Arctic Storm Rising
- Автор: Браун Дейл
- Серия: Nick Flynn #1
- Год: 2021
- Язык: английский
- Год: William Morrow
- ISBN: 9780063015050
- Жанр: Триллеры
Электронная книга - «Arctic Storm Rising». Краткое содержание книги:
They obeyed, and Petrov heard a series of stifled gasps as they saw the world around them instantly transform. The augmented-reality technology embedded in each pair of smart glasses had just studded the huge map with three-dimensional representations of the military hardware deployed across Russia — everything from fighter aircraft to main battle tanks, warships, submarines, surface-to-air missiles, strategic bombers, and nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
He smiled a bit, observing their awed reaction. Pavel Voronin was the one who had pressed him to make full use of this new technology in his briefing. “Salesmanship is showmanship,” Grishin’s urbane henchman had pointed out. “Dazzle those old farts and they’ll be eating out of your hand by the time you’re finished.” It appeared that Voronin’s cynical assessment might be correct.
Petrov tapped another control on the podium. In response, the map zoomed in to show the region of southern Russia around Akhtubinsk and the Chkalov State Flight Test Center. New three-dimensional pictures appeared. These showed the PAK-DA stealth bomber prototype effortlessly performing a series of complicated aerial maneuvers. They finished with image-enhanced video shot from one of the Su-34 chase planes when the bomber launched its Kh-102 practice cruise missile. That drew more excited murmurs, especially when the augmented-reality program depicted a realistic-looking nuclear fireball rising from the intended target.
“As you can see, Mr. President,” Petrov said smoothly, “our flight tests of the new stealth bomber prototype are progressing rapidly and with complete success so far.”
Zhdanov nodded gravely. “That is a testament to your own skills and courage, Colonel.”
Petrov bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment of the president’s fulsome praise. “But despite those successes, we still face a long road ahead to certify the design ready for operational deployment and full-scale production,” he warned.
“How long a road?” Zhdanov asked.
“At least twelve more months,” Petrov told him truthfully. “And perhaps as long as two full years, if we adhere slavishly to conventional flight-test procedures.”
The president frowned. “Two years?” he muttered. “That’s too long. Far too long.” Based on current trends, he could easily be out of power, dead, in prison, or in exile by then. He needed a visible military success, and soon — an obvious triumph that would persuade Russia’s fickle masses that his much-touted plans to rebuild their nation’s greatness and its status as a world superpower were paying real dividends… despite these temporary economic hardships.
“I agree completely, Mr. President,” Petrov told him. “But this is what we have left ahead of us if we follow ordinary, peacetime evaluation protocols.” He activated another control. The sleek, manta-shaped PAK-DA bomber vanished from his audience’s sight, replaced by a long, dreary-looking, official Air Force timetable that listed, in mind-numbing detail, the remaining technical milestones required to qualify Tupolev’s prototype aircraft for production. He watched the president’s frown deepen to an exasperated scowl and exulted inside. “That’s why I would like your permission to try something very different: a rigorous, complex, and realistic exercise designed to assess the full range of our new strategic bomber’s strike capabilities. A single difficult flight test that would cut through much of the typical bureaucratic bullshit if it succeeds — and shave months off the timetable even if it fails.”
With the ostentatious wave of a single hand, he erased the image of the official schedule from their smart glasses. In its place, a glowing phrase appeared, big enough to cover the digital map of Russia from west to east: Operatsiya Prizrachnyy Udar.
“Operation Ghost Strike?” Zhdanov said slowly.
Petrov nodded. He touched another control. It triggered a series of exciting, computer-generated visuals that matched his verbal presentation perfectly — thanks to advanced voice-recognition software that sent specific graphics to their high-tech eyewear whenever he used the appropriate keywords. “Under Ghost Strike, the PAK-DA prototype will be tasked with conducting a simulated cruise missile strike against the Pacific Fleet’s anchorage and its Naval Aviation air bases around Vladivostok, in the Far East. To enhance the realism of this exercise, the aircraft will carry its full wartime payload of Kh-102 cruise missiles, K-74M2 heat-seeking missiles for self-defense, and fuel. Thus loaded, it will depart from base at 1700 hours and proceed toward its assigned targets in darkness, on a moonless night—”
As he laid out the plan, an image of the bomber prototype took off from Russia’s primary strategic bomber base, Engels-2, seven hundred kilometers southeast of Moscow. It turned east, flying low across the Central Asian steppes and onward toward the towering Ural Mountains. “Naturally, the fleet itself and all of our other Eastern Military District air defense forces will be on full alert, ready for just such an attack.”
More images appeared before the audience’s eyes, depicting a web of intricate, layered defenses around Petrov’s intended targets. These included sophisticated radars, surface-to-air missile regiments, and roving fighter patrols. “No easy task,” the Russian Navy’s senior admiral commented dryly. “One bomber against dozens of SAM launchers and some of our best interceptors? No matter how impressive the technology built into this new prototype of yours truly is, Colonel, you’ll still be massively outnumbered. And after all, quantity has a quality all its own,” he finished, quoting Stalin.
Petrov nodded. “That’s precisely the point, Admiral.” He turned to Zhdanov. “Win or lose, this exercise will yield a huge amount of invaluable real-world data on the PAK-DA — including its long-range endurance, air-to-air refueling capability, low-level penetrating stealth characteristics, and electronic warfare systems. We would be compressing months of more conventional testing and validation into a single demonstration flight.”
“Allowing us to field a force of combat-ready stealth bombers that much more quickly?” the president asked.
“Yes, sir,” Petrov said firmly.
Zhdanov was visibly impressed. Besides speeding up the progress of the PAK-DA program, the colonel’s proposal offered the possibility of scoring a propaganda coup of the first magnitude — one that should rouse patriotic spirits here at home and unnerve potential enemies abroad. Best of all, it wouldn’t matter whether or not the bomber prototype actually succeeded in scoring simulated hits on its targets this time. If Petrov and his copilot actually managed to penetrate the powerful defenses arrayed against them, it would show the world that Russia now had its own highly capable strategic stealth bomber. And even a failure could be spun to “prove” that America’s own vaunted B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider stealth aircraft were no match for Russia’s combination of powerful radars, deadly surface-to-air missiles, and fast, agile interceptors.
The president glanced at those around him. “Comments, gentlemen?”
“The colonel’s proposed Ghost Strike is certainly audacious, Mr. President. Who knows? It might even work out the way he hopes,” a stocky, bull-necked man seated three chairs down from the president said bluntly. Major General Vasily Mavrichev was the chief of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation Force. He had a vested interest in the PAK-DA program. Once the first stealth bombers reached operational status, they would fall under his direct command. But he was also known as an advocate for tried-and-true tactics and procedures, with an abiding distrust of anything new, let alone anything that might be considered revolutionary. “However, I don’t like the idea of the PAK-DA carrying armed cruise missiles on what’s really just a glorified training exercise. In my judgment, that’s an unnecessary risk factor.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I recommend that we load practice missiles with dummy warheads instead.”