169-469: The United States Air Force , Navy , and Marine Corps carried out air strikes, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon , against Libya on 15 April 1986 in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing ten days earlier, which U.S. President Ronald Reagan blamed on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi . There were 40 reported Libyan casualties; one U.S. plane was shot down. One of the claimed Libyan deaths
338-484: A "systemic problem" in the USAF's management of the nuclear mission. 4450th Tactical Group The 4450th Tactical Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada , and operationally located at Tonopah Test Range Airport , Nevada . It was inactivated on 5 October 1989. The United States Air Force F-117A Stealth Fighter program began on 15 October 1979 with
507-546: A $ 179.7 billion budget and is the second largest service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, with 321,848 active duty airmen , 147,879 civilian personnel, 68,927 reserve airmen, 105,104 Air National Guard airmen, and approximately 65,000 Civil Air Patrol auxiliarists . According to the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat . 502), which created the USAF: Section 9062 of Title 10 US Code defines
676-467: A Libyan holding a white helmet with the name "Lorence" stenciled on the back. Furthermore, William C. Chasey , who toured the Bab al-Azizia barracks, claimed to have seen two flight suits and helmets engraved with the names "Lorence" and "Ribas-Dominicci", as well as the wreckage of their F-111. Gaddafi declared that the raid was a Libyan victory and stated that three American planes had been shot down, but Karma-52
845-546: A Libyan missile. On 25 December 1988, Gaddafi offered to release the body of Lorence to his family through Pope John Paul II . The body, returned in 1989, was identified as Ribas-Dominicci's from dental records. An autopsy conducted in Spain confirmed that he had drowned after his plane was shot down over the Gulf of Sidra. Libya denies that it held Lorence's body. However, Lorence's brother said that he and his mother saw television footage of
1014-667: A Turkish woman, and injuring 229 people, including 79 Americans. West Germany and the United States obtained cable transcripts from Libyan agents in East Germany who were involved in the attack. More detailed information was retrieved years later when Stasi archives were investigated by the reunited Germany . Libyan agents who had carried out the operation from the Libyan embassy in East Germany were identified and prosecuted by Germany in
1183-426: A broader dimension of time or space than do tactics; they provide the means by which tactical successes are exploited to achieve strategic and operational objectives. Tactical Level Command and Control is where individual battles and engagements are fought. The tactical level of war deals with how forces are employed, and the specifics of how engagements are conducted and targets attacked. The goal of tactical level C2
1352-438: A cleanup plan for drinking water around Tucson, Arizona after the region's groundwater was contaminated by PFAS runoff from nearby Air Force bases. The United States Air Force has been involved in many wars, conflicts and operations using military air operations. The USAF possesses the lineage and heritage of its predecessor organizations, which played a pivotal role in U.S. military operations since 1907: In addition since
1521-452: A commander in planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling forces and operations in the accomplishment of the mission" (JP 1-02). This core function includes all of the C2-related capabilities and activities associated with air, cyberspace, nuclear, and agile combat support operations to achieve strategic, operational, and tactical objectives. At the strategic level command and control,
1690-412: A crashed F-101A Voodoo that had been at Groom Lake for over 20 years, broken them up, and scattered them throughout the area. In an article not long afterward, The Washington Post quoted unnamed defense sources as saying that roughly 50 stealth aircraft were operational and combat-ready, although the true figure was about half that large. Within days, The Sacramento Bee published an article describing
1859-894: A force multiplier. It allows air assets to more rapidly reach any trouble spot around the world with less dependence on forward staging bases or overflight/landing clearances. Air refueling significantly expands the options available to a commander by increasing the range, payload, persistence, and flexibility of receiver aircraft. Aeromedical evacuation is "the movement of patients under medical supervision to and between medical treatment facilities by air transportation" (JP 1-02). JP 4-02, Health Service Support, further defines it as "the fixed wing movement of regulated casualties to and between medical treatment facilities, using organic and/or contracted mobility airframes, with aircrew trained explicitly for this mission." Aeromedical evacuation forces can operate as far forward as fixed-wing aircraft are able to conduct airland operations. Global precision attack
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#17328454105302028-714: A merchant vessel, the MV Eksund , which was attempting to deliver 150 tons of Soviet arms from Libya to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), partly in retaliation against the British for harboring American fighter planes. In Beirut , Lebanon , two British hostages held by the Libyan-supported Abu Nidal Organization , Leigh Douglas and Philip Padfield, along with an American named Peter Kilburn, were shot dead in revenge. In addition, journalist John McCarthy
2197-520: A nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. The Air Force maintains and presents credible deterrent capabilities through successful visible demonstrations and exercises that assure allies, dissuade proliferation, deter potential adversaries from actions that threaten US national security or the populations, and deploy military forces of the US, its allies, and friends. Nuclear strike is the ability of nuclear forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which
2366-692: A part of the United States Army Signal Corps , the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947 . It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence . The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy , global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance , rapid global mobility , global strike , and command and control . The United States Air Force
2535-405: A precondition" (Annex 3–70, Strategic Attack). Air Interdiction is defined as "air operations conducted to divert, disrupt, delay, or destroy the enemy's military potential before it can be brought to bear effectively against friendly forces, or to otherwise achieve JFC objectives. Air Interdiction is conducted at such distance from friendly forces that detailed integration of each air mission with
2704-483: A rapid cessation of hostilities. Post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. The Air Force may present a credible force posture in either the Continental United States , within a theater of operations, or both to effectively deter the range of potential adversaries envisioned in the 21st century. This requires the ability to engage targets globally using
2873-694: A reduced RCS, it was assumed the "F-19 Stealth Fighter" was similar. Among those following the stealth story was the Testor Corporation . In 1985, they began work on a conceptual model of the F-19 which appeared in stores. Although the erroneous reports effectively hid the true information, it was clear that the wall of secrecy around the F-117A was breaking down. On 22 August 1986, a story in The Washington Post said that about fifty aircraft were operational, that
3042-747: A sharp reduction in flight hours for crew training since 2005 and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel directing Airmen's Time Assessments. On 5 June 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accepted the resignations of both the Secretary of the Air Force , Michael Wynne , and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force , General T. Michael Moseley . In his decision to fire both men Gates cited "systemic issues associated with... declining Air Force nuclear mission focus and performance". Left unmentioned by Gates
3211-448: A strong focus on the improvement of Basic Military Training (BMT) for enlisted personnel. While the intense training has become longer, it also has shifted to include a deployment phase. This deployment phase, now called the BEAST, places the trainees in a simulated combat environment that they may experience once they deploy. While the trainees do tackle the massive obstacle courses along with
3380-501: A subtle diplomatic effort that could impact its global status, close association with the whims of Gaddafi became a liability. In the entire crisis, the Soviet Union explicitly announced that it would not provide additional help to Libya beyond resupplying basic armaments and munitions. It made no attempt to militarily intimidate the United States, despite the ongoing American operations in the Gulf of Sidra and its previous knowledge that
3549-525: A total of 14 production F-117A aircraft on hand plus its A-7D trainers. A second group of nine A-7Ds were added to the squadron from Air National Guard squadrons along with a second A-7K trainer to accommodate the increasing number of pilots assigned to the F-117s. A total of approximately 20 A-7D aircraft used in developing the F-117, along with two A-7K trainers. The stealth fighter turned out to be easy to fly, and it
