Back at 2 o'clock in the morning on April 15, 1986, Libya was still asleep when it was suddenly awakened by the roar and sound of airplanes. Here it is"**Operation Canyons"It took only 18 minutes for the U.S. military to paralyze the entire Libya and shock the world.
So, how did the US military do this? Today, let's uncover the secrets together"Canyons"The secret behind it.
After the end of World War II, the U.S. military waged two wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Despite the strength of the mechanized forces of the U.S. military at that time, both wars ended in defeat.
This tragedy caused reflection in the US military after the end of the Vietnam War. In the following 15 years, the United States adopted two major measures: First, it changed its theory of war, realized the transformation of independent campaigns of the armed services into joint campaigns of the armed services, and gradually perfected the operational concept of "air-ground integration" of the US military, so that all branches of the armed forces could fight in coordination; Second, it is necessary to vigorously develop electronic information technology and precision guidance, especially electronic warfare, which has enabled the US military to stand alone in the world in electronic science and technology.
The Gulf War's Modern Information Technology Revolution: The U.S. Army Is In"**Operation Canyons"The Gulf War was once hailed as the world's first war in which modern information technology was used, and in this war, the US military displayed modern means such as electronic warfare, satellite positioning, and high-precision guided missiles, and defeated Iraq's million-strong army in only 42 days, shocking the whole world.
However, before the Gulf War, the US military had carried out a similar technological revolution - against Libya"**Operation Canyons"。In"**Operation Canyons"It took only 18 minutes for the U.S. military to paralyze the entire Libyan country.
Although these 18 minutes are short, they are enough to make the world understand that the mode of communication is no longer suitable for the development of the times. This is a different way of fighting, demonstrating the power of modern information technology and shocking the whole world.
Gaddafi, a "madman from the Middle East", his name is known to everyone. The grievances and hatreds between him and the United States are like a passing cloud, which makes people talk about it. He is a "national hero", "madman" and "madman", and people have mixed reviews of him.
However, this communications platoon commander, who was born in 1969, managed to overthrow the Idris dynasty and become the supreme ruler of Libya with only 12 cadets and hundreds of fighters under his command, and his ability and charm cannot be ignored.
Historically, Gaddafi has had conflicts with the United States. When he overthrew the Idris dynasty, the United States began to see him as a thorn in its side. Gaddafi's pro-Soviet and anti-American policies, the cancellation of military and economic agreements with the United States, and the repossession of U.S. military bases in Libya have deeply dissatisfied the United States.
Relations between the two sides became even more strained when the United States designated Libya as a "state sponsor of terrorism" in 1980 and has since severed diplomatic relations with Libya.
After Libya became at odds with the United States, Gaddafi set up a "line of death" in the Gulf of Sidra, and any U.S. troops entering this line would be in danger. After that, there was a series of international terrorist attacks against the United States, and the United States suspected Libya of being the mastermind behind these attacks.
In response, the United States decided to teach Libya a lesson. On March 24, 1986, the United States launched the "Steppe Fire" military operation, in which Libya lost 2 radar stations, 5 missile boats, and more than 150 people**.
However, this is only the beginning, and the feud between the two does not end there.
Gaddafi threatened retaliation against the United States, and soon after, the West Berlin** incident and the American Airlines airliner incident** against the Americans occurred, resulting in a large number of American personnel**.
On the morning of April 6, the CIA reported to Reagan** the evidence they had intercepted that Libya was planning a terrorist attack, and the United States decided to take action against Libya again.
The operation was named"Canyons"action, the same as the last one"Prairie fires"In contrast, the U.S. military will carry out airstrikes against five targets in Libya, including military camps, airports and Gaddafi's residence.
In order to accomplish this air raid mission, although the US Sixth Fleet is strong, it is obviously difficult to complete all of them because of the large number of targets to be attacked. As a result, Reagan decided to hand over the main target to the F-111 fighter-bombers deployed in the United Kingdom, while the carrier-based aircraft served as auxiliary missions.
However, in order to achieve this goal, he had to obtain the consent of Britain and notify France and Spain so that American warplanes could pass through the airspace of both countries. With the consent of Britain, Reagan did not change his plan because of the opposition of France and Spain, but instead increased the range of air strikes from 2,200 kilometers to more than 5,180 kilometers, showing firm determination.
