True, the vehicle-mounted, four-barreled, ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns had put up a fair amount of 23-millimeter flak, but a hit from one of those now-elderly anti-aircraft systems, while deadly, would have seemed more like bad luck than anything else, given the other modern weapon systems arrayed against them. But no SAM missiles were fired at them and the few uncoordinated attacks by Russian air defense MiG-29 Fulcrums and MiG-31 Foxhounds had been easily seen off by teams of roving F-15 Eagles providing top cover above the F-16s.

In fact, the raid had started like a night training-run in the Nevada desert. Led by Bertinetti, they’d gone down to very low level shortly after entering the 400-kilometer S-400 range and, guided by their LANTIRN infrared navigation and targeting systems, they’d approached the target at no more than 100 feet, streaking across the tree tops with the ground flashing by in the darkness below. Seventy kilometers from the target they had linked up with the eight F-15 Eagles above them. They carried advanced, counter-electronic warfare jammers to neutralize the radar systems of the SAM-6 batteries and ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns guarding the Pionersky radar station.

As they closed with the target, Bertinetti led the sortie in a gradual climb to 5,000 feet. A few individual ZSU-23-4s started to put up a massive barrage of manually aimed flak. So, just short of the target and conscious of the streams of Russian tracer flashing past his canopy, he had overcome his natural instinct to turn and dive to make for a more difficult target and had, instead, gritted his teeth and held his course and height before releasing his two GBU-31, Mark 84 bombs. Guided by the JDAM kits, they hit the radar station in the center of the roof with a massive explosion. Pulling left and climbing aggressively to escape the flak and join the circling F-15s, he had seen the building erupt as the two bombs buried themselves deep inside—only to be followed by the other seven F-16s, also achieving perfect hits.

Extraordinary, thought Bertinetti. Although they had not said as much, HQ had sent out his eight F-16s in the hope that one or two might get through. And one direct hit would probably have been enough to knock out the radar. Instead they had all survived and all had scored. What was really going on down there in Kaliningrad, he wondered. Because someone had been, and was still being, very clever indeed.

“Giant Killer, this is Apollo. Mission accomplished.” Bertinetti spoke coolly into his radio to ground control. “Now heading to link up with tankers before getting back on CAP.”

“Apollo, copy that. Tally ho and good hunting.”

0115 hours, Sunday, July 9, 2017, Central European Time

0215 hours, Sunday, July 9, 2017, Eastern European Time

Forest north of Pravdinsk Iskander Battery, Kaliningrad