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Homing device attached.

I'll activate as soon as you reach

the north coast if all goes well.

Reporting that as far as I could tell,

your contacts at Bilyarsk...

...were eliminated.

I don't know the extent

of the damage to Prototype 2--

-Mr. Gant?

-That'll be Bilyarsk.

Possibly Air Marshal Kutuzov.

This is the first secretary.

I'm speaking to the individual who has

stolen the property of the U.S.S.R.

-Can you hear me, Mr. Gant?

-We're getting the royal treatment.

-Yeah, go ahead, I'm listening.

-Are you enjoying your ride, Mr. Gant?

-You like our new toy?

-It could be improved.

Huh.

-Your expert opinion, Mr. Gant?

-You could say that.

-Aren't you gonna threaten me?

-I'll do so if that is what you wish.

But first, I'll merely ask you

to return what does not belong to you.

Then you'll forget the whole thing?

I do not think that you would

believe that, Mr. Gant.

Would you? Well, of course not.

All I'll say is, you'll live

if you return immediately.

It is calculated that no more

than four minutes would be required...

...before we could sight you

back over Bilyarsk.

-And the alternative?

-You will not be allowed...

...to hand over the MiG-31 to

the security services of your country.

I will not allow that to happen.

I understand.

I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that.

I see.

You will not, of course, make it

to wherever you are going.

Goodbye, Mr. Gant.

Okay, the bait's been swallowed.

Let's head north to the Urals.

You have considered, first secretary...

...that this might be some kind

of supreme bluff...

...to distract us from looking

to the north?

While this single aircraft

escapes to the south?

No, they're simply paying the price

for too many years of softness.

Paying with an act of desperation

such as this one.

-You are absolutely certain?

-I am.

They know the potential of this plane,

they know what it means.

I would imagine

if the roles had been reversed...

...that we would have acted similarly.

They will have arranged a refueling point

for this madman somewhere.

Once we have destroyed it

and recovered the MiG...

...we will hear no more of this.

Give us the Wolfpack map

of the U.S.S.R. quickly!

General Vladimirov.

We've ordered a staggered

sector scramble in two areas.

We're putting up as many planes as we can

along our southern borders.

We merely have to wait

until the plane is sighted again.

It appears, in fact,

that he is heading direct south.

We should sight him within the hour.

What is the range of the aircraft?

Three thousand miles, maximum.

His refueling point

will be waiting for him...

...presumably, either in the deserts

of Turkey, here, or Greece.

But, sir, we'll need to know

only one thing from you.

What do you wish done

when the plane is sighted?

Obliterate it.

Completely.

And that's the latest. Still all clear.

Good. What's the track of Mother 1?

-Temperature minus 31 and holding.

-Communications just picked this up.

Plain language, picked up by the operator

on the Soviet airline frequency.

-And?

-He was spotted northwest of Volgograd.

Almost tore the nose off the airliner

before they lost him.

The pilot was screaming his head off

before they told him to keep quiet.

Good show.

Let's see what this thing can do.

-He would not have made such an error.

-General, you have something to add?

I'm sorry, I was just thinking out loud.

Perhaps you find us a hindrance...

...and would prefer to continue

on your own?

Well, are you going to share with us

what you have found, or not?

Sir, I've discovered...

...what I believe may be a flaw

in our tactics.

If the record is accurate, then he's

a fine pilot, perhaps even their best.

You must assume that he would have

seen the airliner in plenty of time.

I believe, now, he was deliberately

seen heading south to mislead us.

But wasnt it your plan, general,

to order this net to the south?

I believe now that he is a better pilot

than we first assumed.

Then where is he heading, if not south?

I do not have that information yet.

Tell me what it is.

It is the damage report

on the second MiG.

As you are aware, the dissidents failed

to put the aircraft out of commission.

How soon can it be ready to fly?

Perhaps an hour, perhaps earlier.

It must be cleaned,

preflighted and armed.

Yes, I know that!

What about the pilot?

He is standing by.

He insists that he can still fly.

Positive sound trace.

Installation at Orsk.

Yes? What did you say?

There has been an unidentified

sound trace...

...from an aircraft

traveling at more than Mach 2.

Picked up west of Orsk.

Yes. Yes, of course. We have him now.

Give me a projection of the Urals

and as much of the north as you can.

And get me confirmation of that report.

Trace confirmed, sir.

Aircraft which refused

a demand for identification...

...heading northeast into the mountains.

They lost the trace in 30 seconds

but they confirm heading and speed.

Well, Vladimirov?

If you look at the map,

I'll explain my deductions.

He's indeed heading north...

...along this track here,

utilizing the eastern slopes of the Urals.

Apparently an effort to mask himself

from visual and sound detection.

Quite clever.

But if he follows the Urals...

...then he will have to take

a sighting somewhere.

Most likely the Gulf of Ob or Kara.

There we can track him, sir,

despite his radar immunity.

-How?

-By heat source, his exhaust.

Yes.

Alert Wolfpack squadrons, north coast.

Alert all missile sites

along the first Firechain.

Instruct them to train their weapons' aiming

systems ahead of the expected path...

...and await further orders.

The infrared guidance system

is not the most accurate means of aiming.

It may be necessary for a Soviet aircraft

to act as a target for the missiles.

Will you give that order?

Of course.

Very well, then the American

is about to enter the trap.

Should be reaching the Gulf of Kara

by now. Visibility's pretty bad.

Just turned you guys on.

Let's hope it works.

We've got company.

Single aircraft to the starboard.

Probably a Badger,

reconnaissance class.

Gonna take her up.

I doubt if she'll see me.

Uh-oh.

I've got three ground missiles

homing in on my exhaust.

The way to go is to make the Badger

hotter than me.

Contact time:
nine seconds.

Weapons armed.

Five seconds till contact.

Four seconds.

Helmet firing system locked in.

Two seconds.

It's going to work.

Well, that's it.

We might as well all go home.

-We dont know.

-The hell we don't know!

You tell me. An explosion over

the Kara Gulf. Wycombe hears it.

Our reconnaissance planes report it.

We don't know he's lost!

Really? What was all that coded stuff

we intercepted...

...between Bilyarsk

and the Firechain stations?

They got him.

They blew his ass right out of the sky!

I don't know.

That could mean they didn't get him.

I think that we should notify Mother 1

to begin transmitting the signal.

Right, it's time. Arthur?

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