Dale Brown, Tiger's Claw, 2012
United States
All US Naval and Coastguard vessels mentioned in the novel are real.
China (People's Republic)
Baohùzhe
'Cruiser', class not specified
Carries at least one helicopter of unspecified type.
No other details provided
Jiujiang
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Appears in a characters backstory which references the events of the 1994 set novel 'Sky Masters' (1991).
Zhenyuan (ex-Varyag, ex-Ayatolla Ruholla Khomeini, ex-Mao Zedong)
Liaoning Class (Kuznetzov (Pr.1143.5 Class)) Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: Has undergone an extensive overhaul since the events of 'Fatal Terrain' (1997) (The novel was set between May/June 1997). The originally fitted engines and electronics have been replaced with newer equivalents. The armament now includes a weapons system code-named 'Wushen Leiting' (Eng: Silent Thunder), described in the novel as "an experimental high-power microwave weapon... that temporarily cripples electronic signals". This is similar to what the 'laser' in the 1977 graphic novel 'Biggles and the Sargasso Triangle', covered earlier in the thread is capable of.
Zeng He (ex-Sao Paulo, ex-Foch)
Clemencau Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service
Note: The Chinese have thoroughly updated the carriers electronics since purchase from Brazil.
Tongyi (ex-Principe de Asturias)
Principe de Asturias Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: In 2012 it was announced the ship was going to be decommissioned in 2013, several countries expressed interest in purchasing the ship which was eventually sold to a Turkish scrapyard in 2017. In the novel the ship has been purchased by China and converted into a Helicopter Assault Carrier, at the time the story is set it is not yet operational.
Note on Chinese Carriers
In the novels 'Dreamland: Piranha' (2003) and 'Dreamland: End Game' (2006) both of which are set in the 1990s (Between 1997 & 1998), shortly after the events of 'Fatal Terrain' (1997) (Which is set between the months of May and July 1997), the previous novel covering a large scale confrontation between the US and China, the Chinese are depicted operating aircraft carriers other than the ones mentioned in this novel. However these stories appear to have been completely ignored as the novel depicts the Chinese as only having one carrier and they are buying more from overseas to build up their forces. This is interesting because the 'Dreamland' series is set in the same fictional universe.
China (Republic Of)
Fùchóu Zhe (Ex-?)
Type 800 (Dolphin Class) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: Stated to have been sold to Taiwan by Israel. It's former Israeli identity is never revealed.
Vietnam
Cá mâp (HQ-013)
Gepard (Pr.1166.1) Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Russian design, licence built in Vietnam. The pennant number is that of a Petya (Pr. 159) Class Frigate still in service.
Russia
Vladimir Putin
Aircraft Carrier (CVN), class not specified
No other details provided.
Plot summary: The year is 2014, political instability in China leads to the ascension of a leader who decides military adventurism will re-unify the country behind his lead.
Note: By this point in the series Dale Brown's 'Universe' is starting to diverge sharply from the real world from which it draws inspiration, an earlier novel features a Russian surprise attack on the United States which while unsuccessful causes sufficient damage to tempt China into making aggressive moves in the Pacific.
