“Here we go,” McLanahan said easily, “radar enabled … radar transmitting …” then, just two seconds later, he announced, “radar’s in standby.”
“Two seconds is plenty long for the ragheads to track us, MC,” Jamieson pointed out angrily. “A standard SAR shot is one second max, dammit.”
That point was most important while they were so close, because in order to transmit the synthetic aperture radar, COMBAT m ode was temporarily suspended. Part of going into COMBAT mode was the activation of the B-2A stealth bomber’s ANNUQ-13 BEADS system, the Bomber Electronic Attenuation Defensive System, or the “cloaking device.” BEADS electrified the outer surface of the B-2A bomber and the cockpit windshield with positive ions, in effect turning the aircraft into a giant electron magnet.
With the “cloaking device” activated, very little electromagnetic energy could penetrate the positron field- electrons were “sucked” into the field and dissipated behind the aircraft; similarly, electromagnetic energy radiated from the bomber was also absorbed.
Along with the radar-absorbing materials in the bomber’s non-metallic composite surface and the low reflective makeup of the composite structure, BEADS reduced the bomber’s radar cross-section by 60 to 70 percent, depending on the range and power of the radar. The remaining 40 percent of the reflected radar energy was diverted in different directions by the unique shape of the bomber itself. The end result: less than 1 percent of the radar energy of even the most powerful radars in the world returned to its sender after hitting the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber.
The drawback to BEADS was that if electronic emissions couldn’t go in, they also couldn’t go out. In COMBAT mode, the crew couldn’t transmit on the radios, couldn’t receive radio or satellite messages or navigation signals, couldn’t use the MAWS defensive missile tracking system, and could not use the synthetic aperture radar. The “cloaking device” automatically deactivated itself when the crew took an SAR shot or bypassed the safety interlocks to use the radios or get a navigation fix while in COMBAT mode.
Even though a typical SAR shot was very short, in that short time frame the B-2A bomber’s radar cross- section grew several times larger than normal—very dangerous when so close to enemy air defenses.
To Jamieson, activating the SAR and shutting off BEADS was like dipping his dick into a tank filled with piranhas—the less time in there, the better. He might not get attacked the moment he stuck it in, but the longer it stayed in there, the better his chances of getting it bitten off, and sure as hell, the piranhas would be ready and waiting for the next time he dipped it in.
“This isn’t a standard SAR shot, AC,” McLanahan said. “Besides, the SAR computer decides how long the exposure will be, based on the mode programmed, the environmental conditions, the signal strength—I don’t control it … stand by, second shot coming up … ready … now … radar in standby, SAR routine ended, radar disenabled.”
“A second shot? What in hell is that for? Jesus, McLanahan, that thing’s going to kill us!”
“Threat scope’s clear, AC.”
“Lucky for us,” groused Jamieson. “What in hell was the second shot for?”
“Watch.” Jamieson watched the big supercockpit screen—and was amazed at what he saw. Overlaid on the chart of Hormozgan Province was a radar picture filled with tiny blips.
“Here’s all the small cultural returns we picked up,” McLanahan explained. “Since an SA-10 or Hawk on its transporter-erector-launcher might be stationary or moving, we’ve got to check both, so all are displayed. I simply instruct the computer to search for returns that match the size of a Grumble or Hawk TEL, either in road-march configuration or in launch position … now.” In a matter of seconds, all but a handful of the dots disappeared. There were about two dozen blips remaining.
“We’ve got a few, but not as many as before. From here, we can just pick one, and we check it out. The SAR will not pick up decoys unless they’re close to the same mass as a real missile, so inflatable decoys or decoys made out of wood won’t show. But before we search, I’ll be looking for a few other items.
According to our intel guys, a pre-surveyed launch point will have a fence surrounding it. I’ll tell the computer to pick out any returns that look like that.”
“This radar will pick up something as small as a fence?”
