Airships battles

Just a thought I found another one of my stories I had been working on . It is an alternate history of Airships and go's up to the Iran hostage crisis . Do you want me to edit and post it . Fairly long story will come in chapters each day to week .


This is the first chapter.

The longest Flight.

At 1800 hours on February 11 1980 the Airship USS Arkon gently broke free of it's mooring post in a top secret section of Edwards Air Force Base . After nearly 50 years the USN was back in the Airship business.



As Captain James Johnston reflected upon the most hectic 10 years of his life a smile grew. Here he was commanding the first flight and first operational deployment of the USN Strategic Airship concept. The Largest and most powerful Airship ever to take to the skies. '







The Story of the Strategic Airship programme began some 10 years earlier when it was noted that The Soviet Bastion concept preserved a credible second strike weapon . What was needed was a high endurance Aircraft able to either penetrate the `defences of the area and kill the Boomers or a method of preserving for two weeks at a time or more an airborne deterrent . From this requirement several proposals were received. The first was to arm B-52 bombers with air-launched versions of ASROC and it's successor . This met with a lukewarm response from the Navy . Eventually a Then Junior Lieutenant Johnston mentioned to his Mentor and Admiral the Antisubmarine operations of the Blimps during WW2 . Admiral Brian Jackson immediately passed the thought up through his chain of command . From their it became a black program . The weapons designed for other programs were scoured for suitability . The dimensions needed to carry the electronics and weapons needed for either mission were tallied and put into a requirement . as the size of the hull and lifting capacity of the Airship was realized modifications were made to the program . Right from the outset in order to minimize risk components from other reliable aircraft were used.




As a result of this what emerged was an Airship larger then anything else ever to take to the air . with a length of 200 metres Standing 60 metres high and a width of 80 metres not including the wings The Airship was huge . Mounted on 4 rotating stub wings were 8 Allison T-56-A-14 turboprops . with 4 forwards and 4 aft driving 8 metre diameter 4 bladed propellers lifting and manoeuvring power was assured . up to 6 engines could be feathered for longer endurance following take-off. Inside the Giant Airship were a further 3 engines , High power diesel generators capable of powering all combat systems when only 2 were in use. And the Combat System was the most extensive ever to take to the sky . On top of the giant Airship was the radar system of an E-3 Sentry . this provided surveillance and queuing for the attack radars out to 240 miles. Mounted in 2 pairs forward and aft with 220 degree traverse are 4 AWG-9 radars . operating on discretely different frequencies these provide self defence target designation and the use of the AIM-54 and AIM-7 missile systems. mounted under these radars are a single an/aps-116 sea search radar . The weapons load was disappointingly small when first viewed but considering it was a lighter then air ship and not a cruiser it was not too bad. Internal magazines allowed for a total of 40 tons of offensive Weapons . and 24 tons of defensive weapons . The magazine was designed to take 40 AIM-54 and 20 AIM-7 Sparrow missiles . with only 4 launch adapters for the Aim-54 and 4 for the Sparrow it was not wise to get involved in a dogfight . The Magazines for the offensive missiles were much more generous . Various numbers of missiles could be carried mounted on one of the 4 retractable launch pylons and fired. typical missiles carried included. AGM-86 ( 1.5 ton . maximum of 26 carried ) / AGM-69 SRAM ( up to 40 missiles) / AGM-78 ARM ( up to 70 ) / AGM-84 ( up to 54 missiles ) obviously various load outs were preferred . Interestingly due to the large electronics outfit the Airship could change SRAM launch coordinates up to 10 seconds before launch making them suitable as Anti-ship missiles Also included in her on-board computers was the Data needed to reconfigure ALCM to attack SA-5 Batteries that appeared. . On Her First voyage She was going to be undertaking a Deterrence mission over the North Pole . Loaded with a Full air to air magazine and a combination of 12 AGM-86 with 200 KT warheads , 12 AGM-69 with 170 kt warheads , 6 AGM-78 ARM and 8 AGM-84 Harpoon . Her intended role in the event of SIOP was to launch half her cruise missiles at radar and missile sites blocking the ingress of B-52 bombers and then to use Her Missile armament to shoot down bombers heading for the united States . In a pinch the SRAM could also be used in this role however it would be tricky targeting . Their was also several compartments that for this initial mission were not in use . These compartments were the on board aircraft hangar and associated magazines. also not inflated was %25 of the helium bags . They were not needed for this first trial mission .




On Board the 100 Crew members were living a fairly comfortable life. Living space was weight limited not space limited therefor large hammock style beds were the norm . An indoor Tennis Court appeared near the Chiefs quarters and the on board movies were on a 40 ft screen . The Chef had a large Galley and decent food storage room , Their was even talk of putting a weights room in . A running track was established on the maintenance runs . all of this before she had even taken off . The crew were however very heavily worked . Their was a comprehensive command deck to enable full situational awareness. The crew were evenly split between star wars and star trek fans and so half the crew regarded her as a Star Destroyer and the remainder called her the USS Enterprise . Their voyage would last for nearly a month before returning to Edwards Air Force Base . The success of the mission would result in a further 11 craft being built to the same design . It would also result in the formation of a Lighter then Air Carrier Squadron of Highly modified AV-8B Harriers. With These the mission would change to Maritime strike and protection .




Captain Johnstone Was hovering over the command deck wishing he could do more then maintain his stoic pose , here he was commanding the proving flight of a vessel larger then anything except and Aircraft Carrier . a Top Secret program at that . His Orders were to avoid visual contact with all shipping and take up a patrol orbit that complemented the DEW line off Canada. His mission report would form the parameters of future missions. Their was however already talk about convoy protection in the event of conventional war. With this in mind he set a course to avoid major metropolitan areas and get off shore as fast as possible . Once the USS Akron reached 5000 ft Speed was increased to 120 kt's and a steady 500 ft a min rate of climb was achieved this being close to the maximum expected performance. With all Crew members on Oxygen The Majestic Airship reached a cruising height of 20 ,000 ft 40 minutes later . Although their was still a positive climb rate They were at an altitude were low cross winds were predicted . Following the course laid out he expected to be on station in his patrol Zone within 30 hours . As long as fuel consumption stayed within expected levels he expected to recover to Edwards in 3 weeks . with a further weeks supplies remaining . In light of the Secret Nature of the flight the main radar was used intermittently to ensure a clear path . Twice Challenges from military radar sites were received . Both were rebuffed and received visits to explain the fact that no radar tracks were made .




