Two Russian MiG-29s Have Crashed In Libya According To Top American Intel Official

The Drive ^ | September 11, 2020 | Thomas Newdick and Joseph Trevithick

[SunkenCiv]

U.S. Africa Command says that at least two MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, possibly piloted by shadowy Russian mercenaries, have crashed in Libya. Jared Szuba, the Pentagon correspondent for AI-Monitor, Tweeted out that one of the jets was apparently lost on June 28, while the other went down on September 7, 2020. This information had come in a statement from Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, U.S. Africa Command's (AFRICOM) director of intelligence.

Another tweet indicates that Berg believes that "Russian fighter aircraft," presumably MiG-29s too, but potentially also Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft, have conducted airstrikes in Libya. AI-Monitor's Szuba follows that up by repeating AFRICOM's assertion that the Russian aircraft are being operated by paramilitary contractors from the Wagner Group. This organization has very close connections to Russia's Main Directorate military intelligence agency, better known by the Russian acronym GRU.

Perhaps not coincidentally, a video emerged on social media earlier this week apparently showing a Russian-speaking pilot after their aircraft went down in Libya. The second half of the clip suggested he was about to be picked up by a Mi-24 Hind gunship helicopter.

That two-minute video was not dated and it was inconclusive as to whether it showed a genuine rescue effort to retrieve a just-downed pilot, or if it was footage from a combat search and rescue (CSAR) exercise...

At least 14 Russian-sourced jets have been operating in Libya since May in support of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), which has its main hub in the eastern city of Tobruk. The LNA is engaged in a civil conflict with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headquartered in Tripoli.

[texas booster]

Since the Obama/Facebook Arab spring, we usually support the bad guys.

I must admit to having lost track of who are the “good Guys” in Libya, if any. The last I heard we should be supporting Haftar’s LNA, as a bulwark to stopping a Turkish conquering of Libya. Wasn't aware that the Russians are trying to slow Turkey down as well.

And why is Haftar attacking Tripoli, in another country? Going after GNA?

[Zhang Fei]

[And why is Haftar attacking Tripoli, in another country? Going after GNA? ]

---

Tripoli’s Libya’s capital. The typical trajectory of a rebel movement is to expand until it’s strong enough to take the capital. Thanks to Turkish assistance for the GNA, the LNA’s progress has been stalled for almost half-a-year now. For a time, because of Turkish aid to his enemy, the GNA, it looked like Haftar was headed for the Egyptian border in the east, and eventual exile. Russian help seems to have stabilized the lines somewhat, but the LNA is definitely not on the brink of final victory the way it looked six months ago.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

And back in Libya, too.

[texas booster]

Thank you.

I saw Tripoli and thought Tunis.

I need another Mid-East trip when it becomes safe to travel.

After CoViD and the muslim fanatics all decide to start liking Americans again.

[McGruff]

[xp38]

You must think in Russian!

[bunkerhill7]

The Desert Fix

[Jyotishi]

“. . . a fighter must be mighty unforgiving. :^)”

I have a woman relative who did just that as a career.

[VeniVidiVici]

Ah, the Libyan Obama Biden war that the media refuses to cover.

[Texas Fossil]

I’m not informed how the current Libyan conflict is aligned. But I do know Hillary was on the wrong side years ago.

[Texas Fossil]

Her evil thighness.

[Texas Fossil]

Viktor Belenko, Mig 25 Foxbat

I read his book not long after publication. Loaned the book to a friend, did not come back.

The story of Viktor Belenko, a Mig-25 pilot who defected to the United States via Japan on Sept. 6, 1976

The then Lieutenant Belenko was a pilot with the 513th Fighter Regiment, 11th Air Army, based in Chuguyevka, Primorsky Krai, in the east of the country. When he brought his Mig-25 “Foxbat” to Hakodate he gave the Western intelligence officers the opportunity to give a first close look at one of the most secret airplanes of those years: a supersonic interceptor featuring a powerful radar, four air-to-air missiles and a top speed above Mach 3.

In order to assist the American experts in evaluating the aircraft, Belenko brought with him the pilot’s manual for the MiG-25 “Foxbat”, expecting to assist American pilots in evaluating and testing the aircraft. E

ven if the Japanese government didn’t originally give full access to the plane, the Americans were later invited to examine the aircraft extensively: the Mig was dismantled for such purpose and later returned to the Soviet Union.

In his “Mig pilot” book (1983) John Barron claims that Viktor Belenko’s defection was completely voluntary and was the result of Belenko’s distrust on communist regime.

