Soldiers belonging to the Navy Marine Corps conduct airborne operations from tens of thousands of ters above, targeting specific locations.
The specially designed wing suits are equipped with jet functions, allowing them to descend much faster than free fall, and their small target size significantly reduces the probability of being hit by anti-aircraft fire— even if hit, the damage is limited to a few people, compared to the catastrophic loss of a large transport ship with multi-layer honeycomb structure densely packed with thousands of people being taken out by a single shell.
The orbital drop troops have been researched by the Navy Marine Corps for so ti, and theoretically, the series of technologies are quite mature. These airborne divisions have conducted tactical exercises in safe areas and even engaged in real combat on certain battlefields.
However, those real battles were essentially based in areas where victory was not highly crucial, making them more experintal in nature.
But now, they are tasked with supporting ground combat.
During the breakthrough phase, they perford exceptionally well, even stunningly so.
The transport aircraft carrying the paratroopers ultimately t their destruction. However, before being destroyed, the well-trained airborne troops had mostly already jumped out.
And the wing suits proved effective as expected. During the descent, the soldiers eliminated were generally in the minority.
In terms of casualty ratios, it was surprisingly comparable to using drop pods.
But drop pods are expensive, hold fewer people, so nothing beats the ’cheapness’ of direct airborne descent, right?
Just a life, after all.
However, the greatest risk of direct airborne descent lies in the landing phase.
Falling at speeds exceeding free fall poses a significant challenge to the human body. Moreover, the deceleration during landing is critical. At a certain height, they deploy parachutes to decelerate abruptly; simultaneously, the winged suit, being a disposable piece of equipnt, serves its final role by releasing energy from the nozzles at the front to detach the suit and slow to a safe speed before landing.
The so-called safe speed is one at which a normal person would be killed upon impact. At this ti, the exoskeletal structure beneath the wing suit provides the final protection for the soldiers. Ensuring that the legs absorb most of the kinetic energy upon landing protects them from injury and allows them to imdiately engage in combat.
Of course, this is all under ideal conditions. Even in well-prepared exercises, people occasionally fell to their deaths, let alone in the far more complicated terrain and high-pressure conditions of actual combat.
This is the first risk point.
The second risk point arises when their speed decreases in the final approach to landing.
At this ti, they beco targets.
Especially in the current battle situation, the anti-aircraft fire of the Green Skins has not been completely removed. Even though the drop zones were set up in front of the elite Interstellar Warriors and Glory Guards, given the severe ground battle conditions, the drop zones couldn’t guarantee safety.
This allowed the anti-aircraft fire from the Green Skins or even regular Beastman kids raising their guns to hit the soldiers descending rapidly.
Although the paratroopers can shoot back while in mid-air, without cover and having to manage their descent, they are obviously at a disadvantage.
The third risk point cos from the imprecise landing accuracy in single-soldier orbital drops, leaving paratroopers scattered upon landing, unable to maintain formation.
If it were a secure drop zone, even if the enemy was close by, just giving them enough ti to regroup the well-trained warriors to reengage would help significantly.
But now, there is no such opportunity.
Even if they successfully land, they might have enemies within firing range.
They must pick up their guns and fight on the spot, at most forming temporary combat teams with nearby friendly units.
And this leads to a fourth risk point—the lack of heavy equipnt in the airborne units.
Although there are so light armored vehicles and light tanks that have been specially modified for airborne support, and there are so Sentinel cha present, they’re vastly different compared to conventional army heavy tanks and artillery, let alone Titans.
This puts them under trendous pressure if they are forced into intense combat imdiately upon landing.
Overall, all the adverse factors encountered during this airborne operation impacted the paratroopers.
This resulted in them suffering extrely heavy casualties.
Objectively speaking, this cannot be considered a successful airborne operation.
There were still so experintal units, which were thrown into such a brutal war, sowhat irresponsibly.
However, only through the baptism of real warfare can a sufficiently strong army be forged.
The lessons learned through bloodshed from this battle should help this orbital airborne unit evolve further.
Moreover, speaking of objective significance, it must be stated comprehensively.
Regardless of the heavy sacrifices made upon landing, at least, more than thirty thousand soldiers from over a dozen airborne divisions perford the airborne mission, and nearly twenty thousand landed and participated in combat. Even though they scattered upon landing, so quickly fell into dire situations and were annihilated, they indeed achieved Gu Hang’s strategic goal: swiftly supplenting ground forces.
The previously deployed Phoenix and other Interstellar Warriors, along with the elite Glory Guard, would not just sit and watch their allies take a beating.
Wang Jun, as the frontline combat commander, decisively acted to rescue and rally the paratrooper units.
Subsequently, they divided into two groups, with one part continuing to defend the drop zone, providing a relatively safe landing environnt for the incoming second and third waves of drop pods and orbital paratroopers.
anwhile, Wang Jun personally led the freed elite units and a few airborne Sentinel cha, infantry fighting vehicles, and light tanks to attack his original target.
After sacrificing 67 Interstellar Warriors, 792 Glory Guards, and 20,000 paratroopers, they destroyed their predetermined target within three hours.
When the green Earth Shield disappeared, the human forces had already begun their retreat.
The Command Center only allowed them eighteen minutes to withdraw.
Once ti was up, orbital fire rained down heavily.
The Green Skin Orcs’ most important anti-orbital air defense fortress cluster in the area was reduced to ruins under the barrage of two X-level cannons and countless L and M-class ship cannons.
Additionally, so airborne troops originally tasked with blocking Beastman reinforcents during the main force’s attack, who didn’t have ti to retreat, including three airborne regints, vanished along with them.
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