Extract from the diary of Flight Lieutenant Paul Robinson:
"My day begins with a sirens screaming in my ear, jolting me awake. It takes a few seconds for my brain to focus, then I jump out of bed, grab my flight suit and scramble through the guts of the SWS Exterminator, heading for the flight deck.

I race onto the deck, bursting through the bulkhead door. I sprint past the F-112 ready-deck, where the two squadrons are fuelling up. I note that every single aircraft is heavily laden with bombs, missiles and gun packs. As I reach the Dark Arrow ready-deck a flight of F-52 Juggernauts rocket into the atmosphere, trailing fire. My Dark Arrow, Sky-Screamer, is sitting on the flight deck like some predator that is waiting for its prey. The ground crew are busy preparing it for flight, loading the depleted thorium shells into its twin semi-nuclear cannons. Then, as my squadron leader hurries over to brief me, one of our escorting corvettes, the SWS Revenge, explodes in an enormous ball of flame. CENSOREDNAME said we could expect a situation like this.

The order comes to launch, our target is a terrorist group known as the Algorithm.
We shoot into the air, the entire squadron of 25 aircraft. We hold our altitude at just 100 feet above the sea as we race towards the enemy fleet and 1100 mph. The F-112s trail behind with a load of cruise missiles. Our Dark Arrows have only one weapon, our massive semi-nuclear cannons, capable of destroying an aircraft carrier. As we approach the fleet we hear over the radio that the Revenge has sunk, and that Juggernauts have been launched to intercept attacking bombers. My heart pounds in my chest.

With grim determination we descend to 50 feet and arm our cannons. Everything is well practiced and rehearsed through years of training, but now we are doing it for real. The fleet comes into view, and almost immediately the whine of a missile search radar tone screams in our headsets. Ignoring it, I pick out a cruiser and take aim. At this height there is no room for error. At a range of one mile I pull the trigger. The almighty flash of the cannons is blinding, but I keep firing as I roar over my target, rounds hammering into its superstructure, reducing it to a floating inferno. Satisfied with my efforts, I turn for home as the F-112s and other allied attack aircraft begin their attack runs.

Half an hour later I shift my thrust nozzles down as Sky-Screamer slows to her stalling speed of 60 mph. The Dark Arrow seems to float on the air as I slowly descend onto the carrier deck. My wheels kiss the metal plates and I taxi to my stand, exhausted. Suddenly the ground crew yank me from my seat and pull me to the ground. I stare round wildly, then come to realisation as I see the Type 26 frigates exchanging shots with the surviving Algorithm ships. The S-3 Vikings circle above, firing missiles into the enemy fleet. They seem to be making a fighting retreat, hounded by the Saltwater escorts.

Then the radio crackles: the SWS Retribution has been hit by a nuke. Fortunately only a couple of choppers were on deck at the time, and the rest of the aircraft were sheltered inside, but now it's down to us to take on the Algorithm base at Snowstone. I'm writing this as my aircraft is being fuelled, I hope I get to write my combat report afterwards..."

Paul Robinson never returned from the raid on Snowstone: his Dark Arrow strike fighter was last seen going down in flames off the coast after being shot up by the air defences. May he rest in peace.

Instructions for Operation

AG1 for boost.
VTOL for vectored thrust.
Feedback on the above tale very welcome as always.