displaced three years previously by the collapse of their government, they remained proficient and motivated. Bear Barnes and a few of the Saudis from Class One oversaw their transition to F-20s.
Bennett's main problem in Riyadh was convincing some top-level Saudis that Tiger Force actually could fight the Israelis to a standstill. He had anticipated the Arab attitude, but its depth always surprised him. Confined as he had been to the task of building Tiger Force, with its high morale and professional competence, he realized with a start that the mystique of Israeli invincibility worked a strong influence on Arab minds. One hasty meeting in the Riyadh air ministry was typical.
The discussion started easily enough when a colonel in the Saudi operations office complimented Bennett on Tiger Force's showing against the Israeli F-15s. Bennett's response was unexpected. 'Actually, Colonel, we don't regard that action as very successful. We broke even, discounting the RF -4C.'
'But surely such a result must be considered a victory for us,' the Saudi insisted. 'It is most unusual for any Arab nation to fight the Israelis to a draw.'
Privately, Bennett conceded the point. How many times had Arab forces, their air arm quickly beaten, suffered devastation that only a modem army can receive from an effective, unopposed air force? Miles of burning tanks, trucks, and artillery pieces tossed about the desert like abandoned toys, the rotting bodies of Muslim soldiers bloating in the heat, was the collective memory of two generations.
Bennett noted that each man in the room was hanging on his every word. He placed his hands on his hips and spoke forcibly, buoyed by the power of his conviction. 'I don't know how much military history you gentlemen have read, but permit me an analogy. I'm reminded of the attitude in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. Though sailing in warships of murderous power, many of the Kaiser's admirals never adjusted psychologically to centuries of Rule Britannia. They found it hard to imagine Germany actually defeating the Royal Navy. So the Kaiser's dreadnaughts sortied believing they might lose, while the British never considered anything but defeating them.'
Bennett did not realize it immediately, but that short, heartfelt speech was repeated throughout the Royal Saudi Air Force by those who heard it.
Thus, Bennett's 'fade away plan,' as he called it, won acceptance. The king himself still hoped to avoid a full-scale war in the region, for that would only endanger his nation and his throne. But the monarch's advisers- coaxed along by the suave Safad Fatah-agreed to the air plan at length. Satisfied that the spadework had been done, Bennett addressed himself to a final bit of pleading.
That afternoon at tea with Fatah, Bennett had earnestly pressed his case. 'Safad, I wish to ask you this favor for me.' It was almost the first time Bennett had addressed the minister by his given name. 'I have seen with my own eyes'-a favorite Arab phrase-'the effect of an undeclared war. It is said that such declarations are out of date in the late twentieth century. But please consider my request on behalf of Tiger Force and all of your Saudi warriors.' He paused, looking Fatah square in the face. 'If there is war with Israel, or with any other country, ask the king to issue a declaration of war. Make it formal, make it official, and make it stick.'
Fatah blinked, hiding the surprise he felt. It seemed such an unnecessary request. But he trusted the American's judgment. 'What reason should I propose to His Majesty?'
'Legal protection for your people under international law. I saw that absence of a declaration at work on my friends, on my country in my lifetime. At least provide your soldiers with access to the international community and legal recourse if there's a full-scale war.' Leaning forward in his chair, Bennett concluded, 'I'm not confusing a raid or a skirmish with a war. I recognize the legal and practical differences between them. But, Safad, if a real war is worth fighting, it is worth declaring. Will you pass on my thoughts to the king?'
The dignified old Arab said solemnly, 'Yes, my friend. He shall hear your words. '
Chapter 12
Colonel Solomon Yatanahu sat in his office, feet un-militarily propped on his desk, his Nomex flight suit open almost to his navel. He was still perspiring from the forty-minute workout with three of his F-15 pilots. Yatanahu was commander of Balhama Air Base, one of three Israeli airfields near Beersheva. And though he was technically no longer on operational status, the forty-two-year-old officer still liked to compete with the younger men in air combat practice. Prematurely gray with a chiseled face and startling blue eyes, Yatanahu had spent his life in fighter aviation. More than two decades of flying, including combat in three wars and eleven aerial victories, had honed his professional senses to a fine edge.
Yatanahu had come up the hard way, which is to say the
The Israeli Air Force's attitude is pragmatic if nothing else. The operating philosophy is 'experience leads.' Yatanahu had led missions as a captain with a lieutenant colonel flying section lead in the number three position. And he knew of special-purpose missions led by lieutenants because the junior officers possessed the qualities and experience which made them best-suited for the job. Ironically, perhaps the only air force in history which had come close to the Israeli philosophy was the Luftwaffe during World War II.
Solomon Yatanahu studied the debriefing reports on the Saudi airfield reconnaissance. It had been known for some time that the Saudis had a capable F-20 force, trained by American and British instructors. Given the background of the instructors, it was to be expected that the Tigersharks would put up a good fight. Yatanahu knew as well as anyone that much of the Israeli fighter doctrine had been absorbed from exchange tours with U.S. Navy squadrons. Unlike most Arab air forces, which adopted Soviet-style formations and tactics, the Saudis had flown loose deuce, employing fluid tactics.
Reading the pilots' comments, Yatanahu noted that the biggest problem was simply seeing the F-20. He could well understand it. Yatanahu had been an exchange pilot at Nellis Air Force Base in the 1970s, flying against the F-5Es of the' aggressor squadrons in the Nevada desert. The Tiger II could not outperform the F-15 and F-16 in most regimes, but with enough F-5s on hand, it was almost impossible for other pilots to keep a safe lookout through 360 degrees. The little F-5 was murderously hard to see, and the F-20 was the same size with 70 percent more thrust!
The school solution was to engage the Northrops at long range with radar-guided missiles. The Israelis had more success with the Sparrow than its American designers had, partly because of far greater institutional experience. The
Even so, Yatanahu knew that the simple weapons work best.
Sparrows and other radar missiles were complex and expensive, so the heat-seekers were the weapon of choice. His own experience was typical. Of the eight Syrian and three Egyptian aircraft he had shot down, Yatanahu used Sidewinders or Israeli-built Shafrirs on all but three. Like most fighter pilots, he was emotionally inclined to use his cannon because it was personally more satisfying. 'No kill like a gun kill,' the Americans always said. But the heat seekers were accurate and efficient. Though Yatanahu loved to tell about his gun kills, he acknowledged the infrared missile was the champion MiG destroyer.
The colonel knew that the Saudis and their advisers would anticipate the Sparrow option and would work to deprive the Israelis of it. As yet, electronic countermeasures had not been a big factor in air-to-air combat. The F- 20s facing his squadrons across the Jordanian border came without radar for the most part. The colonel knew also that there would be a reason. This so-called Tiger Force would seek to engage in close-in maneuvering, the 'knife fight' where the radar missile could not be used. He fervently hoped the Israeli scientists and engineers were working on a means to negate the various U. S., French, and Soviet jammers now available to all major Arab air forces.
The politicians in Tel Aviv were maintaining their hard line, so there would be another war. The time had passed for negotiation. Yatanahu did not set policy. But there had to be a better way.
Solomon Yatanahu was an agnostic. He would not openly deny the existence of a god-that was contrary to
