Possible Indian Military Scenarios - XII

[jahaju]

The image of hundreds of humans shot and burnt to death even if they were the scum of the earth will haunt him for long time to come .
As he leveled out at 6000 ft ,he felt like vomiting .As he handed over controls to his co pilot for a few seconds he found one polythene bag used to cover the documents and retched uncontrollablyinto it till he could no more

The human Touch, even James Bond had his human moments

[dhruvarka]

".....The 40 mm Gatling gun started its macabre statco burst..."

Shankar,
Just a minor technicality, Bofors 40L60 is too heavy to use a Gatling type rotating multi barrel mechanism. The gun is a single barrel piece with a magazine on top. USAF AC 130 also mounts two M61 Vulcan 20 mm guns operating on the Gatling principle.

Great scenario, but comming from you it's usual. Keep 'em comming.

[Shankar]

MULE STRIKE FLIGHT – 1850 HRS -OVER LINE OF CONTROL

They say disaster always strike when you least expect it .So it happened with Wing commander Rajesh. The emotional impact of witnessing multiple violent kill in a short time perhaps made him a wee bit careless or maybe it was just plain bad luck that he flew right into the trajectory of stream of anti aircraft tracers from an air defense guns whose crew was pouring out everything they had to avenge the death of their fellow citizens even if not the kind to be proud off .

Three shells hit the starboard outer which started coughing fire and smoke and then two more hit the port inner in quick succession

The voice of young first officer was some aht over excited as he almost screamed on the intercom

- engine 4 and 2 hit -no 4 on fire – no 2 loosing power

Rajesh came into his own as hundreds of hours of training took over .

He moved in a flash correcting the sudden drop of nose with a strong pull on the stick and increased power to full military powers before cutting off the damaged engines , as he issued crisp commands

-engineer initiate fire extinguishing procedure on engine 2 and 4 immediately
- doing it right now sir came the cool voice of the flight engineer
- sir the hydraulic pressure is falling –master cylinder pressure down to 160 bar
- copy that –confirm extent of damage on hydraulics
- top sight –mule strike lead – hit by ground triple A –co ordinates ---
- copy that mule strike lead – can you make it to Jammu
-affirmative top sight – shall try a no flap landing – please alert base
-roger that mule strike –escorts forming up on you right now

Under normal circumstances C-130 is dream aircraft to land but this was sure not a normal approach .With two of the four engines off line he had to make a very controlled descent .He did not use flaps unless absolutely necessary to conserve whatever reserve energy he had because of altitude .As he reduced power very very slowly the indicated air speed dropped in concert as if the air speed indicator is directly wired to the collective power levers. At this point he did not change the propeller pitch till about 30 kms from Jammu airport .

-jammu tower –mule strike flight on final approach with two engine out –request priority landing clearance
- mule strike lead –your are cleared for priority landing – runway 03 – over
-cleared to land – making no flaps emergency landing – standby

Rajesh wanted to conserve maximum air speed right till the moment of touch down in case, just in case he had to do a go around (an unlikely situation with two engine off but still)

He had to be extra careful not to over flare when crossing the runway threshold as that can be as his American instructors have often told him a bitch of a tail dragger.
-xo –call out air speed and altitude
- yes sir – 165 knots - 1500 ft
Rajesh eased back on the collective and pulled up on the stick just a wee bit and the air speed dropped
- 145 knots – 600 ft – 140 knots- 450 ft – 135 knost- 300 ft – 128 knots – 125 knots

The airport perimeter wall of Jammu airport flashed below, he could see the fire tenders lining up the main runway . The aircraft was getting more difficult to control as the air speed dropped .Rajesh reduced power one last time and allowed the C-130 to touch the runway . It did so with a solid bump on the main undercarriage and one or two tires burst .Rajesh acted fast as he pushed the nose down and applied brakes as quickly as as he could without cart wheeling the aircraft . The aircraft came to a stop barely 50 ft from the end of the runway

As the ground crew rushed in to help, Rajesh sat quietly for a few seconds before starting the emergency shut down procedure . In the distance the dark of the night enveloped Kashmir valley

[vivek_ahuja]

IV CORPS TACTICAL HQ (RELOCATED)
FOOTHILLS OF THE GREAT HIMALAYAN RANGE
NORTH OF TEZPUR
DAY 4 + 2005 HRS

“The human tragedy continues to unfold today as the stream of civilians made their way from their homes in Tawang and the surrounding villages to the south in large convoys of Indian Army trucks even as soldiers continue to pour into the region over the Se-La pass. Even as the night begins on the fourth day of the war, the actual ground war remains restricted to the Laddakh, the borders of Bhutan and the eastern tips of Arunachal Pradesh, there is an uneasy tension in the Tawang sector and unnamed sources confirmed the presence of at least three Chinese Divisions massing north of the Border...”

“You hearing this?” the Defence Minister asked over from his conference room in the skies above Madhya Pradesh while General Yadav motioned to the Lieutenant in the command trailer to switch off the streaming media reports. Yadav was sitting in the command trailer in the Himalayan foothills along with his two senior officers, including Lt-Gen Suman, the EAC Commander and Lt-Gen Chatterjee, the IV Corps Commander. Yadav leaned back in his chair before looking at the Defence Minister and nodded in the affirmative.

“General, I don’t need to remind you of the sensitivity of the situation. The media cannot be allowed access to such sensitive border areas just yet. How on earth did they get those nuggets of information on exact Chinese units?” the Defence Minister said. Yadav looked at a Brigadier standing nearby who happened to be on Chatterjee’s staff as a General Staff Officer (Intelligence), or GSO(I):

“Sir, the order to evacuate Tawang was issued on the open local radio once the ground war erupted. The streams of Internally Disrupted Persons or IDPs is enormous. Tawang is not the size it was in 62. These IDPs are being moved to camps north of Tezpur so as to leave the entire mountain passes open to us to move logistics on the single arterial road over the Se-La. This massive displacement of civilians cannot be hidden from the media who have already reached the camps I mentioned to interview people. As far as the number of Chinese units mentioned in the reports, the unnamed sources etc is clearly false mainly because they don’t need these so called sources. The Chinese have been broadcasting their ‘numerical superiority’ over the open civilian radio for the last day as a means to undermine the morale of the civilians under our care. They are talking about the 62 war and how they intend to repeat the performance if we don’t end our aggression towards the Chinese people etc. It’s all part of their pre-battle psychological operations, nothing more. It should be disregarded as such.” The GSO said.

“Unfortunately, our media is taking their word as gospel and our refutations as propaganda. I have already spoken to the PM and the President about invoking some strict wartime control on the media release if this attitude continues. We cannot allow our own media to subvert our morale. All right, what do we have?” the Defence Minister asked. This time Yadav took the question:

“Basically speaking, we are putting the final pieces in our defensive lines in the Tawang sector as we speak. The Chinese have been very generous in terms of time for this sector and we don’t know why. But we are thankful for it. Unlike the Laddakh, Sikkim, Bhutan or eastern AP fronts, this is one front where we are almost completely ready and that too because we had the necessary units around Tawang to begin with, unlike the other sectors. The Chinese are supposed to have three Division plus units. We have the 5TH Mountain Division in the field and elements of the 21ST Infantry deployed and continuing to deploy. These will take the main brunt of the Chinese attack, but for defensive purposes, they should be sufficient. In any case, we expect the Chinese attack to begin sometime tomorrow. And we expect them to break their teeth against our defences here.”

“That’s good news, General. Okay, what about the Sikkim front?”

“I am about to head over to Siliguri in a few minutes along with Lt-Gen Suman after this meeting to meet the XXXIII Corps GOC with regard to the Bhutanese involvement. We will get briefed in more detail on what the situation is over there but his Corps is in the field. Operation CHIMERA was supposed to be moving already but the Chinese have frustrated our efforts by involving the Bhutanese into the fight. Now we have to divert resources to help the Bhutanese Army mobilise along their borders where the skirmishes between their forces and the Chinese Border Guard units has already erupted along their northern border with Tibet. These are more a result of the bitterness and anger over what happened in the three lakes region this afternoon rather than a concerted battle plan. Either way, we are getting unnecessarily sucked into Bhutan when we should be using the time to launch offensives of our own.” Yadav said. The Defence Minister nodded:

“I agree. We just got handed a report from the Bhutanese asking for helicopter airlift support to lift some three RBA Battalions from their bases to the remote frontiers of their border with Tibet. I spoke with the Air Force people here and they said that if CHIMERA is supposed to happen, they do not have the airlift capability to support the Bhutanese and our own units at the same time. Something has to give way. I suppose the Chinese expected this very thing to happen, didn’t they?”

“Indeed. The whole idea was to enrage the Bhutanese ground forces with some provocation so that they become a liability for us in a sector where we are in a position to take the fight to the enemy. Smart buggers, these commies. And while we waste time supporting the Bhutanese, the Chinese are rushing their 11 Division to support the 5 Division forces already inside Chumbi valley with rumours of another Division en route. If CHIMERA is to be a success at all, we need to move within the next few hours.” Yadav said.

“Noted, General. I will be talking with the Bhutanese officials in an hour or so. I am going to stress the need for them to calm down and approach this situation objectively. We may need to provide some support to them, so make sure you do keep some of your forces earmarked for CHIMERA on their toes for possible redeployment inside Bhutan...” the Defence Minister said, and then a thought occurred to him that caused him to lay back in his chair and smile broadly before continuing:

“Or through Bhutan...”

[vivek_ahuja]

2x MI-26 HELICOPTERS
YUMTHANG VALLEY
NORTHEAST OF LACHUNG
SIKKIM
DAY 4 + 2105 HRS

The massive blades of the Mi-26 whipped through the thin and cold mountain air of Sikkim as two of the massive beasts of helicopters made their way through the valleys of Sikkim. Their massive size made them stick out as dark silhouettes against the starlit night sky behind them and their rotor noise left no one unsure of their presence. But it didn’t matter. The skies were secure. Overhead, and far to the north, three Mirage-2000s were maintaining BARCAP over northern Sikkim. No, the pilots of the two Mi-26s had other things on their minds rather than security against enemy aircraft...

The vibration inside the cockpits of the two Mi-26 was relatively high. The engines were groaning at the high altitudes and the pilots could almost count the single “whoop” noise of each massive blade as it passed over the cockpit thanks to the low RPM of the Mi-26 main rotor. The pilots were somewhat uneasy about the altitudes but otherwise accustomed to the dangers. They were flying in the Yumthang valley at an altitude of 10000 feet above sea level. On top of that they were carrying a relatively heavy payload.

The two pilots on board each helicopter were flying with their helmet mounted NVGs guiding them through the darkness of the night. They were below the mountain peaks on each side, and that left little margin for error and manoeuvre inside the valley. If something happened to those protecting Mirages, there was little that the Mi-26 crews could do to protect themselves against an enemy air threat. But that was not new either...

“Okay, we are three minutes out!” the co-pilot shouted over the sounds of the cockpit noise to the pilot and the flight engineer after reading the data on his MMD. The latter crew member was carefully monitoring the engine readings on both D-136 engines for signs of danger. At these altitudes, nothing was left for chance. Nor could it be.

“FEATHER-HEAVY-ONE to FEATHER-HEAVY-TWO. We are three minutes out. Do you confirm?” the pilot said into his R/T mouthpiece even as he strained his neck to the left to see the other helicopter flying a kilometre behind them in the valley.

“Roger. We confirm. Three minutes out. Over” the R/T squawked and then went silent. The pilot then turned to the right and turned to look down the cavernous interior of his helicopter to see the Load Master looking towards him from inside the empty cabin. The pilot brought up three fingers and the Load Master, who was an AF Sergeant, nodded and lifted three fingers as well. He then got up and began moving down the belly of the helicopter after ensuring that he had strapped himself to the airframe with the safety line. The rear loading ramp was not open, but that was about to change...

“One minute out, scanning for visual!” the co-pilot shouted again. This time both the crew members began looking keenly through their NVGs. The greenish-black sides of the valley seen through the night-visions systems were bleak to say the least, but that changed when a massive flashlight of sorts began flickering on and off from a certain region up the valley...

“I have visual! IR strobe confirmed!” the pilot shouted for all to hear. He switched his R/T frequencies:

“FEATHER-HEAVY-ONE to FEATHER-HEAVY-TWO. We have confirmed IR strobe visual and DZ sighted. We are inbound. Out” He then turned to his co-pilot: “Open the doors!”

The co-pilot nodded and then strained to look to his back down the cabin to see the Load Master standing near the doors and giving him thumbs up. The co-pilot then turned back and flipped a switch. This caused vibrations inside the cockpit as the ramp doors in the rear opened. Normally, this was not done until the helicopter was actually on the ground. But with the cargo being carried, and the nature of the DZ, this was necessary to provide the Load Master the view he needed of the cargo and the drop area to ensure that both his cargo and the people on the ground remained safe.

The Sergeant himself was wearing NVGs as was necessary for the job at hand. When the massive read doors opened, the cabin was suddenly exposed to the biting cold of the Himalayas. The Sergeant was already on his knees and leaning around the edge of the ramp to see the under-slung cargo buffeting in the wind. A turn of the head and he could also see the other Mi-26 flying just behind and to the right. Both helicopters were now lowering speed and altitude...

