1989 air battle near Tobruk

1989 air battle near Tobruk
Part of the Cold War
Gun camera still of the lead F-14 showing the second MiG-23 exploding after being hit by an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile
Date 4 January 1989 Location Mediterranean Sea 33°30′N 23°24′E / 33.5°N 23.4°E / 33.5; 23.4 Result U.S. victory Two Libyan MiG-23 fighters shot down
Belligerents
United States	Libya
Commanders and leaders
Ronald Reagan	Muammar Gaddafi
Strength
2 F-14A Tomcats 1 E-2 Hawkeye	2 MiG-23s
Casualties and losses
None	2 pilots missing 2 MiG-23s destroyed

On 4 January 1989, two Grumman F-14 Tomcats of the United States Navy shot down two Libyan-operated Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Floggers which the American aircrews believed were attempting to engage and attack them, as had happened eight years prior during the 1981 Gulf of Sidra incident. The engagement took place over the Mediterranean Sea, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Tobruk, Libya.^[1]