Fatal Terrain

Home > Mystery > Fatal Terrain > Page 23
Fatal Terrain Page 23

by Dale Brown


  minutes was a very long time to be without up-to-date infor-

  mation.

  As soon as the newest hi-res photo came in, McLanahan

  was on the interphone. "The carrier is launching fighters," he

  reported excitedly. "I'm picking up two heading north and

  climbing fast, passing five thousand feet. And I've got several

  small escorts overtaking the northern destroyer. Looks like

  they might be geting into launch position. Stand by, crew,

  radar coming on." He moved the cursor on the supercockpit

  display, designated all of the vessels closest to the Taiwanese

  frigate, then hit the computer command button: "Identify."

  WARNING, ATTACK RADAR SWITCHING TO RADIATE ...

  WARNING, ATTACK RADAR RADIATING ... ATTACK RADAR

  SWITCHING TO STANDBY, the computer reported. In three sec-

  onds, the powerful Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar on the

  EB-52 Megafortress measured each vessel in three dimensions

  with six-inch accuracy. It took another twenty seconds for the

  computer to compare each ship's measurements to the data in

  its memory files and identify each ship, along with its primary

  weapon and electronic fit.

  The computer read off its search results: TARGET SIX IS

  JIANGWEI-CLASS FRIGATE, it announced in a very human-

  sounding female voice. ANTIAIR HQ-61 FOG LAMP,

  100-MILLIMETER RICE LAMP DIRECTOR, 30-MILLIMETER

  ROUND BALL. ANTI-SHIP EIGHT EACH YJ-1 SQUARE TIE, 100-

  MILLIMETER SUN VISOR, 30-MILLIMETER SUN VISOR. TARGETS

  THREE, FOUR, SEVEN, NINE, HUANGFENG-CLASS GUIDED-

  ,MISSILE BOATS. ANTIAIR, 30-MILLIMETER, ROUND BALL FIRE-

  CONTROL RADAR. ANTI-SHIP FOUR EACH HY-1, 30-MILLIMETER.

  TARGET FIVE AND EIGHT, HOUKU-CLASS MISSILE BOATS. AN-

  TIAIR 25-MILLIMETER. ANTI-SHIP, TWO EACH HY-1.

  "That middle frigate is a real threat for us," McLanahan

  said. "We could easily be within range of that HQ-6l."

  "The range of a Hong Qian-61 is only six miles, sir," Vi-

  krarn said.

  "I heard of an improved version with triple that range,"

  McLanahan offered. "That frigate might be carrying it."

  150 DALE BROWN

  "An improved HQ-61? I never heard about that."

  "And what if it's really a Crotale SAM system?"

  "Crotale has a max range of eight miles," Vikrarn said.

  "We're twenty-six miles from the PLAN fleet."

  "Emitter, if you ever want to make captain someday,"

  Cheshire suggested, "just nod and say, 'Yes, sir.'

  "Yes, sir," Vikram complied.

  "Good boy," Cheshire said. McLanahan gave his DSO a

  thumbs-up.

  'I don't think the Tacit Rainbow attack deterred them,'

  Elliott said, with a smile. "I think we're still an item of inter-

  est. Let 'em, have the Wolverines."

  "Agreed," McLanahan said. "Stand by for pylon missile

  launch, crew." His fingers were flying over his touch-screen

  supercockpit display, designating nine vessels as targets. He

  then armed four of the attack-configured AGM- 177 cruise mis-

  siles and programmed all four with all nine possible targets.

  The cruise missiles would attack the target list in order. If a

  target was not destroyed, it would attack; if missed, it would

  reattack; if destroyed, it would move to the next target in the

  list. "Stand by for pylon missile launch, crew. Wings level."

  McLanahan then hit the voice command button: "Launch

  commit Wolverines."

  WARNING, LAUNCH COMMIT PYLON LAUNCH ATTACK WOL-

  VERINE MISSILES, the computer responded on interphone, then

  entered an automatic launch hold.