On the ground below, soldiers of the Indian Army looked on as the two hovering beasts in front of them caused a massive downwash that covered everything in gravel and snow. But the cargo was finally here. The wheels of the Tatra vehicle touched down on the helipad even as the Mi-26 hovered overhead. The Load Master on board the Mi-26 flipped his control switch for the under-slung cargo and the tough ropes fell clean from their attachment on the Mi-26. The cargo was on the ground.

A few minutes later the second Mi-26 had done the same and both helicopters were already heading down the valley to the south. The Indian Army soldiers on the ground below, however, were only starting. It took several more minutes before the first of the Pinaka MLRS lurched forward on its own power and moved out of the helipad, followed by the other vehicle. They cleared the helipad long before the second round of flights could begin...

[AdityaM]

Great! Give them all that we've got.
But will an indian Defence minister ever be situationally & tactically aware to understand the nuances of the war?

@Vivek: Can we get some consolidated document of the existing story? TIA.

[asbchakri]

Great! Give them all that we've got.
But will an indian Defence minister ever be situationally & tactically aware to understand the nuances of the war?

@Vivek: Can we get some consolidated document of the existing story? TIA.

Sure try this link

http://ifile.it/aktmyp3

[nrshah]

Mi 26, The scenario reflects ability of this helicopter.

I think we need more Mi 26 then we have currently, may be a couple of squadrons.

Great going Vivek

-Nitin

[Shankar]

Why NATO Needs Russia
12:28am UK, Friday March 06, 2009
Alex Rossi, Russia Correspondent
When Hillary Clinton came to the Nato summit she brought with her a new direction for US foreign policy.

Far from the eyes of probing public the real US-Russia re alignment was taking place. It will still take some time before the alliance take shape in a concrete combat ready form but the first moves were already made form both sides.

Hillary Clinton speaks with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

The Bush years were quickly forgotten as she urged greater cooperation with other NATO members.
She has also stressed that it is time for a fresh start when it comes to bilateral relations between Russia and the military alliance.
NATO suspended formal ties with the Kremlin after the Russo-Georgian War in August last year.
It described Russia's behaviour as disproportionate aggression. Half a year later, though, the situation has changed dramatically.
There is a new President in the White House who has stressed a more multi-lateral approach.

Dmitry Medvedev may cooperate
But more pertinently there is also a recognition that Russia holds the key to helping solve many of the problems that the US and NATO are facing.
The security situation in Afghanistan remains extremely unstable. Supply routes through Pakistan have been badly hit as they wended their way to NATO bases.
The US has also lost the use of the Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan - arguably as a result of Russian pressure.
Moscow's offer then to allow NATO to transit supplies through Russian territory into Afghanistan has been welcomed.

[Shankar]

The Kremlin has said it is looking for a fresh start in relations under new U.S. President Barack Obama and will be seeking concessions from him over missile defence plans that Moscow says are a threat to its security.

When asked about ways to improve ties with the United States, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was ready for close cooperation on Afghanistan -- a conflict zone Obama has singled out as a priority for his administration.

The United States wants Russia to provide it with transit routes to re-supply NATO-led forces fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, particularly after militants attacked truck convoys on a supply route through Pakistan.

"Non-military transit has already been granted as part of our agreements with NATO and the United States very recently received our agreement ... for delivery of their cargoes for the needs of the international forces," Lavrov said.

"Additional steps are also possible," Lavrov said at a news briefing with European Union foreign policy chiefs in Moscow.

"I would remind you that in April and May of last year we discussed with our NATO colleagues an agreement on the use of Russian military transport aviation for the needs of the international forces. There could be other agreements too."

NATO spokesman James Appathurai said any offer of air transport assistance would be looked at carefully by the alliance and would be "a good sign of goodwill by the Russian Federation."

NATO would also welcome any decision by Russia to allow transit of non-lethal military supplies, he told a regular briefing in Brussels.

[Shankar]

NATO uses rail route through Russia.

“On Monday the first train with US non-military cargo left the territory of Russia and is now moving through Kazakhstan. Agreements concerning co-operation in Afghanistan [deliveries of non-military cargo for ISAF], reached in April 2008 at the Russia-NATO summit in Bucharest, are being fulfilled,” said Russian Foreign Ministry representative Igor Lyakin-Frolov.
The train was loaded in Riga and contains non-lethal cargo such as “uniform and food intended for NATO military in Afghanistan”, said the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The US plans to send between 20 and 30 shipments through Latvia and Russia on a weekly basis.
Russia already has transit agreements to Afghanistan with Germany, France and the US, though the deal with Washington applies only to non-military cargo.
On Tuesday Spain became the third state to be granted permission for military cargo and personnel transit. Spain is allowed to use the rail route through Russian territory to Afghanistan. The corresponding agreement was signed on March 3 during President Medvedev's state visit to Madrid.
Spain has more than 700 military personnel based in Afghanistan.

Germany will also be allowed to use the Russian rail route for military cargo transit, said Anatoly Serdukov, the Russian defence minister, after a meeting with his German colleague on Tuesday.
The agreement on military cargo transit through Russian air space was signed in 2004. Now another regarding railway transit is to be signed in the near future.
NATO searching for new supply routes
As the Taliban step up attacks on ground shipments travelling through Pakistan and with the US military airbase at Manas in Kyrgyzstan to be closed, NATO is looking for new supply routes to Afghanistan from north and central Asia.
The new route passes through the territories of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which have allowed the transit of non-military NATO cargo in the recent past.
Russia accepted to allow the transit of non-military American cargos through its territory to Afghanistan in February 2009.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in agreeing to provide support to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Moscow has indicated that it is willing to co-operate with the new American administration.

[Shankar]

Special Section: Terrorist Attacks on America
Russian Policy Toward Afghanistan
Michael Jasinski, Research Associate
NIS Nonproliferation Program
Center for Nonproliferation Studies
September 15, 2001

The events of September 11, 2001 drew the eyes of the world to Afghanistan, a country in a state of civil war and the reputed operating base of Usama bin Laden. Due to its instability and its proximity to the borders of several members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), developments in Afghanistan have long been Russia's concern. The extent to which Russia supports U.S. military action, or even directly assists it, will play a major role in determining the position of the Central Asian states, and perhaps even the success of any actions. At the same time, Russia may not welcome an expansion in U.S. military cooperation with Central Asian states. If the U.S. government decides to undertake military operations against targets in Afghanistan, those operations are likely to have both positive and negative effects on Russian interests.
Russian involvement and interest in Afghanistan did not cease with the withdrawal of Soviet forces in February 1989. Soviet and Russian military advisors continued to assist the Afghan army until the fall of the pro-Soviet government in 1992. Once the Taliban movement began to take over Afghanistan in 1994, Russia started to support anti-Taliban forces, particularly those of the so-called Northern Alliance, led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, a former anti-Soviet Mujahideen commander.
Russia perceived the Afghan threat growing during the 1990s, particularly after the start of the Chechen conflict. Russian officials have accused the Taliban of supporting the Chechen separatist movement with arms, funds, and training. Their statements indicate that they view the conflicts in Chechnya, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East as components of a well coordinated Muslim extremist movement that poses a grave threat to the stability of Russia's southern CIS neighbors and even to Russia's territorial integrity.
The recent terrorist strikes against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States are likely to reinforce in Russian security doctrine the importance of fighting "international terrorism." Indeed, some Russian experts feel that the recent terrorist strikes against the United States only vindicate Russia's "anti-terrorist" orientation. They also view the West's efforts to mount a response to these acts as a belated recognition of the threat that Russia recognized a number of years ago and has been actively fighting against, including in Chechnya. The fight against "international terrorism" is also viewed as one of the few shared interests between the United States and Russia.[1]
Russia's anti-Taliban efforts have largely been limited to sanctions against the Afghan government and supplying arms to the anti-Taliban forces, although there have been unconfirmed reports of Russian airstrikes on Taliban positions. However, Russia has considered more direct military involvement in Afghanistan. In April 2000, following the completion of international peacekeeping exercises in Tajikistan, then-Security Council Secretary Sergey Ivanov (who is currently the Minister of Defense) stated that Russia might carry out preventive air strikes against rebel bases in Afghanistan in the event of intensification of Taliban activities.[2] Although no airstrikes took place, Presidential Advisor Sergey Yastrzhembskiy indicated that the mere threat to use heavy bombers against Taliban camps had the desired effect of deterring the Taliban from aiding Chechen insurgents. Other Russian experts, including Aleksandr Pikayev of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, stated that in addition to forcing the Taliban to disassociate themselves from the Chechens, the threat of airstrikes reassured Central Asian governments, which look to Russia for aid against the spread of Islamic fundamentalism.[3]
One of the most vocal advocates of orienting the Russian defense posture toward the south is the Chief of the General Staff, Army General Anatoliy Kvashnin. He believes that the greatest threat to Russia is regional conflicts, similar to the war in Chechnya, rather than the threat of a nuclear war. Accordingly, he has long been an advocate of reducing Russia's reliance on nuclear weapons and of bolstering its conventional military capabilities. The success Kvashnin has enjoyed in advancing his own military reform plans, which reduce the role of Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal and promise more funding for the conventional forces, is indicative of his influence. Speaking at a Ministry of Defense conference in July 2001, Kvashnin identified Afghanistan and the phenomena of extremism, separatism, and international terrorism as the main threats facing Russia today. While some strategic exercises in the late 1990s focused on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the likely threat, Kvashnin did not even include the alliance on his list of threats facing Russia, a further indicator of the gradual shift of Russian security policy toward its southern borders.[4]
Kvashnin's views are shared by his immediate superior, Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov. In an interview given when he was secretary of the Security Council, Ivanov said that the close coordination between the various underground movements in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the threat they pose to the integrity of the Russian Federation, require Russia to improve security cooperation with other countries in order to effectively fight "international terrorism." Ivanov also supported Kvashnin's proposals to strengthen Russian forces in the Caucasus and Central Asia, identifying these regions as significant sources of threats to the Russian Federation.[5] The country's senior political leadership attaches considerable importance to the developments in Afghanistan as well. During his May 2000 visit to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, President Vladimir Putin discussed the issues of providing military aid for the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, as well as direct military support.[2]
However, even though Russia would likely welcome any actions by the United States that would diminish the influence of the Taliban, Russia has another concern. It is worried about growing U.S. influence in the region, which includes the oil-rich Caspian Sea basin. Since the mid-1990s, most Central Asian states have participated in a variety of U.S.- and NATO-sponsored military education and assistance programs, including NATO's Partnership for Peace (which all Central Asian states except Tajikistan have joined), the U.S. International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, and others. U.S. troops have also held a number of joint exercises with the Centrazbat, a Central Asian multinational peacekeeping battalion formed with NATO support in order to participate in UN-sponsored peacekeeping operations.
In light of the Russian opposition to NATO enlargement in Eastern Europe and displeasure with the growing contacts between NATO and former Soviet republics in the Caucasus region (most notably Georgia), Russia is unlikely to welcome increased U.S. presence and influence in Central Asia.[6] This concern may reduce Russian willingness to assist the United States in an operation against the Taliban. Finally, Russia probably would not welcome U.S. strikes if they resulted in waves of refugees streaming into Central Asian CIS states, further destabilizing the situation there.

Sources:
[1] "Terakty v SShA perekraivayut geopoliticheskuyu situatsiyu v mire," WPS Oborona i Bezopasnost, 14 September 2001.
[2] Andrey Korbut, "Moskva vvela sanktsii protiv talibov," Nezavisimaya gazeta, 13 May 2000; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru/.
[3] Aleksey Germanovich, "Signal Flare Attack," Vedomosti, 25 May 2000; in "Yastrzhembskiy Aide: 'Threat' Against Taleban Achieved Goal," FBIS Document CEP20000526000290.
[4] Vadim Saranov, "Let do voyny," Versiya, 3-9 July 2001, p. 2; in WPS Oborona i Bezopasnost, 13 July 2001; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru/.
[5] "Sekretar Soveta bezopasnosti Sergey Ivanov otvechayet na voprosy 'Nezavisimoy gazety' i 'Nezavisimogo voyennogo obozreniya," Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye, 1 December 2000; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru/.
[6] Jim Nichol, Central Asia's New States: Political Developments and Implications for US Interests, CRS Issue Brief, 18 May 2001.

As the cold war mentality of confrontation with Russia died down NATO and US in grips of new world reality of international terrorism slowly realized without Russsian support on ground there can be no victory in this war . But the shadows o cold war still persisted .Just like Russians will not like NATO forces too close interaction with their current crop of weapon systems ,US military establishment mirrored the view.

A suitable intermediary was required and found -INDIA

Both US and Russia were comfortable with Indian military and political establishment .Once the technical details between the three governments were signed out (in camera) The importance of ISI and Pakistan army was much reduced if not eliminated totally. (India naturally welcomed it)

The military capability of the new alliance was mind boggling . It will be still some time before the forward air bases in ex soviet republics will get full operation status and will operate indian sukhois with russian Tu160 and american F-15 s side by side but that was not very far off.The payoff of many multi national military exercises India did over the last few years from cope India to Indra to red flag will all make the joint operations against Taliban that much easier and deadly.

The attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009 simply accelerated the inevitable. As the world reacted with shock -far from the public eyes the first container train carrying "non lethal" supplies to NATO forces in afganistan crossed the Russian land mass .

