The Kidd Incident

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Three (NMCB 3) 

Fiery Cross Reef, South China Sea

TACTICAL AIRFIELD FUEL DISPENSING SYSTEM (TAFDS)

Functional Description The primary purpose of the Tactical Airfield Fuel Dispensing System (TAFDS) is receiving, storing and dispensing fuel in support of expeditionary airfields. With the single fuel on the battlefield concept, TAFDS is able to supply fuel to both aviation and ground assets. The system has a storage capacity of 320,000 gallons and a pump capability up to 600 GPM. The system has 12 aircraft dispensing points for multi-aircraft refueling and the capability to receive fuel from multiple sources. TAFDS can be deployed as a complete system or tailored to meet specific mission requirements.

Transportability: Treat as cargo.

NOTE: Either a TRAM with a bucket or Dozer is required to build berms. Forklift support is also required

TAMCN: B06757B; USMC

“It’s toast, sir.”

Commander Greyson shook his head. At least nobody was killed when it went up. “Yep, I think you are right Sergeant. OK, let’s get the TAFDS over here.”

“Aye, aye, sir.”

As Greyson walked away from the still smoking rubble of the Chinese tank farm, the Sergeant started speaking into his tactical radio. For many militaries around the world, this would be a near fatal problem. Fighter aircraft were voracious consumers of fuel. The Chinese had correctly deduced that removing the fuel from Fiery Cross reef would reduce the ability of the Americans to wage war from the former Chinese base.

What they hadn’t taken into account was the MASSIVE logistics capability of the US military. As an expeditionary force, the US military was able to operate anywhere on earth. This capacity is completely unique in the world.

For the troops on Fiery Cross reef, the destruction of the fuel farm was simply an annoying outcome and some work to get done. The only truly irreplaceable asset of the US Military was manpower. Literally, everything else could be produced in quantities unknown to other military organizations.

While the Marines had hoped and expected to take the base largely intact, they didn’t come all this way unprepared. As part of the supplies they brought along, they included the ability to completely rebuild the airfield, including its refueling system. During the wars in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the USA had gotten very very good at logistics. The ability to set up a tank farm was something they had learned how to do.

The TAFDS is just one example of this capability. The entire system fits into a single shipping container and was able to refuel 12 aircraft simultaneously. With support from navy ships, they would be able to refuel all the aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef within 24 hours.

In the meantime, the MEU carried refueling trucks that could be used for some of the aircraft and there were several C-130s in theater configured for “Forward Arming and Refueling Point” (FARP) which basically meant they were able to refuel and re-arm aircraft on the ground.

Within ten minutes, a front end loader began to push the destroyed fuel system into the ocean to make way for the replacement fuel bladders and other components of the TAFDS.

VMFA-121 (The Green Knights)

Angels 8, Two Miles North East Fiery Cross Reef

“Tango Delta. Romeo flight with you at Angels 8, two miles.”

“Roger Romeo Flight. Altimeter Two Nine Eight Two. Cleared to land, VFR on runway two three.”

While Charles could see something smoldering on one end of the island, it looked like the single runway was fully functional. As he went across the field perpendicularly, he could see a number of other aircraft lined up on the aprons. At least one squadron of F-35s and more F-16s than he could count.

Ironically, landing the F-35 “normally” on a regular runway was much less automated than a “VTOL” type landing that they used on the ship. In this case, it was simply a normal landing, just like any other aircraft.

At the end of the runway, he was directed to a parking area where he was greeted by a familiar face. Corporal Lucas, his plane captain, was standing in the revetment waving him into his parking place.

“Larry!! What the hell are you doing here?”

Lucas had a sloppy grin on his face. “Sorry, sir. Ain’t you happy to see me?”

Jumping down from the plane, Charles gave Lucas a fist bump. “Damn straight I am! Just surprised. What the hell happened?”

Lucas looked down at the tarmac. “Wasn’t pretty. Tah durn ship took three amidships. An’ then all hell broke loose. Captain got hurt real bad like but the XO was on the case for damn sure.”

“And they evac’d you here?”

“Well, no sir. We got moved tah the Bonny Dick. Then they said you fellers would be here and we got a ride over in a helo that was evac’ing the aid station before the Vampires showed up.”

Charles shook his head and punched Lucas in the shoulder. “You flew INTO an incoming attack?”

“Wellsir, I figgered this here is my duty station, in a manner a speaking, sir. Wouldn’t like ta be derelict or nothin’ sir.”

Charles smothered a grin. “No, we wouldn’t want to be derelict.” He looked around to the other aircraft in the squadron. Each had ground crew attending to them. “Looks like you brought friends.” Lucas nodded. “I don’t suppose you managed to smuggle some slammers in your pockets on the way over?”

“Well, no sir. As tuh that, turns out these Air Force fellers are real nice when ya get to know them up close and personal like.”

“Oh?”

