On the Brink 1: War With Iran, #1

Chapter 1 – Missile Attack

Arabian Sea- Iranian Shoreline - October 9, 2016 - Commander Reza Razmjou

At 06:29 hours on October 9, 2016 the all-terrain vehicle missile launchers left camouflaged sand covered bunkers and moved a few yards to their launching sites. Up-to-date aircraft carrier position coordinates were uploaded to missile on-board computers. The mobile launchers were ready to fire almost as soon as they left their bunkers.

I again checked the aircraft carrier battle group's location. The American navy took our capabilities too lightly. Soon they would know we should be respected and feared.

Sergeant Ibraaham called, On your command, Sir.

Very well, Sergeant. The data looks good.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy (IRGC-N) sailors knew they must launch the missiles quickly. American satellites and reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned drones were watching suspected beach launch sites with eagle eyes. They must not waste time on launching missiles and pulling back into hardened camouflaged bunkers before their location detected.

I looked at my watch. Noting the time was 06:30 I gave the command to launch. The missiles surrounded by plumes of toxic orange-gray smoke instantly leaped one by one into the early morning sky and raced to sea. Sunlight reflected off the silver skins of the line of projectiles as they headed for the American aircraft carrier battle group.

Approximately 100 miles at sea aboard the aircraft carrier John C Stennis a young petty officer third class in the Combat Information Center stiffened as he focused on his radar screen and saw fast moving blue dots tracking directly toward his ship's position. The dots were coming from the Iranian coastline near Bandar Abbas.

He alerted the CIC duty officer. The Combat Information Center serves as the nerve center of the aircraft carrier and the aircraft that it controls. The CIC is filled to the brim with computers, flat screen monitors, radars, sophisticated communications equipment, and elaborate displays showing the position of every aircraft in the area.

Four warfare modules in CIC compile tremendous amounts of incoming data and relay it to the Tactical Action Officer (TAO) where it is displayed in real time on large computer screens. The TAO uses this display of information to assist the Captain in defending the ship against attack and to employ the air wing on offensive and defensive missions.

Aircraft carrier operations are at the top of the list as the most complicated bleeding edge organizational tasks known to man. The task of launching and recovering aircraft on the deck of a ship pitching up and down and rolling back and forth in the open ocean is incredibly difficult and dangerous.

An American super-carrier like the USS John C Stennis has a crew of nearly 3500 sailors to operate the aircraft carrier and another 2500 attached to the air wing. The purpose of the 6000 personnel aboard this floating small city is to keep the 80 or so aircraft assigned to the carrier flying, recover and service the aircraft.

Air traffic controllers operating in the CIC must at all times know each aircraft’s position on the carrier and in the air. Often 19 or 20-year-old young men and women instantaneously make life-and-death decisions.

The Navy has an amazing organizational structure that allows even the youngest, most inexperienced sailor to make instant decisions that can affect the operation of the carrier. There often is not enough time for decisions to go through a chain of command and be approved by a senior officer.

Sir better take a look at this. And hurry, there’re eight, maybe more bogeys headed our way. I’m contacting the Hawkeye-—

He was interrupted by the Hawkeye’s chief radar officer notifying the CIC of the missile attack. At the missiles present speed the ship only had 10 minutes to take counter measures.

Sir, we’ve lost them. They must be sea-skimmers and dipped below the radar. When they near the ship our automatic systems better work. Think we have time to launch a couple of F-18s? It's a long shot, but maybe they could intercept at least some of the bastards.

The duty officer replied, I’m on it. We  can try. He was a first lieutenant on his second deployment. He was thinking at this time he would like to be anyplace else on earth but the CIC.

He’d completed research about Iranian anti-ship missiles. He feared research was about to become up close personal experience. Two minutes later two F-18s were in the air headed toward the missiles.

The challenge was the missiles were headed their way at Mach 0.9. The F-18s leaped off the deck, immediately lit up afterburners, and were soon supersonic at Mach 1.2 and accelerating. The closing speed was a bit more than twice the speed of sound. Facing the missiles head on would take a lucky hit to bring one down.

The two F-18s were armed with two each AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles which are upgraded versions of the AMRAAM. The AMRAAM missile is a modern beyond visual range (BVR) Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile that can reach Mach 4.

