China has established a very friendly relationship with many Caribbean nations, and has poured billions of dollars of aid into their economies. One recipient of this aid has been Trinidad and Tobago.
This scenario assumes that Trinidad and Tobago has failed to use the money in a positive manner, although it has used some of the money to purchase older aircraft and patrol boats from China. Not only is its government corrupt and inefficient, but it is widely believed to be supporting drug cartels and using their gunmen to commit assassinations in other countries in the Caribbean and Central America.
China has dismissed these charges and suggests that America simply wants an excuse to interfere with one of its allies.
The issue reached a crisis point when Trinidad and Tobago refused to turn over indicted drug lord Fernando Gullavier to the United States for trial. Gullavier is blamed for the murders of several American citizens, including the recent assassinations of two DEA agents.
The United States has dispatched a Littoral Combat Group (LCG) to the waters around Trinidad. The question now being asked is whether the United States simply plans to keep a close watch on Trinidad or if it is planning some kind of military action.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
The Block II LCS is a speculative modification of the Littoral Combat Ship. Assuming that the United States Navy would have had several years to observe and test the first eight or ten Littoral Combat Ships, it is not unreasonable to assume that some enhancements would be made to newer ships in the two classes. An obvious option is to put four-cell short VLS systems (each of them capable of carrying 16 quad-packed ESSMs) in the two modular weapon stations.
Fernando Gullavier is a fictional individual. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead (or in any other state of existence) is purely accidental.
*** OPERATIONAL: IMMEDIATE ***
ATTN: Commanding Officer, Mason
You are instructed to initiate OPERATION TEXAS CROW.
INTEL/SITREP
Trinidad and Tobago continues to refuse to turn over the fugitive drug lord Fernando Gullavier. Intelligence reports indicate he has moved to a private house on the island of Tobago. The American government has decided to take action.
ENEMY FORCES
In recent years, China has transferred a number of older patrol boats and combat aircraft to Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago currently has five or six Type 37 boats, some of them armed with anti-ship missiles, and a small squadron of J-8 Finbacks. China has also transferred a number of artillery pieces and short-range SAM systems to Trinidad and Tobago. All of these are older platforms, some of them arguably obsolete, but they do provide Trinidad and Tobago with some degree of defensive firepower and standoff capability.
FRIENDLY FORCES
Your task force consists of DDG 87 Mason, LCS 8 Montgomery, LCS 12 Omaha, PC 8 Zephyr, and SSN 764 Boise.
Montgomery is equipped with a standard surface combat module (30 mm. cannons and MH-60 helicopters). Omaha, a Block II LCS, is equipped with an advanced surface combat module (ESSMs and armed MQ-8B drones).
MISSION
1. Identify the location of the military Command Center and the military Communications Hub on the island of Tobago. Destroy these targets. This aspect of the mission is a "show of force" attack; we want Trinidad and Tobago to understand that even with powerful friends like the Chinese they cannot act with impunity.
2. Gullavier is most vulnerable when he is driving from his house to the airport to conduct business. Dispatch the SEALs currently aboard LCS Omaha via submersible and eliminate the drug cartel leader directly or direct a helicopter or armed UAV to his location and kill him.
3. Move at least one of your vessels within the 12-mile territorial limit of Tobago. The reference points are marked on your tactical map. Keep that vessel on station until you receive additional orders. Again, this is a "show of force" meant to demonstrate to Trinidad and Tobago that their sovereignty will only be respected as long as they themselves respect international law and the international community.
EXECUTION
Try to maintain the element of surprise so that Trinidad and Tobago does not have time to move Gullavier to a safe location. Given the current situation, aircraft from Trinidad and Tobago are likely to make close and even aggressive flybys without actually attacking. If possible, try to avoid firing on aircraft or naval vessels from Trinidad and Tobago until your primary mission is underway. Obviously, if you are attacked, you should consider yourself free to return fire.
You are cleared to attack targets of opportunity if they appear relevant to your mission or if their elimination will enhance the protection of your forces.
COMMAND AND SIGNAL
Command: Mason
Signal: EMCON C (Unrestricted Emissions)
Good luck and Godspeed.
First order of business is to identify the location of the Trinidad communications hub and military command center. Right off the bat though, a number of surface contacts are detected around the LCS group. Several are classified as commercial fishing vessels or tankers, and more remain unknown. Several minutes into the mission, unknown air contacts are detected outbound from the local airport in Trinidad, and they are quickly identified as fighters.
As the Littoral Combat Group makes their way closer to the island, a pair of fighters close in at high speed toward LCS 12 Omaha and LCS 8 Montgomery. Our orders are to hold fire unless fired upon, and the ships obey them. Eventually the fighters are eyeballed visually and identified as the J-8IE Finback A variant.
