tc.thebearandthedragon-第192部分

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e　open。〃
　〃Roger　that。〃　And　Boyle　ordered　his　Apaches　in。
　It　was　about　as　fair　as　putting　a　professional　boxer　into　the　ring　against　a　six…year…old。　The　Apaches　circled　the　laagered　tanks　just　like　Indians　in　the　movies　around　a　circled　wagon　train；　except　in　this　one；　the　settlers　couldn't　fire　back。　The　Chinese　tank　crewmen　were　mainly　sleeping　outside；　next　to　their　mounts。　Some　crews　were　in　their　vehicles；　standing　guard　after　a　fashion；　and　some　dismounted　crewmen　were　walking　around　on　guard；　holding　Type　68　rifles。　They'd　been　alerted　somewhat　by　the　explosions　on　the　hilltop　overlooking　the　laager。　Some　of　the　junior　officers　were　shouting　to　get　their　men　up　and　into　their　tanks；　not　knowing　the　threat；　but　thinking　naturally　enough　that　the　safe　place　to　be　was　behind　armor；　from　which　place　they　could　shoot　back　to　defend　themselves。　They　could　scarcely　have　been　more　wrong。
　The　Apaches　danced　around　the　laager；　sideslipping　as　the　gunners　triggered　off　their　missiles。　Three　of　the　PLA　tanks　used　their　thermal　viewers　and　actually　saw　helicopters　and　shot　at　them；　but　the　range　of　the　tank　guns　was　only　half　that　of　the　Hellfires；　and　all　of　the　rounds　fell　well　short；　as　did　the　six　handheld　HN…5　Sams　that　were　fired　into　the　night。　The　Hellfires；　however；　did　not；　and　in　every　case…only　two　of　them　missed…the　huge　warheads　had　the　same　effect　on　the　steel　tanks　that　a　cherry　bomb　might　have　on　a　plastic　model。　Turrets　flew　into　the　air　atop　pillars　of　flame；　then　crashed　back　down；　usually　upside…down　on　the　vehicles　to　which　they'd　been　attached。　There'd　been　eighty…six　tanks　here；　and　that　amounted　to　three　missiles　per　helicopter；　with　a　few　lucky　gunners　getting　a　fourth　shot。　All　in　all；　the　destruction　of　this　brigade　took　less　than　three　minutes；　leaving　the　colonel　who'd　been　in　mand　to　stand　at　his　mand　post　with　openmouthed　horror　at　the　loss　of　the　three　hundred　soldiers　he'd　been　training　for　over　a　year　for　this　very　moment。　He　even　survived　a　strafing　of　his　mand　section　by　a　departing　Apache；　seeing　the　helicopter　streak　overhead　so　quickly　that　he　didn't　even　have　time　to　draw　his　service　pistol。
　〃EAGLE　LEAD；　FALCON　LEAD。　The　CLOVERLEAF　is　toast；　and　we　are　RTB；　over。〃
　Boyle　could　do　little　more　than　shake　his　head。　〃Roger；　FALCON。　Well　done；　Captain。〃
　〃Roger；　thank　you；　sir。　Out。〃　The　Apaches　formed　up　and　headed　northwest　to　their　base　to　refuel　and　rearm　for　the　next　mission。　Below；　he　could　see　the　First　Brigade；　blown　through　the　gap　in　Chinese　lines；　heading　southeast　into　the　Chinese　logistics　area。
　
　Task　Force　77　had　been　holding　station　east　of　the　Formosa　Strait　until　receiving　orders　to　race　west。　The　various　Air　Bosses　had　word　that　one　of　their　submarines　had　eliminated　a　Chinese　boomer　and　fast…attack　submarine；　which　was　fine　with　them；　and　probably　just　peachy　for　the　task　force　mander。　Now　it　was　their　job　to　go　after　the　People's　Liberation　Army　Navy；　which；　they　all　agreed；　was　a　hell　of　a　name　for　a　maritime　armed　force。　The　first　aircraft　to　go　off；　behind　the　F…l4Ds　flying　barrier　bat　air　patrol；　or　BARCAP；　for　the　Task　Force；　were　the　E…2C　Hawkeye　radar　aircraft；　the　Navy's　two…engine　prop…driven　mini…AWACS。　These　were　tasked　to　finding　targets　for　the　shooters；　mainly　F/A…18　Hornets。
