by FX Holden
What his great-grandfather would certainly not recognize, not even begin to grasp the idea of, were the 30 US made Perdix Autonomous Micro Drones loaded into one of Meany’s flare launchers. Fired out of his flare launcher in their canisters, the small drones had a wingspan of only one foot and weighed less than a pound – half of their weight being the 40mm grenade inside the body of the drone. Sure, his great-grandfather might be able to grasp the idea of a small autonomous aircraft – after all, he had seen V1 and V2 rockets raining down on London during his war. But the idea of a small autonomous aircraft that could be launched from a jet flying at greater than the speed of sound, right over the heads of enemy tanks and troops: an aircraft that would then form a swarm, syncing data and vision with the pilot of the jet and a fire support coordinator on the ground, allowing him or her to direct the drones to attack the enemy with unholy precision and devastating effect…
That, his great-grandfather could never have imagined.
But that was exactly the mission Meany was about to fly, together with his flight leader, Flight Lieutenant Arthur ‘Rex’ King.
As Meany taxied his Tempest out behind Rex and surveyed the dead brown fields at the northeast end of Turkey’s Incirlik air base runway, he still felt a slight bewilderment at finding himself at war in the Middle East, ninety years after his great-grandfather’s war. Two weeks earlier, he’d been in the Premier Enclosure at the Wolverhampton Racecourse outside his native Birmingham, watching his last £100 disappear into the bag of a bookmaker after the ‘sure thing’ his mate had put him onto had turned out to be a donkey.
There had been rumors that 617 Squadron (the Dambusters) might join the conflict in Syria, of course. Weekly rumors that had turned into daily rumors, that Meany had regarded as less and less likely as each day passed without any official confirmation. After all, the Dambusters had only just completed the transition from the US-made F-35 Lightning to the brand-new RAF Tempest, and were still ironing out some kinks. But everyone could see the war in Syria was going sideways for Turkey and unless someone stepped in on their side, there was a very real chance of an emboldened Syria rolling over Turkish forces and then doing as their new President, the thirty-year-old Hafaz al-Assad, had promised repeatedly they would do: reclaim the Golan Heights for Syria.
The ‘limited conflict’ over Syria was the ideal opportunity to test the RAF’s newest airframe in combat. Supposedly, RAF operations were limited to air to air and air to ground defense of Turkish forces inside Turkish held territory, provision of training and logistical support, and ground to air missile defenses. On arriving at Incirlik in southern Turkey, Meany quickly learned the definition of ‘Turkish held territory’ was a very fluid one.
As he waited for his turn to roll, Meany was busy setting up his multifunction displays for the ground attack mission ahead of him. There wouldn’t be the luxury of time once he was airborne, as they were only 40 minutes’ flying time from their target today – a Syrian 4th Armored Division unit dug in east of Kobani.
Six miles inside Syria.
He would have liked to be carrying the Tempest’s directed energy weapon turret on this mission, but the added weight of the Perdix drones had made that impossible. The small 50 kilowatt laser pod, powered by a kinetic generator, was very handy for blinding incoming enemy missiles and infrared sensors but he’d have to rely on his allies for this mission. The RAF attack was timed to follow an anti-air ‘wild weasel’ run by Turkish F-4s, so Meany and Rex just had to hope they would do their job properly.
Checking his kneepad for his mission briefing notes, Meany’s eyes were drawn to the intel he had circled in red.
Turkish and Coalition ground forces at Kobani have been encircled as Syrian forces continue their successful push on the Turkish regional capital of Gaziantep to the west. Trapped within the city are elements of the Turkish 5th Armored Brigade, and the US 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines.
The presence of the US troops was probably the only thing keeping the Syrian 4th Armored Division, with Russian air support, from rolling into Kobani and making everyone there dead. But Meany had to wonder how long their patience would hold.
Once his Tempest started dropping autonomously-guided 40mm armor-piercing grenades on their heads.
It was 0500 on 1 April 2030.
In Kobani, Gunner James Jensen was picking his way through the rubble, wondering if he’d make it back alive tonight. Or whether he’d even have a base to get back to. The rumor was that Syrian troops to the south and west were mobilizing for a big push and privately, Jensen wasn’t sure how much longer the Turks in Kobani could hold on. But he’d worry about that if he survived the day. Or rather, survived the next hour. In the next ten minutes he had to make it to a position where he could see the Syrian lines and paint targets for an incoming air strike.
