Shadows of Steel Read online

  SHADOWS OF STEEL

  Dale Brown

  Synopsis:

  Death, destruction, and military initials once again fill the air as Dale Brown brings together the surviving members of the crew from his Flight of the Old Dog for his latest adventure. Another Gulf War has begun, this time with Iran, a U.S. vessel has been sunk in the Persian Gulf, America’s might has been (once again) crippled by short-sighted military budget cuts, and the only hope is a surgical strike by a secret weapon called Future Flight. Since our old pal Col. Patrick McLanahan of the Old Dog is in charge, how can it miss? As Brown points out, this story takes place in time between his Day of the Cheetah and Hammerheads, both of which are also available in paperback.

  Berkley Books

  New York

  Copyright (C) 1996 by Dale Brown

  All rights reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016.

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Target Direct Productions, Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  G. P. Putnam’s Sons edition / July 1996 Berkley edition

  / May 1997

  The Putnam Berkley World Wide Web site address is

  http://www.berkley.com

  ISBN: 0-425-15716-4

  Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016.

  BERKLEY and the “B” design are trademarks belonging to Berkley Publishing Corporation.

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to my good friend Lieutenant General Don Aldridge, USAF (retired), former vice commander of the Strategic Air Command, for giving me the inspiration for this story and for again providing me with many valuable insights into the behind-the-scenes world of strategic air power.

  Thanks to General J. Michael Loh, commander of USAF Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Virginia, for his invaluable assistance in gathering information about the deployment of heavy bombers, and particularly his help with learning about the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. Thanks also to Colonel Mike Gallagher, Captain Steve Solmonson, and Major Barbara Carr, Public Affairs Office, Headquarters, USAF Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Virginia, for their assistance.

  Thanks to Brigadier General Ron Marcotte, commander of the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Missouri, the first home of the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber, and Colonel William Fraser, vice commander, for their help, their time, and especially their special insights into the new world of long-range bomber operations. Meeting officers like them and visiting a modern, hard-charging base like Whiteman were a very special privilege and treat for me.

  I also want to thank Captain Bill Harrison, 509th BMW Public Affairs; Colonel Greg Power, 509th Operations Group commander; Lieutenant Colonel Fred Strain, 509th Operational Support Squadron commander; my old B-52 buddy Lieutenant Colonel Rick Sorenson, Operations Plans Team chief; fellow ex-FB-111 crewdog Lieutenant Colonel Tony Imondi, chief B-2A instructor pilot; Lieutenant Colonel Dick Newton, 393rd Bomb Squadron commander; Major Steve Tippetts, Captain Buzz Barrett, and my old fellow FB-111 crewdog Major Jim Whitney of the 393rd Bomb Squadron “Tigers”; and all the others I met and who offered ideas and answered questions during a spectacular visit to the 509th Bomb Wing and the incredible B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. It was good to see old friends so successful in the world’s most sophisticated combat warplane.

  Thanks to Major Emerson Pittman, chief of public affairs, secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs—Western Region, for his help in gathering information for this story.

  A major source of historical, political, and military information on various countries around the world on which I relied was Defense and Foreign Affairs Handbook (London: International Media Corp., Ltd., 1994). Thanks also to the many members all over the world of SOC,CULT.IRAN (SCI) newsgroup on the Internet for their invaluable help and ideas.

  Thanks to Neil Nyren, publisher and editor-in-chief at G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for his valuable help with the manuscript—within sixty seconds of my first meeting with him, this man helped me over a particularly rough spot in the manuscript! I’m lucky to have him with me.

  This novel is dedicated to the memory of my good friend, mentor, and editor, George M. Coleman, executive editor at G. P. Putnam’s Sons. From the very beginning of my writing career, whenever I needed a guiding hand around all the land mines in the publishing world, he was always there.

  The greatest gift God could give us is to put the soul of George Coleman into another person and let his charm, excitement, and thirst for life bless us once again. I hope to meet that lucky person someday.

