Ghost War Read Online Free PDF

German-made Rheinmetal 20 mm converted antiaircraft guns. And as a final piece de resistance , Fitz installed a 17-ton West German-made LARS II 110 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher, capable of firing 36 six-foot-long high explosive-filled rockets in less than 20 seconds. A specially fitted “rear-end blast” deflector piped the backfire down and out of the airplane. Even after witnessing the destructive powers of these planes in battle after battle, the sight, sound and carnage that they produced was still quite unbelievable.
    And in turn, these two airplanes had been Hunter’s inspiration for this great air fleet now assembling.
    Two Bell AH-1 attack helicopters sat nestled inside the next in line C-5, their main rotors disassembled and attached to racks that lined the inside of the hold. This plane, christened “Big Snake,” would be used by the Cobra Brothers, a freelance attack copter outfit with close ties to the United American Armed Forces. Mounted under each of the Cobra gunships was enough firepower to fight a small war—M20/19 rocket launchers, a TAT turret boasting one M-28 minigun and one 40-mm grenade launcher, double racks of QUAD Hellfire missiles, and four M-16 7.62-mm minigun pods. The Cobra Brothers had also rigged under the choppers special platforms to handle Sidewinders, Stingers, and TOW launchers. Besides spare weapons and cases upon cases of ammunition, their C-5 also held a complete maintenance shop with every conceivable spare part to repair combat damage or to adapt the helicopters for specialized missions. Hunter pointed out to Jones the crew in a cherry picker putting the finishing touches on the painting of the Cobra’s fangs, bared for the kill.
    “Just the sight of that coming at them would make anyone head for the hills,” Jones remarked.
    The general, who had been noting the special function, cargo, or particular mission that each plane they passed was being readied for, was astounded at what Roy From Troy had provided in such a short time. Of course, it hadn’t been cheap. But you get what you pay for, and usually Roy’s merchandise was good quality. The general was also amazed at the level of expertise and imagination of the members of the ground crews who customized, reconfigured or rehabilitated each of these planes for their special purposes. And he was impressed by how hard they all had been working. Everything that Hunter had promised, right down to the last detail, was there.
    They continued down the flight line.
    The next C-5 had the word “Crunchtime” painted garishly along the length of both sides of its fuselage. Piloted by “Crunch” O’Malley, recently back from another long-range recon mission, the Galaxy was basically a flying freighter carrying any weapon, gun, missile or rocket launcher that had been begged, borrowed, stolen, or that just plain didn’t fit into any of the other C-5’s cargo holds. It also carried extra fuel in special rubber bladders attached to the inside of its cargo hold.
    The two Galaxys beyond Crunchtime were Football Two and Three. They were exact copies of the red-and-blue-striped Football One, and both as well were under the command of the Football City Special Forces Rangers.
    Hunter and Jones then walked by two Galaxys that were surrounded with M-1A1 Abrams tanks, M-3 Bradleys, M-113 APCs, and M-198 155-mm howitzers. Hunter pointed out to the General the operational portholes that were being cut through the sides of the transport to accommodate either the 105-mm guns of the Abrams tanks, the 25-mm cannons and 7.62-mm machine guns of the Bradleys, the 12.7-mm M-2HB Browning machine guns of the APCs, or the big bore 155-mm barrels of the artillery pieces. As Hunter explained, these guns were not only to be used on the ground, but were also to provide covering fire from the air as well.
    The general could see that much was still to be done to achieve one hundred percent readiness on these particular airplanes.
    “From here on down the