Gallery: The Tech That Took Out Gadhafi
01underground-arsenal
With rebel forces in Tripoli and [Moammar Gadhafi on the run](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/gadhafi-gets-the-tiger-woods-treatment/), the end could be near for the Libyan civil war. Sporadic fighting continues in the capital city of the oil-rich North African nation, NATO warplanes are still patrolling overhead, and there's always the danger of Gadhafi true-believers launching a fresh insurgency. But already, Western analysts are weighing the lessons of the six-month-long conflict. "Modern air power is the key force that is directly [leading to the overthrow of the Gadhafi regime](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/so-much-for-stalemate-libya/)," retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula concluded. True, but a host of other cutting-edge technologies, and a few decidedly low-end ones, also played critical roles. *Photo: Mike Elkin*
U.S. Navy Photo02secret-sub
Secret Sub ---------- She lurked unseen beneath the Mediterranean Sea in the hours leading up to NATO's initial air strikes on Gadhafi's forces. More than 500 feet long and displacing 19,000 tons of water, the U.S. Navy's secretive, nuclear-powered, [guided-missile submarine *USS Florida*](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/secret-subs-rescue-ospreys-mil-tech-gets-remixed-for-libya/) was the key to taking down Libyan government air defenses, clearing the way for the NATO strike planes. When President Barack Obama gave the order launching the U.S.-led Operation Odyssey Dawn on March 19, *Florida* quickly unleashed no fewer than 100 of its 160 [Tomahawk cruise missiles](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/drones-suicidal-cousins/) in a massive barrage that wiped out potentially scores of anti-aircraft guns, radars and ground-to-air missiles. It was *Florida*'s combat debut. "[That's what you get](http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63272) when you have a global Navy that's forward all the time," crowed Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations. *Photo: U.S. Navy*
Lance Cpl. Michael S. Lockett03tiny-flattops
Tiny Flattops ------------- After *Florida* and other forces smashed Gadhafi's air defenses, a huge armada of NATO strike aircraft descended on Libya. Over the next six months, hundreds of warplanes from 18 countries hit Libyan government forces [no fewer than 7,000 times](http://www.acus.org/natosource/national-composition-nato-strike-sorties-libya). Many of the planes came from European land bases, but arguably the most important strikers flew from an international fleet of aircraft carriers sailing along the Libyan coast. With the U.S. Navy's 100,000-ton supercarriers busy elsewhere, smaller "light carriers" handled Libya duty. France's *Charles De Gaulle* (40,000 tons) launched Rafale and Super Etendard fighters. The French helicopter carrier *Tonnerre* (20,000 tons) sent in Gazelle and Tiger attack choppers, while Apache choppers flew from the British *HMS Ocean* (22,000 tons). Harrier jump jets sortied from Italy's *Giuseppe Garibaldi* (14,000 tons) and the *USS Kearsarge* (40,000 tons). The tiny flattops' impressive performance prompted some U.S. naval thinkers to reconsider Washington's [slavish devotion to large carriers](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/are-aircraft-carriers-slowly-becoming-obsolete/). *Photo: U.S. Navy*
SAC Sally Raimondo04her-majestys-hunter-killers
Her Majesty's Hunter-Killers ---------------------------- Leaving aside an [epic, globe-spanning mission](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/two-bombers-24-hours-100-libyan-targets-destroyed-ready/) by a pair of U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers, the most effective air raids on Libya by land-based warplanes were likely those performed by the British Royal Air Force, forward deployed to an Italian air base. At a time of deep budget cuts, the RAF managed to [combine its oldest and newest strike planes](http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/04/15/355641/libya-raf-typhoon-hits-fresh-target-with-help-from.html) into "hunter-killer" teams. A 30-year-old swing-wing Tornado bomber carrying a reconnaissance camera and laser-guided bombs would join a brand-new Typhoon fighter fitted with a radio data-link, a laser designator and air-to-air missiles. The Typhoon would handle secure, long-range communications and targeting, while also keeping an eye out for Libyan fighters. The Tornado would drop the bombs and record video of the damage. The veteran Tornado crews with their "20 years of experience" helped the greener Typhoon fliers improve quickly, Squadron Leader Rupert Joel told [*Combat Aircraft Magazine*](http://www.combataircraft.net/issues/latestissue.php). *Photo: RAF*
Ron Bookout05flying-radar-jammers
