Day of the Cheetah

by Dale Brown

path, but kept Cheetah coming down and flew between the

  two parked aircraft on the ramp. The hangar was the only thing

  in front of them now, with the cavernous doors looking like huge

  gaping jaws ready to devour them.

  Cheetah. There was no mistaking it-the huge F-15 fighter with

  the big unmistakable foreplanes, the thundering twin engines,

  twin tails to match, broad wings. It was continuing its tight turn

  at an impossibly low altitude, barely above treetop level. In a

  few seconds it would turn perpendicular to the runway heading

  right for the main part of the base . . .

  Maraklov looked down the flight line toward the hangars.

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 297

  What he saw made him break out in a run. Men and equipment

  were pouring out of the hangar where DreamStar was parked

  and they were leaving the hangar doors wide open.

  "How bad do you want DreamStar, Colonel?"

  McLanahan took his eyes off the recon pod control panel and

  glanced at the forward cockpit in surprise. "What?"

  Cheetah was aimed directly for the center of the open doors,

  and they were skimming the runway and parking ramp with less

  than two thousand feet to go to the hangar. said, "I got

  Cheetah on hard autopilot, Patrick. You punch us out, and bye-

  bye DreamStar.

  "You mean crash Cheetah into that hangar?"

  One thousand feet to go. "Now's the chance, friend. You

  start evening up for Wendy, Old Dog right here, right now. It'll

  look like an accident during an authorized mission . . . "

  Five hundred feet to go. The hangar doors towered above

  them. They could see men lying on the ramp, soldiers shooting

  in their direction, trucks and service vehicles taking off in all

  directions. They could see access doors open on DreamStar,

  tools lying on the hangar floor, even puddles of fluid. The cam-

  era pod was whirring away, broadcasting its information to

  HAWC headquarters.

  Their immediate mission was finished. The Russians had

  DreamStar, no question about it-they apparently were in the

  process of dismantling it, in preparation for sending it back to

  Russia. Cheetah was a preproduction aircraft-the Air Force was

  in the process of building thousands of them. They would not

  be sacrificing anything important, and would be keeping one-of-

  a-kind DreamStar out of the hands of the Russians . . .

  Maraklov yelled at the guards to close the doors but it was too

  late. Cheetah was on top of him before he could run twenty

  steps, and the quiet, deadly hiss of the shock wave approaching

  him made him dive for the tarmac . . .

  Incredible . . . Cheetah was going to hit. DreamStar was go-

  ing to be destroyed . . .

  "Standing by for ejection Powell told his commander. It

  was now or never . . .

  "No.

  298 DALE BROWN

  Less than one hundred feet from the hangar door JC. Powell

  yanked Cheetah on its tail and threw in full afterburner. It cleared

  the hangar roof by only a few feet-Powell and McLanahan

  could feel the unearthly rumble of metal beneath their feet as the

  sonic wave pounded the tin roof. kept the climb in for a

  few more seconds, then rolled inverted, pulled the nose to the

  horizon, rolled upright and leveled off.

  "Get us out of here, sir, " said.

  "Right turn heading zero-one-zero, " McLanahan said evenly.

  "Keep it on the deck. Ten minutes to the Honduras border."

  They flew on in silence until McLanahan reported that they

  were crossing the border. There were some MiG-29 pursuers

  detected, but they were far behind them by the time they had

  reported in to Tegucigalpa Air Defense Control, and an entire

  flight of six Honduran F-16 fighters was scrambled to turn them

  away. ordered the voice-recognition computer to activate

  the IFF identification radios, then started a shallow climb at best-

  range power and turned northward toward home.

  The roar of Cheetah's twin engines didn't subside in Maraklov's

  head for several minutes, until it was gradually replaced by the

  sound of sirens wailing up and down the flight line. Slowly he

  rose to his feet and surveyed the scene around him.

  To his surprise, everything seemed relatively intact-Cheetah

  had not been carrying a bomb on its centerline station, as Mar-

  aklov had thought, or else some major malfunction had kept it

  from releasing. But from the quick glimpse he got, it looked

  more like a camera pod than a bomb. Cheetah, it seemed, had

  come to take pictures. Well, they definitely got what they

  wanted. They had caught everyone off guard, with DreamStar

  unprotected and vulnerable.

  It had to be JC. Powell flying Cheetah. Several pilots at

  Dreamland were checked out on Cheetah, but only Powell would

  be crazy enough to fly it so close to the ground and so close to

  the hangar. Any other pilot would have been happy with a hun-

  dred, even fifty feet above ground. Not Powell.

  For a moment it appeared that whoever was flying Cheetah

  was going to kamikaze himself right into DreamStar's hangar.

  Cheetah and DreamStar gone together9 Maybe not such a bad

  ending. But how different was his situation as it was? With

  DreamStar gone and out of his control, his career was surely at

  I pp--

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 299

  an end. There was no good future for him in the Soviet Union-

  he would be like a tiger, caged for the rest of his life, hunted

  by the U. and distrusted or worse at "home. " He would never

  be closer to Brazil or Paraguay than he was right now.

