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  “Iranian interceptor, this is Shamu One-One,” the pilot of the KC-10 tanker radioed back. “We are an unarmed aerial refueling tanker aircraft. We are carrying no cargo or weapons. We were not in Iranian airspace. We are on a round-robin ICAO flight plan, destination Diego Garcia. Please maintain your distance.

  Do not approach this aircraft. Do you read me?”

  McLanahan switched Off COMBAT mode so he could talk on the UHF radios; as soon as the electronic masking field around the bomber de-energized, he keyed the mike: “Iranian interceptor, this is Ghostrider Zero-Five, from the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, United States Navy.” McLanahan didn’t know the call sign of the fighter squadrons aboard the Lincoln, nor did he know anything about Navy fighter tactics—he just hoped this would sound good. “We have you on radar one hundred twenty miles south of Chah Bahar at angels three-zero. We are rendezvousing with that American tanker aircraft you are pursuing. Back off immediately or we will attack from long range. Ghostrider flight, combat spread, arm ‘em up.”

  “I hope the hell you know what you’re doing, McLanahan,” Jamieson said. He quickly placed the B-2A back in COMBAT mode as the MiG-29’s attack radar swept the skies around them. For a brief moment the fighter radar locked onto the B-2A—the MiG-29 had an excellent and very powerful “look-down, shoot-down” radar, and it was only five miles away—but as soon as COMBAT mode was reengaged, the MiG’s radar broke lock. The MiG scanned the skies again, using long-range scans, then locked back onto the KC-10 tanker.

  McLanahan deactivated COMBAT mode once again, then keyed the UHF radio mike: “Iranian interceptor, we are detecting you locking on to our tanker with your attack radar at our twelve o’clock, eighty miles. I warn you, shut off your radar and return to your base, or we will attack from long range. Ghostrider flight, lock ‘em up, now.”

  That time, the MiG-29’s radar slaved precisely at the B-2A bomber and locked on, the Iranian fighter’s radar triangle switching from green to yellow and back to green as it attempted to maintain a lock on the stealth bomber. While not engaging COMBAT mode, the B-2A still had a very small radar cross-section, but not small enough to evade a MiG-29 at close range. McLanahan considered telling the KC-10 pilot to do evasive maneuvers now while the MiG wasn’t locked on to him, but it wouldn’t do any good; the MiG-29 could reacquire the big KC-10 with ease. McLanahan called up the B-2A’s electronic countermeasures control panels, ready to activate all its defensive systems …

  … and it was just in time, for as soon as the radar triangle surrounding the B-2A bomber on the threat scope changed to a solid yellow, it changed to red. They heard a rapid deedledeedledeedle!

  warning tone, followed by a computer synthesized “MISSILE LAUNCH … MISSILE LAUNCH …

  McLanahan immediately activated COMBAT mode and all of the countermeasures equipment. The HAVE GLANCE system promptly locked on to the incoming missile and fired its laser beam. “Two missiles in the air!” McLanahan shouted. “Break left!” Jamieson threw the B-2A bomber into a hard left turn and jammed the throttles to full military power.

  With COMBAT mode engaged and the B-2A bomber’s “cloaking device” reenergized, absorbing every watt of radar energy striking the bomber’s electrified skin, the only solid radar-reflective object in the MiG-29’s radar sweep was the cloud of chaff the B-2A ejected, and that’s what the two radar-guided missiles struck. The radar triangle changed back to green, then disappeared.

  Jamieson descended down to 100 feet above the Gulf of Oman, daring the Iranian MiG to fly down to that dark expanse of open ocean to pursue. “He might be trying a heater shot,” McLanahan said, warning Jamieson to get ready to counter a heat-seeking missile shot. But the MAWS radar showed the fighter still up at 30,000 feet, not yet pursuing.

  “C’mon, this guy’s got to be running out of fuel,” Jamieson said.

  “We’re nearly three hundred miles away from his base.”

  “With three external tanks for an air patrol mission, he’s good to go for almost a thousand miles,” McLanahan said. He deactivated COMBAT mode once again, keeping the MAWS tracking the fighter.

