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"Trigger, your call sign is Strider 1. You'll be leading Strider Squadron. Count, you'll be Cyclops 2. You'll be under Cyclops 1."
AWACS Long Caster

The Long Range Strategic Strike Group (長距離戦略打撃群 Chō Kyori Senryaku Dageki-gun), shortened to LRSSG (ロングレンジ部隊 Rongu Renji Butai), was an Osean military unit formed during the Lighthouse War in 2019. The unit was comprised of the Strider Squadron and Cyclops Squadron with AWACS Long Caster acting as the AWACS for the unit.

The LRSSG's goal was to circumvent the front lines and perform long-range strikes aiming at ending the war as quickly as possible.[2] After the fall of Farbanti and the death of Édouard Labarthe, the LRSSG operated under no direct orders from Osean command due to the lack of satellite communication.[3]

History[]

Formation and early operations[]

On August 10, 2019, the Osean Defense Forces formed the Long Range Strategic Strike Group, in hopes of bringing a swift end to the Lighthouse War.[4]

On the same day as the unit's creation, they took part in Operation Siren's Song, during which they eliminated the Erusean Njord Fleet alongside two supply bases in Snider's Top. This relieved the pressure on Osean forces advancing from eastern Usea,[2] as well as providing an opening to shoot down the Arsenal Bird using Stonehenge.[5]

On August 19, Operation Dragon Breath was commenced to repair and fire the functional fourth turret. With this, Osea should be able to at least shoot down one of the two Arsenal Birds protecting Selatapura and the International Space Elevator. For this mission, the LRSSG was tasked with providing close air support for the special team that was in charge of repairing and firing the railgun from enemy tanks, fighters and bombers.[5]

At some point in the operation, Arsenal Bird Liberty flew in to stop the Osean forces, and an Erusean agent disabled a survey vehicle which served as a sensor to locate and acquire targets for the gun. In order to be able to carry out the mission, it was agreed that both Wiseman and Trigger would take out the Arsenal Bird's main propellers so that it would slow down and give a chance for the ground unit under Major Deanna McOnie to visually aim. After a fierce battle against UAVs, the ground forces were able to fire the railgun and shoot down Liberty, gaining another major victory for Osea and paving the way for the liberation of the rest of the continent.[5]

Due to the loss of Arsenal Bird Liberty and the Njord Fleet, the Erusean military was losing part of its defensive capability. In response, they began launch preparations for the use of IRBMs from Sierraplata. On September 2, Strider Squadron was assigned to Operation Magic Spear to assist Osean bombers in the location and destruction of the missile silos. Eventually all of the located silos were destroyed; however Erusea had hidden multiple missiles within the area. They launched their IRBMs, but all of them were intercepted by Trigger and Strider Squadron.[6]

Alicorn crisis[]

On September 4, Trigger and a few members of the LRSSG participated in Operation Sighthound to assist an Osean naval fleet led by the OFS Puffin in the capture of an advanced Erusean nuclear submarine, the Alicorn, and her weapons of mass destruction that is being held at Artiglio Port. Due to her nature and payload, the Oseans had to contend with an extensive line of air and ground-based defenses.[7]

At some point during the operation, two Su-47 Berkuts of unknown origin arrived and started attacking both Erusean and Osean fighters before fixating on Trigger. This proved to be a challenge as the Berkuts were equipped with enhanced ECM systems, but Trigger ended up being victorious. It was later learned that the two bandits were on the same radio frequency as the Oseans, prompting the LRSSG to air concerns that a spy had already infiltrated Osean command.[7]

After all the fighters and ground units were destroyed, the Osean fleet approached the port. At the last second, Captain Matias Torres informed the renunciation of his allegiance to Erusea and ordered the submarine to open fire at the Puffin and the rest of the fleet. He also launched a team comprised of four Rafale Ms, one of which carrying a cruise missile equipped with a WMD. In the end, Trigger was able to prevent the SACS team from delivering the payload, but that action gave time for the Alicorn to submerge and escape from the area.

