Operation Unified Protector was a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

operation in 2011 enforcing

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Security Council resolutions

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

and

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

concerning the Libyan Civil War and adopted on 26 February and 17 March 2011, respectively. These resolutions imposed sanctions on key members of the Gaddafi government and authorized NATO to implement an

arms embargo An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes: * to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor * to maintain ...

, a

no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's terri ...

and to use all means necessary, short of foreign occupation, to protect Libyan civilians and civilian populated areas. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 The operation started on 23 March 2011 and gradually expanded during the following weeks, by integrating more and more elements of the multinational military intervention, which had started on 19 March in response to the same UN resolutions. As of 31 March 2011 it encompassed all international operations in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. NATO support was vital to the rebel victory over the forces loyal to Gaddafi. The operation officially ended on 31 October 2011, after the rebel leaders, formalized in the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a transitional government established in the 2011 Libyan civil war. After rebel forces overthrew the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011, the NTC governed Libya for a further ...

, had declared Libya liberated on 23 October. The operation began with a naval arms embargo, while command of the

and the air strikes against Libyan Armed Forces remained under command of the international coalition, led by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, due to lack of consensus between NATO members.NATO arms embargo fact sheet
/ref> On 24 March NATO decided to take control of the

enforcement, by integrating the air assets of the international coalition under NATO command, although the command of air strikes on ground targets remained under national authority.NATO no fly zone fact sheet
/ref> A few days later, on 27 March NATO decided to implement all military aspects of the UN resolution and formal transfer of command occurred at 06:00 GMT on 31 March 2011, formally ending the national operations such as the U.S.-coordinated Operation Odyssey Dawn.NATO protection of civilians fact sheet
/ref> The arms embargo was initially carried out using mainly ships from NATO's Standing Maritime Group 1 and Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 already patrolling the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

at the time of the resolution, enforced with additional ships, submarines and maritime surveillance aircraft from NATO members. They were to "monitor, report and, if needed,

interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits certain persons or groups from participating in particular rites, or that the rites and services of the church are prohibited in certain territories for ...

vessels suspected of carrying illegal arms or

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

". The no-fly zone was enforced by aircraft transferred to Unified Protector from the international coalition, with additional aircraft from NATO and other allied nations. The air strikes, although under central NATO command, were only conducted by aircraft of the nations agreeing to enforce this part of the UN resolution.

Background

Libyan conflict

With Operation Unified Protector, NATO is involved in an internal Libyan conflict, between those seeking to depose the country's long-time national leader

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

and pro-Gaddafi forces. The conflict began as a series of non-peaceful disorders, part of the broader

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

movement, which Gaddafi's security services attempted to repress, but which soon developed into a widespread uprising. The situation further escalated into armed conflict, with rebels establishing a provisional government named the

based in eastern city of

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

and controlling the eastern part of the country and the western city of

Misrata Misrata ( ; , Libyan Arabic: ; also spelled Misratah and known by the Italian spelling Misurata) is a city in northwestern Libya located in the Misrata District, situated to the east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. ...

. The

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

warned Gaddafi that he and members of his government may have committed crimes against humanity. The

Security Council passed an initial resolution

, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and ten members of his inner circle, and restricting their travel. The resolution also referred the actions of the government to the

for investigation. In early March, Gaddafi's forces rallied, pushed eastwards and re-took several coastal cities and finally began attacking the rebel stronghold of

on 19 March 2011. Two days earlier a second U.N. resolution, UNSC Resolution 1973, was passed which authorized member states to establish and enforce an arms embargo, a no-fly zone over Libya and to use all means necessary, short of foreign occupation, to protect Libyan civilians. In response to the resolution, the Gaddafi government announced a ceasefire, but failed to uphold it and continued to advance on the rebels and the

Second Battle of Benghazi The Second Battle of Benghazi was fought between army units and militiamen loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and anti-Gaddafi forces in Benghazi on 19-20 March 2011 during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, Libyan Civil War. The battle marked the ...

began.

