Libyan Civil War Megathread

[Ed Anger]

More like a million a pop. A few were brit ones. They had the good sense to buy tomahawks years ago.

[Martinus]

Good job, Yanks, Frogs and Limeys. 

[Sheilbh]

So now we're bombing them... to enforce a no-fly zone? Seems that we're more or less committed to removing Q/K/Gadhafi by default now.

There's nothing about a no-fly zone that's just what was talked about prior to the resolution.  The UN authorised all necessary measures short of occupation to stop attacks on the civilian population.  That's something else that concerns me, that we've gone from a no-fly zone to a full scale intervention with barely any time for public debate or consensus building on the subject

Of course knocking out air defence is necessary in a no-fly zone.

[Ed Anger]

Plus the mime school and accordion factory.

[CountDeMoney]

OK, here's your starting lineup:

France

    * Deployed eight Rafale and four Mirage jets to survey rebel-held Benghazi; one fired on a Libyan military vehicle in first military strike of operation.
    * Six C-135 refueling tankers
    * 1 AWACS surveillance plane
    * Deploying the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the region Sunday from Toulon.
    * Also envisages using anti-air frigates Jean-Bart and Forbin, anti-submarine frigate Dupleix, the Aconit frigate and a refueling ship La Meuse.

Canada

    * Sent six F-18s to Italy base; 140 military personnel involved.
    * Frigate HMCS Charlottetown is in Mediterranean for possible staging ground for Canadian forces.

United States

    * Prepared to launch missile attacks on Libyan air defenses but so far not participating in initial air missions.
    * Has two guided-missile destroyers in the Mediterranean, the USS Barry and USS Stout, two amphibious warships, the USS Kearsarge and USS Ponce, and a command-and-control ship, the USS Mount Whitney. The submarine USS Providence was also in the Mediterranean.
    * Witnesses reported five F-18s, two C-17s and a C-130 cargo plane arrived at U.S. air base at Aviano in northern Italy, which is home to the 31st Fighter Wing.

Denmark

    * Six F-16s arrived at U.S. air base in Sigonella, Sicily and could be deployed as early as Sunday; 132 support staff.

Italy

    * Offered use of seven military bases: U.S. air bases at Sigonella, Sicily and Aviano in northern Italy; Italian air bases in Amendola near Foggia, Decimomannu in Sardinia, Gioia del Colle near Bari, base on Sicilian island of Pantelleria, and the military airport of Trapani, Sicily.
    * Proposed NATO base in Naples serve as coordination point for operation.
    * Says it has four anti-radar and anti-missile Tornados and six other aircraft available to fly with 15 minutes notice.
    * Aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi off Sicily with eight aircraft aboard.

Spain

    * Sent four F-18s and a Boeing 707 refueling plane to Italy base.
    * Deploying a submarine, naval frigate and a surveillance plane.
    * Placed two bases at NATO's disposal, Rota and Moron de la Frontera, where several U.S. Air Force planes were seen Friday.

Britain

    * Said it would send Typhoon and Tornado jets to air bases, but no British fighter assets have yet been deployed, the Ministry of Defense said.
    * Britain's air base in southern Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri, supporting AWACS surveillance aircraft and has a team of personnel there to coordinate British aircraft movement.
    * Two British frigates, HMS Westminster and HMS Cumberland, are in the Mediterranean off Libya's coast.

Norway

    * Offered six F-16s, with around 100 support staff, but operational capabilities five-six days off.
    * Considering contributing an Orion maritime surveillance plane.

No mention of faggot ass Wiking panzergrenadiers.

[Ed Anger]

Spain

    * Sent four F-18s and a Boeing 707 refueling plane to Italy base.
    * Deploying a submarine, naval frigate and a surveillance plane.

Wow, Zap is really straining there.

[Martinus]

I gotta say there is something "elegant" about the names of French military units/ships. They are like the elves/eldars or the minbari.

[Josephus]

Of course knocking out air defence is necessary in a no-fly zone.

This.

You can't enforce a no-fly zone unless you remove potential harm. I think the US involvement, from what I've been hearing, will be limited to a few days of Tomahawking the Libyan anti-air capabilities, before letting the Frenchies and Brits go in there with their planes.

[Ed Anger]

Well, I'm spent. G' night folks!

[Josquius]

-There's been talk of a few hundred cruise missiles being fired at Libya.
Hope they're going to reimburse us, those are a million a pop.

[citizen k]

Don't Frenchies already patrol/control Benghazi airspace?

[sbr]

-There's been talk of a few hundred cruise missiles being fired at Libya.
Hope they're going to reimburse us, those are a million a pop.

I hear China is blocking Google searches about Egypt.

[Admiral Yi]

Of course knocking out air defence is necessary in a no-fly zone.

This.

You can't enforce a no-fly zone unless you remove potential harm. I think the US involvement, from what I've been hearing, will be limited to a few days of Tomahawking the Libyan anti-air capabilities, before letting the Frenchies and Brits go in there with their planes.

Nope.  In Iraq we waited for SAM radar to light up one of our planes before we mooshed it with a HARM.

[Josephus]

Is it true what i'm hearing about China blocking Google searches on Egypt?

[Sheilbh]

Is it true what i'm hearing about China blocking Google searches on Egypt?

Yes.