Flying Radar Jammers -------------------- The devastation was widespread, but some of Gadhafi's air defenses survived *Florida*'s cruise missiles and bombing runs by B-2 stealth bombers and other warplanes. To cover the strike planes over Libya, the U.S. Navy deployed its newest combat aircraft, an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter modified with high-powered radar jammers capable of confusing air-defense systems with floods of electronic "noise." Any defenses the EA-18G can't confuse, it can kill outright with supersonic, radar-homing HARM missiles. The Growler is so specialized that no other warplane anywhere in the world can equal its skills. For that reason, U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney [promised it and other "specialty electronic airplanes" would remain over Libya](http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4787), even after the U.S. handed off day-to-day attack missions to European nations in late March. *Photo: U.S. Navy*
MC2 Alan Gragg06drones-big-and-small
Drones, Big and Small --------------------- On June 21, chagrined NATO officials admitted the alliance had suffered its first combat casualty over Libya. One of the U.S. Navy's MQ-8 Fire Scout [robot helicopters had been shot down](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/drone-copter-is-natos-first-combat-casualty-in-libya/) while spying on pro-Gadhafi forces east of Tripoli. The robot-kill was the most dramatic evidence of the growing robot army fighting on the rebels' behalf. In addition to several unarmed Fire Scouts, the Pentagon sent in MQ-1 Predators fitted with Hellfire missiles and airliner-size, high-flying RQ-4 Global Hawk spy drones. And just this week, a Canadian company announced it had provided Libyan rebels with a [flying 'bot of their own](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/libyan-rebels-are-flying-their-own-mini-drone/): a tiny, camera-equipped Aeryon Scout. *Photo: U.S. Navy*
07diy-gun-trucks
DIY Gun Trucks -------------- Cash-strapped and outnumbered, [Libyan rebels had to make do with whatever weapons](http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/06/diy-weapons-of-the-libyan-rebels/100086/) they could scrounge, steal or cobble together in their workshops. The result was a bizarre, improvised arsenal featuring some surprisingly effective DIY gear ... and some definite duds. "[Technical" trucks](http://jalopnik.com/5800753/watch-libyan-rebel-trucks-lay-down-the-law) -- pickups with guns attached -- are a tried-and-true homemade weapon, but in Libya the rebels perhaps exceeded the technical's potential when they strapped on rocket launchers salvaged from the defunct Libyan air force. Equally dubious were homemade armor plates bolted to some technicals. Ask any veteran of Iraq, circa 2004, and they'll tell you improvised armor can backfire by producing lethal splinters when hit. The rebels put to good use at least three captured MiG-21 fighters, sending them aloft over western Libya to escort incoming supply flights. The flights of the so-called ["Free Libya Air Force"](http://defensetech.org/2011/07/27/the-free-libyan-air-force-2/) violated NATO's no-fly zone, but the alliance didn't seem to mind.
08the-personal-touch
The Personal Touch ------------------ Probably the most decisive "weapon" in the Libyan civil war wasn't hardware at all. It was the quiet, focused assistance of a small army of foreign agents working alongside the rebels in their long slog towards Tripoli. "[They adapted quickly](http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-nato-covert-guidance-steered-libyan-rebel-gains-082311/)," Barak Seener, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said of the rebels. And that's "indicative that special forces were training them," Seener added. [CIA agents and other American spooks](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/surprise-cias-at-work-in-libya/) reportedly provided intelligence; British, French, Italian and Qatari commandos helped mold the rebel army and formed a critical link between the rebels and the NATO air forces orbiting overhead. Foreign forces also handled logistics and damage assessment. It just goes to show: Technology can be impressive, but it's the personal touch that really matters in the end. *Photo: Flickr/[Nasser Nouri](http://www.flickr.com/photos/nassernouri/)* See Also:- [Drones’ Suicidal Cousins Lead Libya Attack](http://wired.contextly.com/redirect/?id=swa9NjW1aA) - [Secret Subs, Rescue Ospreys: Mil Tech Gets Libya Remix](http://wired.contextly.com/redirect/?id=fFU4oPq9em) - [Drone Copter is NATO’s First Combat Casualty in Libya](http://wired.contextly.com/redirect/?id=7gp1r9L0pa) - [Two Bombers, 24 Hours, 100 Libyan Targets Destroyed](http://wired.contextly.com/redirect/?id=3yhpNgWuqv) - [Ordered to Attack Own People, Libyan Pilots Crash Their Jets](http://wired.contextly.com/redirect/?id=70ceEGxOS5)
