Operation Stellarborn
Operation Stellarborn was an air campaign launched by the Commonality Air Force against the Ruvelkan Imperial Air Force across southern Ruvelka from 14 September 2008 to 10 March 2009 during the Zemplen War.
Stellarborn was originally intended as air support for Army Group Gamma during Operation Aspis, but eventually grew into a general campaign against the RIAF. The Commonality Air Force (ZVS) initial aims of providing air support for the Syaran National Army gradually evolved to include the destruction of Ruvelka's early warning radar system, air defense network in southern Ruvelka, and the destruction of the RIAF infrastructure and aircraft groupings. The RIAF aimed to destroy Syaran combat aircraft and preserve its defensive infrastructure across southern Ruvelka; Ruvelkan bombers also carried out strikes against Syaran ground forces to interdict the flow of reinforcements into Ruvelka. Both sides employed air superiority fighters, multi-role aircraft, ground attack fighters, helicopters, and drones in the thousands. Both sides suffered the loss of hundreds of aircraft and thousands of drones, as well as hundreds of pilots and thousands of ground crews killed. The ZVS was assisted by air defense systems and ballistic missile launchers from the Syaran National Army during the campaign. Ruvelkan Fusiliers, Territorial Defense Forces, and the Imperial Ruvelkan Army assisted the RIAF through air defenses and strikes on Syaran air defense systems.
Stellarborn was a hard fought campaign on both sides. The ZVS failed to destroy the RIAF forces in southern Ruvelka, though succeeded in destroying most of Ruvelka's early warning array and did significant damage to the RIAFs infrastructure in the region. The RIAF was able to withdraw from the region and maintain its cohesion, denying Syaran efforts to destroy Ruvelkas' southern air wings.
Background
Fighting broke out between Syara and Ruvelka in Zemplen in May 2008, and escalated following the breakdown of negotiations in July. A month later Syara launched the August Offensive, which gained control of most of the disputed border regions. The continued buildup of the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka along the border convinced Syaran Central Command that an offensive action was necessary to destroy the buildup of Ruvelkan forces in one massive sweep. The offensive, code named Operation Aspis, began on 14 September 2008 with a mass assault across the border by three Syaran army groups in the north, center, and south. The Syaran effort to destroy the Imperial Army along the border and force Debrecen to sue for peace failed as Ruvelkan forces fell back to defensive positions along the interior of their country, denying the Syarans the battle of annihilation they were hoping for.
To support the ground campaign in the south, the Syaran 3rd Air Division was assigned as air support for Aspis, a role it maintained in the months afterwards. Syaran directives were based on the idea that the Ruvelkan armed forces could be destroyed or significantly degraded in battle, at which point the Ruvelkan government would be compelled to enter negotiations once its armed forces proved incapable of holding back Syaran forces. Although the Syarans had failed to achieve this across the entirety of the front, the southern front as a particular stalemate owing to the terrain of the Matra Mountains and the presence of strong Ruvelkan defenses. Syaran forces did not capture Albertirsa until 12 October with the cost of over 33,000 casualties.
The initial goals for the ZVS were centered on providing air support for Army Group Gamma through close air support, air strikes against high value targets, and interdiction against Ruvelkan aircraft. Ruvelkan air wings in the region, namely the 19th and 20th Fighter Groups, were responsible for similar roles for their operations, which would later include supporting air strikes into Syara. In late August 2008 Field Marshal Daniel Mladenov Todorov outlined his expectations for the 3rd Air Division to division commander Major General Emil Manevski in what would become Operation Stellarborn. Stellarborn was envisioned as a two-week air campaign during with the 3rd Air Division would strike Ruvelkan ground forces in and around the cities of Albertirsa, Pannonhalma and Valana. After some modifications by Manevski, namely directed more fighter aircraft to escort duties, Stellarborn was approved for implementation.
As part of Case Black, Ruvelka's mobilization scheme in the event of war with Syara, the Ruvelkan 19th and 20th Fighter Groups, stationed out of Aszód Air Base and Vitsyesna Air Base respectively, were responsible for the defense of Ruvelka's southern airspace. Primary goals for the two fighter groups were the prevention of incursions into Ruvelkan territory, particular to prevent deep strikes against Ruvelkan forces on the ground and vital infrastructure.