  And DreamStar was still safe-though for how long, now that

  the Americans knew where it was? No choice but to play out

  this hand and see how the cards fell. Somehow the photographic

  attack on Sebaco gave him some hope-maybe, just maybe,

  DreamStar would fly again. And with the right man at the con-

  trols.

  It wasn't until they had completed their final air-refueling over

  the Gulf that felt confident enough to approach the subject:

  "We could have had them, boss," he said. "You could have

  done it."

  McLanahan had said nothing the entire flight, except the curt,

  monotone checklist of responses required of him. But this time

  he spoke up. "I know that."

  "The ACES seat would have blown us clear of the impact.

  We could have made it out."

  "Maybe.

  "Why didn't you punch us out?"

  "I don't know why. Maybe I thought it wasn't my job to

  waste Cheetah. Maybe I think we still have a chance to get

  DrearnStar back. Maybe I thought it was a dumb idea all on its

  own. We are still alive, we haven't been captured by the Rus-

  sians, Cheetah is in one piece and we've accomplished our mis-

  sion. So if you can stand it, let's leave it at that."

  Sebaco Airbase, Nicaragua

  "Where were your air-defense forces, General?" Maraklov said

  to General Tret'yak as the commander of the KGB airbase came

  over to the hangar.

  "Ahstarozhna, tovarisch Polkovnik. Calm yourself, was any
-

  one hurt, was there damage?"

  "Do you know what that was, General? It was an American

  fighter. It was carrying a camera pod or some kind of recon-

  naissance unit-but it could have just as easily been carrying a

  two-thousand-pound bomb. We'd all be dead now if it was."

  300 DALE BROWN

  "I said calm yourself, Colonel. Our air-defense forces were

  dispatched in response to an intrusion northeast of here near the

  Nicaraguan nadar site at Puerto Cabezas. Our interceptors de-

  stroyed two unmanned drones heading back out to sea. Obvi-

  ously they were part of this attack, used to draw away our defense

  forces while this fighter staged its pass. "

  "Well, the lightbulb has finally come on," Maraklov said.

  Tret'yak obviously did not understand, but Maraklov's tone of

  voice was clear. "While your interceptors were being suckered

  away you left DreamStar wide open for attack. Here's another

  news flash for you, General-they'll be back. They no doubt

  transmitted those pictures to Washington, and they're being an-

  alyzed right now. You can expect a second wave of fighters in

  a few hours-and this time they won't just be carrying cameras.

  I know them. You have. four MiG-29 fighters to counter a whole

  squadron of F-15 or F/A-18 fighter-bombers-"

  "We will be ready for them, I assure you-"

  "Never mind assurances, DreamStar is too vulnerable. We're

  in real danger of losing it. After all I've done to get it here. It

  will take your workers another twelve hours to finish the refit,

  plus who knows how many to get her ready to fly."

  "

  We can transfer forces from Managua to Sebaco and other

  coastal bases to provide longer-range coverage-"

  "You're talking about the damned Nicaraguan air force as if

  it was a real defensive force. " Judging by the expression on

  Tret'yak's face, Maraklov could tell the Soviet general agreed

  with him. "They might be good for providing a way for the

  Americans to deplete their missiles, but if you rely on the Nic-

  araguans to defend Sebaco . . . "

  He did not need to finish the sentence-Tret'yak had finished

  it for him. They had MiG-29 fighters at Sebaco because Tret'yak

  did not trust the Nicaraguans to protect it. It would be a tactical

  nightmare to bring Nicaraguan pilots to Sebaco. Few of them

  spoke Russian, few spoke English, and few had trained for longer

  than a month or two with their Russian counterparts. Maraklov

  was right-they were good for little more than target practice for

  the Americans.

  "I understand, Colonel," Tret'yak said, "but if an attack

  comes we must deal with it with the resources we have. I will

  contact my headquarters and request additional defensive forces

  from Cuba. Perhaps some diplomatic pressure can be applied as

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 301

  well. Meanwhile, the refit of the aircraft will proceed. I will call

  in all shifts to increase our pace."

  KGB Headquarters, Dzerzhinsky Square, Moscow

  Friday, 19 June 1996, 1858 EET (1058 EDT)

  Viktor Kalinin crumpled the dispatch in his hand. His senior

  aide, Kevi Molokov, stood by as the KGB chief swiveled in his

  chair and stared at a map of Central America that had been set

  up near his desk. "The Americans have just flown an F- 15 fighter

  bomber aircraft over the exact spot where the experimental air-

  craft is being stored. Tret'yak believes the Americans now have

  detailed, incontrovertible evidence that their aircraft is in Nica-

  ragua. Tret'yak ends his message with an observation from Mar-

  aklov that the Americans may attack at any time."