[abhi.bharat]

DELETED

[Shankar]

IAF STATION SRINAGARBLACK SERPENT FLIGHT - 2XMIG 29KUB -0630 HRS

Lt commander Dipak Vasin today had an interesting passenger on familiarization flight. She was the first female C-130 spectre female commander L/C Lynda Smith who have come along with the first two specters and now it was Dipaks responsibility to give her a fill of the terrain and also capability of the escorting Mig-29 s .It has been already decided that form next mission onwards Lynda will be present in the strike teams across line of control to give the surgical strike an international flavor and also her experience with Spectres combat capability will surely come in handy

Lt. Col. Lynda Smith became the first female to command an Air Force Special Operations Command flying squadron Feb. 20 when she took command of the 4th Special Operations Squadron Ghostriders.
Lynda’s ascension comes 16 years after the Air Force first allowed women to fly combat missions and four and a half years after Lt. Col. Martha McSally became the first female to command an Air Force combat flying squadron.
Despite the time lapse, the AC-130U Spooky II fire control officer said AFSOC is “right on time” for having a female command a flying squadron and is pleased “the gender issue is becoming less and less highlighted.”
Lynda said she was one of many female junior officers to cross-train into combat aircraft after the Air Force lifted the ban in 1993 and expects to see more Air Force women taking command positions soon.
“To get to this point it takes a long time,” she said. “AFSOC is careful about developing its leadership and this is a culmination of that.”
Lynda graduated from undergraduate navigation training the same year women started flying combat missions, but missed the cut by a couple of months. She navigated E-3 AWACS her first four years, which included deployments to Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
She transferred to AC-130Us in 1997 and has since logged over 4,000 flying hours aboard the gunship. Lynda has deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan and flew aboard one of the first AC-130Us to cross the Iraq border, providing cover fire for special operations teams during the invasion.
However, a mission that stands out for Lynda is one when she never fired a shot. She was the fire control officer on one of two AC-130Us that flew over the special operations team that rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the soldier captured by Iraq forces in 2003.
“Fire control officers like to shoot — but that night we didn’t have to shoot because the operation went so well and I was pretty happy about it,” Cartier said.
Lynda assumed command from her boss, Lt. Col. Jim Rodriquez, during a ceremony in Commando Hangar at Hurlburt Field, Fla. She had served as the squadron’s operations officer since 2007, which is the same year AFSOC named the Ghostriders the command’s top flying squadron.
In June, the Air Force awarded three 4th SOS airmen Distinguished Flying Crosses for a September 2007 mission in Iraq during which the Spooky II crew protected a Navy SEAL team from an insurgent attack.
“There is no doubt Lynda Smith is the perfect officer to lead the 4th SOS into the future,” Col Dennis Pannell, 1st Special Operations Group commander, said during the ceremony. “She has the skill, poise and guts to take this squadron to the next level.

Lynda also happened to be a very attractive person surely helped the mission.She had the typical straight forward approach to problems like other USAF pilots Dipak knew and very very cool .

The Mig 29s were armed with standard pair of R-73s and a single pod of 57 mm unguided rockets for target of opportunity along the line of control aprt from 150 rounds on the Gsh 301.Dipak did not expect to see any action this sortie but he always believed in being prepared like all combat pilots.

[Shankar]

BLACK SERPENT FLIGHT -2XMIG 29KUB-0630 HRS

After the briefings they drove out to the parked MiG 29in Dipaks gypsy.. It was beautiful, glistening in the Indian sun shine with the snow covered mountain range in the background , but also threatening, as if it might suddenly surge forward into a predatory prowl of the sky. She climbed into the front cockpit where Dipak explained the flight and engine instruments.

Oddly, the cockpit instrumentation was not too different than an American cockpit. The altimeter was in meters instead of feet, the air speed in kilometers per hour and the main flight instrument (VGI) was reversed.

In the front cockpit Lynda had control of the ejection seat. Dipak said, “Lynda , if I give the word EJECT, EJECT, EJECT that is not a subject for discussion, I go first then you.” She agreed completely and without reservation. After about 20 minutes of cockpit orientation she climbed into the back seat and they started the engines; first the left, and then the right. They completed the necessary instrument and flight control checks, received the clearance from the control tower and then taxied for take off.

After afterburners were selected and engine checks were made, they started the take-off roll. The thrust was so great it reminded Lynda of a catapult shot from an aircraft carrier. They were airborne in six seconds and 1500 feet. Dipak immediately pulled a 6G loop and then bottomed out over the runway at 150 feet, heading down the Jheelum River at 600km/h. Lynda took the controls and made several turns. She did a few Aileron rolls left and right to get the feel of the airplane. she was surprised the MiG 29 was very responsive and easy to fly and control.
While speeding along at an altitude of only 150 feet along the Kashmir valley Dipak pointed out the landmarks , a small Indian village and a chemical factory. Since they were speeding along like a runaway space capsule, Lynda just nodded her head and gave a polite “DA, PRE KRASNA” (Meaning: “Yes, very beautiful.” Russian phrases came easily to Lynda since she was of Czech descent and her grandparents spoke Czech, a language somewhat similar to Russian, to her when she was young.) .For Dipak ofcourse Speaking Russian was second nature.
Dipak took control, selected the afterburners, pointed the MiG straight up and climbed to 53,000 feet, pulling an immeasurable amount of G’s. In addition to the extreme pressure from her flight suit, she had to force-grunt to keep from blacking out. Lynda clocked the time to climb at 48 seconds. When they leveled off, Dipak accelerated the MiG and went supersonic to 1.4 MACH.
Dipak had asked her prior to the flight if she wanted to go faster or higher, and Lynda decided that this was high and fast enough so they could save fuel and spend more time on exotic maneuvers. Dipak then said, “Lynda , I will do the following maneuvers, then you will do them!” It sounded like an Indian order but Dipak had no idea how anxious she was to do them.

She replied in my perfect Russian, “Da, pre krasna.”followed by highly accented “of course”

They rolled over and did a “Split S” to a lower altitude into a “7.5 G loop”, followed by an “Immelman”, a “Climbing Turn”, and then the famous “Cobra” maneuver where the MIG flies at the same altitude but in a vertical position. Dipak then recovered and flew the plane straight up, pulled back, both engines reached “0” air speed where upon they slid back on their tail in a vertical position. then applied power from both engines, first the left, then the right. That was the “Tailslide”.
Dipak had done these maneuvers so quickly and brilliantly, that Lynda did not catch all the G’s and air speeds for each one. When did them she had to rely on G-force and feel. Dipak then said, “Lynda , the airplane is yours, you will do them.” She then started with the loop and remembered from her flying days to keep the wings level and the G’s constant.

Since the VGI operates opposite to US aiorcraft , it made the loop a little difficult at first. At the top of the loop she rolled her head back as they passed through the horizon and, lo and behold, her wings were level and she completed a good loop. Dipak said, “Good, good, Lynda .” The “Immelman” came as easy, although Dipak said, “A little more G, Lynda .” she thought she has had enough as her G suit was exerting tremendous pressure on her legs and stomach. The “G” suit was keeping her from blacking outat the same time that she knew.These two maneuvers are fairly standard but in a MiG 29 they are done with great speed, power and high “G’s”.

The next two maneuvers were simply awesome. The “Tailslide” was done by pulling “G” to a vertical position, pulling the throttles back to idle while the air speed dropped to “0”, with the MIG pointing straight up. Upon reaching “0” air speed the MIG slid back to earth tail first. she kicked hard rudder and fell through to a nose-down recovery as we brought the engines back in, first left then right.

It felt so awesome that she repeated it again. The “Cobra” came next. She picked up speed and horsed back on the stick bringing the MiG again to a nose-up vertical position, selected proper power while our momentum propelled us forward in a vertical position. The sensations she felt during this maneuver were incredible for an aviator not used to such an exotic maneuver. She then released back pressure and, while pulling negative G, recovered to level flight. Again, she was so excited that she did another one, this time with more precision. Dipak was used to performing this maneuver at very low altitudes but Lynda realized she would need a whole lot more practice before she would do the “Cobra” as low as he does.

After doing each of the maneuvers twice, Dipak told her to take up a heading towards Srinagar air base and make an ILSA instrument approach to a low pass. That was the easiest part of the flight since the MiG 29 is so stable and the controls very responsive. After a discussion with the control tower Dipak said, “Lynda , give me control and I will put on an air show for you.”
He made a hard pull up to the right then a quick hard turn back to the runway followed by a series of quick Aileron rolls, a quick reversal and a roll over to inverted flight; flying down the runaway at 100 feet. It was quite a thrill to look at the runway while flying upside down for that long a time. He then throttled back, pitched up to a downward turn and said, “Now, Lynda , you take control and make the landing.”
As Lynda was getting ready to make her first assisted landing on Mig29 the radio came alive

- black serpent flight –tower we have a situation –abort landing
Dipak immediately took over full control as Lynda went on the navigator cum weapon system officer role ,there was simply no time for a change over now
As dipak retraced flaps and went on a shallow climb to 3000 meter to conserve fuel Lynda activated the secure radio link to the tactical air net
- tower –black serpent lead –go ahead
- black serpent –tower – request for close air support from army in Uri sector – small army detachment encircle by 50 odd terrorists in grid sector orange mike –your new heading is 205 –make your altitude 7000 meters for now –no Phalcon support available for now –over
- tower –black serpent – rolling now

The two Mig 29KUB banked to starboard on new heading and raced forward on full military power

[Shankar]

HILL TOP 1576 – URI -0640 HRS

Captain Vijay took stock of the situation once again. His small group of 20 men on the hill top have been ambushed very effectively as they chased a small band of terrorists along a shallow valley. After 30 minutes of intense fire fight, his group was on top of a small hill marked only as point 1576 and surrounded on all three sides by almost 60-75 heavily armed militants who were no doubt good fighters.

Two of his jawans were already dead and 7 more critically injured and needed to be removed to base hospital at earliest opportunity. He was low on water and more importantly ammo.Strict fire discipline was being enforced but that could stretch out the inevitable only by a few hours.

The terrorists were under cover in the in the dried out stream beds on both side of the hill top and gaining .They seemed to have an in exhaustible supply of ammunition including rocket propelled grenades . The sky could be clearing up in matter of minutes and then he knew their chances of getting out of this ambush will turn slim

Re enforcements were on their way but still few hours out. His only hope at the moment was his ground to air radio and the fly boys of air force. As he looked at the eastern sky, overcast with gery clouds , another rpg round flashed overhead and exploded barely 15 meters away behind a boulder. Then the AK47s opened up and his jawans responded in kind.

Vijay shrugged and tried contacting any aircraft on patrol on the reserve frequency. Signal strength was weak because of tall tree and irregular terrain. Then the radio came alive as if on cue.

- Army group 34 delta – black serpent – we are in the vicinity – what is your status –over

Vijay was more shocked than surprised at the female American voice emanating from the speakers .He knew of some American air force personnel in Srinagar but did not know they were involved in combat operations

- Black serpent – captain vijay – need urgent fire support- 2 killed- 7 injured – on top of point 1576 –bad guys in valleys on both sides

-Copy that Vijay – mark your position with smoke.-over
- Thanks black serpent – throwing orange smoke now – over
- Ok Vijay –we see your position - rolling now –stay put –over .The radio went dead


BLACK SERPENT FLIGHT -2XMIG 29KUB-0645 HR

The two fulcrums came out of the cloud cover at 9000 ft and spread out a little as they dived straight down into the valleys surrounding the low mountain top marked as pt 1576 on the map. The tiny puff of orange smoke coming out of the North West corner of the hill top marked the position of the small army group fighting a loosing battle.

- bravo sierra wing take the bandit group on left – I am going for the right group –over
- copy that lead – attacking now
- take care of friend lies near orange smoke – over
- wilco lead –don’t worry

Dipak lined up on the large group of about 40 terrorists who were now almost half way up the hill .Only air to ground weapons he was carrying was the 32 S-5 rockets with fragmentation warheads apart from 150 rounds in his cannon.

- Lynda – go for single shots at 2 second interval – we have only 32 rockets – aim true and good
- Sure Dipak came the cool professional voice of USAF colonel as she flicked open the fire button cover and armed the rockets for single launch .

Dipak reduced power as he leveled out at 2000 meters and deployed the air brakes for a second . Air speed down to 450 km/hr –altitude 1850 meters .The square target cursor came up on the head up display .As the box rolled over the gang of terrorists trying desperately to climb out of harms way ,Lyda fired of the first rocket ,waited for two seconds and then fired off the second one and then the third and 4th one . The flew over the target zone looped back and did a second attack run ,looped back and did a third attack run all in a space of 2 minutes



This family of air-launched rockets, designated S-5, was developed to provide the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact armed forces with a nominal 57 mm Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR) for air-to-air and air-to-surface applications. Although quoted as having a calibre of 57 mm, the S-5's calibre is actually 55 mm, but the rockets are fired from 57 mm calibre tubes. The S-5 series design was drawn up by the OKB-18 Bureau that became Nudelman Tochmash (KB Tochmash). From its outward appearance the S-5 is similar in design to the early American Mickey Mouse air-to-air rockets, and is thought to have been developed around the same time, during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Over the years the motor has been improved and at least nine types of warhead have been developed for use on the S-5 rocket. These include: conventional HE, fragmentation, hollow charge anti-tank, chaff, illumination and practice. In parallel with rocket development, four known rear-loading multiple launchers have been developed. They are the UB-8-57, UB-16-57, UB-19-57 and UB-32-57, the first number indicating the number of launch tubes and the second, the calibre. These launchers are fitted with standard Russian-type suspension points and have been cleared for carriage on MiG AT, MiG-21 'Fishbed', MiG-23 'Flogger', Su-22 'Fitter', Su-25 'Frogfoot' aircraft and Ka-50 'Hokum-A', Ka-52 'Hokum-B', Mi-8/-17 'Hip' and Mi-24/-35 'Hind' helicopters.Bulgaria's Arsenal is an alternative production source for S-5 rockets and offers a number of variants for export. These include the S-5KO, S-5KO Practice, S-5KP and S-5MO.