Opposing Forces
Both Syara and Ruvelka fielded large air forces consisting of thousands of aircraft prior to hostilities. In addition to fixed wing aircraft, Ruvelka also fielded thousands of helicopters both for utility and combat, while Syara fielded a sizeable but smaller number. Both sides fielded thousands of drones in various roles. For Operation Stellarborn Syara committed a total of 675 aircraft, 262 of which were fighters, 91 attack aircraft, and 322 helicopters in addition to nearly 2,000 drones. Ruvelka fielded 991 aircraft over the course of the operation, including 243 fighters, 16 bombers, 62 attack aircraft, and 670 helicopters.
At the start of the operation the 3rd Air Division counted a total of 288 aircraft. 73 of these were Zephyr air superiority fighters, 115 were Celaeno multi-role fighters, 61 Corvus and 39 Strix attack aircraft. Ruvelka's two fighter wings, the 19th and 20th, fielded a combined total of 144 AFASF-12 Drago Air Superiority Fighters, supported by 50 AFSF-8 Folivori Strike Fighters. A squadron of 16 AFSB-2 Spettro Strategic Bombers later joined the Ruvelkan forces in the southern theater to carry out strikes against Syaran targets both at the front line and Hayreniky. Following Acreas' entry into the war, JAS-16 Ravens began flying with the RIAF.
Syara and Ruvelka possessed differing organizational structures, doctrine, and tactics when it came to air operations. The RIAF was a "top heavy" force as described by Ossorian author Gwenllian Ní Áeda, constituted primarily of dedicated air superiority fighters with relatively few numbers of other types of aircraft. Close air support for the Imperial Army was mostly handled by Ruvelka's extensive fleet of attack helicopters, which numbered over a thousand. The Cacertian-built AFASF-12 Drago was Ruvelka's premier fighter and workhorse, of which over 1,000 were in service prior to the start of hostilities. The primary role of the Dragos in the event of conflict was to clear the skies of enemy aircraft, and while they maintained air-to-ground capability their primary role remained air superiority. Additional fighter aircraft fielded by Ruvelka included the AFASF-10 Donnola Air Superiority Fighter, which by 2008 was out-of-date and no match for Syaran fighters, but had been repurposed for reconnaissance and electronic warfare.
Ruvelka's air combat operations were dictated by ground controllers who directed Ruvelkan aircraft for intercept. While Ruvelka possessed Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), in 2008 much of Ruvelka's command and control functions were still carried out by ground control. Ruvelka's early warning consisted of over-the-horizon radar arrays stationed throughout the Matra Mountains, which were of significant important to Ruvelkan strategy owing to the peaks and valleys of the Matra range often disrupting radar coverage and detection. Ground based air defense systems further augmented Ruvelkan defensive measures, though fewer in number than their Syaran counterparts, were stationed throughout the District. Ruvelka's air defense operations relied on a systematic cooperation between aircraft, ground controllers, early warning radar, and air defense systems to provide total coverage. This practice of employing air defense operations as part of a combined network, similar to the ones used in Acrea, relied heavily on networked communication and effective coordination; while efficient, it was also at risk of degradation were any single element isolated or destroyed.
The ZVS by comparison was a "tactical" air force whose primary strategic goal was support for ground forces. While Syara boasted over 1,500 fighter aircraft, only 625 of these were Zephyr air superiority fighters, with the remainder taken up by multi-role fighters and older aircraft left over from the Republic of Syara. Syaran air forces relied on airborne command and control to coordinate air operations, namely through the Nyctimene platform. Syaran air defense doctrine was also significantly different; during operations, the Syarans would declare and entire sector of an airspace "weapons free", to which their air defense systems would open fire on any aircraft they detected. Syara also boasted significantly more air defense systems than Ruvelka, including mobile surface-to-air missile launchers and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. With certain zones declared "no-go", Syaran aircraft focused on "air corridors" where they would concentrate aircraft including ground attack, air superiority, and strike missions. These corridors would often extend beyond the front line into the enemy rear echelon. Attempts to degrade Syara's air defense systems were complicated by extensive usage of decoys and misdirection.
