Set in the post-Desert Storm Arabian_Peninsula in March 1991, then-Major McLanahan flies with the

Old Dog

crew in combating an Iranian

Blackjack-E

, a version of the Tupolev Tu-160 bomber that was reportedly upgraded with designs lifted from the

Megafortress

. Meanwhile, back in the US, Col Norman Weir, an officer on the USAF promotions board, reviews McLanahan's service record as a candidate for lieutenant colonel and recommends his discharge. However, the US president orders Weir to destroy the discharge form, saying that McLanahan has proven himself as an officer (without elaborating further). The story was Brown's contribution to Stephen Coonts'

Combat

war stories anthology. It has peripheral references to

Hammerheads

and

Sky Masters.