I worked on the F-111 E at Upper Heyford. I had just left in dec 84. I was stationed at Misawa in Japan preparing the base to receive the first wing of F-16s when this op went down. After the strike, Libya became an acronym, standing for "Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass".
Small world, I, too, took a break from my beloved Varks and was Avionics Logistics manager at 5th AF Yokota (1985-1988), and at the time of this raid (and helped manage the F-16A beddown and the subsequent upgrades to the Block 30 C's and D's) . My boss, Colonel Ramos, 5AF/LGM had inducted Maj Fernando Ribas-Dominicci into the Air Force in Puerto Rico, and knew him well. Went back to the Varks in 1989 and retired at Cannon. Just a bit of additional info, in regards to the few sensor issues, the Pave Tack system had just been added to the F model a few years prior and tactics were still being developed and reliability improvements were growing at the time of this raid. It WAS great experience proven by the perfect use of the system in Desert Storm, both at the wellhead mission as well as the Highway of Death and Bunker Buster missions. One of the Libyan F models 74-178 is at Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, KY The pilot on that raid, Col Arnie Franklin and Flight Lead and Mission Planner works with the Museum. Met up again with him at the F-111 Memorial Dedication at the USAF Museum in October last year, great . Kudos to all the AF and Navy people that made this mission work.
I was stationed at Mildenhall during EDC. Recall every available parking spot had a tanker on it, either a KC-10 or a KC-135. I was one of a c I couple maintenance guys who kept the 2 tow vehicles capable of towing the fully loaded tankers operational. I remember seeing Pres Regan on TV saying that we were considering military action and looking out the window of my dorm seeing the tankers performing the "elephant walk" & launching while at same time F-111s launching from Lakenheath. Could almost see the end of both runways at same time. I knew it was on!
@@tcb8295 Yeah... I was at Lakenheath at the time. I always wondered about Mildenhall and Lakenheath being so close together - hell, I'd walked between the two several times. Must have been a bit stressful for the ATC people. I always thought it was cool to be driving in to Lakenheath and seeing certain black aircraft taking off from a few miles away.
When you know that the person narrating has actually been in the seat, it adds a realism that turns the spoken words into colorful moving images! Nice work Ward!👍 Go Navy! 🇺🇸 Go Airforce 🇺🇸
I was an F-111F Aircraft Commander on that night, but did not participate in the raid. I was on alert, so I watched then depart and waited all night for them to return. First critique, there was no "Karma 52 is Hit!" radio call, as your title indicates. All of the F-111's called "Feet Wet, Tranquil Tiger" as they coasted out, north towards the tankers and home, except Karma 52 never made that call. Other aircraft saw flashes and explosions which add up to Karma 52 hitting the water. Most of the guys I spoke to afterwards said the most fearful time was AFTER the target area, hoping to find a tanker in the darkness with low fuel. Because of fears of retribution and reprisal, the crews that participated were prohibited from saying so immediately after the raid. It was very, VERY odd to go from a perfectly normal day, to world news making combat and then instantly return to business as usual. The -111 was a great aircraft. RIP Paul & Nando.
I was stationed at RAFL then, and a couple of days after it hit the news we had ABC, NBC and CBS crews following us to our off base housing. we were told to say only "you will have to get with public relations". some of the guys were really ticked off about it as it could have put their families at risk
Ward, i served on CV-66 USS America from 1984 - 1988 and remember this day well. I was ships company IC2 and we all loved Ronbo and he didnt mess around with terrorists. I also remember some amazing liberty ports after it was over. Excellent report sir!!
I remember that day well. At RAF Wattisham we were all stood to and had our F4's loaded and on standby, although we didn't know why until later that day.
I was in the Navy and our ship was on patrol in the Persian Gulf at the time. Our ship was one of several who were diverted toward the Suez Canal just in case this thing got out of control. Of course it didn't and we never got there, but I can say that every sailor on our ship was totally amped up and ready to go. By total coincidence, years later I was discussing my time in service with a neighbor who was retired Air Force, I mentioned Eldorado Canyon and he told me he was one of those Aardvark pilots! Pretty cool trading notes back before a lot of these details were publicly available. Thanks for providing a great accounting of events. Cheers shipmate! Zk
I was in the Army with an ETS date of Jul 86, for 3 years I was fully prepared to go to war, then this happened and I said "Are you kidding me? They wait until I'm a short timer to do this?"🤣🤣🤣
So I must be really old, as I was twenty when El Dorado Canyon took place in 1986 and I remember the loss of that F-111 perfectly. It was the only aircraft lost and no one survived.
As a Navy Flight Deck Veteran I so enjoy getting to learn the other side and see the fruits of the work we did and suffered for. Thank you sir for your service and continuing to teach us all about our beloved Naval Air force.
I was there in 1970... 33 days at DEF Con 1... The first time Nukes were locked and loaded in. All told, allied air incursions totaled more than 3,000 flights into Libya, The British flying most of those.., then again USN info is NEED TO KNOW< Only.. My Destroyer spent many boiling hot days well inside the Bay of Libya. The actions taken in 1970 kept the Peace in North Africa till Reagan got after the enemy. How many nukes were used , who knows ? Our military actions were Code Named " Black September ". The French were un-invited due to suspicions of supplying the enemy. WE OWNED the SEA... Meritorious Unit Citations for all involved
I really enjoyed this video and your storytelling. I was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford ‘73-‘75, so was interesting to see the images of the aircraft with their tail insignia. Of course I really enjoyed seeing all the AC and support ships. The buildup to EDC and the details of the missions were very well told. Thanks to all the men and women who made these missions a success and to all who are putting their lives on the line in our services today.
I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath as an F111 electronic warfare tech when this mission was tasked. The day was proceeded by an announced training exercise and for much of the work performed to prepare for the mission, it was done under the assumption that this was just an exercise. It wasn’t until we saw that the bombs loaded on the aircraft were real bombs instead of practice bombs that we knew there was something historical happening. For the most of the maintainers like myself, it was just another exercise. We practiced like it was real and when it was real we did our jobs as we were trained. The F111 was a cool plane. I was sad to see it go as it forced me to cross-train into a non-maintenance career field. Once a wrenchbender, always a wrenchbender.
Thank you for your service. I was at ZAB when the raid occurred working in Trans Alert, we’d have a flight of F-111’s everyday for a few weeks prior to the mission. It was a challenge working on the Aardvark.