Not long after Reaching the Coast of Alaska the first of the planned exercises began . Alaskan based F-4E fighters of the Elmendorf based 18 TFW carried out a mock intercept . They were rather shocked to be declared dead while still 85 nm away from their supposed quarry . They were even more shocked when told their target had destroyed their home base as well . Figuring they were suckered in by a USN CVBG their were no hard feelings. a further 6 attempted intercepts took place and only a pair of terrain following F-4E fighters got within missile range before being figuratively intercepted. The 6 hours of continuous combat showed some personnel weaknesses with a close call amongst the magazine crews who had been loading and unloading training missiles all morning . As the USS Akron passed over the Artic Coast of Alaska She became a part of the NORAD system . for the next 20 days a Racetrack pattern was followed that allowed full surveillance of the Beaufort Sea. At one point a suspected TU-95 began to approach the Coast of Alaska . Two of the AWG-9 radars were trained onto the TU-95 at the same time as a warning to turn away . The Tu-95 was forced away . On day 17 a SIOP message was received. set exercise condition Fast Pace . Over the next 8 hours a series of 40 B-52 bombers simulating Soviet TU-95 aircraft attempted to attack Alaska . any aircraft tracks projected to approach within 20 nm of the USS Akron were engaged with the AIM-7 Sparrow and the remainder with AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. as the missile stocks began to run down permission was sought to allow air burst SRAM engagements. This was outside the exercise parameter's and was turned down however the intercept points and radar tracks were put into the patrol report. Not long after the last B-52 was engaged Captain Johnson received orders to return to Edwards Air Force Base by the quickest means possible . Setting course For home base he had mixed feelings . In his opinion the request to exercise with all the Weapons at his disposal was allowed however he was sure he was going to get in trouble for suggesting SRAM missile usage as a possible AAM .

21 Hours later the USS Akron had Arrived back at Edwards Air Force Base and been put inside her Hangar. As the crew made ready to Shut down the on-board systems the Chief of Boat Announced " All hands Prepare for Inspection " , Their was a sudden rush of feet trying to ready their quarters for an official no notice inspection . Captain Johnstone was as perplexed as everyone else however he remained at his post on the Command Deck and waited for His COB to bring him the Inspection party. All of a sudden two Secret Service members arrived on the command deck and took up positions near the Door . President Jimmy Carter came in accompanied by the Joint Chiefs. Motioning for the remainder of the deck crew to Leave , The Naval Chief spoke first . " Son do you know how bad you have made the United States Air force look " , without waiting for an answer he continued " you made the elite B-52 Squadron look like idiots . out of 40 inbound Bombers you killed 34 and requested shooting down the remainder with air to surface nuclear missiles. " " I know you had a hand designing this aerial Battleship however did you expect this performance. " Still in shock Captain Johnstone replied ." i designed this Airship to enter hostile waters and destroy Soviet Missile Submarines , i had to have a robust air defence system and the Phoenix was the only way of achieving this . " The on-board Radars had to find any and all targets out their because at 120 kt's we can not run away from a fight . " At this Point President Carter began to talk . " Just what weapons are you able to carry and use from this aerial Battleship . " . The reply was not what was expected. " we can carry and use every weapon in the USAF and USN inventory . our computer systems and radar targeting systems are the most advanced available . We have better electronic warfare capability then just about any warship in the fleet due to our ability to carry three receivers and triangulate instantly . " So what your saying sonny is that this is the best weapon we have right now ." This comment was delivered from a visibly angry USAF defence Chief. ." No Sir it is a force multiplier. on it's own it is easily overwhelmed but if used in conjunction with USAF or USN assets it will assist in long term force projection , when we get our on board fighter Aircraft we will be that little bit better at force projection and our own protection . " President Carter cut off the reply from the Air force Chief and simply asked " what fighters" , Captain Johnstone replied , we have viewed the Bae Sky hook proposal with interest and have been trying to get some of our marine AV-8A fighters modified to Sea Harrier standards with on board radar and medium range missiles. , we can carry 6 of them on board" The President Turned to the Navy chief and said " any objection to a joint program with the Air Force " NO " was the immediate reply . President Carter then turned to the Air Force chief , " Can you deliver the modified aircraft ASAP plus pilots . i want 2 of these aerial battleships operational ASAP . we may need then for Iran . " with that said he left leaving the 3 Chiefs behind . After he had left the Army Chief turned around and said . " what is the maximum load you could carry on a clandestine mission with a 200 mile ingress and egress at low altitude and a 2000 nm journey to reach this point . " With no on board weapons we can carry maybe 100 tons their and back . with weapons cut that to 76 tons " . a grunt was the only reply . then all three Chiefs left the Airship leaving Captain Johnson wondering just what was going on .
 
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Err so the US is investing massive amounts of money in an aircraft that's the size of a high school and can't go above 200 MPH? While I get that its supposed to be able to carry a lot of weapons and has advanced detection systems what happens when it gets within range of ground or sea based SAM systems much less say a squadron of interceptors?
 
The entire concept is one of electronic warfare to degrade the enemy followed by large missile swarms. The airship carries a full package of radar detection and jamming systems and is designed to use it's missiles to kill them .\
 

GarethC

Donor
Unsure about its viability vs Grumble without EA-6B AN/ALQ-99-esque EW. In 1980 Slava is in service and Kirov is working up. Even with ECM pods, did the navalized S-300 have home-on-jam capability?

I think the Mig-31 and its R-33/AA-9 are known after the Mig-25 defection to Japan - a multi-axis attack with a regiment of those will be a challenge for Akron in the next year.
 
Soon after the President had left a signed order arrived.



By order of the President of the United States of America , Captain James Johnstone is hear-by promoted to Commodore for meritorious service.







Barely had Commodore Johnstone read and digested his promotion when the new design requirements arrived. He now had a completely new role and not much time to achieve it . Fortunately he also received what amounted to a complete freedom of action with which to achieve his goals . The Joint Chiefs were each sending him an Aide de camp to help him get what he needed from the respective services. Construction of a further 4 units had been approved in the discretionary budget . Strangely however only 2 were earmarked as Navy Airships the other 2 were designated as Command ships with a joint Air force and Army crew. This was not what he expected. After a 12 hours time deliberating what to say he rang the Pentagon and was placed on a conference call with the 3 Chiefs. not knowing where to begin he started by asking what the Army and Air Force wanted that was different to the Navy Airships . General Jones answered for the Air Force . " what we want is to support limited operations against enemies of the United States at any time or place using a specially configured version of your Airship and we do not believe the current configuration is able to support ground forces ." Ready for this Commodore Johnstone replied almost immediately . " In no way do i intend to remove from the needs of the Air Force or Army however i designed USS Arkon to be modular and able to carry any air launched missile needed . However one of my Marine Guards for the Nuclear weapons was talking to one of his buddies about the Capabilities of your Spectre Gun Ships and i overheard him . I feel we could easily carry out a similar role with minimal modification . May i present my proposal to you in 3 days time after a visit to their base ." The phone went silent for nearly 30 minutes then Admiral Haywood came on the line " Son you have a great knack of putting your foot in it . We are sending 2 C-120 H variants and their crews to Edwards to teach you about their role and mode of operations . they are not yet cleared for your Airship project . is their anything else you want while I'm at it . " Admiral Haywoods tone did not allow for an answer however Commodore Johnstone needed 2 more pieces for the puzzle that was his project. " Sir i need an expert on Laser designators / Forward Looking Infa-red and turret design and use . also i need approval to negotiate with Boeing and The Royal Navy for their Sea Harrier Fighters." once again their was a pause followed by a quick reply . " yes wheels will turn , Form Now On No Messages on the Progress of your Project go anywhere except to General Jones Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. , your project is totally secret . " . with that the phone went dead.