International intervention

In response to the U.N. resolution, voted on 17 March 2011, an international coalition was established and naval and air forces were quickly deployed in and around the

. Two days later, on 19 March, France intervened in the imminent

with air strikes on Gaddafi armor and troops and eventually forced them back. On the same day 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from UK and US ships, further air strikes against ground targets were executed and a naval blockade was established. The initial coalition consisted of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Qatar, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The official names for the interventions by the coalition members are Opération Harmattan by France;

Operation Ellamy Operation Ellamy was the codename for the United Kingdom participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the United Natio ...

by the United Kingdom; Operation Mobile for the Canadian participation and Operation Odyssey Dawn for the United States. The U.S. initially coordinated the effort and took strategic and tactical command at UCC USAFRICOM, led by Carter Ham, and the Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn, led by Samuel J. Locklear aboard the

command ship Command ships serve as the flagships of the commander of a fleet. They provide communications, office space, and accommodations for a fleet commander and their staff, and serve to coordinate fleet activities. An auxiliary command ship feature ...

, respectively. From there on command was split between the air and naval components of the operation at which level the different participating countries commanded their assets in accordance with their rules of engagement and through liaison officers. After the initial intervention, the U.S. wanted to scale down their involvement significantly to a supporting role. Due to lack of consensus within

, the only other body capable of commanding a multinational operation of this size, however, this was not possible immediately. As consensus grew during the next days, NATO took more and more parts of the operation under its command until taking command of all military operations on 31 March.

Command structure

Political direction is provided by the North Atlantic Council to the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...

. The chain of command is from Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Admiral James G. Stavridis (US Navy), to the Deputy Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Lt. General

Charles Bouchard Lieutenant General Joseph Jacques Charles "Charlie" Bouchard (born 1956) is a retired Royal Canadian Air Force general. He has served as Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division / Canadian NORAD Region, the Deputy Commander of North American Ae ...

(

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

) acting as operational commander. From the operational level, command is further delegated to the Commander of Allied Maritime Command Naples, Vice Admiral Rinaldo Veri (Italian Navy) for the naval operations and Commander of Allied Air Command Izmir, Lieutenant General Ralph J. Jodice II (US Air Force) for air operations.

Deployed forces

Allied Maritime Command

* Belgian Naval Component ** ''Narcis'', a (Operational from 23 March 2011 until 24 July 2011) ** ''Lobelia'', a (Operational from 12 August 2011) * Bulgarian Navy ** , a *

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

*** , a (transferred from Operation MOBILE, operational until 18 August 2011) *** , a (operational from 18 August 2011) *** 1 × CH-124 Sea King anti-submarine helicopter *

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

(transferred from Opération Harmattan) ** Landing helicopter dock ''Tonnerre'' (L9014) *** 14 ×

Aérospatiale Gazelle The Aérospatiale Gazelle (company designations SA 340, SA 341 and SA 342) is a five-seat helicopter developed and initially produced by the French aircraft company Sud Aviation, and later by Aérospatiale. It is the first helicopter to feature ...

*** 4 ×

Eurocopter Tiger The Eurocopter Tiger is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter which first entered service in 2003. It is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), which arose from the merger of Aérospatiale's and DASA's respective helico ...

*** 2 × Eurocopter Puma ** 2 × Atlantique 2 signals intelligence aircraft based at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy ** Task Force 473 *** Aircraft carrier ''Charles de Gaulle'' (R91) **** 10 × Rafale M fighters **** 6 × Super-Etendard strike aircraft **** 2 × E-2C airborne early warning aircraft **** 2 × Dauphin multipurpose helicopters **** 2 × Alouette III utility helicopters ****

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

detachment of a Puma and 2 ×

Caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

transport helicopters *** Anti-air frigate ''Jean Bart'' (D615) (until 2 April 2011) *** Frigate ''Dupleix'' (D641) *** Frigate ''Aconit'' (F713) *** Frigate ''Chevalier Paul'' (D621) *** Frigate ''Georges Leygues'' (D640) *** Frigate ''Courbet'' (F712) (Returned to France) *** Replenishment tanker (A607) *** Nuclear attack submarine ''Améthyste'' (S605) *

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independ ...

** , an *

Italian Navy The Italian Navy (; abbreviated as MM) is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. , the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active per ...

** ''Giuseppe Garibaldi''

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

*** 8 × AV-8B Harrier II

V/STOL A vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft is an airplane able to takeoff and landing, take-off or land vertically or on short runways. VTOL, Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft are a subset of V/STOL craft that do ...

ground-attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pres ...

