Chimera (29 page)

The Indian commanders knew the danger that had opened up. They were providing all the air-support needed to attack and hold Chinese armor, but it was something that had already begun inflicting losses on the Jaguar squadrons.

As the soldiers at Saser watched and cheered, dozens of BMP-IIs and NAMICA vehicles, ARVs, trucks and AXEs rolled through the dust cloud being raised by their tracks and wheels. But as the main force of the 10
TH
Mechanized Battalion finally began entering the plains of DBO, the battle for Ladakh hung by a thin thread…

OVER NORTHEAST ASSAM

INDIA

DAY 3 + 1620 HRS

“We have inbounds! Twelve inbounds approaching on vector three-one-seven at angels thirty, speed...nine-one-seven!”

The radar console operator pushed one of the buttons near the screen and his computer went into a diagnostics mode by checking radar and flight profiles with existing databases. It spat out the results on screen a moment later and the operator read it off screen to his Mission Controller:

“Type jolly-sevens!”

The mission-controller pondered that piece of information for the moment. The J-7s coming down from the said vector made them out to be the elements of the 130
TH
Air Regiment of the 44
TH
Fighter Division. The 44
TH
Fighter Division had been the first PLAAF unit to become involved in the battle for the skies of the Indian northeast two days ago. That struggle was still continuing…

But the J-7 series aircraft were Mig-21 knockoffs and hardly top of the line in terms of technology. The other Regiment in the Division was the 131
ST
, and it was better armed with J-10 variant strike-fighters. But
they
had already lost ten of these during the battle in Ladakh two days ago and had also lost several flights of aircraft in subsequent battles. 

The other Division of the PLAAF in the region was the 33
RD
Fighter Division. This division was armed with a regiment of high performance Su-27s and J-11s. They also had a regiment of J-7s with them.

Facing this force from the Indian side was a combination of Mig-21 Bisons and Su-30s at Chabua and Mig-27s at Hashimara and Kalaikunda. In addition, Su-30s from Bareilly based No. 8 Squadron were available as were a detachment of No. 24 Squadron Su-30s on AWACS protection duty flying out of Kalaikunda airbase.

The reason the IAF had not deployed more fighters in the region was the inherent vulnerability of airbases there to Chinese missile attacks. This had been proven true at the start of the war when all major airbases had come under consistent missile attacks.

In fact, two Mig-21 Bisons had been lost just that morning at Chabua when the hardened aircraft shelter harboring the two aircraft had been hit and destroyed by a Chinese cruise-missile. But these things happen. Luck is a factor that good commanders always factored in operations.

Unknown to the Eastern Air Command operations staff, that very idea was about to be put to test…

“More inbounds!” the radar operator on the CABS AEW aircraft shouted, the strain in his voice increasing.

“Second set of inbounds detected! Twelve
new
inbounds approaching on vector two-five-seven at angels thirty-five, speed seven-three-five. Type Su-27s!” 

The mission commander changed radio frequencies to get the EAC operations staff on the line.

“Launch the Bisons from Chabua. Vector them towards the J-7s. Tell them to leave the Su-27s to the No. 8 Squadron Sukhois. Alert the EAC air-defenses! Bring the Mig-27s on readiness and send out a warning to all army aviation units to keep their heads down while we deal with this.”

He then turned back to his on-board operators: “Get the CAP fighters moving right away!”

“Roger!” two voiced replied in unison. The cabin filled with the sound of radio traffic going both ways.

“We are noticing electronic interference here! Possible electronic warfare aircraft trailing the attackers! Attempting burn-through!” the EW-operator shouted over the headphones.

A minute later he shouted again:

“Okay! We have burn-through! Suggest passive tracking of possible Tupolev electronic-warfare aircraft behind their fighters!” 

“Do it!”

CHABUA AIRBASE

INDIA

DAY 3 + 1640 HRS

The klaxons were ringing around the airbase as pilots of the Mig-21 Bisons on the operational-readiness-platform were strapping themselves into their seats. Skies above were clear at Chabua with white clouds in an otherwise blue background.

Other ground crews were rushing to get the other aircraft out of their shelters and onto the tarmac outside for immediate scramble. There were ten available Mig-21 Bisons at Tezpur and at Chabua there were four Bisons that were already taking to the skies. A few moments later the glass windows around the base reverberated as the Bisons took to the sky on full afterburners...

OVER ASSAM

INDIA

DAY 3 + 1650 HRS

“What’s the latest?”

The mission-commander said quietly after walking up behind the radar console operators sitting side by side.

“Okay, we have this group of twelve J-7s coming in from the northeast and heading southwest over the Chaukan pass hills on way to Chabua. The first ones to make contact on our side will be four Bisons from Chabua, with BVR ranges reached in seventeen minutes, but they will be outnumbered three to one unless we commit the Su-30s from Chabua into the fight as well.”

The mission-commander nodded his disapproval on that:

“No. That will bog them down making it easier for this second group of Su-27s to destroy our group of ten Bisons from Tezpur and cut off the Chabua fighters from the west. Perhaps even make a run for us over here! That’s
unacceptable
. We need to concentrate our force of Bisons from Chabua and Tezpur into an iron fist before we commit them to the fight. How far are the Tezpur birds?” 

“At their current speeds they will be over Chabua in fifteen minutes,” the radar operator replied.

“Good. Pull the Bisons over Chabua to the west and task them to await the arrival of the Tezpur birds. In the meantime, we will let the Su-27s come in through the front door for now.”

