More MiGs for Libya
Egyptian equipment helps combat terror groups
T
HE LIBYAN AIR Force has
received two additional
MiG-21MF fi ghters and
three Mi-8 helicopters from
Egypt, Oryx Blog reports.
The former Egyptian Air
Force (EAF) aircraft are a welcome
addition to the inventory of the under-
equipped Libyan Air Force, which is
currently waging a war against Libya
Dawn, Ansar al-Sharia and even Islamic
State (IS), the latter centered on the
Libyan city of Derna.
The spread of extremism so close to
Egypt’s borders has led to great concern
in Cairo, a feeling further strengthened
by the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts
in Libya in early February. Egypt
subsequently launched air strikes againstIS in Libya, mainly targeting training
camps and weapons depots.
Egypt’s strategy in helping Libya’s
internationally-recognized government in
Tobruk combat the three terrorist groups
has mainly focused on the transfer of
military equipment to the ill-equipped
Libyan National Army (LNA) and
Libyan Air Force. For example, only one
MiG-23UB is available for operations over
and around Libya’s capital Tripoli.
The situation in eastern Libya is slightly
better, where several ex-Egyptian MiG-
21MFs, MiG-21bis, Mi-35s and Mi-8s
are available. Most of these are currently
stationed at Gamal Abdul El Nasser, also
known as Tobruk International Airport.
Egypt originally acquired large numbers
of MiG-21s in the 1960s and 1970s, andstill continues to operate a portion of the
old MiG-21MF fl eet. But as more modern
aircraft are being acquired by the EAF,
all are slated to be decommissioned in
the coming years. Selling some of the
MiG-21s for a negligible price or donating
them to Libya contributes to the Libyan
Air Force’s fi repower and ability to quell
the militants, without costing Egypt
valuable assets.
The Libyan Air Force, which previously
operated only MiG-21bis and MiG-21UM
variants, can count on experienced pilots
and technicians to keep the growing
MiG-21MF fl eet operational. A stable
fl ow of spare parts and ammunition from
Egypt will enable the fl eet to provide
much-needed fi re support for the Libyan
National Army in eastern Libya.Although of somewhat poor quality, this photo shows a rarely-seen Sukhoi Su-25 operated by
Equatorial Guinea. The country is known to y two former Ukrainian Air Force Su-25UB combat
trainers (in addition to two L-39s) delivered in 2007, and received two single-seat Su-25s from the
same source in 2009. All Fuerza Aérea de Guinea Ecuatorial (FAGE) combat types operate from
Malabo International Airport, where most of the personnel are foreign contractors, mainly from
Ukraine. Benoît DenetRare ‘Frogfoot’ at Malabo
Afghan pilots fl y
Super Tucanos
Pilots from the Afghan Air Force conducted
their fi rst fl ights aboard an A-29A Super
Tucano at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia,
on March 5. Prior to this, the Afghan
pilots completed classroom instruction
and simulator training. Sierra Nevada
Corporation is delivering 20 A-29A Light Air
Support (LAS) aircraft to the US Air Force
on behalf of the Afghan Air Force at a cost of
$427 million, and training is conducted by
the USAF’s 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody.
Its team of 17 instructor pilots will train
30 Afghan pilots by 2018. Additionally, 90
maintainers will undergo training. Although
the fi rst aircraft will arrive in Afghanistan
in December, fi nal deliveries will not occur
until 2018. Tom Kaminski18 May 2015 http://www.combataircraft.netNEWS World
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