“Yes sir. They have a crap ton of slammers and all manner of destruction just over yonder. And, right enough, they didn’t seem tah mind.”

“I see. Well, best get to it before someone notices you’ve helped yourself to them.”

“Aye, aye sir.”

“What about fuel?”

“That, not so much. We have a couple of trucks coming over from one of the LPDs. Not enough for the full squadron, but enough to get you gents off the deck worst comes tah worst. There is a herky bird configured for FARP about an hour out, that will get the rest. The Seebees say they have a full tank farm in a box coming in later today.”

“Well done Marine. Carry on.” Charles presented his best parade ground salute which Lucas returned smartly. Normally, an officer never salutes an enlisted, but Charles had to recognize the effort above and beyond the call of duty.

4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (4th ADAR), Battery A

Fiery Cross Reef, South China Sea

Lt. Colonel Rutgers watched with some satisfaction as the Navy knocked down the last of the incoming ballistics. He quickly shifted his inspection to the incoming cruise missile attack. Ironically, the “early” launch by the supersonic bombers had resulted in the cruise missiles being “late” to the party. They had a fairly long way to travel at subsonic speeds which meant they actually would arrive much later than the Chinese originally intended. On the other hand, the ballistic missiles had MUCH farther to travel but they moved at Mach 8 or faster. This meant very long engagement ranges. Most of the missiles had been intercepted in their “Mid-Course” phase, hundreds of miles away from the island.

Now, they had the opposite problem. Hundreds of very small cruise missiles traveling relatively slowly but they were much closer.

Technically, the Patriot battery was not under his direct command, but the command team had agreed to put Rutgers in overall command of the defense of Fiery Cross Reef. This meant that he was responsible for the outcome in addition to his very personal desire to remain alive.

They had parked the Patriot Engagement Control Section (or ECS) only about twenty yards away from the THAAD TFCC which served the same purpose for the THAAD battery. While keeping the two control trucks so close together risked them both being damaged at the same time, it also allowed the two teams to work more closely together. The actual launchers were spread out across the island, but the command vehicles were vulnerable targets.

“Your crew ready in here Jimmy?”

“Yes, sir. Ready to go. We have soft tracks from the F-35’s. Getting ready to engage. Navy has taken some stragglers down as they wandered into their engagement envelope, but this one is all ours.”

“Land attack, you figure?”

“Yeah, based on their courses, they are moving to englobe us. Wrong geometry to attack the fleet.”

“Sir, from the F-35’s tracks, we are about five minutes until they enter range.”

“You are cleared hot.”

“Sir, my weapon is cleared hot.”

All over the island, another round of interceptors began to launch from their mobile launchers. While the Patriot system was based on a “smaller” missile than THAAD used, the missiles were not small. Each one released a pillar of flame as the telephone pole sized missiles leaped into the sky.

“Sir, I have good tracks. Weapons are locked on target.”

Watching over the operator’s shoulders, Rutgers could see the tracks of the outgoing missiles, aiming at where the incoming missiles would be.

“Vampire! We have the leading element now.”

“Re-assess and re-target.”

“Retargeting.”

Of course, the F-35s hadn’t been able to track all the inbound missiles, some were bound to evade notice. The goal was to get enough interceptors in the air to counter every incoming missile with two interceptors using “ripple” firing. By engaging early, this gave the defenders more time to spread out their salvos and prevent fratricide.

The only sound in the control room was the whirring of the air conditioners as the interceptors began to track down their targets.

“That’s ten down. Twenty. We are not going to get them all, sir.”

“Fire up the Giant Voice, all non-essential personnel to take shelter.”

Protected by a solid wall of Hesco barriers, the command trailer was a bunker of sorts. However, a direct hit would kill everyone inside instantly. Rutgers did not even consider leaving.

“Alert the C-RAM crews.”

“Yes, sir. They report ready.”

As the incoming weapons got closer and closer, their numbers dwindled. Thirty remaining, twenty. Then they were inside the engagement envelope of the Patriot battery. Seconds passed. Then..

BRRRRRRRRT.

The ripping sound of the C-RAM Gatling guns was loud enough to be clearly heard from almost a mile away. Three began to fire. Then five. The noise was deafening. At 3,000 rounds per minute, they simply produced a continuous ripping sound instead of the rat-a-tat from a traditional machine gun.

Amidst the deafening roar of the C-RAMs, an explosion rocked the small island. And then another. The men and women in the command truck hit the deck, hoping to avoid the worst of the explosions and flying shrapnel.

“Report! I want a damage assessment! Get the casualty teams moving, let’s look for any wounded. Move it, people!”

A huge fireball to the east announced that the Chinese had successfully taken out their primary target, the fuel depot.

“Get me the Seabee commander on the horn! We need that fuel farm back up and running or we have no air cover.”

Sailors, marines, soldiers and air force ground crews leapt into action all over the island.