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#17328454105303718-510: A variety of methods; therefore, the Air Force should possess the ability to induct, train, assign, educate and exercise individuals and units to rapidly and effectively execute missions that support US NDO objectives. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of nuclear operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations. Because of their political and military importance, destructive power, and
3887-804: A vote of 79 in favor to 28 against with 33 abstentions, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 41/38, which "condemns the military attack perpetrated against the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 15 April 1986, which constitutes a violation of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law." A meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement said that it condemned the "dastardly, blatant and unprovoked act of aggression". The League of Arab States expressed that it
4056-455: Is "the acquisition of information and the provision of this information to processing elements" (JP 2-01). It provides the ability to obtain required information to satisfy intelligence needs (via use of sources and methods in all domains). Collection activities span the Range of Military Operations (ROMO). Processing and exploitation is "the conversion of collected information into forms suitable to
4225-417: Is "the employment of limited offensive action and counterattacks to deny a contested area or position to the enemy" (JP 1-02). It includes both ballistic missile defense and airborne threat defense and encompasses point defense, area defense, and high-value airborne asset defense. Passive defense is "measures taken to reduce the probability of and to minimize the effects of damage caused by hostile action without
4394-563: Is a military service branch organized within the Department of the Air Force , one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense . The Air Force through the Department of the Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force , who reports to the Secretary of Defense and is appointed by the President with Senate confirmation . The highest-ranking military officer in
4563-425: Is defined as "all the defensive measures designed to detect, identify, intercept, and destroy or negate enemy forces attempting to penetrate or attack through friendly airspace" (JP 1-02). In concert with OCA operations, a major goal of DCA operations is to provide an area from which forces can operate, secure from air and missile threats. The DCA mission comprises both active and passive defense measures. Active defense
4732-534: Is defined as "offensive operations to destroy, disrupt, or neutralize enemy aircraft, missiles, launch platforms, and their supporting structures and systems both before and after launch, but as close to their source as possible" (JP 1-02). OCA is the preferred method of countering air and missile threats since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source and typically enjoys the initiative. OCA comprises attack operations, sweep, escort, and suppression/destruction of enemy air defense. Defensive Counter-Air (DCA)
4901-527: Is foolish. He is an Israeli dog." He said he had no plans to attack the United States or U.S. targets. He claimed that Reagan wanted to kill him, stating "Was Reagan trying to kill me? Of course. The attack was concentrated on my house and I was in my house", he also described how he rescued his family. When asked whether he was in danger of losing power, he said: "Really, these reports and writings are not true. As you can see I am fine, and there has been no change in our country." The Government of Libya said that
5070-486: Is the ability to hold at risk or strike rapidly and persistently, with a wide range of munitions, any target and to create swift, decisive, and precise effects across multiple domains. Strategic attack is defined as "offensive action specifically selected to achieve national strategic objectives. These attacks seek to weaken the adversary's ability or will to engage in conflict, and may achieve strategic objectives without necessarily having to achieve operational objectives as
5239-580: Is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission. Positive nuclear command, control, communications; effective nuclear weapons security; and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. Command and control is "the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. Command and control functions are performed through an arrangement of personnel, equipment, communications, facilities, and procedures employed by
1986 United States bombing of Libya - Misplaced Pages Continue
5408-650: Is to achieve commander's intent and desired effects by gaining and keeping offensive initiative. The origins of the United States Air Force can be traced back to the Union Army Balloon Corps of the American Civil War . The Union Balloon Corps, established by aeronaut Thaddeus S. C. Lowe , provided aerial reconnaissance for the Union Army . This early use of balloons for military purposes marked
5577-650: The 37th Tactical Fighter Wing was transferred from George Air Force Base , California, to carry out the F-117's sensitive worldwide mission. In 1978, the Air Force awarded a full-scale development contract for the YF-117A Nighthawk to Lockheed Corporation's Advanced Development Projects. On 17 January 1981 the Lockheed test team at Groom Lake accepted delivery of the first full Scale Development (FSD) prototype #79-780, designated YF-117A. At 6:05 a.m. on 18 June 1981, Lockheed Skunk Works test pilot Hal Farley lifted
5746-462: The 48th Tactical Fighter Wing , flying from RAF Lakenheath and five EF-111A Ravens of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing from RAF Upper Heyford . Six F-111s and one EF-111 were designated spares who returned to base after the first refueling was completed without any system failures among the designated strike aircraft. America was on station in the Gulf of Sidra , but Coral Sea was preparing to leave
5915-581: The Bab al-Azizia compound moments before the bombs dropped, forewarned by a telephone call from Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici , Malta 's Prime Minister. Bonnici had been made aware of the presence of the American strike force by Prime Minister Bettino Craxi of Italy ; the latter nation had detected the then-unidentified aircraft off the West coast of Sicily and scrambled a flight of F-104 Starfighters to intercept it, discovering
6084-661: The Bomber Mafia ), followed by fighters ( Fighter Mafia ). In response to a 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accepted in June 2009 the resignations of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley . Moseley's successor, General Norton A. Schwartz , a former airlift and special operations pilot,
6253-652: The Irish Republican Army ." Others asserted that Libya was innocent in the bombing of the West Berlin discotheque. The U.S. received support from the UK, Canada , Australia , Israel , and 25 other countries. Its doctrine of declaring a war on what it called "terrorist havens" was not repeated until 1998, when President Bill Clinton ordered strikes on six terrorist camps in Afghanistan . Margaret Thatcher 's approval of
6422-597: The US Navy for about a year and a half and had also sponsored a number of terrorist activities in Europe. After a few aerial incidents which resulted in the loss of a number of Libyan aircraft, and a terrorist attack in West Germany that was positively linked by the United States to Libya, the US government decided to strike back. On 15 April 1986 a bombing raid was planned under the code name Operation El Dorado Canyon . The F-117A
6591-645: The "F-19" began to appear (F-19 was the speculative name of the aircraft, since the F-18 designation was the Navy derivative of the F-17 , and Northrop used the F-20 designation for its privately funded F-5E Tiger II replacement). The general pattern was a long SR-71 -like fuselage, elliptical wings at the rear, a bubble canopy, canards, and twin inward-canted fins. As it was now known the SR-71 had
6760-549: The 1990s. The attack mission against Libya had been preceded in October 1985 by an exercise in which the 20th TFW stationed at RAF Upper Heyford airbase in the UK, which was equipped with F-111E Aardvarks , received a top-secret order to launch a simulated attack mission on 18 October, with ten F-111Es armed with eight 500-lb practice bombs, against a simulated airfield located in Labrador , Canada south of CFB Goose Bay . The mission
6929-560: The 23rd Bombardment Squadron in Minot, North Dakota, were designated as the Advanced Conventional Taskforce (ACT) and trained at specialized low-level conventional bombing missions, including the first ever use of Night Vision Goggles by B-52 crews. The specially trained crews were capable of delivering 6 strings of MK-117 munitions seconds apart with pinpoint accuracy operating from North Dakota. In six months of intensive training
1986 United States bombing of Libya - Misplaced Pages Continue
7098-484: The 4450th TG R-unit. Groom Lake was too small to be useful as the base for an operational unit. In addition, there were security concerns because an operational unit based at Groom Lake would involve many more people who could see things that they should not. Therefore, a new covert base had to be established for F-117 operations. The USAF decided to build facilities at the Tonopah Test Range Airport. It
