Brown, Dale - Patrick McLanahan 05

 
          
From
the master of military suspense comes a heart-stopping novel of contemporary
conflict.

 
          
The
world is a dangerous place. Hardly a revelation, but for the new president of
the United States, nothing drives it home more forcefully than the sight of a
newly nuclear Iran throwing its weight around the Persian Gulf, while the
United States stands by uneasily, its military weakened by years of budget cuts
and unpopular, inconclusive police actions.

 
          
But
there is one weapon he can use, and he does so now: the newest secret cell of
the CIA's Intelligence Support Agency, code-named Future Flight. Take a group
with speed, skill, and audacity, put a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber in its hands,
then send it out to find Iran's key military, industrial, and command centers,
and destroy them: quickly, quietly, secretly, untrace- ably—the ultimate
stealth attack.

 
          
Under
the command of aerial strike warfare expert Patrick McLanahan, the team begins
its mission brilliantly— and then all hell breaks loose, as Iran and its allies
take their war of intimidation further than anyone thought they would. With the
Persian Gulf
tottering and the situation escalating
hourly, only the men and women of Future Flight, and their commando brethren,
stand between the
United States
and a catastrophe of worldwide proportions.

 
          
Filled
with the exceptional realism and human detail that have become his hallmarks,
this is Dale Brown's timeliest—and his most exciting—novel yet.

SHADOWS OF
STEEL

DALE BROWN

G. P. Putnam’s Sons

 
 
 
         
G.
P. Putnam’s Sons
Publishers Since
1838
200 Madison Avenue
New York
,
NY
10016

 
          
Copyright
© 1996 by Target Direct Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This book, or
parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Published simultaneously in
Canada

Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brown, Dale, date. Shadows of steel / by
Dale Brown.

 
          
p.
cm.

 
          
ISBN
0-399-14139-1 (acid-free paper) 1. Imaginary wars and batdes—Fiction. 2.
United States
.

 
          
Air
Force—Fiction. I. Tide. PS3332.R68343S48
1996               
96-743 CIP

 
          
813'.34—dc20

Printed in the
United States of America
10 987634321

This book is printed on acid-free paper. ©

BOOK DESIGN BY DEBORAH KERNER

Acknowledgements

 
 
         
Thanks
to my good friend Lieutenant General Don Aldridge, USAF (retired), former vice
commander of the Strategic Air Command, for giving me the inspiration for this
story and for again providing me with many valuable insights into the
behind-the-scenes world of strategic air power.

 
          
Thanks
to General J. Michael Loh, commander of USAF Air Combat Command, Langley AFB,
Virginia, for his invaluable assistance in gathering information about the
deployment of heavy bombers, and particularly his help with learning about the
B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. Thanks also to Colonel Mike Gallagher, Captain
Steve Solmonson, and Major Barbara Carr, Public Affairs Office, Headquarters,
USAF Air Combat Command, Langley AFB,
Virginia
, for their assistance.

           
Thanks to Brigadier General Ron
Marcotte, commander of the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Missouri, the first
home of the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber, and Colonel William Fraser, vice
commander, for their help, their time, and especially their special insights
into the new world of long-range bomber operations. Meeting officers like them
and visiting a modern, hard-charging base like Whiteman were a very special
privilege and treat for me.

 
          
I
also want to thank Captain Bill Harrison, 509th BMW Public Affairs; Colonel
Greg Power, 509th Operations Group commander; Lieutenant Colonel Fred Strain,
509th Operational Support Squadron commander; my old B-52 buddy Lieutenant
Colonel Rick Sorenson, Operations Plans Team chief; fellow ex-FB-111 crewdog
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Imondi, chief B-2A instructor pilot; Lieutenant Colonel
Dick Newton, 393rd Bomb Squadron commander; Major Steve Tippetts, Captain Buzz
Barrett, and my old fellow FB-111 crewdog Major Jim Whitney of the 393rd Bomb
Squadron “Tigers”; and all the others I met and who offered ideas and answered
questions during a spectacular visit to the 509th Bomb Wing and the incredible
B-2 A Spirit stealth bomber. It was good to see old friends so successful in
the world’s most sophisticated combat warplane.

 
          
Thanks
to Major Emerson Pittman, chief of public affairs, secretary of the Air Force
Public Affairs-Western Region, for his help in gathering information for this
story.

 
          
A
major source of historical, political, and military information on various
countries around the world on which I relied was
Defense and Foreign Affairs Handbook
(London: International Media
Corp., Ltd., 1994). Thanks also to the many members all over the world of
SOC.CULT.IRAN (SCI) newsgroup on the Internet for their invaluable help and
ideas.

 
          
Thanks
to Neil Nyren, publisher and editor-in-chief at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, for his
valuable help with the manuscript—within sixty seconds of my first meeting with
him, this man helped me over a particularly rough spot in the manuscript! I’m
lucky to have him with me.

