Warriors by Barrett Tillman (34 page)

       The dignified old Arab said solemnly, "Yes, my friend. He shall hear your words. "

Chapter 12

Balhama Air Base 10 September

      
Colonel Solomon Yatanahu sat in his office, feet un-militarily propped on his desk, his Nomex flight suit open almost to his navel. He was still perspiring from the forty-minute workout with three of his F-15 pilots. Yatanahu was commander of Balhama Air Base, one of three Israeli airfields near Beersheva. And though he was technically no longer on operational status, the forty-two-year-old officer still liked to compete with the younger men in air combat practice. Prematurely gray with a chiseled face and startling blue eyes, Yatanahu had spent his life in fighter aviation. More than two decades of flying, including combat in three wars and eleven aerial victories, had honed his professional senses to a fine edge.

       Yatanahu had come up the hard way, which is to say the
only
way, in the intensely competitive world of the Israeli fighter pilot. In order to lead a fighter squadron, the commanding officer had to maintain his standing in the top three positions in tactics and gunnery. If he slipped from the upper bracket in either category, he was likely to lose his command.

       The Israeli Air Force's attitude is pragmatic if nothing else. The operating philosophy is "experience leads." Yatanahu had led missions as a captain with a lieutenant colonel flying section lead in the number three position. And he knew of special-purpose missions led by lieutenants because the junior officers possessed the qualities and experience which made them best-suited for the job. Ironically, perhaps the only air force in history which had come close to the Israeli philosophy was the Luftwaffe during World War II.

       Solomon Yatanahu studied the debriefing reports on the Saudi airfield reconnaissance. It had been known for some time that the Saudis had a capable F-20 force, trained by American and British instructors. Given the background of the instructors, it was to be expected that the Tigersharks would put up a good fight. Yatanahu knew as well as anyone that much of the Israeli fighter doctrine had been absorbed from exchange tours with U.S. Navy squadrons. Unlike most Arab air forces, which adopted Soviet-style formations and tactics, the Saudis had flown loose deuce, employing fluid tactics.

       Reading the pilots' comments, Yatanahu noted that the biggest problem was simply seeing the F-20. He could well understand it. Yatanahu had been an exchange pilot at Nellis Air Force Base in the 1970s, flying against the F-5Es of the' aggressor squadrons in the Nevada desert. The Tiger II could not outperform the F-15 and F-16 in most regimes, but with enough F-5s on hand, it was almost impossible for other pilots to keep a safe lookout through 360 degrees. The little F-5 was murderously hard to see, and the F-20 was the same size with 70 percent more thrust!

       The school solution was to engage the Northrops at long range with radar-guided missiles. The Israelis had more success with the Sparrow than its American designers had, partly because of far greater institutional experience. The
Heyl Ha'Avir
remained on combat status every day of the year. But the Israelis were unconcerned with the artificialities which dogged the Americans. Superb military intelligence allowed the Israelis to engage radar targets beyond visual range with little concern about hitting a friendly.

       Even so, Yatanahu knew that the simple weapons work best.

       Sparrows and other radar missiles were complex and expensive, so the heat-seekers were the weapon of choice. His own experience was typical. Of the eight Syrian and three Egyptian aircraft he had shot down, Yatanahu used Sidewinders or Israeli-built Shafrirs on all but three. Like most fighter pilots, he was emotionally inclined to use his cannon because it was personally more satisfying. "No kill like a gun kill," the Americans always said. But the heat seekers were accurate and efficient. Though Yatanahu loved to tell about his gun kills, he acknowledged the infrared missile was the champion MiG destroyer.

       The colonel knew that the Saudis and their advisers would anticipate the Sparrow option and would work to deprive the Israelis of it. As yet, electronic countermeasures had not been a big factor in air-to-air combat. The F-20s facing his squadrons across the Jordanian border came without radar for the most part. The colonel knew also that there would be a reason. This so-called Tiger Force would seek to engage in close-in maneuvering, the "knife fight" where the radar missile could not be used. He fervently hoped the Israeli scientists and engineers were working on a means to negate the various U. S., French, and Soviet jammers now available to all major Arab air forces.