7267-573: The 4450th TG deployed carrying these bogus devices, Air Police closed down the base and ringed the field with machine gun-toting jeeps. They forced all the runway personnel to turn their backs to the A-7s as they taxied past, and actually had them spread-eagled on the deck with their eyes closed until the 4450th TG A7s took off. By 28 February 1986 Lockheed had delivered 33 F-117As, giving the Air Force two operational squadrons of F-117As. During this time, Libya 's Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi had been challenging
7436-438: The 4450th TG. The R-Unit was inactivated on 30 May 1989. Upon inactivation the unit was replaced by Detachment 1, 57th Fighter Weapons Wing (FWW). In 1990 the last F-117A (#843) was delivered from Lockheed. After completion of acceptance flights at Groom Lake of this last new F-117A aircraft, the flight test squadron continued flight test duties of refurbished aircraft after modifications by Lockheed. In February/March 1992
7605-457: The 4450th at Nellis apparently flew the only A-7Ds left in the active forces, a number of experts publicly speculated that the A-7Ds were being flown to sharpen pilot daytime attack skills, since it was widely rumored in the press that the Air Force stealth aircraft were known to fly only at night. In 1979, public leaks about the stealth fighter began to appear in the aviation press, but at the time it
7774-549: The 4450th to delegate initial A-7D training and checkouts to the Arizona Air National Guard 162d Fighter Wing at Tucson, which was responsible for training Air National Guard pilots in the aircraft. Pilots assigned to the 4450th required a minimum of 1,000 fighter hours, and nearly all of the initial cadre for the F-117 were A-7D pilots due to the similar flight characteristics of the A-7D and F-117. Initially pilots in
7943-499: The 4453d Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) ("Z Unit") was activated on 4 October 1985 at Tonopah. In the meantime, training continued out in the Nevada desert. On 11 July 1986, Major Ross E. Mulhare flew into a mountain near Bakersfield, California , while flying production aircraft number seven (81-10792). Major Mulhare seems to have made no attempt to eject and was killed instantly, his aircraft disintegrating upon impact. A recovery team
8112-559: The A-7D in the unit's inventory as a measure to streamline the F-117A's training operation, and the squadrons A-7Ds were transferred to several Air National Guard squadrons. The A-7Ks were transferred to the Arizona Air National Guard at Tucson for use at the ANG A-7 training school there. With the 1988 public announcement of the existence of the F-117A program, the formerly clandestine 4450th Tactical Group, which had transitioned
8281-476: The Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force retain administrative authority over their members. Along with conducting independent air operations, the United States Air Force provides air support for land and naval forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2020 , the service operates approximately 5,500 military aircraft and approximately 400 ICBMs . The world's largest air force, it has
8450-517: The Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force , who exercises supervision over Air Force units and serves as one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . As directed by the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force, certain Air Force components are assigned to unified combatant commands . Combatant commanders are delegated operational authority of the forces assigned to them, while the Secretary of
8619-410: The Air Force states as global vigilance, global reach, and global power. Air superiority is "that degree of dominance in the air battle of one force over another which permits the conduct of operations by the former and its related land, sea, air, and special operations forces at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by the opposing force" (JP 1-02). Offensive Counter-Air (OCA)
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#17328454105308788-422: The Air Force's readiness to carry out the nuclear strike operations mission as well as from specific actions taken to assure allies as a part of extended deterrence. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD and delivering them contributes to promoting security and is also an integral part of this mission. Moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are
8957-535: The BEAST, the other portions include defending and protecting their base of operations, forming a structure of leadership, directing search and recovery, and basic self aid buddy care. During this event, the Military Training Instructors (MTI) act as mentors and opposing forces in a deployment exercise. In November 2022, the USAF announced that it will discontinue BEAST and replace it with another deployment training program called PACER FORGE. In 2007,
9126-626: The December 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks , which killed 19 and wounded approximately 140, Gaddafi indicated that he would continue to support the Red Army Faction , the Red Brigades , and the Irish Republican Army as long as the European governments allegedly “supported anti-Gaddafi Libyans.” After years of occasional skirmishes with Libya over Libyan territorial claims to the Gulf of Sidra ,
9295-436: The F-117 from a development to operational weapons system was put on the road to inactivation when the Air Force decided to increase the 4450th TG to a Wing level organization. As part of the phasedown of operations at George AFB , California, the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing was reassigned, without equipment or personnel to Tonopah Test Range Airport on 5 October 1989, and assumed the aircraft, personnel, equipment and mission of
9464-435: The F-117's existence (harking back to the 1980 stealth announcement). On 10 November 1988, the Air Force brought the F-117A from behind a "black veil" by publicly acknowledging its existence, but provided few details about it. The press release stated that the F-117A was assigned to the 4450th Tactical Group at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The aircraft was based at the Tonopah Test Range Airport in Nevada. It also contained
9633-470: The F-117A's existence, however, had little impact on Tonopah operations. Pilots began occasionally flying the F-117A during the day, but base personnel were still ferried to and from work each Monday and Friday from Nellis. Everyone associated with the project was still forbidden to talk about what they did for a living, and the program remained shrouded in secrecy. In January 1989, the AT-38 Talon replaced
9802-525: The F-117As were within less than one hour from launch when Caspar Weinberger scrubbed the mission. He felt that the aircraft was too valuable to risk on such insignificant targets and the F-117A's participation in the raid was canceled. The 4450th TG's mission continued to evolve under a cloak of secrecy, as all Tonopah training flights conducted at night under the cover of darkness until late 1988. With more production F-117s aircraft being delivered by Lockheed,
9971-464: The F-19 designation was incorrect, and that the plane was described as "ugly" due to its bulging, nontraditional shape. The plane's base was also identified as being Tonopah Airport. In January 1988, Armed Forces Journal revealed the aircraft's actual designation was the F-117 Nighthawk. More important, the "big secret" of stealth, faceting, was starting to leak out. In 1986, there were reports that
10140-626: The F-19 was not smooth, but rather had "a multi-faceted outer-body surface" and a "cut-diamond exterior". This was described as being thousands of flat surfaces, none more than eight square inches in size, which did not share the same "reflectivity angle." The F-117A actually used large panels, but the basic principle was the same. Bringing the F-117A out of the Black would have a number of advantages. The plane could be used in Red Flag exercises and could become part of standard war planning. There were benefits for
10309-488: The Lake Mead Base, officially designated Nellis Area Two. Officially activated on 15 October 1979, by early 1980 a handful of officers and enlisted men recruited into the program and were told that they were laying the groundwork for a unit whose mission would be to run avionics tests and evaluations for A-7D Corsair II weapon systems. Eight A-7D aircraft were transferred from England AFB , Louisiana in June 1981, which
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#173284541053010478-657: The Mediterranean, and made a high speed run from Naples through the Strait of Messina . USS Enterprise and her battle group came thru the Suez Canal and joined in the operations. America ' s air group would strike targets in downtown Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for the USAF bombers, while Coral Sea ' s planes would strike the Benina airfield outside Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for
10647-723: The Navy , and the newly created Department of the Air Force. Prior to 1947, the responsibility for military aviation was shared between the Army Air Forces and its predecessor organizations (for land-based operations), the Navy (for sea-based operations from aircraft carriers and amphibious aircraft), and the Marine Corps (for close air support of Marine Corps operations). The 1940s proved to be important for military aviation in other ways as well. In 1947, Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager broke
10816-431: The Navy bombers. About 01:00 America launched six A-6E TRAM Intruder strike aircraft with Mark 82 bombs against the Jamahiriyah Guard barracks and six A-7 Corsair strike support aircraft. Coral Sea , operating east of America simultaneously launched eight A-6E TRAM Intruders and six F/A-18A Hornets . Additional fighters were launched for combat air patrol (CAP). The raid began in the early hours of 15 April, with
