Libya - UN no-fly zone - Coalition overview

[Arnold ten Pas]

4x Mirage 2000-5 7sqn/Qatar AF are at Solenzara according to BBC..

Pictures here: http://www.2space.net/news/article/344457-1300755604/
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/French-Mi ... estmideast

confirm at least French presence. Aircraft identified is

(667)/133-JZ Mirage 2000D EC02.003

No signs of the Qatar AF. Defencenews.com states:

Privately, a French defense executive guessed the Qatari Mirages would fly to France and operate out of the French air force base 126 at Solenzara, on the island of Corsica.

The French Air Force is expected to operate increasingly from Solenzara

[Le Addeur noir]

The Qatar support airplane can only be a C-17A as the 4 C-130J for this air arm have not even appeared off the line at Lockheed Marietta yet.They are due for delivery this year.

[AK01]

LHOB241 C17A MAB of Qatar just switched form Athens to Brindisi radar.
could be an ordinary flight, but could also be support for deployment to Italy or France.
Pieter

[Rockville]

The rumours about the NL participation have started:(via Twitter)
hdevreij Breaking: The #Netherlands to contribute to #Libya campaign with F-16's, KDC-10 refuelling aircraft (and 1 minesweeper), NOS Radio reports

At the press conference to be given by Dutch PM later this evening, there will be certainty.

[Arjan]

There is allready a Dutch Minesweeper in the area (I believe the Hnlms Haarlem) but this one is part of the StaNavForMed and this NATO force is not participating in the actions for Libya. But is sometimes confused for being so.

[Rockville]

There is allready a Dutch Minesweeper in the area (I believe the Hnlms Haarlem) but this one is part of the StaNavForMed and this NATO force is not participating in the actions for Libya. But is sometimes confused for being so.

HNLMS Haarlem (Minehunter) is part of SNMCMG1 (SNFM does not exist anymore; nowadays that is SNMG2).
There are two possibilities:
1. The whole of SNMCMG1 will participate under NATO, or
2. The NL will retrieve HNLMS Haarlem from NATO and send the vessel under a national commitment.

[Arjan]

Apparently the NATO agreed on participating in the actions as a group. This would enable Holland to send the Haarlem as well. Indeed they are also talking about F-16's and KDC-10's.

[michel N]

Al Jazeera just showed 2 Qatari Mirages and a C-17 landing in Crete. Also, Sky News mentions that the Saudis might be willing to send aircraft, as one of there politicians visited Downing Street 10 today.

[Thijs]

A Dutch KDC-10 refeulled the Norwegian on their way to the Med area. Can this be seen as indirect support

[Iroquois]

Added some updates to the list of aircraft participating; 4 Qatar AF Mirages at Solenzara and more. Corrections and updates are welcome!

[The DJ]

DoD photo's show SP vipers 407, 472, 818 and 366 also mkd as "480FS".

[S&B extra]

Qatar 7sq Mirage 2000-5EDA QA92 and QA97 + Qatar C-17A A7-MAA fuel stopped Larnaca, Cyprus 22mar11.

(The Mirage 2000 jets and the C-17 cargo aircraft made an unscheduled stop at Cyprus' Larnaca airport, and a Cyprus civil aviation official told the Associated Press that they left after refuelling en route to Souda base in Crete. High winds had forced the three planes to land at Larnaca for refuelling , said another who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy. Greece has granted permission for six Mirage fighters and two transport planes to operate from the base, said Lt. Col. Constantinos Bouzos, a Greek military spokesman. Cypriot authorities initially refused the request by Qatar's planes to land, but later granted permission after the pilots declared a fuel emergency per international regulations, Cyprus government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said.)

[Arnold ten Pas]

Added some updates to the list of aircraft participating; 4 Qatar AF Mirages at Solenzara and more. Corrections and updates are welcome!

I am not too sure about Solenzara. Media reports seem to suggest that the Mirages are staying in Souda Bay. Seen so far:

A7-MAB C-17A Transport sq
QA97 Mirage 2000-5EDA 7sq

[Nighthawk]

Romania is joining the coalition and sending a frigate Regele Ferdinand F221 with a IAR-330 puma on board

[S&B extra]

From Aljazeera live blog 22mar11: Twelve F-16s and 12 Mirages from the United Arab Emirates are also going to head to Sicily soon, but the exact date isn't know, Reuters says.