　This　was　to　be　a　plex　operation。　The　Task　Force　had　three　SSNs　assigned　to　〃sanitize〃　the　area　of　Chim　submarines。　The　Task　Force　mander　seemed　especially　concerned　with　the　possibility　of　a　Chinese　diesel…powered　SSK　punching　a　hole　in　one　of　his　ships；　but　that　was　not　an　immediate　concern　for　the　airmen；　unless　they　could　find　one　tied　alongside　the　pier。
　The　only　real　problem　was　target　identification。　There　was　ample　mercial　shipping　in　the　area；　and　they　had　orders　to　leave　that　entirely　alone；　even　ships　flying　the　PRC　flag。　Anything　with　a　SAM　radar　would　be　engaged　beyond　visual　range。　Otherwise；　a　pilot　had　to　have　eyeballs　on　the　target　before　loosing　a　weapon。　Of　weapons　they　had　plenty；　and　ships　were　fragile　targets　as　far　as　missiles　and　thousand…pound　bombs　were　concerned。　The　overall　target　was　the　PLAN　South　Sea　Fleet；　based　at　Guangszhou　（better　known　to　Westerners　as　Canton）。　The　naval　base　there　was　well…sited　for　attack；　though　it　was　defended　by　surface…to…air　missile　batteries　and　some　flak。
　The　F…l4s　on　the　LEAD　were　guided　to　aerial　targets　by　the　Hawkeyes。　Again　since　there　was　mercial　air　traffic　in　the　sky；　the　fighter　pilots　had　to　close　to　visual　range　for　a　positive　ID　of　their　targets。　This　could　be　dangerous；　but　there　was　no　avoiding　it。
　What　the　Navy　pilots　didn't　know　was　that　the　Chinese　knew　the　electronic　signature　of　the　APD…138　radar　on　the　E…2Cs；　and　therefore　they　also　knew　that　something　was　ing。　Fully　a　hundred　Chinese　fighters　scrambled　into　the　air　and　set　up　their　own　bat　air　patrol　over　their　East　Coast。　The　Hawkeyes　spotted　that　and　radioed　a　warning　to　the　advancing　fighters；　setting　the　stage　for　a　massive　air　engagement　in　the　predawn　darkness。
　There　was　no　elegant　way　to　go　about　it。　Two　squadrons　of　TOMCATs；　twenty…four　in　all；　led　the　strike　force。　Each　carried　four　AIM…54C　Phoenix　missiles；　plus　four　AIM…9X　Sidewinders；　The　Phoenixes　were　old…nearly　fifteen　years　old　for　some　of　them；　and　in　some　cases　the　solid…fuel　motor　bodies　were　developing　cracks　that　would　soon　bee　apparent。　They　had　a　theoretical　range　of　over　a　hundred　miles；　however；　and　that　made　them　useful　things　to　hang　on　one's　airframe。
　The　Hawkeye　crews　had　orders　to　make　careful　determination　of　what　was　a　duck　and　what　was　a　goose；　but　it　was　agreed　quickly　that　two　or　more　aircraft　flying　in　close　formation　were　not　Airbuses　full　of　civilian　passengers；　and　the　TOMCATs　were　authorized　to　shoot　a　full　hundred　miles　off　the　Chinese　mainland。　The　first　salvo　was　posed　of　forty…eight。　Of　these；　six　self…destructed　within　five　hundred　yards　of　their　launching　aircraft；　to　the　displeased　surprise　of　the　pilots　involved。　The　remaining　forty…two　streaked　upward　in　a　ballistic　path　to　a　height　of　over　a　hundred　thousand　feet　before　tipping　over　at　Mach…5　speed　and　switching　on　their　millimeter…band　Doppler　homing　radars。　By　the　end　of　their　flight；　their　motors　were　burned　out；　and　they　did　not　leave　the　smoke　trail　that　pilots　look　for。　Thus；　though　the　Chinese　pilots　knew　that　they'd　been　illuminated；　they　couldn't　see　the　danger　ing；　and　therefore　could　not　see　anything　to　evade。　The　forty…two　Phoenixes　started　going　off　in　their　formations；　and　the　only　survivors　were　those　who　broke　into　radical　turns　when　they　saw　the　first　warheads　go　off。　All　in　all；　the　forty…eight　launches　resulted　in　thirty…two　kills。　The　surviving　Chinese　pilots　were　shaken　but　also　enraged。　As　one　man；　they　turned　east　and　lit　up　their　search　radars；　looking　for　targets　for　their　own　air…to…air　missiles。　