10985-409: The Nellis Range 15 October 1982 is important to the program because on that date Major Alton C. Whitley, Jr. became the first 4450th TG pilot to fly the F-117A. Everyone aware of the top-secret flight waited with an expectancy reminiscent of the early space launches. Though Major Whitley could remember scrambling from an alert pad at night as a young lieutenant in South Vietnam, it is doubtful that he
11154-417: The Nellis Range, one on a cross-country flight near Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and a third which made headlines in the media when an A-7D (69-6207) crashed into a Ramada Inn at Indianapolis , and the media curiosity rose quickly when it was discovered that the pilot of the A-7 was assigned to the 4450th TG, identified as the home unit of the pilot killed in the publicly unexplained 1986 Bakersfield crash. Noting that
11323-438: The Nellis range to help the pilot to distinguish the ground. Reportedly, the mission included certain requirements that were deleted from the final accident report. It is possible that Stewart was going supersonic when he crashed and that he had become disoriented during high-speed maneuvers and had simply flown his plane into the ground. During the F-117A testing program, there were three A-7Ds lost in flight operations, one over
11492-410: The ROMO. The purpose of nuclear deterrence operations (NDO) is to operate, maintain, and secure nuclear forces to achieve an assured capability to deter an adversary from taking action against vital US interests. In the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. The sub-elements of this function are: Assure/Dissuade/Deter is a mission set derived from
11661-585: The Tripoli airfield aborted its mission with a terrain-following radar malfunction, but the remaining five dropped BSU-49 high drag bombs destroying two Il-76 transport aircraft. America ' s A-6s damaged the Jamahiriyah MiG assembly warehouse and destroyed four MiG shipping crates. Two A-6s from Coral Sea aborted their mission, but five A-6s with CBU-59 APAM cluster bombs and one with Mk 82 bombs struck Benina airfield destroying three or four MiGs, two Mil Mi-8 helicopters, one Fokker F27 Friendship transport, and one small straight-wing aircraft. A Boeing 727
11830-543: The US determines national or multinational security objectives and guidance, and develops and uses national resources to accomplish these objectives. These national objectives in turn provide the direction for developing overall military objectives, which are used to develop the objectives and strategy for each theater. At the operational level command and control, campaigns and major operations are planned, conducted, sustained, and assessed to accomplish strategic goals within theaters or areas of operations. These activities imply
11999-493: The US government ordered the Department of Defense to plan an attack on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and PLO sympathizers/terrorists in Southern Lebanon in response to the destruction of the US Marine barracks at Beirut Airport . The Seventh Fleet in the Mediterranean was moved into position off the coast of Lebanon and the 4450th at Tonopah TTR was put on alert. Five to seven F-117A aircraft were armed and their Internal Navigation Systems aligned to targets in
12168-510: The USAF dwarfs all other U.S. and allied air components, it often provides support for allied forces in conflicts to which the United States is otherwise not involved, such as the 2013 French campaign in Mali . The USAF has also taken part in numerous humanitarian operations. Some of the more major ones include the following: The culture of the United States Air Force is primarily driven by pilots, at first those piloting bombers (driven originally by
12337-464: The USAF established the nuclear-focused Air Force Global Strike Command on 24 October 2008, which later assumed control of all USAF bomber aircraft. On 26 June 2009, the USAF released a force structure plan that cut fighter aircraft and shifted resources to better support nuclear, irregular and information warfare. On 23 July 2009, The USAF released their Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Flight Plan, detailing Air Force UAS plans through 2047. One third of
12506-509: The USAF undertook a Reduction-in-Force (RIF). Because of budget constraints, the USAF planned to reduce the service's size from 360,000 active duty personnel to 316,000. The size of the active duty force in 2007 was roughly 64% of that of what the USAF was at the end of the first Gulf War in 1991. However, the reduction was ended at approximately 330,000 personnel in 2008 in order to meet the demand signal of combatant commanders and associated mission requirements. These same constraints have seen
12675-473: The United States and the Soviet Union and its plans for new arms control agreements. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark , acting for Libyan citizens who had been killed or injured in the bombing raid by the U.S. using British air bases, brought suit under international law against the United States and the United Kingdom in U.S. federal court. The lawsuit was dismissed as frivolous. A subsequent appeal
12844-545: The United States contemplated a military attack to strike targets within the Libyan mainland. In March 1986, the United States, asserting the 12-nautical-mile (22 km; 14 mi) limit to territorial waters according to international law, sent a carrier task force to the region. Libya responded with aggressive counter-maneuvers on 24 March that led to a naval engagement in the Gulf of Sidra . On 5 April 1986, alleged Libyan agents bombed "La Belle" nightclub in West Berlin , killing three people, including two U.S. servicemen and
13013-471: The United States had fallen prey to arrogance and madness of power and wanted to become the world's policeman. It charged that any party that did not agree to become an American vassal was an outlaw, a terrorist, and a devil. Gaddafi quashed an internal revolt, the organization of which he blamed on the United States, although Gaddafi appeared to have left the public sphere for a time in 1986 and 1987. The Libyan Post dedicated several postage stamps issues to
13182-424: The United States might launch an attack. The Soviet Union did not completely ignore the event, issuing a denunciation of this 'criminal' act by the United States. After the raid, Moscow did cancel a planned visit to the United States by foreign affairs minister Eduard Shevardnadze . At the same time, it clearly signaled that it did not want this action to affect negotiations about the upcoming summer summit between
13351-543: The United States, then "the Nicaraguan government, very reasonably predicting that the U.S. is planning an attack on its territory, has the right to bomb Washington." British Shadow Foreign Secretary Denis Healey told ABC News that, "by this same rationale of defense against future attack, Britain could bomb apartment blocks in New York and Chicago on the ground that they contained people sending money and military supplies to
13520-549: The United States. Others saw the United States motive as an attempt to eliminate Libya's revolution. China stated that the U.S. attack violated norms of international relations and had aggravated tension in the region. The Soviet Union said that there was a clear link between the attack and U.S. policy aimed at stirring up existing hotbeds of tension and creating new ones, and at destabilizing the international situation. West Germany stated that international disputes required diplomatic and not military solutions, and France also criticized
13689-526: The ability to fulfill their primary mission. Rapid Global Mobility is essential to virtually every military operation, allowing forces to reach foreign or domestic destinations quickly, thus seizing the initiative through speed and surprise. Airlift is "operations to transport and deliver forces and materiel through the air in support of strategic, operational, or tactical objectives" (Annex 3–17, Air Mobility Operations). The rapid and flexible options afforded by airlift allow military forces and national leaders
13858-407: The ability to integrate, evaluate, and interpret information from available sources to create a finished intelligence product for presentation or dissemination to enable increased situational awareness. Dissemination and integration is "the delivery of intelligence to users in a suitable form and the application of the intelligence to appropriate missions, tasks, and functions" (JP 2-01). It provides
14027-472: The ability to present information and intelligence products across the ROMO enabling understanding of the operational environment to military and national decision-makers. Rapid global mobility is the timely deployment, employment, sustainment, augmentation, and redeployment of military forces and capabilities across the ROMO. It provides joint military forces the capability to move from place to place while retaining
14196-455: The ability to respond and operate in a variety of situations and time frames. The global reach capability of airlift provides the ability to apply US power worldwide by delivering forces to crisis locations. It serves as a US presence that demonstrates resolve and compassion in humanitarian crisis. Air refueling is "the refueling of an aircraft in flight by another aircraft" (JP 1-02). Air refueling extends presence, increases range, and serves as