12 Hours later a pair of AC-130 H Spectres landed and taxied to the massive hangar . Before they could exit their Aircraft several M-113 surrounded them . Security in this little corner of Edwards Air-force Base was totally secure. as he stood in the doorway of his Aircraft Major Glenn Sommers could only stair in amazement . his orders were to fly to this location and teach some squid about close air-support not get surrounded by a marine company with no nonsense attitudes. Barely had he thought he was in the wrong place when a pair of A-10 warthogs arrived . fully armed and ready to go to war they looked menacing , humming to himself he realized he too was fully loaded with munitions . A Young Marine 2nd Lieutenant approached and Saluted . "Major if your men will follow my sargent they will be led to an area where refreshments and crew rest can occur , however you are requested to folow me and meet our OC . " Major Sommers was to curious to not want to find out was was happening and so followed the Lieutenant . as he did so he noticed one A-10 pilot heading over to join his men and the other joining him . They were led in separately with no communication and entered a darkened facility with only a side office providing a welcoming light . Once inside the level of security again became apparent . The 2nd Lieutenant puled out 2 clipboards one of which Major Sommers noticed had his classified file on it , the other he assumed related to the Warthog Pilot . The Lieutenant turned to the USAF pilot who was wearing no rank insignia and said " Good Morning Colonel May can we start with you . this will not take long , do you have your air-force id with you . " Startled Major Sommers turned and saluted " Sorry Colonel i did not know what was happening sir ." Colonel Collin May replied " i have no use for my rank within my squadron Major we all work hard getting ready for the big one then i get pulled aside to teach some squid what ground attack is " having said that he turned to the Lieutenant and said " I'm 2 weeks into a major exercise and get pulled out to come and talk tactics , whats going on ? "




At that point in time Commodore Johnstone walked in " Sorry to spring this on you with such short notice however i have a problem and without the help of the two of you i can not solve it in time . You have just been seconded to a United States Navy Black Project you and your crews will go through security screening and then i will brief you further . see you in 2 hours . " With that Commodore Johnston went back to his office and began reviewing the files on the men he had just Shanghaied.

The years of ground attack experience Colonel May had was incredible . From strafing with an F-51 mustang in Korea to 3 tours in Vietnam starting in A-1 Skyraiders back in 1966 , then a tour in 68 flying F-105 Wild Weasels and finally a tour in 72 with the F-4E Phantom, He appeared to be an expert on air to ground ordinance as well which was a bonus . Major Sommers had started out as a Second pilot on a C-130 crew , somehow while on a transport flight into Da Nang he had managed to use his engineering skills to assist in the first AC-47 and later transferred to an AC-119 Squadron and following a tour with them he also assisted in the development of the current Ac-130 aircraft . Closing the files he realized that he still had no expert on night vision gear and lasers . both of which he felt would be essential for the role his Beloved Airships were being pushed towards.




2 Hours later he left his office and went down to the Hangar . standing in front of a group of 28 men . Smiling to himself he Walked in front of the assembled men and came to attention . " Colonel Mays and Major Sommers may i address your men " with a nod from both officers he continued " What you are now involved in is Classified top secret . our mission parameters have changed and our expected role is changing . I will need all of your expertise over the coming months to bring this project to completion . Light Please ! "he paused for a good 2 minutes as the men took in the sight of the Airship in front of them ." What you are looking at is the USS Arkon Carrier Airship . She carries massive firepower over incredible distances . We are to change her from a strategic Airship to a tactical support Airship . " Colonel mays was the first to speak " She is an awefull big target , what defences do you have right now . " Commodore Johnstone smiled and said "we carry 40 Phoenix and 20 Sparrow missiles . " Colonel Mays immediately replied "that's not going to do anything over land . i have some ideas. That may help . " expecting to get shot down he waited for it . instead Colonel Johnstone replied . For the mission we were designed to achieve the defences were adequate as were the offensive weapons however we are going to need a full redesign of sensors weapons and modes of operation and thats why you are all here. our mission is within a broad oultie to fly 2000nm from the nearest friendy base able to support us and carry out an ingress of over 200 nm through hostile terrain stay on station for up to 4 hours and depart along the same route , defences are reported to be heavy but not overly sophisticated . we also need to be able to knock out infrastructure at various points and act as an airborne command post . Our 6 onboard Harrier jumpjets will deploy to escort us and return to refuel and reload . The weapons we take will largely depend upon your recommendations. The sooner we come up with the plans the sooner we can begin construction of the ground support airship .




Commodore Johnstone went to his office to begin calling various companies looking for laser designation and FLIR turret experts when Colonel Mays and Major Sommers were ushered in . Both sat down and Major Sommers was the first to speak . " It sounds like you want a super Spectre with additional hard target capabilities. Just how much influence do you have Comodore " Johnston stood up and walked around a bit then looked at the two men " i have orders from the top i report only to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . what you want or need we will get ."

Major sommers walked over to the plans of the USS Arkon and pointed to 6 points underneath . " each of these points needs a special gun turret . capable of full traverse and carrying a 105 mm howitzer a single 40 mm bofors and a single M-61a1 20 mm gatling gun . Each turret needs to be able to designate targets that are further away from the Airship with a laser to be engaged by several maverick missile launchers . For self defence the Phoenix is good but we would like two chaparral turrets on top of the hull to be certain . Also several of the Black Crow (AN/ASD-5) detectors slaved to FLIR wil be required. We also feel a larger bomb will be needed and currently the Walleye 2 is the best choice . we wold like to see if a maverick missile engine can extend the guidance range . " As he fell silent he realized that Commodore Johnstone was studying intently . Laughing he suddenly spoke . USS Super spectre i love it . i was thinking initially along the lines of automatic 76mm turrets like we have on the new FFG Oliver Hazard Perry's but i needed experts to make this work and your suggestions are the way it's going to be . don't be surprised if you end up commanding an Airship . " From that point on the design of the next two Airships proceeded rapidly .




