In addition to being Tax Day here in the U.S., 15 April is also the anniversary of what is now being called "The first shot in the International War on Terror." I'm speaking, of course, of the 1986 bombing raid on Libya, otherwise known as Operation El Dorado Canyon.
For those who don't recall life before MTV, a PC in every home, and satellite television, here's a capsule history for you to chew on. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Libya's leader, Muammar Al-Gadhafi, started expressing anti-Western and anti-American sentiments to the world. One of the things he did was to declare the entire Gulf of Sidra as Libyan territory, while the rest of the world respected the international standard of 12 nautical miles as the limit to territorial waters. The United States Navy would conduct operations there, and in 1981 two Libyan SU-22 Fitters tired to intercept two F-14A Tomcats of VF-41. They came out on the short end of the deal; the Tomcats handily dispatched both Libyan aircraft.
Tensions continued to escalate through the early 1980's. In 1986, the LaBelle discotheque was bombed; three persons were killed (two of them American) and a few hundred were injured. Investigations pointed to the Libyans as the driving force behind the bombings, so President Ronald Reagan gave the approval to bomb targets inside Libya.
The original raid was planned to use only U.S. Navy assets, but the target list expanded quickly and by the time it was close to being finalized, it was realized that there weren't enough Naval aviation assets to do the job. So, the operation was expanded to include F-111F's from the 48 Tactical Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath and several of the then-new EF-111A Raven Electronic Warfare aircraft with the 20TFW based at RAF Upper Heyford.
In order to make the shortest flights possible, the Aardvarks and Ravens would have to fly through French, Spanish, and Italian airspace. All three countries refused to allow the overflights, so the mission was planned to fly around the Iberian peninsula and along the coast of North Africa before striking their targets. The longer flight path would also require a tremendous amount of tanker support, which added more complexity to an already complex mission. In late 1985 Operation Ghost Rider, a simulated attack against targets in Canada, was flown by F-111E's from the 20TFW to prove the various aspects of such a long mission; the lessons learned were passed along to the Lakenheath group. (Trivia: Libya could have been the combat debut of the F-117, but the plans were scotched because the Pentagon didn't want to let the Stealth cat out of the bag should something bad happen…the Wobbly Goblin's combat initiation would have to wait for Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama.)
As the various groups of aircraft flew in to their target areas, the Libyans became aware that something was up (it is also widely believed that they were tipped off), and some of the anti-aircraft batteries started to return fire. Reports vary, but as the Karma cell of F-111F's exited the target area, the aircraft with the call sign Karma 52 (F-111F S/N 70-2389) was lost. It was not confirmed until all of the aircraft marshaled at their assigned tanker, but nothing changed–Karma 52 was missing. The crew, Captains Fernando Ribas-Dominicci and Paul Lorance, were listed killed in action during the raid. Stories have varied over the years, but it is fairly certain that the airplane was hit by AAA and the crew ejected. Due to the altitude, it is presumed that the escape module parachutes did not fully deploy and the capsule hit the water hard.
After denying that they held the remains of the crew, the body of Ribas-Dominicci (initially identified as those of Captain Lorence) was returned to the family via the Vatican in 1988. An autopsy performed showed that Ribas-Dominicci had minor injuries and that the cause of death was drowning. The remains of Captain Lorence are still unaccounted for.
So, why the interest in this one-time, one-night raid? Well, in short because it is still such a mystery. What actually happened to Karma 52? Did they indeed get shot down, or did the airplane somehow fail? Did the crew eject? If so, did the capsule fill with water and sink, taking Captain Lorence to a watery grave? Was the crew unconscious after the escape module landed? Did Captain Ribas-Dominicci exit the capsule and then drown? And, finally, what happened to Captain Lorence? Stories have circulated that the Libyans have both pilots' flight suits and helmets, plus parts from the aircraft, in Gadhafi's home in Tripoli. Where are those artifacts now? Surely, somebody has the answers–but with the events in Libya over the past few years I fear that the answers–many of them, at least–have died with Col. Gadhafi and other members of his leadership council.
Also, in my years in aviation, I have come to be acquainted with more members of the Aardvark community than any other. My interest in the F-111 goes back to when I was a kid. The airplane was just plan old neat to me–then and now. The 'Vark is gone now, retired after Operation Desert Storm, but the stories of the F-111 and her crews live on.
And so, every year on 15 April I stop and remember the loss of two Americans, crewmen on an F-111 flying a mission that, it was hoped, would stop Libya's terrorist activities. Whether or not we accomplished that is up to history. In any case, Gadhafi is gone now, Karma indeed caught up with him.
As always, thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.