January 4, 1989 - Two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers (right) are downed over the Gulf of Sidra. In late 1988 tensions were running high between the United States and Libya after American claims that Muammar Gaddafi was building a chemical weapons plant. In response, the US Navy deployed the carrier USS John F. Kennedy to the area. Operating in the Bay of Sidra, which Libya claimed as territorial waters in defiance of international law, Kennedy was approached on January 4, 1989 by four Libyan MiG-23s which had taken off from Al Bumbaw near Tobruk. As the lead pair of MiG-23s approached, two American F-14 Tomcats from the carrier's combat air patrol moved to investigate. Finding the MiGs acting in an aggressive manner, the two F-14s repeatedly turned away from head-on approaches with the Libyans. As the MiGs continued to close in a hostile fashion, the two F-14s acted on orders which permitted them to fire before being fired upon. Unable to deter the MiG's from approaching further, the F-14s engaged and quickly downed both Libyan aircraft. Though both pilots ejected, they were not rescued by Libyan forces. Though Libya claimed the next day that both aircraft were unarmed reconnaissance planes, gun camera footage from the F-14s proved otherwise. Though Gaddafi protested and made threats after the incident, he took no further action.
Cold War Fighters:
Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force
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