steel capable of protecting the system from outside barrages of explosions.
General Bane was expecting massive bombardments of missiles coming from the invaders directed toward all the islands they occupied, especially Pag-asa Island, their most important base in the area. He was also anticipating an invasion force ready to assault and occupy their territories after the strike. But General Bane was optimistic too. He was fully convinced that Pag-asa can survive the attack. The island has decent defensive fortification aided by guns and missiles of medium and short range of firepower. The island has missiles against ships, planes and landing crafts. All the rapid-firing guns were enclosed in hardened bunkers. They have machine gun nests ringing the island together with mortars of different caliber. Pre-positioned mines littered the shallow water around the island. He knew that it would be suicidal for the enemies to penetrate their defense that is why he anticipated heavy bombardments to soften up their defenses, before the enemy sent the troops to capture and occupy the island.
It has been known to the Philippine government as well as to its ally, the U.S. that China has a great ambition over the whole of South China Sea The Chinese have been preparing decades ago for a possible military confrontation in the disputed Spratly area. It easily routed Vietnamese naval forces in the area decades ago because of their superior armaments. Now China was fully prepared. All the territories they occupied in the area were all garrisoned complete with stored armaments and have fuel depots. All their islands have hardened bunkhouses for their troops and were stockpiled with war materiel as well as spare parts for their naval assets operating in the area. Their bigger islands have repair facilities for its ships and flying boats. Another preparation made by China, is the development of armaments well suited for the environment of the Spratly. One of them is them is the hovering landing craft designed to traverse shallow corral reefs and sand bars. Another important preparation is the development of land-attack missiles with heavy warhead designed to blast hardened fortifications. These missiles were deployed on their major worships as well as on their garrisoned islands.
An important message was handled to General Bane by an aide. It was generated by their automatic data processing instrument connected to the communication center of Western Command based in Palawan, which received the message via satellite communication furnished by the U.S. coming from U.S. Defense Pacific Command.
The message:
DETECTED AND TRACKED+++FOUR MISSILES FROM LUDADESTROYER+++BEARING 319 HEADING PAG-ASA+++
General Bane knew that defending the island against missiles using their close-in weapons system is not effective. Compared to aircrafts, missiles were small, fast and capable of skimming above the water. He decided not to confront it for fear of exposing their defensive assets and damaging it prematurely. He wanted to preserve their fighting capability at this time. He was waiting for proper condition to arrive, before he will order to bring out their equipments from their hardened shelter to engage the forces of enemy.
General Bane called the soldiers manning the system.
“CIWS, this is General Bane. Missiles attack is expected at any moment. Secure the gun in their storage and activate blast protection immediately.”
He also ordered to shelter their radars, FLIR sensors and other communication equipments. Most of the armaments on Pag-asa were movable. They were mounted on wheeled platforms and can be sheltered in short notice inside their hardened bunkers. Solid steel blast doors protect the entrances of various bunkers scattered around the island. After the complete withdrawal of the defensive assets, the only things left exposed as targets were top of the bunkers, runway pavement as well as steel communication tower of the island.
There was silence inside the Combat Operation Center room. The radio temporarily ceased its traffic; while the data processing computer lost its link after the satellite disc was concealed and switched off. But Pag-asa Island was not totally isolated. It can still communicate to the outside world via their submarine cables interlinked to the seven major islands in the area. General Bane told the Western Command that Seaside base is going to be attacked and all major communications will be channeled through secured submarine cable link. In doing this, he sent first the message to Lawak Island then its facilities relayed the message to the base in Ulugan Bay in Palawan.
Two missiles, one trailing the other in high altitude, suddenly dived toward Pag-asa Island without any opposition. The missiles were accurate as it homed on the elevated rooftop of the hardened bunker in the central part of the island. Powerful blast bombarded the structure and the nearby area around. The blast caught and toppled the steel tower of the island.
The second attack was worst. Missiles slammed again the same area where the first attack occurred. The second series of explosions punctured a crack on the hardened roof and debris of concrete slabs burst inside the bunker scattered in different directions. Billows of smoke end smells of explosives invaded the interior of the bunker. The fan that supplied fresh air inside the shelter was damaged by the blasts, making the soldiers to gasped for their breath as the oxygen were diluted with smoke.
After the initial shock brought by the attack, bottled oxygen were distributed as well as gas masks. War has just begun, the soldiers knew. The initial destruction did not ruin their will to fight but instead fueled their fervor to defend the island until the last breath of their life.
When General Bane received the message that no more missiles were fired from the Chinese warships, he decided to bring out their air defense weapons.
“Air defense officer,” he called in the inter-bunker communication.
“Yes, Sir. This is Air Defense Unit.”
“Officer, bring out the Starburst missiles out of its hole and place the whole system below the extended runway.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Position also the Stinger vehicles at the foot of the runway,” added General Bane.
The officer acknowledged the command.