The pilots knew they had a poor chance of effectively engaging the incoming anti-ship missiles. There wasn’t time to improve their angle of attack. The hostile missiles were skimming the sea at almost surface level. The F-18s were approaching them head on but at an altitude of 1500 feet.

The AMRAAM is a fire it and forget it missile, but has a much better chance of hitting its target if the F-18 paints the target with radar. With the difference in altitude as they attempted to train radars the pilots feared plunging their aircraft into the sea.

Things happen fast with a closing speed of Mach 2. The radar showed a sudden, unexpected course change by the anti-ship missiles. The signal tone in the headphones, which had been getting louder, was now decreasing. No chance of getting a lock now. Missile course changes appeared to be individual with each missile taking a slightly different course. They definitely had slightly different bearings. The new improved Iranian Qader missiles were working as their scientist and engineer designers planned.

The Qaders were still heading for the aircraft carrier but were now at an angle to their original flight path.

Lieutenant Cmdr. James piloting one of the F-18s exclaimed, Are you shitting me. We aren't going to get a lock on even one of those suckers."

Both pilots saw the string of missiles blow by them to their port side. More bad news soon followed.

The pilots began to make a sharp G pulling 180° turn to chase after the missiles. Flying at supersonic speed the turn could not be too abrupt and took far too long to complete. The volley of Qater missiles would be within range of the carrier’s Phalanx close in weapon system (CIWS) within two minutes. The F-18s would not be able to close in fast enough to get a lock and launch their AMRAAM’s.

Another message was received from the CIC. The ship’s powerful radars detected another swarm of missiles headed towards the carrier at Mach 0.9.

Lieutenant Cmdr. Top Hat James let out a stream of curses, then said, We’re completely screwed. No hope of intercepting missiles in front. If we make another 180° turn missiles behind us will blow right by.

Lieutenant Tom Wildman Rado only said, Roger that. Sir your call.

Throttle back. Hit the air brakes. The second volley of missiles will zoom by. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a lock on one or two of the bastards.

Roger that. Worth a try.

The pilots throttled back and hit the air brakes. Their bodies pressed tight against restraining straps as the aircraft decelerated. Now they were only 1000 feet off the deck and dead ahead in the distance made out the aircraft carrier making a sharp evasive turn.

They made out six almost simultaneous explosions as the depleted 20mm uranium rounds of the Phalanx close in weapons system managed to strike the Mach 0.9 Qader missiles and bring them down to splash in the sea. The 6000 rounds per minute 20 mm cannons were  effective. Unfortunately, two Qater missiles penetrated the defenses and hit the carrier near the waterline.

Two remaining missiles penetrated the carrier’s hull near the bow of the mighty ship well below the port side Phalanx weapons system. The missiles struck several decks beneath crew living quarters, but instantly killed nineteen sailors working in storage areas deep in the bow of the ship.

The explosions ignited blazing fires which crewman attempted to immediately suppress. Training and discipline overcame terror as ordinary sailors became heroes and rushed to aid fallen shipmates.

Sailors fighting fires were unnerved by an uneven 10 meter jagged hole ringed by twisted steel through which sea water was pouring into the lower levels of the ship. Adding to the surreal scene was the sight of dead and wounded, surrounded by the organized chaos of fighting a fire deep within the bowels of a ship at sea.

The mighty aircraft carrier was wounded, but not severely damaged and continued to churn through the Arabian Sea. As reports came in the damage control officer was relieved to learn damage to the ship was not critical. Flooding compartments could be sealed off and the ship while needing repairs could continue with its mission until relieved.

That optimistic assessment changed within 60 seconds. By hitting the air brakes Top Hat and Wildman abruptly reduced their airspeed to 450 knots. At nearly sea level some 600 feet below the line of eight Sizzler missiles streaked by in a blur. The four AMRAAM missiles mounted on each wing tip of the F-18s were armed and ready to fire.

A loud buzz sounded in the pilots ear phones. Miraculously the radar locked on. Almost simultaneously the two pilots forcibly lowered their thumbs on red fire buttons. The AMRAAM’s leapt out of mounting brackets on the wing tips and trailing faint plumes of whitish gray smoke sped after two Sizzler missiles.

