Chapter 481: Falling Into a Trap

Holding a satellite photo in hand, it clearly shows the big guys parked on the tarmac. Because Zahedan is just a small base without many hangars, many fighter planes have to be stored in the open air, including these big guys!

"Can we deal with the Soviet bombers?" a voice came from behind.

Also arriving along with the Nimitz was Jonathan Greenard, Vice Admiral of the U.S. Central Command. Faced with the sudden Iranian issue, Jonathan was also full of worries.

"Our fleet has the only Ticonderoga-class cruiser, which has the ability to resist saturation attacks, but the double-arm launcher will severely limit the launch speed. If all the bombers of this Soviet aviation regiment are deployed, our existing air defense forces will not be able to guarantee that every missile can be intercepted."

The United States' Aegis system was not as legendary as it later became. Although the first Aegis cruiser had been put into service, the MK41 vertical launch device had not yet been completed, so the Americans were still using a double-arm launcher, which was just like a semi-automatic rifle and severely limited the firing speed. If a large number of Soviet supersonic anti-ship missiles attacked, the Americans would have no ability to intercept them!

"The only way is to intercept the Soviet bombers when they fly within the range of missiles!" Miller said.

In comparison, intercepting bombers would be easier, but this is more like a dead end. Both sides are testing each other's bottom line. The Soviets only said they would conduct exercises, but did not say they would attack the US aircraft carrier formation. If the US launched a large number of carrier-based aircraft to intercept the bombers, it would lead to an escalation of the incident. Moreover, intercepting the Soviet bombers is not enough. What about the Soviet warships? There are also a large number of anti-ship missiles on them! What's more, the Soviet submarines have not been found yet, but there must be Soviet submarines underwater!

This kind of confrontation could easily lead to a hot war, but the United States must never retreat!

"Report, the location information of the Soviet aircraft carrier formation has been lost." Just then, the first mate hurried in and said.

The location information of the Soviet aircraft carrier formation has been lost!

Although an aircraft carrier formation is an extremely large target, it is still a relatively small target on the vast ocean!

Just like in a clear sky, fighter jets can ambush, at sea, if you are not careful, the enemy will disappear without a trace!

In order to lock onto the Soviet aircraft carrier formation, almost all American satellites that could bypass the Arabian Sea were aimed at this sea area, but today was an exception! With the arrival of the Soviet Tu-22M bomber, in order to determine whether the Soviets were serious, American satellites adjusted their orbits and flew over Zahedan, taking countless clear pictures. Some even showed ground crews maintaining anti-ship missiles!

Unfortunately, these are all Soviet conspiracies! The Soviets turned away the American satellites overhead, and then they got away with it?

After receiving this news, Miller's expression suddenly became more tense. For a captain, the disappearance of the target means defeat for his side. In a naval battle, the next step after losing the target is to suffer a sneak attack!

"Have you searched the waters near us?" Miller asked.

After discovering that the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet had disappeared, the CIA, which was responsible for intelligence gathering, must have been the first to enter a state of tension. All the pictures of the surrounding waters that could be interpreted must have been interpreted. As soon as he asked this question, Miller knew that the question was wrong, and immediately followed up with: "Ejection early warning aircraft, two, no, four Tomcat escorts, search within a range of 400 kilometers around us!"

We can't rely on satellites in the sky, we can only rely on ourselves! Send out E-2 early warning aircraft, the search distance for the aircraft carrier formation is at least 400 kilometers! At the same time, in order to avoid encounters with Soviet carrier-based aircraft, we must send more escort aircraft!

"Report, Zahedan's Soviet bomber unit has taken off! It is expected to arrive in the waters near our formation in two hours."

Tu-22M also took off? Vice Admiral Jonathan looked at the sea chart. The current situation was very clear. The Soviet aircraft carriers had gone to hide somewhere, and their bombers were dispatched. Could it be that they really intended to go to war with the US Navy? The Soviets should not be so stupid, right? Their strategic goal had been achieved. Was it worth it to go to war with the US Navy? If World War III really started, what would be the benefit to the Soviet Union? That Andropov didn't seem to be a stubborn person, did he?

Continuing to scan the nautical chart in front of him, when Jonathan's eyes fell on a certain location in the west, he was suddenly surprised.

"Full speed ahead, target northwest, Gulf of Oman!" Lieutenant General Jonathan said, "We have fallen into a Soviet trap!"

The Gulf of Oman! Miller's eyes also swept over there, followed by the same burst of anger. He had indeed fallen into a trap! Cunning Soviets!

Gulf of Oman! The northwest bay of the Arabian Sea is located between Oman and Iran on the Arabian Peninsula. The north-south line runs from Ras al-Had in Oman on the Arabian Peninsula to Gawatl in the southeastern tip of Iran. Here, it is like the mouth of a trumpet, and the mouth of the trumpet is the Strait of Hormuz!

The Soviets deployed Tu-22M bombers with great fanfare, clearly intending to compete with the US Navy's aircraft carriers. This was just a ruse! Just as the United States set its sights on Zahedan, the Soviet naval fleet had already left the Arabian Sea and headed for the Gulf of Oman under cover of night, after the satellites had been moved away!

We have been searching for the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet in the Arabian Sea, but of course we can't find it! The Soviet Navy's combat target is no longer the US Navy, but the port of Abbas on the north side of the Strait of Hormuz!

If the Soviet Union controls this place, it will control the entire Persian Gulf! At that time, if the countries along the Persian Gulf want to export oil, they will have to look at the face of the Soviet Union!

These damn guys! Originally, the US top brass thought that the Soviet Union's goal was to open up a passage to the south and enter the Indian Ocean. But now, it is obvious that the Soviets are no longer satisfied with the existing roads, they also want to completely control the Persian Gulf!

Full speed ahead! Miller immediately agreed with Jonathan's opinion. The Soviet aircraft carrier must have reached the Gulf of Oman! We are lagging behind again, and we must rush there quickly to disrupt the Soviet plan!

Those bombers, deployed to Zahedan, are probably also going to bomb the port of Abbas, right?