These　they　found；　but　beyond　range　of　their　weapons。　The　senior　officer　surviving　the　initial　attack　ordered　them　to　go　to　afterburner　and　streak　east；　and　at　a　range　of　sixty　miles；　they　fired　off　their　PL…10　radar…guided　air…to…air　missiles。　These　were　a　copy　of　the　Italian　Aspide；　in　turn　a　copy　of　the　old　American　AIM…7E　Sparrow。　To　track　a　target；　they　required　that　the　launching　aircraft　keep　itself　and　its　radar　pointed　at　the　target。　In　this　case；　the　Americans　were　heading　in　as　well；　with　their　own　radars　emitting；　and　what　happened　was　a　great　game　of　chicken；　with　the　fighter　pilots　on　either　side　unwilling　to　turn　and　run…and　besides；　they　all　figured　that　to　do　so　merely　guaranteed　one's　death。　And　so　the　race　was　between　airplanes　and　missiles；　but　the　PL…10　had　a　speed　of　Mach　4　against　the　Phoenix's　Mach　5。
　Back　on　the　Hawkeyes；　the　crewmen　kept　track　of　the　engagement。　Both　the　aircraft　and　the　streaking　missiles　were　visible　on　the　scopes；　and　there　was　a　collective　holding　of　breath　for　this　one。
　The　Phoenixes　hit　first；　killing　thirty…one　more　PLAAF　fighters；　and　also　turning　off　their　radars　rather　abruptly。　That　made　some　of　their　missiles　〃go　dumb；〃　but　not　all；　and　the　six　Chinese　fighters　that　survived　the　second　Phoenix　barrage　found　themselves　illuminating　targets　for　a　total　of　thirty…nine　PL…10s；　which　angled　for　only　four　TOMCATs。
　The　American　pilots　affected　by　this　saw　them　ing；　and　the　feeling　wasn't　particularly　pleasant。　Each　went　to　afterburner　and　dove　for　the　deck；　losing　every　bit　of　chaff　and　flares　he　had　in　his　protection　pods；　plus　turning　the　jamming　pods　up　to　max　power。　One　got　clean　away。　Another　lost　most　of　them　in　the　chaff；　where　the　Chinese　missiles　exploded　like　fireworks　in　his　wake；　but　one　of　the　F…l4s　had　nineteen　missiles　chasing　him　alone；　and　there　was　no　avoiding　them　all。　The　third　missile　got　close　enough　to　trigger　its　warhead；　and　then　nine　more；　and　the　TOMCAT　was　reduced　to　chaff　itself；　along　with　its　two…man　crew。　That　left　one　Navy　fighter　whose　radar…intercept　officer　ejected　safely；　though　the　pilot　did　not。
　The　remaining　TOMCATs　continued　to　bore　in。　They　were　out　of　Phoenix　missiles　now；　and　closed　to　continue　the　engagement　with　Sidewinders。　Losing　rades　did　nothing　more　than　anger　them　for　the　moment；　and　this　time　it　was　the　Chinese　who　turned　back　and　headed　for　their　coast；　chased　by　a　cloud　of　heat…seeking　missiles。
　This　bar　fight　had　the　effect　of　clearing　the　way　for　the　strike　force。
　The　PLAN　base　had　twelve　piers　with　ships　alongside；　and　the　United　States　Navy　went　after　its　Chinese　counterpart…as　usually　happened；　on　the　principle　that　in　war　people　invariably　kill　those　most　like　themselves　before　going　after　the　different　ones。
　The　first　to　draw　the　wrath　of　the　Hornets　were　the　submarines。　They　were　mainly　old　Romeo…class　diesel　boats；　long　past　whatever　prime　they'd　once　had。　They　were　mainly　rafted　in　pairs；　and　the　Hornet　drivers　struck　at　them　with　Skippers　and　SLAMs。　The　former　was　a　thousand…pound　bomb　with　a　rudimentary　guidance　package　attached；　plus　a　rocket　motor　taken　off　obsolete　missiles；　and　they　proved　adequate　to　the　task。　The　pilots　tried　to　guide　them　between　the　rafted　submarines；　so　as　to　kill　two　with　a　single　weapon；　and　that　worked　in　three　out　of　five　attempts。　SLAM　was　a　land…attack　version　of　the　Harpoon　anti…ship　missile；　and　these　were