I was on that side, so it was very obvious to me with a tremendous orange flash and smoke trail coming off the plane and going under Commander Kleemann’s plane. At that time, the left side of the lead Libyan aircraft lit up with a big flame as the missile motor ignited. As we closed on the Libyans it became obvious that they had good GCI (Ground Control Intercept), in that every time we would take a cut, they would take a cut to neutralize what we had done.”Īt this point it became clear that it was impossible for the two Tomcats to gain an initial advantage on the two Fitters and the F-14s went into zone five afterburner (which was the maximum afterburner thrust setting for TF-30 engine) accelerating up to 500 knots.Īs recalled by Muczynski “When Commander Kleemann was 1,000 feet in front of them and about 500 feet above them, he rolled his left wing to pass directly above the section so he could get visual ID on them. Commander Kleemann was flying lead, and I was flying wingman on his three o’ clock position, about a mile or two out so it was easy to see him. It immediately became obvious that they were coming towards us, because they were heading right at us and climbed to 20,000 feet which was our altitude. Shortly thereafter, my radar officer, Jim Anderson, picked up the same target. What we had determined was that once we got down to what we call our combat fuel load, we would call for relief on station, go back and hit the tanker, and then go to another station”.Īfter forty-five minutes on station “Music” said that “We turned south one more time, and Dave Venlet, Commander Kleemann’s radar officer, picked up a target coming out of the airfield we were watching in Libya. In fact we were trying to think of ways to get off of that station and go someplace else. The day before, this station had only one intercept, so we were not real happy about being sent down there. “ We arrived down there and went into an orbit pattern on CAP station. “Music” Muczynski released the account of the dogfight for Bert Kinzey Detail & Scale F-14A & B Tomcat book, so we can read its explanation for better understanding how the engagement was won by the Tomcatters: Towards the end of their patrol, at 07.15 Commander Henry “Hank” Kleemann and its RIO Lieutenant Dave Venlet in “Fast Eagle 102” along with Lieutenant Larry “Music” Muczynski and its RIO Lieutenant James Anderson in “Fast Eagle 107” detected a pair of Su-22 Fitter approaching the two US fighters with their AN/AWG-9 radars. 160390) stationed in Combat Air Patrol (CAP) off the Libyan coast. 19, two VF-41 Black Aces Tomcats, callsigns “Fast Eagle 102” (BuNo. However a higher state of readiness was placed by the Libyan Air Force in the second day of the exercise. No shots were fired, but there was a lot of aggressive maneuvering between US Navy and Libyan Air Force fighters. The Libyans were trying to detect the aircraft carriers, and to find them, they sent no less than 35 pairs of combat aircraft of each type in their fighter inventory. 18, 1981, a flight of MiG-25s immediately approached the carrier groups but were intercepted by VF-74 F-4J Phantoms belonging to the USS Forrestal and by VF-41 and VF-84 F-14s launched from USS Nimitz. For fighter pilots this meant “do not fire until fired upon.”Īgainst the US Navy, Libya could deploy modern and powerful fighters and fighter bombers such as the Soviet-built Su-22 Fitter, MiG-23 Flogger, the Mach 3 interceptor MiG-25 Foxbat and the French-made Mirage F.1 and 5D. The rules of engagement (ROE) stated that to protect his assets, the on-scene commander could take any necessary action without waiting for a clearance from a higher authority. Conducted in August 1981 by USS Forrestal (CV-59) and by USS Nimitz (CVN-68), this training had the aim to show Tripoli that America was serious about its right to project its naval power in international waters. In fact, he ordered the Navy to conduct the “Freedom of Navigation” (FON) exercises which culminated in the Open Ocean Missile Exercise (OOMC). When Reagan succeeded to Carter, things changed. only response was an ignored official protest.Įven when six years later an American reconnaissance aircraft was attacked in the zone, President Carter ordered the Sixth Fleet to stay away from the area. When in 1974 Colonel Gaddafi declared the waters below 32° 30’ territory of the Libyan Arab Republic, violating the international laws, the U.S. 19 is an important date for the Tomcat community, because on this day in 1981 US Navy F-14s were involved for the first time in an air to air combat.įor better understanding the facts that led to the downing of two Gaddafi’s Su-22 Fitters we have to recall the political situation that increased the tension between USA and Libya. The legendary F-14 Tomcat’s first victory in air-to-air combat.Īug.
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