Libyan-USA confrontation [1980-1989]

The conclusion of a five-part series of articles on the combat deployment of anti-aircraft missile system S-75. This time we will focus on the conflicts of the end of the 20th century. Although this system was already obsolete at that time, in many countries it still had to be at the forefront ...

In 1986, there were several confrontations between the United States and Libya, in which American planes bombed targets on Libyan territory and Libyan air defenses tried to shoot down American planes. These activities resulted in losses on both sides. What they actually were, we may learn a few decades after the archives opened. In this article, I will try to describe a brief course of the conflict as reported by Soviet specialists.

US air raid on Libya in April 1986.

During the Cold War, pilots of fully armed aircraft of both major powers, their allies or satellites, met many times in the air. Most of the meetings went without conflicts, although the participants mostly ran what is called " irritating the rattlesnake with their bare feet ". If nothing else, at least they tried to take a more advantageous position over the opponent. But sometimes it turned out differently.

It was difficult to find greater hostility in the 1980s than between Libya and the United States.