The S-5 rocket uses a solid-propellant motor with the propellant filling a steel casing. The motor is a fast-acting unit that burns for 1.1 seconds. The main body assembly can accept several different types of warhead and rear fin sections. The different tail fin kits have differing numbers of aerodynamic fin tabs. The S-5 is spin-stabilised, rotating at up to 1,500 rpm. The S-5 can be fitted with an impact or fixed-range fuse, as well as a self-destruct setting if it misses the target. The baseline S-5 variants include the: S-5M and S-5M1 (high explosive anti-personnel; S-5MO (high explosive and fragmentation anti-personnel, with 360 steel fragments); S-5K and S-5K1 (shaped-charge armour-piercing); S-5KO (shaped-charge fragmentation, for use against light armour); S-5S and S-5SB (anti-personnel fletchette, 1,100 flechettes); S-5P and S-5P1 (chaff); S-5O and S-5O1 (flare/illumination).Bulgaria's Arsenal notes that its S-5KO hollow-charge fragmentation rockets have a maximum velocity of 586 m/sec and can penetrate 172 mm of armour. Arsenal's S-5KP also has a hollow-charge fragmentation warhead but is more effective against armoured targets. With a maximum velocity of 600 m/sec it can penetrate 230 mm of armour and is fitted with a V-5KP fuze.There are four launchers associated with the S-5 rockets. These are all aerodynamically shaped to allow supersonic flight when used by fast jet aircraft, and have cylindrical bodies with suspension lugs on the upper surfaces. They have conical noses and a slightly tapered conical rear fairing that is removed when rear loading of rockets takes place.


Nothing much was left of the terrorist group except a few stragglers . The salvo of rockets have denuded much of the tree cover and now they were in the open . Dipak turned back and lined up for a classic strafing run . The Mig29 came in low and fast, jinxing left to right and the deadly Gsh 301 cannon opened up, chewing up everything on its path in a gory mixture of blood, stones, tissue, smoke and death.

The excited voice of Indian army captain came over the radio almost immediately

- a million thanks guys for the timely assist – we owe you a case of beer
- you are welcome buddy –see you some time soon –take care –black serpent lead going home – low on fuel – arranging medvac chopper soon –over

The two fulcrums formed up smartly and headed back across the beautiful valley. For USAF colonel Lynda it was a “good experience”.

[vivek_ahuja]

LOHEGAON AIRBASE
PUNE
INDIA
DAY 4 + 2200 HRS

The Defence Minister stepped off the stairs and onto the concrete tarmac at the military side of the airbase amidst hectic activity. The smell of aviation fuel was in the air even as the engines of the aircraft they had been on were spooling down. The Prime Minister was already on his way to the secure C3I facility at the Lohegaon AFB Base Operations Centre from where he would be interacting with other government heads as needed. Everybody on the civilian side of the government agreed that New Delhu was no longer safe after the Chinese had tried and failed to decapitate the government on the first day of the war.

The Defence Minister and the Home Minister, though, disagreed. The Chinese had with them the element of surprise four days ago. No longer. Now the IAF had secured a level of superiority over the skies of Laddakh and the Aksai Chin and was beating back attempts by the PLAAF to enforce their supremacy over the eastern skies. Over Tibet, only the belts of S-300 surface to air missiles prevented the IAF from practically flying wherever they pleased. If the Chinese launched a cruise missile from anywhere, the IAF would detect it and provide enough warning to take cover. Besides, with the ground war fully under way in Laddakh and the same about to start in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the Chinese had enough to worry about on purely military grounds without trying to take out the political targets behind the Indian armed forces. In fact, the former had been responsible for the Chinese getting the strategic surprise over the Indian Army in any case, so why take out targets that are basically helping your cause?

The Defence Minister looked around and saw another Embraer jet parked near their BBJ aircraft of the IAF Communications Flight that was going to take him and the Home Minister back to New Delhi while the Prime Minister and the President stayed in the secure facilities in Pune. It would not prevent them from taking actions but when it came down to meeting with foreign dignitaries, it should be done in a dignified manner exemplifying the calm nature of the government and not from a military bunker. It was a point that had been lost on the Prime Minister despite the explanations from the Home Minister and the Foreign Minister, the latter of whom was in fact in Delhi even now, braving the dangers, whatever they may be.

So now the Home and Defence Ministers were on their way back to Delhi to represent the face of the government while all national addresses would be conducted by the PM from Pune. The Defence Minister nodded his head in muted disgust even as he and his colleague strapped their seatbelts on board the smaller VIP aircraft. Five minutes later an IAF sergeant closed the doors of the Embraer from the inside and the aircraft began rolling on the runway and after taking off the ground, headed to the north...

[vivek_ahuja]

OPERATION SWITCHBLADE (PHASE-1)
2x AN-32 + 2x MIG-29
SKIES OVER THE NUBRA VALLEY
LADDAKH
INDIA
DAY 4 + 2225 HRS

The two sets of crews were not comfortable with their mission at the moment. The silence in the cockpit was broken only by the humming noise of the two turboprops running on full power and the odd communications chatter. Fact of the matter was, there had not been enough time to plan this mission, and given the fluidity of the ground war happening in Laddakh, the exact nature of the lines were not clear either. On top of that the mission required flying in extremely difficult terrain in a lumbering transport.

The two AN-32s were from the No-25 Squadron, known as the Himalayan Eagles who knew this terrain by heart. The squadron had been doing this job for decades, now. But peacetime drops were not the same as wartime drops. Not by a long shot...the Pilot of the lead AN-32 thought to himself as he poured over the details of their flight profile...

The job description was simple: haul the cargo from Leh. Head to Saser. Make the drop. Return. The execution of this job was more difficult than that. Saser lies in a deep valley of the Shyok River, aligned mostly northwest to southeast. The two aircraft had to fly within this valley to be low enough to make the drop without scattering the cargo. But the south-eastern tip of this approach was less than eighteen kilometres from the LAC. On top of that, the fighting between the Indian and Chinese Infantry in those mountains had been chaotic enough that the exact locations and status of units were just blurs on a map. In fact, the exact battle lines were unclear at the moment but were thought to be concentrated east of the village of Sul Tan Chuskhu, near the southeast tip of the expected tip of the AN-32 drop approach.

To make matters worse, the northern S-300 batteries in the Aksai Chin were still active and were proving to be a thorn on the IAF side. The battles between the SU-27s and Indian SU-30s and Mirages were still fresh enough that nobody was laying claim to the skies just yet. In other words, the skies were a neutral battlefield for the moment and were surely no place for lumbering transports.
The only road link suitable for vehicle convoys from Leh to DBO via Shyok were crammed with Indian Army vehicles and were fast becoming choke point. The relatively easy terrain on the Chinese side meant that they had a larger number of tactical roads heading into the mountains from their arterial road through the Aksai Chin. So the only way for the Indian side to overcome this natural disadvantage was to use their superior airbase infrastructure in the region as well as their superior airlift capabilities, even if it meant risky flights.

Operation SWITCHBLADE was the brainchild of the staff at IAF Headquarters and was a proof of concept type operation being conducted in wartime. If it worked, it would provide necessary and immediate support for the embattled Indian Brigades in the Laddakh Mountains. If it didn’t, then there were other applications as well...

The R/T inside the cockpits squawked: “EAGLE-EYE-ONE to SWITCHBLADE-SUPPORT-ONE. You are approaching Chinese FDR. Out” and then went silent. The Co-pilot looked to his left to see the pilot who then looked back at the Flight Navigator:

“Okay, what’s our exact location?”
“Twenty kilometres east of Saser DZ entry approach” was the reply from the Navigator after he consulted his charts the old fashioned way. The pilot looked at the co-pilot as he spoke:
“Okay, time for go.”

The pilot then changed frequencies before continuing: “SWITCHBLADE-SUPPORT-ONE to all SWITCHBLADE-SUPPORT elements, execute approach realignment.”

The two Mig-29s providing top cover continued on their path but adjusted slightly to the northeast vector so that they could follow their charges all the way east but still remaining aligned with the assumed aerial threat vector from Kashgar. The two AN-32s, however, now began their steep spiralling descent to low altitude. Thus far they had been high enough to stay out of the range of man portable anti-air weapons, even as they flew over Indian airspace. Now that was about to change...

“Keep your hands on those Flare Dispensers...” the pilot suggested to his co-pilot even as both of them watched the mountains becoming larger as they descended.

“Don’t you worry, sir. I got my hand right on the button!” the co-pilot responded even as he looked to his right to see out of the side cockpit glass and see the night-time mountains and the numerous flashes of light everywhere along the LAC that showed the location of artillery shelling taking place...

The two AN-32s were making what was in effect the Indian adaption of the Afghan Tactical Approach. It was a technique developed by the soviets during their war in Afghanistan when the threat from Stingers launched by the Mujahedeen against arriving and departing soviet transports and fighters had reached a high enough value. The idea was that the arriving or departing aircraft would approach the airbase from high enough altitude to be safe from these missiles and once it entered a vertical cylinder of space around the airbase security zone, would initiate a spiralling descent within the volume of that cylinder. All the while, the aircraft would be dispensing flares to ward off missile threats. These tactics worked...to a level.

“Approaching 16500 feet...” the co-pilot said as he read the altimeter. To his right he could see mountain peaks near the Siachen that were now higher than they were.

“Roger. Levelling!” the pilot said back as the attitude of the aircraft was stabilized and they entered a drop altitude above Saser and headed down the Saser valley towards Sul Tan Chuskhu.

“Approaching Saser DZ. Visual acquisition and signal flares sighted! Go Red!” the pilot shouted and the co-pilot pressed the button that opened the cargo doors in the back where two JCOs were waiting for the order to start pushing the cargo out. The lights next to them on the ramp now went red and they began pushing the equipment to the edge of the cargo-hold...

“Drop in three...two...one! Go Green!” the pilot shouted and the co-pilot again pressed a button and immediately saw back down to see the two JCOs who saw the light switch from red to green and then began pushing the cargo out successfully. Several seconds later they were clear and the second AN-32 was making its approach behind them over Saser...

The pilot and the co-pilot of the lead AN-32 were anxiously scanning the peaks around them as their aircraft flew down the valley. They could see no activity but that meant nothing. They were just waiting for the report from the Load Master that came a very long second later:

“We are clean! All cargo deployed under open chutes!”

The pilot immediately shouted to his colleague next to him: “Okay. Go! Go! Launch flares. Close the doors!”
While the co-pilot completed his tasks, the pilot was already pushing the throttles forward to maximum and the engines were groaning under the strain even as the aircraft picked up speed. The aircraft were now beginning their climb out of Saser valley, dropping flares all the way until they had cleared the airspace and were heading back to the southwest. When the aircraft had gone beyond 30000 feet, the egress was completed and the aircraft levelled out. The pilot immediately reduced the power in the engines to cruise values while the co-pilot checked the other instruments to see if there was any damage because of the strain of their flight.

“I wouldn’t want to do that very often!” the co-pilot exclaimed after finally relaxing on their flight back to Leh.

“Well, get used to it, my boy. We will be doing a lot more of those in the next few days.” the pilot said without looking away from his controls...

[vivek_ahuja]

OPERATION SWITCHBLADE (PHASE-2)
LEH AIRBASE
INDIA
DAY 4 + 2245 HRS

Wing Commander Dutt saw an AXE vehicle racing down the tarmac from the Flight Operations centre towards where he and his pilots were standing next to their helicopters. Dutt looked around to see the readiness of his crews and saw that the two LCHs, a single ALH and two Mi-17s parked on the tarmac looked as ready as they could. The other four LCHs under his ad-hoc 199HU were parked further away under camouflaged netting along the edge of the tarmac: ready to lift off at a moment’s notice in case of another Chinese cruise missile attack. The sounds of the rumbling engine of the AXE became louder and then stopped a dozen meters from where they were standing and the Flight Operations commander and the Base Commander jumped out even as Dutt approached them.

“Okay, the ground crews are reporting ninety percent recovery on all equipment dropped to them. They had a few failed parachute deployments but nothing that would hamper your operations.” The FOO said while the Base Commander looked on.

“So Phase-2 is a go?” Dutt asked the Base Commander when the FOO had finished.
“Immediately, as a matter of fact. Move out ASAP. I will talk to you once you have had a chance to examine your AO. Go.”
“Yes Sir.” Dutt said even as he saluted and then turned to signal his men to move out.

Five minutes later the main rotor blades of the lead LCH began to rotate even as W/C Dutt and his WSO were activating other instruments. No weapons other than the FFARs were being carried as of now but were being taken to the Forward Area Rearming Point or FARP, now renamed FARP-Saser, by ground convoy via Shyok up to the north.

