Maaten al-Sarra Air Base
Encyclopedia
The Maaten al-Sarra Libyan Air Force 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.
During the final phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict, Maaten al-Sarra was the main air base in Southern Libya, being provided with three modern runway
s and an ample parking space
that could support over 100 combat aircraft.
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 commands 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 prisoners. The Chadian victory, because of Libyan demoralization at home and international hostility, brought to an agreed ceasefire
on September 11 that put an end to the war.
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
located near the Ma'tan as-Sarra
Ma'tan as-Sarra
Ma'tan as-Sarra is an oasis in the Al Kufrah municipality in the southeast corner of Libya. It is located in the Libyan Desert, 200 miles southeast of Kufra. A marginal oasis, with few palms and substandard water, it allowed the creation in 1811 of the last trans-Saharan caravan route...
oasis in the Kufra
Kufra
Kufra is a basin and oasis group in Al Kufrah District, southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. Kufra is historically important above all because at the end of nineteenth century it became the center and holy place of the Senussi order...
district. It is one of the 13 military airbases in Libya.
During the final phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict, Maaten al-Sarra was the main air base in Southern Libya, being provided with three modern runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s and an ample parking space
Parking space
A parking space is a location that is designated for parking, either paved or unpaved.Parking spaces can be in a parking garage, in a parking lot or on a city street. It is usually designated by a white-paint-on-tar rectangle indicated by three lines at the top, left and right of the designated area...
that could support over 100 combat aircraft.
When in 1987 the Chadian army
Military of Chad
The Military of Chad consists of the Armed Forces , Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, and National and Nomadic Guard...
attacked Libyan positions in northern Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, in the so-called Toyota War
Toyota War
The Toyota War is the name commonly given to the last phase of the Chadian–Libyan conflict, which took place in 1987 in Northern Chad and on the Libyan-Chadian border. It takes its name from the Toyota pickup trucks used as technicals to provide mobility for the Chadian troops as they fought...
, after a string of victories the Chadians were defeated in August in the battle of Aouzou, mainly due to Libyan airpower. The Chadian commands decided that before renewing the offensive against the Aouzou Strip it was vital to deal with the menace represented by the Libyan Air Force
Libyan Air Force
The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in...
, 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
Battle of Maaten al-Sarra
The battle of Maaten al-Sarra was a battle fought between Chad and Libya on September 5, 1987 during the Toyota War. The battle took the form of a surprise Chadian raid against the Libyan Maaten al-Sarra Air Base, meant to remove the threat of Libyan airpower, that had already thwarted the Chadian...
in the conflict, with 1,700 Libyans killed and 300 taken prisoners. The Chadian victory, because of Libyan demoralization at home and international hostility, brought to an agreed ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
on September 11 that put an end to the war.