"Hold on tight!" Maihad shouted.
Besides himself and the weapons operator, Morsant, there were two search personnel in the rear cabin. Maihad shouted to the two in the back through the intercom while simultaneously pushing the control stick to the left and stomping hard on the left rudder pedal.
The massive Hind, with unimaginable agility, banked its fuselage to the left as its nose also swung left.
Not a second later, Maihad stomped on the right rudder pedal and pushed the stick to the right; the helicopter followed by banking right and flying in that direction.
From a distance, the Hind looked like a drunken falcon, flying left one moment and right the next, tracing a beautiful S-shape in the sky.
This is a technique in helicopter aerial combat: the Serpentine Maneuver.
At this time, the missiles used wire guidance. When a missile is launched, there is a coil of wire at the back that continuously unreels as the missile flies forward. Commands from an Infrared Goniometer are transmitted to the missile. During flight, an Infrared Beacon at the tail emits 2.2-micron infrared radiation. The goniometer uses this signal to measure the error between the missile and the target's line of sight. This is processed by the guidance device and sent via the wire to the control mechanism on the missile to correct its flight path until it hits the target.
Once the target is hit or the range is exceeded, the wire is cut, and the guidance process ends.
The greatest advantage of this guidance method is that it is immune to external interference. It would see further widespread use in later generations, with ordinary wires replaced by optical fibers to increase transmission bandwidth.
The disadvantage of this method is the latency; any change in direction must be corrected by the helicopter behind it. If the target performs high-G maneuvers, it is very likely the lock will be lost. Furthermore, during the missile's flight, the helicopter behind must keep 'watching' the missile until it hits; it cannot achieve 'fire-and-forget' capability.
As a member of the elite Eagle Squadron, Maihad used every trick in his book to perform the Serpentine Maneuver. This forced the missile behind him to constantly correct its orientation until it eventually missed its mark.
As an excellent pilot with over five hundred flight hours of experience, Maihad didn't find performing these high-difficulty maneuvers particularly uncomfortable; he had already elevated his flying skills to the highest level.
Unfortunately, it was a different story for the two search and rescue personnel in the back.
Their primary objective for this mission was to search for and rescue an important VIP. The two personnel assigned to the back were highly experienced in searching, but they lacked sufficient flight experience.
Their tolerance was only enough to keep them working normally through turbulent air currents; these violent maneuvers were now beyond their endurance.
Though they had buckled their seatbelts immediately, one moment their bodies were slammed into their seats, and the next they felt as if their hearts were jumping out of their chests. With a surge of nausea and chest tightness, they threw up everything they had eaten for lunch.
Lord, have mercy on these poor souls.
The enemy missile was turning along with them, but it was clearly a beat too slow.
Just as the missile got extremely close, Maihad suddenly increased the Collective Pitch and pulled back on the control stick.
At this moment, the Hind looked nothing like a gentle doe; it was more like a roaring eagle, piercing straight into the firmament.
The unique thing about a helicopter is its ability to ascend and descend vertically, whereas a jet-propelled missile needs to make a wide turn to catch up.
At such close proximity, the TOW missile was clearly confused. It had lost its target; the target was now above it. Its attack had failed.
The TOW flew for a short distance further before its self-destruct program was triggered.
Boom! The missile emitted a dazzling light as it detonated.
"Ensign, that was amazing!" Morsant shouted.
Maihad felt like he was soaked through. He had unleashed his maximum potential during those intense maneuvers, and now that the crisis had passed, he felt completely drained of strength.
Meanwhile, the two unlucky guys in the rear cabin had been shaken to their core, vomiting until even their bile came up, leaving the rear cabin a complete mess.
"Damn it, another missile!" Before Maihad could catch his breath, the enemy's second missile came flying toward them again.
Seeing the missile miss, Shamsuddin was exasperated. He immediately prepared another missile and launched it.
By now, the distance between the two helicopters was less than two thousand meters. If this missile missed as well, Shamsuddin felt he wouldn't have the face to stay in the Cobra anymore and might as well retire early.
Rasoul used his peripheral vision to scan the surrounding airspace. After launching the first missile, his attention had been entirely focused on the opponent, and he hadn't observed the surrounding situation. Taking advantage of the interval between launching the second missile, he checked his surroundings and realized the situation was grim.
The enemy didn't just have this one helicopter; several other helicopters were swarming in from all around them.
Was this a trap?
In a helicopter dogfight, if it's one-on-one, the one who spots the other first holds an absolute advantage. Rasoul was currently in that position, having fired two missiles and left the opponent with no room to fight back.
However, if it's one against many, there is almost no chance of winning. Furthermore, helicopters have low flight speeds; once they engage in combat, it's nearly impossible to retreat unscathed.
With the arrival of the surrounding Hind helicopters, the Cobra's fate was already sealed.
Even if he was going to die, he had to take one down with him!
In an instant, Rasoul's eyes turned fanatical.
He paid no attention to the other helicopters flying in rapidly; in his sight, there was only the Hind in front of him.
He didn't believe the enemy could dodge two missiles in a row!
Maihad's emotions hadn't even recovered from being chased by the first missile when the second one followed right after.
The distance between the two sides was too close; there wasn't enough time to perform a Serpentine Maneuver.
A roll! Maihad chose a new tactic in an instant.
A roll is a full 360-degree rotation along the longitudinal axis in the air. Generally, a helicopter's rotors spin above its head, but when the aircraft performs a 180-degree roll, the rotors end up directly underneath, and another 180-degree roll brings them back.
Helicopters can perform rolls during aerobatic displays, but such maneuvers are not included in attack helicopter training manuals and are discouraged. The operation is too complex and dangerous, and only a few highly skilled pilots can pull it off.
If there were any other way, Maihad wouldn't want to do this, but he had no other choice.
A roll can reduce the probability of a missile hit and allow for a lateral shift in mid-air. Crucially, the opponent would never expect him to do this, which might allow him to escape certain death.
Rasoul and Shamsuddin could hardly believe their eyes. That heavy Hind had actually performed a full rotation in the air like a playful doe!
The timing of the rotation was perfect. At that moment, Shamsuddin was already prepared to aim upward to prevent the opponent from suddenly pulling up again like last time.
But he hadn't expected the opponent to roll. A helicopter is not a fighter jet; performing this maneuver is an absolute test of a pilot's will and courage.
The second TOW missile grazed past the Hind, its trail of smoke covering the helicopter that had just finished its roll.
Maihad saw the horizon below him again and knew he had completed the lethal roll. Soviet weapons were always built on the principle of being rugged and durable; such violent maneuvering hadn't caused the Hind to fall apart.
Suddenly, he saw a bright red light on the dashboard in front of him, stinging his eyes.
Engine stall! Engine stall!