Chapter 103 – The Hawk and the Foxbat
The command room of the Far Eastern Military District in Vladivostok was tense, the air thick with cigarette smoke and the hum of old ceiling fans. Maps of the Pacific Rim lay spread across the long table, marked with red and blue pins. High-ranking generals of the Soviet military surrounded it, their expressions grim, focused, and calculating.
General Ivan Trechyanko, the steely-eyed commander of the Far East Military District, stood at the head. His voice was crisp, bearing the weight of imminent confrontation.
"The Americans have deployed the Kitty Hawk to Yokosuka. They're calling it a routine exercise in the eastern Pacific, but we all know it's aimed at us."
The officers murmured. Everyone present understood the unspoken subtext—this wasn't just muscle-flexing. The deployment of the Kitty Hawk, equipped with the formidable F-14 Tomcats, was a direct response to the MiG-25s of the Soviet Far East.
One by one, generals discussed strategies—mobilizing coastal defenses, increasing radar patrols, moving bomber squadrons into alert status.
But it was the youngest officer in the room, Colonel Andrei Tolstoy, who finally spoke up.
"Comrade General, I have a proposal."
All heads turned. Trechyanko's gaze was curious but firm. "Speak, Andrei."
Andrei stepped forward. "We have a MiG-25R at Sokolovka. It's capable of reconnaissance at Mach 3 and altitudes the Americans can't touch. If we fly it over the Kitty Hawk, take detailed photos of their deck layout, formation pattern, and escort composition, we gain intelligence and demonstrate our reach."
The room went still.
Fly over an American aircraft carrier? It was unheard of. Reckless. Or brilliant.
Trechyanko leaned forward. "You propose we breach the Americans' defensive bubble?"
"We won't breach anything," Andrei replied coolly. "We'll fly along international airspace. High altitude, high speed. The Americans won't engage. If they do, it means war—and we all know they're not ready for that."
Lieutenant General Boermann, commander of Air Defense Forces, frowned. "If they scramble Tomcats?"
Andrei nodded. "Then we learn how they maneuver, how they lock targets, and how close they can get to a MiG-25 at 22,000 meters. Their AWG-9 radar and Phoenix missiles are still untested in real engagement."
"And the range?" Boermann countered. "From Sokolovka, you won't make it back."
"We transfer to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk," Andrei explained. "Install a 5,300-liter belly tank, use Tu-16 tanker support if needed. The Navy has the tankers. This is feasible."
He let the words hang.
"Feasible… and provocative," Admiral Spilednov, commander of the Pacific Fleet, finally said from his corner. "And yet… boldness is what defines us."
Trechyanko folded his arms. "Andrei, this idea walks the edge of a blade. If this pilot is shot down, it may trigger an international crisis."
"I volunteer to fly it myself," Andrei said without hesitation.
There was a long silence. Even seasoned generals seemed stunned.
"You're a colonel. And a base commander," Trechyanko said. "Why would you take that risk?"
"Because I know the MiG-25 better than anyone," Andrei replied. "And because if we want to expose American propaganda about the invulnerability of their carriers, we need to challenge it directly. Not with sabers, but with altitude and cameras."
Trechyanko exchanged a glance with Spilednov.
Boermann exhaled through his nose, but gave a reluctant nod. "If we're doing this, we do it cleanly. No deviations from international boundaries. The moment the Americans respond aggressively, the mission turns home."
"Agreed," Andrei said.
"Then begin planning immediately," Trechyanko ordered. "You will fly from Sakhalin in three days. Tankers will be coordinated through Naval Aviation. We want those photos."
The meeting adjourned, boots echoing against tile floors as Soviet brass filed out into the corridor.
Andrei remained behind, staring at the map of the Sea of Japan. His mission was set. Soon, it would be the Tomcat versus the Foxbat.
And he intended to return with proof that the American empire's claws were no longer so sharp.