Symphony in the Sky (A Your Lie in April AU and AH fanfiction)

Punishment

A/N: Operation Dragon's Fire is a codename for the combined JSDF contribution to the US-led International coalition defending South Korea. As the article 9 has officially been revised hours after the missile attack on Tokyo, the SDF has been given permission to be deployed abroad in combat operation in alliance with friendly countries, most importantly the United States and South Korea. 

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July 5th, 2018, 06.00 hour,  Above Gangwon Province, ROK.

2nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1st Air Wing, JASDF.

Eight Mitsubishi F-15EJ Strike Eagles from the Japanese 2nd TFS, squadron callsign "Temple", flying from Yokota AB, are now above Gangwon Province, near the city of Chuncheon, which a day before was fallen to a combined North Korean-Iranian force. Joining the sortie are a six-ship US Navy F-35C Lightning IIs from the VFA-147 "Argonauts" embarked on the carrier USS Ronald Reagan, mainly tasked to lead the formation and hunt down North Korean air defenses, and a four-ship flight of ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force) KF-16 Fighting Falcons.  The job of top cover of the strike package was assigned into four-ship flight of US Air Force F-22 Raptors, flying at 30.000 feet. Trailing the overall formation is a flight of South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles which will conduct close air support to cover an Allied counterattack aimed to retake the city, led by Japanese 4th Armored Division and South Korean 20th Mechanized Infantry Division.

Each Japanese flight has different payloads for different missions. The D flight, which Tsubaki and Watari were assigned, was primarily a cruise missile carrying group carrying brand-new Lockheed Martin AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range) alongside CBU-105 cluster bombs, while the C flight, along with South Korean F-16s, served as guided bomb-trucks carrying various Paveway laser-guided bombs, primarily Paveway III bunker-busters to destroy North Korean command bunkers, hardened artillery sites, and underground aircraft shelters in the northern side of DMZ. 

The Strike Eagles also carrying two IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) built conformal fuel tanks which also serve as additional hardpoints for the CBU-105s, along with two AAM-4s and four AAM-5s for self-defense in the outer hardpoints near the wingtip. 

Inside the F-15EJ with the registration number 821, Tsubaki checked and armed two JASSMs hanging in the centerline station, while Watari made sure it's datalink system, along with the LITENING targeting pod, are up for the upcoming task.

"All units, this is AWACS Zeus, United States Air Force, I will be your eyes and ears for this mission. Without further ado, we are commencing the operation. Trireme flight, proceed to the enemy air-defense area to open the safe corridor. The rest of the package will follow Trireme." said a USAF air battle-manager aboard a brand-new E-12 Constellation AWACS (2).

"Roger that" said the Trireme flight leader, the US Navy F-35s. Soon the JSFs, supported by Predator drones deployed as decoys, knocked out the North Korean SAM and AA sites near the city of Chuncheon, opened a corridor which non-stealth planes like the F-15s and F-16s can safely passed through. Then, the package split up according to their missions. The Japanese F-15s and Korean F-16s will push north, while the Korean F-15s will remain in Chuncheon, mainly providing CAS and mopping up the remaining air defenses in the area. The F-35s, still having HARM anti-radiation missiles, also pressed north in front of the combined Japanese-Korean strike formation. Tsubaki and Watari's D flight were put in the rearmost position in order to be able to use their standoff missile more effectively.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to North Korea.. and get your passports out" said the C flight (Temple 3) lead, Capt. Miyamoto Iguchi, as they saw mountainous North Korean terrain below them.