Lets hear it for the F 111, the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. Your Navy has always been there, along with the US Navy. Later in life my ship serving as an Allied ship TCG 354 Kocateppee, was sunk ... there was the Royal Navy doing rescues. No hope of saving the 65 sailors on the bottom. Your Air Force taking surveillance photos of my ship in flames.
I was there onboard the USS America. I flew Aircrew in HS-11 on the SH3H Helicopters supporting the strike. None of us pilots and crew had slept for days in preparation. We even mounted M-60 Machine guns on our helicopters with homemade mounts. We pulled our SONAR gear out of the helicopters and painted one of them in Desert Camo that had a tendency to wash off in the rain. Door Gunnery was not something we trained for in the HS-1 RAG. We were ready as we could be for the Combat SAR (CSAR) that we trained impromptu for that luckily never came.
Wonderful detail and content, Ward. I've been subscribed for several years. Nothing but respect and admiration for you and your fellow countrymen as aviators and patriots, such dignity and honour. I'm situated close to RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, and have been proud to witness U-2, B-1, B-2 and B-52 operations arrive and depart on numerous occasions. Back in the 80's was lucky enough to be part of a primary school tour when the KC-135s were the primary operators at Fairford. So proud that we have a US base on our doorstep. This year I plan a trip to Madingley Cemetery, Cambridge, where those from the USAAF that served during WWII are still to this day cherished and respected for their sacrifice so far away from home. May God Bless America.
The Cemetery is an oasis of tranquility and reflection. I, a British subject, visited quite a few years ago and was treated with the utmost politeness, even after telling the office that neither I or my family had had any relation to the U.S. Airforce or indeed WW 2
All’s I remember at the time, ol’ Gaddafi screwed up a perfectly good Liberty Call on a Benidorm Spain topless beach. Weeee young Amphib squidlies (totally unrelated to all the bluster on the other side of the Med), really were enjoying ourselves at the time when the Shore Patrol loudspeakers starting going off up along the roadway by the beaches saying something to the effect, “All US Navy personnel GET BACK TO THE SHIP NOW!!! Remember it like it was yesterday and still cranked about it. What a nice beach…
The pilot of that particular -111 was from back home in Puerto Rico. I remember this very well. There's a big boulevard named after him down there now.
Back in the late '80's a former A-6E pilot who participated in this brought some FLIR video to our IPMS meeting. The impacts from the Harpoons on the Libyan missile boats was quite spectacular. Had a friend on the Saratoga at the time. He later became an Army officer....
My Dad brought back a VHS tape that had a music video with the FLIR image of the boat being hit. It also had the camera footage of the bomblets as they struck the airfields. It played to Stevie Wonder's Part time lover.
My submarine was there for the duration...and well beyond. Once the Bird farms went over the hill; we stayed for 72 days turning 3 knot circles listening to Lybian radio.
The BEST, most accurate, and concise summary of these events EVER done!!! Impressive. Thank you! Your story telling is every bit as good as your novels Punk's War.
I was at RAF Upper Heyford from '82 to '84. The EF-111s on this mission were actually stationed at Upper Heyford, not Lakenheath. That was the 42nd ECS, part of the 20th Tactical Fighter wing. I grew up in Virginia Beach and absolutely loved watching the F-14s. I knew Navy aviators were the real deal, but Mr. Carroll, I will tell you that the F-111E pilots of the 20th TFW were among the best in the AF. The E pilots did not have all the fancy gear of the F models at Lakenheath, but could still put a bomb up a fleas ass at Mach 1, a hundred feet off the deck at night during a squall.
@@KnotheadRuss Same here. 1984-1987. Got there about three months before they finished upgrading the F-111F's with the Pave-Tack pods. I loaded three of the birds for this mission. At that time, I was on the 48th side. Started out on the 548th side until the end of 1985.
Great episode! A postscript to this was an SR71 mission on April 15 doing BDA where the crew outran several SAMs and set new Mach records for the crew and airframe.
Thanks Mooch, as a former P3 sailor, I flew numerous missions to Rog the ships in the gulf of Sidra, These missions were a big deal and as a radio operator, I enjoyed making contact with our CAP which were Tomcats.
I love your interviews but this content is my absolute favorite. Opens up so many rabbit holes for me to go down and talks about things that I honestly never knew about until seeing them on your channel. Thanks for all you do.
Mooch: Small addition and a small correction for you. I was a VF-102 Tomcat pilot with back seater Zobes, flying in a mixed section with VF-33 CO Smiles Bucci in what you called a section of VF-33 birds being targeted with the second SA-5's launch. Preceding this, soon after reaching our cap we were tasked by the Screwtops with a slow, low-flying target to prosecute. Dropping to the deck inside the Line Of Death, we ran the intercept and blew by a Libyan marked Russian built helo, a Hip I think. Hostilities had started with the earlier SA-5 launch at my CO and MO's section when they were running a "Red Darter" mission to draw out some Libyan jets. None came, just missiles. Smart move on their part. We were loaded to the gills and ready for action with a 4x4 package. Curiously, The Starfighters were 2x2x2 loaded. I assumed the helo was out there looking for survivors after the Russians assured them one was splashed with the new, wonderful missiles. The ROE was BVR feet wet, headed north. Permission to splash the helo was denied, presumably since it was a helo and headed south, so after our cross turn and blow back through, we climbed back up to establish our cap off Surt. We were flying an opposing racetrack to keep constant "eyes" on the beach. After 15-20 min the sun set and on a leg in to the beach, I noticed through the haze, a couple of pretty, staggered orange red plumes climbing off the beach. Yawing the jet for Skip to see, it was readily evident what they were, from where they came and where they were headed. Having no RAW gear to detect SA-5 radar, it took only five or so seconds for other assets to call the launch. The missiles continued straight toward us as they climbed, presumably targeting us, given the helo had certainly advised their side of our presence. We split S to the deck and ran north at a high rate as we worked to get under the SA-5 ground radar. The missiles fell into the water somewhere unknown to us. Love your channel. Keep up the good work. Regards, Randy
There is one more iteration to this story. A USAF SR-71 did a BDA sortie over Libya just as Khadafi was giving his victory speech. There is a point in the speech when the classic sonic boom is heard overhead. Immediately following this, Khadafi can be seen ducking down while his demeanor made a radical change. Following Eldorado Canyon, terror strikes around the world took a marked decrease.
