L'audace,
l'audace, toujours l'audace
(Audacity,
audacity, always audacity.)
-
Napoleon
Bonaparte
Captain
Rajesh Sen could sense the change in the tempo at the bridge. The atmosphere
was visibly tense and changed in the space of a few hours.
A good
commander should always know the pulse of his troops mused the Captain.
What’s their
flight path, Venkat? “Either Gujarat or tip of Maharashtra Captain” replied
Lieutenant Venkatesh Kuppuswamy without battling an eyelid. “We will have a
better picture in a few minutes Sir”.
“We do
not have those few minutes, sailor” replied back Captain Sen in his gruff
voice. Please patch me through Sinha at Command HQ and Air Commodore Johnson at
SWAC.
Captain
Sen was not wasting any time, it was not his habit to do so.
Captain
Rajesh Sen, often referred to as the scholar captain in navy circles was war
gaming the fast changing scenario like all good commanders would have done at
this moment of time, and Captain Sen was the best of them.
While
the 8 F16 were approaching Gujarat he was trying to figure out the worst case
scenario.
Asking
questions and answering them, playing different scenarios against each other
within split seconds.
Where
the F16’s hostile? yes, assume they are.
What’s
their target: an Indian defence command structure, or defence production unit
or was it something else.
This was
what he had been trained for.
Sir, Air
Commodore Johnson and Rear Admiral Sinha on Secure 1.
Gentlemen,
boomed Rajesh leaving the exchange of additional pleasantries for a different
occasion, we have a rapidly emerging situation. 8 Inbound bogies Identified as
F16’s most likely PAF F’16’s.
Likely
target is Gujarat, either defence or infrastructure. We need to inform Mr Singh
and Mr Raman immediately. The 2second pause was infuriating for Sen as he
looked the illuminated dial on the multi-function display which was giving the
flight path of the F-16’s.
I will
inform the NSA and the Defence Minister Rajesh, Rear Admiral Sinha retorted
breaking the 2 second pause. Rules of Engagement are clear, Buzz them on IFF, and
if they transgress on our air space shoot them down.
Instructions
could not have been any clearer.
The problem was as Sen had figured when he got
the initial situational report from Vikram that the Vizag only had 4 Barak 8ER missiles
while he had 10 potential targets, 8 of them which were now almost within
Indian air space.
“Buzz
them “ Venkat and start assigning
targets to “Claw 1” , Claw 1 being the integrated target acquisition and firing
system which integrated the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR multi-mission AESA and the Thales LW08 radars and the ships armaments
which included the long range Surface to Air Barak 8ER missile.
Squadron
leader Bashir Ahmed broke into a slight sweat. The MFD had just flashed a
warning sign that he had been buzzed. Message just flashed on his Link 16
secure link that the others had been buzzed as well.
He ruled
out equipment malfunction, which meant that they had been detected.
Their
biggest advantage – stealth – had just been
lost.
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