Plan of Attack

Patrick McLanahan #12

by Dale Brown

U.S. Air Force aerial warfare expert Major General Patrick McLanahan has been demoted and moved back to a desk job. But while keeping a keen eye on what's going on with old enemies, he notices that Russia's heavy bomber and tactical bomber bases are busier than ever. McLanahan tries to get his superiors to pay attention and is ignored.

Russian president General Anatoliy Gryzlov is determined to punish McLanahan and his fleet of robotic warplanes for a previous bombing of a Russian air base. To make his point, Gryzlov launches an all-out sneak attack on America -- unlike anything ever believed possible -- that devastates U.S. strategic air forces.

McLanahan has collected information that not only foretold the Russians' daring plan, but also gives him the data he needs to plan a counterstrike that could stop the Russian war machine dead in its tracks. But McLanahan is no longer in charge of Air Battle Force, his combat unit of the future, and the Russian sneak attack has left the embattled U.S. president with few options: retaliate with every weapon in his arsenal, even if it triggers a global thermonuclear war, agree to a cease-fire on Russia's terms ... or listen to a disgraced and discredited young bomber commander's long-shot plan of attack. To prevent a destructive stalemate, McLanahan may have to take matters into his own hands.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, War, Action, Adventure, Suspense

Mass Market Paperback

First published May 11, 2004

About the author

Former U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown is the superstar author of 25 consecutive New York Times best-selling military-action-aviation adventure novels: FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG (1987), SILVER TOWER (1988), DAY OF THE CHEETAH (1989), HAMMERHEADS (1990), SKY MASTERS (1991), NIGHT OF THE HAWK (1992), CHAINS OF COMMAND (1993), STORMING HEAVEN (1994), SHADOWS OF STEEL (1996) and FATAL TERRAIN (1997), THE TIN MAN (1998), BATTLE BORN (1999), and WARRIOR CLASS (2001). His Fourteenth Novel AIRBATTLE FORCE will be published in late Spring 2003... Dale's novels are published in 11 languages and distributed to over 70 countries. Worldwide sales of his novels, audiobooks and computer games exceed 10 million copies.

Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon.
Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course.

Dale is a director and volunteer pilot for AirLifeLine, a non-profit national charitable medical transportation organization who fly needy persons free of charge to receive treatment. He also supports a number of organizations to support and promote law enforcement and reading.

Dale Brown is a member of The Writers Guild and a Life Member of the Air Force Association and U.S. Naval Institute. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and hockey. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

With an isolationist President running the US and a nutcase running Russia after taking over in a coup in the previous book, what could go wrong? McLanahan is lowered in rank by a star and loses his command. Something about ignoring orders and not going through the proper chain of command.
Another very involved book, with plenty of air action and incompetence at the command level.

[Zeke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Consumed on a six hour car ride to Baguio. Typical "airport novel" fare from Dale Brown, moreso since it was read back to back with Air Battle Force, which I *had* read many times before. Felt like ABF Part Two.

Then again, outlandish plots featuring futuristic air warfare are pretty much what you expect to get from Dale Brown, in the same way that one doesn't watch Transformers for the plot but rather for the gritty action scenes.

[Jeff Brateman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall this storyline of Patrick McClanahan is just silly. I just don't understand creating an alternative universe and timeline (see Back to the Future 2 for clarification), but referencing things from one universe in the other. For example, this book references all the world events that happened in previous books, which was a crazy depiction of the world, but the author then decides to mention 9-11 as a source of something. I think it references the alternative universe by mentioning all the nuclear bombs exploding all over the world in different conflicts, but then back to reality. I'm sorry, but you can't have one universe intersect the other. It just doesn't make any sense. In his world, 9-11 would not have taken place, as other crap has happened, and prevents the other actions from becoming reality. Oh yea, and the rest of the book sucks too. This is all I will say. P.S. It is a wanna-be Jack Ryan plotline, only much less interesting, and a lot more fantasy-land with the new gismos and gadgets available at just the right time to help kill the bad guys.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt that this book is really bad on so many levels. First, is it really likely that the post-soviet Russia, deep in debt and with its military rusting in storage, could assemble a massive bomber force to attack the US? And even if such a force was raised, how it could get to the American coast without being detected by US intelligence, satellites, or radar? Even more curious, how could NORAD have virtually no fighters on the West Coast, when so many Air Force squadrons are based there along with the multitude of Navy fighters.