We had heads up the mission was coming thru. USS BIDDLE had an SPS-48 air search, nominal 300NM radius of the view. We got 3 paints on the SR-71......it was breathtaking...
Change of subject: That Gibson Melody Maker, in the back of the room is . . Priceless! Beyond that; I appreciate hearing the finer points regarding this mission.
I was there for the entire time although under the water. It made a long deployment an exciting time. Thank you for a very accurate timeline of events.
@@charletonzimmerman4205 U guys relieved us in Rota where we did the weps transfer. I remember our crew singing christmas songs to your deck crew, it was I believe in September 86.
I remember Sam Kinison's routine as one of the F-111 pilots apologizing to the French about their embassy: "Maybe I'd have been a better shot IF I'D HAD MORE SLEEEEEEP!"
Seems this being an all Navy op was, indeed, the best option. The long flight and non-cooperation by our "allies" really impacted the Air Force ability.
Loved this.Having been at Weisbaden late 67-69 and played football against all three UK bases,I really enjoyed this Mooch.Should have been an all Navy opt.Those 111's always were problematic.
I guess those "allies" did not want to cooperate on a special military operations of that kind. Such unilateral actions undermine international law. I know independence in law is not really a US thing, but in more civilised nations we appreciate rule of law and ethics.
I was visiting the Berlin nightclub La Belle 1 week before the bombing of it. I can still recall my reaction to when I read the morning newspaper. First thing I did was to call and check that my cousin was alright. She was an Au Pair in Berlin and frequently visited La Belle. Greetings from Sweden.
Thanks Ward, on this I remember this mission back in the day. But I never knew the break down of the mission. Thanks for taking the time to break it down sir. Great Video.
These missions give military planners such a wealth of info. All the practice in the world can never come close to the real thing. This is the biggest, most glaring problem China has. They may have tons of kit, but virtually no Chinese military person of any rank has hands-on combat experience. I remember, about the same timeframe, the US landed in Grenada, a super soft target, but it exposed some weaknesses in the system that were subsequently ironed out. And physically helping Ukraine from the shadows is giving a FLOOD of info.
Case in point, F-35s just short off the border near Belarus: “We’re looking at an SA-20. I know it’s an SA-20. Intel says there’s an SA-20 there, but now my jet doesn’t ID it as such, because that SA-20 is operating, potentially, in a war reserve mode that we haven’t seen before." -anecdote from Col. Craig Andrle, head of the 388th
> All the practice in the world can never come close to the real thing. This is the biggest, most > glaring problem China has. They may have tons of kit, but virtually no Chinese military person > of any rank has hands-on combat experience. Doesn't matter anymore. The US has allowed its military to get weak. Pronouns are the priority; not bombs on target.
@@FirstDagger And thanks to the F-35 sensors, DoD now knows the SA-20s "war reserve mode" with an excellent opportunity to study and analyze the data in peacetime.
I remember this op; when we heard about it back in the states, we were cheering like lunatics. It was a great day to be on active duty. Thanks for another great viddy, Commander. 🤙🏼
I was at a Blue Angels airshow in Pensacola in July after this raid. Two aviators were discussing the mission and I remember one of them saying ‘’The jamming was crazy! They had toasters popping in Turkey!’’
Great video Ward. What a complex mission! I was at high school when the operation occurred and remember it well. 4 years later I was flying with the WSO whose Pavetack video is featured here! Loved flying with him.
Mooch, those were some spectacumous visual FX near the opening and closing. It was like watching the real thing! Great explanation, tidy, and effective. Thank you, sir.
Thank you for sharing all this information Shipmate! When we were working those flight ops on the America, those of us on the flight deck at the time knew we were making history, but were not privy to all these details of the missions. It was a pleasure serving with you! USS America V-4 Div. 85-89
Excellent recap. "Raid on Qaddafi: The Untold Story of History's Longest Fighter Mission by the Pilot Who Directed It" by Col. Venkus is a great read for more detail.
Thanks, Ward! I was an Air Force brat in the 70’s, and one of the bases Dad was stationed at was Cannon AFB, New Mexico. At the time, it was the 27th TFW flying F-111Ds. Fernando Ribas-Dominici, a WSO at the time, was an acquaintance of Dad’s at Cannon, and I have memories of him, as well as a photo of my brother and me in front of an F-111 taken and signed by him. I remember the operation and the news reports of one ‘111 not coming home. I wondered, with young denial and only for a moment, if that could have been Fernando. Naah, right? Mom later told me it was him. Always good to hear his name kept in memory.
These and the videos where you talk to another person about our new fighters and such are my favs you do. I've never heard of this till now. Thank you for a nice lil history lesson.
Great retelling. I'll never forget that night. Was an OS with COMSIXTHFLT attached to USS Coronado AGF-11 (Flagship) recieved the MUC, NUC and PUC for that operation (Meritorious, Naval and Presidential Unit Citations) seem to remember the Air Force having a lil problem with Eygptian airspace, but probably didnt make the report.. Great content, please keep it up..
First time seeing this video. I was a young Operation Specialist serving onboard the USS Yorktown CG 48 during this. Some very exciting times. Thank you for posting this.
I remember this. I was a scared 19-year-old kid in Navigation Dept. on the Coral Sea. I was standing watch down in stbd aftersteering one evening in March when the General Quarters alarm sounded. Didn't think anything of it until the GQ aftersteering helmsman came down to relieve me so I could run up to the bridge to take over as the helmsman for GQ. When I saw how scared he was coming down that ladder I knew something was amiss. That was a long 8 decks of ladders to get to the chart house and grab my life jacket and gas mask and run out to the bridge. When I took the helm, they were launching the "Alert 5" sending off two F/A-18s to investigate an air contact coming out of Libya. The sun was setting as the 18s neared the air contact and it turned tail and headed back to Libya. The way I understood it was because Libyan pilots couldn't fly at night. Imagine my relief when we secured from GQ. The next morning, I was back on watch in stbd aftersteering when the GQ alarm sounded again. I thought, "It's probably just another Libyan reconnaissance plane. No big deal!" Now up until this time, whenever we held GQ drills, the Conning officer had a soft voice when he gave helm commands and I always had to reply, "Orders to the helm?". That morning when I got on the helm, I never had to ask him to repeat his orders once! As soon as I took the wheel, he screamed, "Helmsan! Hard right rudder!" I turned the wheel and as we began turning hard he screamed, "Helmsman! Shift your rudder!" I obeyed. We were just building momentum in the opposite direction when he screamed, "Helmsman! Shift your rudder!" Now I was worried. I thought, "What the hell's going on? Are we doing torpedo evasion?!" I looked over at one of the Operations Specialist on the sound-powered phones to CIC and asked in a squeaky voice, "Hey man, why are we at GQ this time?!" He coolly replied that Combat had picked up an inbound missile fired at the battlegroup from Libya. Thankfully, it splashed a few hundred miles south of our ship.
