Chapter 2
On the tarmac at Omidiyeh Air Base near the Iraqi/Iranian border and the Northern Persian Gulf, the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guardian Corps (IRGC) also known as the Pasdaran is making preparations to receive some special “guests” and transport them to the Badr Air Base at Isfahan, Iran.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh) units from the 58th Infantry Division have been deployed to Omidiyeh and Badr Air Bases to assist the IRGC. The 58th Infantry Division has been placed on High Alert but has not been told why. They think that it is another routine drill that has been practiced for the last two years.
The Israelis have been threatening to attack the nuclear facilities inside of Iran and the Iranian military has been preparing for the inevitable confrontation. The Air Defense Forces anti-aircraft units at the Omidiyeh Air Base are comprised of the Mersad anti-aircraft system, a reverse engineered derivative of the Raytheon MIM-23: Hawk Tactical Surface to Air Missiles and the Chinese supplied HQ-2 “Sayyad”/CSA 1 Guideline medium range SAMs. They are being readied in case of anyone tries to interfere during the transfer of passengers.
At the same time, further north at the Vahdati Air Base at Dezful, the 14st Tactical Fighter Squadron of F-5E fighters are preparing to launch. They will be joining the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron of F-7M “Airguard” from Omidiyeh Air Base to provide air cover for the Boeing BBJ and the Iranian F-14 interceptor. The Iranians are betting that the surprise of the intercept will catch the Americans off guard. Since it appears to be an UAE aircraft, the delay in responding will give the Iranians time to transfer the hostages to a waiting C-130 aircraft and to escape further inland.
2250Z: MUSKO Intersection
“Hey, what the heck is going on? Chris, there’s an aircraft outside your window. He just turned on his landing lights. It’s an F-14! What’s a US Navy F-14 doing in Saudi airspace? Riyadh Control…”
Just about that time, a Middle Eastern voice comes over the number two radio that the crew has tuned to the emergency guard frequency.
“Boeing Business Jet, A6-FIN, do not call Riyadh, you are to follow me or I will shoot you down. If you understand, rock your wings,” orders the Radar Intercept Officer in the Iranian F-14 Tomcat.
Captain Pierce and Chris are so stunned that they can hardly speak. Just then, Yosef rushes to the cockpit after seeing the lights of the F-14.
“What is happening, Captain,” Yosef asks?
Just as Yosef reaches for his backpack, the Iranian F-14A fires a fuselage of 20 mm rotary cannon rounds across the flight path of the BBJ. This frightens the BBJ pilots and passengers.
“Captain, you are to follow me. Now, turn left to heading 030 and descend to altitude 10,000 feet, immediately,” orders the Iranian pilot.
Captain Pierce tells Chris, “I have the flight controls.”
He turns the Boeing BBJ to a new heading of 030 and begins descending to ten thousand feet.
Yosef is watching the Iranian F-14 intently. He grabs his satellite phone from his backpack and dials the memorized numbers for contacting to his superiors in Tel Aviv.
“Control, we have been intercepted by an unidentified F-14A and are departing the planned route to the northeast. I am not sure of our last position.”
He asks Captain Pierce, “What was our last position?”
Captain Pierce replies, “Last position, MUSKO intersection, at 2250Z. We are turning to heading 030 degrees and descending to ten thousand feet.”
He is concentrating on complying with the commands of the Iranians, so that his aircraft doesn’t get shot down. Captain Pierce knows that the Iranian pilots are monitoring Riyadh Control, so he does not put the international code for hijacking in his transponder. The air traffic controllers in Riyadh may ask him about it and make the Iranian pilots mad.
Yosef reports this information to Control in Tel Aviv. The Israeli Air Force Commanders of Ramon and Hatzerim Airbases are informed of this development. Two squadrons of F-16i Sufa (Storm) and F-15i (Ra’am) fighter jets are placed on Hot Alert, ready to scramble and launch, but to where?
In the meantime, the rest of the passengers have awakened after hearing the 20 mm cannon fire and starting to get nervous. Carol is doing her best to calm them down but everyone has an ominous feeling that something is terribly wrong.
