“Well, what in hell did you expect these Ukrainians to do?”
“They will fight, General Eyers!” Sivarek exploded over the roar of Tumansky engines as the MiG-23s began to turn around. “They carry only one hundred rounds of 23-millimeter ammunition and a few missiles, and not all have attack radars. They have almost no fuel for multiple engagements once they reach the Black Sea, and some pilots are suffering the effects of radiation poisoning, but they are willing to fight, and die, for a foreign power. Yes, I gave them permission to taxi, and I was awaiting permission from Ankara to allow them to launch and engage the Russian bombers. You have been quite effective at stopping them.”
“Well, you should’ve let me in on your little scheme here, General,” Eyers said. “You gotta get permission from NATO before you—”
“I do not need permission to decide what aircraft taxi on this installation, General Eyers.”
“This is a NATO base, General,” Eyers retorted. “We funded it, we built it, we upgraded it, and we run it.”
“This is Turkey, General!” Sivarek shot back. “This is my country and my responsibility. You and NATO are guests in this country … and not very good ones at that! It is about time you learn this truth. Captain!” Sivarek’s aide stepped up to his commander and saluted. “Release the Ukrainian weapons and external stores belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force. Then order all maintenance chiefs to begin assisting the Ukrainians in arming their aircraft. Request that Colonel Tychina meet with me and the general staff as soon as possible so that we may discuss the integration of their forces with the Turkish Air Force.”
“You … you can’t do that!” Eyers exploded, all but throwing his hat on the ground in fury and frustration. “Those planes can’t be armed or launched without permission from Brussels! And I don’t want those Ukrainian weapons moved until I get a complete inventory!”
“Your orders mean nothing anymore, General Eyers,” Sivarek said angrily. “Because of you, my country may suffer at the hands of the Russians. I will not allow that to happen again. I will see to it that these Ukrainian aircraft are made ready for air defense and maritime patrol duties immediately, and I will launch them immediately upon receiving permission from my government. You may observe and report your observations to Brussels or to whomever you wish, General, but if you attempt to interfere again you will be placed under house arrest. Captain, order the General’s driver to take the General to my headquarters or to his quarters or wherever he wishes, but move that vehicle off my runway immediately.”
Captain Inonu leaned forward toward the vertical-plot board as the Russian plane icons were erased and moved closer to the center of the board. “Range to inbounds?”
“Ninety miles by AWACS, sir.”
Inonu felt as if he were sitting on a triangle-shaped seat. The Russian bomber was well within cruise missile range now, and could be overhead in just nine minutes. It would take the oiler Akar nearly twenty minutes just to execute a 180-degree turn and head for shore. Akar would have to fight it out just like Fatih and the patrol boats. “Air defense weapon stations, check in.”
“Sea Sparrow crews, up and ready.”
“One-twenty-seven station, up and ready.”
“Sea Zenith station forward, up and ready.”
“Sea Zenith station aft, up and ready.”
“Thank you, weapons.” Captain Inonu knew these crews were ready to go — the section chiefs would have reported in if they were not — but Inonu put the report on shipwide intercom and on the task force network so crews on the patrol boats and crews on the oiler Akar could hear it. Hopefully it would make each and every crewmember stay on his toes.
“Sir, decoy pattern one laid down,” the EW detail reported. A decoy pattern was a thirty-foot-wide by one-hundred-foot group of floating decoys deposited in Fatih’s wake that, hopefully, resembled a large vessel on radar or visually.
“Sir, active Golf-band radar, identified as Tu-22M maritime patrol and targeting radar,” the EW section reported. “Electronic countermeasures capable and standing by.”
No use in staying passive now, Inonu thought — the Russian bomber had a radar fix and a clear shot. Staying radar-silent now would only reduce their own combat effectiveness. “Clear to begin active jamming on downlink and continuous wave signals, EW,” Inonu ordered. “Take down the missile targeting radar as soon as possible. Do not jam their nav radar until they close within thirty miles.” Most maritime patrol planes had infrared sensors that could see out twenty to thirty miles, so few used radar within that range at night unless they were lining up to attack; but in any case jamming non-weapon-related electronics such as ship-to-ship radio or navigation radar was considered a hostile act. Inonu wanted to avoid any charges that he was pushing for a fight — besides, the fight was coming to him plenty fast.
“Copy, sir. Beginning active radar jamming now.”
The “shooting” had started. Even though no actual explosive weapons had been employed by either side, exchanging electronic signals was just as critical and just as important as firing a projectile. Successfully using radar jammers and other electronic tactics could negate billions of lira worth of pyrotechnic weapons. But being in range of jammers meant that they were well within range of other more deadly weapons. Technically, painting a foreign ship with a missile targeting radar was an act of war, but in the Black Sea it was all part of the game. Who would blink first? Who would “escalate” the “conflict” by jamming? Who would shoot first?
“Radar, where are those bombers …?”
“Sir, range sixty miles, altitude two thousand feet, closing speed six hundred ten knots,” the radar officer reported, as if he were reading his captain’s thoughts. “We are still passive on air-search and targeting radars. Shall we lock on now?”
Sixty miles — very close for a high-speed Russian missile attack. A Russian AS-4 antiship missile had a range of over one hundred miles at the bomber’s current altitude. Newer Russian antiradar missiles had a range of only forty to fifty miles, and a gravity bomb attack over a frigate was unlikely, so if the fight wasn’t on in the next fifteen to thirty seconds, these Russians were pissing away their opportunity. But with an AWACS radar plane overhead, the frigate had the advantage — no use in wasting it yet. “Negative. Stay passive until ten miles outside Sea Sparrow range. At thirty miles, I want full-spectrum jamming and active missile targeting — I want to leave no doubts in this guy’s mind that we mean business. Comm, this is Combat, call fleet headquarters again and request permission to engage hostile targets if they do not alter course. Make the request in the clear on the emergency frequency and in English. Is that understood?”
“Copy, sir, make request for permission to release batteries in the clear.” Seconds later, Inonu heard the transmission in his headphones as the broadcast was made on the international maritime emergency channel 16. This would have the ultimate affect of alerting the media and creating a lot of anxiety among all the governments that bordered or accessed the Black Sea, but Inonu wasn’t going to back down.
“Sir, Diamond reports the F-16s have intercepted the Russian bombers,” Communications reported. “Radar scan only. Count is now six Tupolev-22M bombers. No word yet on weapons or … stand by, Combat … stand by for priority red alert.”