A few minutes later the first LCH piloted by Dutt pulled off the tarmac under its own power and was followed by the second helicopter and then the team of two Mi-17s and the single ALH as all began their climb from the 10000 feet MSL at Leh to reach one of the highest battlefields on earth...

[Nihat]

Bravo Shakar and Vivek , the strategic and tactical planning of your scenarios is top notch.

[Shankar]

PAF BASE MUSAHF(SARGODHA) -0900 HRS -DAY 7

Mushaf Airbase (formerly Sargodha Airbase) (IATA: SGI, ICAO: OPSR) is PAF Airbase located at Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It was renamed in the honour of Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir in 2003, who was the former Base Commander Sargodha Airbase. His airplane crashed on a routine flight near Kohat the same year. The Airbase is the site of PAF's Central Air Command.

On November 1, 2007, a suicide bomber struck the 50-seater bus carrying PAF officers to nearby Kirana Ammunition Depot killing 11 people including seven officers, with 28 injuries. The bombing took place on the Faisalabad Road, when an incoming motorcycle rammed into the bus triggering the blast instantly. All of the officers were new recruits posted to Mushaf Airbase for initial training.[1] This was the last major attack before the state of emergency was imposed on the country.


Air commodore Rahim looked out with pride at the sprawling air base – LARGETST IN Pakistan .The last few days of surgical strike by Indian air force on terrorist targets have not made things easy for PAF .The army was pressurizing for action but PAF top brass knew any conventional large strike will be extremely costly and with Taliban knocking at door step it not advisable to say the least.

However like always in Pakistan the army always have the last say and just now he have received the orders to launch a major strike on the Indian capital – to retrieve some prestige for the country and also comfort the feeling of hardliners in the army (read Taliban supporters)

For tomorrows mission he had at his disposal 28 F-16 s and equal number of Mirage 3/5 . While the F-16 S were parked in hard shelters the Mirages were dispersed all over the air field . The reserve surface to air missiles batteries have all been made active and soldiers with man portable SAMs were patrolling the perimeter. .More than 24 anti aircraft guns have been positioned near the runways .For now Sargodha was immune to any surprise attack. The strike package was planned to be launched next morning and thankfully will not carry any nuclear weapons.

Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is located in northeast Pakistan. It is 10th largest city of Pakistan. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries.[1] Sargodha is one of three "planned cities" in Pakistan (the other two are Faisalabad and Islamabad).[2]
Sarghoda Air Base hosts the Headquarters of the Central Air Command, one of three combatant air commands on the Pakistani Air Force. Aircraft currently based at this facility include two squadrons of General Dynamics F-16A fighters. The base is also the site of the Pakistan Air Force Combat Commander School. This fighter tactics and weapons school is the Pakistani equivalent of the American "Topgun" school at US Naval Air Station Miramar in California.

IAF HEAD QUARTERS –NEW DELHI – 1000 HRS –DAY 7

The chief of air staff looked at the latest RIASAT photos of Sargodha air base. Also on his table was a memo from Raksh Mantri advising him of commencement of massive airlift in a week or so of Indian army contingents to Afganistan to join the US /NATO forces.
So far PAF have not inter feared seriously with IAF strike missions but now he will have the responsibility of air lifting nearly 6 divisions troops with equipment and armor. He needed a safe air corridor across Pakistan .He needed to ensure PAF gets the message it will be not a sound idea to interfere with IAF operations needed to support the war on terror.
For that he needed a spectacular strike which would show case the best of the best capability of IAF and at the same time take out most of the serious offensive capability of PAF in one go.
He picked up the red phone to ministry of defense and outlined his plan. The authorization to go ahead came in 30 minutes.
The air officer commanding of western and central air command was already in his office. The air chief wanted a snap strike on premier PAF base in less than 12 hours .It will have to be night strike and the destruction of Sargodha will have to be completely effective.
Across the western border all air bases went on red alert –ready for immediate combat action .It will be the biggest air raid in history of IAF. For the first time two PHALCONs will be in air simultaneously and two more on stand by on ground.

The S hour was 0500 IST

[kaangeya]

Shankar, Top Gun was moved to (US)NAS Fallon, Nevada >10 years back. It isn't so much of the elite school it used to be because the USN/USAF/USMC have all changed their combat/strike principles considerably over the last several years. DACT is the default norm, so every pilot gets to attend these schools (the USN and its USMC and USAF) counterparts in some capacity or the other. It is still elite to the extent that to become an instructor in the conversion or advanced stages one needs to go through these special schools. Besides the flying segment of an officer's career is 40-50% of the entire duration, with the peak being from the 5th year to the 15th or so. In the IAF at one time officers had to choose FITS or TACDE fairly early in their career, with College of Air Warfare and the Staff College being open later on - with the best completing all three hops by about 16-18 years into their career. Cecil Choudhury claims to have established PAF's CCS.

[Shankar]

IAF STATION –JAISALMER –RAJASTAN – 2100 HRS

Wing commander Chaterjee finished his dinner of Tandoori chicken an Roomali roti with a good dollop of mixed vegetable raita. Beer was strict no-no though he wished a glass or two was permitted. As he walked to the hard shelters protecting his squadron in sand camo the dessert wind was cool and refreshing. Inside the steel caged reinforced concrete shelter two squadrons of upgraded Mig 27 s were armed up .Unknown to the world the Mig 27 upgrade program was one of the most successful in IAF history which converted some what dated but very fast strike fighter bomber force into almost state of the art fighting missions .Very little details were available on the press briefings and mostly classified known only to selected groups within the air force.

The MiG-27 Upgrade
Equipping some eight operational squadrons (Nos. 2, 9, 10, 18, 22, 29, 51, 222) and one training establishment (TACDE), the MiG-27ML forms the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s strike fleet. The IAF’s MiG-27 fleet is also relatively young, with the oldest airframe at 16 years and the youngest at 4. These two factors have ensured that upgrading the MiG-27 is high on the IAF’s list of priorities. The bulk of the equipment and avionics fitted on the MiG-27 were developed in the 1970s and requires replacement. The IAF’s upgrade program aims to keep the type in frontline service till 2020. Unlike the IAF’s MiG-21 upgrade program, the MiG-27 upgrade will primarily be an in-country affair, with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Nasik Division acting as the primary contractor. To this end HAL is expanded the Design Department at the Nasik Division into a full-fledged Bureau, re-designated as the Aircraft Upgrade Research and Design Centre (AURDC), in 1996. AURDC is heavily involved in the re-design and structural modifications of the aircraft as part of the upgrade. It is believed that the first aircraft have already been taken in hand for re-building and upgradation. The IAF has recently earmarked some US$ 200 million for the upgrade of 50 aircraft for this financial year. It is expected that at least 140 of the 180 aircraft will be upgraded as part of this program.


Update parameters for the MiG-27 are as follows:
1. Performance improvement for multi-mission tasks including accurate ground attacks and Stand off precision attacks, offensive air support and suppression of ground air defenses
2. Installation of modern flexible system architecture to reduce pilot's workload and thus increase efficiency through better man-machine interface.
3. Modern weapon integration to enhance mission capability
4. Enhancement of mission reliability.
5. Fitment of a sophisticated EW suite to enhance survivability in hostile electronic environment, enhancement of the pilot's comfort and efficiency through improvement in cockpit air-conditioning;
6. Increase in aircraft range with in-flight refueling
7. Finally reduction in the maintenance requirements.
The capabilities of the aircraft are being enhanced by the incorporation of modern avionics systems consisting primarily of two Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) Mission and Display Processor (MDP), Sextant Ring Laser Gyros (RLG INSI), combined GPS/GLANOSS navigation, HUD with UFCP, Digital Map Generator (DMG), jam-resistant Secured Communication, stand-by UHF communication, data link and a comprehensive Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite. A mission planning and retrieval facility, VTR and HUD Camera will also be fitted. The aircraft will retain stand-by (conventional) instrumentation, including artificial horizon, altimeter and airspeed indicator, to cater for the failure of HUD and the MFDs.

Litening LDP
The installation of a new Radar Warning System together with automated flare and chaff dispensers will bring the MiG-27s up to modified MiG-23BN standards as far as countermeasures are concerned. Sensor updates include Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR), Laser Designation Pod (LDP), L-Band Homer and Reconnaissance Pods. It is believed that the Israeli Litening pod has been selected as to fit the FLIR/LDP requirements. The system is already in use with the IAF and was combat proven during the Kargil war of 1999. Indeed the decision to go for a podded system rather than an integral one was dictated by the flexibility that such systems offer. The British Vinten VICON 18 Srs 601GP(-1) 241 kg (531 lb) long-range (450 mm lens) optical pod has been selected as the standard recce pod and has already entered IAF service. The MiG-27s are also being endowed with radar capability. To this end, it is believed that trials with the Russian Komar pod mounted radar have already begun. The Komar is a light weight version of the multi-mode Super Kopyo being installed on Indian MiG-21s as part of the its upgrade program. The installation of the radar would give the MiG-27s anti-ship and some air-to-air capability. Other foreign equipment that form part of the upgrade include Data Link systems and Night Vision Goggles (NVG).
HAL (Hyderabad Division) systems being considered are Secured Communication System INCOM-1210A, radio altimeter RAM-1701A, 1FF- 1410A and stand-by UHF Communication System COM-1150A, Besides the existing conventional weapons, new weapons such as 1000 lb laser guided bombs. For improvement in cockpit air-conditioning, a new turbo cooler will be installed. The system developed by HAL (Lucknow Division) is capable of handling an additional mass flow of 250 kg/hr which would reduce the cockpit temperature by some 7°C. Indications are that the existing Weapon Control System has been retained, but a new weapon interface box has been developed for the integration of new weapons. For in-flight refueling, a non-retractable in-flight refueling probe is being installed. The whole process will necessitate modifications to the structure, plus aircraft fuel and gauging systems. Alongside, an oxygen storage facility (now limited to supply for about two hours) will be increased by providing additional cylinders. The aircraft’s systems will be mated with the next generation of PGMs now entering IAF service.
The upgraded aircraft will offer the IAF strike force greater flexibility and keep the MiG-27 force viable well into the first quarter of the 21st Century.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/I ... rupak.html

His flight of 6 aircraft will lead the strike once the air battle commander gives the green signal. They will be carrying two rather unusual runway denial weapon specifically designed by DRDO for this mission .Each 500 kg laser guided bombs had a small explosive charge surrounded by a compact sphere of thousands of tungsten machine turnings and polyester film shreds with a few micron thick layer of gold . He was tasked to drop the” bombs “ on the main runways of Sargoda and on the parking apron near the parked aircraft and scoot as maximum speed from designated altitude . The tungsten bombs were being fused to explode at 100 ft over ground spraying a wide area with very hard engine killer micro shrapnel .Any Pakistani aircraft attempting to take off ,once the tungsten shrapnel smeared runway and tarmac will surely not go very far.The gold coated polyester bombs were nothing but an upgraded chaff packets designed for wide area dispersion .Designed to explode at 5000 ft they will act as the best radar reflector known to man as they drift down and spread all over the target airbase slowly –making any air defense radar network practically useless for a few minutes .

The second flight will carry full load of napalms but in comparatively larger number of lighter bombs 100 kg each which they will use to set fire to the air base perimeter ,once again the objective was to create as many targets for the shoulder fired heat seeking missiles as possible creating a small window of safe strike for the main force .

The rest of the two squadron force will be armed conventionally with a mix of dumb as well as smart bombs and 80 mm air to ground rockets .None of them will carry any self defense weapons except the deadly six barrel Gsh 30 6 cannon . For protection they will depend on the flankers and fulcrums flying top cover.

Mission go-no go decision was at 0300 hrs. Control will be with one of the two Phalcons in the area

Chatterjee walked towards the small group of ground crew loading up his aircraft .One of them handed him a Styrofoam cup of hot tea and continued with their work. The shape of the new bomb was funny .It looked more like the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima than a runway denial weapon .Wing commander Chatterjee really wished it was not that in reality. Because unknown to most people around, his MIG 27 was also hard wired for nuclear weapon delivery ,after the recent upgrade.

[Shankar]

WAR ROOM -IAF HEADQUARTERS –DELHI -0000 HRS

The chief of air staff knew he will have no sleep for the next 12 hours till the mission is complete and hopefully with no losses (a thought he knew was unlikely to be realized).he was committing large force on an unproven weapon based on an unique concept –vulnerability of F-16 to foreign matter ingestion during operation particularly take off . All will ultimately depend on the discipline and precision of the Mig 27 pilots particularly the first two strike groups to hit target. Two squadrons of Su-30 mki will be on top cover duty so he knew chances of the Migs getting jumped is almost next to zero. But still they will have to cross a large swathe of hostile territory at low level and in subsonic speed for most of route fully loaded with yet to be proven weapons.

The large flat display showed status of the various squadrons for to day’s mission. Both the A-50 PHALCON s were getting refueled along with their 8 Su-30 escorts in Agra. In Jaisalmer the Mig 27s have finished arming and getting ready for fuel. The Mig 21 Bison squadron at Amritsar was on standby which he intended to use the Mig 27s to suppress the air defenses along the line of control just before the Mig 27s cross in. Two squadrons of Su-30 MKI were armed and fuelled at Srinagar which will join the Mig 27 s over Punjab and stay with them right through .Some of them have been loaded with ultra powerful broad band jammers who will lead the Mig 27 into Sargoda very much like EF 111 ravens in USAF.