The different aircraft utilized by each side necessitated different tactics by each side. Ruvelkas' top ace of the war, Sona Azarian, described the difference in fighting styles between Ruvelkans and Syara in a rare interview in 2015:
Dragos were built first and foremost to be close-in brawlers, and that's what we excelled at. We had the speed, climb, descent, and acceleration to rapidly close in from unexpected avenues of attack, especially if we were being screened by electronic interference or jamming. In the south this sometimes involved darting behind peaks or flying through valleys before bursting upward and ambushing a hostile flight. Once we were in close it was bore sights, heat seekers, and rapid turns and janking to get in close and force them into an uncomfortable position. The Drago didn't hold the Gs as well as a Raven, but the Drago handles the turn better at slower speeds and the angle-of-attack was better, especially the newer ones that didn't have the same stability issue the older models did. Our whole MO was to close the gap and get in tight; if we got there the only thing saving the enemy was luck. We really thrived on forcing those one-on-one engagements where our rapid maneuvers could dance around the bigger Zephyrs.
The Zephyr was a complete different beast than us. He didn't tussle as well in those close quarters but if the pilot was smart he never let it get there in the first place. Everything about the Zephyrs tactics were speed; screaming in fast, firing off a missile at speed so as to maximize the kinetics, then zoom off. Under the right conditions you'd have maybe a few seconds from your warning receiver going off and impact. They were dangerous in the right hands, and if they were smart you basically had no counter except to bug out. Since they tended to fly in pairs we learned to fly in threes; two to fight and one to jam, keep and eye out for more hostiles, and lend a hand if necessary. The Syarans would respond by targeting at long range, firing off missiles in succession as you maneuvers to escape the envelope. They wouldn't try to break us out of formation like we would, they would just keep coming and going back and forth until they had shot down everything or ran out.
Syaran pilots generally considered the Zephyr the more capable platform of the two; although recognizing the capability of the Drago within-visual-range, Syaran pilots felt the Zephyr was the more reliable. Syaran ace Damjan Tsitskov described the Zehpyr as a better "sustainment fighter".
The Dragos were terrifying up close because the maneuvers they pulled off simply weren't possible with other aircraft. Their IR missiles in particular were devastating thanks in no small part that we were flying larger aircraft with higher output engines. But I feel in the long run that gave us an edge; we could sustain movement and maneuver longer, and eventually just overpower them if the fight lasted long enough. That itself didn't last too long because by mid-2009 losses and fatigues meant squadron commanders were a lot less willing to authorize risky engagements, and a lot of the early drawn out engagements we had sort of just disappeared as people bugged out rather than risk something neither side could really afford.
Ruvelkan operations were primarily coordinated out of Aszód and Vitsyesna Air Bases. Aszód boasted the third largest airbase in Ruvelka and contained much of the command and control infrastructure for Ruvelkan airspace in the south. It was the primary target for initial Syaran attacks by air and ballistic missile strikes. While defended by Ruvelkan patrols, air defense systems, and early warning radar, it's close proximity to the coast and the border rendered it exposed to attack. A force of some 20,000 technicians remained in Aszód to maintain and repair the air base throughout Stellarborn. Vitsyesna Air Base by comparison was a mountain complex built for survivability; the airbase had been carved into a mountain, with underground bunkers for storing aircraft, supplies, fuel, and munitions. Elevators carried aircraft from storage onto the surface where they could then take off and land. Although smaller than Aszód Air Base, Vitsyensa distance, protection, and concealment allowed it to remain at a higher rate of operational readiness throughout the fighting.
Syaran forces were widely dispersed across Hayreniky. 1st Fighter Regiment flew out Rimpava Air Base, 6th Regiment out of Vakhtanya, 13th out of Kalousta, and the 17th out of Kachigna. The ZVS placed emphasis on dispersal and often split up squadrons across various smaller airfields. This tactic worsened response times but limited the damage down by counter-strikes, which were further diminished by extensive use of decoys and the creation of fake airfields.