Without the need for the magazine for Special weapons much internal space was free for the installation of the weapons and their communications . a completely new plotting system was used to designate targets for individual turrets . Here the navy lead the way . When the First FlIR turrets arrived and began to be placed on the hull someone asked why not give magazine crews the ability to search as well . This meant that an extra 4 FLIR could be operated searching for targets . A single Marine Corps AV-8A arrived to prove the hangar size concept . still no word from the British had been recieved on the Sea Harrier . The onboard ECCM equipment was installed and tested . The Airship now had as much Jamming capability as 6 EA-6B While all the modifications were made to the hulls of the next Two Airships the USS ARKON was not forgotten . with the Nuclear Missile magazine removed a new device was mounted in their place. it was a massive container able to be lowered 5000 ft and picked up again . it could carry 100 troops and was based on a reinforced C-141 starlifter hull . A pair of mini-gun turrets sat on top , it was the ultimate in hostage rescue . it had been the brainchild of another Special operation officer brought in to help out . he figured that it could silently drop commandos into an airport and provide covering fire and a means of egress that was armoured and capable of fighting back . The latest string of Hijackings had gotten approval for this . Comodore Johnstone did not like the system but had been overruled. Arkon had been modified with upgraded ECM systems a few FLIR turrets and Laser designators . Two data-links for GBU-15 and Walleye 2 had been added and a single Chaparral turret was now on top of the envelope above the command cabin . A single Howitzer turret was also added however it did not have the bofors gun or the mini-gun .




2 months later and President Carter came to visit with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We have been waiting for you to be ready in order to rescue the American Hostages in Iran . When will you have your Airships ready to go "was the Presidents first question " Sir the Airships are only awaiting helium and then they are ready . However we still have no Radar equipped Jump - Jets and theirfore no onboard fighters. " Commodore Johnston was shocked all this time he figured they would support the main action not be the action . " You will mount the Skyhook system in the airships immediately once they are installed you will fly to Gibraltar and take on 6 Harriers each . From their you will transit to Diego Garcia in secret . if you have to cross africa make sure noone sees you . if you do not feel this is possible go around the cape. Once at Diego Garcia you will take on supplies and a company of rangers only then continue to The Red Sea and coordinate with the Navy for your air support. I do not care what happens in Tehran so long as our people escape unharmed . Your Rules of engagement allow shoot first from the moment you aproach the Iranian Coast.
 
Commodore Johnstone quickly called both Colonel Mays and Major Sommers into the main planning room . " Well we have our target and launch ASAP , we are going to rescue the hostages in Iran " , "We are still supposed to stay undetected the entire journey so that rules out a fast trip over the United States . It also rules out a Mediterranean transit . i am unsure of the capabilities of the various military radars in Africa however i know the state department is ready is several to bribe senior radar controllers to shut down their systems . " "Also we are going to pickup our fighter squadron at Gibraltar . so the new recovery method is going to get a workout. " Commodore Johnston took in the looks he received and before he could say anything Colonel Mays let out an exclamation "HOT DAMM here i was thinking that this was some wet dream project . and now we get some action hey . What support do we get . "




The reply was sobering "we are almost on our own until we have the hostages on board from their we can ask the Navy to clear an egress route . we will be in the middle of the Iranian air defence network which is well equipped with Tigercat SAM and Hawk SAM , several hundred Redeye may also be present . The Iranian Air Force is undergoing upheaval yet has 79 F-14 Tomcat , 166 F-5E/F and some 225 F-4D/E Phantoms. Our only positive is that CIA tells me that currently over 2000 offices primarily from the Air Force are being held as traitors. "

"please brief your selected crews draw full munition loads and prepare for action , we Launch in 24 hours . "







The Small base at Edwards became a hive of activity . Truck after truck arrived carrying all sorts of ordinance and supplies. A fully equipped MASH unit arrived and was split between the three airships. A single operating theatre being set up in each . The Ammunition for the 105 mm Howitzers arrived but not the racks to store it in . New Racks were constructed by the Engineering team and distributed to the respective Airships . unfortunately only 100 rds per gun could be accommodated in the new racks . Ammunition for the 20 mm guns also arrived and at 4000 rds per gun considered far more then needed . The 40 mm bofors guns also took delivery of their ammunition this time 400 rds per gun arrived .




Each Airship also took on board their Phoenix missiles and the Sparrow magazine given over to the AIM-9 sidewinders that their air group would need . For 18 hours Straight the supplies just kept coming . All components were tested and tested again . 2 complete spare engines for the Allison turboprops also arrived , how these were going to be used was anyones guess. The last supplies to arrive were the Maverick missiles . Evenly split between the laser guided AGM-65 C and the AGM 65 B . Attempts to get some of the new AGM-65D had failed due to the very early stage of development . When the Airships were fully loaded and ready to depart their was 4 hours left to nightfall . All hands were ordered to sleep in order to enable a dusk launch . Very few did .







Commodore Johnstone spent the time going over a course map with Colonel Mays and Major Sommers . The need to remain undetected was a problem . as was the need to pickup the Harriers at Gibraltar. Speed of advance was also discussed . It was possible to refuel the Airships from Navy oilers and they could be placed in position however it was risky . Their was no other option that would enable refueling out of site of land . The Chief of the Navy offered to have Supply ships positioned off Gibraltar and off Africa on the expected flight path , However until They arrived at Diego Garcia their would be no other refueling opportunities.




The final path chosen was to fly south down the coast of the United States until Panama was reached then at night fly across the Ismuth and head into the Caribbean Sea . Using their Radar to avoid contacts the Airships would wait until dusk if needed then fly over the British East Indies ( HM government knew something was happening ) and Head for Gibraltar . Just short of Gibraltar a UNREP group would refuel the Airships at night and at dawn the Harriers would fly out to the Airships . From their Course would depend upon the Intelligence received regarding Africa. Just to reach The rendezvous with the Harrier Jump Jets would involve a 7800 nm flight taking 3 days and 15 hours. The sheer complexity of the mission and it's length not being lost on the Crews . Due to the Nature of the Journey the supply chief's had managed to add a few goodies like movies and ice cream aboard.




At 2000 Hours the USS Arkon was led out of her hangar and began her takeoff . With her Gas Bags fully inflated and all 8 Engines tilted at 80 degrees she slowly staggered into the Air . 10 min later As she passed 1000 ft and 40 kt's The second of the Airships USS Super Spectre ( this being an unofficial name as no official name had yet been received ) went through the same motions . Finally the USS Stars and Stripes ( unofficial yet again ) Took off . It Had taken nearly an hour to launch the three largest Airships every Built . over the next 3 hours they slowly formed up and headed out to sea at a stately 80 kts. as Fuel was burned this speed would increase to 100 kts.




