AL JAZEERA: … Libya is said to have relatively sophisticated military capabilities, including an advanced air defence system comprising 18,000 members and more than 200 fighter jets.
It is also believed to hold 50 Soviet-designed SA-6 missiles, which may have the capacity to shoot down US and European jets.
The Libyan system “consists of much more modern surface-to-air missiles” than the Iraqi defences destroyed by US forces in 2003, David Deptula, a former fighter pilot told the Washington Post.
The reports have raised concerns that any foreign force entering Libya would face the prospect of combat, another complicating factor for setting up a no-fly zone.
Some analysts also suggest that one could only be implemented effectively by first destroying Libya’s air defences through a bombing campaign, which could mean civilian deaths… (more)