  "Launch," McLanahan ordered, canceling the launch hold.

  The Megafortress crew felt a slight shudder as the tiny bomb

  bays on the wing pylon weapons pods opened and four mis-

  siles were ejected into the slipstream. "Center up on the steer-

  ing bug, pilot, heading zero-two-five to the refueling anchor

  point, and let's get out of here."

  PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA PEOPLE'S

  LIBERATION ARMY HEADQUARTERS,

  BEIJING, CHINA

  THAT SAME TIME

  Admiral Sun Ji Guoming's executive officer did not wait for

  a reply before hastily knocking on his superior's office door

  FATAL TERRAIN 151

  and rushing in. The first deputy chief of staff was studying a

  large map of Taiwan and the east coast of China that had

  updated positions of several Chinese and Taiwanese military

  units depicted on it, including intelligence estimates of their

  size and strength. The aide bowed as Sun turned angrily to-

  ward him and said, "Sir!"

  "I asked not to be disturbed!"

  "Message sent here directly from East Fleet headquarters

  for the chief of staff," the aide went on. "The commander of

  the carrier Mao is requesting assistance."

  "Assistance? Where is it? What's happening?"

  "In the Formosa Strait, fifty kilometers south of Quemoy

  Island. The admiral informs us that the Mao and its escorts

  have been ordered to halt and submit to an inspection by a

  frigate of the Taiwanese navy. . ."

  "What?" Sun shouted, leaping to his feet in absolute shock

  and surprise. The carrier battle group was still at least a day

  from its attack staging position near the Nationalist-held island

  of Quemoy-it should still be well inside Chinese waters. The

  attack on Quemoy was not supposed to start for another week

  at the earliest! "You say they are being confronted by the

  Nationalist navy?"

  ". . . and they are being supported by what they believe is

  an American stealth bomber firing cruise missiles!"

  Sun:s head snapped back to his aide as if he had heard a

  gunshot right behind him. "A stealth bomber? How do they

  know? Have they seen it?"

  "Intennittent radar contacts, but shortly thereafter a series

  of devastating anti-radar missile attacks," the aide replied.

  "The weather is clear, their radars are operational, but they

  cannot detect the aircraft attacking them. The captain said he

  had no choice but to shut down all radar systems after he and

  one of his escorts, the Kang, were hit by anti-radar cruise

  missiles that came out of nowhere."

  "Follow me," Sun ordered, and he and his aide ran out of

  the office and onto the private elevator that took them down

  to the chief of staff's underground command center. The com-

  mand center was little more than a large radio shack, manned

  around the clock with communications specialists broken into

  four sections, representing the army, navy, air forces, and Sec-

  ond Artillery Corps, which controlled the land-based nuclear

  ballistic missiles. Except for exercises, it was rarely visited by

  152 DALE BROWN

  anyone much above field grade rank, so it created quite a stir

  when Deputy Chief of Staff Admiral Sun Ji Guoming burst

  into the chamber and over to the chief of staff's seat. "Senior

  controller!" Sun shouted, as he put on his headset.

  "Sir!" a voice responded. "This is Major Dai, senior duty

  controller. "

  "I want to speak with the commanding officer of the carrier


  Mao Zedong right now," Sun ordered. "And put up a chart

  with locations of naval air units in the Quemoy area and unit

  resource report data on our Sukhoi-27 wing."

  "Yes, sir," Dai replied. In moments, a hastily sketched map

  of the Fonnosa Strait region went up on a rear-projection

  screen in front of Sun. "Sir, naval air units in current mission-

  ready status in the Quemoy region include the Nineteenth Air

  Wing at Quanzhou, with thirty J-6 fighter-attack planes, and

  the Seventh Air Wing at Juidongshan, with twenty-two J-6

  fighters. In addition, the Fifty-first Air Wing at Fuzhou is op-

  erational with nineteen H-6 bombers."

