# Operation Eldorado Canyon



## DA SWO (Apr 15, 2011)

Twenty-five years ago on April 15, Air Force and Navy strike aircraft dealt a blow to Libyan dictator Muammar' Qaddafi's arrogance and overt support of terrorism. While a force of F-111s from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, (taking off on April 14, 1986) struck targets in Tripoli, including Qaddafi's headquarters, Navy strike aircraft from the Sixth Fleet pounded sites in Benghazi. A host of USAF and Navy platforms supported the mission, which President Reagan ordered after a string of deadly terrorist attacks were traced back to Qaddafi's regime. The raid came at a cost. *Capt. Paul F. Lorence and Capt. Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci were killed when their F-111 went down*, presumably to hostile fire. Noted Air Force author Walter Boyne, in his March 1999 _Air Force_ Magazine, said the mission pushed USAF crews andaircraft "to the absolute limits of their capability. Yet they prevailed, destroying key targets and shocking Qaddafi." Fast forward 25 years. Air Force aircraft are once again flying over Libya to deal with his misdeeds, this time against his own people.​


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## AWP (Apr 15, 2011)

Blue Skies.

If I'm not mistaken, it is the same fighter wing bombing (48th) today as 25 years ago.


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## Nasty (Apr 15, 2011)

Remember L.I.B.Y.A? Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass! 
The French didn't play well either, refused to let us overfly their air space, which resulted in "USAF crews and aircraft being pushed to the absolute limits of their capability".

Thanks Frank!


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## mike_cos (Apr 15, 2011)

SOWT said:


> Twenty-five years ago on April 15, Air Force and Navy strike aircraft dealt a blow to Libyan dictator Muammar' Qaddafi's arrogance and overt support of terrorism. While a force of F-111s from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, (taking off on April 14, 1986) struck targets in Tripoli, including Qaddafi's headquarters, Navy strike aircraft from the Sixth Fleet pounded sites in Benghazi. A host of USAF and Navy platforms supported the mission, which President Reagan ordered after a string of deadly terrorist attacks were traced back to Qaddafi's regime. The raid came at a cost. *Capt. Paul F. Lorence and Capt. Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci were killed when their F-111 went down*, presumably to hostile fire. Noted Air Force author Walter Boyne, in his March 1999 _Air Force_ Magazine, said the mission pushed USAF crews andaircraft "to the absolute limits of their capability. Yet they prevailed, destroying key targets and shocking Qaddafi." Fast forward 25 years. Air Force aircraft are once again flying over Libya to deal with his misdeeds, this time against his own people.​


I remember... well... I have been deployed in Lampedusa Island on april 1986 (Girasole Operation) after ghaddaffy duck's SCUD blasted at 300 mt from italian shores....
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacco_missilistico_libico_contro_Lampedusa


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## DA SWO (Apr 15, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> Blue Skies.
> 
> If I'm not mistaken, it is the same fighter wing bombing (48th) today as 25 years ago.



I believe you are correct, and they lost a bird doing so.


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## AWP (Apr 15, 2011)

I want to say that most of the -111 squadrons transitioned to the Strike Eagle. Lakeheath and Mountain Home both did, I don't know if the 4th at Seymour Johnson was an old FB-111 unit. I could Google but I'm not that industrious.

Ugh...I couldn't help myself.

The 48th and 366th transitioned to -15E's. The 509th is now the B-2 unit. The 20th now flies F-16's. The other units are decommed.


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## DA SWO (Apr 15, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> Ugh...I couldn't help myself.
> 
> The 48th and 366th transitioned to -15E's. The 509th is now the B-2 unit. The 20th now flies F-16's. The other units are decommed.



You should have waited for me to respond.
FWIW- The 111 unit at Cannon transitioned into a "Composite" wing with F-16's and is now the 27th SOW.


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## AWP (Apr 15, 2011)

Mother Air Force is really working hard to keep alive the lineage of conventional units.....


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## Johca (May 25, 2011)

I was the PJ team leader on one of two HH-53J helicopters flying at between 50' and 100 feet AGL over the surf/shore of Libya that night. No ELT, no wreckage spotted so we did not proceed feet dry to execute a CSAR. 

BTW the 53s out of RAF Woodbridge, did fly through France a week or so prior but the French ATC never knew it as route by-passed all airport ATC controlled areas and we be flying low level (500 feet AGL) minimum radio communications that night. RSOLL-interesting times had by all.


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