USAF 48th Tactical Fighter Wing TFW Urban Renewal Patch F-111F Deployed Libya 1986 – Variant L1

48th TFW Libyan Urban Renewal Patch USAFE F-111F Aardvark RAF Lakenheath USAF Deployed Libya 1986 (4 Inch) Variant L1

48th TFW Libyan Urban Renewal Patch F-111F Deployed Operation El Dorado Canyon Libya 1986 Variant L1

 

The F-111F aircraft is diagonal with its nose down to the left on this variant

Validation – Tangible authentic and original

Manufacturer – Taiwan made

Manufacture – embroidered on twill double warp gauze with white synthetic return thread merrowed overlocked edge and iron on glue sprayed rear

Visibility – color

Condition – very good has not been sewn to uniform

Size – 101mm diameter

Approximate imperial size – four inches diameter

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48th TFW Libyan Urban Renewal Patch

48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F Aardvark

This original 48th TFW Libyan Urban Renewal patch is from the famous F-111F Aardvark era of the Liberty Wing. Operating from RAF Lakenheath during the height of the Cold War the Wing flew advanced F-111F Aardvark fighter bomber from 1977. 48th Tactical Fighter Wing became one of the most combat-capable tactical strike wings in USAF in Europe and NATO.

In 1977 the 48th TFW exchanged its F-4D Phantom II aircraft for the F-111F Aardvark transferred from the 347th TFW at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The successful transition earned the Wing its third Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The Wing’s flying Squadrons remained the 492nd, 493rd and 494th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. Equipped with the long-range strike capability of the F-111F, the Wing immediately expanded operational deployments and exercises throughout Europe and the Middle East, including Italy, Iran, Greece and Pakistan.

The Wing’s operational strength increased further when the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated on 1 April 1977.  Acting as a replacement training unit, the 495th TFS helped maintain combat readiness across the Liberty Wing. By 1979 the 48th TFW had flown the highest number of flying hours ever recorded by an F-111 unit in a fiscal year. The Wing passed  its USAFE Operational Readiness Inspection and NATO Tactical Evaluation in 1980 and received its fourth Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

During the 1980s the F-111F became internationally recognised through its precision strike capability and frontline NATO role. The 48th TFW deployed temporarily to RAF Sculthorpe in 1983 while RAF Lakenheath’s runway was resurfaced.

Operation El Dorado Canyon

In 1986 the Wing participated in the long-range strike mission against Libyan targets in Tripoli during Operation El Dorado Canyon. The attack was undertaken alongside the United States Navy Sixth Fleet. Although one aircraft and crew were lost, the Wing received the US Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation for the operation.

Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm

The Wing again entered combat during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Deploying as 48th TFW (Provisional) to Taif Air Base, Saudi Arabia, the 492nd, 493rd and 494th Tactical Fighter Squadrons flew 2,500 combat sorties. They achieved more than 2,200 target hits using the F-111F Aardvark and and dropped 7.3 million pounds of precision-guided munitions. 48th TFW (P) executed the first combat drop of the GBU-28 “bunker buster” bomb on 27 February 1991 and is credited with destroying hundreds of Iraqi tanks. The Wing returned to RAF Lakenheath in May 1991 and soon began restructuring under the USAF Objective Wing Organization program.

On 1 October 1991 the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing was redesignated the 48th Fighter Wing, while the Tactical Fighter Squadrons became Fighter Squadrons. The 495th FS was inactivated in December 1991 followed by the 493rd FS in December 1992, marking the end of the famous F-111F era at RAF Lakenheath.

This original USAF 48th TFW F-111F Aardvark patch is highly collectible among RAF Lakenheath, USAFE Operation Desert Storm and Cold War aviation memorabilia collectors, preserving the heritage of one of the United States Air Force’s most important combat fighter wings.

 

This Libyan Urban Renewal patch dates from 1986

 

Operation El Dorado Canyon Expanded

On April 14 at 17 36 GMT 24 F-111E Aardvarks of 48th Tactical Fighter Wings 492nd 493rd and 494th Tactical Fighter Squadrons departed from RAF Lakenheath with the intent that six would return after the first refuelling about 90 minutes out. At the same time five EF-111A electronic warfare aircraft of 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron ECS of 20th Tactical Fighter Wing TFW took off from RAF Upper Heyford To save time and ease navigation a Tanker Force of 19 KC-10s from Barksdale AFB themselves refuelled by 10 KC-135s from 300th Strategic Wing RAF Mildenhall and 11th Strategic Group RAF Fairford were to accompany the F-111s on the attack.

