Bullseye Iraq
Dan Mckinnon,
Eddie Moore
Berkley Books
At exactly 3:30 P.M. Monday, June 8,1981, Israeli State Radio programming was interrupted. The announcer read a statement that would shock the world: ‘‘The Israel Air Force yesterday attacked and destroyed completely the Osiris nuclear reactor which is near Baghdad...”
The impact of this crucial event was devastating, setting the stage for today’s alarming international situation. Here is the electrifying true story—of Saddam Hussein’s secret atomic bomb factory and the threat of nuclear Armageddon. Of Israel’s Top Guns flying their supersonic F-16s through a lethal gauntlet of SAM missiles, antiaircraft fire and Iraqi jets. Of the ultimate destruction of Reactor One...an event that changed the world.
International reporter and aviation veteran Dan McKinnon tells the complete inside story as it’s never been told before.
"Fasten your seatbelts and hold on as you ride with a strike force toward a nuclear target. Not since I flew combat has my heart pounded with such vigor.”—Commander Randy “Duke” Cunningham, First Ace in Vietnam
Contents
1. Shocking the World / 1
2. Never Again / 4
3. Arrival of the F-16 and Commitment to Training / 11
4. The Terror of the Tigris / 26
5. Mushrooms in the Desert or Bomb, Bomb, Who's Got the Bomb? / 42
6. The French Connection / 61
7. An Inspector's View / 73
8. The French Mysteries / 78
9. The Reactor / 84
10. The Debate / 93
11. Hot Date Intelligence / 102
12. Continuous Warnings / 104
13. The Decision and Politics / 110
14. Planning and Preparation / 118
15. The Brief 139
16. Operation Babylon / 165
17. Debrief / 198
18. Fallout / 203
19. Epilogue / 220
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Since the day it happened, this is one story that has fascinated and intrigued me as well as millions of others around the world.
Tight Israeli security makes it difficult to glean details of anything their Air Force does. But now, five years after, I’ve been able to assemble most of the facts, thoughts, ideas and actions behind this daring and dramatic raid.
Experts around the world have helped me piece together this dramatic story.
It is only possible to tell this story because of the men of courage and dedication in the Israeli Air Force.
In a technical sense, Dick Pawloski, who works for General Dynamics and is one of the world’s experts in air warfare, Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) and on the Middle East, was an invaluable help.
Capt. Ed Kosiba, a worldwide respected F-16 instructor, who is now part of the 466th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base in Salt Lake City, provided in-depth understanding of F-16 operations.
Lt. Col. Andy Crawford, ANG, an F-4 back seater, bombing and ECM specialist, aided with understanding in specialized bombing techniques.
Longtime close personal friend Cmdr. Randy Cunningham, the Navy’s most decorated fighter pilot in the Vietnam War and its only MIG ace, provided keen insight in air-to-air techniques.
Gen. Ron Fogleman, Commander of the 836th Air Division (TAC), provided encouragement in ground attack tactics.
Dave Kirstein, a respected Washington lawyer, provided keen editing, just like he used to do for me when he was general counsel of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in the early 1980s.
Dr. Tim LaHaye, a best-selling Christian author and family counseling specialist, provided many helpful suggestions and ideas.
Hal Lindsey, author of The Late Great Planet Earth and other best-selling books about Israel, provided thoughtful ideas and counsel.
I’m grateful to Rev. Lon Solomon of McLean Bible Church in McLean, Virginia, for his expert verification of Israeli history.
My congressman, Rep. Duncan Hunter, an advocate of a strong national defense for the United States and all the free world, and his top aide, John Palafoutas, were a real help and inspiration.
Morris Nachtomi and Sam Fondiler at Tower Airlines provided efficient logistical help.
Hon. Dennis Kenneally, Deputy Assistant Secretary of The Air Force for Reserve Affairs, made helpful arrangements for me to better understand the operation of the F-16.
Margie Avila did a super job of typing and retyping the manuscript, again, again and again. Chuck Wraight, Lori Donohue and Jean Bradford did their usual outstanding job of editing and proofreading.