*** 4 × AW101 Merlin

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

helicopters *** Boarding teams from the San Marco Regiment ** ''Andrea Doria'', a ** ''Libeccio'', a ** ''Etna'', an ''Etna''-class auxiliary ship ** ''Comandante Borsini'' and ''Comandante Bettica'', two Comandanti-class patrol vessels *

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

** HNLMS ''Haarlem'', an ''Alkmaar''-class minehunter until 23 September ** HNLMS ''Vlaardingen'', an ''Alkmaar''-class minehunter * Romanian Navy ** '' ''Regele Ferdinand'''', a

Type 22 frigate The Type 22 frigate also known as the ''Broadsword'' class was a ship class, class of frigates built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen were built in total, with production divided into three batches. Initially intended to be anti-submarine ...

Spanish Armed Forces The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Spanish ...

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

*** , an *** ''Tramontana'', an *

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces (), or Turkish Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the TAF. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was established as the ''Directorate o ...

** TCG ''Zafer'', a Tepe-class frigate ** TCG ''Giresun'', a G-class frigate ** TCG ''Gemlik'', a G-class frigate ** TCG ''Yıldırım'', a ** TCG ''Yıldıray'', a Type 209 submarine ** TCG ''Akar'', a fleet support ship *

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

** () ** ( Hunt-class minesweeper) ** ( Landing platform helicopter) (From 27 May 2011).Apaches get ready to help protect Libyan civilians - Announcements - GOV.UK
Mod.uk (27 May 2011). Retrieved on 2013-08-16. ** (

landing platform dock An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform dock (LPD), is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operat ...

) ** (

Type 42 destroyer The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and ...

) (Replaced HMS ''Cumberland'' from 9 April) ** ( Type 23 frigate) ** ( Type 23 frigate) ** (Stores ship) ** (Tanker) ** () ** () *

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

** () ** () ** () ** () ** ( ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** () ** ( cruise missile submarine) *

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) is one of seven Marine expeditionary unit, such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. They are ...

(Embarked aboard , ''Whidbey Island'', and ) *** Battalion Landing Team- 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment **** Company E (Mechanized Company, USS Whidbey Island) ***** 1st Platoon, Company C, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion (formerly 3d Plt, Company D) (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) ***** Tank Platoon, 2nd Tank Battalion (M1A1 Abrams Tanks) **** Company F (Helo Company, USS Bataan) **** Company G (Truck Company, USS Mesa Verde) **** Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment (155mm Artillery and 120mm Mortars) **** LAR Platoon, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (Light Armored Vehicles) **** Recon Platoon, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion *** Combat Logistics Battalion 22 *** Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM 263) (Reinforced) (MV-22B, CH-53E, AV-8B, AH-1W, UH-1N, KC-130J) **** Det Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 14 **** Det Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 **** Det C Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 252 (C-130) **** Det A Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 452 (C-130) **** Det A Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 352 (C-130)

Allied Air Command

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

** 6 x F-16C/D Block 40 fighter aircraft operating from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy ** 1 × KC-135R

aerial refueling Aerial refueling ( en-us), or aerial refuelling ( en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to an ...

aircraft * Belgian Air Component ** 6 x

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

AM 15MLU fighter aircraft operating from Araxos Air Base, Greece *

** 6 × CF-18 Hornet multirole fighter jets operating from Trapani Air Base, Italy ** 2 × CC-17 Globemaster strategic transport aircraft ** 2 × CC-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft operating from Trapani Air Base, Italy ** 2 × CC-150 Polaris

air-to-air refueling Aerial refueling ( en-us), or aerial refuelling ( en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to an ...

tankers operating from Trapani Air Base, Italy ** 2 × CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft operating from Sigonella Air Base, Italy ** Joint Task Force 2 ( Canadian Special Operations Forces Command) *

Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force () (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of the Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Armed Forces. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was made a separate service in 1950. I ...

** 6 x

AM 15MLU fighter jets operating from Sigonella Air Base, Italy ** 1 x C-130J-30 tactical transport aircraft *

(transferred from Opération Harmattan) ** 8 × Rafale fighters ** 8 × Mirage 2000-5 fighters ** 6 × Mirage 2000D fighter-bombers ** 2 × Mirage F1CR reconnaissance aircraft ** 6 × C135

aircraft ** 1 x E-3F AWACS aircraft ** 1 x C-160G SIGINT electronic surveillance aircraft ** Commando Parachutiste de l'Air companies 20 and 30 forward deployed to Solenzara Air Base, Corsica *

Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...

** 4 x

fighter jets ** 1 x Embraer R-99 early warning and control aircraft *

Italian Air Force The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italy, Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force ...

** 4 x Tornado ECR SEAD aircraft operating from Trapani Air Base ** 4 x

fighter jets ** 4 x Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets operating from Trapani Air Base ** 4 x

Panavia Tornado The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany. There are three primary #Variants, Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS ...

