The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VIII

The raid commander had been flying on a Badger that was part of the northern raid. When the American carrier-borne fighters and their incoming missiles had been detected, he transferred overall command to his deputy who was aboard a Backfire in the southern raid. Instantly, the new raid commander reviewed the situation in his mind …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VII

Author’s Note: Alright, I admit trying to finish up North Atlantic D+13 by this evening was a bridge too far. Next time I’ll conveniently remember not to insert foot in mouth and make an inadvisable claim. Sorry. 😊 As a result, the North Atlantic will wrap up Tuesday evening come hell or high water. –Mike …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VI

The Soviet raid commander grew more unsettled with each passing second. He expected to have received the positions of the enemy carriers by now, but no word had arrived from the Tu-95s. This part of the plan was beginning to go off the rails. Not much, but enough to worry him. The Badgers were approaching …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part V

The first Bear kill came without the assistance of a Hawkeye controller or radar.  The pilot of Taproom 102, a BARCAP F-14, thought he caught a brief glimpse of something in the distance, off his one o’clock position. “Hey Jinks,” he called to his Radar Intercept Officer. “Check out one o’clock. A little low.” The …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part IV

The Tu-95s flew west on a line stretching 353 miles from Hopen to the North Cape. Four of the reconnaissance aircraft were located north of Bear Island, the remainder to the south. Twelve aircraft had taken off from the Kola and now, less than forty-five minutes later, ten remained. One aborted due to engine issues, …

The North Atlantic D+12 (21 July, 1987) Part IV

The plan Admiral Kapitanets devised was indeed a compromise of sorts. Instead of assigning an entire regiment of bombers to seek out and attack the American carrier group detected earlier by the Tu-95, Kapitanets ordered a smaller attack to be launched. Instead of twenty plus Tu-22 bombers, and a dozen support aircraft, the attack force …

The North Atlantic D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part VI

Kitty Hawk began recovering aircraft. The Tomcat-Hawkeye combination had performed magnificently, decimating Raid-1 as well as killing six Backfires from Raid-2 as they withdrew. Damage control efforts on Montcalm kept the French frigate afloat for two hours. A long enough period of time for casualties, and the surviving crewmen to be transferred to other ships. …

The North Atlantic D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part IV

Of the forty-six Backfire bombers that had taken off from the Kola Peninsula, forty remained as the raid rode parallel to the northern Norwegian coastline. Four aborted due to mechanical, and avionics issues, and two were shot down by a pair of Norwegian F-16s that had somehow stumbled across the formation. The appearance of enemy …

The North Atlantic D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part III

At 1300 hours six Tu-95 Bear D’s lifted off from Olenya airbase on the Kola to replace the Bears that had been lost earlier in the day, as well as reinforce the ones still remaining on station. The priority remained the same: locate and track the NATO carrier groups in the Norwegian Sea. Most of …

The North Atlantic D+8 (17 July, 1987) Part III

1030-1200 Hours- Following the emergency broadcast from the stricken Tu-95 Bear, and the ill-considered acknowledgements by other Soviet aircraft, the search for signs of the enemy surface action groups intensified. USAF F-15 Eagles did locate and dispatch the second Bear, but the Helix remained airborne and undetected. As time went on, radio traffic between Soviet …