After rising tensions between Libya and the United States for most of the decade,
it all came to a head on January 4, 1989.
As the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy sailed through the Mediterranean Sea with
multiple aircraft from its air wing for training exercises and patrol missions, they detected two
Libyan Air Force MiG-23 Floggers taking off from a nearby airbase and heading toward the carrier.
Two F-14 Tomcats were sent to investigate and intercept the Floggers, but to their surprise,
the Libyan aircraft were heading on a collision course in their
direction. And while the American jets performed maneuvers to try and
avoid direct engagement with the Russian-made aircraft, they didn’t seem to be going away.
Within minutes, the mission would turn from a routine patrol flight to
a full-fledged dogfight that would threaten international relations.
Luckily for the Americans, the supersonic dogfight was
caught on video and declassified many years later for the world to witness…
Threat In North Africa
Following a military coup in 1969, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi established a dictatorship in Libya.
After gaining a lot of money from oil exports,
the leader became one of the world's most prominent and outspoken sponsors of terrorism.
In 1973, the new Libyan leader claimed much of the gulf as its territorial waters, and he
subsequently imposed a rule in which whoever crossed it would invite a military response.
As such, Libya became a significant security challenge to the West.
President Ronald Reagan's administration was particularly concerned about the North
African nation's potential attempts to obtain weapons of mass destruction,
as Libya was considered a state sponsor of terrorism.
Not willing to recognize Lybia's territorial claims, the United
States continuously challenged the limits to keep its military presence in the region,
including activities like stationing aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean.
Because of this, the United States Navy had several close encounters with the
Libyan military in the Gulf of Sidra in the 1980s.
Rising Tensions
In 1981, two American carrier-based F-14 Tomcat jet fighters got involved
in a fierce dogfight with two Libyan Su-22s.
Soon, the Soviet-made fighters were blasted out of the sky by the Americans after firing first, but
the engagement proved that the Libyan pilots were willing and capable of being highly aggressive.
Moreover, tensions between America and Libya peaked in 1988, when the
US accused the North African nation of building a chemical weapons plant.
During a December 1988 press interview, President
Reagan discussed the potential of ordering military action to destroy the building.
The possibility of a full-fledged United States Armed Forces attack
forced the Libyan government to increase its air defenses
around the plant in Rabta and prompted a military alert throughout the country.
Spotting The Libyans
On January 4, 1989, the Navy supercarrier USS John F Kennedy was sailing to Haifa,
Israel, for a scheduled port visit.
Despite being close to the Gulf of Sidra, where tensions were at an all-time high,
the vessel was 120 miles north, closer to Crete.
Early in the morning, four F-14 Tomcats took off to perform a Combat Air Patrol
mission close to the Gulf of Sidra with an E-2C aircraft supporting them.
For safety reasons, the identities of the crews involved in the mission remained classified for
many years. However, we now know that the two easternmost F-14s in the formation,
both from Strike Fighter Squadron 32 Swordsmen, were call sign Gipsy 207, flown by Commander
Joseph B. Connelly and Commander Leo Enwright as Radar Intercept Officer, and call sign Gipsy 202,
manned by Lieutenant Hermon Cook III and Lieutenant Commander Steven Collins.
After being refueled by a KA-6D Intruder and armed with four Sparrows and two Sidewinders,
the Tomcats returned to their CAP station.
Suddenly, the Hawkeye aircraft support warned them of two Libyan Mig-23 Floggers taking off
from the Al Bumbah airfield, and the duo was sent to investigate.
Soon after, their radars identified the Floggers at a distance of about 70 miles and locked up,
a procedure used to alert the Libyan aircraft that they were being monitored by armed Tomcats.
Flying at high speeds, the American pilots then conducted a series of turns and lowered their
altitude to persuade the enemies to turn away. However, the Libyans matched all the turns,
even accelerating to ensure they were approaching the Tomcats head-on.
One thing was clear: they were not slowing down.
Parachutes In The Air
As the Floggers closed in on the Tomcats, the E-2 and other American assets began
monitoring radio communications between the Libyan aircraft and their ground controllers.
They were all surprised while listening to the MiGs receiving guidance to intercept
the F-14s from ground controllers at one of the radar stations activated along the coast.
Meanwhile, the American pilots worried that the Libyans could be carrying some type of
air-to-air weapon, particularly Soviet-made AA-7 Apex missiles with a range of 12 miles.
As such, Kennedy's air-warfare commander warned the F-14 crews
and allowed them to fire if they felt the Floggers had hostile intentions.
The duo then took position underneath the MiG-23s,
which allowed them to use ocean clutter to confuse their Russian-made radars.
They then made five more turns, but they were all matched by the relentless Libyan opponents.
The Americans began preparing their weapons as they got within 20 miles of the Libyan jets. Then,
upon reaching 13, Commander Leo Enwright fired an AIM-7 Sparrow
missile at one of the MiGs without telling his pilot, but it failed.
Enwright fired a second missile at ten miles, but it also missed. The two Tomcats then conducted a
defensive split maneuver, with Gypsy 207 turning left and Gypsy 202 turning right.
At that moment, the Libyan MiGs turned and headed straight for Gypsy 202.
That's when Collins from Gypsy 202 fired an AIM-7,
hitting one of the Libyan aircraft at a range of roughly five miles.
Gypsy 207 then moved behind the other MiG-23 and, after some difficulty acquiring a lock,
fired an AIM-9 Sidewinder that brought down the second Libyan fighter.
Before returning to the Kennedy supercarrier,
both F-14 crews reported seeing the Libyan pilots eject and deploy their parachutes.
Visual Testimony In the days following the
engagement, Libyan officials claimed that the Floggers were unarmed reconnaissance aircraft.
Gaddafi even went as far as calling for a United Nations emergency session to discuss the incident.
However, US spokespeople claimed the American aircrews acted in self-defense on the January
4 incident due to demonstrations of hostile intent by the Libyan MiG-23s.
Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci even expressed that, if anything, the F-14s had fired too late.
Thankfully, the incident was recorded in the Tomcat's Television Camera System.
Also known as TCS, the camera was mounted under the F-14's nose,
a feature that enhanced the crew's ability to identify the enemy early in an engagement.
Despite being a little blurry, the footage shows that the MiG-23s were indeed armed with air-to-air
AA-7 Apex missiles, proving once and for all that the Libyan fighters represented a real threat.
While later investigations revealed that the Floggers never switched on
their fire control radars, their actions did appear to be hostile,
especially since Gaddafi was most likely concerned about his own chemical facility in Rabta.
To this day, the exact intent of the Libyan aircraft that day remains unknown.
And while the Libyan pilots were seen ejecting out of their Floggers and
parachuting into the ocean, it remains a mystery if they were ever rescued…
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