The screen displayed no air of aircrafts deployed for this mission and status in neat red letters
JAISALMER – MIG 27 X 32 – ARMING COMPLETE –FUELING ON
SRINAGAR - 28 X SU-30 MKI – READY
AGRA - 2 X A-50 BARIEV PHALCON – FUELIING
AMRITSAR – 18 X MIG 21 – READY

The sky is about to become another battlefield no less important than the battlefields on land and sea.... In order to conquer the air, it is necessary to deprive the enemy of all means of flying, by striking at him in the air, at his bases of operation, or at his production centers. We had better get accustomed to this idea, and prepare ourselves.
- Giulio Douhet

FROM World War I to Operation Desert Storm, air power has been a decisive factor-if not the decisive factor-in conventional conflicts between mechanized adversaries. Control of the air has influenced operations in the air, on land, and at sea. To control the air, one must have airfields from which to launch aircraft. During the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill recognized the "value of maintaining this fighting vantage ground [i.e., airfields]" by keeping them operational.1 If aircraft are unable to operate from their bases, then the advantages of air power will be lost. Our aircraft no longer have the ability to operate from the rough pastures, dirt fields, or even simple, paved airfields that were typical of earlier conflicts. Modern aircraft require long, hard, smooth runways that are free of dirt and debris. Unfortunately, today's air bases are more vulnerable than the British aerodromes during the Battle of Britain. In the event of war, the enemy will undoubtedly attack US air bases overseas and extensively damage their taxiways
AIRFIELD RECOVERY
CAPT PETER C. BAHM, USAF
CAPT KENNETH W. POLASEK, USAF

The FOD is generally resulted by inhaling birds and debris on the runway. Once the turbine inhaled a foreign object, blades on the turbine will consequently be damaged more or less under the impact imposed by the foreign object. In a minor FOD, the engine may simply reduce it output thrust, while in a severe situation, the aircraft is forced to take an emergency landing or even crash immediately, especially for a combat airplane. However, when we check those foreign objects, it can be easily categorized into 1) metal, 2) gravels; and 3) others, including wood, ice cube and birds. If we further categorize those foreign objects by 1) preventable; and 2) unavoidable, then the preventable foreign objects are 1) debris of the guiding lamp on the runway; 2) soils introduced by vehicles; 3) broken parts from the airplane, such as nut, bolt, washer, screws, tube etc; 4) debris of rubber wheel; 5) gravels, rugs, plastic scattered on the runway; 6) tars, cement and other construction material; and 7) badges of personnel. The above mentioned foreign objects can be carefully prevented by cleaning the runway and/or working area frequently. In addition, by strictly requesting the personnel follow the operational procedures, those foreign objects can be carefully removed from the runway thereby prevent the FOD happened to the airplane during landing and takeoff.
By way of comparison, the Soviets are incorporating rough-field capability and protection from foreign object damage into their latest aircraft designs, such as the SU-27 Flanker and the MiG-29 Fulcrum. In an article on the Flanker, Jane's Defence Weekly reports that:
The landing gear is remarkably sturdy, designed for high-rate-of-descent touchdowns on poor runways. The nose wheel leg is reinforced by a large trailing link and the main legs are fitted with distinctive locks, which, on extension, mate with fittings at the lower outside corners of the engine nacelles. . . . Like the MiG-29 "Fulcrum," the Su-27 is fitted with a system to keep foreign objects out of low-slung inlets and the suction-relief louvres, which are underneath the inlets. These are metal screens, hinged to the bottom of the duct and rising into an oblique position when the gear is down.35

The Soviets have designed the Flanker and Fulcrum to operate in a foreign-object-infested, rough-field environment. Furthermore, this ability helps operations on repaired surfaces: "It is a happy coincidence that if you can operate from fields that have been quickly built, those aircraft can also operate from fields that have been quickly repaired."36
The Soviets believe that designing their aircraft to operate from forward locations will work to their advantage:
They believe [US] Air Force aircraft are "too heavy and sluggish" to be based near the front-a factor that will cause the Air Force's reaction time to be too slow to "meet the norms."37

They are aware of the consequences of attacks on their bases during any future war and evidently intend to make aspects of aircraft design like those mentioned above the focus of long-term development. For instance, Marshal of Aviation Aleksandr Yefimov, commander of the Soviet air force, declared that "much attention is being given to developing short take-off and vertical landing aircraft capable of operating from damaged airfields," He further emphasized that aircraft operations should not be affected by damaged runways.38 Thus, because the Su-27 and the MiG-29 will be found in the air arsenals of many non-Soviet nations for years to come, the threat from these aircraft promises to become even more formidable.

[Nikhil T]

Shankar,

The numbers don't match. Great scenario btw.

Two squadrons of Su-30 MKI were armed and fuelled at Srinagar ...

The screen displayed no air of aircrafts deployed for this mission and status in neat red letters
JAISALMER – MIG 27 X 32 – ARMING COMPLETE –FUELING ON
SRINAGAR - 14 X SU-30 MKI – READY
AGRA - 2 X A-50 BARIEV PHALCON – FUELIING
AMRITSAR – 18 X MIG 21 – READY

--
Nikhil

[asbchakri]

IAF STATION –JAISALMER –RAJASTAN – 2100 HRS

The gold coated polyester bombs were nothing but an upgraded chaff packets designed for wide area dispersion .Designed to explode at 5000 ft they will act as the best radar reflector known to man as they drift down and spread all over the target airbase slowly –making any air defense radar network practically useless for a few minutes

.

Ahh i remember this in another of Shankar Das scenario where a Mig 25 comes out of retirement to drop this from a very high altitude for a mission again over Saragodh to wipe out the entire base, while a Inspection waqs going on by Mushy

Excellent .

By the way do we really make those things and do they work and ay info on that.

[vipins]

IAF STATION –JAISALMER –RAJASTAN – 2100 HRS

The gold coated polyester bombs were nothing but an upgraded chaff packets designed for wide area dispersion .Designed to explode at 5000 ft they will act as the best radar reflector known to man as they drift down and spread all over the target airbase slowly –making any air defense radar network practically useless for a few minutes

.

Ahh i remember this in another of Shankar Das scenario where a Mig 25 comes out of retirement to drop this from a very high altitude for a mission again over Saragodh to wipe out the entire base, while a Inspection waqs going on by Mushy

Excellent .

By the way do we really make those things and do they work and ay info on that.

yes me too,it was named as 'amavasya' by shankarda
followed by dropping of big 'fuel-air explosives' by an-32s & IL76s

[Shankar]

One of our bombs is missing
Calling this chaffline could prove fatal
By Tony Dennis

Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 15:26

MAKING A mobile phone call in Suffolk could potentially prove lethal thanks to the US Airforce. A missing 'chaff' bomb could be triggered by any RF transmitting device – including a mobile phone.

The one-of-our-bombs-is-missing admission was made at the beginning of the week by a spokesperson for the US Airforce based at Mildenhall who said that an MC130H aircraft had lost the bomb.

Chaff bombs are used to confuse enemy radar screens by exploding metal shrapnel (chaff) into the air.

Helpfully, the device has the word 'danger' in great big letters on the side, so it should be easily identifiable.

"Do not use any electrical transmitting devices, such as mobile phones, within 35 feet (10 metres) of the item," the spokesperson advised.

It's probably not a good idea to be using a Wi-fi enabled laptop near the device, either. µ

[Shankar]

MK-129 chaff bombs were used by USAF as early as Vietnam war in a very effective way.Achaff corridor was laid down along the strike path where the heavily loaded strike aircrafts were almost immune to SA-2 type missiles and radar controlled antiaircraft guns .The chaff corridor was laid down by 8-24 F-4 s depending on the length of the corridor required essential.each aircraft carried 9 chaff bombs (mk 129)-dropping one bomb every 10 seconds or so .the bombs created a safe corridor 5-6 miles wide and 32 miles wide and commenced at the periphery of high SAM threat zone . Once deployed it usally took about 5 minutes to be fully active and stayed effective for about twenty minutes .That was the window available for the main strike formation to go in and come out without much bothering about radar guided missile and guns .Only disadvantage was it made everyone aware of the target zone but that was a small price tp pay anyway when hitting a well defended target.

As in case Sargoda –it has been and always will be a prime target for Indian air force and PAF knows it only too well .That in a way sealed the decision in favor of using advanced locally produced smart chaff bombs called Amavsya-1

[munda]

I believe that the Indian Government should fund a study to ascertain the effect on Inidia's nominal and real GDP if It did not had to fight all the wars in last 60 years with rouge pakis. This type of study was conducted by Israel and results are duly noted in wikipedia in the topic "Arab Israeli Conflict". I believe India should also do such mathematics if it has not already done so. If they have already done this, then can somebody post that information.

[Shankar]

HAWK EYE FLIGHT -1XIAF A-50 BARIEV PHALCON+4 SU-30 MKI – OVER JAMMU 11000 MTRS -0330 HRS

Air commodore Rao completed his walk around spending some time near he communication console, physically confirming all the channels were operational and reserve channels of communication is on stand by mode. As he walked down the aisle to his station just behind the flight deck he took out the sealed encrypted DVD which carried detailed operation plan for today’s mission .Loading up the data into master strike mission computer took a few minutes and then he entered his personal pass word followed by mission specific authorization code . The screen came alive with details of aircraft under his control, airbases participating in today’s mission and those in standby mode, ingress and egress routes suggested for each flight and their weapon load .He reduced the window size and placed it on the top right hand of the master display screen just over his head. A few clicks on the keyboard and the launch sequence and launch authorization codes came up on the screen along with IFF frequency selected for the day.

The night was dark outside with a tiny silver of a moon somewhere in the distance. The excellent soundproofing made life easy for everyone aboard. He settled down in his extra wide command chair and asked for his regular coffee with no milk but plenty of sugar.

He realized with so many aircraft on air at the same time – his ability to control air traffic will be really put to test today

IAF phalcons are arguably the most advanced aircraft of its kind –some of its features surpassing even those found on E-3A Sentry type. Advanced near seamless multi sensor integration have increased accuracy of target tracks and identification may fold, reducing operator workload at the same time. The flat panel situation display offered a near window like environment along with high end mission computing system based on open architecture allows economical frequent upgrades. The enhanced system allowed the PHALCON to interact much more effectively with other awacs, aircraft, ship and ground stations and air bases and of course handle more targets at the same time.

A total 0f 12 operator consoles are arranged neatly in two banks out of which 8 are for situational display with multi mode capability ,two for electronic counter measure and two for signal intelligence apart from the master display for the air battle commander on board .The large 20 inch active matrix LCD for the situational display panels makes the job of multi target tracking and interception far easier than in E-3 sentry. The fully digital practically jam proof communication capability only enhances the PHALCONs formidable capability. Advanced over the horizon communication via dedicated satellite transponders is a special add on. Broad spectrum VHF radio links allowed it to be used in conjunction with both western and Russian aircraft a very important feature for Indian air force.
He leaned forward, put on the throat mike and started his days work..

-ALPHA ZULU FLIGHT -28 X MIG 27 -0345 HRSIAF STATION JAISALMER

Wing commander Chatterjee finished his walk around and climbed into the some cramped cockpit of Mig 27. The smell of ATF was everywhere .With two squadrons of Mig 27 having fueled and armed at the same time patched of fuel spill was quite a few, being mopped up by the ground crew quickly. The runway and taxi way lights were still off and would come on only after he completed his engine start and got taxi clearance.

-tower – alpha zule flight –request clearance to motor start
-alpha zulu flight –tower – stand by

One of the fuel tankers were still moving out of the flight line . It finally managed to get out of the way and engine start clearance came on the R/T

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-27) (NATO reporting name "Flogger-D/J") is a ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan design bureau in the Soviet Union and later license-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the Bahadur ("Valiant"). It is based on the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter aircraft, but optimized for the air-to-ground role. The MiG-27 shares the basic airframe of the MiG-23, but with the revised nose — nicknamed "Utkonos" ("platypus") in Russian service — introduced on the MiG-23B without radar in favor of a downward-sloping profile for improved pilot visibility a laser rangefinder and marked-target seeker. Among the tester pilots it was also called "Balkon" ("Balcony") because of the increased frontal view from the cockpit. Additional cockpit armor is installed, along with a totally new nav/attack system. Because the MiG-27 is intended to fly most of its missions at low altitude, the MiG-23's variable intake ramps and exhaust nozzles were deleted in favor of a simpler, fixed configuration, reducing weight and maintenance requirement. The aircraft also has larger, heavy-duty landing gear to facilitate operation from poorer-quality airfields.

-alpha Zulu flight –tower – you are cleared for taxi –use taxi way bravo delta Zulu omega –take off in 10 minutes – contact tower when ready –over
- tower –alpha Zulu lead- commencing taxi –taxi way bravo delta Zulu omega –now over

Chaterjee scanned the display panel and the gauges – flaps set to 15 degree for take off –parking brake off – engine temperature normal 620 deg C- hydraulic pressure ok- all avionics circuit breakers on- radar on stand by – weapon station green –it was time to go
As he released the main brake the the Mig 27 lurched forward with nose dipping down a little then leveling out quickly trying to accelerate even with full weapon and fuel load. He gently touchéd the brake and eased the throttle to idle then pushed up the lever just a notch over idle as the bird smoothly rolled forward out of the apron and into the taxi way.