Straight up Excellent. Ive never seen a break down of that raid until now. Also I noticed an A6-E from VA-75 Sunday Punchers in that line up. That was my squadron 87-89 on the Kennedy. I worked on that plane as an AT many times. Great video!
I was a security policeman stationed at San Vito Air Station, southern Italy that night. We were part of the eyes of the 6th fleet in the Med. We were told something big was coming but no details. We were also told we were within missile range of Libya. What a night that was.
This is great. As far as i know this is the first time this mission was profiled in socisl media. I served on the ageless warrior CV43 during thsi time. 1985 thru 1989. Best, scariest and most incredible time of my life. Thsnk you Mr Carrol for featuring this mission.
wow that's crazy my grandfather was on the Coral Sea back then he passed in 04 I was too young to ever ask him about his time in the service crazy to think he was over there dealing with this
Ward, love your videos. Your straight, unbiased narratives are awesome. I just watched this video and you gave me the best no-frills, this is what happened story of what happened topside. I was an EM2-SS on board USS Dace, SSN607 in the gulf of Sidra during this event. Between that and Chernobyl, we had a very interesting summer in the Med. Thanks, again. Eric B.
It just so happened that "Top Gun" was in production and awaiting release in May, inspired by an article written after the increased tensions following the 1981 engagement, adding a "ripped from the headlines" relevance.
F-111's get all the credit for this raid, so it's good to hear about the Navy's involvement. The tragic epilogue of this strike was Gadaffi's murderous attack on Pan AM flight 111 over Lockerbie...
Just your standard five-star work, Commander! Yours is one of the very best channels on TH-cam. It's highly recommended viewing for the docents at the March Field Air Museum where l volunteer.
I was living with my parents that were on a work visa in Libya, Misurata from 84-86. I was just a kid and I still remember the loud bombings that were broadcasted through the radio but also sometimes we could of hear them in person even though we were sort of far away from the impacts. Whatever I see nowadays on the internet regarding Libya has nothing to do with the Libya I remember when I was a kid, the country back then was extremely rich and and the economy was booming, nowadays looks unrecognizable to me all in ruins and rubble.
What a great episode in these historic events!!! As other commenters have pointed out here, the experience gained of these real-time events, is extremely substancial... It is a shame that the F-14 'Super Tomcats' never had a chance to go into the production stages... That was a MAJOR F/U of the secretary of defence, Dick Cheney... Another great presentation Ward Carrol !!!
I worked on the F-111 E at Upper Heyford. I had just left in dec 84. I was stationed at Misawa in Japan preparing the base to receive the first wing of F-16s when this op went
down. After the strike, Libya became an acronym, standing for "Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass".
I was at RAF Upper Heyford from '80 to '83
Small world, I, too, took a break from my beloved Varks and was Avionics Logistics manager at 5th AF Yokota (1985-1988), and at the time of this raid (and helped manage the F-16A beddown and the subsequent upgrades to the Block 30 C's and D's) . My boss, Colonel Ramos, 5AF/LGM had inducted Maj Fernando Ribas-Dominicci into the Air Force in Puerto Rico, and knew him well. Went back to the Varks in 1989 and retired at Cannon. Just a bit of additional info, in regards to the few sensor issues, the Pave Tack system had just been added to the F model a few years prior and tactics were still being developed and reliability improvements were growing at the time of this raid. It WAS great experience proven by the perfect use of the system in Desert Storm, both at the wellhead mission as well as the Highway of Death and Bunker Buster missions. One of the Libyan F models 74-178 is at Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, KY The pilot on that raid, Col Arnie Franklin and Flight Lead and Mission Planner works with the Museum. Met up again with him at the F-111 Memorial Dedication at the USAF Museum in October last year, great . Kudos to all the AF and Navy people that made this mission work.
My father was in the 79th, we moved to Upper Heyford in 1984. Tiger Tiger Roar!!!
I was stationed at Mildenhall during EDC. Recall every available parking spot had a tanker on it, either a KC-10 or a KC-135. I was one of a c I couple maintenance guys who kept the 2 tow vehicles capable of towing the fully loaded tankers operational. I remember seeing Pres Regan on TV saying that we were considering military action and looking out the window of my dorm seeing the tankers performing the "elephant walk" & launching while at same time F-111s launching from Lakenheath. Could almost see the end of both runways at same time. I knew it was on!
@@tcb8295 Yeah... I was at Lakenheath at the time. I always wondered about Mildenhall and Lakenheath being so close together - hell, I'd walked between the two several times. Must have been a bit stressful for the ATC people. I always thought it was cool to be driving in to Lakenheath and seeing certain black aircraft taking off from a few miles away.
When you know that the person narrating has actually been in the seat, it adds a realism that turns the spoken words into colorful moving images! Nice work Ward!👍
Go Navy! 🇺🇸 Go Airforce 🇺🇸
Mr. Carroll’s videos are always top tier. Keep up the great work.
👍👍👍
I was an F-111F Aircraft Commander on that night, but did not participate in the raid. I was on alert, so I watched then depart and waited all night for them to return. First critique, there was no "Karma 52 is Hit!" radio call, as your title indicates. All of the F-111's called "Feet Wet, Tranquil Tiger" as they coasted out, north towards the tankers and home, except Karma 52 never made that call. Other aircraft saw flashes and explosions which add up to Karma 52 hitting the water. Most of the guys I spoke to afterwards said the most fearful time was AFTER the target area, hoping to find a tanker in the darkness with low fuel. Because of fears of retribution and reprisal, the crews that participated were prohibited from saying so immediately after the raid. It was very, VERY odd to go from a perfectly normal day, to world news making combat and then instantly return to business as usual. The -111 was a great aircraft. RIP Paul & Nando.
