Sword of Allah

David Rollins Sword of Allah

For Jack, Bart, Ruby and their mum

Acknowledgements

An enormous amount of research goes into a book like this. Much of it is desk research, but not all.

I’ve called on several sources without whose help this book would be lame. A couple I’d like to publicly thank but can’t. They’ve signed secrecy agreements with various governments and are a little nervous about any public spotlight. Not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they want to keep their lives uncomplicated. And who can blame them for that? The reason these people helped me is purely so that the facts, when facts need to be told, are indeed fact and not fabrication. Notice I didn’t say ‘fiction’, because this book is as much about fiction as anything else. None of the events in this book has happened and I hope they never do. But I digress.

Where the Special Air Service is concerned, I called on the services and knowledge of an experienced officer from that regiment. I couldn’t have written this book without his patient assistance. So, thank you very much, Captain X — you know who you are.

The Royal Australian Navy figures in this story. I admire anyone who goes to sea, and most especially when it’s in the defence of their country. Mark, a former RAN communications NCO, tirelessly put up with my incessant emails and questions about seemingly insignificant details, and then put in the time and the effort to read an early draft of the story. Thanks, Mark, for all your help, which was always delivered with a smile.

Wing Commander Peter Spiess, from RAAF Williamtown, helped me bring to life the F/A-18 sortie towards the end of the book. I also received assistance from a former USAF F16 fighter pilot who patiently helped me on a number of details. I’d like to point out that while the radio work between the pilots featured in the story is reasonably authentic, it’s a little overstated in parts to make the meaning clearer for the reader.

Thanks also to Bonnie Warn from the Australian Federal Police for pointing me in the right direction on a few issues.

The medical information contained herein was vetted by my friend and personal physician, Dr Malcolm Parmenter. Malcolm also suffered through an earlier draft and pointed out several flaws that I’ve since bandaged.

I’d like to thank the search engine Google.com for saving me a good year in research time.

I’d like to thank Andrew Sargant, my friend and former business partner, for his eternal encouragement and willingness to read unfinished manuscripts. Thanks, Sarge, I owe you.

Then there’s Rose Creswell and Annette Hughes, from the Cameron — Creswell Agency, thank you for believing in me.

And finally, I’d like to thank the people at Pan Macmillan: the fiction publisher, Cate Paterson; the senior publicist, Jane Novak; and all the fantastic, hardworking sales representatives nationally and internationally, who made the writing of this book possible.

Glossary

ADF — Australian Defence Force AFPAustralian Federal Police

AGL — Above ground level

AGM-154D — Guided missile (JSOW)

AH-1 — (Zefa or Cobra) Helicopter gunship

AIM-9 — Air-to-air heat-seeking missile

AK-47 — (Kalashnikov) military assault carbine

AMSL — Above mean sea level

ANZUS — Australia — New Zealand — United States defence pact

APC — Armoured personnel carrier

APFSDS — Armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (tank-fired round)

AS — Able seaman

ASIO — Australian Security Intelligence Organisation

ASIS — Australian Secret Intelligence Service

ATO — Australian Tax Office

AV-TUR — Aviation jet fuel

AWACS — Airborne warning and control system

AW-1W — Super Cobra helicopter gunship

BI — Babu Islam

BK-117 — (Eurocopter) Helicopter

Blackhawk — (S70 A9) Helicopter

BUFF — (B-52) Big Ugly Fat Fucker

B-52G — US long-range bomber

CDF — Chief of the Defence Force (Australian)

CFDP — Combat Forces Digitisation Program

CIA — Central Intelligence Agency

CMDR — Commander

CO — Commanding officer

CPU — Central processing unit

C-4 — Plastic explosive

C-5A — (Galaxy) transport aircraft

C-130 — (Hercules) transport aircraft

DEA — Drug Enforcement Agency

DG — Diego Garcia

D-G — Director-general

DIO — Defence Intelligence Organisation

DIP — Desired impact point

Dragon Warrior — Unmanned aerial vehicle

D-9 — (Caterpillar) Armoured bulldozer

EA-1729 — LSD

F/A-18 — Jet fighter plane

FNC80 — Indonesian army issue assault carbine

Fox one — Radar-guided missile launched

Fox three — Guns selected

Fox four — Ram

GLTD — Ground based laser target designator

GPS — Global positioning system

H&K MP5SD — Heckler & Koch machine pistol

HAHO — High altitude high opening (parachute jump)

HALO — High altitude low opening (parachute jump)

HE — High explosive

HEAP — High-explosive armour piercing

HEAT — High-explosive anti-tank (tank-fired round)

Hercules — C-130 transport aircraft

HUD — Head up display

IAF — Israeli Air Force

IDF — Israeli Defence Forces

IFF — Identify friend or foe

IIR — Imaging infrared

INS — Inertial navigation system

IR — Infrared

JSLIST — Joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (chemical warfare suit)

JSOW — Joint stand-off weapon

KC-130 — Airborne fuel tanker (Hercules-based)

KC-135 — Airborne fuel tanker (Boeing 707-based)

KIAS — Knots indicated air speed

Kopassus — Indonesian special forces

LAV — Light armoured vehicle

LM — Loadmaster

LS — Leading seaman

LSD — Lysergic acid diethylamide (hallucinogenic drug)

LTCOL — Lieutenant colonel

MBT — Main battle tank

M1 Abrams — US main battle tank

M16A1 — US military assault weapon

M16A2 — Current issue US military assault weapon

M2 — Heavy machine gun

M203 — Grenade launcher

M36A2 — Fragmentation grenade

M4A2 — Assault carbine favoured by special forces

M61A1 — 20mm Gatling gun

M82A1A — Sniper rifle