With the Alicorn's escape, the LRRSG were assigned to Operation Domino on September 10 in an effort to prevent the submarine's possible resupply at Anchorhead and regrouping with a mothballed Erusean fleet stationed there. The low-level infiltration by the pilots caught the Eruseans by surprise, and despite the activation of air defenses and the arrival of another fleet that was delayed due to bad weather, a large portion of the naval forces around in the city were sunk. Trigger would also shoot down five MV-22s carrying high-ranking Erusean officers fleeing the area with the aid of Tucker Team.[8]

In the middle of the operation, Strider Squadron were being targeted by SLUAVs which acted as marker drones for the rail cannon mounted in the Alicorn. One of the initial blasts from the shells heavily damaged Húxiān's aircraft which forced her to abandon the mission and go back to the base. The remaining members from the squadron had to either dodge the SLUAVs at the last second, or destroy them before the rail cannon´s shells reached the area.[8]

Once the Eruseans in Anchorhead were out of commission, the situation became more difficult with the re-appearance of Mimic Squadron, now equipped with enhanced ECM and new stealth missiles, which would not alert the targets until the very last second, giving only a little window of time to evade. Using one of the stealth missiles, they were able to hit Lanza who had to withdraw from the airspace, leaving only Trigger and Count against the two siblings. The dogfight ultimately ended with both members from Mimic Squadron being killed in action, and with the rest of Strider Squadron returning to base. Unfortunately, the Alicorn had taken advantage of the chaos and was able to resupply and flee the area without being noticed.[8]

Osean Intelligence Agency analyst David North deduced that Torres was going to launch a nuclear shell to Oured on September 19, as it was the anniversary of the end of the Continental War and huge crowds of people would be attending to the anti-war demonstrations and victory parades in the city. In order to stop him, Operation Fisherman was launched on September 14 to intercept the Alicorn over the Spring Sea with a squadron of patrol aircraft that would launch sonobuoys into the sea to locate the submarine´s general position.[9]

The situation turned to be more dificult than expected once Specter Squadron and the LRSSG arrived at the designated area, as they had to fight through waves of SLUAVs and SACS Rafales. Once the sonobuoys were deployed and the general position of the Alicorn was discovered, Trigger had to fly over the designated area with a magnetic anomaly detector to find out exactly were the Submarine was. A VL-ASROC strike from an allied fleet hit the Alicorn, forcing it to surface.[9]

As soon as the Alicorn breached the surface, it started firing at the allied fleet and launching missiles at all the aircrafts that were attacking it. After destroying its primary weapons and ballast tanks, Trigger was ordered to cease the attacks immediately by AWACS Long Caster, as Captain Torres had given an order to surrender to his crew. This turned out to only be a plot so as to gain some time to prepare the main rail cannon in the ship, but in the end, Trigger was able to take it down along with the entire submarine and thus, putting an end to the crisis.[9]

Push to Farbanti[]

One of the last phases of the strategy was Operation Werewolf, of which Strider Squadron once again took part in on September 16. The objective was to assist Basilisk Team in the capture of an Erusean air force base in Cape Rainy in northern Erusea. In order to do this, all the squadrons involved had to fly through a valley at the south of the air base under the cover of the night so as to remain undetected from Erusean patrols. Once the LRSSG passed through the valley and arrived to the objective, all the members took out the air defenses and aircraft around Cape Rainy so that the helicopter squadron carrying the marines could land. After their landing, Basilisk Team engaged in a fierce firefight for control of the base, but with the assistance of Strider Squadron, they were successful.[10]

Finally, on September 19, Operation Giant's Step took place. This meant a full scale battle over the city of Farbanti, the capital of Erusea. An Osean ground force advanced from the north and the east, a naval task force sailed from the southwest, and the LRSSG was tasked with obtaining air superiority over the city, and providing close air support for all the other forces involved in the attack. After an arduous battle, all of the Osean forces managed to converge and capture the Erusean military's general headquarters.[11]

