“Our first strike is tomorrow night in Bandar Abbas, followed by packages going to Jask and Chah Bahar. So as not to tip them off using any land-based activity, these strikes will be Navy and Marine only, from us and Tinian, and lots of TLAM in a coordinated manner. This could run just one night, probably two, with the Air Force bombers joining us then.”
Wilson studied the known SAM rings along the Iranian coastline, as well as the fighter bases at Bandar Abbas and Chah Bahar, defenses which offered little in the way of sanctuary and reached well into the Gulf of Oman. Coordination, timing, and contingency planning, from launch to recovery, were going to be extensive. His mind raced through what they needed to plan within the next 36 hours: the weapons plan, the launch sequence plan, the tanking plan, the defense suppression plan, the strike plan, and the search and rescue plan. Each had myriad requirements and considerations, and each carried its own set of variables that required detailed answers.
For the air wing strike leaders — senior squadron aircrew such as himself — striking anywhere along this heavily defended coastline would become a monumental challenge of coordination and execution. They had to accomplish the mission and keep losses to an absolute minimum. He knew the air wing would be up all night planning it, and up the following night flying it. And the next night, according to CAG. Air Wing Four and Valley Forge were up to the task, but CAG was right: by no means would this be easy. And by the looks of the huge black circles on the chart that signified the SAM threat rings, it was damn dangerous. CAG finished his message to his aviators.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have frontline aircraft with stand-off weapons, accurate cruise missiles, superior sensors, and state-of-the-art electronic warfare capability — both active and passive. And we have you, the most highly trained and combat-experienced aircrew in the world, all purchased at great expense by our country. We will prevail, but we’ve gotta be smart and keep mistakes to a minimum. Keep it simple, and maximize the effectiveness of your blows. USS Richard Best, our sovereign U.S. territory in the Gulf, was there to defend the economic lifeline of an allied country. While conducting innocent passage through a vital international waterway, she was attacked by the forces of Iran, an attack which killed Americans and has thrown the world into economic turmoil. The Iranians miscalculated, and whether it was on a national or local level doesn’t matter. Washington is tasking us with significantly degrading Iran’s short-term ability to attack again, and to keep Hormuz open for commerce. Maybe the diplomats will de-escalate this, but you and I are going to be ready to go tomorrow night with fused ordnance on our aircraft and a detailed plan to use it. After the spy briefs you on the order of battle, each strike planning team will be assigned a target… and a secondary target for night two, if we get to that. Strike leaders, today at 1500 I want you and your assistant strike leads to brief me or DCAG on your thoughts and plans regarding your primary target. Later tonight, once we approve your choices, you’ll visit the admiral’s staff and brief him. Just give an overview, and we’ll provide any rudder you need at that time. Obviously, this is all classified, and the crew can see we are transiting west at high speed, but we are to discuss this only in cleared spaces — not the wardroom, not in the passageways.”
Once CAG finished, the air wing Intel officer provided an order-of-battle briefing, and the aviators listened in tight-lipped silence. Iran possessed the latest in high-tech military equipment, purchased from Russia, China, North Korea and even Europe. And the United States had sold Imperial Iran the F-14 Tomcat, which the Islamist regime had used to great success in skirmishes with the Iraqi Air Force during the 1980s. Even the venerable F-4 Phantom II, also provided to the Shah by the United States, was a serious airborne threat.
The SAMs were numerous and also modern, led by the Russian-built S-300, and had a range of over 100 miles. The Iranians had lots of tactical SAMs and modern MANPADS, some developed indigenously. While all of Valley Forge’s fighter aircrew were combat experienced, very few had experience dodging a radar-guided SAM, or even seen one fired in their careers. It was common knowledge that CAG Swoboda and Admiral Smith had seen several of them during Desert Storm, and Wilson knew of Cajun’s close encounter with a SA-6 over Kosovo, but that was it. With his talk, the CAG had done his job. Although they already knew the facts, everyone in a flight suit had been reminded that Iran possessed a major league defense. CAG had also reassured them, just by his demeanor, their leadership was not asking them to face anything they had not.
When the meeting broke up, groups of aircrew gathered around the chart and discussed the defenses and targets. Rows of long tables allowed planning teams to pore over the charts and weapons manuals in order to devise the best plan for success. Banks of computer terminals along the bulkheads were manned by JOs inserting target coordinates for closer review. Cajun’s eyes met Wilson’s, and Wilson walked over to join him.
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s you and I look over this folder. It’s the first strike — Bandar Abbas. Have the ready room pass the word for our strike planning team to join us here at 0900. Also, Raven AOM in the ready room at 1300. No, make it 1230.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“This is a big one,” Cajun added as he leafed through the contents of the folder. He then gave Wilson an intense, direct look to ensure his meaning.
“Yes, sir,” Wilson responded, expecting nothing less from the man CAG tasked to lead the first strike.
CHAPTER 48
Wilson and his CO reviewed the tasking for Strike 1A: fourteen designated mean points of impact, or DMPIs. The two pilots studied the target imagery, all in and around the harbor area of Bandar Abbas. A nest of boghammars along the wharf. A SAM site. A storage and repair facility. The fuel farm. Located at the top of the Strait of Hormuz, Bandar Abbas was essentially surrounded on three sides by land, with the restricted waters of the strait to the south. To the east, on the other side of the city, was an Iranian tactical air base with MiG-29s and F-4s. Assigned time on target was the next night at 2315 local. Coincident with this strike were two smaller strikes down the coast at Jask and Chah Bahar.
Once the strike planning team, consisting of an aircrew from each air wing squadron, got together, Cajun briefed them on the overall plan and assigned various tasks: the launch sequence plan, the electronic warfare plan, the combat search and rescue plan, and the weapons delivery plan. He assigned the last to Wilson. All around them in CVIC were dozens of other aircrew in flight suits, working on their assigned targets, the room an orderly hum of activity.
After about 45 minutes, while the team worked quietly, several of them studying charts, others building the aircraft load out on the computer, Smoke leaned over to Wilson. “Sir, can we talk for a minute outside, please?” Smoke spun to leave before his department head could answer, and Wilson, puzzled, watched him for a few seconds before he got up to follow him, grateful for a break. Cajun and the others continued, lost in their concentration.