Leadership Material

As the Blackjack-E sped across the sands and desolate high plains of eastern Saudi Arabia, air-defense radar sites began popping up all across their intended route of flight. It seemed as if there was a surface-to-air missile site stationed every forty of fifty miles apart along the Persian Gulf from Al-Khasab on the tip of Cape Shuraytah in Oman all the way to Kuwait City, with more sprinkles of air-defense radars on warships on or over the Persian Gulf itself. But the sites that were the most dangerous threat to the Blackjack-E-the various Coalition Patriot, Rapier, and Hawk antiaircraft batteries- were all fixed sites, and their precise locations had been known for weeks-they would make easy targets. In addition, although all of them were capable of attacking targets in any direction, they were set up and oriented to attack targets flying in from the Persian Gulf or Strait of Hormuz, not from the Arabian Peninsula. There were a few scattered mobile antiaircraft artillery emplacements, and the shipborne Aegis, Standard, and Sea Wolf antiaircraft missile systems represented a significant threat, but those would not be able to engage a fast-moving low-flying stealthy target in time.

Just before starting its attack, the Blackjack-E accelerated to just under supersonic speed-it was now traveling more than a mile every ten seconds. From fifty miles away, the Blackjack-E crew launched in-ertially guided Kh-15 missiles against the known antiaircraft emplacements in the United Arab Emirates. As the plane sped closer, it polished off any remaining antiaircraft radar sites with radar-homing Kh-15 missiles. As the bomber neared the United Arab Emirates coastline heading east, many radar sites saw the big bomber coming, but before they could direct their missile units to fire, the Kh-15 missiles were blowing the radars and communications nets off the air. Coalition air-defense fighters based all up and down the Persian Gulf, from half a dozen bases, launched in hot pursuit. The aircraft carrier Midway had ten F/A-18 Hornet fighter-bombers in air-defense configuration airborne in combat air patrols all around the carrier group, and it quickly launched another pair and prepared more launches, even though no one had a definite fix on the unknown aircraft.

The biggest threat to the Blackjack-E crew, however, was the French-made Mirage 5 and Mirage 2000 air- defense fighters based in Dubai. One Mirage 2000 acquired the Blackjack shortly after liftoff along with his wingman, but it was blown out of the sky by a radar-guided R-40 missile before the Mirage could even complete its first vector to the bandit. The second Mirage disengaged when he saw his leader explode in a ball of fire, and by the time he was ready to pursue and engage again, the Blackjack-E was almost out of radar range and on its missile attack run against the USS Midway.

The gauntlet was squeezing tighter and tighter on the Blackjack-E, but it was still heading for its target. The crew accelerated to supersonic speed, staying less than one hundred feet above the dark, shallow waters of the Persian Gulf as the bomber closed in on its quarry. The Blackjack climbed higher only to launch Kh-15 radar-homing missiles on the greatest threats in front of them, the Perry-class guided-missile frigate guarding the Midway's western flank. It took five Kh-15 missiles fired at the frigate to finally shut its missile-search-and-guidance radars down. The Midway's Hornets' APG-65 attack radar was not a true look-down, shoot-down-capable system; although F/A-18 Hornets had the Navy's first two aerial kills of the Gulf War, the fighter was designed primarily as a medium bomber and attack plane, not as a low-altitude interceptor. Three Hornets took beyond-visual-range shots at the Blackjack with AIM-7 radar-guided Sparrow missiles, and all missed.

Strange, the Blackjack crew remarked to themselves-the Americans were all around them, taking long-range shots but not pressing the attack. It was a stiff defense, but not nearly as severe as they expected.

Why…?

But it didn't matter-now there was nothing to stop the Blackjack-E. At three minutes to launch point, the Blackjack's attack radar had locked on to the Midway and fed inertial guidance information to the four Kh-29 attack missiles. The final launch countdown was under way…

The UHF GUARD radio channel had been alive for several minutes with warnings from American and Gulf Cooperative Council air-defense networks in English, French, Arabic, and Farsi, demanding that the unidentified aircraft leave the area. The Blackjack crew ignored it…… until new warning messages in English on both UHF and VHF emergency radio channels began: 'Unidentified intruder, unidentified intruder, this is the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Air Defense Network command center, you are in violation of sovereign Iranian airspace. You are directed to leave the area immediately or you will be attacked without warning. Repeat, reverse course and leave the area immediately!'

