Hours later, in a bunker deep below the airbase, an Airforce Colonel approached General Deynekin.
“Sir, our Mil satellite systems and airborne tankers over the Arctic are detecting huge numbers of aircraft approaching from North America and Greenland. We have intel and airborne AWACS confirming this, and large numbers are departing RNoAF airspace. All seem bound for the Barents Sea.”
Deynekin nodded, sighed, and pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.
“Initiate Operation White Shield. Then Colonel, call General Olga Budanova at Airforce Command Moscow, get the lazy bitch out of bed and inform her of these developments. Contact Admiral Suchkov at Northern Fleet, Severomorsk.”
“Sir.”
A move like this had been expected, and extra aircraft had been deployed from the Kola Peninsula in the west and across Siberia. The word was out now. Scramble, the Motherland is in danger.
The cold white forests surrounding Monchegorsk Air Base Murmansk were rocked by loud reheat from Saturn and Turmanski engines. They launched SU-34, SU35, SU-30 and MIG 29s. Northern Siberia shook with jet noise as aircraft poured down runways.
Out at sea among the ice flows, aboard the Udaloy-I Class DDG Vice Admiral Kulakov, the broadcast sounded.
“Battle stations, battle stations, air threat red, air threat red.”
Men and women rushed to their stations wearing their white anti-flash hoods. In the darkened control room, people peered into screens. SA-9-N Gauntlet surface-to-air missiles swung into position above decks. The K band pulse doppler radar searched for an airborne foe.
Task Force flagship, Peter the Great — Pyotr Velikiy — also activated her SA-9-N Gauntlet surface-to-air weapons and her long-range SA-10 Grumble surface-to-air missiles. These were coupled with Top Steer and Tombstone radars, and had an engagement range of 95 miles.
Ships of the Northern Fleet were ready, searching, waiting for the enemy. Long hours of drills were over; this was the real thing.
Leading the US strike force were the same F15 flights out of Keflavik, Iceland, who’d downed the SU-34s over the icecap.
“Bluebird one, Bluebird five. I have radar paints from 025 degrees, 26,000 feet. Categorising, categorising. Type is N011 Bars, phased-array radar, pulse doppler tracking. Possible Sukhoi interceptors.”
“Copy, Bluebird five. Bluebird flight, continue vector niner degrees to targets. Bluebird five and three, climb to two six and intercept bogies.”
The two F15s pulled up and away, and lit up their search and tracking radars.
“Bluebird three, bluebird five, have multiple bogies, three minutes to AMRAAM range. Initiating Longshoot engagement.”
“Copy, bluebird five. I have ’em too. Selecting AMRAAM.”
High in the Arctic sky, the F15 pilots watched their screens and tracked the bogies as they closed.
“Blue flight, go for Fox three.”
AMRAAM launch was green.
Far away, SU-30 pilots out of Monchegorsk Air Base watched contacts on their screens. They were categorized as F15, F16 or F35s.
The flight leader called out, “Vybrat R77. Aktivirovat raketu.” Select R77 (NATO AA-12 Adder). Activate and arm missile.
The miles counted down as the two flights approached. Near simultaneously, AMRAAM and R77s fell away from their aircraft, motors ignited, and they sped off to their targets. The fifty miles was well within both weapons’ range; the missiles crossed in flight ignoring each other.
Inertial with mid-course update and terminal active radar homing/infrared targeting was employed by both missile types.
“Blue flight, incoming; engage ECM and hard evade. Go.”
The F15s activated their electronic ECM pods and pulled hard and low; flares were ejected to confuse the infrared homing of enemy missiles.
The Adder turned to follow. Blue three pulled hard on his stick; he was greying out with the G force. He tensed to fight it. He let the stick relax and rolled to the left and pulled hard again.
The F15 twisted and pulled with unreasonable G force. It was a fight he couldn’t win, and the Adder flew into his starboard engine and exploded.
Blue three was hit by his own spinning engine blades, and most of his chest was splattered across his cockpit controls. He died instantly and the F15 was now in a flat spin. Blue five was hit too and exploded in a fireball. The three parts of the aircraft fell into the icy sea below.
Far away, AMRAAMs found their SU-30 targets, who also employed jamming systems. They were effective, but not perfect like their American counterparts. Missiles followed the jinking aircraft down, and slammed in, blowing many them from the sky.
To the east, F18 Super Hornets from the USS John F Kennedy detected the first of the Russian fleet. “Ghost one from Ghost four, have surface trade 70 miles, four degrees left of our course.”
“Ghost one, all flight, come left four degrees.”
Ghost leader had the target on his display: a ship, yes, but what?
“Ghost fight, this is Big Nose one. K band radar detected. We have a Udaloy-I Class Destroyer on our bearing, range 63 miles.”
Big Nose was a flight of two F18 Growlers, specialist electronic, air warfare, two-seat aircraft. He’d be speaking to the backseat E warfare specialist.
“Suspected picket ship covering the flagship. Udaloy-I Class DDG are carrying SA-9-N Gauntlet surface-to-air. Deadly within their range, but range is seven miles; clear until then. Peter the Great is carrying long-range SA-10 Grumble surface-to-air missiles, engagement range of 95 miles. So they will become a threat.”
The USN senior pilot thought through his options. His target was the flagship, but the chances of evading the Udaloy weren’t good. He knew they’d have to drop to wavetop height, reducing range, and they’d have to climb again to find the main target. The destroyer would still be behind them. They had to take it out. Now.
“Ghost one, Ghost two and three, engage target with SLAM-ER.”
“Copy, Ghost one.”
The two F18s entered a shallow dive and selected the SLAM-ER air-to-surface missile.
“Ghost three from Ghost two, select missile GPS and inertial navigation.”
“Copy.” The miles counted down, it was now time.
“Ghost two, launch SLAM-ER.”
The missiles fell and ignited their motors. The Udaloy was now a target.
The ship, the Vice Admiral Kulakov, became aware of the danger. The Air Warfare Officer knew there was one potent weapon he possessed.
“Hostile missiles incoming. Engage AK-630.”
This is a Russian fully-automatic naval close in 6-barrel gun with a very high rate of fire; an equivalent to the American Vulcan Phalanx. A last resort. It’s mounted in an enclosed turret and directed by MR-123 radar, also assisted by television detection and tracking. Max range is around three miles, but it usually waits until the target is less than two miles away.
The two SLAM-ERs, now at low level, raced in at 520mph. As they reached three miles, their terminal guidance kicked in. The two missiles cross-talked to each other at short range with a long-range Bluetooth enhancement. This was a classified capability. The control missile was decided by the one with the most recent software-build version, and this took control. If they had the same software build, then the latest physical build number was in command. Chief Bird designated its partner missile to go for the forward section of the target, and it would take the rear.
The missiles closed in, arming warheads. This was it, terminal approach to target.
Aboard the Vice Admiral Kulakov, the AK-60 went auto active. The US missiles approached closer, closer now. The MR-123 radar control gave the order: fire.