Dedication

 
          
This novel is dedicated to the memory of my
good friend, mentor, and editor, George M. Coleman, executive editor at G. P.
Putnam's Sons. From the very beginning of my writing career, whenever I needed
a guiding hand around all the land mines in the publishing world, he was always
there.

           
The
greatest gift God could give us is to put the soul of George Coleman into
another person and let his charm, excitement, and thirst for life bless us once
again. I hope to meet that lucky person someday.

           
This
novel is also dedicated to the men and women of the Aircrew Life-Support
Section, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, for their hard work in
training and equipping U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot Captain Scott O'Grady, which
helped him to survive being shot down over Bosnia and to successfully escape
the clutches of the Bosnian Serb army in June of 1995. Mission after mission,
year after year, they pack the 'chutes, charge the bottles, check the straps,
and change the batteries as if they will be the ones who'll strap on that jet.
Thanks for bringing a crewdog home safely.

Disclaimer

 
          
Any
similarities in this novel to any person, living or dead, are purely
coincidental and entirely the product of the author s imagination.

 
          
My
faithful readers will note that this story takes place after
Day of the Cheetah.
I hope you welcome
back our old friends as much as I enjoyed bringing them back for you.

 
          
Your
comments are welcome! Please e-mail your thoughts to me at [email protected].

REAL-WORLD NEWS EXCERPTS
 
 
          
DEFENSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS STRATEGIC
POLICY,
OCT
31, 1994

 
          
(reprinted
with permission)—... In mid-September,
Tehran
concluded that a clash over the islands in
the
Strait of Hormuz
—Abu Musa and the Tumbs—was inevitable. This
assessment was based on intelligence from
Saudi Arabia
and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and
was reflected in the intensification of
Iran
’s military preparations and exercises in
the Gulf. By late September (1994),
Tehran
was actively preparing for a possible
military confrontation with the
Persian Gulf
states over the islands.
Tehran
believes that by demonstrating its strong and uncompromising position
over the Gulf issues, it will be able to influence such countries as
Egypt
and
Iraq
to recognize
Iran
’s unique position in the hub of Islam.

 
          
IRAN SAYS WESTERN TROOP BUILDUP POSES
THREAT TO SECURITY (OCT 20, 1994/0600 GMT)—Nicosia—Reuters—
Iran’s
Intelligence (Internal Security) Minister Ali Fallahiyan said on Wednesday
night the presence of Western forces in the Gulf was a threat to Iran’s
security.

 
          
He
said
Iran
should be vigilant and prepared “for any eventuality,” the official
Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

 
          
It
quoted Fallahiyan as saying that the “presence of alien forces and their
movements in
Iran
’s immediate vicinity needed vigilance and full preparation for any
eventuality.” He blasted
United States
policy in the Gulf region and urged
oil-rich Gulf Arab states to end their alliance with
Washington
.

 
          
The
official news agency IRNA said the English-language Tehran Times and Iran News
attacked the United States in editorials marking the November 4 seizure of the
U.S. embassy in Tehran after the Islamic revolution in 1979.

 
          
Addressing
neighboring Gulf Arab states, it said: “Now you are the victims of
U.S.
exploitation and usurpation carried out in
more subde ways to deprive you of your wealth.”

 
          
It
urged them to oppose the presence of
U.S.
forces in the region. “Let the shout of
‘Death to America’ ring loud in the desert as a clear expression of your
opposition to any pretext of a ‘Desert Storm,’ which we all know was just a
game of cards the CIA played to justify their presence in the region.”

 
          
IRAN USES STYX TECHNOLOGY IN CRUISE-MISSILE
DEVELOPMENT (NOV 17, 1994/FI) 1 1/17/94 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL
—Iran is
developing a range of ballistic missiles, and a cruise missile derived from the
Russian SSN-2 Styx anti-ship missile, according to German intelligence
documents obtained by Flight International.

 
          
Tehran
has access to
Styx
technology via the Silkworm, the 80-km
(45-mm)-range Chinese-built version of the
Styx
.
Iran
took delivery of its first Silkworms in
1986 and the missiles are deployed on the
Strait of Hormuz
at the entrance to the Gulf waters.

 
          
Four
Silkworm launch emplacements have been built on the mid-gulf
island
of
Abu Musa
, where administration is shared by
Iran
and the Arab emirate state of Sharjah.

 
          
The
documents say that
Tehran
is also involved in the development of a solid-fueled missile and in
the development of enhanced-performance Scud ballistic-missile systems.. . .

 
          
ARBITRATION REJECTED IN UAE ISLANDS ROW
(DEC 23/1221 gmt) 12/23/94 Tehran (dec 22)
—
bloomberg
—Iran spurned a call from its Arab neighbors to accept
international arbitration in its dispute with the United Arab Emirates over
three islands in the Persian Gulf.

 
          
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry said bilateral talks with the UAE were the only way to
resolve the row which has soured relations between non- Arab
Iran
and the six states of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC).

 
          
GCC
leaders, ending a summit in
Bahrain
last night, called on the Iranian
government to let the International Court of Justice decide who owns the
islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tumbs.

