Pair of Liybian MIG-25 Foxbats

Pair of Liybian MIG-25 Foxbats
Tripoli, Libya (LY)
Fighters are at the Oka Ben Nafi Airbase in Tripole

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Analogman picture
Analogman
@ 2005-10-29 12:14:58
Those aren't Mirage F-1s. The F-1 has swept back wings at both the leading AND trailing edge where as the plane in the image has swept leading edges but straight trailing edges. The aircraft in the image also has twin engines and twin vertical stabilizers. The F-1 has one of each (see the shadows?). Also, not the square engine intakes near the cockpit?

There's only one aircraft in the Libyan inventory with twin engines between twin tails, large square intakes abreast the cockpit, and the wing configuration of the aircraft in the image: the MiG-25 Foxbat.

Libyan Air Force: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/libya/af.htm

MiG-25: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/airdef/mig-25.htm
Analogman picture
Analogman
@ 2005-10-29 12:20:14
There are three more MiG-25s parked on the apron to the east and what look like a pair of MiG-23s in desert camouflage and, parked in the SE dispersal area you can see seven more MiG-25s and a pair of MiG-23s.
Analogman picture
Analogman
@ 2005-10-29 12:28:10
There is an apparenlty unused Tu-22 parked in the dirt just off of the circular disperasal pad at 32.893570,13.267847
pdunn picture
pdunn
@ 2005-10-29 14:37:27
Thanks for the schooling. It is appreciated.
pdunn picture
pdunn
@ 2005-10-29 14:39:30
When you say the TU-22 is "unused" is it because it is in the bushes, or are there other tailtale signs that it is dormant?
pdunn picture
pdunn
@ 2005-10-29 14:52:15
Is that a missile battery parked in middle of the garden area near the seven other MiG-25s and pair of MiG-23s?
pdunn picture
pdunn
@ 2005-10-29 14:57:01
That "garden area" is interesting. It has been landscaped to look like the surrounding countryside, complete with grass-covered hangars and manicured shrubbery. If not for the dozen or so fighters parked between the hedgerows and the enormous airstrip adjacent to it, you'd think it were a city park.
Analogman picture
Analogman
@ 2005-10-29 21:49:54
I think the TU-22 is unused/abandoned because of where it is parked. Since there is no real threat to the Libyan Air Force it would be odd to park a functional aircraft in the dirt next to a perfectly good parking spot. Also, the way it is parked, in the bushes up against the fence, leads me to believe they're not planning on using it any time soon.

The landscaping is exactly what you think it is...camouflage. Covering the hangars with dirt and plants makes them harder to spot, and therefore hit, from a high, fast flying plane. However, with the advent of GPS guided bombs the camouflage is pretty much negated as a GPS guided bomb doesn't see anything anyway.

I don't think those are missiles but more likely the tops and edges of buried hangar roofs.
pdunn picture
pdunn
@ 2005-10-29 22:11:54
Great. Thanks again for the info.

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