RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- On April 14, 1986, twenty-four F-111F Aardvark aircraft from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing took off from RAF Lakenheath, UK, supported by five EF-111A Ravens from the 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron based at RAF Upper Heyford. They headed for a rendezvous off the southwest coast of England with waiting KC-10 aerial refuelers from the European Tanker Task Force units on a rotational TDY from stateside bases.
After confirming that all aircraft were fully mission capable and receiving fuel, six F-111s and one EF-111 airborne spares turned back and returned to their bases. Led by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. David Forgan from the lead KC-10, the force flew south over the Bay of Biscay and the coast of Portugal. After passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, they entered the Mediterranean Sea heading toward targets in Libya.
President Reagan ordered the strikes in response to terrorist attacks linked to Muamar Gadaffi's Libyan regime. The final straw was the April 5 bombing of a West Berlin disco that killed two U.S. servicemen and wounded over 70 others.
Shortly before 2 a.m. on April 15, the Air Force planes completed their final refueling and began the attack. They operated in a joint mission with 27 Navy aircraft from the carriers USS America and USS Coral Sea.
The combined force struck five targets across Libya. The Air Force hit a terrorist training camp, command and control facilities, and an airfield near Tripoli, while the Navy struck another training camp and an airfield near Benghazi.
The F-111 was chosen for this mission due to its internal laser-targeting system, which enabled precise bombing at night. Although malfunctions and strict rules of engagement meant only eleven aircraft dropped their bombs, they successfully destroyed all assigned targets.
Some aircraft used GBU-10 laser-guided bombs on ground facilities, while others dropped parachute-delayed bombs on Il-76 transport planes at the Tripoli airport, destroying three and damaging three more.
Tragically, one F-111 was lost. The F-111, callsign KARMA 52, was flown by pilot Capt. Fernando Ribas-Dominicci, and weapons system officer Capt. Paul Lorence. It was presumed to be shot down by a surface-to-air missile over the Mediterranean.
Operation Eldorado Canyon was a success, demonstrating the Air Force's global reach and serving as an effective deterrent. Libyan-sponsored terrorism decreased significantly in the months that followed.
Nearly 40 years later, the U.S. Air Force replicated this long-range strike capability in Operation Midnight Hammer. B-2 bombers flying from the continental U.S., supported by a global network of refueling tankers, conducted strikes to deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons and supporting regional terrorism.