  "Sir, I think General Tret'yak is overreacting," Molokov said.

  "The United States will not take direct military action."

  "You seem so sure. Yet they sent an F-15 fighter right into

  the Nicaraguan and General Tret'yak's forces."

  "That was foreseeable, sir. I would have expected a high-

  altitude reconnaissance aircraft, such as their SR-71 or TR-1

  aircraft, but I am sure they did that for show. If they were really

  serious about retrieving their aircraft, they have a carrier in

  Puerto Rico that could have been moved into the area by now.

  That carrier is still in port. They could have sent a squadron of

  fighter-bombers to destroy the aircraft on the ground, but they

  sent one aircraft, apparently only to take photographs. If they

  were going to mount an offensive it would have followed im-

  mediately. "

  "I almost wish the damn plane had been bombed," Kalinin

  said. "The XF-34 is slipping out of our grasp, Kevi. It's fortu-

  nate that the American government is denying the entire inci-

  dent-no pressure on our government has been applied yet.

  Yet . . .

  "We need Maraklov to fly the plane out of Nicaragua before

  real pressure begins," Molokov said. "Once the aircraft is in

  our hands we can control events."

  "But I can't stand by waiting for the dam to burst," Kalinin

  said, slapping the table with the palm of his hand. "I want a

  302 DALE BROWN

  way to stop an American offensive before it begins. Never mind

  that you think they're not going to start one. "

  "That would mean exposing the Central Committee," Mo-

  lokov said. "Only they can initiate any direct dealings with the

  American government. "

  Kalinin paused, considering his aide's words. "We just may be

  able to bypass the Central Committee. To a degree, at least . . . "

  "I am sure it is possible, sir, but can you take that chance?

  It would mean a major breach of procedure-"

  "It's time to reach out," Kalinin said cryptically. "Be sure I

  have two secure communications lines open all evening."

  "Yes, sir, they are open now. But who can you possibly con-

  tact that has the authority to act in so little time?"

  - This government's golden boy. He is in a perfect position

  to influence the Americans. Whether he will cooperate with us

  depends-if he has any skeletons in his closet. I believe a call

  from KGB headquarters will be enough to get his attention. It is

  time to see if this star performer also has reason for a guilty

  conscience.

  The White House Conference Room

  Friday, 19 June 1996, 1605 EDT

  General Elliott watched as the President, Deborah O'Day, Wil-

  bur Curtis, William Stuart and Richard Benson viewed the replay

  of Cheetah's sortie over Nicaragua. He had had an opportunity

  to see the tape as it was received via satellite from Dreamland

  after decoding, and it reminded Elliott of films shot from the

  first car on a roller-coaster. The viewers were twisting and

  squirming in their seats as it unfolded.

  "This is the forward view," Elliott explained, "as the aircraft

  approached Sebaco. The F-15 is under attack from an SA-10

  surface-to-air missile site. There-you can just barely see the

  missile as it misses." The huge missile could be seen easily,

  and Elliott watched the viewers cringe and even move to the left

  as the missile shot by, missing by only a few
yards.

  'The aircraft is now approaching Sebaco. As you can see,

  the base is not very large but its facilities are extensive. Here-

  you can see an anti-aircraft gun emplacement that we have iden-

  tified as an older version of the standard S-60 air-defense weapon.

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 303

  Our aircraft has come up on the base so fast there wasn't enough

  time for the Soviets to get this S-60 into position. Both the

  SA-10 and S-60 are fairly old systems. The Soviets throw noth-

  ing awa

  Y.

  The scene shifted to a side-looking image, with forests and

  hills going by in a blur. "This imagery has been slowed down

  fifty percent-we'll slow it down even more in a moment. Our

  aircraft is at Mach one-about seven hundred eighty miles an

  hour." The trees thinned out as the first few signs of the runway

  environment came into view, but the most spectacular sight was

  the buildings and other structures racing by-all towering over

  the F-15. Elliott slowed the imagery down by half again as he

  continued:

  "We are now looking out the left-side camera of the F-15, at

  the rows of hangars and buildings just off the flight line at Se-

  baco. We will replay the image without magnification at first.

  Here-take a look at this hangar."

  Even without increased magnification the sight was obvious-

  it was the XF-34 parked inside the hangar. "It's unmistakable-

  this is DreamStar. Notice the forward-swept wings, the canards

  with the trailing edges pointing downward, the chin intake, the

  slanted vertical stabilizers. This is what the crew saw on their

  first pass. Now I'll let the film go for the rest of the pass."

  In normal speed the scene suddenly swung down out of view,

  revealing only sky and treetops-mostly treetops, since the fighter

  was still very low. The scene then shifted back to the forward

  camera, and Elliott could see Benson grabbing his chair's arm-

  rests as treetops skittered past the bottom half of the screen. The

  image then centered on the hangar again-and remained centered

  on it. They did not see the top of the hangar. The field of view

  was centered precisely on the aircraft inside. Their eyes widened