Altitude was a steady 5000 ft when the First meal of the Journey was served. Surf and Turf with all the Trimmings. 1/2 Pound Porterhouse Steak served with steamed Lobster tail , A1 steak sauce , Garlic and Parsley Butter Dip , Garlic and Bacon Roast Red Potato , Mash Potato , Corn Cobs , Pumpkin Pie , Broccoli Morney , Apple Pie and Ice Cream .All Washed down with ice cold Coke or Pepsi . 2 hours later a very satisfied crew settled into the routine of their journey .
 
Command Deck USS AKRON




Commodore Johnston was reading the maintenance logs from the past 36 hours. it was amazing that their had been no electrics issues considering how quickly the mission was laid on . Colonel Mays was happy with his crew and their performance , Major Sommers on the other hand wanted to exercise his gun crews more vigorously and was asking for some kind of target of course. All of which had to be worked out . Maybe the supply ships would have a helo or two to drop some barrels in the ocean .




After much deliberation and a weather report of low level cloud over Texas it had been decided to head straight for the Gulf of Mexico . after burning some fuel and slowly picking up speed favourable air currents had helped the trio of airships to reach speeds of up to 100 kts during the night . Currently they were headed for Florida at a fuel saving 50 kts . with 4 engines feathered being checked over by the airmen it was a leisurely cruise for 12 hours . a speed run followed by mechanical checks were going to be the normal operating procedure . once out in the Atlantic proper they would only feather 2 engines at a time but for now their was nowhere to go until dusk . several civilian aircraft had been warned away by the 6 Airborne Early Warning and Control airmen on duty . Their was always 6 on duty and 6 sleeping .




Once the sun began going down Commodore Johnston simply radioed one word "Buster" in other words full throttle lets get into the deep Atlantic quickly. 12 hours later with the Americas well behind them speed was reduced to 80 kts , during the night one of the airships had reached 110 kts before prudence slowed them down . the gas bags had been moving too much . it would be a steady 34 hour journey across the Atlantic to find the supply group and a rendezvous with their fighters.




600 miles out from Gibraltar and during the approach to the Underway Replenishment group one of the radar operators suddenly called for officer of the deck . "many inbound contacts speed 450 kts altitude 10 000 ft . looks like 6 groups of aircraft range 150 miles , must have just come off the deck . hold on theirs another 3 groups climbing now i got them at 1000 ft but climbing fast . " The Radar Officer came over looked quickly and said do a surface scan full strength . " 2 Ships Sir on the bearing to the aircraft both appear to be large ships moving at 6 kts. " The radar officer knew what was expected but followed protocol anyway those contacts were only 130 miles away now with a closing speed of 480 kts. In less then 15 minutes they would arrive. Suddenly one of the operator's said " Some English guy is asking if mother hen would like her chicks ." The Officer of the deck was about to reply just as Commodore Johnstone rushed on deck , he had been amidships supervising the fuel hose winch " Whats happening , Report " " Sorry sir the fighters are inbound and i did not expect them for another 3 hours sir " replied the Officer of the Deck ( a rather Junior Ensign ) . " Well done you followed procedure even if i did think the Ruskies had found us "" Tell the Harriers they may land one at a time 1 minute apart.




The refueling was abandoned until the Harriers were brought aboard . The airships slowly turned into the wind to ease the procedure for the first time . Slowly the first of the Sea Harriers flew under the stern of the giant airship and approached the docking bay. the lights on the Hull above him provided the guide that and a series of quick hand written notes from the only other person to try this were the only help he had . Slowly vectoring his engine thrust to match speed and maneuver under the Airship the first harrier suddenly felt a jolt . then a reassuring voice said gotcha cut throttle please. slowly reducing power he was raised into the main hangar . 30 seconds later as his engine would down his aircraft was placed on the main hangar floor . immediately ground crew attached a towing device to his front wheel and proceeded to tow him to the furthest bay . As a ladder was attached he was asked by a grizzled Chief if he would like to talk the remain Harriers in . Barely had this request been given when the second harrier was deposited on the hangar floor by the Sky Hook . As he watched it released the lifting point attached to the Sea Harriers and then raised the 4 padded claws that held the harrier under the front wings and on the rear fuselage. specifically designed and laser guided they attached not when the operator decided but when the aircraft was in the right position according to the computer laser. 5 minutes later all 6 Sea Harriers were on board. and a Beaming Comodore Johnstone was offering Squadron leader Timothy Lacey a drink and a sandwich in the mess. " well i expected Marine pilots but i'm certainly not disappointed "said Comodore Johnstone " Neither am i " replied Squadron leader Lacey . " it appears your need was so bad i was authorised to enter combat as a British pilot on exchange , as are my fellow instructors. also it appears You get to keep the Aircraft afterwards and Bae get to build another 34 for us at the cost you bought these 18 , Everyone wins " Now i simply must see more of these nonexistent Airships ."




After the Harriers arrived they were rapidly repainted in Marine colors . A message arrived and a contingent of spares and maintenance workers were being flown to Ascension to be picked up . also a comfort package of AIM-9 Lima missiles was being sent . Along with a new launcher to enable the Harriers to carry the AIM-9L and their 2 Aden 30 mm plus 2 external fuel tanks . Commodore Johnstone was less then pleased , he had intended to fly across Morocco at night and across the deserts of North Africa , Crossing the borders of Niger Chad and Sudan before crossing Ethiopia and heading for Diego Garcia . Now it seemed the Soviets had begun an airlift to a new Libyan base and installed some strategic SAM launchers with 200 mile range. The whole area was a no go zone . Instead he was to fly to ascension refuel and then fly across South Africa following a course given by the South African Government and all to avoid Cubans and Soviets . The price for this deal was not mentioned but the radar operator reported contact with a MAC C-5 Galaxy headed for South Africa with an "interesting cargo " , one could only assume the South Africans needed some advanced weapons of some kind or another , still it cut 2 days off the journey to Diego Garcia . Also the fuel winch carried up a crate of goodies when it lowered the fuel cable for the last time . a crate of Spanish Oranges .
 
It was fast approaching darkness when the Airships arrived at Ascension Island . coming in at a steady 10 kts (NOTE ONE ) Commodore Johnson reflected that in 4 days he had flown nearly 9000 nm refueled once taken on Jet Fighters and drilled continuously for combat . The journey was going incredible well . One of the engines which had been running well up until 12 hours ago had decided to fail and while waiting his turn to replenish at Ascension he had decided to personally supervise the replacement while at 5000 ft .


