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Twenty-five years after its ill-fated attempt to remove Col Muammar Gaddafi from power, the USA is again involved in military action over Libya. However, unlike its long-range "El Dorado Canyon" strikes conducted in 1986 using General Dynamics F-111 bombers, this time Washington is acting at the head of a 13-nation coalition and in response to a UN security council resolution.
Many were surprised at the speed of the international community's response to the passing of resolution 1973 - which calls for the use of "all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack" in Libya - with the first strikes launched within 48h of its approval in New York on 17 March.
With first priorities being to take down Gaddafi's air defence systems and command and control network, while also limiting the movements of his air force by enforcing a no-fly zone, the opening salvoes involved the launch of more than 110 Tomahawk land attack missiles from US Navy frigates and submarines and by the UK Royal Navy.
Supporting this effort were three US Air Force Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers, which conducted a more than 25h mission against targets including hardened aircraft shelters at Ghardabiya air base from Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
A large package of strike and support aircraft from allies including France, Italy and the UK also took part.
As in the opening hours of the 2003 Iraq War, Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4s released MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missiles against air defence targets. Several of the aircraft completed a 2,600nm (4,800km) strike, mounted from their Marham base in Norfolk on 20 March, in what was the longest-range offensive mission conducted by the RAF since its "Black Buck"-series flights with Avro Vulcans during the Falklands War.
French air force assets, which included Dassault Mirage 2000D strike aircraft and Rafales armed with Sagem AASM air-to-surface missiles, were among the first to target pro-Gaddafi forces on the ground near the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, along with Boeing AV-8B Harrier IIs of the US Marine Corps.
Also at the "tip of the spear" during the opening hours of Operation "Odyssey Dawn" were Italian air force Tornado electronic combat and reconnaissance aircraft and USAF Lockheed Martin F-16CJs, both armed with Raytheon AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missiles.
The USN's newly fielded Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft also made its combat debut, with five having been quickly moved to Aviano air base in Italy from their operational commitments in Iraq.
During the first five days of the offensive the coalition flew 336 sorties, with US assets having performed 212 of these.
Strike action was required in 108 of the total missions flown, according to the US Department of Defense. Another 52 Tomahawk missiles had also been fired by 23 March, it said.
Operations had, by then, also expanded as other aircraft arrived in the region. These included assets from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Qatar and Spain.
The Netherlands also began preparations to deploy six F-16s and a McDonnell Douglas KDC-10, while the Swedish government has offered to deploy up to eight of its Saab JAS 39 Gripens if requested to do so.
The UK moved four of its Tornado GR4s and 10 Eurofighters to Gioia del Colle air base in Italy, with the latter action representing the first combat deployment with the Typhoon.
The type made its debut on 21 March, when several were involved in a nearly 5h 30min mission in policing the no-fly zone. Each carried Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM and MBDA ASRAAM air-to-air missiles, plus a 27mm Mauser cannon.
NEWS FOCUS: How 'Odyssey Dawn' tamed Libya's air defences
Many were surprised at the speed of the international community's response to the passing of resolution 1973 - which calls for the use of "all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack" in Libya - with the first strikes launched within 48h of its approval in New York on 17 March.
With first priorities being to take down Gaddafi's air defence systems and command and control network, while also limiting the movements of his air force by enforcing a no-fly zone, the opening salvoes involved the launch of more than 110 Tomahawk land attack missiles from US Navy frigates and submarines and by the UK Royal Navy.
Supporting this effort were three US Air Force Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers, which conducted a more than 25h mission against targets including hardened aircraft shelters at Ghardabiya air base from Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
A large package of strike and support aircraft from allies including France, Italy and the UK also took part.
As in the opening hours of the 2003 Iraq War, Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4s released MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missiles against air defence targets. Several of the aircraft completed a 2,600nm (4,800km) strike, mounted from their Marham base in Norfolk on 20 March, in what was the longest-range offensive mission conducted by the RAF since its "Black Buck"-series flights with Avro Vulcans during the Falklands War.
French air force assets, which included Dassault Mirage 2000D strike aircraft and Rafales armed with Sagem AASM air-to-surface missiles, were among the first to target pro-Gaddafi forces on the ground near the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, along with Boeing AV-8B Harrier IIs of the US Marine Corps.
Also at the "tip of the spear" during the opening hours of Operation "Odyssey Dawn" were Italian air force Tornado electronic combat and reconnaissance aircraft and USAF Lockheed Martin F-16CJs, both armed with Raytheon AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missiles.
The USN's newly fielded Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft also made its combat debut, with five having been quickly moved to Aviano air base in Italy from their operational commitments in Iraq.
During the first five days of the offensive the coalition flew 336 sorties, with US assets having performed 212 of these.
Strike action was required in 108 of the total missions flown, according to the US Department of Defense. Another 52 Tomahawk missiles had also been fired by 23 March, it said.
Operations had, by then, also expanded as other aircraft arrived in the region. These included assets from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Qatar and Spain.
The Netherlands also began preparations to deploy six F-16s and a McDonnell Douglas KDC-10, while the Swedish government has offered to deploy up to eight of its Saab JAS 39 Gripens if requested to do so.
The UK moved four of its Tornado GR4s and 10 Eurofighters to Gioia del Colle air base in Italy, with the latter action representing the first combat deployment with the Typhoon.
The type made its debut on 21 March, when several were involved in a nearly 5h 30min mission in policing the no-fly zone. Each carried Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM and MBDA ASRAAM air-to-air missiles, plus a 27mm Mauser cannon.
NEWS FOCUS: How 'Odyssey Dawn' tamed Libya's air defences