14365-569: The activation of the Tactical Air Command 4450th Tactical Group (TG) at the Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada. The 4450th Tactical Group was a pathfinder unit, moving the F-117A from the research and development stage to becoming a fully operational weapons system. On 10 November 1988, the Air Force officially announced the F-117A's existence to the public, and set the 4450th on the road to inactivation. On 5 October 1989, its F-117A aircraft, equipment personnel and mission were transferred to
14534-407: The area. The plan called for the F-117As to fly from Tonopah TTR to Myrtle Beach AFB , South Carolina , where they would be put in hangars. They would wait 48 hours for the crew to rest and then fly the aircraft non-stop from Myrtle Beach to southern Lebanon. The attack was planned against positively identified locations of the terrorist groups that were known to be responsible for the car bomb and
14703-462: The base facilities at Tonopah. On 14 October 1987, while flying production aircraft number 30 (tail number 84-0815), Major Michael C. Stewart crashed in the Nellis range just east of Tonopah. He apparently made no attempt to eject, and was killed instantly. The official cause was never revealed, but fatigue and disorientation may have played a role. There was no moon that night, and there were no lights on
14872-430: The beginning of modern aerial warfare and set the stage for the development of the United States Air Force. The U.S. War Department created the first antecedent of the U.S. Air Force, as a part of the U.S. Army, on 1 August 1907, which through a succession of changes of organization, titles, and missions advanced toward eventual independence 40 years later. In World War II , almost 68,000 U.S. airmen died helping to win
15041-490: The bombing operations were staged out of the UK, RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was employed in the role of an alternate in case of emergency, and was used as such by at least one aircraft. This led to retaliatory action against the British base. VMFA-314 , VMFA-323 The Libyan air defense network was extensive, and included: Covering Tripoli alone were: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family rushed out of their residence in
15210-573: The bombing. Some observers held the opinion that Article 51 of the UN Charter set limitations on the use of force in exercising the legitimate right of self-defense in the absence of an act of aggression, and affirmed that there was no such act by Libya. It was charged that the United States did not exhaust the Charter provisions for settling disputes under Article 33. The Wall Street Journal protested that if other nations applied Article 51 as cavalierly as
15379-470: The cloak of darkness, in order to maintain program security. This meant that the aircraft had to be defueled, disassembled, cradled, and then loaded aboard the C-5 at night, flown to Lockheed, and unloaded at night before the real work could begin. Of course, this meant that the reverse actions had to occur at the end of the depot work before the aircraft could be reassembled, flight-tested, and redelivered, again under
15548-489: The cover of darkness. In addition to flight-testing, Groom performed radar profiling, F-117 weapons testing, and was the location for training of the first group of frontline USAF F-117 pilots. Production FSD airframes from Lockheed were shipped to Groom Lake for acceptance testing. As the Baja Scorpions tested the aircraft with functional check flights and L.O. verification, the operational airplanes were then transferred to
15717-600: The deaths of 183 Marines of the peace keeping force in Beirut. Caspar Weinberger , the Secretary of Defense , decided to scrub the mission just 45 minutes before the aircraft were to take off for Myrtle Beach. The F-117As were taken off alert, disarmed and had their INS systems reprogrammed for training purposes. In early 1984 the P-unit A-7D's deployed to Kunsan Air Base , South Korea to participate in Team Spirit 1984. The word
15886-496: The desired damage on the five targets selected. Twenty-eight McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders and Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers took off from RAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford shortly after 19:00 on 14 April. These tankers would conduct four silent refueling operations over the 6,000 mi (9,700 km) round-trip route the F-111s would fly to target. Within minutes the tankers were followed by twenty-four F-111F strike aircraft of
16055-557: The devotion to a secret worth keeping. It pervaded Tonopah and its sister base at Nellis, where thousands of family members knew not to ask where their loved ones went for four days each week. Due to the sensitive nature of being assigned to the 4450th, there were few transfers out of the unit once personnel were assigned. Airmen and Officers went through a thorough security investigation, far more than what airmen went through for "normal" assignments. OERs and APRs were reviewed, background investigations were conducted, and before an assignment
16224-574: The difference between al-Qaeda attacks and the 1986 U.S. bombing of Tripoli, he commented: "If al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has no state and is an outlaw, America is a state with international rules." United States Air Force The United States Air Force ( USAF ) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces , and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States . Originally created on 1 August 1907, as
16393-422: The enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. If a crisis occurs, rapid generation and, if necessary, deployment of nuclear strike capabilities will demonstrate US resolve and may prompt an adversary to alter the course of action deemed threatening to our national interest. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level and lead to
16562-448: The event, from 1986 until 2001. The first issue was released in 1986, 13 July (ref. Scott catalogue n.1311 – Michel catalogue n.1699). The last issue was released in 2001, 15 April (ref. Scott catalogue n.1653 – Michel catalogue n.2748–2763). Libya responded by firing two Scud missiles at a United States Coast Guard station on the Italian island of Lampedusa which fell short of
16731-446: The facts that the first flight had been made in June 1981, that three had crashed, and that fifty-two had been delivered out of a total of fifty-nine ordered from Lockheed. A single photo was also released. The angular shape came as a surprise to the press and the public, as did the out-of-sequence "century-series" designation. No information was given out as to the F-117A's dimensions, cost, range, or speed. The official confirmation of
16900-577: The families of the 270 victims. The convicted Libyan, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi , who was suffering from terminal prostate cancer, was released in August 2009 by the Scottish Government on compassionate grounds. He died in 2012. In May 2014 a group of relatives of the Lockerbie victims continued to campaign for al-Megrahi's name to be cleared by reopening the case. The attack was condemned by many countries. By
17069-483: The fire and movement of friendly forces is not required" (Annex 3-03, Counterland Operations). Close Air Support is defined as "air action by fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces and which require detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces" (JP 1-02). This can be as a pre-planned event or on demand from an alert posture (ground or airborne). It can be conducted across
17238-414: The first anniversary of the bombing, April 1987, European and North American left-wing activists gathered to commemorate the anniversary. After a day of social and cultural networking with local Libyans, including a tour of Gaddafi's bombed house, the group gathered with other Libyans for a commemoration event. In June 2009, during a visit to Italy, Gaddafi criticized American foreign policy and, asked as to
17407-872: The first official visit to Tripoli by a Western leader in a generation. In October 1986, Gaddafi financed Jeff Fort 's Al-Rukn faction of the Chicago Black P. Stones gang, in their emergence as an anti-American armed revolutionary movement. Al-Rukn members were arrested for preparing strikes on behalf of Libya, including blowing up US government buildings and bringing down an airplane; the Al-Rukn defendants were convicted in 1987 of "offering to commit bombings and assassinations on US soil for Libyan payment." In May 1987, Australia expelled diplomats and broke off relations with Libya, claiming Libya sought to fuel violence in Australia and Oceania. In late 1987 French authorities stopped
17576-604: The following Libyan targets: Among operational United States tactical aircraft, only the General Dynamics F-111 and the A-6 Intruder possessed the ability to attack at night with the required precision. Although the F-111s would be required to fly from distant bases, they were essential to mission success, because the eighteen A-6s available aboard USS Coral Sea (CV-43) and USS America (CV-66) could not carry enough bombs to simultaneously inflict
17745-603: The globe to conduct current and future operations. Planning and directing is "the determination of intelligence requirements, development of appropriate intelligence architecture, preparation of a collection plan, and issuance of orders and requests to information collection agencies" (JP 2-01, Joint and National Intelligence Support to Military Operations). These activities enable the synchronization and integration of collection, processing, exploitation, analysis, and dissemination activities/resources to meet information requirements of national and military decision-makers. Collection