“A6-FIN, Riyadh Control, I show you turning off course and descending. Are you in need of assistance,” inquires Riyadh Control.
Silence from the flight crew of the BBJ.
“A6-FIN; Riyadh Control; how do you hear.” The excited Saudi Air Traffic controller is fully alert now with his supervisor looking over his shoulder trying to understand what has just happened.
“A6-FIN, you will not respond, continue to descend on this heading. If you obey, nothing will happen to you. Resist and everyone on board will die. Now tune your radio to frequency 123.47,” instructs the Iranian pilot.
Captain Pierce tunes the number one radio to frequency 123.47
“A6-FIN, how do you hear?” asks the Iranian pilot.
Chris responds with, “Loud and clear.”
“That’s good, continue your descent to six thousand feet and expedite immediately!”
Captain Pierce does not acknowledge. “I am not sure what this joker has in mind but I believe that he will fire on us; so we had better do as he says. Read the descent checklist, Chris.”
Chris reads and performs the descent checklist. Captain Pierce calls Carol to the cockpit and tells her to prepare the cabin for landing.
So far, the plan is going as it was anticipated. The IRGC has surprised the Israelis and the Americans. The Iranian pilots have checked in with the Control Tower at Omidiyeh Air Base in the Khuzestan Province. The base switches to High Alert, now, and all personnel are being readied for the arrival of the Boeing Business Jet and the Israeli engineers. The anti-aircraft units have their detection/acquisition radar turned off for now. The Air Base radar controllers are keeping a watch over activity on the other side of the Iranian border. All appears normal. The usual number of American F-15Es is patrolling the skies over Eastern Iraq tonight as they do each night.
In Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister, Ben Yadin, has been awakened from his sleep. The Prime Minister is being briefed by his aid as he gets dressed. After he hears the news, the Prime Minister says, “I need to speak with the President of the United States! Tell the Defense Minister to get his jets airborne, immediately. I not sure of what is happening but we need to be prepared if this is more than a hijacking.”
At the White House in Washington, President John Fenner is sitting down to dinner with his wife when he is called away to the telephone.
“Mr. President, a hijacking has taken place over Saudi Arabia. It is the Israeli engineers that are working in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The flight departed Larneca as scheduled and was intercepted in Saudi airspace and we suspect that it is an Iranian F-14,” explains the Prime Minister Yadin.
“How in the world did an Iranian F-14 get into the Saudi airspace,” says President Fenner? “Are you sure it is an Iranian aircraft?” He motions to his Chief of Staff to get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to contact the Central Command in Iraq.
“Yes, we have an IDF officer on board that recognized the Iranian flag on the tail. He believes that they are being forced into Iranian airspace. We are not sure of their destination but the aircraft has turned off course on a north eastern heading and are descending rapidly,” explains the Israeli Prime Minister.
“Mr. Prime Minister, please do not do anything rash. We do not want to make this worst than it is. Let me check with my commanders in Iraq and with the Saudis to get more information. Please do not respond before we know the facts,” requests President Fenner. “I will call you back as soon as I receive some more information.”
The President hangs up and his aid tells him that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Air Force Five Star General Luther Franklin is on the other pho
ne line.
“Luther, what has just happened in Saudi Arabia,” asks the President.
“Mr. President, we are not sure and the Saudi Air Traffic Controllers are not sure what has transpired either except that our chartered Boeing Business Jet was last seen descending rapidly on a northeastern heading. It appeared to have another aircraft flying in formation with it,” replies General Franklin. “Our Central Command in Baghdad is checking with their air traffic controllers to see if they can pinpoint the destination before it dropped off their radar screen.”
“Did your air traffic controllers see the Iranian fighter jet leave their airspace, cross over Kuwait and enter the Saudi Arabian airspace? I am very perplexed how this could occur. I need to know where the Iranians are taking this aircraft. The Israelis are ready to launch their jets. Have Central Command get their aircraft ready, before the Israelis start a war. Call the other Joint Chiefs and have them put their commands on alert status. I need to know what is going on so we will know how the United States should respond,” exclaims the President.