The laser-guided Starburst Air Defense Missiles System was mounted on wheeled vehicles. Two of the vehicles emerged out of the blast door of the main bunker followed by two LAV-25 air defense vehicles carrying Stinger missiles in canisters, housed in four. Each vehicle carried eight missiles and 25-mm cannon as added firepower.
General Bane ordered also the full activation of all their fixed-positioned weapons. The CIWS popped out from its hole after the steel blast cover retracted. Its radar antenna extended upward and started to scan the surroundings. Also the machine gun and Vulcan anti-aircraft gun bunkers that ringed the island were readied as its roof shield opened and the muzzles were trained toward the airspace.
Another message was received by General Bane informing him about the incoming second wave attack of the enemy, using aircrafts. It was classified by the U.S. satellite that the composition consists of eight Z-5 Qantan fighter–bombers, four HB-7 maritime attack aircrafts escorted by two SU-27 and eight J-8B fighters. The aircrafts were tracked since it took off from their airbase in Paracel and were now heading toward the direction of Kalayaan Group of Islands.
Based on the superior strength of enemy’s forces General Bane ordered the combat air patrol, not to intercept them. He knew that the air cover was overwhelming. He can foresee that they will be routed if ever they tried to engage with them. He ordered all the units belonging to air defense, to fire at any attackers who came within their weapon range.
The radar of the CIWS picked up the first batch of the attackers. The low-flying A5-Qantan planes in close formation heading toward Pag-asa Island were painted. At twelve miles, the CIWS radar started to track it and fed its computer with its gathered data to be used for firing. At a distance of seven miles away from the island, the planes spread out, then climbed until it reached a sufficient altitude. The Starburst as well as the Stinger vehicles was tracking the intruders but they could not have locked-on on the targets. The radar-guided CIWS got the first lock-on on the nearest plane and steadily tracked it. Within
the range of five miles, the CIWS spewed its wall of steels upon the incoming intruder.
The lead plane banked but it was slow. It was caught by the deadly barrages of steel. The plane spiraled downward in flame.
After seeing the danger of enemy’s air defense, the remaining A-5 Qantan chose to attack at long range. Six missiles streaked toward Pag-asa, a pair coming from each plane. The pilots terminated immediately its guidance, as they maneuvered to avoid being hit; even without assurance tht their missiles will not alter its course. The missiles were difficult to be shot down. Its diving maneuvers were difficult to be tracked by the CIWS. Its simultaneous closures left the other missiles without tracking solutions because CIWS radar can only prioritized one target at a time, leaving the five missiles unattended. The LAV-25 vehicles’ guns managed to fire at the incoming two missiles but hit nothing.
Four missiles rammed the foot of the runway and exploded. The two LAV-25 vehicles were blzsted on their positions and its occupants instantly died in the explosions that deeply cratered the concrete pavement of the runway. Only two missiles were shot down by the CIWS.
The A-5 planes managed again to attack from a safe distance by employing their long range missiles. The air defense of the island spewed out its fire upon the swarm of missiles but all were fully guided and controlled by the planes so it steered out of harms way. Awesome explosions rocked the island that silenced its air defense. The CIWS was smothered as well as the Vulcan guns and the machine gun placements. All protruding bunkers were leveled to the ground. The runway was cratered big and deep. The island was in flame too. The explosions damaged the underground fuel storage of the island. It seemed that the whole of Pag-asa froze in time. Eerie silence covered the island.
Then under the shadow of the bridge-like extended runway that stretched up to the edge of the water, emerged the Starburst vehicles. This is the only remaining defensive weapons that survived the attack. When the occupants knew that they are going to be attacked they managed to shelter the vehicles under the bridge-like structure of the extended runway.
After the attack the A-5 aircrafts left the area leaving the whole island of Pag-asa smoldering in ruins. Their escort fighters, the SU-27 and the J-8B seemed like rejoicing upon the outcome as it flew around the area unchallenged. The last phase of the attack was carried by four HB-7 bombers called the “Fighting Leopard”. The plane was comparable to the capability of British Tornado fighter-bomber plane. The planes flew at normal attack altitude, carrying heavy free-fall bombs for the purpose of destroying the solids fortification of the island, as if the enemies were so obsessed of obliterating the whole Pag-asa Island in South China Sea.
There were no tracking signals received by the approaching bombers and they presumed that the island’s air defense weapons were plastered to the ground. All they can see from their position were thick smoke and fumes shrouding the face of the island. They conclude that air defense was dead. They were wrong. The Starbursts vehicles were intact and operable. Silently without emitting any electronics signals, the crew of the vehicles waited until the bombers entered into their effective range
The planes, heavy with bombs were lumbering targets. The defenders prepared to fight back. Two laser-guided missiles streaked toward the approaching bombers that caught them unprepared. The missiles hit two targets and blasted it in a flash. The bombers got no time to react upon the swiftness of the events. As the two bombers continued its dive toward the island, it released its load of