       The politicians in Tel Aviv were maintaining their hard line, so there would be another war. The time had passed for negotiation. Yatanahu did not set policy. But there had to be a better way.

       Solomon Yatanahu was an agnostic. He would not openly deny the existence of a god--that was contrary to Israeli military law. But he had doubts. In his lifetime he had seen enough misery inflicted upon innocents--especially children-that he had to question the mercy, and therefore the existence, of a supreme being. He acknowledged that this earth also was a place of much beauty, at least as much in the sky as on the ground, so perhaps-just perhaps--there was some sort of ordered plan.

       Long ago Yatanahu had decided that if he were a praying man, he would pray for more wisdom in the world. He considered it insane to pray for anything like peace, particularly in his part of the globe. That was the trick, he decided: not to pray for the absolute best that could happen, but to pray for the best that was
possible.

       DAMASCUS, 15 September-The governments of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Libya issued a joint communique today, demanding that Israel withdraw from occupied Jordan. Though no specific timetable was advanced, the message stated that if "good faith negotiations" were not forthcoming "in due course," a military solution would be employed by the Arab powers.

       While not formally parties to the communique, in separate statements the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia went on record as supporting the call for Israeli withdrawal from Jordan. The Saudi foreign ministry in Riyadh went even further, adding that prolonged failure at negotiating a settlement to the lingering crisis could result in a declaration of war against Israel.

Bahrain

      
John Bennett read the article in his air-mailed copy of the London
Times.
He wondered what he might have set in motion following his conversation with Safad Fatah, but the question did not bother him. He had told Bear Barnes, "At least if our guys go to war, they'll be entitled to whatever protection the law allows."

       But the Tiger Force CO had little time for philosophizing. He had been busy coordinating RHAW acquisition with Riyadh, obtaining a mixture of American and French electronic "black boxes" for his F-20s. There would not be enough to equip every Tigershark, but at least each flight leader could be so equipped. He knew that if the Israelis came across the border again, they would come in strength with full support-including radio jamming and electronic deception. He also knew the Royal Saudi Air Force had configured several Tornadoes for the same role, with modifications to the E-3s to back up ECM operators.

       Overall, Bennett expected the respective electronic warriors to cancel out one another. The air battle would be decided on the basis of the human eye and the human heart. And he would not have it any other way.

Northern Arabia, 18 September

0905 Hours

      
Brilliant motes of light flashed across the high plateau, 248 times faster than a supersonic aircraft. Forty-two F-15s, F-16s, Phantoms, and Kfirs-all bearing the blue and white Star of David--were supported by the powerful airborne jammers of other aircraft orbiting across the Jordanian border. The attackers' targets were four Tiger Force fields-those considered to pose the greatest threat to Israeli frontiers after the initial clash two weeks before.

       The
Heyl Ha'Avir
plan was a classic. It relied upon simplicity, speed, and as much surprise as possible. From Wadi al Qalibah to the New Badanah strip farther east, the Israeli aircrews had been carefully briefed on times, routes, and altitudes to each Saudi field. Unlike most Israeli blitzes, this one had not been rehearsed as thoroughly as possible, but the timing and heavy radio and radar jamming were enough to encourage mission planners for a good chance of success.

       Leaving the Jordanian-Saudi border, most of the Israeli jets were twelve to fifteen minutes from their targets. Monitoring Saudi radar frequencies revealed which operating bands were most likely to be used, and therefore it was possible to cloud the screens with hundreds of false targets. The "snow" on radar scopes washed out the true blips, most of which were below the ground-based radar horizon anyway. Similarly, voice communications circuits were jammed by electronic noise which made extended conversation nearly impossible.

       Ed Lawrence had Black Squadron at Orange Base that morning, doubling up with Ahnas Menaf's unit. The policy was to rotate the various squadrons between different bases to prevent the Israelis from gaining a clear picture of the air defense net. The two COs were in the operations shack when the low-frequency walkie-talkie circuit came alive.