At the beginning of the Walters X, the US military began to deploy troops, first canceling the standby program in the Mediterranean, allowing two aircraft carrier formations to arrive at the headquarters in the Mediterranean in the dark of night to wait for orders.
Subsequently, ten KC-10 tankers flew from the United States to the United Kingdom. From the time the preparations were made to the beginning of the air strike, it took the US military only eight days. In fact, before the US military operation, Libya had also strengthened its air defenses and withdrawn its barracks, and Gaddafi even declared that as long as the US troops dared to come, they would pay a heavier price than the Vietnam War.
But the result was the opposite of what Qaddafi had predicted.
On April 14, the U.S. air raid operation began. At 7:13 p.m., at the command of the commander, 24 F-111 fighter-bombers, 5 EF-111A electronic countermeasures aircraft, and 28 air tankers took off from the U.S. military base in the United Kingdom, flew towards the target, and disappeared into the night.
After four in-flight refuelings, at 0:20 hours, an air attack formation of 16 F-111 bombers had arrived over Libya. At the same time, the carrier-based planes of the two US aircraft carrier formations have also taken to the air to join the long-range attack formation, and the number of planes at this time has reached more than 150.
At 1:50 a.m., everything was ready"**Operation Canyons"It's officially open. The first to make a move was the U.S. ** team, which adopted an electronic warfare strategy. Although Libya was on guard, they still fell into the trap of the American team under the attack of the US ** team.
American pilots deliberately raised the plane to an altitude of more than 1500 meters in order to attract the attention of ground-based radars. When the Libyan plane just sorted, it was captured by the long-awaited EF-111A electronic countermeasures aircraft of the US ** team.
Then, the U.S. ** team began to carry out large-scale electronic suppression, and at the same time strong signal interference. At the same time, the US team launched 50 high-speed anti-radiation missiles and successfully destroyed five radar stations in Libya, forcing Libya to shut down other radar stations.
In just 6 minutes, the attack of the EF-111A changed the Libyan air defense. All radars are out of order, air defense equipment is completely paralyzed, missiles are useless.
Next was a **, F-111 bombers and A-10 attack aircraft adopted low-altitude raid tactics, using advanced laser-guided missiles to carry out precision bombing of five predetermined targets.
The results speak for themselves.
When the Libyan army, which had lost its air defense system, put up a stubborn resistance, they fired missiles and anti-aircraft artillery with all their might, making the Libyan sky look like daytime.
However, this aimless ** will not change the defeat of Libya. For American pilots, Libyan missiles and anti-aircraft artillery without radar guidance are not at all a threat.
The airstrike lasted only 12 minutes before paralyzing Libya. During these 12 minutes, more than 150 US warplanes dropped more than 100 tons of bombs.
The U.S. military lost only one F-111 fighter and 2 pilots, which was their only loss.
The U.S. military did its best, and Libya suffered a lot. More than 700 people**, 14 warplanes and 5 radars were blown up, several warplanes were injured, and two of Gaddafi's sons were injured.
However, despite this, the United States did not win a real victory, because their most important target - Gaddafi was not blown up. Instead, when the bomb hit Gaddafi's home, he was not at home, but his one-and-a-half-year-old adopted daughter was tragically killed.
This result made Reagan very sad.
The next scene surprised everyone when an F-111 bomber dropped two incendiary bombs at the French embassy in Libya, causing a large number of people**.
The United States then claimed that it was a false bombing. The whole incident is full of mystery, you must know that Libya and France had close relations at that time, and the first European country that Gaddafi visited after coming to power was France.
As for whether it was an accidental bombing, only the US military knows, after all, it is not once or twice that the US military has such an "accidental bombing incident."
The 18-minute "** Canyon Operation" paralyzed a country in an instant, in which electronic warfare played a key role. "The soldiers and horses did not move, and the electronics went first", in just 6 minutes, Libya became"Blind", but force can not be used, can only be passive defense.
18 minutes to complete the combat goal, create a modern era"Surgery"The countries marveled at the important position of electronic warfare in modern warfare, and were interested in this"Cut and run"Maintain vigilance in the way of warfare.
**Operation Canyons"It brought electronic warfare into the public eye, and the Gulf War showed its effects to the fullest. Against this background, countries began to vigorously promote the development of information technology and worked to build a defense system against information warfare in order to avoid a repeat of the tragedy of Libya.
The actions of the US military showed the face of future wars and opened a new chapter in the history of wars.