All of these plot holes can be overlooked, abet with a great effort. But what I found really glaring was the use of the term "American Holocaust" to describe the Russian nuclear attack. To me, it seemed to be a poor attempt to portray US as a tragic entity by bringing it on part with the Jewish Europeans in WWII. The arrogance.....

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wenngleich spannend geschrieben, lastet der fehlende Realismus auf dem Leseerlebnis, insbesondere aufgrund der völligen Überlegenheit des amerikanischen Militärs - jedes Mal, wenn es knapp wird, kommt von irgendwo ein neues stealth Flugzeug mit absurden Thermium-Nitrat-, Plasmasprengköpfen oder unbesiegbaren "Zinnsoldaten" um die Ecke und rettet den Tag, was die Geschichte sehr vorhersehbar macht. Für Fans des Genres i.O, für Neueinsteiger ein schwacher Einstieg.

[Alan Cotterell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth one star

[Ultan]

The unthinkable is about to happen in this high-flying novel of adventure and suspense.

In Air Battle Force, Dale Brown introduced U.S. Air Force aerial warfare expert Major General Patrick McLanahan and his air combat unit of the future. Armed with a force of these robotic planes, the general and a handful of commandos were secretly deployed to the oil-rich nation of Turkmenistan to stop a Taliban invasion. And though the Americans won the battle, the war is far from over....
To punish McLanahan and his fleet of robot warplanes for their audacity, Russian president General Anatoliy Gryzlov decides to do the unthinkable: a sneak attack on America-unlike anything ever believed possible-that devastates her strategic air forces.
McLanahan has collected information that not only foretold the Russians' daring plan, but also gave him the data he needs to plan a counterstrike that could stop the Russian war machine dead in its tracks. But Patrick is no longer in charge of Air Battle Force, and the Russian sneak attack has left the embattled U.S. president with few options: retaliate with every weapon in his arsenal, even if it triggers a global thermonuclear war, or to a cease fire on Russia's terms...
...or listen to a disgraced and discredited young bomber commander's long-shot plan of attack.

Patrick McLanahan demoted to Military Intelligence after launching a pre-emptive strike on Russian forces invading Turkmenistan. As an act of revenge, Russian president launches a nuclear attack on the US's strategic bases.

McLanahan then launches an attack on Russia and kills the Russian president thus preventing a nuclear war.

Martindale re-elected as President

Cast of Characters

Brigadier General Patrick McLanahan, commander, 966th Information Warfare Wing;
plans intelligence operations; 4 ops groups, 1 intel group
Major General Gary Houser, commander, Air Intelligence Agency
Colonel Trevor Griffin, deputy commander, 966th Information Warfare Wing, Lackland AFB
Command CMSgt Harold Bayless, Command NCOIC
Chief Master Sergeant Donald Saks, NCOIC, National Air Intelligence Center, WPAFB;
produces foreign aerospace intel for DoD

Brigadier General David Luger, commander, First Air Battle Force
Brigadier General Rebecca Furness, commander, 111th Attack Wing;
commander, 1 ABF/Air Operations
Colonel Hal Briggs, commander, I ABF/Ground Operations
Sergeant Major Chris Wohl, NCOIC, 1 ABF/GO
First Lieutenant Mark Bastian, Ground Ops squad leader
Staff Sergeant Emily Angel, ABF Ground Ops
Tech Sergeant James “JD” Daniels
Lance Corporal Johnny “Hulk” Morris

Colonel Daren Mace, Ops Group commander, 111th Attack Wing

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Hellion, Fifty-first Bomb Squadron (EB-1 C)

