enemy that was looming somewhere beyond the unseen horizon. The reports enumerated their accomplishments. Hammer flight wiped out the air cover of the flotilla without any damage. Barter flight managed to destroy the upper structure of the Jianghu destroyer, wrecking the electronics sensors as well as the communication equipments situated on it. The attack paved way for the Dagger flight to attack the same destroyer and sank it without encountering effective air defense measures from the target. Dagger flight used torpedoes in attacking the destroyer at closer range. All the aircrafts suffered no damage from their respective mission and have returned to buzzes on Palawan Island.
Latest report from the U.S. that General Bane received, confirmed that the flotilla they attacked still traversed the same original course, still heading toward the direction of Chupi-Chiao one hundred and seventy miles away. Another report confirmed by the U.S. spy satellite that a squadron of fighters took-off from their airbase on Paracel Island for a possible air cover for their flotilla or any interdiction mission.
General Bane felt relieve with the tension that was building on his mind. He knew that the flotilla was withdrawing toward as defensive position in the protection of their fortress island before planning their next move. The Chinese had changed their plan after they were hit badly, thought General Bane. Now they realized that the weakling was capable of attacking them successfully not by direct frontal all-out clash but by means of chop and run tactics. The stick left them still physiczlly fit to launch the invasion but deep inside their force we inflicted small wound, which was bleeding and needed attention.
8. THE TURNING POINT
After the initial fierce confrontation between two warring claimants; Philippines and China, the U.S. military forces decided to challenge the Chinese invasion force by directly hunting down their submarines on their very own waters. Two P-3C patrol and anti-submarine aircrafts were dispatched from Agana Naval Air Station in Guam to directly patrol the area near the vicinity of Hainan Island., particularly the waters that surround one of China’s major submarine bases in Sanya. The mission was hatched by American strategists to lure the Chinese to attack their forces, which was still considered neutral. The Orion aircrafts were in guise of transiting the area which was legally recognized as international waters.
Although, Chinese government issued warnings to the international communities not to traverse the area without approved permission from them, the Chinese emphasized it as a safety measures due to hostile environment brought by war with the Republic of the Philippines. But the U.S. government does not recognize the Chinese authority over international waters of South China Sea. Instead the U.S. lambasted the Chinese action in the Spratly. They believed that the closure of South China Sea by the Chinese is an act of aggression to the international communities which uses the free passage in the international waters of the area. Because of the restriction on the free and innocent passage, the U.S. was very anxious to show its muscles and its big stick to whack the bully, now terrorizing and grabbing territories in the neighborhood, which they believed is their economic domain as well as of its allies in the region.
The American strategist believed that China is challenging the role of the U.S. in the region because the U.S. stance on their claim on the whole of South China Sea was ambiguous. They rely on the assumption that the U.S. will not intervene in the conflict which it is not directly affected nor its major allies; Japan and South Korea. The only ally of the U.S. that will be affected by the Chinese aggression is the Philippines, which the U.S. considered only as minor ally, because of its weak armed forces, that could not contribute big enough to support U.S. interventions. Though they have mutual defense treaty since 1951 still this did not deter China’s expansive action nor does it have explicit condemnation on the aggression in South China Sea. Because of its slow action the Chinese interpreted it as; that the U.S. government will not gamble its immense economic interest in China in exchange of defending the claim of its ally over the disputed area. Aside from this the U.S. openly declares that it did not recognized Philippine claims in the Spratly as well as that of China’s outrageous brag of historical sovereignty over the whole area dating back to time when sea-going boat does not yet exist. The U.S. strategists believed that the objectives of China’s aggression over the area were limited in perspective. First, they wanted to control the whole area by means of force at the very least time, before international communities could react. If the first objective was not achieved, the second choice is to abide to peaceful negotiations where it can dictate conditions advantageous to its side. The other objective was aimed to show their military strength in the region so as to instill fear and respect from its neighbors.
The two Orion aircrafts refueled after reaching the Philippines. The Visiting Forces Agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines enabled the host country to service the requirements of the U.S. forces, and refueling is one of them. From the facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Ulugan Bay in Palawan, the Orion refueled for a night mission of Anti-submarine warfare near the vicinity of Hainan Island, where China’s submarine base was located. The Orions reached their mission area without being intercepted because they follow the flight corridor of the Manila-Hanoi commercial air route. Only then when the Orions started to deviate from the international air route alarmed the Chinese air defense operating agency and immediately contacted their nearest airbase on Paracel Island for proper action to be done.
Two SU-27 aircrafts took-off and headed toward Hainan island with a mission of interdiction of unknown intruders. The fighters caught the Orions in international waters but its nearness to their major submarine base is a security threat. They knew the Orion planes were potent antisubmarine aircrafts.