The MiG was delivered to Japan without the missiles, which were to be introduced in the Belenko’s training later on.

The mission was launched earlier than initially planned, because the KGB was about to stop Viktor Ivanovich Belenko from defection.

Although pilot defections during the Cold War were not a rarity, what made Belenko’s defection unique was the fact that the MiG-25 was completely unknown in the West.

This is the main point to bear in mind when thinking about Belenko and, unfortunately, this fact is often forgotten.

more at link

[SunkenCiv]

I'd love to be in the second seat, get some payback on her gender by demanding to know why she won't stop and ask for directions. :^)

[SunkenCiv]

LOL

[SunkenCiv]

...the Libyan Obama Biden Clinton Kerry war that the media refuses to cover.

[going hot]

Zooming around at mach whole bunch can make stuff happen real quick.

With opposing aircraft closing at similar speeds, stuff happens twice as fast.

Blink, and you did not see that.

[SunkenCiv]

• Turkey 'disappointed' by Kosovo's move to recognize Israel [2020]
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• Democrats Gutted Anti-Hezbollah Legislation Days Before Attack on Israel [2020]
• As rumours swirl of Yemenis fighting in Libya, mercenaries enlist to join the war [2020]
• Haftar warns Erdogan: Stay out of Libya or you face our bullets [2020]
• UAE official tells Turkey to stop meddling in Arab affairs over Libya [2020]
• Major Development: Jordan bans the radical Islamist "Muslim Brotherhood"....... [2020]
• Turkey signs military cooperation agreement with Libya's neighbor: Russian think tank [Niger] [2020]
• Containment of Turkey a far better strategy than confrontation [2020]
• Iran, Turkey, and Venezuela's Super Facilitator: Who Is Alex Saab? [2020]
• Russia says Turkey tested its S-400s on US F-16 jets [2020]
• Turkish Casualties, Air Defense Systems Destroyed in Haftar Airstrike on Al-Watiya Airbase [2020]
• Libya: A Catastrophe for Russia's Pantsir S1 Air Defense System [2020]
• Massive Gang War Breaking Out in French Cities Between Chechen Muslims and Arab Muslims [2020]
• 'You Are Finished!' Turkey's Growing War on Christians [2020]
• Egypt announces international anti-Turkey alliance [2020]
• Erdogan says Turkey 'won't allow' Israel to annex parts of West Bank [2020]
• Hundreds more Russian mercenaries flee western Libya: GNA forces [2020]
• Qatar Waging Stealth Influence Operations Across U.S. Academic System, Documents Show [2020]
• Brawl erupts in Turkish parliament over Syria military action [2020]
• When Iran Took Americans Hostage, Bernie Backed Iran's Defenders [2020]
• UK refuses to join EU arms ban on Turkey [2019]
• EU cannot accept Turkish "blackmail" -Italian prime minister [2019]
• France, Germany suspend arms exports to Turkey [2019]
• Libya: EU officials hoping Trump will pull support for warlord [2019]

[SunkenCiv]

The support given each faction seems to have been pretty fluid. The position inherited from Zero's regime was for the GNA, but the Trump admin has been trying to keep diplomatic channels open to reconcile both sides, and as fortunes have changed, supported LNA. The GNA is made up of a Frankenstein-monster collection of unfriendly tribes and such, and has managed to lose at least 80% of Libya to the LNA.

Turkey seems to have been using its involvement in Libya as live-fire practice and for tech-testing. The EU had been on the side of the GNA, but the Turks and EU are probably not going to remain on the same side of anything for long from here on out. The whole mess is keeping a lot of people busy, as well as leading to an erosion of popularity for both the GNA and Erdogan as well as other supporters of the GNA.

I'd be surprised if POTUS is in any big rush to pull off a military intervention, preferring to let the Egyptians and Sudanese, and maybe Chad, do it. When Haftar finally takes over the whole works (it's coming, probably no more than a year out), Sudan and Libya will wind up joining Chad in normalization with Israel, and Ergodan will be standing behind some kind of podium on top of some pile of rubble somewhere, pissing and moaning about it, blaming conspiracies, and other usual behavior.

Next to flip (after Chad -- which has already started -- Sudan, and Libya) will probably be Morocco, then perhaps Tunisia, although that may be harder to crack. Turkey's recent deal with Niger isn't likely to be fruitful for Niger, IMHO.

[SunkenCiv]

• Turkey and Iran are engaging in new operations in Africa - reports

[Texas Fossil]

Thanks for explanation.

Slimy Erdoo is the defender of ISIS and the Great Evil in the world. Not compatible with NATO.