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Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air battle between Libya and the US in the Mediterranean
This article is about the 1981 incident involving Su-22s. For the 1989 incident involving MiG-23s, seeGulf of Sidra incident (1989). For other military actions in the area, seeBattle of Sirte.
Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)
Part of theCold War

A CGI recreation of Fast Eagle 107'sAIM-9J Sidewinder about to hit a Libyan Su-22M3 over Gulf of Sidra.
Date19 August 1981
Location
Result

US Victory

  • Two Su-22M3 shot down
Belligerents
United States Libya
Commanders and leaders
United StatesRonald ReaganHistory of Libya under Muammar GaddafiMuammar Gaddafi
Strength
  • 2 Su-22M3
  • GCI radar stations
Casualties and losses
None2 aircraft destroyed

In the firstGulf of Sidra incident, 19 August 1981, twoLibyanSukhoi Su-22M3 Fitter-G fired upon twoU.S.Grumman F-14A Tomcats and were subsequently shot down off the Libyan coast.Libya had claimed that the entireGulf was their territory, at 32° 30′ N, with an exclusive 62-nautical-mile (115 km; 71 mi) fishing zone, which Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi asserted as "The Line of Death" in 1973.[1] Two further incidents occurred in the areain 1986 andin 1989.

Background

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A U.S. Navy McDonnell F-4J Phantom II of Fighter Squadron VF-74 "Be-Devilers" escorting a Libyan Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 over theGulf of Sidra in August 1981.

In 1973, Libya claimed theGulf of Sidra as a closedbay and part of itsterritorial waters.[2][3][4] This prompted the United States to conductFreedom of Navigation (FON) operations in the area since the claim did not meet the criteria established byinternational law.[5][6] Libya often confronted U.S. forces in and near the gulf, and on two occasions its fighter jets opened fire on U.S.reconnaissance flights off the Libyan coast; once in early 1973[3][7][8][9][10] and again in late 1980.[2][7][11][12] FON operations intensified whenRonald Reagan becamepresident.[citation needed]

In August 1981, Reagan authorized a large naval force led by a pair ofU.S. Navy aircraft carriers,USS Forrestal andUSS Nimitz, to deploy to the disputed area.[13] The two carriers had embarked a total of fourinterceptor squadrons:VF-74 "Be-Devilers" andVMFA-115 "Silver Eagles", flyingF-4 Phantoms fromForrestal, and theVF-41 "Black Aces" andVF-84 "Jolly Rogers", flying F-14 Tomcats fromNimitz. TheLibyan Air Force responded by deploying a high number of interceptors and fighter-bombers.[14][15]

Early in the morning of 18 August, when the U.S. exercise began, at least threeMiG-25 "Foxbats" approached the U.S. carrier groups and were escorted away by American interceptors. The Libyans tried to establish the exact location of the U.S. naval force. Thirty-five pairs ofMiG-23 "Floggers", MiG-25s, Sukhoi Su-20 "Fitter-Cs", Su-22M "Fitter-Js" andMirage F1s flew into the area, and were soon intercepted by seven pairs of F-14s and F-4s.[14][16] U.S. Naval Intelligence later assessed that a MiG-25 may have fired a missile from 18 miles (29 km) away at U.S. fighter aircraft that day.[17]

Incident

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On the morning of 19 August, after having diverted a number of Libyan "mock" attacks on the battle group the previous day, two F-14s from VF-41 "Black Aces",[18]Fast Eagle 102 (CDR Henry 'Hank' Kleemann/LT David 'DJ' Venlet) (flying BuNo160403)[19] andFast Eagle 107 (LT Lawrence 'Music' Muczynski/LTJG James 'Luca'[20] Anderson) (in BuNo160390),[19] were flying acombat air patrol (CAP), ostensibly to cover aircraft engaged in a missile exercise.[21] However, U.S. Navy Commander Thompson S. Sanders wrote inAir & Space/Smithsonian that hisS-3A Viking's mission was the real precursor to this incident. Sanders was ordered to fly his Viking in a "racetrack" orbit (oval pattern) inside Gaddafi's claimed zone but outside the internationally recognized 12-mile (19 km) territorial water limit to try to provoke the Libyans to react. AnE-2C Hawkeye alerted Sanders that two Sukhoi Su-22 fighters had taken off fromGhurdabiyah Air Base near the city ofSirte.[22][23]

The Hawkeye directed the F-14s to intercept. Sanders dove to an altitude of 500 feet (150 m) and flew north to evade the Libyan aircraft, an experience Sanders found stressful because the S-3A was not equipped with athreat warning receiver, nor with any countermeasures, a deficiency later remedied on the S-3B.[24]The two F-14s set up for an intercept as the contacts headed north towards them.[22][25] Only a few seconds before the crossing, at an estimated distance of 300 m, one of the Libyans fired anAA-2 "Atoll" at one of the F-14s, but missed.[22][25]

The two Su-22s split as they flew past the Americans, the leader turning to the northwest and the wingman turning southeast in the direction of the Libyan coast.[21][22][26] The Tomcats evaded the missile and were cleared to return fire by their rules of engagement, which mandated self-defense on the initiation of hostile action.[22][27] The Tomcats turned hard port and came behind the Libyan jets.[22] The Americans firedAIM-9L Sidewinders; the first kill was credited toFast Eagle 102, the second toFast Eagle 107.[22][28] Both Libyan pilotsejected.[citation needed]

Prior to the ejections, a U.S. electronic surveillance plane monitoring the event recorded the lead Libyan pilot reporting to his ground controller that he had fired a missile at one of the U.S. fighters and gave no indication that the missile shot was unintended.[29][30] The official U.S. Navy report states that both Libyan pilots ejected and were safely recovered, but in the official audio recording of the incident taken fromUSS Biddle, one of the F-14 pilots states that he saw a Libyan pilot eject, but his parachute failed to open.[31]

