Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)
Computer recreation of Fast Eagle 107's AIM-9 Sidewinder about to hit a Libyan Su-22
Date August 19, 1981 Location Gulf of Sidra, Mediterranean Sea Result U.S. victory
Combatants
Libya	United States
Strength
2 Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft	2 F-14A Tomcats
Casualties
2 aircraft destroyed; pilots recovered alive	none

The first Gulf of Sidra incident, August 19, 1981, was an incident in which two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter fighter jets engaged and were shot down by two US F-14 Tomcats off of the Libyan coast. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 708 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (864 × 732 pixel, file size: 530 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Libya. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Polish decomissioned Su-20 Front view of Su-20 Polish Su-22 Two aircraft share the designation Su-17 The Sukhoi Su-17 (NATO reporting name Fitter) was a Soviet attack aircraft developed from the Su-7 fighter-bomber. ... The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. ... Combatants United States Libya Commanders Ronald Reagan Muammar al-Gaddafi Casualties 1 F-111 2 aircrew KIA Unknown 15 Libyan civilians The United States bombing of Libya (code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon) comprised the joint United States Air Force and Navy air-strikes against Libya on April 15, 1986. ... Gulf of Sidra incident (1989) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Polish decomissioned Su-20 Front view of Su-20 Polish Su-22 Two aircraft share the designation Su-17 The Sukhoi Su-17 (NATO reporting name Fitter) was a Soviet attack aircraft developed from the Su-7 fighter-bomber. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. ...

Background

In 1973 Libya had claimed much of the Gulf of Sidra as its territorial waters and subsequently declared a "line of death", the crossing of which would invite a military response. As part of its ongoing Freedom of Navigation activities in support of 12 nautical mile (22.2 km) territorial waters practices the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was operating near the so-called line of death. For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. ... Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3nm and 12nm shown. ... The United States Freedom of Navigation program has ensured that excessive territorial claims on the worlds oceans and airspace are challenged, either by diplomatic protests and/or by interference. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... USN redirects here. ... USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a supercarrier in the United States Navy, the lead ship of its class. ...

Incident

On the morning of the 19th, two VF-41 Black Aces F-14As, Fast Eagle 102 (CDR "Hank" Kleeman/LT "DJ" Venlet) and Fast Eagle 107 (LT "Music" Muczynski/LTJG "Amos" Anderson), were flying combat air patrol to cover aircraft engaged in a missile exercise. An E-2A Hawkeye gained radar contact with two Sukhoi Su-22 'Fitters' which had left Okba Ben Nafi Air Base near Tripoli. The Fitters were heading towards the Tomcats and the lead Fitter fired an AA-2 Atoll short range heat seeking missile at the Tomcats. The Tomcats evaded and were cleared to return fire by their orders, which mandated self defense on the initiation of hostile action. The VF-41 Black Aces is a U.S. Navy fighter squadron based at NAS Lemoore. ... Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of defensive mission for fighter aircraft, in which they guard a designated site, either a fixed site on land, ships at sea, or less commonly support aircraft such as aerial tankers. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft nicknamed Super Fudd[1] because it replaced Willy Fudd, (the E-1 Tracer). ... Two aircraft share the designation Su-17. ... Wheelus Air Base (IATA: TIP, ICAO: HLLL) was an air base used by the US Air Force on the coast of Libya. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... The K-13 (NATO reporting name AA-2 Atoll), was one of the worlds most important air-to-air missiles. ...

Muczynski engaged the lead Fitter and shot it down with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. Kleeman engaged the wingman and shot it down with another Sidewinder. The official United States Navy report states that both Libyan pilots ejected and were safely recovered, but listening to the official audio recording of the incident taken from USS Biddle one of the F-14 pilots states that he saw a Libyan pilot eject but his parachute failed to open. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. ... USN redirects here. ... USS Biddle (CG-34), also DLG-34, named for Captain Nicholas Biddle of the Continental Navy, was a Belknap-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. ...

The international tensions and dogfighting incidents seen in the movies Top Gun and Iron Eagle were drawn in part from this incident.^{[citation needed]} Top Gun is a 1986 American film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with Paramount Pictures. ... Iron Eagle is a 1986 action film about a teenage boy named Doug Masters (Jason Gedrick) who steals an American F-16 fighter jet to rescue his father (Tim Thomerson), a prisoner of war being held in an unidentified rogue Middle Eastern country. ...

According to a transcript from the USS Biddle, the Fitters were shot down before the controller was even sure that the F-14s had been fired upon. USS Biddle (CG-34), also DLG-34, named for Captain Nicholas Biddle of the Continental Navy, was a Belknap-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. ...

Kleeman and Venlet's F-14 Tomcat from the incident is on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Less than an hour later, while the Libyans were conducting a Search and Rescue operation of their downed pilots, two fully armed MiG-25s entered the airspace over the Gulf and headed toward the US Carriers at Mach 1.5 and conducted a mock attack in the direction of USS Nimitz. Two VF-41 Tomcats and one VF-84 Tomcat headed towards the Libyans which then turned around. The Tomcats turned home but had to turn around again when the Libyans headed toward the US Carriers once more, after being tracked by the F-14s radars once again the MiGs finally headed home. One more Libyan formation would venture out into the Gulf toward the US forces later that day.^[1] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 3. ... The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the presidential library of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. ... Simi Valley is an incorporated city located in the extreme southeast corner of Ventura County, California, bordering the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... An F-14A Tomcat of VF-84, in the old color scheme from the beginning of its service. ...

See also

• mv El Fatah and mv Almasira sunk in the Gulf of Sidra
• Gulf of Sidra incident (1989), another case where US jets shot down Libyan jets.
• Hainan Island incident similar story between USA and China

Radio Nordsee International (RNI) also known as Radio North Sea International was a European offshore pirate radio station. ... Gulf of Sidra incident (1989) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... EP-3E Aries II Shenyang J-8 The Hainan Island incident was the April 1, 2001 collision between a United States Navy EP-3E signals reconnaissance aircraft and a Peoples Liberation Army Navy J-8IIM fighter jet that resulted in an international incident between the United States and China. ...

Notes

1. ^ COOPER, Tom, Libyan Wars, 1980–89, Part 2.

External links

• Description of the incident
• Air Aces record
• US Department of State Country Study of Libya, reporting that both Libyan pilots survived.
• The audio recording from the dogfight and a short text transcript. Engagement running at 5 minutes and 46 seconds (note that it's not the best audio quality)
• Reagan and Gadhafi - Robert M Kimmitt's commentary on the 1981 "Line of Death" incident
• Naval Aviation 1911-1986. A pictorial study pp.91