The operation involved first working inside the wing to disconnect the faulty engine with the exception of the last 4 bolts that held the engine frame in position . Then a series of walkways were constructed on the wing that followed a Rail line set into the wing . Each worker had a twin safety rope
and at each join stopped and removed one safety rope and attached it on the other side before connecting the second on the next side .Once the Safety rails were in place a purpose designed rig came out and was positioned behind the offending engine . once it was securely bolted in place the A frame crane on it was attached to the internal winch system of the wing . This being safer then trying to take a 5 ton capacity winch motor out onto the wing . Once it was in position the Crew attached the 4 point lifting harness and the lifting rails to the engine Nacelle. The winch took up the slack and the engine Nacelle slowly came free of the wing and was placed on the specially designed Rig. The A- Frame was then used to remove the Propeller which was secured to the wing until the new engine came out .




The damaged engine was brought into the hangar bay and left for repair . The New engine was picked up from it's storage area and checked quickly before being taken out to the wing . It turned out to be much faster to Attach the new Engine due to the experience of the removal of the first . it only took 6 hours to do the complete changeover .( NOTE 2) Finding the Fault in the old engine was going to take much longer . it would take upwards of 12 hours to get it out of it's Nacelle and only then could Fault diagnosis take place. The engine inside the Nacelle was the only one that had been ready to install in that way the other Engine was just a bare mount and Commander Johnson had decided to have the Spare installed in a Nacelle ready to use even though it was going to upset the Airmen and the Chiefs. The only complaint was dealt with very rapidly by the COB , simply put he asked the griper if he wanted to swap places with a hostage .




With the other two Airships already replenished Commander Johnston ordered them to head off at a reduced speed and accelerate slowly to conserve fuel due the the need to fly a further 5500 nm . In just over 2 and a half days he was expected to be at Diego Garcia . In less then 24 hours he was expected to ask for the last minute items his crews needed in order to carry out their mission . On the Journey to Diego Garcia and while over South Africa it had been decided to carry out the Maximum altitude tests . This being how far above MSL the Airships could comfortably operate. It was intended for the two attack oriented Airships to operate at least 7000 ft above the terrain to avoid small arms fire. With Tehran being around 4000 ft above sea level it was thought to be essential for the crews to be able to operate at up to 12000 ft.




After 6 hours of transferring supplies from the ground to the Airship USS Akron the time to depart had come . The USS Super Spectre and USS Stars and Stripes were currently nearly 350 nm away and moving at 70 kts. it was going to take nearly 17 hours to finaly catch up . Commander Johnston decided that after nearly 4 days of 1 or 2 hours sleep at a time that he would get a full 8 hours sleep . Barely had he put his head down when the General Quarters alarm went off . Grabbing His Uniform He rushed into the Command Deck . "Captain has the Deck Officer of the Deck Report " The current officer of the deck was the same poor Ensign as last time at knowing what his captain wanted made it easier to give a full report .

"A large contact is approaching from the South West . Radar is holding it at 37,000 ft on a slow descent current speed is 500kts range 215 nm , it is flying with zero emissions and no transponder or Flight Plan . recommend alerting Ascension and flying away from it's projected Flight Path . it's closest approach to us at this time will be 75 nm . "




Commander Johnson mentally made a note to write an extra note in this Ensigns fitness report , Then he paused , remember ing his experiences on
patrol and his briefing before hand he realized what he was looking at was in all likely hood an Elint aircraft with it's radar off after it detected the signals from his radar ." Are any of the Harriers yet to be painted he asked " not understanding the question he received no reply from the Command Deck personnel . He immediately clarified the issue with a request " contact the hangar and inquire as to the progress on painting the Harriers " a reply was not long in coming and the message electrified Commander Johnston " we are about to begin on the last aircraft it is Squadron Leader Lacey's . " Cease work immediately and prep for launch , Squadron leader Lacey will tell you what to load on board after he talks to me "


Squadron Leader Lacey was fortunately housed in officer Country not far from Commander Johnson's Cabin . his natural curiosity about how the Airship worked and a good working relationship with Commander Johnston meant that 30 seconds later Squadron Leader Lacey arrived at the Entrance to the command deck. After asking permission to enter he Came over to Commander Johnson . " Squadron Leader Lacey would you like to carry out a practice intercept , we have an intruder approaching Ascension Island that is acting like a Bear ." The answer was a grin ." You may launch when ready , coordinate with the Controllers for headings.




5 minutes later a breathless Squadron Leader Lacey arrived in the Hangar . His Sea Harrier was siting their with the sky hook attached waiting for his orders to decide on load out . " Tanks and cannon only please. " he said , reasoning that he was not at war and no one was supposed to know
about the Sea Harrier and 9 Lima combination . While his Aden cannon were loaded he began his cockpit drill . Soon enough he was told that the pins were out . even before he had replied the Sky hook was lifting him up and taking him to the Docking Bay.

Shipboard procedure was that an aircraft with pins removed was held in the slipstream while it started it's engine . This procedure had been decided upon by the COB after viewing the fire safety film of the USS Forestall accident , as far as he was concerned it was not happening on his watch .With The Sea Harrier out in the Airflow it was easy to start the Harriers Pegasus engine . 1 minute later with all checks done twice and his Nozzles pointed straight Ahead the Sky hook let go . The Sea Harrier dropped like a stone at first . a forward speed of only 75 kts was not enough for such small wings to create the lift required . after achieving 300 ft of vertical separation Squadron Leader Lacey slowly added power , At 500 ft separation he was fast approaching the nose of the airship . Pushing the throttle right against the stops he seemed to leap forward , in moments he was doing 400 kts and began to climb and Turn onto an interception heading .




On Board the Uss Akron the departure had been spectacular but the serious business of controlling the intercept took over . " Hello Roost to Chick 1 , Bandit angels plus 32 bearing 15 degrees your current heading , 120 nm "
with these instructions Squadron Leader Lacey increased his climb rate and turned 14 degrees , " chick 1 , Roost aft aspect please " at the current heading and speed he would have a visual on the Bogey in approximately 14 minutes.

12 minutes later it became apparent that the Bogey had changed course . " Roost to Chick 1 , bandit angels minus 2 bearing 300 your current heading range 10 nm speed is 500 knts " Squadron Leader Lacey swore to himself , this was turning into a tail-chase and

even at an overtake of 120 kts he was now flying an extra 45nm and doubling that for his return and it would take at least 5 minutes to overtake his quarry . At 8 nm he realized he was chasing a Boeing 707 , " Chick 1 , Roost bogey is Bravo 7 0 7 , repeat Bravo 7 oh 7 , wil identify ."