  This novel is also dedicated to the men and women of the Aircrew Life-Support Section, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, for their hard work in training and equipping U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot Captain Scott O’Grady, which helped him to survive being shot down over Bosnia and to successfully escape the clutches of the Bosnian Serb army in June of 1995. Mission after mission, year after year, they pack the ‘chutes, charge the bottles, check the straps, and change the batteries as if they will be the ones who’ll strap on that jet. Thanks for bringing a crewdog home safely.

  AUTHOR’S NOTES

  Any similarities in this novel to any person, living or dead, are purely coincidental and entirely the product of the author’s imagination.

  My faithful readers will note that this story takes place after Day of the Cheetah. I hope you welcome back our old friends as much as I enjoyed bringing them back for you.

  Your comments are welcome! Please e-mail your thoughts to me at [email protected].

  REAL-WORLD NEWS EXCERPTS

  DEFENSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS STRATEGIC POLICY, OCT 31, 1994 (reprinted with permission)—…In mid-September, Tehran concluded that a clash over the islands in the Strait of Hormuz—Abu Musa and the Tumbs—was inevitable. This assessment was based on intelligence from Saudi Arabia and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and was reflected in the intensification of Iran’s military preparations and exercises in the Gulf. By late September (1994), Tehran was actively preparing for a possible military confrontation with the Persian Gulf states over the islands. Tehran believes that by demonstrating its strong and uncompromising position over the Gulf issues, it will be able to influence such countries as Egypt and Iraq to recognize Iran’s unique position in the hub of Islam.

  IRAN SAYS WESTERN TROOP BUILDUP POSES THREAT TO SECURITY (OCT 20, 1994/0600 GMT)—NICOSIA—REUTERS—Iran’s Intelligence (Internal Security) Minister Ali Fallahiyan said on Wednesday night the presence of Western forces in the Gulf was a threat to Iran’s security.

  He said Iran should be vigilant and prepared “for any eventuality,” the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

  It quoted Fallahiyan as saying that the “presence of alien forces and their movements in Iran’s immediate vicinity needed vigilance and full preparation for any eventuality.” He blasted United States policy in the Gulf region and urged oil-rich Gulf Arab states to end their alliance with Washington.

  The official news agency IRNA said the English-language Tehran Times and Iran News attacked the United States in editorials marking the November 4 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran after the Islamic revolution in 1979.

  Addressing neighboring Gulf Arab states, it said: “Now you are the victims of U.S. exploitation and usurpat
ion carried out in more subtle ways to deprive you of your wealth.”

  It urged them to oppose the presence of U.S. forces in the region. “Let the shout of ‘Death to America’ ring loud in the desert as a clear expression of your opposition to any pretext of a ‘Desert Storm,’ which we all know was just a game of cards the CIA played to justify their presence in the region.”

  IRAN USES STYX TECHNOLOGY IN CRUISE-MISSILE DEVELOPMENT (Nov 17, 1994) 11/17/94 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL—Iran is developing a range of ballistic missiles, and a cruise missile derived from the Russian SSN-2 Styx anti-ship missile, according to German intelligence documents obtained by Flight International.

  Tehran has access to Styx technology via the Silkworm, the 80-km (45-mile)-range Chinese-built version of the Styx. Iran took delivery of its first Silkworms in 1986 and the missiles are deployed on the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf waters.

  Four Silkworm launch emplacements have been built on the mid-gulf island of Abu Musa, where administration is shared by Iran and the Arab emirate state of Sharjah.

  The documents say that Tehran is also involved in the development of a solid-fueled missile and in the development of enhanced-performance Scud ballistic-missile systems ….

  ARBITRATION REJECTED IN UAE ISLANDS ROW (DEC 23/1221 GMT) 12/23/94 TEHRAN (DEC 22)—BLOOMBERG—Iran spurned a call from its Arab neighbors to accept international arbitration in its dispute with the United Arab Emirates over three islands in the Persian Gulf.