At the first refuelling six F-111Fs and one EF-111A broke off and returned to base. France Germany Italy and Spain although affected by Libyan trained supplied and supported terrorist attacks refused to cooperate in a strike and the USAF attack force navigated around France and Spain through the airspace over the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and then eastward over the Mediterranean until in a position to attack. This represented a gruelling round trip flight of 6400 miles over 13 hours requiring eight to 12 inflight refuelling tasks for each F-111 aircraft as opposed to the standard trained for NATO F-111 sortie of about two hours and placed a tremendous strain on crews and complex avionic systems of the aircraft.

The US Navy’s Sixth Fleet was to attack with the forces arrayed on two carriers. USS Coral Sea launched eight A-6E medium bombers for the attack and six FA-18C Hornets for strike support. USS America launched six A-6Es for the attack and six A-7Es and an EA-6B for strike support. F-14 Tomcat fighters protected the fleet and aircraft.

Libya’s air defence system was sophisticated, and its operators were acutely aware that an attack was coming. At about midnight GMT six flights of three F 111Fs each bore down on Tripoli. The first three attacking elements code named Remit Elton and Karma were tasked to hit Qaddafi’s headquarters and command and control center at the Azziziyah Barracks. Only two of the nine aircraft dropped their bombs. Another element codenamed Jewel successfully struck the Sidi Balal terrorist training camp where there was a main complex and academy a Palestinian training camp and a maritime academy under construction. Two further elements Puffy and Lujac struck Tripoli airport with 500-pound bombs destroying and damaging several aircraft. 42-ECS EF-111As and Navy A-7s A-6Es and an EA-6B provided defence suppression support over Triploi using HARM and Shrike anti radar missiles. While all three targets had been successfully struck only four of the 18 F-111s dropped successfully with 6 forced to abort due to aircraft difficulties or stringencies of the Rules of Engagement 7 missed their targets and one was lost. The F-111F’s spent only 11 minutes in the target area with anti-aircraft and SAM opposition from the outset confirming that the Libyans were ready. One aircraft Karma 52 was lost almost certainly due to a SAM.

In the Gulf of Sidra Navy A-6E aircraft attacked the Al Jumahiriya Barracks at Benghazi and the Benina airfield with Navy A-7s A-6Es FA-18s and an EA-6B provided defence suppression support.

News of the raid was broadcast while it was in progress. On the return leg one F-111F had to divert to Rota AB Spain because of an engine overheat.

President Ronald Reagan ordered a strike on Libya following a buildup of Libyan state sponsored terrorism including providing support to Abu Nidal aircraft hijackings lethal attacks at Rome and Vienna airports praised by Gaddafi as heroic acts bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut and Libya’s self-declared ownership of international waters in the Gulf of Sidra and its imposition of Ghaddafi’s Line Of Death where foreign shipping and aircraft would be attacked by Libya if the line was crossed. The US Navy’s Mediterranean based Sixth Fleet Aircraft Carriers began a series of manoeuvres designed to continue freedom of navigation across the line and on 29 March 1986 SAMs were fired at Navy aircraft escorting a Libyan Mig-25 with the Navy responding with attacks on the SAM sites and Libyan Navy attack vessels. On 2 April 1986 a terrorist’s bomb exploded on TWA Flight 840 flying above Greece with four Americans killed and on 5 April 1986 a bomb exploded in Berlins La Belle Discotheque frequented by US military personnel resulting in two American servicemen killed and 79 Americans injured. Three terrorist groups claimed responsibility for the bomb, but the United States and West Germany independently announced incontrovertible evidence that Libyans were responsible for the bombing.

The months following the strike saw a dramatic decrease in the number of Libyan sponsored anti American terrorist events. The Red Army Faction one of the groups that had claimed responsibility for the La Belle disco bombing reduced its activities and other Libyan sponsored groups followed suit although the bombing Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland on 21 December 1988 killing 270 turned out to be directed by Libya.

 

 

48th TFW Libyan Urban Renewal Patch Libya 1986