17914-475: The group became the only active-duty unit to fly the A-7K. The first order of business was to set up acceptance procedures for the aircraft and develop an A-7D training program. The A-7 had been chosen as an interim trainer because its cockpit layout and avionics were considered similar to those in the F-117. It was also a single-seat attack fighter, as the F-117 programmed to be. Training demands, however, soon forced
18083-473: The guise of an avionics test mission when the Corsairs were moved north to Tonopah Test Range Airport to provide a cover story for the increased activities at the airport. Flying squadrons of the 4450th TG were the 4450th Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "I Unit") activated on 11 June 1981, and 4451st Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "P Unit") on 15 January 1983. The 4450th TS, stationed at Groom Lake,
18252-442: The intention of taking the initiative" (JP 1-02). It includes detection and warning; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense; camouflage, concealment, and deception; hardening; reconstitution; dispersion; redundancy; and mobility, counter-measures, and stealth. Airspace control is "a process used to increase operational effectiveness by promoting the safe, efficient, and flexible use of airspace" (JP 1-02). It promotes
18421-568: The island and landed in the sea. There was only limited change in Libyan-connected terrorism. The Libyan government was alleged to have ordered the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Pakistan on 5 September 1986, which resulted in the deaths of 20 people. The allegation did not come to light until it was reported by The Sunday Times in March 2004—days after British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid
18590-727: The mid-2030s. On 22 October 2023, the USAF conducted its first-ever trilateral exercise with the South Korean and Japanese air forces near the Korean Peninsula. On 29 November 2023, a USAF Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey crashed in the Japan island of Yakushima killing 1 airman. In 2024, citing the Supreme Court 's ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo , the Air Force refused to comply with an EPA order that they develop
18759-520: The nine F-111s targeting Bab al-Azizia, only three placed their GBU-10 Paveway II bombs on target. One F-111 was shot down by a Libyan SAM over the Gulf of Sidra and one F-111's bombs missed the barracks, striking diplomatic and civilian sites in Tripoli, and narrowly missing the French embassy. All three F-111s assigned to Sidi Bilal released their GBU-10 bombs on target. One of the six F-111s assigned to bomb
18928-413: The nose of YF-117A #79-780 off the runway of Groom Lake. Meanwhile, Tactical Air Command (TAC) decided to set up a group-level organization to guide the F-117A to an initial operating capability. That organization became the 4450th Tactical Group (Initially designated "A Unit"), which officially activated on 15 October 1979 at Nellis AFB , Nevada. Its first home was an isolated corner of Nellis known as
19097-464: The outcome of the November 1980 election. The incoming Reagan administration increased the secrecy surrounding the stealth program. Although several projects would remain unknown for a decade and more, the effort was not entirely successful with the stealth fighter. In large part to the 1980 announcement by Secretary Brown, aerospace circles published speculative articles, By 1983, artists' conceptions of
19266-406: The pilots too. With daylight flights possible, the fatigue from the late hours would be lessened. Night flights could start earlier and not have to race with the dawn. This would make the pilots' home lives easier. The problem was, ironically, that 1988 was also a presidential election year, and pressure from Congress forced the Air Force to wait until after the November election to officially announce
19435-415: The planes that the USAF planned to buy in the future were to be unmanned. According to Air Force Chief Scientist, Greg Zacharias , the USAF anticipates having hypersonic weapons by the 2020s, hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as remotely-piloted vehicles, or RPAs) by the 2030s and recoverable hypersonic RPAs aircraft by the 2040s. The USAF intends to deploy a Sixth-generation jet fighter by
19604-540: The potential consequences of an accident or unauthorized act, nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon systems require special consideration and protection against risks and threats inherent in their peacetime and wartime environments. In conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, the Air Force achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. This program applies to materiel, personnel, and procedures that contribute to
19773-483: The production of intelligence" (JP 2-01). It provides the ability to transform, extract, and make available collected information suitable for further analysis or action across the ROMO. Analysis and production is "the conversion of processed information into intelligence through the integration, evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of all source data and the preparation of intelligence products in support of known or anticipated user requirements" (JP 2-01). It provides
19942-505: The program were sent to the 152nd Fighter Squadron , Arizona Air National Guard at Tucson for a quick refresher course in A-7Ds that included academics, simulator time and six or seven flights to re-qualify them in the Corsair. When other fighter pilots began to be assigned, they were assigned to either a three or six-month course. depending on their experience in fighters. These operations continued at Nellis until 15 October 1982 under
20111-611: The provisional 4450th Tactical Group. As part of the transition from the provisional group to 37th TFW, the F-117A squadrons were inactivated and re-designated as follows: The choice of the 415th, 416th and 417th Tactical Fighter Squadrons were significant, as these were all World War II P-61 Black Widow night fighter squadrons. The squadron designations were chosen to honor these pioneering squadrons, which were bestowed their lineages and histories Tactical Air Command also activated Detachment 1, 57th Fighter Weapons Wing (The Dragon Test Team) on 30 May 1989 at Tonopah, which took over
20280-409: The purpose of the USAF as: The five core missions of the Air Force have not changed dramatically since the Air Force became independent in 1947, but they have evolved and are now articulated as air superiority, global integrated ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control. The purpose of all of these core missions is to provide what
20449-474: The radar return.(The latter was entirely inaccurate). 1980 was an election year and on 22 August 1980, Defense Secretary Harold Brown held a press conference: "...I am announcing today a major technological advance of great military significance. This so-called 'stealth' technology enables the United States to build manned and unmanned aircraft that cannot be successfully intercepted with existing air defense systems. We have demonstrated to our satisfaction that
20618-407: The reverse would take place, leaving only essential personnel at Tonopah over the weekend. At Nellis, the passenger jets sitting at the flight line became a common sight. If the base personnel knew—and many of them did—that the contractor aircraft were there to ferry most of the 2,500 inhabitants of Tonopah to work, they didn't talk about it. It was part of what became known as the "Night Hawk spirit",
20787-541: The runway. After passing the point of no return, he gripped the controls hard, willing the F-117 into the air. Then, as he climbed into the darkness, he thought about the small American flag he had stuffed into the pocket of his G-suit for this historic occasion. He would be the first Night Hawk to go aloft in an F-117. It would make a great story for his grandchildren. As far as Major Whitley could tell, his children might be grown before he could tell them about it. By early 1982, four more YF-117A airplanes were operating out of
20956-491: The safe, efficient, and flexible use of airspace, mitigates the risk of fratricide, enhances both offensive and defensive operations, and permits greater agility of air operations as a whole. It both deconflicts and facilitates the integration of joint air operations. Global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is the synchronization and integration of the planning and operation of sensors, assets, and processing, exploitation, dissemination systems across
21125-546: The safety, security, and control of nuclear weapons, thus assuring no nuclear accidents, incidents, loss, or unauthorized or accidental use (a Broken Arrow incident ). The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements. Adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Force's ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations
21294-545: The sound barrier in his X-1 rocket-powered aircraft, beginning a new era of aeronautics in America. The predecessor organizations in the Army of today's Air Force are: During the early 2000s, two USAF aircraft procurement projects took longer than expected, the KC-X and F-35 programs. As a result, the USAF was setting new records for average aircraft age. Since 2005, the USAF has placed
21463-460: The southern end of the base, known as the "Southend" or "Baja Groom Lake." After finding a large scorpion in their offices, the testing team (Designated "R Unit") adopted it as their mascot and dubbed themselves the "Baja Scorpions." Testing of a series of ultra-secret prototypes continued at Groom Lake until mid-1981, when testing transitioned to the initial production of F-117 stealth fighters. The F-117s were moved to and from Groom Lake by C-5 under
