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How Turkey Shifted the Air War in the Battle for Tripoli

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Ben Fishman and Conor Hiney - In April, one year after Gen. Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) began its offensive against Tripoli, forces aligned with Tripoli's Government of National Accord (GNA) have retaken much of the capital's periphery, partly as a result of tactical victories by local GNA militias against inferior Sudanese mercenaries fighting for the LNA, as well as reported reductions in the Russian Wagner Group private military contractors who had devastated GNA forces in September-October. Yet a dramatic shift in the air war with Turkish support was most responsible for enabling the GNA to achieve their biggest victories. In May 2019, the LNA took the upper hand by expanding its use of UAE-operated combat drones and maintained this air superiority until November. The Chinese-designed drones were especially effective at targeting the small drone fleet that Turkey provided to the GNA. Then Turkey establish an air defense bubble around Tripoli, deploying multiple SAM systems. This protection, combined with an increase in Turkish operators and equipment, allowed GNA forces to increase the number and effectiveness of their drone operations. Ankara has also deployed the Koral jamming system, resulting in increased survivability of GNA drones and disruptions to LNA drone operations. Ben Fishman is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former director for North Africa at the National Security Council. Lt.-Col. Conor Hiney (USAF), a military fellow at the Institute, formerly served as the U.S. air warfare division chief at al-Dhafra Air Base, UAE.
2020-05-15 00:00:00
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