  The Iranian Foreign Ministry said bilateral talks with the UAE were the only way to resolve the row which has soured relations between non-Arab Iran and the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

  GCC leaders, ending a summit in Bahrain last night, called on the Iranian government to let the International Court of Justice decide who owns the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tumbs.

  Iran, which controls the islands, said it will never give them up to the UAE. Raising the issue of territorial disputes posed a threat to the security of the Persian Gulf and served the interests of foreign powers in the region, the Foreign Ministry statement, carried on Tehran Radio, said.

  AEROSPACE DAILY—01/19/95—Defense Intelligence Agency Director It. Gen. James R. Clapper, Jr. said Iran is in the midst of rebuilding its military capability. Clapper said Iran has been spending between $1 billion and $2 billion a year on arms, and has focused on missiles and weapons of mass destruction and some “limited growth” in conventional capabilities. Some of the systems Iran is acquiring, such as Russian Kilo submarines and anti-ship cruise missiles, “could complicate operations in and around” the Persian Gulf, he added.

  GULF STATES AGREE TO BOLSTER CAPABILITIES (JAN 27/JDW) 01/27/95—JANE’S DEFENSE WEEKLY (JAN 21)—Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council have agreed at their annual meeting to bolster their defense structure, possibly by purchasing three to four airborne warning and control aircraft.

  The six-nation alliance, comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, said in Bahrain last month it would develop a “unified strategy” that could “act swiftly and decisively” to counter any threat to any member.

  That includes bolstering the GCC’s 6,000-man rapid-deployment force, known as Peninsula Shield and based at Hafr all-Batin in northern Saudi Arabia, to 25,000 men.

  The GCC’s move to bolster defenses came as Iran is reported to be building anti-ship missile sites and other fortifications on three disputed islands in the southern Gulf. Abu Musa, Greater Tumb and Lesser Tumb are being transformed into military arsenals, claims the UAE.

  IRAN DEPLOYS HAWK MISSILES TO GULF ISLANDS—SHALIKASHVILI 03/08/95—Iran has placed Hawk antiaircraft missiles on islands at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Feb. 28.

  “We spotted them putting missiles onto launchers, which they haven’t done before,” he told a meeting of reporters, according to wire reports.

  U.S. reconnaissance has also spotted the Iranians moving artillery into forward positions on its islands in the Strait of Hormuz, he said.

  “All of that could lead me to lots of conclusions. One of them is that they want to have the capability to interdict the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.” The U.S. is carefully monitoring the situation, he added. While Iraq is considered the biggest military threat in the Persian Gulf, Iran could become the region’s major power toward the end of the century, Shalikashvili said.

  ARMS BUILDUP MAY THREATEN GULF OIL—PERRY (MAR 22/0951 GMT) 03/22/95—ABU DHAB—REUTERS—Iran has moved 8,000 troops, chemical weapons and anti-ship missiles to islands at the mouth of the Gulf in a buildup that could threaten oil shipping, U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said on Wednesday.

  Perry, on a week-long Gulf trip, hammered home a warning that he has made in moderate states in the region that Iran might one day try to control the flow of half the world’s oil using a recent buildup on islands in the Strait of Hormuz.

  “This involves almost 8,000 military personnel moved to those islands. It involves anti-ship missiles, air defense missiles, chemical weapons,” Perry told a news conference in Manama, capital of Bahrain.

  “It can only be regarded as a potential threat to shipping in the area,” he added, charging publicly for the first time that Iran had stationed chemical weapons on the islands, some of which are claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

  Perry did not name the islands but the Pentagon has previously identified one as Abu Musa.

  NAVY FACES EXTENDED RANGE OF IRANIAN MiG-29S—NAVY NEWS & UNDERSEA TECHNOLOGY (NVTE)—08/21/95—A major new headache for Central Command and Navy battle groups in the Arabian Sea has emerged with Iran’s development of in-flight refueling probes for its MiG-29s, intelligence community sources confirm.

