U.S. Africa Command has issued a statement on the recent deployment of Russian fighters to Libya. It has also made available images of those Russian aircraft which had their markings removed to hide their Russian origin.
Russian fighter jets were recently deployed to Libya in order to support Russian state-sponsored private military contractors (PMCs) operating on the ground there. The Russian fighter aircraft arrived in Libya, from an airbase in Russia, after transiting Syria where it is assessed they were repainted to camouflage their Russian origin. “The world heard Mr. Haftar declare he was about to unleash a new air campaign. That will be Russian mercenary pilots flying Russian-supplied aircraft to bomb Libyans,” said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command. (Date taken = date uploaded to DVIDS)
An F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing flies alongside an F-35 Lightning II from the 33rd Fighter Wing over the Emerald Coast in northwest Florida May 18, 2020. The fifth-generation fighters were part of a nationwide flyover by the Air Force May 15, 2020, saluting healthcare workers, first responders and other essential employees. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Savanah Bray)
Aircraft from the 36th Airlift Squadron, 459th Airlift Squadron and 21st Special Operations Squadron participate in the elephant walk portion of the Samurai Surge training exercise, May 21, 2020, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The Samurai Surge event also served as a training opportunity for aircrews to fine tune their skillsets and better prepare themselves to respond to humanitarian aid and disaster relief scenarios throughout the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Juan Torres)