  "I want all three wings put on immediate combat alert,"

  Sun said. "Any units on ready alert right now?"

  Another long wait; then: "Negative, sir."

  "Beginning today, those three air wings shall have one-third

  of their flyable planes on twenty-four-hour combat alert," Sun

  ordered. "I want as many J-6 fighters loaded with air-to-air

  weapons and cannon ammunition and launched as possible,

  and be sure they have functioning gun cameras. Their target

  is any unidentified aircraft in the vicinity of the Mao carrier

  group. What about the Sukhoi-27s?"

  "The Second Air Wing at Haikou currently has twelve Su-

  27 fighters operational."

  "Twelve?" Sun retorted. "It was reported all forty planes

  allotted for combat operations were operational! Damn you,

  Major, it is the command section's responsibility to see to it

  that the general staff has accurate information!" Dai stiffened

  and lowered his head in submission. It would be far too late

  to launch the Su-27s, Sun thought@-the J-6s would have to

  do. "Get those J-6s airborne, and I want an Ilyushin-76 radar

  plane launched as well to assist in the search. Where is the

  chief of staff right now?"

  "I will check, sir," the senior controller said. His staff was

  working more quickly now. "Sir, the chief of staff is in quar-

  ters. Shall I ring him?"

  FATAL TE R RAI N 153

  "Negative. Notify me at once when the chief of staff checks

  in with the command section."

  "Yes, sir.... Sir, Admiral Yi on the carrier Mao is on chan-

  nel two."

  Sun switched his communications selector to the proper set-

  ting: "Admiral Yi, this is Admiral Sun. How do you copy?"

  The transmission was heavy with static-obviously this was

  an HF shortwave radio patch, not a satellite,hookup. "I read

  you, sir," replied the voice. "Do you wish a status report?"

  "Go ahead with your status report, Admiral."

  "We are in visual contact with a Taiwanese flagged war-

  ship, the Kin Men, a guided-missile frigate," Yi reported in a

  loud voice, as if he were shouting across the sky. "The frigate

  has opened fire on my group, hitting the destroyer Kang with

  missile fire. The Kang suffered minor damage and is still op-

  erational. The Mao destroyed several inbound missiles with

  terminal defenses but was hit by small anti-radar missiles

  launched by a suspected stealth aircraft operating in the vicin-

  ity in concert with the rebel ship. Minor damage only. We are

  still operational. We attempted to return fire but have encoun-

  tered heavy jamming and anti-radar cruise missile attacks, and

  we are currently running silent and relying on passive sensors.

  I have launched two fighters in air defense configuration. We

  are still in contact with the Nationalist vessel."

  "Have you made contact with the stealth aircraft?" Sun

  asked excitedly.

  "Negative," Yi replied. "We get intermittent radar con-

  tacts, but nothing solid. We are currently attempting to make

  contact via optronics, and our fighters are airborne and begin-

  ning the search. Over."

  "Admiral Yi, you will destroy that Nationalist frigate," Sun

  ordered. "Order a full-scale attack by every vessel in your

  battle group. You are permitted to use every weapon in your

  arsenal. . ." He paused for a moment, then emphasized,

  ". . . every weapon. Do not allow that rebel frigate to escape

  under any circumstances. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, sir," Yi replied.

  "Admiral Yi, you will then launch an immediate attack on

  Quemoy Island from long range," Sun said. "Again, you are

  ordered and authorized to use every weapon in your arsenal.

  Do you understand?"

  There was a very long pause, during which Sun thought they

  154 DALE BROWN

  had been cut off, but then: "Comrade Sun, I must have clar-

  ification," Admiral Yi radioed. "You are authorizing and or-

  dering me to use any weapon in my battle group to attack and

  destroy the Nationalist military forces on Quemoy Tao. Is that

  coffect?"