A second later two satisfying explosions sounded and the fragments of two Sizzler missiles scattered into the sea. There was a dramatic acceleration in the speed of the remaining six missiles. The missiles made erratic changes in their courses as they approached the aircraft carrier. The pilots could no longer see them with the naked eye but could see from the movement of blue green dots on radar screens missiles were traveling at a high rate of speed. The Sizzler's had begun their Mach 2.9 terminal run.

20 mm cannons of the Phalanx close in weapons system fired at 6000 rounds per minute. Containers holding chaff launched and sailed high above the carrier before exploding and sending reflective material into the air in an effort to confuse the incoming missiles’ guidance systems.

Three missiles burst into blazing orange fireballs which plunged into the sea just yards from the ship. The 20 mm spent uranium rounds found their targets even though they approached the carrier at Mach 2.9.

One of the Sizzler's abruptly changed course. It zoomed high above the carrier locking on to the chaff still fluttering in the air high above the ship. It flew away from the carrier attempting to find another target.

In a sickening flash of blinding reddish orange light a huge fireball rose above the flight deck of the ship. Two Sizzler missiles penetrated the carrier's double hull and exploded less than 5 meters apart near the ship’s missile arming/disarming platform.

There was a tremendous hole in the hull. Fortunately, it was well above the water line, but its jagged and twisted dimensions must be at least 20 by 30 feet. Severe damage occurred where each missile exploded a 400 kg warhead. The explosion was powerful enough to blast through the carrier's flight deck. Two F-18s parked above the blast exploded into flames.

The live ordnance in the area directly hit cooked-off as the fire raged. A series of explosions reverberated from the arming/disarming platform and were powerful enough so the super-carrier shivered like a wounded animal fighting for its life. The USS John C Stennis didn’t sink, but was gravely damaged and disabled. It was unable to launch or recover aircraft.

The nation would grieve anew as it watched breaking news and learned over 700 sailors were killed or seriously wounded by the days explosions and the challenges and deadly dangers of fighting a fire fed by aviation fuel, missiles, bombs, and miles of electrical wiring that melted and burned in intense fires.

Lieutenant Cmdr. James and Lieutenant Rado circled the aircraft carrier and looked on with horror and dismay as a plume of thick black oily smoke rose from the port side of the ship. There were actually two plumes of smoke; one from the bow and one towards the stern. The plumes merged together hundreds of feet above the deck and slowly drifted northeasterly towards Iran.

Wildman said more to himself than to anyone but said it into an open mike. Christ! We thought we were invincible. What a disaster. Top Hat we better figure out where we can land.

Roger that. Fuel won’t last forever. Nothing we can do out here.

Their voices were heard over the speakers in the CIC. The shaken air controllers forgot for a brief moment they had aircraft aloft. The explosions were so violent they’d been thrown out of chairs and stunned were just getting over their disbelief the carrier was hit. The air traffic controller responsible for their flight was about to tell them to land at Thumrait AB Oman when another huge explosion rocked the carrier.

The Sizzler missile that zoomed over the carrier with its guidance system thrown off by the decoy chaff made a long circling flight completely circling the ship before acquiring its huge target. It slammed into the island containing the navigation bridge without the Phalanx system firing one round. Vital radar and electronic equipment were destroyed. Ten officers and thirty four sailors were killed. Panic spread throughout the ship. How many more of the devil’s own missiles were coming their way?

102 miles away, I was pacing back and forth in my bunker. Only fifteen minutes elapsed since the missiles were launched. Had they hit their target? The Chinese secure website still showed the bright red dot moving, but it seemed to be at a slower pace. It was hard to tell. I would just have to wait for news. If my mission was successful I would hear about it over BBC or Al-Jazeera. These days no news worthy event remained secret for long.

Within five minutes of the attack the guided missile frigate USS Nicholas approached the stricken aircraft carrier. The Nicholas lookout spotted the black plume of smoke drifting over the bright blue sparkling in the early morning sun Arabian Sea and alerted the bridge. The officer of the deck took a look through powerful binoculars and saw the carrier suffered major