Twenty miles south of Incirlik, Flight Officer Meany Papastopoulos was settling in for the short run into Kobani with a bellyful of Perdix drones, hoping against all odds the bloody Turkish anti-air fighters would get through this time, so that every damn Syrian anti-air missile on the ground down there wasn’t pointed at him as he blew through.
In the RAAF ready room at Incirlik, Flight Lieutenant Red Burgundy was telling Bunny O’Hare that she had just been given her last chance. One more act of insubordination would see her demoted to Pilot Officer, otherwise known as a ‘bograt’, and placed on non-flying duties for the rest of her rotation. They would be patrolling east of Kobani and all he wanted, was for her to follow bloody orders up there, nothing more, nothing less.
And Lieutenant Yevgeny Bondarev was already airborne, faithfully patrolling the Syrian border on the wing of his CO once again, looking down on blasted and smoking villages and wondering whether he’d be getting a medal for the action of the day before, or a court martial. Tchakov had made it back to base with a busted wrist and was otherwise unhurt, but the informal jury of his fellow pilots was still out on whether the loss of Tchakov’s Felon had been justified by the destruction of a couple of Turkish F-16s and a brace of drones. It was generally agreed the squadron needed an F-35 kill if it was to redeem its reputation.
And preferably, today.
KOBANI, the next novel in the Future War series, and a self-contained prequel to the events that take place in Bering Strait (Future War Volume 1), will be released medio 2021.
Other books in the Future War series
(Each novel in the Future War series is a self-contained story, with some recurring characters.)
Praise for ‘Bering Strait’
“BERING STRAIT is a riveting thriller. It is 2031 and a new cold war between America and Russia is starting. Perri Tungyan is a Yup'ik fisherman, just 17 years old. He lives on Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Strait and, as he awaits the weekly shopping drone at the Gambell airstrip, he notices several specks in the sky. These loom larger and larger, identifying as aircraft, and Perri suddenly realizes that he is the only one who knows what is happening. Russia has started to take control of the Strait. Russian ships move in to block the entrance and exit to the Strait and a no-fly zone is imposed over Western Alaska. The lives of eight people are about to be turned upside down as Armageddon approaches…
The action is intense and the plot unique. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes and keep their attention while it soars along at a fast pace. The characters are developed nicely throughout the story, each having their own part to play and meshing with one another seamlessly. You soon begin to empathize with them and they are a likable bunch of people too. This story is unmissable and slightly scary because it isn't set very far in the future and, given recent world events, isn't out of the realms of possibility. Great story, highly recommended for those who want a tight, gripping tale to lose themselves in.”
- Readers Favorite, 5 stars
Praise for ‘Okinawa’
Holden's intense second Future War novel (after Bering Strait) is a riveting take on the near future of warfare and g
lobal politics, peopled by a large cast of well-written characters. In 1942, Chinese-American soldier John Chen interrogates captured Japanese pilot Tadao Kato. In 2033, Japan and China sign a landmark treaty, and Chen and Kato's great-grandchildren, Li Chen and Takuya Kato, are both pilots ordered to participate in the first-ever Sino-Japanese joint military exercises. But the supposedly peaceful Operation Red Dove turns deadly when a secret government-funded Chinese hacking group takes control of a DARPA drone and targets American Navy assets on Okinawa. Takuya's friend Mitsuko, a political radical, may be the only person who can stave off a global war--because the death of her father has just made her Japan's first empress.
This page-turner is filled with extensive cultural, interpersonal, and tactical detail, from the unspoken meaning in a cup of tea to the military decisions that move battleships. Holden dispenses with stereotypes and crafts well-defined characters from multiple countries. Particularly memorable are the many richly characterized women, including outspoken, driven Mitsuko; brassy Australian drone pilot Karen "Bunny" O'Hare; conflicted hotshot Li Chen; brilliant hacker Frangipani; and big-hearted 103-year-old gardener Noriko Fukada. The human face they put on the conflict makes each development feel real and evoke powerful emotions.
The crisp dialogue is a pleasure to read and balances the tension with genuine laughs. ("Don't lose those," Bunny tells a sonar tech taking custody of her facial piercing jewelry. "I'm both sentimental and violent.") Readers will be on the edges of their seats as Holden ratchets up the danger to civilians as well as sailors and pilots. This military thriller, which honors servicepeople while strongly questioning the value of war, is both highly enjoyable and deeply thought-provoking.
Takeaway: Any fan of military thrillers will be riveted by this near-future novel that sets Japan, China, and the U.S. at the brink of war. Great for fans of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's All You Need Is Kill, Clive Cussler's Oregon Files.”
- Publishers' Weekly BookLife 'Editor's Choice':
The Future War series is available on Amazon