  “Iranian interceptor, this is Ghostrider flight of two, you just committed an act of war,” McLanahan radioed. “Turn back immediately or we will …”

  But the ruse didn’t work. The B-2A’s threat scope showed the MiG-29 briefly transmit with its N-019 pulse-Doppler radar, lock on to the KC-10 tanker once again, then flick off. The MAWS radar tracked the MiG-29 until it closed within five miles of the KC-10 …

  “Jesus, no!”

  “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Shamu-One-One on GUARD,” the pilot of the KC-10 Extender shouted on the international emergency frequency.

  “Position, two hundred miles south of Chah Bahar airfield. We have been attacked by an Iranian fighter, repeat, we are under attack! We have been struck by missiles fired at us by …” And the radio went dead.

  “Good-bye, Yankee cowards,” the Iranian pilot radioed, and the MiG-29 turned and headed back toward Iran.

  As Jamieson set up an orbit over the area, McLanahan sent another message to the National Security Agency and the Air Intelligence Agency, detailing the events. Using intermittent bursts of the SAR, they orbited the Gulf of Oman over the KC-10’s wreckage for another hour until no more radar-significant debris could be detected. Silently, afraid to speak, frozen and riddled by guilt and anguish, the crew started to climb and set a course for Diego Garcia to arrange another refueling for the long trip home.

  THE PENTAGON BRIEFING Room 23 APRIL 1997, 0904 HOURs ET

  “I just wanted to express my concern over recent events in the Middle East,” Secretary of Defense Arthur Chastain began.

  “Apparently, late last night Iran time, Iran fired several volleys of missiles from air defense sites in the Strait of Hormuz and from their aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman.

  “The President immediately spoke to President Nateq-Nouri of Iran, who explained that there has been an air defense integration problem with the aircraft carrier battle group, and that a false alert over Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz caused a similar false alert over the aircraft carrier, causing the missile launches. At last report, no vessels or aircraft were in danger of being struck by these missiles.

  “The President conveyed his deep sense of concern over this apparent demonstration of power, and he said that such demonstrations might affect the proposed summit of Middle East nations and negotiations over Iran’s proposal to exclude land-attack warships from the Persian Gulf region. The President, as you know, has endorsed President Nateq-Nouri’s proposal and has even suggested expanding the ban to land-attack aircraft. The President is awaiting a formal draft treaty before presenting it to the congressional leadership.

  “To summarize: Iran apparently fired several dozen air defense missiles, anti-ship missiles, and antiaircraft artillery guns into the sky last night, Iran time. No aircraft or ships were struck, and no countries were in danger. Neither the United States nor any of the countries bordering the Gulf has put its forces on alert in response to this demonstration of power. The Defense Department speculates that this was either a malfunction, a response to a false attack alarm, or some kind of demonstration of air defense power that, frankly, wasted a lot of missiles and bullets for nothing. The President has said that he is still committed to peace in the Persian Gulf region and will not let such blatant demonstrations sway him from that objective. Thank you. What are your questions?”

  “… No, we are in direct and constant communication with President Nateq-Nouri and Foreign Minister Velayati of Iran, and they assure us that Iran is not gearing up or mobilizing for war in the Persian Gulf or Gulf of Oman, or anywhere else for that matter,” Chastain replied. “He did admit that there are very pro-military persons in the Iranian government that see the Persian Gulf demilitarization treaty as a sign of weakness and as undercutting Iran’s sovereignty and national defense. Privately, some analysts have speculated—and this is only speculation—that these hawkish
military leaders staged this air defense demonstration not only to threaten the Gulf Cooperative Council states and others sailing the Persian Gulf, but members of their own government as well. Yes?”

  “… Yes, we’ve heard that other Iranian military bases reacted as well, and that Iranian fighter planes were flying around on full alert, but they are farther away from international waters and from routine monitoring by Gulf Cooperative Council forces, so we don’t know much about those reports. Yes, Iran’s chief of staff General Buzhazi is claiming that the United States is flying stealth bombers over his country and is threatening to attack. The idea is ridiculous. The United States has a grand total of ten B-2A bombers in the inventory, and all ten of them are still at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, and they’ve never left. In addition, the bomb wing there is not scheduled to be operational until October first.