       "Attention all bases, attention all bases. Unidentified aircraft crossed the border southbound about two minutes ago. Mirror signals indicate crossing on a broad front at low level. Suspect Israeli aircraft inbound."

       Lawrence cast a glance at his former student. In two seconds they were both out the door, sprinting for their planes. Lawrence punched the button to activate the siren and the duty flight immediately started engines. Already parked at the downwind end of the runway, the four Tigersharks were airborne in sixty-eight seconds, scrambling for altitude. Twelve more F -20s were started and taxiing in minutes, led by Lawrence. But he feared what was likely to come. Setting a fast pace for his flight, he taxied past two fighters parked on the ramp for maintenance. Then he pushed the thought from his mind.

       According to prebriefed plan, the four flights fanned out at staggered altitudes in an arc from west through north to northeast. If
bogeys were inbound, they would almost certainly arrive from those quadrants. Lawrence checked his wingman's spread as he leveled off at 18,500 feet. He checked his watch. Four and a half minutes had elapsed.

       Menaf's duty flight, first in the air, made first contact. Through scratchy voice radio Lawrence detected the flight leader's report:

       "Many bogeys at low level northeast of the field. Am engaging. Out. "

       Moments later there were half-discerned calls of bandit sightings, frantic warnings, and G-muffled cries for breaks. Looking to his right, Lawrence saw an ephemeral flash on the desert floor and crisscrossing missile trails. After a moment's reflection he led his wingman in a turn back toward the field. He estimated that by arriving at 12,000 to 14,000 feet in the next few minutes he could interrupt the bombers' roll-in.

       The exec had called it correctly, but he was a shade late. The Israelis had maintained a sandblower mission profile, hugging the ground until within four miles of the field. Then the Kfirs popped up to get a look at their target, selected their dive headings, and rolled in. The first two were down the chute as Lawrence and Badir headed for the second section from the right side.

       "Black Lead, bandits astern, three miles." It was Khalil, leading the second section.

       "You take 'em, Three," Lawrence replied. The response was garbled but Lawrence had to assume it was acknowledgement.

       The unexpected appearance of Saudi fighters airborne over their own field was a nasty surprise to the Kfirs. The delta-winged fighter-bombers, an Israeli upgrade of the French Mirage, were caught at a disadvantage. Pulling in behind the second Kfir, Lawrence had a good missile tone at one mile. The Israeli jinked violently in his dive, but refused to abort the attack.

       When the tone in his earphones told him the port Sidewinder was tracking, Lawrence pressed the trigger. At only fifteen degrees angle off the tail, the AIM-9 homed on its target and connected. The missile tried to rendezvous on the jet’s tailpipe, but because of the evasive maneuvers the ‘winder’s proximity-fused warhead exploded 15 feet away. The fragments were flung outward, penetrating the targets empennage and slicing through fuel and hydraulic lines. Lawrence had a clear view of his victim arcing crazily into the bottom half of a loop, bombs still aboard. There was no ejection from the fuel-fed fireball.

       Pulling up, Lawrence rolled into a hard climbing reversal to look for Badir. The redheaded flier glanced through the top of his canopy and caught site of the wingman's F-20 spiraling upward, engaged in a vertical rolling scissors with an F-16. Lawrence felt an immediate sense of dread—where there was one Falcon there would surely be another. The second Kfir seemed to have disappeared.

       Lighting his afterburner, Lawrence accelerated quickly. He was passing through 550 knots when he caught a glint of sunlight at eleven o’clock high. He padlocked the glint, turning to put it on his nose. Damn, he thought, that 16s almost too small to see at three miles. He wondered if the Israeli saw him.

       Suddenly Lawrence heard Badir’s muted call, topping out of his spiral with the first F-16 while pitching down to regain lost energy. Simultaneously the Falcon to Lawrence’s left front fired a Sidewinder at him. It was the first time the exec had to cope with a forward-quarter air-to-air missile, but his simulator training at Bahrain had prepared him for this moment. With careful timing, he snapped the stick hard back and left, helping with left rudder. His abrupt upward spiral was more than the AIM-9's small wings could duplicate, and the missile exploded beyond lethal range.