The slide projector chunked. The image on the screen captured an aircraft just off the Soviet carrier’s ski-jump bow. The detail was sharp enough that the viewers could make out Russian crewmen frozen in various mid-action positions about the deck. There was an audible intake of breath from several corners of the room. The aircraft, its red stars sharp on wings and tail, looked remarkably like an American F/A-18 Hornet.
“This baby’s their prize,” Neil said. “Mig-29, naval version. Jane’s calls it the first completely new generation of Soviet fighters. For air-to-air it carries six missiles, AA-8 or AA-9. Look-down/shoot-down, all-weather capability. Track-while-scan. Improved HUD. This is the best Soviet plane in service. Maybe the best in the world.”
“Bullshit,” someone said near the front of the room.
“Helicopter roles, rescue and ASW, are filled by the Ka-27 Helix, the successor to the Ka-25 Hormone. We think that Kreml carries four of them.”
“You know, Commander,” Vaughn interrupted again. “I notice your briefing is filled with a hell of a lot of ‘maybes’ and ‘we thinks.’ is there anything about the Russkies you’re sure of?”
“Intelligence work is largely guesswork, Admiral,” Neil said stiffly.
“Educated guesswork, to be sure, but still guesswork. OZ Div has assembled the best picture they can from various-“
“Guesses, huh? Well I guess that tells us something about our intelligence department, eh, boys?”
There were subdued chuckles from the front row of chairs, but the rest of CVIC remained cold and silent. Neil ran a hand through his short red hair and decided to press ahead.
“We have tentatively identified the other ships of the Soviet squadron.
An Oscar-class nuclear attack sub, no known name. A second Kotlin-class DD, the Vliyatelnyy. Two Krivak I-class ASW frigates, Letushiy and Svirepyy. Washington’s assessment of SOVINDRON is that it is a tight, well-run, highly disciplined squadron,” he said. “The Soviet frigates do not have the range or sensitivity of our ASW ships, and they lack helicopter capability. However, they are probably the most heavily armed frigates afloat, with SA-N-4 Gecko missiles and large torpedo and gun batteries. They are highly versatile and could be deployed in an antiair role as well as for ASW.”
Vaughn snorted with open contempt. Neil paused, then plunged ahead, wondering if Vaughn was going to let him complete the briefing.
“The destroyers are old designs — mid-fifties — but have been partly converted to missile configurations. The cruiser will be a definite asset to the battle group. He, excuse me, she mounts a twin launcher for the SA-N-3 Goblet, and two quad launchers for SS-N-14 Silex antisub missiles. Both weapons can double in an antiship role. I … sir?”
Admiral Vaughn was standing. “Commander, this isn’t getting us anywhere. I think we all know that the Russkies aren’t going to pull their own weight out here, not if it comes to a stand-up fight. Let’s hear what the Indians have.”
Neil swallowed his anger. “Yes, sir. Phil? Let’s go to number twelve.” It took a moment for the projectionist to skip ahead several slides and find the first one dealing with Indian ships. As he waited, Neil summarized the Indian forces.
“As I’m sure you’re all aware, India has designs on being the number-one power in the Indian Ocean littoral. They have the third largest standing army in the world, the fifth largest air force, and the eighth largest navy. While we will be primarily concerned with their naval capability, we have to keep in mind that the Indians will be able to support their naval operations against us with a sizable fraction of their ground-based air force. All together, the IAF maintains some 960 combat aircraft. The Indian navy consists of at least sixty combat aircraft, including twenty-six attack helicopters. Of course, these one-thousand-plus aircraft are spread out over the whole Indian subcontinent, and the majority are already tied down in action against Pakistan. Our best guess …” He hesitated. “Our best approximation is that the Indians can deploy between one and two hundred aircraft of various types against us here at Turban Station.”
Another aircraft carrier flashed on the screen behind him, an odd-looking ship with a long island and a massive, up-swept hump at the bow end of her flight deck.
“Okay. Here we go. India currently has two aircraft carriers, gentlemen,” Neil said. “This is their latest, the Viraat. The name means “Mighty’ in Hindi. Her displacement is almost 24,000 tons. She has an illustrious history. Originally, she was the British Hermes, one of the two Brit carriers that supported the Royal task force in the Falklands campaign. The British sold her to the Indians in ‘86.
“For a while, the Indians operated her as a commando carrier and later used her for ASW. That ski jump you see forward lets her handle Sea Harrier V/STOL aircraft. Until recently, she carried one six-plane Sea Harrier squadron, plus a number of helicopters, but Intelligence believes the Indians have been upgrading her capabilities. Last year they completed purchase of thirty additional Sea Harriers from the British, and many of those are probably destined for the Viraat. She also still has provisions for 750 troops and carries four landing barges to facilitate landing operations. Next.” A new slide appeared on the screen.
“The other Indian carrier is the Vikrant. She started off as a World War II-era Glory-class carrier, the HMS Hercules. She was purchased by India in 1957. She’s smaller than Viraat — only 15,700 tons — but she carries six Sea Harriers. Vikrant is scheduled to be replaced by a 40,000-ton, Indian-built carrier sometime later in the late nineties, but that one’s not off the drawing board yet.”
Neil went on with a rundown of the Indian navy, concentrating on the warships known to be operating out of Arabian Sea ports. There was one nuclear sub, the Chakra — a Charlie I-class vessel on loan from the Soviet Union, but it was unlikely that the Indians would be in the mood to trust the Soviet technicians aboard her during the current crisis.
There was a new Soviet Kresta-II cruiser, the Kalikata, recently arrived at Bombay. All together, the Indian navy included over fifty capital ships, plus numerous missile and patrol boats, auxiliaries, and the like.
As he continued speaking, he was distracted by the sight of Admiral Vaughn leaning over to the captain at his side, apparently in deep conversation.
Just what the hell was going on with the flag staff today anyway? It was as though Vaughn simply didn’t care … or at least felt that the information was superfluous. It was impossible not to make comparisons with Admiral Magruder. That man might not always have agreed with OZ assessments, but at least he listened. And his questions had always been good ones, sharp and to the point.
Vaughn’s indifference sent an icy tingle down Neil’s spine, and he could sense that it was affecting the other officers in CVIC as well. Did he simply distrust his own intelligence department? Or was this something more than that, something deeper?
Neil didn’t know, but he knew that Vaughn’s attitude was being marked by the others, and that it could be deadly to the mission, to the men.
Deadlier, perhaps, than a third Indian carrier.
CHAPTER 11