Back in the mid-late 1980s, the bad guys of the day were Libya and its leader Khadaffi. Ever since Khadaffi overthrew the King back in the 1960's, Libya has been up near the top of 'countries that the US considers to be bad news'. Others are Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea and a few others that change from time to time. Most are led by dictators or repressive regimes.

Several times in the aforementioned time frame the Libyan leadership decided that the section of the Mediterranean known as the Gulf of Sidra was to be Libyan territorial water. This section of the Sea extended several hundred miles from Libya's northern shore. International convention gives countries sovereign rights out 12 miles from the shoreline. Some nations claim fishing rights out 200 miles, but that had never been agreed upon by the international body that oversees such things. 

Anyway, Khadaffi claimed this part of the Med as his own and had an imaginary 'Line of Death', the crossing over of which would bring retaliation to the usurper! One of the US Navy's tasks has always been to assure freedom of the seas and the right of shipping to proceed unmolested through international waters. Therefore, a carrier battle group was sent into this part of the world to put the threats to a test. 

This 1986 adventure (Operation El Dorado Canyon) involved all four squadrons being used to strike at Libyan SAM sites. The attack was precipitated by the bombing of a disco in Berlin which killed several US servicemen, and by the Libyans firing SAM-5 missiles at US aircraft as they flew poatrols across the 'Line of Death'. No US planes were hit, but retaliatory strikes were carried out by the ship's Hornet  squadrons as well as Intruders from the USS America and by F-111 aircraft flying in from the UK. Strikes at airfields and other air defense systems severely damaged the Libyan ability to respond to these strikes.

There are four F-18As on this sheet, all from the USS Coral Sea on one of her last cruises before being decommissioned. They are all painted the same way with FS 36375 uppers, FS 36495 lowers and FS 35237 anti-glare panels. There are enough stencil decals for one aircraft and a very small stencil placement chart.

The first plane is  AK/200 the CAG Commander's plane from VFA-132. It sports two strike kill markings on the nose.

Next is VFA-131's AK/101, also sporting two strike kill markings.

From VMFA-323 is  AK/407 with a single strike markings.

Two nose markings are on VMFA-314's AK/301. 

The Coral Sea was the first US Carrier to have the Hornet for both its 'fighter' and light strike squadrons. 

Review copy courtesy of my long suffering credit card!

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