In some situations, violence is the last remaining option. Sometimes a door in the sky needs to be kicked down.
It's a summer day on a large-scale exercise. Me and my wingman are tasked with exactly what the EUROFIGHTER was originally designed for: clearing the way, opening doors. Due to the scenario, we will be extremely offensive and put almost everything on one card: kinetic energy. I turn my formation towards the front (Forward Line of Own Troops - FLOT) and give the order to accelerate. The thrust levers overcome the resistance between dry thrust and afterburner operation as easily as the aircraft overcomes the sound barrier a few seconds later. The mach counter, driven by 18 tons of thrust, advances rapidly: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 - a loud double bang can be heard on the ground along our flight path. The air is compressed on the aircraft and discharged at an angle - despite the high altitude, this compression shock reaches the ground with noticeable force. In stark contrast, the cockpit is surprisingly quiet. Only a slight noise gives an indication of the brutal wind speed, from which I am only separated by a few millimeters of plexiglass. 1.5, 1.6 Do - I start the climb. Within a very short time the altimeter shows well over 50,000' and the sky appears noticeably darker. The cabin pressure altitude is now just under 25,000'. I feel all the gases in my body expanding and without the MSOC (Molecular Sieve Oxygen Concentrator) I would lose consciousness within seconds. To prevent this from happening, the system presses almost pure oxygen into my lungs at high pressure. At this altitude and at this speed, changes in direction are hardly possible; there is now no turning back. We overcome the border and the enemy quickly comes into range. I look at the weapon displays one last time, then push the safety up and pull the trigger. Luckily it's just an exercise.