Operation Attain Document

Encyclopedia : O : OP : OPE : Operation Attain Document

Operation Attain Document was a series of Freedom of Navigation operations in the Gulf of Sidra by the US Navy in 1986. The First two (January 26-30 and 12-15 February) occurred without incident. Three carrier task forces of the Sixth Fleet with 225 aircraft assembled off the Libyan coast in March 1986.

Background

Tensions between the U.S. and Libya mounted after the hijacking of a TWA airliner in Beirut in July 1985 and bombing attacks at American airline counter at Rome and Vienna in December the same year. Muammar al-Qaddafi was implicated with attacks through his association with the alleged Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal. At the same time, the Libyans began setting up SA-5 missile batteries which had been acquired from the Soviet Union in late 1985. The United States Navy continued to challenge Khaddafi’s claim of the Gulf of Sidra (called “Line of Death”) by periodically crossing into Libyan claimed territory.

Following the terrorist attacks on December 27 1985 at the Rome and Vienna airports, a series of Freedom of Navigation operations in the Gulf of Sidra area were approved and codenamed “Operation Attain Document”. The first two series of operations went without incident. But during Attain Document III (March 23-29 1986), two SA-5 missiles were launched at US Navy F-14 Tomcats at 8:00 a.m. (EST) on March 24. The installation was located in the vicinity of Sirte on the northern Libyan coast. Eventually several more missiles were fired at US aircraft operating in the area, but no aircraft was hit. Because of the range of the Libyan missiles (240 kilometers), they could threaten high altitude reconnaissance aircraft over the gulf, but were somewhat ineffective against high-performance jet fighters. Later that the same day, F-14's turned back two Libyan MiG-25 fighter planes over the disputed Gulf of Sidra.

The Attacks

It was decided that the missile site was to be destroyed. Carrier based A-6 Intruder jets used AGM-88 HARM-missiles which homed on to the Libyans' radar signals. At around 3:00 p.m. (EST) the missile installations again activated their target-acquisition radars with intention on firing missiles against US aircraft. A-7 Corsair II jets launched two more HARM missiles which apparently resulted in the destruction of the radar. Again, after short time, the radar was up and running and still posed a threat to US forces. At 6:47 p.m., A-7 aircraft once again attacked the site with two HARM missiles and again after some short time the radar was active. On the next day a second strike by US navy aircraft was launched and the replacement radar was destroyed. Although Soviet technicians were believed to be present at the site to oversee the installation and operation of the batteries, none was reported injured in the attacks.

During the operation five attacks were carried out by the US Navy against Libyan ships and the most serious loss for the Libyan navy was one of eight Soviet-built Nanuchka-class missile corvettes in an attack by two A-6 Intruders shortly after midnight on March 26. The Libyan patrol boat was equipped with French made Exocet surface-to-surface missiles which came in range of US ships well away from the Libyan coast. The Flagship Al-Wadi was detected by signals intercepted using a WLR-1C Countermeasures Receiving Set (Electronic Warfare equipment) aboard the USS Detroit (AOE-4) and after verification by AE, the US commander determined that the Libyan vessel was a threat and therefore ordered the Intruders to engage it. At approximately 2:00 p.m. (EST) the A-6’s fired two AGM-84 Harpoon missiles which struck and heavily damaged the Libyan vessel. At 4:30 p.m. (EST) a second Libyan patrol boat approached the US naval forces and was driven off by US Navy aircraft and shortly after 6:00 p.m. (EST) a third Libyan patrol vessel approached the USS Yorktown (CG-48) at a high rate of speed and the US ship launched two Harpoon missiles which hit the Libyan vessel.

At the same time a French-built Combattante-class missile attack vessel was destroyed when it approached US ships protecting the aircraft carriers. Shortly after 12:20 a.m. (EST) A-6s armed with Harpoon missiles attacked another Libyan vessel which apparently sank. All US aircraft returned safely to the carriers and no damage or casualties were suffered by US forces. It is not known how many Libyans died in the attacks.

External links

[Operation Attain Document] at Globasecurity.org
[F-14 Tomcat Combat]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.