21632-536: The special mission unit dropped more live ordnance in the Nevada and Utah test ranges than had been expended since the conclusion of the Vietnam War. The B-52 provided a powerful alternative or follow-on option, however, as the backbone of the U.S. nuclear deterrent there was some risk to using the B-52 option against an SA-6 defended target. Elements of the then-secret 4450th Tactical Group (USAF) were put on standby to fly
21801-812: The stated objectives of sending a message and reducing Libya's ability to support and train terrorists . Shortly after the raid Reagan warned "Today, we have done what we had to do. If necessary, we shall do it again." Coordinated jamming by the EF-111s and EA-6B Prowlers began at 01:54 (Libyan time) as the A-7Es and F/A-18As began launching AGM-88 HARM and AGM-45 Shrike missiles for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). The attack began at 0200 hours (Libyan time), and lasted about twelve minutes, with 60 tons of munitions dropped. The F-111 bombers' rules of engagement required target identification by both radar and Pave Tack prior to bomb release to minimize collateral damage. Of
21970-468: The stealth mission, fearing a compromise of the secret aircraft and its development program. The air strike was carried out with conventional U.S. Navy and USAF aircraft. The F-117 would remain completely unknown to the world for several more months, before being unveiled in 1988 and featured prominently in media coverage of Operation Desert Storm . For the Libyan raid, the United States was denied overflight rights by France , Spain , and Italy as well as
22139-418: The strike force's presence and being warned away by pilots with obvious American accents. According to medical staff in a nearby hospital, two dozen casualties were brought in wearing military uniforms, and two without uniforms. Total Libyan casualties were estimated at 60, including those at the bombed airbases. An infant girl was among the casualties; her body was shown to American reporters, who were told she
22308-439: The strike mission against Libya. Over 30 F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft had already been delivered to Tactical Air Command (USAF) and were operating from Tonopah Test Range Airport in Nevada. European Command senior officers knew nothing about the stealth capabilities of the F-117, or that the aircraft even existed. Within an hour of the planned launch of the F-117s, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger scrubbed
22477-613: The technology works". The Brown press conference set off a firestorm of charges by Republicans that the Carter Administration was using stealth technology to curry voters in the wake of the Iran Hostage Crisis and the failure of the Desert One rescue mission. However, the fact was that the public disclosure of the concept and possibilities of stealth aircraft, which few in the public and press could understand, did not change
22646-585: The test unit moved from Groom Lake to the USAF Plant 42 in Palmdale and was integrated with the Air Force Systems Command 6510th Test Squadron. Some testing, especially RCS verification and other classified activity was still conducted at Groom Lake throughout the operational lifetime of the F-117. The recently inactivated (2008) 410th Flight Test Squadron traces its roots, if not its formal lineage to
22815-460: The time of the Libya bombing, made its increasing ambivalence toward Libya apparent in public communications. Gaddafi had a history of verbally attacking the policy agendas and ideology of the Soviet Union, and he often engaged in various international interventions and meddling that conflicted with Soviet goals in a variety of spheres. During a period where the Soviet Union was apparently attempting to lead
22984-402: The true mission of Tonopah. Thus, the impression that activities there were only the cover story of avionics tests and evaluations involving some old A-7Ds, which was well known to Soviet intelligence. Tonopah Airport continued to grow with more production F-117s being delivered from Lockheed and the size of the 4450th growing to accommodate mission requirements. New construction at the airport
23153-577: The use of Royal Air Force bases led to substantial public criticism, including an unprecedented story in The Sunday Times suggesting the Queen was upset by an "uncaring" Prime Minister. However, the Americans strongly endorsed Thatcher, and the long-standing Special Relationship between the United States and Britain was strengthened. Although the Soviet Union was ostensibly friendly with Libya, it had, by
23322-452: The use of European continental bases, forcing the USAF portion of the operation to be flown around France and Spain, over Portugal and through the Straits of Gibraltar , adding 1,300 miles (2,100 km) each way and requiring multiple aerial refuelings . The French refusal alone added 2,800 km. French President François Mitterrand refused overflight clearance because the United States
23491-463: The war, with only the infantry suffering more casualties. In practice, the U.S. Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) was virtually independent of the Army during World War II, and in virtually every way functioned as an independent service branch, but airmen still pressed for formal independence. The National Security Act of 1947 was signed on 26 July 1947, which established the Department of the Air Force , but it
23660-415: Was Gaddafi's recently adopted daughter Hana . However, there was and remains much skepticism over the claim. She may not have died; the adoption may have been posthumous; or he may have adopted a second daughter and given her the same name after the first one died. Two U.S. Air Force captains— Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci and Paul F. Lorence —were killed when their F-111 fighter-bomber (callsign Karma-52)
23829-606: Was able to track onto an A-6 from VA-34 during the strike on the Jamahiriyah barracks but was evaded successfully. Within twelve minutes, all United States aircraft were "feet wet" outbound over the Mediterranean. Navy strike aircraft had been recovered aboard their carriers by 02:53 (Libyan time) and surviving USAF planes, with the exception of one F-111, which landed in Naval Station Rota , Spain, with an overheated engine, had returned to Britain by 10:10 (Libyan time). Although
23998-480: Was also reportedly destroyed during the Benina strike. Some Libyan soldiers, reportedly, abandoned their positions in fright and confusion, and officers were slow to give orders. Libyan anti-aircraft fire did not begin until after the planes had passed over their targets. No Libyan fighters launched, and HARM launches and jamming prevented any of the 2K12 Kub (SA-6) , S-75 Dvina (SA-2) , S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3) , or Crotale SAM launches from homing. One SA-6 however
24167-427: Was any more keyed up in combat than he was on that night, sitting in an operational F-117A at the end of the runway. The flinty sparkle of the stars in the desert sky seemed to accentuate the vast blackness, reminding him that night operations were always scary. Finally cleared for takeoff, Major Whitley pushed the throttles forward and scanned the F-117's instruments for any warnings as the aircraft lumbered noisily down
24336-405: Was approved to the unit, each member's personnel and security file were reviewed and approved by the 4450th's commanding officer. Personnel signed security oaths, and in the case of a separation or transfer out of the unit, a through de-briefing was conducted to remind the personnel of the sensitive nature of the work they did and not to discuss any element of their assignment. During October 1983,
24505-606: Was attempting to become a nuclear power and Gaddafi's occupation of Chad , which was rich in uranium, was of major concern to the United States. Gaddafi's ambitions to set up a federation of Arab and Muslim states in North Africa were alarming to U.S. interests. Furthermore, then- U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig wanted to take proactive measures against Gaddafi because he had been using former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives (most notably Edwin P. Wilson and Frank E. Terpil ) to help set up terrorist camps. After
24674-431: Was concluded that no two-seat trainer version was required. There was a ground-based training simulator. To avoid having the 4450th's aircraft seen during the day by Soviet reconnaissance satellites, all F-117 flying took place at night. During the day, the aircraft were kept inside special hangars. Its A-7Ds were parked outside on the ramp, and training flights were flown during the day to deceive Soviet Intelligence about
24843-525: Was constructed in the 1950s, and during the 1960s and 1970s it was used for clandestine testing of acquired Soviet aircraft by the Tactical Air Command 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron. The facility is not perfect from a security standpoint, since it is overlooked by public land and is 32 miles from the town of Tonopah. However, the security surrounding the Tonopah Test Range was effective. It
25012-468: Was converting to the A-10 Thunderbolt II . The A-7s were given the "LV" tailcode (for Las Vegas) and had a dark purple/black paint motif. The aircraft were assigned nominally to the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing and in addition, the group acquired the prototype A-7K two-seat dual control trainer from Edwards AFB (73-1008) that had been converted from its original A-7D configuration in 1978. In doing so,