Colonel Nancy Cheshire, commander, Fifty-second Bomb Squadron (EB-52 and AL-52)
Colonel Kelvin Carter, operations officer, Fifty-second Bomb Squadron, AL-52 AC
Lieutenant Colonel Summer O’Dea, EB-52 AC
Major Matthew Whitley, EB-52 remote-control technician
Major Frankie “Zipper” Tarantino, AL-52 MC
Captain Johnny “Soccer” Sammis, EB-52 MC

U.S. Marine Corps Captain Ted Merritt, Marine Special Purpose Forces platoon leader

Lieutenant General Terrill Samson, commander, Eighth Air Force
Brigadier General Charles C. Zoltrane, acting deputy commander and operations officer, Eighth Air Force

General Charles E “Cuz” Kuzner, chief of staff, USAF

General Thomas “Turbo” Muskoka, commander, Air Combat Command
Lieutenant General Leah “Skyy” Fortuna, deputy commander, Air Combat Command

Admiral Charles Andover, chief of Naval Operations
General Walter Wollensky, commander, U.S. Space Command
General Randall Shepard, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command;
also commander of U.S. Northern Command
Colonel Joanna Kearsage, C-crew command director, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station (killed)
Lieutenant Colonel Susan Paige, C-crew commander, Air Warning Center, NORAD, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, Colorado

Brigadier General Jerrod Richiand, E—4 AOC battle staff commander

Thomas Nathaniel Thorn, president of the United States
Robert Goff, secretary of defense
Richard W Venti, USAF general, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Charles Andover, chief of Naval Operations
Douglas R. Morgan, director of Central Intelligence
Maureen Hershel, secretary of state
Darrow Horton, attorney general

RUSSIANS
General Anatoliy Gryzlov, president of the Russian Federation (killed)
Army General Nikolai Stepashin, chief of staff of the Russian military and commander, ministry of state security (chief of all intelligence bureaus) (killed)

Aviatskiy Kapitan Leytenant Josef Leborov, Tu-95MS-16 pilot (ejects)
Aviatskiy Starshij Leytenant Yuri Bodorev, his copilot (killed)

TURKMEN STARSHIY LEYTENANT
General Jalaluddin Turabi, interim commander of Turkmen armed forces
Abdul Dendara, his aide

AIRCRAFT AND WEAPONS
MV-32 PAVE DASHER tilt-jet special-operations transport

cruise speed 320 KIAS, endurance 5 hours (conventional takeoff/vertical landing/vertical takeoff/vertical landing), carries 18 combat-ready troops plus crew of three; cargo ramp allows Humvee-size vehicles to fit inside; 2 retractable weapons pods for defensive or attack missiles; 1 20—millimeter Gatling gun in steerable chin turret; satellite and inertial navigation plus imaging-infrared sensor and millimeter-wave radar allows global terrain-following flight

MQ-35 CONDOR air-launched special-operations transport

cruise speed 300 KIAS, endurance 3 hours (glide insertion/conventional takeoff from rough field/conventional landing on rough field); carries 4 combat-ready troops plus up to 260 pounds of cargo; remotely piloted; mission-adaptive skin and lifting-body technology allows aircraft to be controlled without wings or flight—control surfaces; small turbojet engine and tricycle landing gear allows aircraft to take off from unimproved fields

RAQ-15 StealthHawk long-range reconnaissance and attack cruise missile

turbojet engine, 600 KIAS max cruise speed, max range 2,000 miles; lifting-body design, mission-adaptive flight controls; carries 6 AGM-211 mini-Maverick guided attack missiles

2 can be carried 1 EB-52 Megafortress bombers on wing pylons or 2 in center bomb of EB—1C Vampire bomber; reloadable and refuelable by EB-1C bombers; launch weight 3,500 pounds

AGM-211 mini-Maverick, small TV-guided attack missile

28-pound thermium nitrate (TN) warhead, glide- and rocket-boosted, 6-mile range

AGM-165 Longhorn TV- and IIR-guided attack missile

200-pound TN warhead, MMW radar guidance, 60-mile range, 2,000 pounds

AIM-120 Scorpion AMRAAM air-to-air missile

50-pound warhead, 35 miles max range, triple—mode active radar, passive radar, or infrared, max speed Mach 3, 350 pounds each