Just as the battle was winding down, Mister X alongside the rest of the Sol Squadron appeared from low altitude and started sinking ships from the task force. In order to prevent more allied losses, Cyclops Squadron and Strider Squadron engaged in a dogfight against Sol Squadron. Unfortunately, Fencer was shot down and Wiseman was killed during the midst of combat while trying to act as bait. Simultaneously, an attack to destroy military communications satellites was carried on by both Erusea and Osea. This action created a domino effect in which the resulting debris shot down other non-military satellites, resulting in a general loss of communications which gave the remaining member of the Sol Squadron enough time to flee from the battle. The surviving members of the LRSSG would later escape to Gardos Air Base shortly after.[11]

Clandestine operations[]

With the chaos that ensued from the aftermath of the downed satellites, all of the forces that had participated up to that point in the conflict were left unable to communicate with each other and their superiors. Some of the Osean forces broke off from the main force and even some of the smaller countries that had been anexed by Erusea started their own uprisings.[12]

Despite the precarious situation, it was decided on October 1 that the LRSSG would follow the strategy that was originally planned after liberating Farbanti. This strategy meant that Cyclops Squadron would remain at the base on standby, and Strider Squadron would fly to Anchorhead for the second time to provide close air support for the convoy led by Captain Karl that would transport Édouard Labarthe, an Erusean military officer that had been working with Osea in secret and was now appointed to attend peace negotiations as a way to gain leverage. With the communications systems down, the pilots had to visually identify every possible unit in order to discern wether it was an ally or enemy. During the mission, General Labarthe went on record to confirm that the war was originally fueled by a branch of the Erusean military called the Radicals, which relied heavily on technology that was provided to them by the Belkans. Some of this technology included UAVs that were able to fake the IFF signals which were used at the start of the war in order to kill ex-president Vincent Harling and to put the blame on Osean fighters.[13]

After the convoy reached the rendezvous point and General Labarthe got into a helicopter to get out of Anchorhead, a cargo plane carrying civilians that was being escorted by fighter jets entered the operation zone. Unbeknownst to the LRSSG, the cargo plane in question was in fact carrying Dr. Schroeder and the two granddaughters of legendary ace Mihaly A. Shilage. After identifying the plane, Strider Squadron had to fend off an attack carried by some Erusean fighters that were trying to shoot down the cargo plane. After succeeding, the fighter escorts turned on the cargo plane and Strider Squadron, and it was later revealed by Schroeder that they were retroffited as UAVs. The Oseans managed to shoot them down despite the UAVs gaining access to remnant MQ-99s stationed around Anchorhead. Unfortunately, Karl and Labarthe were killed by an Osean fighter that shot down their transport after being fed false intelligence regarding the former as an Erusean spy.[13]

With the loss of Labarthe, no official orders, and a dwindling supply of resources for Gardos Air Base, it was decided on Count's suggestion that the LRSSG would fly to Tyler Island, as it was concluded that it would be an advantage point for the Osean forces, due to it already being occupied by what was left of Spare Squadron, its close proximity to the International Space Elevator in case of a future assault to reclaim it, and having a direct route to Osea for allied supply ships.[3]

Once the LRSSG arrived on the island on October 10, they realized that the situation was much more dire than what was anticipated, with several skirmishes taking place all troughout the island between various Erusean factions and Osean forces, and with clear evidence of civilians being killed near the space port. After assisting the allies on land and shooting down a formation of bombers that were headed to the island, Trigger was contacted by Avril Mead, who was alongside Tabloid, some survivors, and princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise, who had been found after the royal plane in which she was traveling had made a crash landing on the island. She asked for help with repelling Erusean forces that were near a group of refugees. Once the refugees were out of danger, Avril told the group that the Eruseans were about to launch two SSTO supply ships from the mass driver with the intention to resupply the Arsenal Bird Justice and keep the war going indefinitely. Fortunately, Trigger was able to intercept and shoot down both supply ships, thus ending the mission.[3]

