The SLAM launches had been coordinated so that the Megafortress could fly eastbound out of the target area and he would be within effective datalink range of each SLAM, working west to east. As soon as one SLAM would hit, another window popped open, and Patrick would start steering another SLAM in to its target. Some SLAMs did not transmit their TV images, so it was unknown if they ever hit their targets, but each SLAM was guided by a precise inertial navigation system updated by GPS satellite navigation signals, accurate to at least ten feet in altitude and position, so even without a TV datalink they were very accurate weapons. Out of seventy-two SLAMs successfully launched from the B-2s, fifty-one reached their assigned targets and transmitted a good enough TV picture so Patrick could assess the damage and call the target destroyed or knocked out of commission.
“But we got three DF-3 and two DF-5 sites where we don’t know if they got hit,” Patrick announced to his crew.
“Perfect — we got two Strikers and six CBUs left,” Brad Elliott said. “Let’s go back there and finish the job.”
“Two o’clock, thirty-two miles and closing,” Wendy announced. She then looked over at her husband and saw him intently watching her. “I agree,” she said. “Let’s go get ’em.”
“The odds are that the SLAMs got the last missile sites,” Patrick said. “They’ve been running great, all of them.”
“But we can’t be sure, can we?” Nancy Cheshire asked.
“We can wait and get a satellite downlink from Jon’s NIRTSats,” Elliott said. “Those can tell us if they got hit. How long until we get a picture?”
“We won’t — we didn’t get a new constellation up in time,” Patrick said. “The best info we’ll get is from our synthetic aperture radar or from a Striker video link.”
“Then let’s do it,” Wendy said. Patrick turned toward her, and she saw something that she’d rarely seen before — the fear in his eyes. “Patrick, we’ve got to go back,” Wendy said on interphone. “We don’t have a choice. We didn’t come all this way to leave any targets left.” Patrick knew she was right. They had risked everything to fly deep into the heart of the People’s Republic of China and attack these important targets — as long as they had weapons left, they had to use them.
Patrick touched his supercockpit display and called up the five surviving targets. The closest one was only ten miles away; the farthest, a DF-5 long-range ICBM site, was nearly forty miles farther west.
“Gimme a left turn heading two-five-seven, center the bug, stand by for bomb-bay Striker launch,” Patrick ordered.
“No.” The words came from none other than Brad Elliott. “We’re not turning back. We’re going to use the gas and the weapons we have left to fight our way out of here.”
“Brad…”
“I’m overruling you this time, Muck,” Elliott said determinedly. “You may be the mission commander, but I’m the aircraft commander, and I’m responsible for the lives on board this plane. We’re six hundred miles inside China, alone, with only ten defensive missiles and three hours’ worth of gas left. We did our job. Two DF-5s and six DF-3s are not going to threaten anyone.”
“Brad, we can do it,” Wendy said. “We can take out those last sites.” “Forget about it, Wendy,” Elliott said. “Let someone else worry about them. You and Patrick and Nancy have a life that’s more important than blowing up a couple missile sites in the middle of nowhere. Patrick, call up the exit point and pick the best way to get us out of here.” Patrick looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders— he even smiled. “Okay, Brad,” Patrick said. “We’ve got one DF-5 site that’ll be within range just a couple minutes to the north, and all of the DF-3 sites are east and southeast. We’ll leave the last DF-5 site for some other time.” He entered commands on the supercockpit display, then said, ’’Give me a left turn to zero-three-seven and center up. Bomb-bay Striker launch coming up… in one hundred seconds.” Elliott responded by turning the Megafortress to the northeast.
“Bandits are at five o’clock, twenty-five miles and closing,” Wendy reported. “I’m targeting the lead Su-27 for one Scorpion launch. Looks like we might have two Su-27s leading a total of eight J-7s or J-8s. The second formation of fighters is moving to eight o’clock, thirty-three miles.”
“They’re going back to defend the western surviving DF-5 site,” Cheshire guessed. “It must still be active.”
“Bomb doors coming open… missile away!” Patrick said as he processed a Striker missile launch. Elliott immediately rolled right and centered up on the first DF-3 launch site.
“Bandits got a good look at that missile launch! ” Wendy cried. “Bandits at six o’clock, eighteen miles and closing… stand by for pylon missile launch… radar lock, they got a radar lock… no, radar’s down, they’re closing in to heater range… missile away, missile away! ” An AIM- 120 Scorpion missile streaked out of the left weapon pod, arced up and over the Megafortress, and plummeted down on its quarry. “Splash one! ” Wendy shouted. “Splash.…no, the Su-27’s still up! I hit one of the other fighters! The Su-27’s still coming!”
“Good terminal video,” Patrick called out. Sure enough, the Dong Feng-5 missile silo they had just launched on had not been touched by any of the SLAMs. Patrick centered the targeting crosshairs directly on the movable concrete silo cover, and hit it directly in the center. “Got it! ” he shouted.
“Stand by for second pylon launch!” Wendy shouted. “Missile away! ” The last Scorpion missile flew out of the right weapon pod, and this time it did not miss. “Splash two!” she shouted. “Got the -27! The other fighters are breaking formation… I’ve got two formations of J-8s now, closest at three o’clock, seven miles and closing. The second formation’s at six o’clock, twelve miles.”
“First DF-3 site twelve o’clock, twenty miles,” Patrick called out.
“I need a turn! ” Wendy shouted.
“Do it!”
“Right forty degrees!” Wendy cried, and Elliott hauled the Megafortress into a tight turn. “I’m jamming their ranging radars! I’ve got a lock! Pylon launch, now\” The AIM-9L Sidewinders mounted in the weapons pods were not directly mated to the Megafortress’s attack system — they had to be pointed at a target and allowed to find their own target. But once Wendy had turned the Megafortress at the oncoming Chinese fighters, the Sidewinders quickly detected the fighter’s hot-wing leading edges and sent a missile lock signal. As soon as Wendy got the signal, she punched off one Sidewinder. It homed perfectly on its target and exploded right in the path of the J-8, sending it spiraling to the ground.
“Splash two! ” Cheshire crowed when she saw the explosion and saw the burning plane plummet to earth. Wendy immediately selected another Sidewinder that had locked on to a fighter and let it fly. This one disappeared from sight with no explosions — clean miss.
“Hold this heading — we’re going nose to nose with them!” Wendy shouted.
“Shit — they're right on us!" Elliott shouted. Both he and Cheshire saw numerous winks of light in the darkness as the J-8 fighters opened fire on the Megafortress with their 23-millimeter cannons, then peeled off.