As we set off down the runway other aircraft are busy on the airfield and in the airspace around us doing their own thing.
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Approaching the first turn steerpoint I can see that the enemy has their eyes and ears open as my TEWS announces the presence of an SA-6 to our north. My wingman gets a bit of jangled nerves at the sound of his TEWS going off and every now and again he pops off some flare and chaff to ease his suffering.
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Following the steerpoints we are soon headed east into the rising sun. After the disorienting night arrival in the opening mission I’m happy to see the sun come up.
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Throughout the course of the flight occasional enemy anti-air radars light off to remind us of their presence but we stick to our briefed course and safely navigate the mission without any confrontations. It does beg the question of what would happen if I had wandered a bit north of the plotted course though, doesn’t it? Arriving back at Suhkumi the field is still a beehive of activity with heavy transports landing and pulling up onto the ramp.
Mission #3 promises to be a bit more exciting as the gloves are about to come off. You can read the briefing yourself, but it appears the things are slowly escalating as tensions rise to the boiling point.
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