I was stationed at RAFL then, and a couple of days after it hit the news we had ABC, NBC and CBS crews following us to our off base housing. we were told to say only "you will have to get with public relations". some of the guys were really ticked off about it as it could have put their families at risk
Ward, i served on CV-66 USS America from 1984 - 1988 and remember this day well. I was ships company IC2 and we all loved Ronbo and he didnt mess around with terrorists. I also remember some amazing liberty ports after it was over. Excellent report sir!!
I was there with you brother it was a great cruise.
Palma ?
I remember that day well. At RAF Wattisham we were all stood to and had our F4's loaded and on standby, although we didn't know why until later that day.
I was in the Navy and our ship was on patrol in the Persian Gulf at the time. Our ship was one of several who were diverted toward the Suez Canal just in case this thing got out of control. Of course it didn't and we never got there, but I can say that every sailor on our ship was totally amped up and ready to go.
By total coincidence, years later I was discussing my time in service with a neighbor who was retired Air Force, I mentioned Eldorado Canyon and he told me he was one of those Aardvark pilots! Pretty cool trading notes back before a lot of these details were publicly available.
Thanks for providing a great accounting of events.
Cheers shipmate!
Zk
I was in the Army with an ETS date of Jul 86, for 3 years I was fully prepared to go to war, then this happened and I said "Are you kidding me? They wait until I'm a short timer to do this?"🤣🤣🤣
Great breakdown, Ward. I remember this when it was happening, but never knew the detail you have presented. Thanks as always for your insight.
I have a personal friend who flew in the EA-6B Prowler for that mission. He has some great info from that night. Reach out if you want to connect.
El Dorado Canyon was amazing, my dad loved the Ardvark and told me about all of this when I was two or three years old one of my earliest memories
Air Force Aardvarks ground strikes from England and Navy F-14 and A-6’s etc from the carrier.
So I must be really old, as I was twenty when El Dorado Canyon took place in 1986 and I remember the loss of that F-111 perfectly. It was the only aircraft lost and no one survived.
As a Navy Flight Deck Veteran I so enjoy getting to learn the other side and see the fruits of the work we did and suffered for. Thank you sir for your service and continuing to teach us all about our beloved Naval Air force.
Dogshit airplane, why the navy dropped it
I was there in 1970... 33 days at DEF Con 1... The first time Nukes were locked and loaded in. All told, allied air incursions totaled more than 3,000 flights into Libya, The British flying most of those.., then again USN info is NEED TO KNOW< Only.. My Destroyer spent many boiling hot days well inside the Bay of Libya. The actions taken in 1970 kept the Peace in North Africa till Reagan got after the enemy. How many nukes were used , who knows ? Our military actions were Code Named " Black September ". The French were un-invited due to suspicions of supplying the enemy. WE OWNED the SEA... Meritorious Unit Citations for all involved
I really enjoyed this video and your storytelling. I was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford ‘73-‘75, so was interesting to see the images of the aircraft with their tail insignia. Of course I really enjoyed seeing all the AC and support ships. The buildup to EDC and the details of the missions were very well told. Thanks to all the men and women who made these missions a success and to all who are putting their lives on the line in our services today.
I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath as an F111 electronic warfare tech when this mission was tasked. The day was proceeded by an announced training exercise and for much of the work performed to prepare for the mission, it was done under the assumption that this was just an exercise. It wasn’t until we saw that the bombs loaded on the aircraft were real bombs instead of practice bombs that we knew there was something historical happening. For the most of the maintainers like myself, it was just another exercise. We practiced like it was real and when it was real we did our jobs as we were trained. The F111 was a cool plane. I was sad to see it go as it forced me to cross-train into a non-maintenance career field. Once a wrenchbender, always a wrenchbender.
Thank you for your service. I was at ZAB when the raid occurred working in Trans Alert, we’d have a flight of F-111’s everyday for a few weeks prior to the mission. It was a challenge working on the Aardvark.
Hi YB. This is Vins Clark your old housemate and coworker. How you been? How's your son?
RAF Upper Heyford 77-79 RAF Lakenheath 82-86 Electronic Warfare Tech
82-88. Old timers
Lets hear it for the F 111, the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. Your Navy has always been there, along with the US Navy. Later in life my ship serving as an Allied ship TCG 354 Kocateppee, was sunk ... there was the Royal Navy doing rescues. No hope of saving the 65 sailors on the bottom. Your Air Force taking surveillance photos of my ship in flames.
I was there onboard the USS America. I flew Aircrew in HS-11 on the SH3H Helicopters supporting the strike. None of us pilots and crew had slept for days in preparation. We even mounted M-60 Machine guns on our helicopters with homemade mounts. We pulled our SONAR gear out of the helicopters and painted one of them in Desert Camo that had a tendency to wash off in the rain. Door Gunnery was not something we trained for in the HS-1 RAG. We were ready as we could be for the Combat SAR (CSAR) that we trained impromptu for that luckily never came.
And I'm batman
Thank you for your service sir!!
Much luv & respect from the hood… We luv our military, you guys & gals are the real GANGSTAZ‼️ God Bless America!!!!
@@nexpro6118 Thanks for protecting Gotham City.
@@lionittslegen2290 Thank you sir, much appreciated.
@@godgunzndrumz lol. More than welcome
Mooch content is always the best content! Superbly researched and presented.
Wonderful detail and content, Ward. I've been subscribed for several years. Nothing but respect and admiration for you and your fellow countrymen as aviators and patriots, such dignity and honour.
I'm situated close to RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, and have been proud to witness U-2, B-1, B-2 and B-52 operations arrive and depart on numerous occasions. Back in the 80's was lucky enough to be part of a primary school tour when the KC-135s were the primary operators at Fairford. So proud that we have a US base on our doorstep. This year I plan a trip to Madingley Cemetery, Cambridge, where those from the USAAF that served during WWII are still to this day cherished and respected for their sacrifice so far away from home. May God Bless America.