IDS, operating from Trapani Air Base, began attacking military targets in Libya with Storm Shadow missiles and JDAM and Paveway smart bombs on 28 April ** 4 x AMX Ghibli fighter jets operating since 25 July * ** E-3

airborne early warning and control An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of the ...

(AWACS) aircraft operating from Forward Operating Base Trapani * Royal Netherlands Air Force ** 6 ×

AM 15MLU multi-role fighter jets operating from Decimomannu Air Base, Italy ** 1 × McDonnell Douglas KDC-10 aerial refuelling aircraft, until 4 April *

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...

** 6 x

AM 15MLU fighter jets operating from Souda Air Base,

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

(until July 2011) ** 2 x C-130J-30 tactical transport aircraft supporting the Norwegian forces. (until July 2011) * Qatar Emiri Air Force ** Six Mirage 2000-5EDA fighters jets operating from Souda Air Base, Crete ** Two C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft * Spanish Air Force ** 4 x EF-18AM Hornet fighters jets operating from Decimomannu Air Base, Italy. ** 1 x KC-130H Hercules Tanker Aircraft operating from Decimomannu Air Base, Italy ** 1 x Boeing 707-331B(KC) tanker aircraft*** 1 x CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft * Royal Swedish Air Force ** 5 (reduced from 8) JAS 39C Gripen fighter jets operating from Sigonella Air Base, Italy ** 1 x Lockheed Tp-84T C-130 Hercules configured as aerial tanker ** 1 x S 102B Korpen SIGINT aircraft based on

Gulfstream IV The Gulfstream IV (or G-IV or GIV) and derivatives are a family of twinjet aircraft, mainly for private or Business jet, business use. They were designed and built by Gulfstream Aerospace, a General Dynamics company based in Savannah, Georgia, ...

business Jet * United Arab Emirates Air Force ** 6 x

E/F Block 60 Falcon fighter jets operating from Decimomannu Air Base, Italy ** 6 x Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets operating from Decimomannu Air Base, Italy *

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

** 16 Panavia Tornado GR4A ** 8 (originally 10) Eurofighter Typhoons operating from Gioia del Colle Air Base, Italy ** 2 Vickers VC-10 tanker aircraft ** 2 AgustaWestland Lynx HMA.8 from the Royal Navy (

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

) ** 4 AgustaWestland Apache attached from the Army Air Corps ** 3 Sentry AEW.1 surveillance aircraft ** 1 Raytheon Sentinel R1 surveillance aircraft *

Royal Jordanian Air Force The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF; Arabic: سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, ''Silāḥ al-Jaww al-Malakī al-ʾUrdunī'') is the aerial warfare branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces. Founded in 1955, the RJAF serves as the primary ...

** 6 x F-16 MLU fighter jets operating from Aviano Air Base, Italy *

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

** 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ( Shaw AFB) ** 313th Air Expeditionary Wing ( Moron AB, Spain) ** Included KC-10A, KC-135R, EC-130J Psychological Warfare aircraft, E-8, E-3, and U-2S reconnaissance aircraft, F-15 and

fighter aircraft, and

MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...

(Operated by the USAF & RAF). *

** US Navy P-3C aircraft operating from NAS Sigonella *

** Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 1 (VMAQ-1) operating from Aviano Air Base, Italy

Contributions and expenses by country

* USA: from 1 April to 22 August, the US flew 5,316 sorties over Libya, including 1,210 strike sorties, with munitions deployed 262 times. By 31 July, the US had spent

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

896 million in the conflict. * UK: By 12 July, the UK had spent about €136 million on operations in Libya. * Denmark: Royal Danish Air Force F-16 fighters flew their first mission over Libya on 20 March and their last on 31 October 2011, a total of 600 sorties dropping 923 bombs, equaling 12,1% of the total number dropped during the conflict. By 31 October, Denmark had spent a total of 620 million DKK (approx. €77.5 million) on operations in Libya, of which 297 million DKK (approx. €37.1 million) would have been spent on training anyway. * Norway:

F-16 fighters flew daily missions, and as of the end of July 2011, when Norway ceased its participation in military operations, the Air Force had dropped 588 bombs during the conflict and flown 615 sorties (about 17% of the sorties to that point). * Italy: by 31 October, the Italian Air Force had dropped 710 bombs including approximately 30 Storm Shadow missiles during the conflict.

References

External links