The Finbacks orbit around the combat ships several times before flying back to the airport. Further southeast, near SSN Boise and PC 8 Zephyr, two ships are type-classified as combat patrol ships. DDG 87 dispatches Able-1, an MH-60R Seahawk to the island to perform recon. Able-1 is equipped with the powerful AN/APS-147 MMR ground search radar, with a range up to 200 nautical miles. They should be able to locate the key targets no problem. Shortly after Able-1 lifts off the deck of DDG Mason, one of the unfriendly patrol ships is identified as the Type 037-IS Haiqing-class coastal patrol boat. The most this ship can do is if my submarine blunders into its 2 nm ASW rocket range.
The aggressive Finbacks from before make a couple of high-speed passes over PC 8 Zephyr before finally returning to base.
At about 8:54 local, Able-1 is about to pass over the island of Grenada when it appears a Finback has detected the helicopter. As Able-1 makes a rapid descent toward the ground to reduce detection, the Finback turns toward back the littoral group at high altitude.
Meanwhile, the other coastal patrol boat detected near our patrol boat is another Type 037. As Able-1 closes to within 50 nm of the island of Tobago, three armed RHIBs are detected 15 nm south-southeast of PC 8 Zephyr. These guys are armed with two 7.62mm machine guns and two RPG launchers, with 15 rockets for each launcher. Our coastal patrol boat is now outnumbered and outgunned if this escalates into a shooting match. The Zephyr plots a course toward the island that takes it between the unfriendly Type 037 and the armed civilian RHIBs. While all this is happening, more Finbacks come and play chicken with LCS 8 and DDG 87, taunting them.
At 35 nm from Tobago, Able-1 begins to detect the conditions of various buildings and airport facilities. For the moment, they are all in perfectly good undamaged condition. Another couple of Type 037s are detected 13 nm southeast and 15 nm northeast of Tobago.
At 9:23L, Able-1's pilots see two high-reaching contrails shoot up from the island, 5 nm away. They turn away and try to escape, but its no use. Able-1 is shot down by island surface-to-air defenses.
The Littoral Combat Group immediately reacts to this escalation of hostilities by slapping any J-8 Finbacks out of the sky. Two Finbacks near the destroyer are shot out of the sky, and a pair of shipboard SAMs are closing at Mach 4.5 at the Finback maneuvering very close to our coastal patrol boat. In addition, a round of Tomahawk strikes are served up by the destroyer, aiming to destroy the SAMs and shut down airport operations.
At the same time, the enemy Type 037 and their three armed RHIBs turn toward our Zephyr. One naval warfare action coming right up! But they're not without help. LCS 12 scrambles a pair of MQ-8B Fire Scout UAVs, and they'll reach the Zephyr in just under 30 minutes. Both are armed with 8 laser-guided rockets. The Zephyr tries to rally with the Fire Scouts by maneuvering away from the enemy surface action group at maximum speed, 35 knots. This outruns the Type 037 but unfortunately the RHIBs can go 40 knots, which they are. Another J-8 is detected on an attack vector toward the Zephyr, and its a race against time as another pair of RIM-174A ERAM SM-6MR Blk 1 missiles are launched at it.
Fortunately, the J-8 either was not carrying any bombs or just trying to intimidate the crew, as it passes over harmlessly. The SAM however, is not without teeth, and screams in to devour it. Trinidad and Tobago loses a fourth J-8.
At 9:37L, the seven lucky Tomahawks are 15 nm from their targets and the RHIBs continue to close on the Zephyr. Unfortunately, as the Tomahawks IR sensors identify the SAMs targeted as SA-15s (fortunately they also detect and identify our primary targets, the Command Center and Communications Hub), they are shot out of the sky. Well at least now we know what we're up against.
Taking stock of our current forces' actions at 9:42L, we have a pair of Fire Scouts racing toward the Zephyr, all other surface ships are sailing at full speed toward Tobago, and the SSN Boise is cruising at a depth of 751 feet with 30 knots to intercept and sink their closest enemy, a Type 037. At the same time, the Commander of the task group "remembers" his ship has the new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, that also happen to have a very low radar cross section, and orders a strike on the primary targets and the airport's only storage location of aviation fuel.