My dad, Clinton D. McKinnon, former U.S. congressman and newspaper publisher, did his usual constructive and painfully thorough job of bettering my spelling and grammar.
And I’d like to express my appreciation to my wife, Janice, for her patience, gentle encouragement and understanding of how much time it took to research and write this story.
Most of all, I’d like to thank a few close friends in Israel who are among the finest men I’ve known anywhere.
Foreword
It is a distinct honor and pleasure for me to write the foreword to this book for my friend Dan McKinnon, a naval aviation hero in his own right and the man who most epitomizes the patriotic American.
This book is about the most daring and intricate bombing raid of modem tactical warfare against the only nuclear target in history. For the reader, Bullseye Iraq gives you the insight of the ongoing international intrigue and deadly earnest decisions that the state of Israel combats on a daily basis.
The story is so fantastic that it would appear to be fiction. It is not. Bullseye Iraq is historically accurate. Having flown with the IAF, I know that the courage and dedication of the unnamed pilots depicted in this book are true representations of the heart of Israel.
Dan has captured the pure essence of history and depicts the events that brought Israel to its present day enigma. The reader could study ten books concerning the history of the Middle East and sitll not gain the insight offered in the first chapters of this book.
Stand by, the action is fast and furious as seen from the cockpit of one of the best U.S. jet fighters, the F-16. Fasten your seat belts and hold on as you ride with a strike force toward a nuclear target. Not since I flew in combat has my heart pounded with such vigor.
With the world situation as it is, would you as a U.S. citizen want Iran, Iraq or Libya to have a nuclear bomb capability? What if they were our neighbors sworn to our destruction? Bullseye Iraq is an historical and dramatic account of Israel’s reaction to the above questions.
Commander Randy “Duke” Cunningham
Commanding Officer
U.S. Navy Aggressor Squadron
First Ace in Vietnam
1
Shocking the World
A Small Group of men huddled in a book-lined office at 3:00 P.M. Monday, June 8, 1981, listening intently to a radio playing music.
It was Shavuot—a public holiday celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, or the giving of the law to the Jewish people by God.
Outside the air-conditioned office there was a festive holiday mood as Israelis enjoyed the hot summer day.
The beaches were crowded, families were on picnics and tourists were sightseeing throughout the countryside.
It was a day of relaxation. The country was at rest and radios were providing background entertainment.
The brief hourly news summary broadcast over the radio said nothing of real interest and drifted in and out of people’s consciousness.
Following the hourly newscast, music continued on the Israeli Broadcasting Service.
In his office at that instant, a short, balding, frail old man, with horn-rimmed glasses so thick it appeared he would be blind without them, went into a furious rage.
Through the thick magnifying glasses, his angry eyes appeared to be bulging out of their sockets. Standing behind his cluttered desk in his baggy pants and crisply starched open-collar dress shirt, the prime minister of …
Dan Mckinnon,
Eddie Moore
Bullseye Iraq
Berkley Books
Berkley Books
Bullseye Iraq
Dan Mckinnon,
Illustrations by Eddie Moore
Berkley Books, New York
The Dramatic True Story of
Sadam Hussein's Atomic Bomb Factory—
And the Air Strike That Destroyed It
Detailed Maps, Diagrams, And Photos Included
Previously published as Bullseye One Reactor and Bullseye One
This Berkley book contains the revised
text of the original hardcover edition.
It has been completely reset in a typeface
designed for easy reading and was printed
from new film.
Bullseye Iraq
A Berkley Book I published by arrangement with
House of Hits Publishing
Printing History
House of Hits edition I January 1987
Berkley edition / December 1988
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1987 by Dan McKinnon.
This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,
by mimeograph or any other means, without permission.
For information address: House of Hits Publishing,
P.O. Box 014, San Diego, California 92115
ISBN: 0-425-11259-4
A Berkley Book ® TM 757,375
Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
The name “Berkley” and the “B” logo
are trademarks belonging to Berkley Publishing Corporation.
Printed in the United States of America
