option. They would be shot down in minutes!
"Vice Admiral Kazuo Ikeda! That's Russia's Northern Fleet—led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier battle group! Their carrier-based fighters—30 in total—have already taken off! They are heading straight for our attack helicopter fleet and mothership!" The deputy commander reported in a panic.
The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, Russia's only active aircraft carrier, measured 302 meters long, 72 meters wide, with a 10.5-meter draft and a full displacement of 67,500 tons, capable of reaching a top speed of 30 knots.
It could carry up to 52 carrier-based aircraft, including:
- 20 Su-33 fighter jets
- 12 MiG-29K fighter jets
- 15 Ka-27 attack helicopters
Beneath its forward flight deck, the carrier housed a 12-cell 3K-45 "Granit" anti-ship missile vertical launch system, loaded with 12 P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles. These missiles could receive satellite-targeting data and conduct beyond-visual-range strikes with a maximum range of 550 kilometers!
With the arrival of Russia's aircraft carrier battle group, the battlefield situation immediately turned against Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.
(End of Chapter)