As the LRASMs streak in at 600 knots and 30 feet above sea level, they detect and report back over their datalink any significant objects they see, such as roving trucks, AAA, and artillery. One cruise missile hits the Comms Hub and completely destroys it. Another strikes the Command Center and also destroys it. Collateral damage is inflicted to neutral buildings in the area but the damage is light and the fires are minor. The drug lord's safe house is also obliterated in the strike. 750,000 litres of aviation fuel go up in a roaring explosion, and Trinidad and Tobago can kiss goodbye any further flights they may have planned from that airport. Nobody's taking off without gas now. [:D]
It's not all sunshine and apples though, as our drone operators must have fallen asleep because they pass by the enemy RHIBs before realizing their mistake and turning around. It's too late however, and the RHIBs start shooting off RPGs toward the Zephyr. They return fire and score a hit on one of their targets, resulting in a severe fire and some flooding. Several rockets strike the coastal patrol boat and damaging a bunch of sensors. They lose the Sperry RASCAR 2500-S and AN/APR-39(V)1, and C-Lite Laser Rangefinder sensors. They also lose one machine gun to the rockets. The RHIB they hit however, is sinking, and the Zephyr turns to exit the combat area.
The Zephyr is hit again with a barrage of rockets, but they are still only lightly damaged. As the ship is on evasive manuevers it lets off a few rounds with its remaining machine guns toward the RHIB attacking it. Off in the distance, a Fire Scout UAV starts launching its laser-guided rockets at the farther out RHIB and completely destroys it. Moments later the 2nd Fire Scout rockets the one harassing the Zephyr to the bottom of the sea.
There is one last target for the Fire Scouts however. The Trinidad/Tobago's Type 037 is catching up to the Zephyr just in time to eat several rockets. It takes fifteen seconds for a minor fire to turn into a severe one and then into a conflagration before the ship capsizes and sinks at 10:04L.
At 10:27:55L, the SSN Boise catches up to the second Type 037 and fires a Mk48 Mod 7 ADCAP CBASS torpedo at it. 9 minutes later the torpedo instantly destroys the small ship, and the nuclear-powered submarine makes a course for Tobago.
10:55L, the Fire Scouts are launched again as two more Type-037 ships are detected getting closer to our group. These ones are carrying four C-801 anti-ship missiles, with a range of 25 nm, 165 kilogram warhead and a speed of 600 knots. Not a major threat considering our SAM capabilities, but I prefer them to be taken out ASAP anyway.
Rockets heavily damage one of Type 037s but it manages to stay afloat for another few minutes. Just before the rockets struck it, it managed to launch its salvo of anti-ship missiles. They are handily intercepted by the LCS 12's SAMs, and the other Fire Scout destroys its target. Now the enemy's naval forces are no more.
Just after noon, Tomahawk cruise missiles strike and destroy the island's remaining air defenses. A Fire Scout lazily drifts over the island, identifies Fernando Gullavier's vehicle, and obliterates him in a barrage of rockets.
In the early afternoon, the USS Mason sails in and parks itself five miles off the coast of the island of Tobago.
***
Score: Triumph (690)
SIDE: United States
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x MH-60R Seahawk
EXPENDITURES:
------------------
12x RIM-174A ERAM SM-6MR Blk I
2x FIM-92C Stinger RMP
17x RGM-109E Tomahawk Blk IV TACTOM
3x RGM-109C Tomahawk Blk III TLAM
6x LRASM
19x 40mm Mk19 Grenade
12x 12.7mm/50 MG Burst [10 rnds]
7x 25mm/75 Bushmaster Mod 2 Burst [12 rnds]
5x 7.62mm MG Burst [20 rnds]
36x HYDRA APKWS II 70mm Rocket [WGU-59/B]
1x Mk48 Mod 7 ADCAP CBASS
3x AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR
1x AN/SSQ-62E DICASS
3x RIM-162C ESSM
2x UGM-109E Tomahawk Blk IV TACTOM
2x UGM-109E Tomahawk Blk IV TACTOM
7x 127mm/62 HECVT
SIDE: Trinidad
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------
4x J-8IE Finback A
1x Building (Communication Hub)
2x Building (Medium)
1x AvGas Tank Farm (10 x 75k Liter Tank)
3x Civilian RHIB [11m, Armed]
2x Type 037-IS Haiqing
2x Type 037-IG Houxin
4x SA-15b Gauntlet [9A331] TELAR
4x 35mm/90 Twin Type 90 [China Type 902 FC]
2x Vehicle (China Type 902)
6x Type 81 MLRS
3x QW-1 Vanguard MANPADS
1x Vehicle (Truck, HMMWV)
EXPENDITURES:
------------------
32x SA-15b Gauntlet [9M331]
3x Generic Chaff Salvo [4x Cartridges]
90x Generic RPG
43x 7.62mm MG Burst [20 rnds]
4x C-801 [YJ-8, CSS-N-4 Sardine]