As his overtake speed increased the Boeing 707 became clearer in view . approaching low and to the rear of his quarry he realized it was an Argentinian air force aircraft with what looked like alot of new aerials on board. pulling away he rolled his aircraft and took some photos with his built in camera . At any length the presence of Argentinian spy planes so far from home would be of interest to the home office .

" Roost to Chick 1 , head 90 magnetic for home , Angles minus 24 range 160 " " Roger " .







40 minutes later with His Harrier safely on board Squadron Leader Lacey had a quiet conversation with Commander Johnston . Shortly after this he used the Satellite communications gear to talk to a contact he was given about the Bogey .After some time being debriefed he spoke to Commander Johnston again about the importance of maintaining secrecy of the intercept and it's result . This matter was handled by running a further two interceptions to fictitious targets .

22 hours after the excitement of the intercept all three Airships sailed one after another at an altitude of 10000 ft over the coast of South West Africa . for the next 1000 nm and 12 hours their would be no emissions in order to allow deniability to the South Africans .

At times the airships went as high as 13000 ft to fly over high mountain ranges . Passage through South Africa was peaceful and uneventful . only another 2700 nm and 31 hours would see them at Diego Garcia .































NOTE ONE . I have realized that without making the wings capable of facing partially backwards i have very little control over slowing down and or slow speed maneuvering .

so i have decided to alter the wing angle ability to 110 degrees from the Horizontal and allow up to 20 degrees below the horizon . this should help control the station keeping of the Airship .

to enable Further control i have decided to instal a pair of smaller engines front and rear to control swinging . at all times when hovering the Airship will be faced into the wind . and kept their by these means .




NOTE TWO . This is not a standard engine installation . due to the need to possibly change an engine in flight The engine only needs 2 locations to have electronics swapped , and this is a complete wiring loom to complete wiring loom .

pretty much plug to plug even if the plugs are over a foot wide and has 200 plus points . Same with the lubricants and fuel . Although this is a harder operation . TWO Series of pipes with taps stretch up the Bulkhead .

between them is the joins and in front of each Tap is a bleeding point to remove air . Before engine restart all lubricants will be bled and all connections checked . ( LOL hope i have not upset any Airframe fitters) .

Exhaust outlets are harder to do but similar
 
I have most of the next chapter written on an old hard drive and am working on it currently . Probably 2 or 3 days to get it ready . Yes their will be whangs and bangs . I know Jimmy Carter is seen as a lame duck over the Iran situation , however from what I understand he had no realistic option apart from the Desert One attempt . I have spoken to a man who was present as a door gunner on a 53 and he thought without the accident they could have carried out the rescue . As to verifying his bona fids I have no way of doing that and people usually don't claim participation in a debacle unless they where actually their .
 
The MAC flight to South Africa contained a veritable treasure trove for the arms manufacturers of South Africa. Included in the care package was the instructions and components needed to reverse engineer several weapons that would be very important to South Africas future .Their was several python 3 missiles and a licence for South African production paid for by the USA but recieved from Israel . Several AIM-7F missiles and 3 NASARR R21-G radars , one copy of the mk 115 manually aimed illuminator for the Sea Sparrow . also included was several ECM pods .For the South African Army came a few TOW missiles that had been sold to Israel . All up the package meant that over the next few years South Africa could upgrade the Air to Air weapons on her fleet of Mirage f-1 CZ aircraft to include true front on missile capability .The Army could also build a medium range radar guided SAM to complement the Cactus short range SAM system . The seeker head from the Shrike was also included in the package however the missile itself was not .

On the political side the MAC flight also had on board a team of State Department officials looking to gain approval for the US Navy to use Durban and Cape Town as shore leave ports . The single biggest impediment was the segregation issues and it was well known that black American sailors would be not welcome without considerable changes in attitudes . Cape Town was although not integrated seemingly less race conscious .

For all this entailed to the South African government Commander Johnson was not concerned . The Airships had cruised at a comfortable 13,000 feet and dropped to 10,000 once back over water . The journey to Diego Garcia was not only uneventful but blessed by some strong tail winds and as a result they arrived before dark and had to fly a holding pattern 30 nm away while waiting for dusk . As soon as night had fallen the airships headed to three different points to begin to refuel and take on further supplies . For Commander Johnson the arrival of 100 US Rangers and all their combat equipment . They had been organised by taking the best soldiers available from the 1st Ranger Battalion and organising them into impressively well armed Fire Teams and simply telling the men what they would be doing and that they could have any weapons they felt they needed . As a result the men where literally festooned with ammunition for the array of weapons they carried .

Being told they would be fighting in a city against large numbers of fanatical men possibly poorly trained and with airborne fire support the short company had been primarily organised as an assault squad with enough firepower to overwhelm their objective very quickly . As a result the typical heavy weapons platoon and fire support got left on the planning room floor .The Command structure of a company generally leaves a Captain in charge . For this mission the rank structure was ignored and most positions had been filled with combat veterans of at least corporal rank as riflemen and a Colonel in command .As a result the Platoons got organised using the older 11 man units that made maximum use of the experienced soldiers .The Platoons consisted of two 4 man fire teams each of which had 3 M16A1 and a single M16A1 with attached M203 each rifleman also carried an M72 LAW , The Platoon Command squad consisted of the Lieutenant carrying typically an M16A1 however with the permission to take what they wanted several had the M203 as well , a radio operator carrying the PRC-77 also armed with an M16A1, the Platoon Sergeant also with M16A1 and carrying an M202 Flash on his shoulder . The 8 11 man Platoons carried between them considerable firepower and the ability to bring incredible amounts of fire on an objective .

The Command Platoon was different again and was organised into 4 2 man M21 sniper rifle teams and a 4 man command team . With the time the mission called for the men to be on the ground it was felt the Corpsmen the Navy was supplying would cover the lack of squad medics . The sailors who arrived at Diego Garcia to join the Rangers did not fit the expectation . Every single one of them was a veritable arsenal with weapons including the Stoner 63 and other unorthodox weapons . The 12 men all had Petty Officer 1st class or 2nd class ratings along with their HM 1 or 2 ratings . The Navy had sent a unit of Amphibious recon trained medics or in other words a group of Seal and Marine assigned and trained medics .They would fight first and triage and treat second . The ease with which these men carried and cleaned their weapons made it very clear they would be assets not liabilities on the mission . Each platoon was assigned a medic and it was not long before they had been seamlessly placed in the command structure .

