Footage of the Fatal Battle
After rising tensions between Libya and the United States for most of the decade, it all came to a head on January 4, 1989. As the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy sailed through the Mediterranean Sea with multiple aircraft from its air wing for training exercises and patrol missions, they detected two Libyan Air Force MiG-23 Floggers taking off from a nearby airbase and heading toward the carrier. Two F-14 Tomcats were sent to investigate and intercept the Floggers, but to their surprise, the Libyan aircraft were heading on a collision course in their direction. And while the American jets performed maneuvers to try and avoid direct engagement with the Russian-made aircraft, they didn’t seem to be going away. Within minutes, the mission would turn from a routine patrol flight to a full-fledged dogfight that would threaten international relations. Luckily for the Americans, the supersonic dogfight was caught on video and declassified many years later for the world to witness…
Credit Dark Footage