The Cemetery is an oasis of tranquility and reflection. I, a British subject, visited quite a few years ago and was treated with the utmost politeness, even after telling the office that neither I or my family had had any relation to the U.S. Airforce or indeed WW 2
All’s I remember at the time, ol’ Gaddafi screwed up a perfectly good Liberty Call on a Benidorm Spain topless beach. Weeee young Amphib squidlies (totally unrelated to all the bluster on the other side of the Med), really were enjoying ourselves at the time when the Shore Patrol loudspeakers starting going off up along the roadway by the beaches saying something to the effect, “All US Navy personnel GET BACK TO THE SHIP NOW!!! Remember it like it was yesterday and still cranked about it. What a nice beach…
The pilot of that particular -111 was from back home in Puerto Rico. I remember this very well. There's a big boulevard named after him down there now.
Back in the late '80's a former A-6E pilot who participated in this brought some FLIR video to our IPMS meeting.
The impacts from the Harpoons on the Libyan missile boats was quite spectacular.
Had a friend on the Saratoga at the time. He later became an Army officer....
My Dad brought back a VHS tape that had a music video with the FLIR image of the boat being hit. It also had the camera footage of the bomblets as they struck the airfields. It played to Stevie Wonder's Part time lover.
The F-117's possible participation was new information to me. Great vid Mooch.
My submarine was there for the duration...and well beyond. Once the Bird farms went over the hill; we stayed for 72 days turning 3 knot circles listening to Lybian radio.
That’s really interesting. Could you make out what they were saying on it?
Great telling of a great American military aviation story...warts and all!
Thank you Commander Carroll.
Never knew about this. Thanks Ward!
Outstanding production. Thank you, SIR
Excellent, excellent commentary together with the accompanying videos and still photos. Thanks Mooch!
The BEST, most accurate, and concise summary of these events EVER done!!! Impressive. Thank you! Your story telling is every bit as good as your novels Punk's War.
I was at RAF Upper Heyford from '82 to '84. The EF-111s on this mission were actually stationed at Upper Heyford, not Lakenheath. That was the 42nd ECS, part of the 20th Tactical Fighter wing. I grew up in Virginia Beach and absolutely loved watching the F-14s. I knew Navy aviators were the real deal, but Mr. Carroll, I will tell you that the F-111E pilots of the 20th TFW were among the best in the AF. The E pilots did not have all the fancy gear of the F models at Lakenheath, but could still put a bomb up a fleas ass at Mach 1, a hundred feet off the deck at night during a squall.
Yes. I was stationed at Lakenheath around this time and Lakenheath had no EF-111s. We only had F-111Fs.
@@KnotheadRuss Same here. 1984-1987. Got there about three months before they finished upgrading the F-111F's with the Pave-Tack pods. I loaded three of the birds for this mission. At that time, I was on the 48th side. Started out on the 548th side until the end of 1985.
I was a nuclear weapons specialist at Minot at the time and we were helping the conventional shop fuse bombs for a second run with B52s.
Me me me meme its all about meeee...
@@1Roamingwolf They were providing information not bragging. Besides, the second half of their post was giving praise to someone else.
Nice summary with great pics and video. Thank you.
Great episode! A postscript to this was an SR71 mission on April 15 doing BDA where the crew outran several SAMs and set new Mach records for the crew and airframe.
Thanks Mooch, as a former P3 sailor, I flew numerous missions to Rog the ships in the gulf of Sidra, These missions were a big deal and as a radio operator, I enjoyed making contact with our CAP which were Tomcats.
I love your interviews but this content is my absolute favorite. Opens up so many rabbit holes for me to go down and talks about things that I honestly never knew about until seeing them on your channel. Thanks for all you do.
That camera footage of the Mig-25s maneuvering is incredible.
Mooch: Small addition and a small correction for you. I was a VF-102 Tomcat pilot with back seater Zobes, flying in a mixed section with VF-33 CO Smiles Bucci in what you called a section of VF-33 birds being targeted with the second SA-5's launch. Preceding this, soon after reaching our cap we were tasked by the Screwtops with a slow, low-flying target to prosecute. Dropping to the deck inside the Line Of Death, we ran the intercept and blew by a Libyan marked Russian built helo, a Hip I think. Hostilities had started with the earlier SA-5 launch at my CO and MO's section when they were running a "Red Darter" mission to draw out some Libyan jets. None came, just missiles. Smart move on their part. We were loaded to the gills and ready for action with a 4x4 package. Curiously, The Starfighters were 2x2x2 loaded. I assumed the helo was out there looking for survivors after the Russians assured them one was splashed with the new, wonderful missiles. The ROE was BVR feet wet, headed north. Permission to splash the helo was denied, presumably since it was a helo and headed south, so after our cross turn and blow back through, we climbed back up to establish our cap off Surt. We were flying an opposing racetrack to keep constant "eyes" on the beach. After 15-20 min the sun set and on a leg in to the beach, I noticed through the haze, a couple of pretty, staggered orange red plumes climbing off the beach. Yawing the jet for Skip to see, it was readily evident what they were, from where they came and where they were headed. Having no RAW gear to detect SA-5 radar, it took only five or so seconds for other assets to call the launch. The missiles continued straight toward us as they climbed, presumably targeting us, given the helo had certainly advised their side of our presence. We split S to the deck and ran north at a high rate as we worked to get under the SA-5 ground radar. The missiles fell into the water somewhere unknown to us. Love your channel. Keep up the good work. Regards, Randy
You flew with the DBacks while Flash Gordo was the skipper. If your last name is Branch was your callsign Twig?
There is one more iteration to this story. A USAF SR-71 did a BDA sortie over Libya just as Khadafi was giving his victory speech. There is a point in the speech when the classic sonic boom is heard overhead. Immediately following this, Khadafi can be seen ducking down while his demeanor made a radical change. Following Eldorado Canyon, terror strikes around the world took a marked decrease.
We had heads up the mission was coming thru. USS BIDDLE had an SPS-48 air search, nominal 300NM radius of the view. We got 3 paints on the SR-71......it was breathtaking...
i
An increase at Lockerbie....
Thanks for this review...I was one of the USAF F-111F crew on this mission...was friends with "Nando" and Paul. Proud to serve.
Change of subject: That Gibson Melody Maker, in the back of the room is . . Priceless! Beyond that; I appreciate hearing the finer points regarding this mission.
It's actually a Les Paul Junior.
I was there for the entire time although under the water. It made a long deployment an exciting time. Thank you for a very accurate timeline of events.
