Chapter 192

In the past, the Ugly Army could have relied on its superior air force to bomb the entire city of Homs.

But ever since that world-shocking air battle more than a month ago,

the Ugly Army now rarely concentrates its air force for use,

aiming to prevent the Xuzheng Prefecture from acting out of desperation and hiring pilots from the DWS platform again, before finding a countermeasure against the J-20.

The Ugly Country does not want to risk having its air force completely annihilated by appearing on the Xuzheng battlefield.

After all, the memory of a single DWS pilot single-handedly destroying a hundred Israeli aircraft remains vivid.

(PS: For this new book, I beg for flowers, tips, and review votes; your support is the author's motivation!)

For this reason, the U.S. Department of Defense formulated a strategy of dispersed small-unit raids.

Even if they encountered advanced fighter jets from the DWS platform, they would lose at most a few aircraft.

Unlike last time, when the U.S. lost an entire fighter squadron outright.

Of course, the U.S. is now actively advancing research on anti-stealth radar and beyond-visual-range missiles.

Hoping to catch up with Dragon Country in this aspect.

However, the U.S. forces are now encountering trouble on the front lines.

Urban warfare and suicide drones from the Syrian side have caused them considerable trouble.

In such urban terrain, even elite tank units find it difficult to deploy.

Yet these Syrian troops can leverage favorable terrain to launch surprise attacks.

Various RPGs and Javelin anti-tank missiles were deployed in turns.

Causing significant losses to the U.S. armored forces.

The only potential advantages for the U.S.-led coalition lie in satellites and firepower.

However, it is evident that the Syrian forces, having retreated to Homs City, had not only gathered a large number of troops there,

but the city also possessed an extensive network of underground tunnels and numerous hidden firing positions.

In short, even relying on its military strength and current troop levels,

it would be very difficult for the U.S. forces to achieve a frontal breakthrough of Homs City's defenses in a short time.

Of course, this certainly does not represent the full strength of the U.S. forces.

40,000 personnel),

deploying 4,300 tanks, 5,600 armored vehicles, 4,000 combat aircraft, 2,300 artillery pieces, and 400 warships.

Currently, in dealing with Syria, the U.S. forces have used only a fraction of their military capability.

However, compared to the period of the Gulf War,

the U.S. forces now face numerous problems.

Domestic economic growth in the U.S. has stagnated, internal racial conflicts and immigration issues are intensifying, and so on.

Coupled with the declining prestige of the U.S. globally at this time.

Especially following the sinking of an aircraft carrier and the destruction of an F-22.

Many nations feel that the once-mighty U.S. military is now nothing special.

This is also the reason why so few countries responded to this multinational coalition.

It seems no one wants to join the U.S. forces in fighting a meaningless war of aggression anymore.

In short, for the currently declining U.S. to launch a battle on the scale of the Gulf War again,

is actually very difficult.

At this moment, war correspondents from various countries are conducting live reports from locations not far from the front lines.

Over the past few days, domestic media have reported in detail on this conflict.

The offensive and defensive battles between both sides have repeatedly refreshed people's understanding of modern warfare.

However, after several days of stalemate between the two sides,

an encounter battle completely captured the world's attention.

A U.S. armored brigade, comprising over 4,000 personnel and equipped with 87 M1A2 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles.

Was ambushed and intercepted by the Syrian side in Homs City.

Both sides erupted into a large-scale tank slaughter battle.

However, what astonished countless people worldwide the most was that

the tanks on both sides were actually M1A2 Abrams.

The only difference was that the U.S. tanks were domestically produced by the U.S.,

while the Syrian side's were sold via the DWS platform.

In this battle, the Syrian side deployed 90 tanks across two brigades, totaling approximately 8,000 personnel.

Launching a frontal attack against the U.S. forces.

On the plains, both sides began to engage in fierce combat.

Thus, an incredible scene unfolded.

Syrian tanks and U.S. tanks, both painted in desert camouflage, simultaneously turned their turrets.

Once within a range of two kilometers, both sides began firing at each other.

In fact, this unit belonged to the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division, III Corps of the U.S. Army.

Originally stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, U.S.,

they were transported to the Syrian battlefield following President Xiao Ao's war order.

However, just as these men encountered the Syrian army,

they were met with a devastating counterattack.

Originally, these U.S. soldiers did not think much of it,

after all, some of them had participated in the 2003 war against Iraq.

In their view, hadn't they crippled Iraq, one of the two Middle Eastern powers back then?

In terms of actual strength, Syria simply could not compare to Iraq of those years, even though Syria had the support of the so-called evil nation of Iran behind it,

as well as assistance from the DWS platform.

But in terms of overall strength, the U.S. forces still held an absolute advantage.

Yet, just after being dispatched to the Syrian battlefield, what did they witness?

Many Ugly Army soldiers were dumbfounded, rubbing their eyes repeatedly to confirm they were not seeing an illusion.

The opposing side was uniformly equipped with Ugly-made gear.

Even the paint schemes on both sides' tanks were identical; fortunately, the Xuzheng side had painted the Xuzheng national flag on their tanks,

otherwise, if both sides became entangled in a melee, it would be very difficult to distinguish who was the enemy and who was friendly forces.

"FUCK!"

Seeing the opposing gun barrels pointing at them, the Ugly Army tankers began cursing incessantly.

Most importantly, although both sides fielded M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks that appeared identical,

in reality, the Xuzheng Army had purchased the 2020 version of the M1A2 SEPv3.

Meanwhile, the Ugly Army itself was using the M1A2 SEPv2.

Although the SEPv3 retained the previous design, it incorporated several new technologies,

enhancing the tank's combat capability, functionality, and firepower.

First, the SEPv3 was equipped with high-definition displays and new electronic circuit components.

Furthermore, the M1A2 SEPv3 began integrating upgraded ammunition data links and electronic warfare weapons,

such as the Counter-Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare System (CREW).

This new tank model was theoretically produced in 2017,

powered by a Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine and equipped with an auxiliary power unit capable of running onboard systems.

In terms of protection, this Abrams tank was also fitted with the CREW Duke V3 counter-remote explosive device electronic warfare system,

providing greater security for the crew.

Other additions included new fire-control radar, new communication systems, and new auxiliary power units.

In short, the M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks currently used by the Xuzheng side

were a generation more advanced than those of the Ugly Army.