Chimera

Several minutes later the pilot confirmed their entry over the suspected target zone. By this time the sonar operators had already confirmed additional sonar contacts with the target and the MAD crews were on the job. The ASW coordinator authorized another sonobuoy drop. The pilot brought the aircraft low over the surface…

“Drop S-6 completed!” the pilot confirmed. This time the response from the sonar operators was immediate:

“Definite submerged contact below us commander! Bearing three-one-seven! Computer classification confirms Kilo class submarine! Designating contact as Zulu-seven. Triangulating on contact.”

“Prepare drop S-7 and S-8. Prepare for torpedo drop on target!”

The Il-38 and the Chinese Kilo class submarine were now locked in combat.

But the Chinese submarine was already trapped…

The Il-38 crew was flying in an arc as they dropped an additional two sonobuoys in order to get an exact fix. An airborne attacker could be active and still not be touched, but it could certainly touch its intended submerged target.

The Chinese crew on the other hand had few options. The waters of the strait meant that there were no local thermal layers to hide under. Depths were restricted. And this was the Indian navy’s back yard. Every inch of the ocean floors had been mapped over the waters for all MAD disruptions, sub-surface terrain variations and local variations in the saline content. So there were no surprises and high probability of intercept. The only hope for the Chinese crew was the hope that their air force would deliver on their intended promises…

“Buoys released!” the pilot said as the Il-38 banked away.

“S-7 is active! S-8 is active! We have detections on Zulu-seven. Positional fix achieved!” the senior sonar operator confirmed.

“Prepare for single torpedo drop when ready!” the ASW coordinator shouted over the intercom to the weapons-systems crew. The latter then spoke with the pilot:

“We are going for weapons release over here. Bring us about.”

“Roger!”

The aircraft banked again and leveled out as the flight crew brought the aircraft on the required bearing and reduced speed.

“Torpedo ready! Drop in three! Two! One! Drop!”

This time the aircraft shuddered significantly as the large torpedo fell clear and splashed into the water. The sonar crew picked it up instantly.

“Torpedo in the water! Weapon is active and on target. Zulu-seven deploying countermeasures! Three so far! Weapon is running active, straight and normal. Impact in ten seconds!”

The pilot looked at his counter in the cockpit. The seconds ticked away quickly…

“Impact! We have impact! Multiple explosions registered on target. We can hear bulkheads collapsing! Zulu-seven is breaking up!”

The aircraft intercom was filled with raucous cheer as the Chinese submarine and its crew perished under the Malacca Strait.

“Okay people, get back to work. Scratch Zulu-seven off the board. Inform naval headquarters that we have made contact with and subsequently sunk a Chinese Kilo class submarine and then send them the location.”

Up front, the flight-crew had been congratulating each other when the RWRs on board the aircraft began screeching. The pilot confirmed the data:

“Oh shit! We are being painted by Flanker radars from the south!”

“Where are our escorts?” the flight-engineer shouted from behind. The pilot was already asking that same question up the command line:

“This is Sierra-One! We are being actively painted by Chinese Flankers from the south. We need immediate assistance! Where the hell are our boys?”

“Sierra-One, this is ANC-OPCON. Seahawk-Five and Six are inbound your location. ETA two minutes! Suggest you egress immediately!”

“Yeah! No shit!” the co-pilot said before turning to the pilot:

“Get us out of here!”

* * *

The crews onboard the few fishing vessels in the area noted the large turboprop Il-38 streaking by less than one-hundred feet off the surface as it headed north. Two Mig-29Ks flew past the lumbering Il-38 on their way south on full afterburner. They put themselves between the unarmed ASW aircraft and the inbound Su-27s from the south.

The two Chinese pilots were already about to release weapons. Two PL-12 air-to-air missiles fell off the pylons of the two aircraft and lit their burners. They arced across the sky in a guided trajectory to the target. Two more PL-12s fell clear and this time flew in a depressed trajectory against the incoming Indian Mig-29Ks…

The Indian aircraft were just as quick to respond, but they had been caught off guard. Indian Commanders had expected the Chinese to punch through Myanmar airspace on their way to the Malacca Strait, not try to take the extremely long route through the South China Sea.