  “Let me make this point very clear, ladies and gentlemen: Iran is not threatening war with anybody, so why should we fly any aircraft over their country? In fact, President Nateq-Nouri has gone a long way toward promoting peace for the Middle East, and the President of the United States will do nothing to hinder that.

  What the right-wing fanatical military leaders or the fundamentalist clerical leaders of Iran will do, and whether or not President Nateq-Nouri can control them or gain their support, is a question I just can’t answer.”

  TEHRAN, IRAN LATER THAT MORNING “You arrogant, incompetent fool!” Islamic Republic of Iran President Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri shouted angrily. He and his Cabinet ministers were meeting with military chief of staff and Pasdaran commander Buzhazi in Nateq-Nouri’s office—the meeting had been bombastic, angry, and threatening to go out of control right from the start. “How dare you march into my office, deliver a report like this to me, and have the unmitigated gall to tell me that I am preventing you from doing your job! I should court-martial you for dereliction of duty—no, I should have you sent to prison for the rest of your life for insubordination as well as dereliction of duty! But this will wait for a better time—the Supreme Defense Council is waiting.”

  The Iranian Supreme Defense Council was the approving authority for all military matters in Iran. Along with its president, the Defense Minister, it consisted of the Prime Minister, Hasan Ebrihim Habibi; Buzhazi’s friend, protege, and confidant and commander of Iran’s air forces, Brigadier General Mansour Sattari; ground forces commander General Abdollah Najafi; commander of the navy Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani; chairman of the Majlis’s Armed Services Committee, Qolam Adeli; and Hamid Mirzadeh, director of the Islamic Republic News Agency and the chief of war propaganda.

  “What in the name of God …?” Nateq-Nouri exclaimed under his breath, as he entered the cabinet room. Buzhazi noticed with delight that Nateq-Nouri had just realized that both Imams representing the Leadership Council were present for this meeting.

  The religious leaders of the Council, together with the Faqih, His Eminence the Ayatollah Khamenei, exercised ultimate political power in the government and ultimate spiritual power in most of the Twelver Shiite Muslim world. It was unusual to have anyone representing the mullahs here at a Supreme Defense Council meeting—everyone was here but His Holiness, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Hoseini Khamenei himself.

  “Is this a trial or an execution, Mr. President?” Buzhazi asked sotto voce to Nateq-Nouri.

  “I advise you to shut your insolent mouth, General,” the President said as they took their seats at the cabinet table.

  Buzhazi saw with interest that a political crony of the Defense Minister, an old lingham-sucker named General Hosein Esmail Akhundi, was sitting behind Defense Minister Foruzandeh. So apparently they had already picked his replacement, Buzhazi thought with interest. Akhundi had no military education, no experience—nothing but money and political contacts, and had been awarded a commission and instant promotion to general with seniority by presidential decree. He represented Nateq-Nouri’s slant away from the powerful, hard-line expeditionary military that Buzhazi was trying to build, and a clear movement toward a toothless dragon used merely to bully other Muslim nations.

  Just before he took his seat, Buzhazi turned to his aide and said, “Bring him here and wait for my command.”

  The aide hurried off to do as he was ordered—this demonstration had been arranged in advance.

  Nateq-Nouri nodded to the two Imams present. “We are honored to have the representatives of the Leadership Council in our presence today. We are here to receive the report from General Buzhazi on the attacks against the Islamic Republic that occurred earlier this morning. As you all know, there were three separate incidents: an unknown air attack against Bandar Abbas; the mishaps aboard the aircraft carrier Khomeini that caused considerable damage to that vessel; and the assault on the security complex at Chah Bahar Naval Base.”

  The Iranian President turned to Buzhazi. “General, we shall surely get to the matter of the Khomeini soon, and your theories about what happened to that ship and the Chinese destroyer. But I wish to query you on the attack at Chah Bahar first, since this was obviously an assault made by GCC and American forces. Your report states that our radar planes and ground radar stations detected the intruder almost two hundred kilometers from Chah Bahar, and yet not one fighter launched? How is that possible, General?”

  “The intruder aircraft was flying less than three hundred twenty knots, it was a single aircraft, and it was flying on an established airway,” General Buzhazi explained. “Night intercepts are dangerous, and several fighters from Chah Bahar were on patrol searching for the attackers overlying Bandar Abbas, so no additional fighters were launched against this lone, non-threatening target. When the intruder did not answer any of our challenges, it was engaged by ground-based air at maximum range.”