I remember crossing the Line of Death several times in my time in the Navy. We relieved one of those carriers after the operation had ended.
True way before this started in Aug. 81. But was 'Classified". Still is I believe.
U on the Kennedy...?
@@JohnSmith-fh2th Forestall we came after all the fun
@@JohnSmith-fh2th Yes , 1980 thru Jan. 81. Capt. Hernandez , he made Admiral cause of action, against Libya.
@@charletonzimmerman4205 U guys relieved us in Rota where we did the weps transfer. I remember our crew singing christmas songs to your deck crew, it was I believe in September 86.
I remember Sam Kinison's routine as one of the F-111 pilots apologizing to the French about their embassy: "Maybe I'd have been a better shot IF I'D HAD MORE SLEEEEEEP!"
When I was with VF-101, my CO was Commander Hank Kleeman, who was the CO of VF-41 and had shot down one of the Fitters. He was one helluva man.
He died in an accident involving a F18.....RIP
Kleeman's shootdown was 5 years earlier than this.
Great video - clear, concise, informative, and with a wonderful bonus ... no fkn music in the background. Excellent.
Thanks!
Thanks for the support, James!
Seems this being an all Navy op was, indeed, the best option. The long flight and non-cooperation by our "allies" really impacted the Air Force ability.
Frankly we should have flown over France or Spain at 50k then dipped down and in
At times like these you know who your REAL friends are
Loved this.Having been at Weisbaden late 67-69 and played football against all three UK bases,I really enjoyed this Mooch.Should have been an all Navy opt.Those 111's always were problematic.
Why are our kids doing the dirty work, oh because the cia have wet farts.
I guess those "allies" did not want to cooperate on a special military operations of that kind. Such unilateral actions undermine international law. I know independence in law is not really a US thing, but in more civilised nations we appreciate rule of law and ethics.
I was visiting the Berlin nightclub La Belle 1 week before the bombing of it. I can still recall my reaction to when I read the morning newspaper. First thing I did was to call and check that my cousin was alright. She was an Au Pair in Berlin and frequently visited La Belle.
Greetings from Sweden.
Just like being there, Ward! Thanks for the detailed analysis.
Thanks Ward, on this I remember this mission back in the day. But I never knew the break down of the mission. Thanks for taking the time to break it down sir. Great Video.
These missions give military planners such a wealth of info. All the practice in the world can never come close to the real thing. This is the biggest, most glaring problem China has. They may have tons of kit, but virtually no Chinese military person of any rank has hands-on combat experience. I remember, about the same timeframe, the US landed in Grenada, a super soft target, but it exposed some weaknesses in the system that were subsequently ironed out. And physically helping Ukraine from the shadows is giving a FLOOD of info.
Case in point, F-35s just short off the border near Belarus:
“We’re looking at an SA-20. I know it’s an SA-20. Intel says there’s an SA-20 there, but now my jet doesn’t ID it as such, because that SA-20 is operating, potentially, in a war reserve mode that we haven’t seen before." -anecdote from Col. Craig Andrle, head of the 388th
> All the practice in the world can never come close to the real thing. This is the biggest, most
> glaring problem China has. They may have tons of kit, but virtually no Chinese military person
> of any rank has hands-on combat experience.
Doesn't matter anymore. The US has allowed its military to get weak. Pronouns are the priority; not bombs on target.
So much planning for a critical 12 min vulnerability time, it is crazy. Very few if any can pull something off like this.
@@FirstDagger F35s can literally snack on SA20s on their way to a bombing mission.
@@FirstDagger And thanks to the F-35 sensors, DoD now knows the SA-20s "war reserve mode" with an excellent opportunity to study and analyze the data in peacetime.
I remember this op; when we heard about it back in the states, we were cheering like lunatics. It was a great day to be on active duty. Thanks for another great viddy, Commander. 🤙🏼
I was at a Blue Angels airshow in Pensacola in July after this raid. Two aviators were discussing the mission and I remember one of them saying ‘’The jamming was crazy! They had toasters popping in Turkey!’’
Great video Ward. What a complex mission! I was at high school when the operation occurred and remember it well. 4 years later I was flying with the WSO whose Pavetack video is featured here! Loved flying with him.
Well told and very well researched. Thank you.
Mooch, those were some spectacumous visual FX near the opening and closing. It was like watching the real thing!
Great explanation, tidy, and effective. Thank you, sir.
Thank you for sharing all this information Shipmate! When we were working those flight ops on the America, those of us on the flight deck at the time knew we were making history, but were not privy to all these details of the missions. It was a pleasure serving with you! USS America V-4 Div. 85-89
Love how you used so many pictures, just starting to learn about the difference aircraft and this really helps in learning to identify them
Great video Mouch
Really enjoyed that Sir !! It's always great to see our country doing good in an often thankless world !!
Excellent recap. "Raid on Qaddafi: The Untold Story of History's Longest Fighter Mission by the Pilot Who Directed It" by Col. Venkus is a great read for more detail.
Thanks, Ward! I was an Air Force brat in the 70’s, and one of the bases Dad was stationed at was Cannon AFB, New Mexico. At the time, it was the 27th TFW flying F-111Ds. Fernando Ribas-Dominici, a WSO at the time, was an acquaintance of Dad’s at Cannon, and I have memories of him, as well as a photo of my brother and me in front of an F-111 taken and signed by him. I remember the operation and the news reports of one ‘111 not coming home. I wondered, with young denial and only for a moment, if that could have been Fernando. Naah, right? Mom later told me it was him. Always good to hear his name kept in memory.
These and the videos where you talk to another person about our new fighters and such are my favs you do. I've never heard of this till now. Thank you for a nice lil history lesson.
I love these kinds of mission breakdown and explanation videos. They are so fun to listen to and watch.
Loved the editing and the production. Great video!
Watching your videos like these is like watching a true action film with unheard of operational detail!
Thank you very much for this story. I remember it well as Captain Ribas was the brother of a work friend in Puerto Rico.
A paraphrase, but unavoidable question: "Are we better off today than we were 37 years ago?"
Thanks Mooch for another outstanding production.
Great retelling. I'll never forget that night. Was an OS with COMSIXTHFLT attached to USS Coronado AGF-11 (Flagship) recieved the MUC, NUC and PUC for that operation (Meritorious, Naval and Presidential Unit Citations) seem to remember the Air Force having a lil problem with Eygptian airspace, but probably didnt make the report.. Great content, please keep it up..
