Maaten al-Sarra Air Base

The Maaten al-Sarra Air Base is an airbase in southernmost Libya located near the Ma'tan as-Sarra oasis in the Kufra district. It is one of the 13 military airbases in Libya.[5]

Maaten al-Sarra Air Base[1]

Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerLibyan National Army
OperatorLibyan Air Force
Elevation AMSL1,722 ft / 525 m
Coordinates21°41′20″N 021°49′50″E
Map
Maaten al-Sarra Air Force Base
Location in Libya
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01R/19L 2,283 7,490 Asphalt
01/19 3,357 11,014 Asphalt
Source: Bing Maps[2] Our Airports[3] GCM[4]

During the final phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict, Maaten al-Sarra was the main air base in Southern Libya,[6] being provided with three modern runways and an ample parking space that could support over 100 combat aircraft.[7]

History

When in 1987 the Chadian army attacked Libyan positions in northern Chad, in the so-called Toyota War, after a string of victories the Chadians were defeated in August in the Battle of Aouzou, mainly due to Libyan airpower. The Chadian command decided that before renewing the offensive against the Aouzou Strip, it was vital to deal with the menace represented by the Libyan Air Force, and thus planned a surprise attack on Maaten al-Sarra, 60 miles north of the Chadian–Libyan border. The attack, which took place on September 5, was one of the most spectacular Chadian victories in the conflict, with 1,700 Libyans killed and 300 taken prisoner.[8] The Chadian victory, because of Libyan demoralization at home and international hostility, brought an agreed ceasefire on September 11 that put an end to the war.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Matan as Sarra". World Aero Data. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  2. "Maatan As Sara Airport". Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  3. "Matan al-Sarra Air Base". Our Airports. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. Airport information for Matan As Sarra at Great Circle Mapper.
  5. Middle East Military Balance: Libya Archived March 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Vanderwalle, Dirk J. (2006). A History of Modern Libya. Cambridge University Press. p. 148. ISBN 0-5218-5048-7.
  7. Popper, Steven W. (1989). The Economic Cost of Soviet Military Manpower Requirements. RAND. p. 145. ISBN 0-8330-0934-6.
  8. Pollack, Kenneth M. (2002). Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991. University of Nebraska Press. p. 396. ISBN 0-8032-3733-2.
  9. Nolutshungu, Sam C. (1995). Limits of Anarchy: Intervention and State Formation in Chad. University of Virginia Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-8139-1628-3.


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