  “And it evaded all of them?”

  “The aircraft was equipped with very sophisticated defensive equipment, including chaff dispensers and threat warning receivers,” Buzhazi noted. “The aircraft was shot down over the base …”

  “After shooting up more of our armored vehicles, even after dropping five paratroopers right on our security facility!

  … and we have examined the wreckage of the aircraft,” Buzhazi struggled on. “It was the personal aircraft of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Rashid all-Maktum himself, the son of the Emir of Dubai—a sentence of death should be placed on this infidel immediately. The aircraft was fully armed and was also equipped for low-altitude flight and precision navigation.

  “But the main factor was the state of the air defenses around Chah Bahar. As I said in my report, sir, the Hawks placed there were some of our poorest-maintained units. I have ordered SA-10 units and more Rapier air defense units, but my requests have been constantly overridden …”

  “There was no use in putting a costly SA-10 air defense site at a naval base that is still uncompleted after five years in construction and an oil pipeline terminal that is still uncompleted after ten years,” Minister of Defense Muhammad Foruzandeh interjected. “Chah Bahar is nothing but random piles of concrete buildings, mostly vacant or in partial stages of completion, surrounding an obsolete air base and a shallow-water port facility that cannot accommodate anything larger than a tugboat, let alone a major warship or a supertanker. Your budget has been increased every year for the past three years to complete that base, and yet the projected completion date is moved back every year. Where is all that money going, General? To your private offshore bank accounts, your homes in Indonesia and South America, your private jets?”

  “How dare you insinuate that I have embezzled government funds!”

  Buzhazi retorted. “I demand an apology!”

  “Enough, enough!” Nateq-Nouri shouted. “The general will have his opportunity to answer all of these charges very soon, I guarantee it.” He got to his feet and paced behind his desk. “So then a single aircraft shoots up the base, destroys the power plant and all base communications, then drops five”—he shook his head as if scarcely believing
what he was saying—”… five paratroopers into a security compound with thirty-two armed Pasdaran guards on duty, kills or wounds each and every one of them, rescues all the American prisoners, then holds off an entire infantry company of Pasdaran shock troops until they are extracted by another single American aircraft? I cannot believe this, Buzhazi. The Islamic Republic will be the world’s laughingstock by the end of the day.”

  “Mr. President, we were unprepared for the arrival of those prisoners from the Khomeini,” Buzhazi said. “The security facility had a normal complement of troops for the number of inmates already present, which were all low-risk disciplinary cases. The base commander already had orders to double the guards at the facility when he learned of the transfer of the prisoners.”

  “That seems to be the reason for all that has happened in the past few hours, General—you were unprepared,” Nateq-Nouri said. “You were unprepared for the assaults on Bandar Abbas or on the Khomeini carrier group, unprepared for the attack and assaults on Chah Bahar … So, you have a theory as to how all these attacks made it through your vaunted defenses, General?”

  “The same as the mysterious unidentified aircraft that ‘attacked’ Bandar Abbas, sir—they were cruise missiles, decoys, launched by American stealth bombers,” Buzhazi said. He could see Nateq-Nouri, Foruzandeh, and most of the others roll their eyes in exasperation. “Yes, stealth bombers, gentlemen. The same as was reported by the MiG-29 pilot over the Gulf of Oman with the American KC-10 aerial refueling tanker. The Americans are conducting illegal, warlike reconnaissance flights over our country with stealth bombers, launching sophisticated decoy missiles over our forces that fool our air defenses into thinking we are under massive attack so we quickly expend all our weapons.”

  “I see, I see,” Defense Minister Foruzandeh said scornfully, clearly unimpressed by Buzhazi’s explanation. “We are all going to blame this on shadows of steel, on bombers loaded with intelligent cruise missiles that fly with complete impunity over our radars and missile fields. General, you have said yourself that the American stealth program is a sham, a program foisted on the American people to benefit the aircraft manufacturers and to bankrupt the former Soviet Union by forcing them to spend billions on weapons to defeat them.”