 
          
Iran
, which controls the islands, said it will
never give them up to the UAE. Raising the issue of territorial disputes posed
a threat to the security of the
Persian Gulf
and served the interests of foreign powers in the region, the Foreign Ministry
statement, carried on Tehran Radio, said.

 
          
AEROSPACE DAILY—
01/19/95
—
Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt.
Gen. James R. Clapper, Jr.... said
Iran
is in the midst of rebuilding its military
capability.... Clapper said
Iran
has been spending between $1 billion and $2
billion a year on arms, and has focused on missiles and weapons of mass
destruction and some “limited growth” in conventional capabilities. Some of the
systems
Iran
is acquiring, such as Russian Kilo submarines and anti-ship cruise
missiles, “could complicate operations in and around” the
Persian Gulf
, he added.

 
          
GULF STATES AGREE TO BOLSTER CAPABILITIES
(JAN 27/JDW) 01/27/95—JANE’S defense weekly (JAN 21
)—Leaders of the Gulf
Cooperation Council have agreed at their annual meeting to bolster their
defense structure, possibly by purchasing three to four airborne warning and
control aircraft.

 
          
The
six-nation alliance, comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, said in Bahrain last month it would develop a “unified
strategy” that could “act swiftly and decisively” to counter any threat to any
member.

 
          
That
includes bolstering the GCC’s 6,000-man rapid-deployment force, known as
Peninsula Shield and based at Hafr al-Batin in northern
Saudi Arabia
, to 25,000 men.

 
          
The
GCC’s move to bolster defenses came as
Iran
is reported to be building anti-ship
missile sites and other fortifications on three disputed islands in the
southern Gulf. Abu Musa, Greater Tumb and Lesser Tumb are being transformed
into military arsenals, claims the UAE.

 
          
IRAN
DEPLOYS HAWK MISSILES TO
GULF
ISLANDS
—SHALIKASH-

 
          
vili 03/08/95
—Iran has placed Hawk
antiaircraft missiles on islands at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, Gen. John
Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Feb. 28.

 
          
“We
spotted them putting missiles onto launchers, which they haven’t done before,”
he told a meeting of reporters, according to wire reports.

 
          
U.S.
reconnaissance has also spotted the
Iranians moving artillery into forward positions on its islands in the
Strait of Hormuz
, he said.

 
          
“All
of that could lead me to lots of conclusions. One of them is that they want to
have the capability to interdict the traffic in the
Strait of Hormuz
.” The
U.S.
is carefully monitoring the situation, he
added. While
Iraq
is considered the biggest military threat in the
Persian Gulf
,
Iran
could become the region’s major power
toward the end of the century, Shalikashvili said.

 
 
          
ARMS BUILDUP MAY THREATEN GULF OIL—PERRY
(MAR 22/0951 GMT) 03/22/95—ABU dhabi—REUTERS—
Iran has moved 8,000 troops,
chemical weapons and anti-ship missiles to islands at the mouth of the Gulf in
a buildup that could threaten oil shipping, U.S. Defense Secretary William
Perry said on Wednesday.

 
          
Perry,
on a weeklong Gulf trip, hammered home a warning that he has made in moderate
states in the region that
Iran
might one day try to control the flow of
half the world’s oil using a recent buildup on islands in the
Strait of Hormuz
.

 
          
“This
involves almost 8,000 military personnel moved to those islands. It involves
anti-ship missiles, air defense missiles, chemical weapons,” Perry told a news
conference in
Manama
, capital of
Bahrain
.

 
          
“It
can only be regarded as a potential threat to shipping in the area,” he added,
charging publicly for the first time that
Iran
had stationed chemical weapons on the islands,
some of which are claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 
          
Perry
did not name the islands but the Pentagon has previously identified one as Abu
Musa.

 
          
NAVY FACES EXTENDED RANGE OF IRANIAN
MIG-29S—NAVY NEWS & UNDERSEA TECHNOLOGY (NVTE)—08/21/95
—A major new
headache for Central Command and Navy batde groups in the Arabian Sea has
emerged with Iran’s development of in-flight refueling probes for its MiG-29s,
intelligence community sources confirm.

 
          
...
The Iranian air force possesses four tanker versions of the Boeing 707, roughly
comparable to the U.S. Air Force KC-135, which was based on the never-built
civilian Boeing 717.

 
          
.
. . The
U.S.
analysts look to the roughly 2,100-nautical-mile distance from
Iran
to Diego Garcia in the
Indian Ocean
. With in-flight refueling, Diego Garcia
would come within the range of the Iranian MiG-29s. . .. Thus, the aircraft
could be used to disrupt
U.S.
air supply lines in the event of future
conflict in the
Persian
Gulf
.
Additionally, although the MiG-29 is heavily geared to air-to-air combat, one
analyst said “there is some evidence” that the Iranians are working on adapting
the aircraft to carry the air-to-surface version of the French Exocet anti-ship
missile.

 
          
In
this case, he noted, the U.S. Maritime Prepositioning Squadron based at Diego
Garcia would be at risk.