[Shankar]

The upgraded MiG-27 aircraft is equipped with Inertial Navigation & Global Positioning System (INGPS) providing accurate Navigation. Advanced avionics on the aircraft has been interfaced on MIL-STD-1553B Dual Redundant Bus. To enable weapon aiming, accurate ranging sensors such as Laser Designator Pod (LDP) and Laser Ranger & Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS) are integrated. A digital Map Generator has been integrated to improve situational awareness. The digital Video Recording system provides mission analysis, and debrief support. DARE took up the challenge of developing the mission critical software. Over half a million lines of code were developed adhering to stringent real time constraints and requisite software engineering requirements. The resultant quality software was independently verified and validated with external agencies. DARE developed algorithms for navigation, ranging including a weapon delivery algorithm which was developed along with Software Development Institute of Air Force enabling precision Weapon Delivery.
The upgraded aircraft has a pilot friendly cockpit with state-of-Art Multi Function Display (MFD) and Head Up Display (HUD). The pilot flies “Head Up” with all the necessary NAV and attack guidance symbology presented on the HUD and superimposed on the outside world view. The Integrated Flight and Weapon Control System of the upgraded aircraft enable Hands Free (Auto Pilot) Route Flying and Auto-Weapon delivery. A functional maintenance mode has been incorporated providing “On AIRCRAFT” LRU health checks.
Advanced integrated EW Suite is integrated along with state-of-art communication systems. The upgraded aircraft also has an emergency situation indication system and automated emergency handling cueing system on Multi Function Display (MFD). The introduction of LDP has enhanced the Night Attack Capability.
HAL, Nasik was instrumental in the design and modification of prototype aircraft for installation of new cockpit and avionics equipment as well as related looming changes.
The avionics upgrade has transformed the legacy aircraft into a potent weapon delivery platform with a user friendly cockpit. All the aircrafts have been upgraded and the users are enamored with the performance of the upgraded aircraft which is comparable with contemporary aircraft in use around the world.

Wi9ng commander chatterjee really like the freedom of flying in the new cockpit . As he turned into the hammerhead or dumbbell as he like calling that is the hold point for all aircraft before entering the main runway 34 on Jaisalmer the multifunctional display showed all the vital parameters of the aircraft at present selected to basic flying properties like indicated air speed ,aircraft attitude ,altitude engine rpm and exhaust temperature ,angle of attack etc .

Tower –alpha zulu lead –flight ready for take off –request clearance to enter main runway and roll
-alpha zulu lead –stand by – Mig 21 s on final approach
- black death flight –you are cleared to land on run 34 – over
- tower –black death cleared to land – runway 34 –over
The 4 Mig 21s came in fast and straight landing with a wisp of smoke from the tyres one after another in less than 2 minutes
-black death flight exit runway when able
- alpha zulu cleared to enter runway 34 – stand by for immediate take of clearance

Chaterjee inched the power lever forward and released the brake as his bird rolled into the take of position .One more round of checks – wing sweep angle 16 degree set for take off- fuel guage showing 96 percent full – engine exhaust temperature 635 degree –turbine rpm – ok weapons arm set on neutral hydraulics ok –battery voltage normal .The rest of the mig 27 flight lined up behind him in single file covering most of the parallel taxi way

- alpha zulu flight –tower –cleared for immediate take off –-fly runway heading –make initial altitude 60 meter –hawk eye will have control good luck and good hunting
- tower – alpha zulu – cleared for take off –fly runway heading-make initial altitude 60 meter – contact hawk eye once at cruise altitude –over
One last scan of the instruments – look over the dark runway as he switched on the powerful landing lights –runway clear except the shadow of four mig 21 s on the taxi track and their glowing tail pipes .
-alpha zulu flight – lead- cleared for take off –take off in pair formation-90 seconds - form up Ingrid sector mike mike 200 ft and hawk eye has control –rolling now –over

The thunder of Mig 27 s engine filled the night and the sky as Chaterjee and his wing man increase power to full and as the bird strted rolling pushed it past the reheat gate on the throttle console . The hard mule kick on the back as the Mig 27 nosed down and streaked past the runway markers –at 100 kmph the controls started coming alive -160 km/hr Chaterjee had to apply left rudder to stay on line 210 km/hr the rumblings started dying off – 240 kmph time to rotate -270 kmph the aircraft smoothly pivoted of the runway – altitude display cam alive 50 meters –undercarriage up –all three lights on console turned red as the under carriage locked into position – 100 meters – 380 kmph – chatterjee nudged the stick to port as pushed the column forward to level out at pre designated 200 meter initial cruise altitude – also coming off the after burner –air speed 470 km /hr – change wing sweep to 45 degree which will stay like that for most of the flight except over target and egress when he will use max speed and need the sweep angle to be set at 72 degree – altitude 185 mter- indiacted air speed 530 kmph –rate of climb 500 meter/min – level out – altitude 205 meter-reduce power to 80% military power – it was time to contact hawk eye and form up –landing lights off –strobe off –radar on stand by –auto pilot on standby weapon arm switch off in neutral position

- hawk eye –alpha zulu lead – reporting for mission co ordinates
- alpha zulu lead – hawk eye – we see you – make altitude 100 meter –speed 900 kmph- course 016 –over –keep radar on standby till cleared active
- copy that hawk eye – making course 016 –descending to 100 meters – speed now 723 kmph climbing to 900 – radar on standby – weapons arming off –over

As Chaterjee made a slight bank to come to new heading the night was still dark with just a tinge of orange glow in the distant horizon .The endless expanse of dessert stretched out before him and the course would take him straight to Pakistan’s premier airbase past the endless air defense installations and combat air patrols . He was not carrying any air to missiles and only the deadly 6 barrel gasha to fight it out if jumped .

He hoped the fancy flyboys in fancy sukhois will do their job right.

[Shankar]

ALFA ZULU FLIGHT -0415 HRS- ENTERING PAK AIR SPACE

Like all good combat pilots Wing commander chaterjee knew the basic flying characteristics of his Mig 27 by heart and as the aircraft flashed over the dessert floor at nearly the speed of sound he recapitulated them automatically

1) MiG-27 will accelerate from 600km/h to 1100km/h in just 22 secs with its wings set at 45 degrees and at 1 km of altitude at 100 meter altitude it may take some what longer say 25 seconds
2) he remembered the graph showing values for the different sweep wing angles of 16, 45 and 72 degrees and at different heights of 1km, 5km and 10km at different speed .

3) Mig 27 accelerates from the speed of 600km/h to 900km/h at the altitude of 100 meters in just OVER 12 seconds

4) The rate of climb graph also flashed through his mind which relates rate of climb at a given speed, altitude and sweep angle; for example at 1000 meters of altitude and at a wing setting of 45 degrees the MiG-27 has a rate of climb 220 meters per second when its speed is in the vicinity of Mach 0.9, nevertheless as speed increases it will drop the rate of climb and at around 1400km/h its rate of climb is close to 120m/s. Something different happens at 5km of altitude where the rate of climb remains around 120 m/s-140m/s independently of the the wing setting at speeds beyond Mach 0.9.


5) At 10km of altitude the reverse happens and beyond speeds of Mach 0.9 the rate of climb improves drastically, in fact at a speed of Mach 2 the rate of climb is 160m/s, it doubles the rate of climb at the speed of Mach 0.9 which is around 70m/s

6) He also remembered reflexively that higher the G load the MiG-27 sustains in the loop, lower will be the final speed at the end of the loop and altitude it reached . This is a very important parameter because shows how easy the fighter can out accelerate and out turn an opponent in the vertical plane

7) Tried to refresh his memory on the horizontal turn characteristics of a Mig 27 with a full weapon load –for example



Starting from a speed of 900km/h at 5000 meters of altitude, it will take 36 seconds to do a 360 degrees turn at the wing sweep angle of 45 degrees, this will decelerate the MiG-27 to the speed of 490km/h.
The MiG-27 will execute a 360 deg turn in 62 seconds at the altitude of 10km with its wings swept at angle of 45 degrees.

It says that the MiG-27 turns a 360 degree turn with its wings set at a sweep angle of 45 deg in 25 seconds and at the speed of 900 km/h holding a 7Gs load factor, its final speed at the end of the turn will be 680 km/h .
However usually it will take it 27 seconds to turn a 360 degree turn at the altitude of 1000 meters.
It also says it has a Max instantaneous turn rate of 16.7 deg/sec at the speed of 780 km/h and a max sustained turn rate of 14.1 deg/sec

The R/T came alive just then – the hawk eye alerting him that he is about to enter hostile airspace ,chatterjee quckly responded and made the small course correction advised .His new heading will 019 taking him a few km east of sargoda when he has to turn inwards for the weapon release at the pre selected altitude .He also hoped the new course will take him past most of the heavy triple a sites which punctuate the international border.

[Shankar]

IAF STATION SRINAGAR -0415 HRS – BLUE DEATH FLIGHT – 32 X SU-30 MKIS

- tower – blue death lead – flight ready for engine start – over
- blue death lead tower – your are cleared for motor start – taxi Clarence mandatory –over

Wing commander Rakesh Bhatnagar scanned the dials and screens once more before starting the some what lengthy engine start procedure.

Su 30 s have an accelerated auto start procedure which considerably cuts out start up time under combat condition but still not as fast as he was used to in a Mig 21 in his younger years . Today he will be flying both SEAD and air dominance role and consequently carried a mix of R-73/27.Kh 31 missiles apart from mandatory 150 rounds for his cannon. Behind him squadron leader Bhatia was busy doing his pre flight check list that essentially included checking out the entire weapon to pylon connectivity and one last system health check up

Rakesh leaned forward and opened the engine start console located on top left corner of second or central multifunction display switching the toggle to ground power start position –checked throttles are set to idle position, switched on the fuel pumps,opened the ignition circuit and hit the starter button for left engine ,the starter indiactor came on and the the engine started smoothly in less than 5 seconds,he repeated the procedure for the right engine ,closed the ignition switch covers ,changed power toggle to battery and signaled the ground crew to disconnect the external power supply chord and the gas starter cart.

The next stage came with setting the aircraft on taxi mode starting with setting the auto throttle off ,auto pilot off, engine management display on 3rd multi function display on right which showed all the vital engine parameters and its performance,rpm and temperature stabilized for both the engines at correct idle values ,set radar master switch to standby ,HUD colour set to dark green to get a better visibility against night sky,IFF transponder set and active on days frequency.

-tower –blue death lead –request taxi clearance –over
-blue death lead – tower –cleared to taxi via runway zulu tango alpha delta.– confirm IFF set to ------ Mhz – watch out for the pair of An 32s exiting runway now –over
-cleared to taxi- blue death lead – keep look out for antonovs – over

Rakesh released the parking brake ,and the flanker started rolling out of its parking slot even at idle power ,once clear of the ramp ,rakesh just touched the collective and the graceful flanker responded immediately ,starting to accelerate immediately ,rakesh had to pull back to idle with a touch on the main brake to bring it back to safe taxi speed of 40 kmph .Behind him his team mates started entering taxi way one by one

It was time to check up once again if all the fancy electronics are working . P light was on the HUD confirming radio altimeter functioning normal,T was on confirming once again passive infra red search and track system was also working,aircraft datum and roll indicator normal reading, pitch angle readout ok,vertical speed display showing zero for the time being,distance to waypoint indiactor showed 176 km ( line of control crossing),angle of attack and G display normal .

The dumb bell came up quickly .Rakesh gently braked the fully armed and fuelled aircraft on the double line and looked back ,his weapon officer nodded twice confirming all weapn systems and nav attack computer is good for operation .

- tower – blue death lead –flight ready for take off
- Blue death flight –cleared for immediate take off –fly runway heading –climb to 4000 meters –contact hawk eye on frequency orange – hawk eye will have control –over
- Tower –blue death lead – cleared for take off – fly runway heading-make intialt height 4000 meters –contact hawk eye on frequency orange –over and out

The Su 30 s took off one by one at exactly 90 second interval . As each flight of 4 formed up they contacted the Phalcon took on a separate course and mission objective. The flight call sign will be allotted by the air battle commander for the mission duration .Rakesh being flight lead will be allowed his original call sign others will have their call sign modified en route just to confuse the enemy signal intercptors.


( Just as I was writing out this piece 4 sukhois did crazy stunts over my factory - I think they were doing a 2 on two high altitude intercept at about 30000 ft plus and even then the sound of their engines possibly on after burners were like loud rolling thunders ,all of us stopped work and looked at the mock air combat that included sharp turns on horzantal plane with very little change in altitude or air speed like a helical spring –hope you guys get J –shankar)

[vivek_ahuja]

PALAM AIRPORT
NEW DELHI
DAY 4 + 2315 HRS

The smoke spread through the air as the wheels of the Embraer touched down on the cold concrete tarmac of the runway in the dead of the night. As the vibrations receded, the Defense Minister thought about removing the cover from his window to see the airbase outside, but then remembered that for national security reasons his aircraft windows had been lowered. Nobody was supposed to know who came and went in the night from this airport during wartime. If he wanted to see what was outside, he would have to wait a little longer.

