Gaddafi’s forces Air Force:18,000

Ground forces:50,000

Navy:8,000

Submarines2

Armoured carriers946

Combat aircraft 100

Attack helicopters35

Armoured infantry1,000

Artillery pieces2,421

Air defence surface-to-air missiles400+

State of play

Libya’s main air bases and air defences

GR4Tornado

Thestory so far

SA-5 Gammon SAMRange: 190 miles

25 miles

22 miles

15 miles

SA-2 Guideline SAM

SA-3 Goa SAM

SA-6 Gainful SAM

46,000ft

59,000ft

60,000ft

130,000ft

Libyan air defence missiles

F R A N C E

S P A I N

U K

I T A L Y

E G Y P T

The objective

Short-term goalDismantle Gaddafi’s air defence systems, establish and police a no-fly zone, protect the civilian populations of rebel-held areas by striking Gaddafi’s tanks and artillery on the ground

Long-term goalThere is less clarity here. Western powers previously insisted regime change was not the goal. The mission is mandated only to protect Libyan citizens without the deployment of “occupation forces”. The interpretation of that term could be significant. Russia and the Arab League have already voiced concern over attacks that go beyond ano-fly zone. Western powersanswer that they are mandated to use “all necessary means” toprotect civilians

5Air strikes halt the advance of government troops

Despite the strikes, Gaddafi’s forces reported to resume bombarding Misrata after daylight on Sunday

Plume of smoke seen rising from Gaddafi’s compound late last night

HQ British operation

HQ French operation

Charles De Gaulle

USS Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group

Trafalgar-class submarine

HMS Cumberland

USS Mount Whitney

HMS Westminster

USS Ponce

L I B Y A

USS Providence, USS Scranton, USS Floridaal-Bayda

Benghazi

Misrata

SirteTripoli

TobrukOkba ibn Nafa

Sebha

al Jufra-Hun

Ghadames East

RotaMorón de la Frontera

Istres

Marseilles

Toulon

Aviano

Gioia del Colle

Amendola

Sigonella

Naples

Trapani

Decimomannu

Solenzzara

Pantelleria

Akrotiri

BrizeNorton Marham

RAFConingsby

Leuchars, Fife, Scotland

SA-5 12

Misrata

SA-3 9

SA-6 2

SA-5 12

Tripoli

SA-2 18

SA-3 12

SA-5 5

Sirte al Jufra-HunSebha

SA-2 6

SA-3 3

Okba ibn Nafa

SA-2 6

SA-3 8

1

12

3

3

4

5

4B2 Stealth bomber

NO FLY ZONE

Storm Shadow missilesKnown as ‘fire and forget’ weapons, they can be fired up to 155miles from a target and are designed to hitwell-defended static targets

Montverdun

HQ US operation

Stuttgart

Key

MiG-21 Fishbed fighters

MiG-23 Floggers

MiG-25 Foxbats

Mirage F1 fighters

Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter ground attack aircraft

Airbase in rebel hands

Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft

Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships

Air

Libya

Nato military airbase

Navy

Nato naval base

60

Area believed to be held by

rebels

Saturday 16.45GMTFrench Rafale fighter jets target

a 62 x 93 mile area, taking out armoured tanks and vehicles

19.00GMTUS and British naval vessels fire

124 Tomahawk cruise missiles at 20 Libyan air defences around Tripoli and Misrata, pounding radar systems and surface-to-air missile sites

20.12GMTBritish Tornado GR4 jets embark

on eight-hour round mission, targeting Libyan air defence bases with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Accompanied by two VC10 and Tristar air-to-air refuelling aircraft, each jet refuels three times en route to Libya and once on return leg to Norfolk

Pre-dawn, SundayThree B2 Stealth bombers,

designed to be invisible to radar, fly non-stop from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, dropping around 40 bombs on major Libyan airfields. F-15 and F-16s also involved in strike missions

Pre-dawn, SundayUS Navy launches four Harrier

jets from USS Kearsarge who conduct strikes against Gaddafi’s ground forces and air defences. Also fly EAG-18 Growlers designed to jam enemy electronic signals. RAF send Awacs surveillance aircraft

Belgium

Six of its F-16 fighter-bombers to be operationalfrom Monday

US

At least ten naval vessels in the Mediterranean and 42 F-16s stationed at Aviano, as well as fighter planes and bombers capable of reaching Libya from US bases

Italy

Aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi off Sicily with eight aircraft aboard ready to take part in operations immediately. F-16s and Eurofighters moved to Trapani from bases in Northern Italy

UAE

Sending F-16s to Decimomannu

Qatar

Aircraft moving into position near Libya to participate in the Western military action

Canada

Six F-18 fighter jets at Signoella with 140 military personnel involved.Frigate HMCS Charlottetown in Mediterranean

Britain

Submarines; Typhoon and Tornado jet fighters; surveillance planes; HMS Westminster and HMS Cumberland

Denmark

Six F-16s at American base of Signoella, Sicily, 132 support staff — four Danish F-16 planes reported to set off on a mission in Libyan airspace yesterday

France

Deployed eight Rafale and four Mirage jets; six c-135 refuelling tankers; 1 Awacs surveillance plane; also envisages using anti-air frigates Jean-Bart and Forbin, anti-submarine frigate Dupleix, Aconit frigate and a refuelling ship La Meuse

Spain

Sent four F-18s and due to send an S-74 submarine, a F-100 frigate, a CN-235 martime patrol aircraft, and Boeing 707 refuellingplane to Decimomannu

Norway

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

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Rafale

Long bombing missions

April 1942Doolittle Raid — In longest combat mission ever flown by B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, 16 aircraft from USS Hornet drop bombs over Tokyo before making their way to China after 13 hours of flights. Travel 2,250 miles

April 1982Operation ‘Black Buck’ — Vulcan bombers, supported by Victor tankers,travel 8,000 miles from Ascension

September 1996Operation Desert Storm — Two US B-52H complete 34-hour, 16,000-mile round trip mission travelling from Andersen Airforce Base, Guam, to Baghdad and back

Island to carry out attacks on Port Stanley during the Falklands war

Operation Ellamy

3,000 miles from RAF Marham and back

The allies go in

2

5USS Barry, USS Stout

French navy flagship sets off for Libya Sunday 12.10 GMT with 10 Rafale, 12 Super Etendard, 2,000 crew members on board, as well as helicopters and two E-2 Hawkeye surveillance aircraft. Should reach Libyan coast today