Lybian and Egyptian Air Forces around 1977

Oh!!! That is GREAT!!!

Thanks for all.

1Saludo

According to the Flight edition of 2 July 1977 in the Worlds Airforces Article the LARF had been substansially supplied with Soviet military equipment in the previous year. Many Russian advisors were working in the country. Mig-23 interceptors 2 squadrons. Mig -27 strike aircraft and a few 2 seat Mig-23U’s totaling some thirty aircraft, a few Tu-16 bombers and a squadron of 12 Tu-22 Blinders. These last mentioned aircraft are possibly partially Soviet crewed, and some sources have put the inservice figure as low as FIVE machines! In service are 60 Mirage 5D fighter bombers, thirty 5DE intercepters, ten 5DD trainers and ten 5DR reconnaissance aircraft. The transport arm remains largely Western equipped with eight C-130E Hercules, nine C-47’s and a VIP Jetstar. Nine Super Frelons for ASR and ASW, 12 Mil-8’s, 3 Bell 47G’s, ten Alouette Threes, and three Alouette Two’s with a single Agusta built AS-61A-4 on order for VIP duties. Twelve ex French Air Force Fouga equip the training units, together with three T-33A’s and two Mystere 20 Mirage radar trainers. As stated at the begining of the message this was what the Libyans were equipped with at the time of the little war with Egypt in July 1977! Years later they were much better equipped and attacked large countries like Chad.
In July 1977 the Egyptian Air Force currently operated mainly Russian equipment and total numbers reflect aircraft acquired and not necessarily those operational! A bomber force has some 25 Tu-16 Badger G’s, some armed with AS-5 Kelt ASM’s, and a similar number of IL-28 light bombers. Fighter bomber units are equipped with about 120 Su-7’s, although some suggest a figure nearer 80, and nearly 150 Mig-17’s which also double in the low level intercepter role. To help maintain the Mig’s, China has provided spares and about 30 engines. Also in the strike role is a Mig-27 Flogger D unit with 18 aircraft first seen the year before in the annual military parade in October. Also noted were 16 Su-20 variable geometry attack aircraft out of a possible 48 relinquished by Russia.
Interception missions are flown by some nine squadrons in Air Defence Command equipped with 108 Mig-21MF’s integrated into a Soviet established air defence system which includes SAM’s and radars. In addition there are about 150 Mig-21PFM’s and about 100 F attack aircraft ; a number equipped for reconnaissance. Supplementing these are about 24 Mig-23 Flogger B interceptors, six two seat Mig-23U Flogger C combat trainers, and 38 Mirage IIIEE’s originally ordered by Saudi Arabia for operation by Egpyt. A few Mig-19’s remain in service but in second line service. This then is most of the EAF in service in July 1977 of course they had the usual support aircraft but I leave that to other subscribers to this query.
Ray

“Fournier RF-4 ELINT/obs 4”

That’s a surprise…rather like the quiet Lockheed converted sailplanes tested in Vietnam…

Anyone have any details?

something like this??

This data was compiled in/around 1978 and published in 1979’s “Air Forces of The World” (Hewish/Sweetman/Wheeler/Gunston)

Libya

Mirage F.1ED Int 16 (1978)
Mirage F.1AD Att 16 (1978)
MiG-23 Int/Att 50 (incl 2-seaters)
Mirage 5DE Int 32
Mirage 5D Att 58
Mirage 5DR Rec 10
Tu-16 Bomb 10
Tu-22 Bomb 12
C-130H Trans 8
C-47 Trans 9
CH-47 Trans 20
Mi-8 Trans 12
Boeing 707 VIP 1
JetStar VIP 1
AS-61A-4 VIP 1
Mirage F.1BD Train 6 (1978)
MiG-23U Train 5
Mirage 5DD Train 10
Falcon 20ST Train 2
CM.170-2 Train 12
T-33A Train 3
G2-A-E Galeb Train 50 (replacing Magisters)
SF.260 Train 230 (Approx 110 from SIAI – others licence built)
SA.321M ASW/SAR 9
SA.316B Coms/Util 10
Alouette II Coms/Util 3
Bell 47G Coms/Util 3
Agusta-Bell 212 Coms/Util 2

SA-2
SA-3
SA-6
Crotale

Egypt

Air Defence
Mig-21MF Int 108 (9sqns)
SA-2 80 launchers
SA-3 65 launchers
SA-6 60 launchers

AirForce/Army/Navy
Tu-16 Bomb 25
Il-28 Bomb 20 (may not be operational)
MiG-23 Flogger B Int 24
Mirage IIIE Int 52
MiG-19 Int 60? (second-line only)
MiG-21PFM FGA 150
MiG-21F FGA 100
MiG-17 FGA 125
MiG-23 Flogger F Att 18 (MiG-27)
Su-7 Att 120 (perhaps only 80 operational)
Su-20 Att 48 *(2 claimed lost in 1977 Lybia conflict)
L-29 Train/Att 100+
EC-130H ECM 2
Sea King Mk.47 ASW 6 (navy)
SA.342 Gazelle Anti-tank/obs/util 54 (most army, some with HOT, 1 Sqn navy)
Mi-8 Aslt/logs 70 (army)
Commando Mk.1 Aslt/logs 5 (army)
Commando Mk.2 Aslt/logs 23 (army)
C-130H Trans 3
An-12 Trans 16
Il-14 Trans 40
Mi-4 Trans 20 (army?)
Mi-6 Trans 12 (storage?)
Fournier RF-4 ELINT/obs 4
Boeing 707 VIP 1
Boeing 737 VIP 1
Falcon 20 VIP 1
Commando Mk.2B VIP 1
Gomhouria Train 200
Al Kahira Train
Yak-11 Train
MiG-23U Train 6
MiG-21U Train
MiG-15UTI Train 50 (?)
Su-7U Train
SA-7 (army)
SA-9 (army)

Thanks, but I need something similar to:

Libya, MiG-21MF, xx units,
Libya, MiG-23MS, xx units,
Libya, Mirage 5DE, xx units,

Egypt, MiG-21F-13 xx units
Egypt, MiG-21MF xx units,
Egypt,….

1Saludo

A Short War!

According to ‘AIR WARS AND AIRCRAFT’ by Victor Flintham published by Facts on File 1990 the short war was started by Libya firing artillery across the Egyptian border in July 1977 and Egypt responded with infantry and tanks on the 21 July attacking the Libyan village of Musaid, whilst radar sites were attacked by Egyptian Air Force Su20’s and Mig21’s. On the first day of fighting a Libyan Arab Republic Air Force(LARAF) Mirage and an Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Mig were claimed destroyed, both to SA-7 fire. On the 22 July the EAF bombed Gamal Abdul Nasser Air Base (El Adem) in retaliation for air strikes on border villages; several aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Fighting continued to the 24 th when President Sadat ordered an end to Egyptian operations. By this time the two sides had lost at least six aircraft each, but the EAF had destroyed numerous radar and control units across the border and also attacked the airstrip at Al Kufra.
Will look further for info. on strengths during 1977.
Ray