The young Air Force Sergeant had already unstrapped himself and was walking up and down the central corridor of the aircraft in preparation for the arrival at the secure airbase terminal. The Defence Minister could feel the aircraft turning as it rolled along on the taxiway but otherwise the ride was smooth. He noticed the Home Minister yawning and awakening from his short sleep since the time they had left Pune. The Defence Minister thought it a good idea to garner as much sleep as possible since nobody knew when they might be sleeping next. He cursed himself for not following the Home Minister’s lead on that one.

The aircraft came to a halt a few seconds later and the cabin as filled with the sounds of the engines spooling down. Finally the Defence Minister got up from his seat and walked down to the front of the aircraft where the Sergeant had already opened the door. The coldness of the winter night hit the two Ministers like a slap in the face, but it also brought a familiarity with it that was welcome. The Defence Minister realized that they hadn’t been in Delhi for almost three days now. The last time they had been here was when the Chinese missile strike against the high level Indian Government targets was underway. And the signs of that attack were still visible. As the two ministers stepped onto the concrete tarmac and looked around, they could see one of the new terminal buildings that were nothing more than a pile of rubble. Some of the wrecked ground vehicles were also nearby.

“Were there any casualties in that attack?” the Defence Minister asked the IAF Group Captain who met them outside the aircraft. The latter looked at what the Defence Minister was pointing to and shook his head:

“Only two injured. One of them seriously but he’s going to be all right.”

Before the Defence Minister could say anything else, the rumbling noise of two Mig-21s taking off from the runway behind them filled the skies. The Group Captain motioned for both the Ministers to head towards the two parked ALHs nearby that would take them to South Block. Five minutes later the helicopters were spooling up while the two ministers sat inside along with the Group Captain. The latter handed both of them headphones that allowed them to talk over the sounds of the rotors. The Home Minister was the first to speak to his comrade as the two helicopters lifted off:

“Suresh, I have arranged a meeting with Manish who says he has been in touch with the Pakistani Ambassador over the issues taking place with the PAF provocations in Laddakh. I think you should meet him as well. Do you want me to set it up in your office?”

The Defence Minister nodded. A meeting with the External Affairs Minister would clear up the Pakistani angle on the ongoing war in Laddakh. About time too...he thought. The IAF was none too pleased with having been distracted time and again by the Pakistani F-16s when they were busy fighting the Chinese fighters. It was an issue that needed to be solved...

“Okay. Assuming that the Pakistanis try to milk this situation for all its worth, we need to be sure where the boundaries are. The Air Force Chief says that he can shut down the PAF activities in Kashmir within a day of him being given the go ahead. The problem is, that brings the war down to the western front and that’s something that we don’t want just yet. We need to be sure about what the Pakistanis are up to.”

“Indeed. The question is: what if they are acting in collusion with the Chinese? I have a RAW report that I will be going through in detail once we land that suggests high level contact between Beijing and Islamabad within the last day or so. And based on what you tell me, the Chinese are having a tough time at our hands in Laddakh. What if they try to dissolve our strengths by pulling the Pakistanis into the mess?” the Home Minister asked. The Defence Minister thought about that for a while before speaking:

“That’s a very real possibility. And I will have to talk to the Service Chiefs to see what we can do to prevent the Pakistanis from taking any false steps in support of the Chinese. Fact is, they are not going to be able to take ground from us at any point, but they can bog large portions of the Army down on the western front. The Chinese know this, but the Pakistanis don’t. The latter fools will jump headlong into the canyon just on the basis of mild Chinese support or approval on the other side.

That’s exactly what makes them so dangerous...”

[vivek_ahuja]

OPERATION SWITCHBLADE (PHASE-2)
LEH AIRBASE
INDIA
DAY 4 + 2355 HRS

The first LCH touched down at FARP-Saser just minutes before the fourth day of the war ended and the fifth began. Even as the turbines spooled down, Wing Commander Dutt jumped out of the cockpit and was adapting to the biting cold temperatures of Laddakh while he scanned the surrounding terrain around his new home. FARP-Saser was just astride the supply road that ran from Shyok to DBO to the north. The clearing nearby had been cleared of large boulders and large sections had been cleared of gravel to provide ground for the helicopters to operate from. Dutt looked eastwards and saw several command trailers parked near the foot of the slopes of the massive peaks that ran almost vertical from where he stood. Those trailers represented the new home for 199HU.

The two An-32s had dropped enough supplies to construct the FARP and a truck convoy had brought in the equipment needed to operate the base. The two Mi-17s that had flown along with the LCHs had brought in ground crews and other officers in charge of making sure that the base never ran out of supplies or material. The trucks belonged to the Motor Transport section at Leh and would be in charge of bringing in supplies to this location from now on. With just two LCHs on hand, the base didn’t require too much anyway...

Dutt and his other officers jerked their heads to the west as they saw the sudden flash of lights from the Smerch MLRS battery on the south side of the road triggering off another round of rockets against some Chinese ground target beyond the LAC. Dutt smiled at the sight of the massive flashes of light and smoke that lit up the valley even as he wore his additional pair of gloves to keep his fingers from numbing. The road itself was filled with literally dozens of trucks, armoured vehicles and other machines from the two Battalions of the 10TH Mechanized Regiment that had now entered the sector around DBO airfield in support of Brigadier Adesara’s embattled Infantry Battalions holding on to the airbase by a thin string against Chinese armour.

By this time the ground crews were already in action and were removing the weapons pallets from the trucks and bringing them over to the two parked LCHs. Fuel was being filled from Aviation Fuel barrels that had been brought in as well. Others were loading the trenches near the very edge of the hills with other critical supplies. Platoons of IAF police were guarding the perimeter of the FARP because of the shortage of Infantry units for the same. That worried Dutt a little bit despite the realization that the IAF Police were routinely involved in such operations. But he rested easy after seeing the heavily armed nature of policemen who were already patrolling the edge of the FARP with fully loaded INSAS rifles and grenades...

Two officers were walking towards W/C Dutt even as he stared at the Himalayan Mountains to the east. He noticed that one of the two men was his Operations officer and the other was an Army Major.

“Sir, this is Major Narayana from Brigadier Adesara’s Operations Staff. He has been deputed to act as liaison between us and the Brigadier.” The 199HU FO Officer said by way of introductions.

“Nice t have you with us, Narayana. I assume you are here to brief us on the happenings on the front?” Dutt asked as the three officers began walking away from the parked LCH and towards the Command trailer. The Major nodded as he spoke:

“Yes sir. Brigadier Adesara sent me over to ensure that there is a continuous back and forth flow of information from your unit back to his HQ near the airfield. Also, he would like to speak with you as soon as possible.” Narayana said.
“Off course. But first, tell me what the FEBA situation is.” Dutt ordered politely.

“The 1ST and the 3RD Battalions of the 10TH Mechanized under Colonel Sudarshan are currently deploying along the front amidst heavy fighting. The three Infantry Battalions in the Brigade have taken severe losses but we are holding. The Air Force has proven decisive in the battles. The landscape is littered with burning hulls of Chinese tanks. However, we have lost twenty five BMPs so far and the Air Force has lost over three Jaguars in support of the ground forces. Initial estimate of casualties on our side are around three hundred and sixty five dead and wounded. And we are still counting.”

“Good god! What is the Chinese strength opposite our forces?” Dutt asked as they opened the doors of the command vehicle and walked inside.

“We believe there are at least two Chinese Infantry Divisions backed by armour that are involved in the attack as of now, but they are heavily under-strength given the losses they have incurred. We believe a fresh Mechanized Division is being rushed to the sector from Sinkiang, but are not sure where it is as of now. The S-300s near the Qara Tagh La and northern Aksai Chin are effectively blocking all attempts by the Air Force to conduct attacks against Chinese convoys reinforcing these under-strength Divisions. The artillery units under these Divisions are now mere wreckage thanks to our Smerch units, but we are still to locate the two Chinese Divisional Headquarters and other Brigade level headquarters. The Chinese have proven very effective in camouflaging their locations from our UAVs, but we will find them and kill them.” Major Narayana said with conviction that impressed the two Air Force officers next to him. By this time Dutt’s FO officer had lowered the map table and the Major was showing exact unit locations to both the officers.

“What is the strength of the Chinese anti-air units that your Brigade has seen so far?” Dutt asked after looking at the location of the fronts on the map.

“Heavy. It is in fact a credit to the Jaguar pilots that they lost only three aircraft. We saw the amount of firepower put up by the Chinese gunners against our aircraft. It was massive. Nevertheless, we believe that our bombers took out a good portion of the organic triple-A units with these two Chinese Divisions. They still have the independent reinforcements pouring into the sector. Heavy on manual and radar directed guns, relatively low on missile units.”

“And any Chinese attack helicopters in the area?”
“None that we have seen.” The Major said. Dutt’s FO officer nodded in agreement before speaking:
“That’s about right, sir. Just like us, they have very few dedicated Z-10s flying as of now, and this sector is not the right place for adapted gunships like the FFAR mounted Mi-17s. Plus the altitude prevents a good portion of their other helicopters to enter this region anyway.”

“That gives us the advantage, doesn’t it?” Dutt said with a smile.

[Shankar]

HAWK EYE FLIGHT –A-50I- PHALCON X1 + 4 X SU-30MKI -0430 HRS -11000 MTR

Air commodore Rao cleared his desk more out of habit than necessity as the 4 engine aircraft made one more shallow banks just 50 kms from line of control . The escorting sukhois were far closer to line of control and will stay flying a virtual cylinder in the sky as long as the Phalcon is on air. One of the situation control consoles was dedicated for air threats against the Phalcon itself rest configured for monitoring and controlling the air battle expected to develop very soon including monitoring enemy communication .
Phalocon always flied with navigation lights on even in combat so that the escorting flankers have some visual reference even in pitch dark. Today was no exception. Rao leaned forward, had a close look on the master tactical plot and started issuing terse instructions to his two assistants both wing commanders qualified in mig 27 and Su 30
Respectively and specifically selected for today’s mission

- alpha zulu lead –hawk eye – make your altitude 30 meters –you are approaching bandit country – come to heading 021 –over
- blue death lead –make your speed 1500 – make altitude 5000 meters –come to heading 256 repeat 256 – expect contact with alpha zulu lead in 10 minutes
- hawl eye – alpha zuly lead descending to 30 meters –auto terrain avoidance activated – coming to new course 021 –over
- hawk eye blue death lead – accelerating to 1500- new heading 256- altitude 5000 meters – no visual sighting of the alpha zulu flight –over
- stand by blue death flight for new call signs to each flight groups
- alpha zulu one through stand by to initiate fast climb out for special weapon release in 10 minutes
- blue death alpha flight –alpha zulu will begin climb out for special weapon release in ten minutes – release altitude 3000 meters – stay over 3000 meters in all engagements –over
- hawk eye – blue death alpha – can you elaborate please
- negative blue death alpha – 3000 meters is your flight datum after special weapon release –expect some degradation on air to ground mode
- Copy that hawk eye – staying over 3000 meters all times – expect degradation of look down capability when active –over
- Blue death bravo –come to heading 285 –make speed 1200 – altitude 1500 you are cleared on all ground targets –stand by for target co ordinates in a minute
- Hawk eye –blue death bravo – copy –standing by for target coordinates
- Blue death delta – hawk eye – come to heading 300 –make altitude 6000 meters- you are cleared on any air targets –over
- Cleared on only air targets – making altitude 6000 meters – blue death delta copies
- Blue death sigma – stay close to alpha zulu flight – you are not cleared for weapon release till I say so –confirm
- Hawk eye – blue death sigma –weapons on stand by – have alpha zulu flight on sights –maintaining present course and speed –over
The 32 Su 30 MKI air dominance fighters spread out all around the Mig 27 package as they got ready to release the first of the specially developed chaff bombs to create a safe corridor on sky over the layered air defense of Sargoda .

Barely 200 km to north west the Pakistani long range search radars picked up the incoming raid .One by one the F-16 s on OPR came out of their hard shelters dug in to low hills and taxing for the main runway some distance away .

- sir- significant increase in encrypted communication around target – looks like they are scrambling the falcons

Rao took this expected development coolly as he absentmindedly scratched his head then changed the attack plan slightly

- Blue death sigma flight –change course to 016 – max speed intercept – 4 falcons expected to take off in 7 minutes – you are weapons free on all targets in target sector zulu zulu –over
- Hawk eye – blue death sigma lead –new heading 016 –copy we are weapons free on all targets in sector zulu zulu – over

The 8 su-30 mkis lit their after burner and headed straight for Sargoda to intercept the falcons before they reach the cruise /intercept altitude

The air battle for Sargoda have just begun.

[Nitesh]

The 8 su-30 mkis lit their after burner and headed straight for Sargoda to intercept the falcons before they reach the cruise /intercept altitude

The air battle for Sargoda have just begun.

The destruction beguns

shankarda's style

[parshuram]

o... My .... it was so long wait or this battle .... PAF Falcons Vs IAF flankers .... the world is watching . it will be mother of all battles

[Nitesh]

OPERATION SWITCHBLADE (PHASE-2)
LEH AIRBASE
INDIA
DAY 4 + 2355 HRS
“That’s about right, sir. Just like us, they have very few dedicated Z-10s flying as of now, and this sector is not the right place for adapted gunships like the FFAR mounted Mi-17s. Plus the altitude prevents a good portion of their other helicopters to enter this region anyway.”

“That gives us the advantage, doesn’t it?” Dutt said with a smile.

Which weapons will be in action? Helina