25181-595: Was denied, and monetary sanctions against Clark were allowed. Saltany v. Reagan, 886 F. 2d 438 (D.C. Cir. 1989). Every year, between at least 1994 and 2006, the United Nations General Assembly scheduled a declaration from the Organization of African Unity about the incident, but systematically deferred the discussion year after year until formally putting it aside (along with several other issues which had been similarly rescheduled for years) in 2005. On
25350-413: Was designated Operation Ghost Rider . The mission was a full rehearsal for a long-range strike against Libya. The mission was completed successfully, with the exception of one aircraft that had all but one of its eight bombs hang up on one of its wing racks. The lessons learned were passed on to the 48th TFW which was equipped with the newer F-111F model. In August 1985 six specially trained B-52H crews of
25519-488: Was designated for the operations of the first USAF F-117 unit, the 4450th Tactical Group (TG). Beginning in October 1979, the Tonopah Airport base was reconstructed and expanded for the F-117 mission. The 6,000 ft runway was lengthened to 10,000 ft. Taxiways, a concrete apron, a large maintenance hangar, and a propane storage tank were added. On 17 May 1982, the move of the 4450th TG from Groom Lake to Tonopah
25688-423: Was dispatched to the crash site, and the area was cordoned off. Every identifiable piece of the crashed plane was found and removed from the area to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Some rather odd stories and rumors began to circulate about this incident in an attempt to explain the high amount of secrecy as well as to throw the media or the merely curious off the track. One cover story that appeared
25857-486: Was identified as the best suited weapons system for the mission. Although senior officers at Tactical Air Command knew of the F-117A's capabilities, the theater commanders knew nothing of its capabilities or its existence. As a result, the raid was carried out using carrier based Navy A-6 Intruders , A-7 Corsair IIs , F/A-18 Hornets , and USAF F-111s assigned to the USAFE 48th TFW at RAF Lakenheath , England. Once again,
26026-561: Was initially thought to have been responsible for the bombing in revenge for the downing of Iran Air flight 655 by the American missile cruiser USS Vincennes over the Persian Gulf, but in 1991 two Libyans were charged, one of whom was convicted of the crime in a controversial judgement on 31 January 2001. The Libyan Government accepted responsibility for the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing on 29 May 2002, and offered $ 2.7 billion to compensate
26195-520: Was initiated, with the final components of the move completed in early 1983. The "Baja Scopion" unit remained at Groom Lake until the last production F-117 was delivered from Lockheed in July 1990. During the operational lifetime of the F-117, personnel from Tonopah and later Holloman AFB were temporarily deployed to Groom Lake for checkout flights of classified elements of the aircraft. The 4450th achieved initial operational capability on 28 October 1983, with
26364-487: Was interested in limited action in Libya while France was more interested in action that would remove Gaddafi from power. Another factor in the French decision was the United States' last-minute failure to participate in a retaliatory air raid on Iranian positions after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings . After several unproductive days of meetings with European and Arab nations, and influenced by an American serviceman's death, Ronald Reagan, on 14 April, ordered an air raid on
26533-576: Was kidnapped, and tourist Paul Appleby was murdered in Jerusalem . Another British hostage named Alec Collett was also killed in retaliation for the bombing of Libya. Collett was shown being hanged in a video tape. His body was found in November 2009. On 21 December 1988 Libya bombed Pan Am Flight 103 , which exploded in mid-air and crashed on the town of Lockerbie in Scotland after a bomb detonated, killing all 259 people aboard, and 11 people in Lockerbie. Iran
26702-458: Was little more than gossip. During the summer of 1980, the pace of stealth leaks picked up. In the week of 10 August, Aviation Week and Space Technology , The Washington Post , and ABC News all carried stories on stealth. (Up to this point, the popular press had ignored stealth). The stories said that stealth technology was being developed for several types of aircraft, including bombers. They reported that it used RAM and curved surfaces to reduce
26871-487: Was not until 18 September 1947, when the first secretary of the Air Force, W. Stuart Symington , was sworn into office that the Air Force was officially formed as an independent service branch. The act created the National Military Establishment (renamed Department of Defense in 1949), which was composed of three subordinate Military Departments, namely the Department of the Army , the Department of
27040-497: Was of a baby girl, reported to be Gaddafi's daughter, Hana Gaddafi . However, there are doubts both as to whether she was really killed, or whether she truly existed. Libya represented a high priority for President Ronald Reagan shortly after his 1981 inauguration. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was firmly anti-Israel and had supported violent organizations in the Palestinian territories and Syria. There were reports that Libya
27209-503: Was outraged at the United States aggression and that it reinforced an element of anarchy in international relations. The Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union said that the deliberate attempt to kill Libyans violated the principles of international law. The Government of Iran asserted that the attack constituted a policy of aggression, gunboat diplomacy , an act of war, and called for an extensive political and economic boycott of
27378-408: Was purposely leaked that the 4450th TG A-7Ds were carrying supersecret atomic antiradar devices that would render the airplane invisible. To maintain the deception, each A-7D was outfitted with old napalm canisters painted black with a flashing red danger light in the rear. The canisters carried a radiation warning tag over an ominous-looking slot on which was printed: "Reactor Cooling Fill Port." When
27547-516: Was shot down over the Gulf of Sidra . In the hours following the attack, the U.S. military refused to speculate as to whether or not the fighter-bomber had been shot down, with Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger suggesting that it could have experienced radio trouble or been diverted to another airfield. The next day, the Pentagon had announced it was no longer searching for the F-111 believed to be downed by
27716-859: Was split between two areas known as the Industrial Area and the Main Camp. Modern, two-story brick dorms were built. Eventually a recreation center was built, with a bowling alley, gymnasium, racquetball courts, and weight room, as well as a book and video library. Tonopah became much like any other isolated Air Force base, but it lacked dependents, and nights in the Man Camp were punctuated by the distant sound of jet aircraft taking off and landing. Group personnel worked four days per week and would be flown to Tonopah either on Monday or Tuesday morning using Key Airlines contractor-provided Boeing 727 and later 737 passenger jets from Nellis AFB. On Thursday or Friday afternoons,
27885-404: Was that Major Mulhare was flying a Soviet MiG-23 when he crashed. There was a report that the recovery crew had dug and sifted the soil to a distance of 1,000 yards from the last recognizable debris and to a depth of 6 feet to make sure that no one snooping in the area would ever find any piece of the aircraft. Another story was that to mislead scavengers, the recovery crew had taken the remains of
28054-429: Was that he had repeatedly clashed with Wynne and Moseley over other important non-nuclear related issues to the service. This followed an investigation into two incidents involving mishandling of nuclear weapons : specifically a nuclear weapons incident aboard a B-52 flight between Minot AFB and Barksdale AFB , and an accidental shipment of nuclear weapons components to Taiwan. To put more emphasis on nuclear assets,
28223-451: Was the first F-117A squadron, while the 4451st TS was stationed at Nellis AFB and was equipped with A-7D Corsair IIs painted in a dark motif, tail coded "LV". Lockheed test pilots put the YF-117 through its early paces. A-7Ds was used for pilot training before any F-117A's had been delivered by Lockheed to Groom Lake, later the A-7D's were used for F-117A chase testing and other weapon tests at
28392-519: Was the first officer appointed to that position who did not have a background as a fighter or bomber pilot. The Washington Post reported in 2010 that General Schwartz began to dismantle the rigid class system of the USAF, particularly in the officer corps. In 2014, following morale and testing/cheating scandals in the Air Force's missile launch officer community, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James admitted that there remained
28561-455: Was the only one that failed to return to base. Gaddafi announced that he had "won a spectacular military victory over the United States" and the country was officially renamed the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah". Gaddafi said reconciliation between Libya and the United States was impossible so long as Reagan was in the White House; of the US president he said, "He is mad. He
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