  … The Iranian air force possesses four tanker versions of the Boeing 707, roughly comparable to the U.S. Air Force KC-135, which was based on the never-built civilian Boeing 717.

  … The U.S. analysts look to the roughly 2,100-mile distance from Iran to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. With in-flight refueling, Diego Garcia would come within the range of the Iranian MiG-29s …. Thus, the aircraft could be used to disrupt U.S. air supply lines in the event of future conflict in the Persian Gulf. Additionally, although the MiG-29 is heavily geared to air-to-air combat, one analyst said “there is some evidence” that the Iranians are working on adapting the aircraft to carry the air-to-surface version of the French Exocet anti-ship missile.

  In this case, he noted, the U.S. Maritime Prepositioning Squadron based at Diego Garcia would be at risk.

  … The possibility of such legal Iranian harassment of U.S. battle groups concerns several analysts, who observe that because of the Vincennes’s (CG 49) shoot-down of an Iranian airliner in 1988, U.S. forces would be reluctant to attack in the face of Iranian provocations.

  At press time, U.S. Central Command officials had not responded to Navy News’ requests for comment on the MiG-29 development.

  B-2 BOMBER FIGHT BREWING ON CAPITOL HILL, PHILLIPS BUSINESS INFORMATION 01/19/95 By KERRY GILDEAS—Rep. Ron Dellums (D-Calif), ranking member on the House National Security Committee who has staunchly opposed additional B-2s, attended a closed National Security Committee briefing on military intelligence operations yesterday, said he learned of no changes in the world threat situation that would demand additional weapons systems or increased defense spending.

  “I absolutely do not think there is anything we see presently in the world that would justify 20 more B-2s, ” Dellums remarked. “Where are you going to fly them? Where is the threat?”

  PROLOGUE

  OVER THE PERSIAN GULF NEAR ABU MUSA ISLAND, IRAN

  12 FEBRUARY 1997, 0314 LOCAL TIME

  The attackers were first spotted on radar only twenty miles from Abu Musa Island; by the time the chief of the air defense radar unit issued the air defense alert notification, they were seventeen miles out. Because this was the morn
ing of Revolution Day in Iran, only a skeleton crew was on duty at the Islamic Republic Pasdaran-Engelab Revolutionary Guards air squadron base, and the pre-Revolution Day celebrations had ended only a few hours earlier—response time, therefore, was very slow, and the attackers were within missile range long before the Islamic Republic Air Force F-5E Tiger II fighter crews could reach their planes. The order to commit the Pasdaran’s British-built Rapier antiaircraft missiles and ZSU-23/4 antiaircraft artillery units was issued far too late.

  Four three-ship flights of British Aerospace Hawk light attack jets streaked in at treetop level, launched laser-guided Hellfire missiles on the six known Iranian air defense sites, then dropped laser-guided incendiary bombs and cluster munitions on the island’s small airfield. One unknown Rapier site launched a missile and destroyed one Hawk, but two trailing Hawks flying in the “cleanup” spot scoured the area with cluster bombs where they saw the Rapier lift off, receiving a very satisfying secondary explosion as one of the unlaunched missiles exploded in its launcher. The cluster bombs also hit the U.S.-built F-5E fighters on the ramp, destroying both and damaging two hangars where another F-5E was parked, the control tower, and some sections of taxiways. One adjacent empty hangar was left untouched.

  The second punch arrived just a few moments later. Four flights of four SA-342 Gazelle and SA-332 Super Puma attack helicopters swooped over the island, firing laser-guided Hellfire missiles and AS-12 wire-guided missiles from as far away as two miles—well out of range of the few Pasdaran soldiers who were firing blindly into the sky with handguns and rifles at any aircraft noise they heard. Each attack was quick—launch on the move, no hovering in one place. The next two flights did the same, swooping in and destroying targets; then the first two waves came in again to kill any targets they’d missed on their first pass, followed by the second two flights making a second pass.