Even though the operation was considered a success as the allied forces that had been left stranded there were assisted, the island itself was deemed too dangerous to act as a base for the LRSSG, with both squadrons having to fly back to their old base, and Spare escaping with the refugees in a boat.[3]

After the last sortie, the LRSSG decided to conduct Operation Beehive on October 24, an unofficial mission which included an attack on Shilage Castle. This would give the possibility for the LRSSG to resupply food, ammo and fuel. For this mission, Strider Squadron was tasked with capturing the castle meanwhile Cyclops Squadron would escort the transport planes that would carry the seized goods.[14]

Once all the air defenses surrounding the castle were eliminated, Strider Squadron engaged in a dogfight against some of the members of Sol Squadron that had been taking refuge in Shilage. Following the downing of Sol 4 and 5, Mihaly entered the airspace with an experimental X-02S Strike Wyvern and told the remaining members of his squadron to stand down and save themselves, as he would try to take down Trigger as a form of test. The LRSSG also backed off to establish a defensive perimeter to prevent any form of interference. Trigger proved to be superior in the end and was able to take down Mihaly but not before the latter could tell him to put a stop to the drone production.[14]

Ending the war[]

Sometime prior to or on October 31, the commanders of the LRSSG received a communication via the partially-restored general network. This message explained that the Erusean Radicals had gathered around the Space Elevator, as it would provide for a power energy source that would help them to prolong the war. In response to this, multiple units from both Erusea and Osea formed an informal coalition to launch a joint saturation attack against Arsenal Bird Justice from both air and sea, and then retake the Space Elevator from the Radicals. Once the LRSSG arrived at Selatapura, they were joined by several allied squadrons from different nations, with even the remaining members of Sol Squadron participating in the battle.[15]

Once air superiority was achieved, the joint saturation attack was launched against Arsenal Bird Justice but unfortunately it was stopped by the aerial warship´s Active Protection System. Following that, it started to target and destroy several of the warships that were in the area of operation. A second saturation attack was halted and Trigger was tasked with destroying all the propellers on the airship to slow it down, while the rest of the fighters would try to take care of the UAVs that were swarming the Arsenal Bird. At the same time, Princess Cossette, who had landed on the space elevator alongside Avril, Tabloid and the rest of the refugees, got into a space suit and climbed over to destroy the 6 power transmitors that were feeding energy to the APS. After that, the Arsenal Bird could no longer project its defensive shield so Trigger proceeded to destroy the propellers, offensive armaments, docking modules, and lastly, its core.[15]

Despite the downing of Justice, two unidentified aircraft approached the vicinity of the Space Elevator and proceeded to shoot down multiple coalition units. The LRSSG and the other survivors were forced to retreat from the area, and the former would link up with the aircraft carrier OFS Admiral Andersen that ran aground early on in the war.[15]

On October 31, several members of the LRSSG and the surviving coalition forces launched Operation Hush in an effort to shoot down the two UAVs, codenamed Hugin and Munin, and prevent them from transmitting the flight data of Mihaly to multiple factories scattered across Usea via the Space Elevator and create an enhanced fleet of combat drones. Despite their capabilities and escaping into the interior of the Space Elevator, Trigger would ultimately shoot them down and stop the threat, ending the war.[16]

Postwar[]

On June 30, 2020, Osea hosted a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the end of the Belkan War and invited multiple foreign nations to participate. Trigger's original F-22A Raptor and select F-15C Eagles of the LRSSG were showcased in a formation at Redmill Air Force Base alongside the air units of participating foreign nations. While Trigger and his fellow pilots were not piloting the aircraft themselves, they were present at the air base and witnessed the ceremony.[17]

Gallery[]

References[]

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