The Iranian pilot in command of the Blackjack-E bomber looked at the Russian copilot in surprise. 'What is happening?' he asked in English, their common language.

'Ignore it!' the Russian shouted. 'We are on the attack run, and we still have many American warships to contend with. Stay…'

'Attention, attention, all air-defense units, this is Abbass Control,' they heard in Farsi, 'implement full air- defense configuration protocols, repeat, full air-defense protocols, all stations acknowledge.' The message was repeated; then, in Farsi, Arabic, and English, they heard, Warning, warning, warning, to all aircraft on this frequency, this is the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Air Defense Network, full air-defense emergency restrictions are in effect for the Tehran and Bandar Abbass Flight Information Regions, repeat, full air-defense emergency restrictions are now in effect. All aircraft, establish positive radio contact and identification with your controller immediately. All unidentified aircraft in the Tehran and Bandar Abbass Flight Information Regions may be fired upon without warning!'

'What should we do?' the Iranian bombardier asked. 'Should we ask…?'

'We maintain radio silence!' the Russian shouted. 'The Americans can home in on the briefest radio transmission! Stay on the attack run!'

'Our Mode Two-should we transmit?' the defensive-systems officer asked. The Mode Two was an encrypted identification signal. Although it could only be decoded by Iranian air-defense sites, transmitting any radio signals was dangerous over enemy territory, so they had it deactivated.

'No!' the Russian responded. 'Pay attention to the attack run! Ignore what is happening…'

Just then, they saw a bright flash of light far off on the horizon. The weather was ideal, cloudy and cool, with no thunderstorms predicted. That wasn't lightning.

'Did you get the transfer-alignment maneuver yet, bombardier?' the Russian systems officer instructor asked.

'I… no, I have not,' the Iranian bombardier replied, still distracted by what was happening over his own country. The transfer-alignment maneuver was a required gyroscopic routine that removed the last bit of inertial drift from their missiles' guidance system.

'Then get busy! Program it in and inform the crew. You had better hurry before…'

'Birjand Four-Oh-Four flight, cancel takeoff clearance!' the Blackjack crew heard on the emergency channel in Farsi. 'Maliz Three, hold your position, emergency vehicles en route, passing on your right side. Attention all aircraft, emergency evacuation procedure in effect, report to your shelter assignments immediately.'

'Shelter assignments?' the defensive systems officer shouted. 'It sounds like one of our bases is under air attack!'

'I don't understand what you're saying!' the Russian copilot shouted. 'But ignore any radio messages you are hearing. They could be fake messages. Stay on the attack run!'

But the defensive-systems officer couldn't ignore it. He switched his radio over to the tactical command frequency: 'Abbass Control, Abbass

Control, this is Lechtvar, we copy your emergency reports, requesting vectors to last-known position of enemy aircraft. We are able to respond. Over.' No response, just more emergency messages. 'Abbass Control, this is Lechtvar, we are en route to your location, sixty miles southwest, request you pass vectors to enemy aircraft, we can respond! Over! Respond!'

'Damn your eyes, I said stay off the radios!' the Russian pilot shouted. 'Don't you understand, the Americans can track your transmissions! Now get back on the attack run! That's an order!'

But just then they heard in English on their own tactical command frequency: 'Attention, Iranian Blackjack bomber, this is your old friend from the Strait from last week. Do you recognize my voice?'

The Iranian pilot of the Blackjack-E was stunned. It was the same voice that had contacted them, the unidentified American military flight!

'Calling Abbass Control,' they heard an Iranian voice say in English, 'this is an official military frequency. Do not use this frequency. It is a violation of international law. Vacate this frequency immediately.'