The Rangers had not been deployed on the go order they had instead been given last minute city combat training and gotten to know their fellow soldiers most of whom they had trained and fought with in Vietnam previously . Instead while the airships flew to Diego Garcia they had had three days of intensive training and two days of range time before boarding a pair of C-5 Galaxies loaded with supplies and heading for Diego Garcia via Pearl Harbour and Australia . Their long trip was tiring but on reaching their destination and meeting their medics they had had an impromptu weapons cleaning and firing session on the beach during which the incredible firepower of the Stoner and it's 150 round drum magazine with belt was much admired . What made most of the Rangers more surprised was as soon as the firing was over the Medics had immediately begun stripping their guns down and cleaning them meticulously . The sheer quantity of lubrication oil used was surprising . With 7 carrying the Stoner 63 A and the other 5 carrying M16 A1 and M203 combination they provided an appreciable increase to the firepower of the Company . At this point they only knew they would be picked up and would be going into Tehran .

At just after 2000 hours the sound of large numbers of Allison turbojets was heard overhead and the vast majority of the Rangers simply assumed they would be C-130 aircraft . Then a large structure vaguely reminiscent of an aircraft fuselage was deposited on the ground in front of the hangar . It clearly had a pair of turrets and from the back clamshell door came of all people a Navy Commander . In less then 2 minutes the first 3 platoons of Rangers had boarded the turreted fuselage and then moments after the doors closed and the interior lights came on they felt what had to be the fastest elevator ride in history . in what seemed like moments they where being ushered out into a cavernous structure with sailors , airmen and the occasional soldier moving about . Suddenly a man wearing the rank of a CPO called out and began to usher the soldiers to their bunks and assigning men to secure their weapons in the armoury . Thirty minutes later the Rangers and the new supplies had been placed on board and the airships began to move to their next prearranged refuelling point .

At the same time in the skies over Iran a different operation was occurring . An SR-71 had been tasked with testing the current operational capabilities of the Iranian F-14 fleet . At Mack 3.1 and at 80,000 feet the Blackbirds crew was intently watching the electronic warfare displays and awaiting an Iranian response . Although they had not directly overflown Iran itself their course had taken them over Iran's Persian Gulf Islands . The response was fast . From Bushehr a flight of F-4 Phantom D models tried to climb high enough to intercept and from one of the HAWK sites came a pair of missiles . None of these attempts came within any possibility of success and it was clear the F-14 fleet was either not in use or was being used to defend Tehran . With the mission completed the SR-71 pilot and navigator resumed their journey home knowing they where untouchable .

The results of the attempted interception had been analysed by a low flying heavily modified C-130 with Saudi Air Force markings . The results of the electronic reconnaissance mission had confirmed that no new radars or weapons appeared to be in Iran . At this point the threat level was still considered to be high with Tehran known to be defended by MIM-23 Improved Hawk with a 24 mile range and their was the possibility of several Rapier units with Blindfire capability and a range of 8 to 9 miles . backing this up was the high possibility of RBS-70 and Redeye missiles . The large fleet of F-14's would be the primary threat however . What made the mission even possible was that every single weapon system was made by America or her allies and the jammers would be configured to deal with the threat .

The single biggest asset and liability was the Sea Harrier force . If any aircraft was shot down the order where to liberally coat the area in High explosive and recover the pilot dead or alive . While the English had agreed to the deployment of it's Sea Harrier force on the mission it was under the acceptance of a full recovery of the pilots . CIA operatives had been warned to expect an operation but not when or how . All they knew was that if they got contacted they had to carry out their tasks . As the airships began to fly towards the Persian gulf several US Air Force and US Navy assets began to move into position to assist . This was noticed by the Soviet Union and the activities of the Spy Trawlers and Indian Ocean Squadron increased to the point that a few distraction operations had to be organised . The UnREP group that had just replenished the carrier group in the Indian Ocean simply headed for Diego Garcia with no deviations and was left alone . This made the refuelling and transfer of the latest intel and support operations possible .

One CIA operation was an encouragement to Saddam Hussein to carry out some air strikes against the weekly defended Gulf islands and in doing so draw at least one F-14 squadron away from Tehran . The USAF support was at one point going to include a pair of the B-1A prototypes on a conventional bombing mission to suppress the airport at Tehran but it was decided that it would possible result in the deaths of the hostages . Instead the Navy was to prepare an alpha strike to cover the egress and a fighter sweep to cover the ingress . The destruction of Iranian military facilities containing sensitive US equipment was a bonus especially considering the Soviet union had been trying to promise aircraft for the F-14 fleet and it's weapons system .

Commander Johnson was not concerned with this . His concern was that he had designed the Airships to be a strategic asset with minimal ability to assault a country on it's own without Nuclear weapons and their was no way he was going to be allowed a magazine of SRAM missiles . No this was conventional combat with large targets over land . His 18 Sea Harriers would allow him to defend against day fighters on the egress and the gun systems and missile systems would work ok but if he had to fight on his ingress the mission was over . The Rangers seemed to think this was great they would arrive at the target in a lightly armoured C-141 Starlifter fuselage with a pair of gun turrets on top . Fight their way through several hundred Iranians and possibly several thousand more as the action begins . Each man was carrying well over double the standard load of ammunition and instead of 4 to 6 30 round magazines each man had 12 or even in one case 14 magazines . This weight was a concern but being rangers and not needing to carry more then a combat load they grinned and accepted the burden . The last decision to be made was where to enter the Iranian Air Defence zone and what was the best ingress path . The shortest routes also carried the most defences . The longest route required considerable time over Iran in Daylight . In 24 hours Commander Johnson would have a secure call with the joint Chiefs to discuss his decision and the support he needed . In need of advice he decided to speak to Squadron Leader lacy who had trained for the fight against the Soviets in the North Sea and Kola peninsula .
 
The single most difficult aspect of the ingress into Iran was the need to remain essentially undetected despite being in large easily seen Airships visible for several miles . With two choices available Commodore Johnston was currently having a conference trying to determine the best approach . The CIA support was providing current intel and Saddam Hussein was intensifying the attacks on the front line and specifically on the Gulf Coastline . As a result the drawdown of forces in the east of the country was both rapid and seemingly permanent . This made the longer ingress more attractive . The main danger was the minimum 10 hour duration of the ingress and the need to avoid being detected . Weather predictions had limited cloud available and despite assurances to the ability to stay inside the Kavir desert in daylight and remain safe from detection was being taken with a grain of salt . Being detected before approaching Tehran would result in an immediate retreat and cancelling of the operation . The second issue was the operation in Hot and High conditions . Even Tehran was at over 3,000 feet above Sea level and to remain safe from small arms the airships needed a similar height advantage . All of which would burn fuel fast . Then he had to allow for fuel burnt by the Sea Harriers while defending him . No this was a very difficult operation .
 

Raunchel

Banned
I just found this and it looks awesome. I mean, who doesn't love airships? Of course, there are a few things with practicality and the like, but this actually deals with that quite well.
 
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