said, turning in his seat to face Forbes and Whittard. ‘Be prepared to haul off the moment the warhead detonates.’
Richter nodded agreement. ‘For self-defence, we’ll each be carrying two AIM-9L Sidewinders. We’re having to compromise on this mission, because we also need a drop tank due to the long transit. Mother moved closer to the peninsula during the night, and is presently loitering about twenty miles off the South Korean coast due west of Seoul. The fastest way to reach our targets is to fly straight there, but that would mean crossing directly over North Korea, and that’s not the brightest of ideas. The DPRK has one of the most comprehensive air-defence networks on the surface of the planet. It’s got nearly ten thousand anti-aircraft guns, plus Russian SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, SA-7 and SA-16 surface-to-air missiles. Most of the SA-2 and SA-3 batteries are located near the coastal areas, and the SA-5s are close to the DMZ and Pyongyang itself.’
Richter replaced the photograph the OHP was displaying with an aeronautical chart of the Korean Peninsula on which he’d drawn the track he’d planned for their sortie.
‘So we’re going to avoid all that lot and take the pretty route. On takeoff, we’ll form into two pairs in loose formation and transit due east, overflying Seoul. We’ve already received diplomatic clearance, and I’ll give you contact frequencies, callsigns, SSR codes and procedures for the en-route radar units at the end of this briefing. The peninsula’s about a hundred miles wide, and to conserve fuel we’ll transit at high level – I hope around thirty thousand feet, but it’ll depend upon the clearance we get from Seoul.
‘There’s no point in trying to sneak across at low level because the North Koreans have really good radar coverage of the area south of the DMZ and they’d definitely see us, which would probably make them even more suspicious than they may already be. By transiting at high level I’m hoping they’ll think it’s just another border patrol.
‘Once we go feet-wet over the Sea of Japan we’ll turn south-east so that we’re not perceived as a threat by North Korean air defence radars, and then start a cruise descent. By my calculations, and based on the route I’ve worked out, we should drop below the North Korean radar horizon when we get below five thousand feet. We’ll continue descent to fifteen hundred feet and turn port onto a northerly heading, to keep us at least thirty miles clear of the coast.’
He replaced the aeronautical chart with a more detailed version which showed the east side of the peninsula.
‘When we reach here – one two nine degrees east, thirty-nine degrees north – we split into two pairs and turn towards our respective targets. Viper will track approximately zero one zero towards Hochon, and Cobra three four five for Mayang. Once established on track, both pairs will descend to five hundred feet, and jettison drop tanks at least two miles before reaching the coast.
‘Vipers will hit Hochon first, then turn east for No-dong, as the two sites are very close together. When those attacks have been completed, your escape vector will be one four zero, giving you the shortest possible track to the coast. Then head south-east until you’re clear of North Korean territorial waters, before turning west once you’re south of the Demilitarized Zone. If you have to land in South Korea it shouldn’t be a problem. The major airfields have been briefed that one or more British fighters may be carrying out practice diversions today. I’ll give you contact frequencies and landing charts at the end of this briefing. And,
‘If your aircraft is damaged and you can’t make it back, try to get over the Sea of Japan before ejecting. The water’s fairly warm, and your survival time should be several hours. As you know,
He turned to Commander (Air). ‘Where’s the Sea King, Blackie?’
‘It should be in position shortly,’ Roger Black replied. ‘We’ve sent an AEW Sea King east of the peninsula, and the bagman will call traffic on your discrete frequency, using callsign November Alpha. He’ll use simple codes: Alpha for a clean picture; Bravo for single contacts and Charlie for multiple bandits. The King flew out there about an hour ago, and by now it should be refuelling from
‘Thanks,’ Richter said. ‘Now, Cobras – Splot and I – have drawn the short straw. Mayang is near the coast, and we should get there at about the same time as Vipers hit Hochon, so it will still be a surprise attack. Our problem is Ok’pyong. From Mayang we’ll have to turn south-west and it’s a seventy-odd-mile overland transit. It’s certain that by the time we get there the NK defences will have been alerted and, frankly, our chances of getting through the anti-aircraft barrage they’ll throw up will be fairly slim.’
Richter stopped talking and eyed the men sitting in front of him. None seemed particularly perturbed by anything he’d said so far, but he hadn’t expected they would be. Harrier pilots are among the elite of the fast-jet world, used to handling a difficult aircraft under the most demanding conditions. And, as was comprehensively demonstrated in the Falklands War, the aircraft itself is enormously capable. In that conflict the Harrier was both outnumbered and outperformed by the aircraft flown by the Argentine Air Force, but despite this suffered no casualties in air combat and shot down twenty enemy jets. Richter wasn’t worried about air combat – he thought the Harrier could hold its own against anything the North Koreans flew apart from the Foxbat – but the sheer number of SAMs scared him.
‘Any questions?’ Four heads were shaken in unison. ‘Above all, remember to watch out for the SAMs.’ Richter held up three envelopes. ‘Right, these are data packs listing the frequencies, squawks and so on. They’re classified Secret because of the information they contain on South Korean airfields, so remember to dispose of them correctly once you get back from this little excursion. The EMCON policy is unrestricted whilst we’re under South Korean control, but keep communications on our discrete frequency to a minimum, as the last thing we want is to alert the North Koreans by unnecessary radio chatter.
‘Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ll shred this lot here and meet you in the ACRB for a plate of low-cholesterol bacon butties in five minutes. We should aim to get airborne in about three quarters of an hour.’
Kim Yong-Su was awoken by the telephone ringing. Like most other North Korean senior officials, he’d taken to sleeping in his office so that he could be contacted immediately by the leadership.
‘Kim Yong-Su,’ he announced, glancing at the wall clock.
‘It’s Pak Je-San,’ the caller replied.
‘Yes?’ Kim’s voice was noticeably more abrupt now he realized he wasn’t addressing the ‘Dear Leader’. ‘What do you want?’
‘I’m not sure it’s significant, but two of our radar units – the stations at Ongjin and Haeju – have detected the launch of four aircraft from the British warship that’s been operating west of Seoul.’
‘That ship has been flying aircraft regularly for the last two days.’
‘I know, but all those flights have remained within patrol areas over the Yellow Sea. These aircraft have climbed to high level and headed into South Korea. None of the aircraft have done that before. Judging by their secondary radar returns, they’re now being controlled by the radar unit at Seoul.’
Kim Yong-Su sat down at his desk and thought for a few seconds. ‘You were right to call me, Pak. If the British were intending a preemptive strike against our missile bases, they’d probably cross into the Sea of Japan and then launch an attack from there.’
‘But we have no quarrel with the British.’
‘No,’ Kim replied, ‘but they’re still the best friends the imperialist Yankees have. If Washington says “Jump”, all the spineless British ever say is “How high?” It looks as if you were right, Pak. The only surprise is that the British are doing the Americans’ dirty work for them. I must pass on this information at once. Ensure that all our southern radar stations are warned about these aircraft, then launch our interceptors and alert the missile bases.’
Kim put down the phone and reached out a hand for the red telephone. Before picking it up he looked again at the clock. It was