“With ease,” McLanahan said. Sure enough, several such objects were selected. McLanahan rolled a cursor over one blip that was sitting a few hundred yards off a small secondary highway, then entered in some voice commands. The blip began to grow in size until it filled the supercockpit screen—and to Jamieson’s amazement, he could easily identify the return. “Holy shit, it looks like a cattle car!”
“I’d say that’s what it is, too,” McLanahan agreed. It was easy to do—the image was as sharp and clear as a black-and-white photo in daytime. He entered a command and the image disappeared and switched to the next blip. After automatically enlarging again, they finally found their quarry. “We got one.”
Jamieson was astounded. There it was, a nearly photographic radar picture of an SA-10 Grumble surface-to- air missile on its transporter-erector-launcher, similar in size and appearance to a Patriot missile system. They could clearly see every detail—its fins, the shape of its nose cone, even that the driver’s side door of the tractor truck pulling the TEL had been left open. “This is unbelievable!” he exclaimed.
“We goddamn found a mobile SA-10 missile deployed in the field!”
McLanahan was typing commands into his supercockpit terminal.
“And now NSA and the Intelligence Support Agency know where it is, too,” he said. “We’re flightplanned to be in the orbit for the next fifteen minutes—let’s see if we can find some more.”
For the next fifteen minutes, McLanahan systematically checked the blips on the supercockpit display, changing the search parameters after every search—blips on the road, blips on the rail lines, blips inside fences, blips out in the open, blips moving, blips not moving—then went back, rechecked the original size parameters, expanded them out slightly to get more returns, then searched again. In fifteen minutes, they had charted six new air defense missile sites near Bandar Abbas—including several decoys set up close to the real missile sites. The Iranians had set up a piece of steel sewer pipe on a flatbed tractor-trailer, very close to the size and appearance of the real SA-10 Grumble.
“Threat scope’s clear,” McLanahan said. “Search radars only.
Ready to stir up some dirt?”
“Go for it,” Jamieson said.
“Stand by for bomb doors,” McLanahan said. “Doors coming open …
now …” Jamieson and McLanahan felt a rumble in the B-2A bomber’s normally rock-solid fuselage as the four massive “barn door” bomb doors opened. Just as the doors opened, a “IO” symbol with a diamond symbol around it appeared, and they heard a low, slow “Deedle … deedle … deedle …” sound in their headphones.
“SA-100 searching …”
“C’mon dammit,” Jamieson muttered, “launch, son of a bitch, launch!” The B-2A bomber was now at its most vulnerable position: with its bomb-bay doors open, its radar cross-section was just as large as any major aircraft. And as it launched missiles, the missile’s track through the sky would point directly back at the retreating B-2A, showing the way for enemy gunners to take a shot and bag a billion-dollar bomber.
“Launcher rotation completed, stand by for missile launch …
missile one away … two away …” Jamieson expected to feel a lurch or a bump or something as the 4,000- pound missiles left the plane, but there was nothing, except for the graphic depictions of shapes leaving the little bomb-bay drawing on his MDU.
The diamond around the “IO” symbol on the threat scope began to blink, and they heard a higher-pitched, faster deedledeedledeedle warning sound. “Height-finder active!” McLanahan shouted. He put his fingers on the supercockpit screen on the buttons marked MAWS and ECM. “Launchers rotating … stand by … three away …
four … five … six missiles away … bomb doors moving … bomb doors closed Just then, both the diamond and the “10” symbol began blinking, and a computer-synthesized voice announced, MISSILE LAUNCH … MISSILE LAUNCH … McLanahan immediately hit the MAWS and Ecm buttons. The Missile Approach and Warning System was an active missile defense system on the B-2A bomber designed to actually protect the bomber, not just jam a missile’s tracking systems. As soon as the SA-10 missile launch was detected, a small radar dome extended from a compartment near the B-2A bomber’s tail, the radar slaved itself to the azimuth of the SA-10 missile site, and the radar began scanning the sky for the missile itself.
The MAWS’s ALQ-199 HAVE GLANCE radar tracked it, displayed its position to the crew on the pilot’s main screen, and a computer suggested which way to turn to evade it by making corrections to the terrain-following