AIM-154 Anaconda long-range radar-guided air-to-air missile

50-pound TN warhead, 150-mile max range, ramjet engine, active-passive radar/JR guidance, max speed Mach 5, weight 6,000 pounds

AGM-177 Wolverine cruise missile

turbojet powered, max 50-mile range, 3 weapon bays, IIR or MMW radar terminal guidance, 2,000 pounds

AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)

Range 15 to 40 miles depending on release altitude, 1,500 pounds, unpowered glide weapon, carries 200 antipersonnel/antivehicle bomblets, 10 BLU-108/B antiarmor submunitions, or 500-pound high explosive

EB-52, B-EB-1C can carry 8 on rotary launcher

ABM-3 Lancelot air-launched anti-ballistic-missile weapon

200-mile range, plasma-yield or conventional warheads, 3,000-pound launch weight

Russian:
AS-17 “Krypton” (Kh-31P) medium-range air-launched antiradar missile

max 120-mile range, speed in excess of Mach 3,225-pound blast/fragmentation warhead
carried by Tu-22M Backfire bombers

AS-X-19 “Koala” (Kh-90) long—range air—launched attack missile

ramjet powered, max range 1,800 miles, speed in excess of Mach 8, 1-kiloton nuclear warhead with delayed rigger fuze and armored nose cap
designed for destroying deep underground or armored facilities;
two carried by Tu-95 Bear bombers

AS—16 “Kickback” (Kh—15) inertially guided supersonic attack missile

90-mile range, max speed Mach 2, 300-pound high-explosive warhead or 1-kiloton nuclear warhead
Tu-160 bomber can carry 24 internally on rotary launcher

[Michael Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Brown is a dependable author for high tech and high action books. This is one of his best. In this book his protagonist, Brigadier General Patrick McLanahan leads a US military force enforcing a peace agreement between Russia and Turkmenistan. Seeing the Russians move their forces beyond the agreed separation line, he activates his high-tech air and special forces. His team destroys a Russian Air Force brigade and infantry team.

This decision is (arguably,) beyond McLanahan’s mandate but incites both Russian President Gryzlov and US President Thorn and a handful of his most senior civilian and military advisors. McLanahan is disgraced and given an air intelligence command. Next, McLanahan notices that Russia has relocated her largest bombers and fighter bombers to central and eastern Siberia. Also, Russia’s mobile ground based ballistic missiles have dramatically changed their normal routines. Seeking more data, McLanahan finds that Russia’s tanker aircraft have mostly congregated on and around Yakutsk, her furthest east refueling and support base. McLanahan identifies these moves as preparation for a surprise attack by Russia from her east and north. He escalates this information and analysis to his boss who chooses to sit on it.

Our protagonist escalates his information and analysis around his boss, and the brown stuff hits the fan. McLanahan has stretched his orders and bypassed certain senior people in the past. Some support him but several hate him despite his successes and he is relieved of command. Nevertheless, NORAD, Elmendorf, the largest US base in Alaska, and a few smaller bases in southern Alaska and western Canada are alerted. An Elmendorf pilot on patrol spots the first Russian aerial penetration. The fighter pilot sees the first aerial launched cruise and ballistic missiles and shoots down one bomber and some of the cruise missiles, but Russian nukes have shut down communication from the north and the picture turns bleak.

As the scale of the Russian attack is discovered, McLanahan is reinstated and his response recommendation is adopted. Brown’s battle scenes are sterling; among the best I have seen. He describes the Russian and US aircraft, weapon systems and other tools in enough detail to make the reader feel that he too is fighting the battle. Their use is described as is their impact and any opposition their foe might use against them. This is one of Brown’s real strengths.

The only area I find fault with are the scenes where his US military and civilian seniors take him on. These battles are vicious and nasty. To my mind they do not ring quite true. If the President, Secretary of Defense and senior General of the Air Force really thought he had not followed orders properly, they claim enough proof to send him to jail for life, or simply retire him off. They never do. They always promote him, then ignore him until they need him again. In general, the major characters are developed enough that we have good understanding of their behavior. This makes the book and plot feel more plausible.