Great narration best story ever. Thanks for the update.
First time seeing this video. I was a young Operation Specialist serving onboard the USS Yorktown CG 48 during this. Some very exciting times. Thank you for posting this.
I remember this. I was a scared 19-year-old kid in Navigation Dept. on the Coral Sea. I was standing watch down in stbd aftersteering one evening in March when the General Quarters alarm sounded. Didn't think anything of it until the GQ aftersteering helmsman came down to relieve me so I could run up to the bridge to take over as the helmsman for GQ. When I saw how scared he was coming down that ladder I knew something was amiss. That was a long 8 decks of ladders to get to the chart house and grab my life jacket and gas mask and run out to the bridge. When I took the helm, they were launching the "Alert 5" sending off two F/A-18s to investigate an air contact coming out of Libya. The sun was setting as the 18s neared the air contact and it turned tail and headed back to Libya. The way I understood it was because Libyan pilots couldn't fly at night. Imagine my relief when we secured from GQ.
The next morning, I was back on watch in stbd aftersteering when the GQ alarm sounded again. I thought, "It's probably just another Libyan reconnaissance plane. No big deal!"
Now up until this time, whenever we held GQ drills, the Conning officer had a soft voice when he gave helm commands and I always had to reply, "Orders to the helm?".
That morning when I got on the helm, I never had to ask him to repeat his orders once! As soon as I took the wheel, he screamed, "Helmsan! Hard right rudder!" I turned the wheel and as we began turning hard he screamed, "Helmsman! Shift your rudder!" I obeyed. We were just building momentum in the opposite direction when he screamed, "Helmsman! Shift your rudder!"
Now I was worried. I thought, "What the hell's going on? Are we doing torpedo evasion?!"
I looked over at one of the Operations Specialist on the sound-powered phones to CIC and asked in a squeaky voice, "Hey man, why are we at GQ this time?!"
He coolly replied that Combat had picked up an inbound missile fired at the battlegroup from Libya.
Thankfully, it splashed a few hundred miles south of our ship.
Straight up Excellent. Ive never seen a break down of that raid until now. Also I noticed an A6-E from VA-75 Sunday Punchers in that line up. That was my squadron 87-89 on the Kennedy. I worked on that plane as an AT many times. Great video!
Great reporting, thank you for your service
Consise, precise, and riveting narration.
Great video.
Always bringing us the best Carol !
Thank you.
"...why America needs aircraft carriers in a dangerous and uncertain world." It was true then and it is true now.
@@GarrishChristopherRobin777 Why are you here?
Been looking forward to this Ward. Thankyou.
Thx Ward for the breakdown and analysis of this combined Air Force and Naval mission
I was a security policeman stationed at San Vito Air Station, southern Italy that night. We were part of the eyes of the 6th fleet in the Med. We were told something big was coming but no details. We were also told we were within missile range of Libya. What a night that was.
This is great. As far as i know this is the first time this mission was profiled in socisl media. I served on the ageless warrior CV43 during thsi time. 1985 thru 1989. Best, scariest and most incredible time of my life. Thsnk you Mr Carrol for featuring this mission.
I was there. USS Caron DD-970, Jan. 86 (Tripoli FIR) and Mar. 86. (Line of Death).
Excellent show! Keep 'em coming. You are sooo interesting, Ward!
wow that's crazy my grandfather was on the Coral Sea back then he passed in 04 I was too young to ever ask him about his time in the service crazy to think he was over there dealing with this
I love learning about these engagements! Thank you Ward! Should be required reading for any one who could be potentially engaged in combat ops
Ward, love your videos. Your straight, unbiased narratives are awesome. I just watched this video and you gave me the best no-frills, this is what happened story of what happened topside. I was an EM2-SS on board USS Dace, SSN607 in the gulf of Sidra during this event. Between that and Chernobyl, we had a very interesting summer in the Med.
Thanks, again.
Eric B.
Thank you, thank you Commander very detailed episode
Informative program!
I remember this. This is one of the best account narrations I have heard of the mission. Good job!
It just so happened that "Top Gun" was in production and awaiting release in May, inspired by an article written after the increased tensions following the 1981 engagement, adding a "ripped from the headlines" relevance.
Thanks for putting this all together with valid information.
Great watch, thanks for making this report.
Thank you for your always inspirational commenterry :)
My Best Man was one of the Upper Heyfords. Had the pleasure of flying with him again at Delta. Thanks, Doug. And all the rest of you guys, too.
Another Outstanding Episode
Love the Australian F-111 doing a dump n burn as your thumbnail.
Great presentation Ward, really well done 👍☺
F-111's get all the credit for this raid, so it's good to hear about the Navy's involvement. The tragic epilogue of this strike was Gadaffi's murderous attack on Pan AM flight 111 over Lockerbie...
Yes, I worked F-111s at Lakenheath at this time but always thought that the Navy didn't get enough credit for their roll.
Pan Am 103
Years later, the US and NATO kicked Libya in the ass again
Great piece! Expertly produced! I passed this on to Serco teammate, and USAF veteran Michael Hoyes. Michael participated in Eldorado Canyon.
My Home Airport where I have my C172 based at, is Name after Karma 52 Pilot (Capt. Fernando Ribas Dominici) TJIG/SIG.
Just your standard five-star work, Commander! Yours is one of the very best channels on TH-cam. It's highly recommended viewing for the docents at the March Field Air Museum where l volunteer.
I was living with my parents that were on a work visa in Libya, Misurata from 84-86. I was just a kid and I still remember the loud bombings that were broadcasted through the radio but also sometimes we could of hear them in person even though we were sort of far away from the impacts. Whatever I see nowadays on the internet regarding Libya has nothing to do with the Libya I remember when I was a kid, the country back then was extremely rich and and the economy was booming, nowadays looks unrecognizable to me all in ruins and rubble.
Outstanding, Mooch!
What a great episode in these historic events!!! As other commenters have pointed out here, the experience gained of these real-time events, is extremely substancial... It is a shame that the F-14 'Super Tomcats' never had a chance to go into the production stages... That was a MAJOR F/U of the secretary of defence, Dick Cheney... Another great presentation Ward Carrol !!!