Abstract

Introduction: Just hours after United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 had been passed, Royal Air Force jets were launched from their bases in the UK in order to secure the No Fly Zone over the skies of Libya. It marked the start of an air campaign that resulted in a swift and outstanding, tactical success. But moreover, it was a victory by the people of Libya, for the people of Libya, and one which changed their country from an international pariah into a nation with hope for the future.

Starting with the air evacuation of civilians, the enforcement of the no fly zone and through to the final battle which saw the Free Libyan Forces capture their former leader, this narrative explains how as part of a NATO force, the RAF helped to prevent a massacre of untold numbers at the hands of troops loyal to Col Gaddafi.

This is the official narrative of the RAF in Libya in 2011, told by airmen and women with first hand experience of the campaign.