bomb in a high parabola which was lost to sight in the night sky. He always remembered seeing and hearing the jet top out of its two-mile-high Immelmann turn, rolling right-side up and diving away until even the noise disappeared. The bomb never landed. Bennett wondered what would happen if the dream ever lasted to completion. He thought once or twice that if that happened, he might die….
A high-pitched sound woke Bennett with a start, an eerie wailing piercing his ears. Momentarily distracted, he felt for the familiar nightstand by his bed. It was not there. Then he rolled over a notepad and he remembered. He was a guest of the King of Saudi Arabia and had been sleeping in the palace. The startling sound was an imam's call to first prayer of the day, when a silver thread first becomes visible in the dark.
Bennett checked the luminous dial of his watch: 0530. He tried to sleep again, to no avail. Rolling on his back, he placed an arm over his eyes. Exhaling, he muttered one word. 'Damn!'
Safad Fatah escorted Bennett to the ante-chamber before the morning meeting. The American learned that the men who had attended the previous day's conference would be present again. Entering the conference room, he was directed to a chair and the king entered moments later. All stood.
With a wave of his hand, Rahman spoke in English. 'Be seated, gentlemen. This should not take long.'
The king sat down and leaned forward, hands clasped on the polished table. 'Gentlemen, last night at dinner Commander Bennett said that he believes what we propose can be done. Additionally, he received my assurance that we would not call upon him to jeopardize his American citizenship, nor his status as a retired U.S. officer. '
Looking around the table, lingering upon his two air generals, the monarch continued. 'The self-defense force which Commander Bennett would establish would be administratively separate from our existing air force. In matters of acquisition, funding, and policy, I shall make the decision as to which organization is to have priority in specific matters. That must be understood by all.'
The air force officers nodded solemnly. Bennett hoped the king's words would pave over any rough spots with the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force-the
The monarch turned to Bennett. 'Commander, you have had some measure of time to contemplate the offer. Will you accept?'
Bennett inhaled.
The two Saudi generals looked at one another in astonishment.
Bennett knew what was coming and quickly continued. 'Sir, gentlemen, I believe I should explain my background and preferences. This may help you better understand how my opinions are formed.
'Most of my professional life, some three thousand hours, was spent in the Vought F-8 Crusader. It was a single-seat, single-engine fighter with mixed gun and heat-seeking missile armament. This configuration gave U.S. Navy pilots the highest kill-loss ratio of any aircraft employed in Vietnam. It is the configuration of most other successful fighters, from the F -86 in Korea up to the General Dynamics F-16 today. Because this type of fighter is relatively simple, it is reliable. You can fly more sorties per aircraft than most larger, more complex types. So it really doesn't matter how many aircraft you own, provided you can keep more than ninety percent of them flying all the time. At least, within rather broad limits. '
The king was intrigued. 'I see. You would rather have six aircraft which fly nine-tenths of the time than ten aircraft which fly half the time.'
'Exactly. It is better from an operational viewpoint, and from an economic one.'
General Mustafa Halabi interjected. 'Excuse me, Commander. But we already considered the F-20 and rejected it as little but an improved F-5. It did not meet our needs.'
Bennett was ready. 'Yes, sir, I'm aware of that fact. And with all respect to the Royal Saudi Air Force, I stand by my choice. The F-20 began life as the F-5G but in fact is a completely new airplane.' Bennett was directing his remarks where they counted-to the king and the financiers. 'It was not bought by the U.S. armed forces and therefore never had a fair comparison with its competition. But it has many virtues: some similarity with your existing F-5s, easy to fly and easy to maintain, plus it has outstanding sortie generation rates with very fast turnaround times between flights. Considering your criteria, I think it's exactly what you need: competitive but economical.'
'Your Majesty.' It was the economics minister, Aziz. He had not spoken before. 'This makes elegant sense to me. With your permission, I shall investigate this matter.' The king nodded.. 'Mr. Bennett,' Aziz continued, 'how much would this F-20 cost us?'
'I believe, sir, the current price is around fifteen million U.S. dollars, about the same as the last production F-5s. But considering the current state of the American economy, well…' Bennett grinned. 'Let us say, Mr. Minister, that you should find a buyer's market. '
Aziz returned the smile.
The king was intrigued by this exchange. 'Very well. Mr. Aziz will make the necessary contacts immediately. Commander Bennett, you needn't concern yourself with acquisition. We shall bring you into the picture with the manufacturer at the appropriate time.'
'Yes, sir. If I may add something. Although the F -20 has not been procured by any of the U. S. armed forces, a foreign manufacturing contract exists. It is my understanding that the parent company is producing subcomponents for a consortium in Europe and Asia. I am acquainted with one or two middle-level managers of this program. Have I your permission to see them on a personal basis to better familiarize myself with the aircraft? Naturally, I would make no mention of our plans.'
Looking around the table for comment, the king saw none. 'As you wish. Now then, Commander, how much time would be required before an air force such as we want could be made operational? You understand we have saved much time already by beginning construction of facilities in our country as well as Bahrain, and we have identified or recruited young men for pilot training as well as maintenance personnel and a cadre of instructors who would work for you.'
'Your Majesty, it would probably be in excess of three years. The U.S. armed forces believe it takes five years to produce a combat-ready fighter pilot. But our syllabus can be streamlined to address only the matters that count. Also, I believe you can support more flying hours per month than most nations.
'However, even after that time it would still require experienced leaders to take the force into combat. Y our pilots would be as good as any in the world, and I believe they would fly perhaps the most formidable air superiority fighter ever produced. But leadership is the key.' Bennett paused, knowing he was treading carefully across uncertain ground. 'One possibility might be assignment of some experienced Saudi pilots to the F-20 program.”
The king looked at his air marshal. 'That is something we can discuss later. Please continue.'
Consulting his notes again, Bennett said, 'Your Majesty, we would need about a hundred and fifty frontline fighter pilots. That means at the peak of our power approximately a hundred and thirty aircraft. Taking into account that we will have some peace-time attrition, we need to begin training with forty or fifty two-seat versions of the F-20. I think we would be looking at the purchase of some two hundred total aircraft over a five-year period. Existing F-5Fs, the two-seat Tiger II, could provide lead-in training.'
General Halabi raised his hand. 'Your Majesty, a question please.' Turning to Bennett, the officer asked, 'By lead-in training do you mean operational training, sir?'
'No, sir. The biggest time saving is a shortened course with elimination of standard training requiring transition to two or three aircraft. I propose weeding out the candidates with a twenty-hour course in light planes- Pipers or Cessnas. Those who pass go directly to the two-seat F-20B.'
The air force chief stiffened. 'Is that possible?'
Bennett pressed his point vigorously. He spoke louder than he intended. 'Definitely, sir. I'll explain more fully when I return with the complete plan. But the advantages are considerable-cost saving, time saving, and greater proficiency in the combat aircraft.' It was obvious to all that Bennett felt passionately about his proposal. 'You see, the F-20 will not depart controlled flight under any but the most abnormal conditions.'
The king interjected. 'We can discuss these details later, gentlemen. For now, Commander Bennett, we know you must study this situation more. How long would it be until you can present a detailed analysis?'