NORTH OF TEZPUR

INDIA

DAY 3 + 1705 HRS

The Dhruv helicopter came in low over the ground followed behind by its weaponized escort, known as the ‘
Rudra
’. Both helicopters reached the helipad near the relocated IV Corps headquarters despite the air-force warning orders on the impending air battle that was about to engulf the skies over Assam.

That said, the two army-aviation flight-crews did not have a death-wish. The escort chopper did not land but continued to hover near the helipad. The Dhruv came to a quick landing on the helipad, raising a dust cloud into the air by its rotor downwash.

The army ground-crews immediately opened the sliding doors to allow Generals Yadav and Suman and two other Brigadiers to clamber out onto the dust filled air holding their caps. They were directed away from the helicopter by a ground crew-man who then banged on the cockpit glass to notify the pilot to get the hell out while he still could. The pilot nodded and immediately pulled the Dhruv back into the air with every strut and bar inside groaning under the stresses. Within a minute both helicopters were streaking away to the west at treetop heights and the dust around the helipad dissipated away...

Yadav and Suman were met outside the helipad by Lieutenant-General Chatterjee and his senior staff officers. The IV Corps commander was not in a happy mood and Yadav and Suman soon found out why as they clambered on board the three AXE vehicles nearby. The vehicles took them from the helipad to the headquarters further into the foothills where there was more cover against missile attacks.

“What’s the situation up north?”

Yadav asked Chatterjee as their convoy finally moved off on the dusty road and towards a clearing in front of the entrance to the headquarters. The majestic snowcapped Himalayan peaks could now be seen on the northern horizon.

“We have the 13
TH
Group-Army trying to fight its way past my Divisions all along the Arunachal Pradesh border from Tawang to Walong. Their missile attacks on the first day did heavy damage to my artillery forces and RPV units just before the 13
TH
Group Army pounced on my boys. But we
are
holding in all sectors! For now anyway. 13
TH
Group-Army has suffered heavy losses and is consolidating its forces at the moment,” Chatterjee shouted over the sounds of their speeding vehicles.

“Be warned,” Suman added, “that the 21
ST
Group-Army from Lanzhou is also deploying into the sector to replace losses taken by the 13
TH
Group-Army Divisions. The air-force says they are going to have a knock at the inbound convoys heading into southern Tibet. If that fails we might have to go in for some attacks of our own using Brahmos units. We will see how that works out.”

“Roger that!”

“How’s our
own
readiness right now?” Suman asked as he looked at the convoys of army trucks they were bypassing. 

“I have the sector covered. But I can always use additional artillery units. Especially if the 21
ST
Group Army units start reinforcing the existing units opposite my boys,” Chatterjee shouted from the front seat as they reached their destination.

OVER NORTHERN ASSAM

INDIA

DAY 3 + 1715 HRS

The inbound 44
TH
Fighter Division J-7s entered Indian airspace over the Chaukan pass hills at the extreme eastern edge of India. The twelve J-7s flying in a loose line-abreast formation now punched off their external fuel drop-tanks. This was immediately noticed by the radar crew of the Indian CABS AEW aircraft to the west as the screen became cluttered with small fading radar intercepts dropping behind the fast moving jets…

The Chinese knew what they were up against.

The path they were taking skirted around the handful of Indian Akash surface-to-air batteries protecting the high value targets in the region. This was also noticed by the AEW radar crew, and the mission commander made a mental note to ask those battery commanders to relocate. At the moment though he had other things on his mind. Now that his hopes for a few kills at the hands of the ground missiles was nothing  more than just hope, he turned to the group of fourteen Mig-21 Bisons assembled in the skies west of Chabua airbase.

A few minutes later both the Bisons and the inbound J-7s traded shots. And twenty-six missiles ranged out in quick succession with fourteen more a few seconds later. The Indian Mig-21s had released two quick salvos of R-77 beyond-visual-range missiles while the Chinese had reciprocated with a salvo of their new AIM-120 knockoffs called the PL-12. Seconds after the Indian fighters had launched their second salvo, the Chinese reciprocated with another twelve PL-12s.

There were now fifty two missiles in the air…

All twenty six fighters broke formation to evade the swarm of missiles heading towards them.

Results were mixed. Five Indian Mig-21s were lost in exchange for six Chinese J-7s before the survivors from both sides merged into visual range. A desperate dogfight broke out in the skies above the Digboi oil refinery.

The AEW controllers were pragmatic. They realized immediately the futility of their involvement in the chaotic battle now taking place. The mission-commander realized that the Chinese J-7s had lost the initiative and unit cohesiveness, as had the Assam based Bison pilots. The J-7 pilots were also unlikely to be able to make their way home if they did not break contact soon given the short-range of their aircraft. In case any of the J-7 pilots decided to make a run for the Indian AEW aircraft to the west, the two Su-30 escorts flying alongside the aircraft could be dispatched on to the threat.

No. They Bisons are on their own now.

Time to deal with the Su-27s… 

The mission commander pointed to the inbound Su-27s on the screen in front of him:

“Tell me about these guys!” he ordered.

“They will be breaking into our airspace in a few minutes. Lima flight-leader has signaled his readiness. He’s maneuvering into position now.”

The mission-commander rubbed his eyes as he looked at the screen again. Two groups of Sukhois, one from the Indian side and the other from the Chinese, were moving parallel to each other but in opposite directions.

This was deliberate.

The twelve Chinese Su-27s from the 33
RD
Fighter Division were making a run for this airborne-radar aircraft and its crew. Everybody on board the aircraft knew it and the mission-commander could swear that he could sense their nervousness. But they were calm and manning their stations and that was all that mattered for now.