  "Yes, that is correct," Sun said. "Any and every weapon

  in your arsenal is free to use. Your attack will commence im-

  mediately. And find that stealth bomber and blow it out of the

  sky!"

  When Sun looked up after that interchange, he saw almost

  everyone in the command center staring at him. The senior

  controller's eyes were bulging. "Sir ... I am sure you are

  aware that the Mao battle group carries nuclear attack weap-

  ons.. Your order to the Mao could be interpreted that you or-

  dered a nuclear attack against-"

  "I ordered nothing of the kind, Comrade Dai," Sun said.

  "Only the minister of defense or the president can issue such

  an order, coffect?" The senior controller nodded blankly.

  "Now, what I want is an immediate launch of those fighters.

  Crews should be responding to their planes by now."

  "Yes, sir," the aide said. "The alert has been issued. I shall

  type up the order and submit it to the chief of staff for his

  approval."

  Sun swung on his aide angrily and shouted, "Did I order

  you to type anything or submit anything to General Chin? I

  want those fighters in the air in less than thirty minutest will

  notify the general and get his approval. I want to be notified

  personally of every development immediately. Now, move!"

  As the aide hurried off, Sun knew that he was never going

  to tell Chin or anyone else of this-until and unless the Amer-

  ican stealth bomber was brought down. Then his hope was to

  personally deliver a gun camera tape of an American stealth

  bomber being shot down to President Jiang-and use it to

  begin his campaign to rid China's waters of the United States

  and its lackeys.

  ABOARD THE EB-52 MEGAFORTRESS

  in attack mode, AGM-177 Wolverine missiles moved too fast

  to be tracked by NIRTSat satellite snapshots, but the missile's

  FATAL T ER RAI N 155

  datalink information allowed McLanahan to watch in absolute

  fascination as the missiles closedrapidly on their quarries.

  All Wolverine missiles were programmed to execute a turn

  shortly after launch so the enemy could not simply trace the

  missile's flight path directly back to its launch point; missiles

  coming from many different directions also made it appear as

  if t
here were more attackers out there. Each Wolverine missile

  executed its "dogleg" as it glided down from launch altitude

  to sea-skimming altitude, between fifty and one hundred feet

  above the sea, guided by a pencil-thin radar beam that pre-

  cisely measured the distance from the belly of the missile to

  the waves. During the glide, the missile automatically opened

  its turbojet engine air inlets and exhausts, warmed up the elec-

  tronics for its radar and imaging infrared sensors, and activated

  its threat sensors, countermeasures system, and GPS satellite

  navigation system. With the GPS locked on to at least three

  satellites, it now had target circular error accuracy of less than

  thirty feet; once it locked onto eight satellites, its navigation

  precision was good to within six inches in both position and

  altitude. Just before reaching its cruise altitude, the computer

  commanded the turbojet engine to start, accelerating the mis-

  sile to over four hundred miles an hour.

  With a ripple of microhydraulically controlled skin, the

  Wolverine missile turned on a dime and headed for its first

  target. Once lined up on target, it activated its radar for just

  two seconds and compared the range to the target received

  from the radar to the range to target on its navigational flight

  plan-the two figures were within seven feet of each other.

  The missile sampled the GPS navigation information again,

  then took a longer radar fix of the target, getting bearing as

  well as range-now the two were within two feet of each

  other. Satisfied, the missile signaled back to the EB-52 Mega-

  fortress that it was on course and ready to attack.

  Patrick McLanahan opened a new computer window on his

  large supercockpit display, then ordered the sensor feed from

  the missile displayed in the window. The radar image showed

  a bright white rectangle, with the missile's sensor's crosshairs

  centered on it. McLanahan switched to imaging infrared, and

  a small orange speck appeared; magnified, McLanahan could

  discern the long, gracefully swept bow, tall amidships super-

  structure, and huge bow-mounted 100-millimeter gun of the

  big Chinese Jiangwei-class guided-missile frigate. McLanahan

 

‹ Prev