The Vietnamese air force flew a collection of Russian-built fighters.
Until recently, the most advanced airframe in their inventory was the MiG-23F
Flogger, a smaller and less capable version of the airframe reserved for
Russia’s own use. The single-pilot fighter had limited-range “Jay Bird”
radars, with little or no capability beyond fifteen nautical miles. With no
infrared or Doppler tracking capabilities, and carrying only the ancient
Soviet Atoll and Aphid air-to-air missiles, the export version of the fighter
was considerably less threatening than the original model. Russia stopped
building Floggers in 1980, although Tombstone recalled that India still built
some versions of the airframe under license from Russia. The MiG-29 Fulcrum
and the SU-27 Flanker had replaced most of the Floggers in the Soviet
inventory.
However, Vietnam had upped the ante in mid-1994, when it had taken
delivery of a squadron of SU-27 Flankers. The Flanker was a Russian-built
multipurpose fighter aircraft used for air intercept by the former Soviet
Union’s ground defense forces. There were six versions of the advanced
fighter, all produced at Komsomolsk in the Khabarovsk Territory. While the
basic airframe had entered service in the Soviet Union in 1984, new versions
of the Flanker were reportedly under development. Interestingly enough, in
1991 the fighter had been observed undertaking ground attack roles as well.
The Flanker was also the first Soviet aircraft to make a non-VSTOL
landing on a ship. That particular development had caused immense concern in
the U.S. military establishment, since the Soviet Union had relied on its
land-launched aircraft as the mainstay of its air power until then. Being
tied to land bases naturally limited Soviet strategic options in pursuing
domination of large areas of the world, and had helped to limit efforts at
expansionism. But with a potent carrier air wing and fighters in its
inventory, the Soviet Union could dramatically expand its theater of
influence–and combat. Fortunately, the Evil Empire had collapsed under its
own corruption before developing a truly workable carrier aviation program.
Engineering details, such as developing a reliable catapult steam system, had
stymied them long enough.
Equipped with afterburners and a relatively traditional airframe
containing titanium components but no advanced stealth composite materials,
the Flanker was a tough, versatile fighter. It would have been a deadly
adversary flying from a carrier, and was no less potent as a land-based
fighter in the relatively constrained waters of the South China Sea.
Still, Tombstone reminded himself, this was Vietnam’s backyard. There
was no good reason for the country not to conduct surveillance on an American
battle group in their pond. Given Seventh Fleet’s orders to exercise FON
peacefully, it would not be appropriate to provoke a confrontation unless the
battle group’s safety was at stake.
“VID and watch him. Unless his wings are dirty, I’m not opposed to a
fly-over look-see,” Tombstone said finally.
“Yes, Admiral. The Hornet should be in position any minute now.” The
two aircraft were closing in on each other at a thousand knots.
“Tomcat 201, airborne,” Tombstone heard a woman’s voice drawl. Tomboy,
flying as RIO in the alert five. He felt a momentary irritation that he
hadn’t known she was launching, and then realized his feeling was ridiculous.
Why would they have told him who the alert five crew was? And, to be honest,
if it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared.
“Homeplate, Jigsaw One.” Another RIO’s voice cut in on the circuit, a
hard edge of excitement in the tone. “This ain’t no MiG! It’s an SU-27–a
Flanker, two-seater version. Wings are clean–no weapons on this boy–and
Chinese insignia on the fuselage and tail. I’m moving off to his right, about
five hundred yards away. Looks like he’s headed your way,” the Hornet
conducting the intercept said.
“Roger, Jigsaw One. Escort him on in,” the calm voice of the carrier TAO
answered.
“Chinese!” Tombstone said thoughtfully. “I’d heard there were some
Chinese aircraft down there with a detachment conducting training, but what
are they doing flying operational missions with Flankers out of Vietnam?”
In 1991, Tombstone recalled, China’d taken delivery of the first eight
Flankers. Since then, the remainder of the first order of twenty-two had been
delivered. Intell sources believed that China might buy up to twenty-eight