“Unidentified aircrafts on course 149, this is Peoples Republic of China air defense unit. You are entering our restricted territorial waters. You are posing as military threat to our forces in the area. You are now subject to our defensive measures. Alter course now immediately to 051,” warned the interceptor.
“China air defense, this is U.S Air Force Orion planes. We are on our maritime patrol routines. We are traversing legally in international waters, as stated by our global positioning system .We have violated no sovereignty. Your order is an act of harassment to our peaceful and innocent passage in the area. We will not alter course,” said the Orion.
“U.S Air Force Orion, you are intruding into our irrefutable sovereign territory. Alter course now! We are preparing to shoot you if you get any closer. We have the right to attack you.”
“China air defense, your understanding about international waters is a distorted one. This area is not your territory. We will only alter course after we have completed our mission. Stay clear out of our path. You’re endangering our flight.”
“U.S. Orion, alter course now! We are ordered to attack you.”
“China air defense, you have no authority to attack aircrafts in international waters, If you attack us, you’re provoking war against the U.S.”
“I have my order Orion; you have fifteen seconds to change your mind. Alter course now!”
“We have our own orders too. Stay out of our trail, we warn you.”
The mission order for the Orion planes in this kind of scenario had been pre-planned by the U.S. strategists before the planes took-off. This was designed to confuse the enemy thereby making him susceptible to erroneous judgments.
The Orions were ordered by their authority to dispense abruptly all their sonobouy stores automatically and in rapid succession. It was pre-planned move to surprise the enemy aircrafts that were trailing their wake. This was done in order to for them to commit decisive move based on the situation where no time available to request from the higher authority permission to fire, upon the intruders.
The SU-27 lead plane that was trilling the last Orion was caught by surprise when a barrage of missile-like tubes showered its flight path. He was caught off-guard and his first instantaneous reaction was to pull the tr
igger of his gun. His decision was based on the existing order that allowed him to attack if fired first by the enemy. The lead pilot interpreted the Orions’ move as direct attack upon them.
The lead Su-27 immediately fired his cannon and quickly bunked to the left to avoid hitting the cluster of free-falling tubes that the Orions had ejected. The other plane followed his move.
One of the explosions caught the left wing of the lead Orion, now making evasive turn.
“Shadow Blue this is Radius flight lead. We are under attack! Lead suffered left wing tank damage. I’m leaking fuels. Request for escort and protection,” called the Orion lead to their AWAC plane orbiting nest the Palawan Sea.
“Roger, Radius lead. Contacting base now,” said the AWAC
After the AWACS got the reply from the higher authority the plane contacted the Orions.
“Radius flight, abort the mission now! Proceed to besting 175 for emergency landing on Pag-asa Island. Interdiction flight is on the way,” radioed by the AWACS.
After the initial burst of his cannon, and now positioning himself on the portside of the Orion, the lead SU-27 pilot realized that the Orion he was trailing was not attacking him but only dropping its stored sonobouys. It came lately to his senses that it was a clever move designed to confuse him and he decided hastily. Now it was too late, he thought. He hit the Orion. Luckily it was not shot down, if so he will be held liable for starting a shooting war against the United States of America. He immediately communicated with his higher authorities and informed them of his unauthorized action against the clever provocation of the intruders. They understood the situation and instead of blaming him of his action, his officers instead commended it. His order was still the same-drive the intruders away from their territory.
After the Orions changed their course and were confirmed to be leaving out of the area a heading toward the direction of Philippine territory, the SU-27 planes returned to base to be relieved by another flight of air patrol
In Pag-asa Island, in the bunkered room of Combat Operation Center, General Bane was informed by their U.S. ally that one of their Orions will have an emergency landing on the airstrip of the island. It will temporarily stay there until the damaged on the plane has been repaired. There will be U.S. Air Force helicopters coming on the way too, to ferry technicians as well as vital aircrafts parts needed for the repair. He was also told that the other Orion headed to Japan after inland refueling in Philippine airbase in Palawan.
9. FORTRESS ISLAND: PAG-ASA ISLAND
General Bane and his staffs situated inside the Combat Operation Center, buried under the massive concrete fortification of Pag-asa Island in the Spratly received the latest report of military intelligence furnished by the U.S. confirming the presence of China’s naval forces near the area. The flotilla was positioned southwest of Pag-asa, eighty miles away. This put Pag-asa and the nearby Philippine islands in the area within a striking distance of their long-range missiles. The general ordered the air defense system of the island be prepared by bringing out the bunkered close-in weapons system; the 30-mm Gatling gun with a rate of fire of seventy rounds per seconds. The air defense system of the island was installed as an integrated part of the bunker complex with weapons and sensors turrets mounted on top of the circular bunker while the electronics and automatic ammunition loader facilities housed under thick concrete cover. The turrets were also protected by retractable dome housing made of thick solid