This is a very good book that went by quickly. Lots of interest, lots of tension, lots of action. Dale Brown tells a great story. Five stars.

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a typical Pat McLanahan story both the good and the bad. For the good it is a fast paced story with the usual high standard of high tech battles. The bad is the usual unrealistic ability of McLanahan of disobeying lawful orders within the US Air Force, gets threatened with court martial and demotion, then having been proved right becomes the hero and his rewarded despite all of the issues at the outset of the story.
I was also disappointed with the political story line this time as it failed to feel realistic. Basically in response to McLanahan attack on a Russian air base during "Air Battle Force" launches a series of low yield nuclear attacks against the US strategic missile and bomber bases. He then attempts to force the US President to accept these attacks as a simple retaliation and to not respond in kind. The Russian President then becomes obsessed with bringing down McLanahan even going to the lengths of launching nuclear cruise missiles at one of his own bases when he becomes aware that McLanahan has taken control of it.

[Drew Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the Patrick McLanahan series.

This is a close follow up to Air Battle Force.

Russian president General Anatoly Gryzlov launches a sneak attack on America to get back at Patrick McLanahan and his fleet of warplanes for a previous attack of a Russian airbase.

McLanahan has collected information that foretold the Russians' daring plan and also gives him the data he needs to plan a counterstrike that might stop the Russian.

The U.S. president has few options to retaliate. McLanahan may have to take matters into his own hands.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable book even if somewhat futuristic and barely believable in places. It is a good attempt at guessing what the technological advances will be in the near forseeable future but regresses to the old traditional foes to develop the plot. But, it was a story that had me reading well past my self-allotted reading times in an attempt to get to the end just to see what the end of the tale was going to be. Have a go, a book for all armed conflict afficionados.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I started this series with book #12. I really enjoyed it, so now I need to go back and read books 1-11.

Good action, great characters, fascinating plot, maybe a little more technical detail than I'm interested in personally, but I know that there are lots of fans of that sort of stuff out there.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm mixed on this one. The first half of the book amounts to political infighting and personality conflicts with little action. Once the action starts, it pretty much goes full throttle. Not as much for McLanahan to do in this one, but he does play a pivotal role.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick is the General that doesn't follow the chain of command when he thinks their is an inevitable attack on the U.S. He's back and doesn't back down even when his job is on the line

Slow to start. Well written. But worth the wait. Will read the next one

[Stephen Washburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plan of Attack

An excellent story about responding t a nuke attack by Russia forces, being led by Gryzlov, the Russian general that took over as president during a coup. His sole reason for living was to kill Mclanahan.

[Ryan Hornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book definitely starts off slow and is very technical, it took me a while to really get into it but I saw promise with the action and tactics. I love a good war book and this ends up being just that, I couldn’t put it down.

[Dave T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really exciting

There are really no words sufficient to describe the intensity and nail biting suspense of this book. I was riding a roller coaster of emotions from the start to the finish.

[Robert Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! His second best, next to Flight Of The Old Dog!

[Todd McQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK book. Not great character development. Interesting perspective on the military in the future? C

[Joseph. Edelmayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Struggle between two forces and it's drama

All aspects of staging and implementing a p!an to contain the different strategies by opposing forces.
Great action book to read.

[David Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author tries too hard to intertwine sex into book and does it awkwardly.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, close to real world science fiction. Looked up all the aircraft codes to see what was been talked about.

[Dennis P Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Larry's book

5.

[Raoul Jerome · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok read, not great. A bit preposterous. All over the place, jumps back and forth... a bit difficult to keep up with.

[Connie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

This one was way more technical in descriptions... but a great read nonetheless. I wish our current military were this far advanced! I know I would sleep better!

[Yoda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got a little confussing at time as to who was bombing who, but I liked it.

[Patricia Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riviting from the first page till the last.loved the book

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

These 2 books were read in a quick couple of days and went very well togetehr- good flow...Good Job DB...

[Fred Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy is good!

[Hans Leisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense story with some good characters. Military/Air Force Jargon sometimes slows it down a tad but still a very solid read