Less than an hour later, while the Libyans were conducting a search-and-rescue operation for their downed pilots, two MiG-25s entered the airspace over the Gulf. They headed towards the U.S. carriers atMach 1.5 and conducted a mock attack in the direction of USSNimitz.[32] TwoVF-41 Tomcats headed towards the Libyans, which then turned around. The Tomcats turned home, but had to turn around again when the Libyans headed towards the U.S. carriers once more.[32] After being tracked by the F-14s' radars, the MiGs finally headed home. One more Libyan formation ventured out into the Gulf towards the U.S. forces later that day.[33]

Aftermath

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Fast Eagle 102 (BuNo160403) is now on display at theCommemorative Air Force Museum inMidland, Texas. The restored F-14 was unveiled in a ceremony in August 2016. Vice Admiral Dave Venlet cut the first tape.[34]

Fast Eagle 107 (BuNo160390) was destroyed in an accident on 25 October 1994. The plane crashed into the ocean after its pilot,Kara Hultgreen, was forced to eject, but did not survive.[35] Parts of the plane were salvaged weeks later.

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^"Libya Maritime claims". Indexmundi.com. Retrieved1 March 2013.
  2. ^ab"Congressional Research Service Issue Brief for Congress: Libya". (2002, April 10). Foreign Press Centers, U.S. Department of State, Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  3. ^abSt John, Ronald Bruce. (2002).Libya and the United States: Two Centuries of Strife. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 125.ISBN 0-8122-3672-6.
  4. ^Davis, Brian L. (1990).Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya. Praeger Publishers. p. 14.ISBN 0-275-93302-4.
  5. ^Lehman, John F. (2001) [1988].Command of the Seas. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 351.ISBN 978-1557505347.
  6. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 29.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  7. ^abDavis, Brian L. (1990).Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya. Praeger Publishers. p. 47.ISBN 0-275-93302-4.
  8. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 27.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  9. ^Beecher, William. (1973, March 23)."U.S. Asserts Plane Fled Libyan Jets: 'Eavesdropping' Transport Ignored Arabs' Signal to Land, Officials Say".The New York Times.
  10. ^Finney, John W. (1973, March 25)."Trouble Again Over The 'Elint'".The New York Times.
  11. ^Martin, David C. and John Walcott. (1988).Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terrorism. Harper and Row, Publishers Inc. p. 68ISBN 0-06-015877-8.
  12. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 30.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  13. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 49.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  14. ^abWilcox, Robert K. (1996).Wings of Fury: From Vietnam to the Gulf War – The Astonishing True Stories of America's Elite Fighter Pilots. Pocket Books. p. 10.ISBN 0-671-74793-2.
  15. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 50.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  16. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 50.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  17. ^Wilcox, Robert K. (1996).Wings of Fury: From Vietnam to the Gulf War – The Astonishing True Stories of America's Elite Fighter Pilots. Pocket Books. pp. 10–11.ISBN 0-671-74793-2.
  18. ^Brown, Craig. (2007).Debrief: A Complete History of U.S. Aerial Engagements 1981 to the Present. Schiffer Military History. pp. 13–14.ISBN 978-0-7643-2785-8.
  19. ^abBrown, David F. (1998).Tomcat Alley: A Photographic Roll Call of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Schiffer Military History. pp. 99, 104.ISBN 0-7643-0477-1.
  20. ^Signed Lithograph while in VF-41 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-WpYnlo5Hk)
  21. ^abWilcox, Robert K. (1996).Wings of Fury: From Vietnam to the Gulf War – The Astonishing True Stories of America’s Elite Fighter Pilots. Pocket Books. pp. 68–69.ISBN 0-671-74793-2.
  22. ^abcdefgBrown, Craig (2007).Debrief: A Complete History of U.S. Aerial Engagements 1981 to the Present. Schiffer Military History. p. 15.ISBN 978-0-7643-2785-8.
  23. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Gaddafi. Naval Institute Press. p. 52.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  24. ^Sanders, Thompson,"Bait and switch",Air & Space, June/July 2012, pp. 18–19
  25. ^abMartin, David C. and John Walcott. (1988).Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terrorism. Harper and Row, Publishers Inc. p. 69ISBN 0-06-015877-8.
  26. ^Martin, David C. and John Walcott. (1988).Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terrorism. Harper and Row, Publishers Inc. p. 71ISBN 0-06-015877-8.
  27. ^Kimmitt, Robert M. (2006, August 20)."Reagan and Gadhafi"Archived 2011-08-28 at theWayback Machine.The Washington Times, Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  28. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. pp. 54–55.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  29. ^Martin, David C. and John Walcott. (1988).Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terrorism. Harper and Row, Publishers Inc. p. 72ISBN 0-06-015877-8.
  30. ^Stanik, Joseph T. (2003).El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi. Naval Institute Press. pp. 54, 56.ISBN 978-1-55750-983-3.
  31. ^"USSBiddle Ship's History 1967–1993 (Audio recording from the dogfight and a short text transcript)".United States Navy. 1981-08-18. Archived from the original on February 12, 2006.
  32. ^abWilcox, Robert K. (1996).Wings of Fury: From Vietnam to the Gulf War – The Astonishing True Stories of America’s Elite Fighter Pilots. Pocket Books. pp. 26–28.ISBN 0-671-74793-2.
  33. ^Libyan Wars, 1980–1989, Part 2 By Tom Cooper
  34. ^"Restoration of Fast Eagle 102 | the High Sky Wing".
  35. ^"Crash of Jet Fighter Kills Its Pilot, a Woman".The New York Times. 29 May 1997.

External links

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