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Libyan planes sitting in Cobb County


Guest Casey
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You'd think that with the shortage of available non-J model C-130s for export, the State Department would release those for foreign use.

As stated in the article, they are owned by Libya, therefore making selling someone else's stuff a sticky issue I would think. \\

Though a question for DCMA(who acutally controls the aircraft, not LM). Would be why are they sitting there rotting? When This happened with Pakistan in the 80's the aircraft that were built after the sanctions went into effect were flown to Davis-Mothen and preserved. Pakistan has since received their aircraft.

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As stated in the article, they are owned by Libya, therefore making selling someone else's stuff a sticky issue I would think. \\

Though a question for DCMA(who acutally controls the aircraft, not LM). Would be why are they sitting there rotting? When This happened with Pakistan in the 80's the aircraft that were built after the sanctions went into effect were flown to Davis-Mothen and preserved. Pakistan has since received their aircraft.

DCMA doesn't have anything to do with those airplanes. The State Dept has responsibility for them. They are junk, they haven't been touched since they were moved to the current locations.

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DCMA doesn't have anything to do with those airplanes. The State Dept has responsibility for them. They are junk, they haven't been touched since they were moved to the current locations.

Makes since. I knew LM didn't have anything to do with them. Just happen to be at the plant. Which happens to be Government Property anyway.

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Junk...

APG85's one word says it all. Those 8 airplanes probably don't have more than 50 hours total time among all of them. Interestingly, they're also all filled with spares; props, engines, boxes of parts, GSE, etc -- also junk.

Don R.

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Junk is correct. Back about 1990 a crew came up from Robbins AFB Ga and pulled one outta the weeds at the end of the old runway. They attemped to put power on it and crank the GTC. No go. They came over to the 94th engine shop at Dobbins and borrowed some stuff in an attempt to get the GTC going. Still no go. After 2-3 days they pushed it back into the weeds and went home. Said they weren't worth fixin'. I have been in them many times and to look at the forms on the nav table it looks like time stopped for these HERKS in the late 70's when Lockheed stopped doing the inspections. They were never prepped for long term storage as the intakes were taped up with duct tape. The intake and AC plugs are still stowed inside the acft. All the main tires are flat and the main gear doors are crushed into the chocks. And yes they are chucked full of new old parts. The wooden floor at the crew door are all rotted out. I first went inside when I worked at Lockheed in 1983 when they looked real good till 2003 when they looked like junk. The birds were paid for, built, test flown and were ready for delivery when they were impounded by the state dept. Each acft had it's own name painted on the side near the horz. stab. These were painted over when Prez. Regan bombed Libya's nuke plant in the 80'S. Sad to see new Herks slowly rot away in front of your eyes.

Edited by Spectre623
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I thought the Pakistani F-16As were turned over to the Navy as aggressors. They eventually were allowed to purchase C-models as I recall.

The Navy started pulling the F-16A/B's in the boneyard marked for Pakistan in 2002. So my guess is they "traded in" and/or given credit for them towards the F-16C/D order they placed in 05.

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The F-16s, aka Coral Phoenix acft are out at Edwards...been out there since the deal went south. We've been flying them as flight test/chase planes...all had the orange/white paint schemes.

?? Deal went south in '94, the Air Farce didn't get the planes till at least 2002. The orange/white scheme is an Air Farce scheme. Not Pakistan's.

The aircraft were built between December '88 and '94. 11 (6 A's / 5'B) from the December '88 under Peace Gate III. Under Peace Gate IV 17 (7 A's / 10 B's) more were built and flown directly to Davis-Mothen. In '96 the US decided to try an sell them... Deals with Indoneisa, New Zealand, Philippines and the Republic of China(Taiwan), either fell through, or didn't make it to the table. They were even considered to be donated to the Air Force of the Federation of Bosnia and Hertzegovina, this didn't pan out either. In all the above scenarios Pakistan would have recieved monies from the deal to pay off the $685 million they had spent on the aircraft.

In 2002 the US decided to quit trying to sell the aircraft, and started pulling them from the bone yard, and split them evenly between the Air Farce and the Navy, to use as Aggressor Aircraft.

Though after 9/11 and the Pakistani Government becoming a major US ally in the War on Terror, it was decided to re-deliver those aircraft to Pakistan. Half of them have been delivered, also in 2005 Pakistan requested 24 Block 50/52 F-16C/D's with an option for 55.

Info from:

F-16 dot net ARTICLE

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The F-16s, aka Coral Phoenix acft are out at Edwards...been out there since the deal went south. We've been flying them as flight test/chase planes...all had the orange/white paint schemes.

Those airplanes were reconfigured and sent to Pakistan in 2007-2008. I got to see it first hand.

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Yeah. Since the 1980's they were always a part of the informal plant tours whenever I'd be there TDY for a class or a conference. They were produced, certified, then parked, and never touched. Even the tire pressure was left neglected and the were half flat. There are some pics of them in the gallery.

Anyone got the production numbers so I can locate them in the gallery?

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NC97, those numbers of the embargoed Herks of Libya are Lockheed serial numbers: 4515, 4518, 4523, 4525, 4536, 4538, 4540, 4541. They were set for delivery from Nov 1973 to Oct 1974...but never made it.

Many thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I see by the news where old Momar Gaddafi told Obama he wants his $70 million back or the planes that he paid for. I say give him the planes, ha ha. Our excellent state department is probably trying to figure out what he is talking about. I'm sure Lockwasher would love to get the storage money he will owe.

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When I got laid off down there they tried to make me pay for a drill motor that the Co. and a union rep had taken out of my tool box while I was off work.

One of the shop stewards found where the drill motor had been refurbished after I had been issued a new one.

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