The Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed on June 13 that is units had shot down a warplane of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the northern part of the country.
A source from the Misrata Airbase denied that Khalifa Haftar’s forces had downed Air Force aircraft at Al-Dafiniya in west of the city, saying the aircraft had experienced a mechanical failure after taking off.
The source added that the pilot was killed in the incident as he tried to land some 20 km away from Misrata.
A warplane of the militias gathering [LNA term for pro-GNA forces] was shot down, its pilot was killed, in the area of Dafniya in Misrata after being hit by our armed forces,” the army’s media office said in a press release.
Pro-GNA sources released a video showing the wreckage of the downed warplane, which was reportedly of the L-39 type. However, the sources denied the LNA claims and said that the warplane crashed after a “technique failure.”
The LNA’s Air Defense Force operates at least one Soviet-made 2K12 Kub [SA-6] medium-range air-defense system. However, Dafniya, which is located more than 100km away from the closest army position, is well out of the system’s range. This supports the GNA’s claims.
Most of the GNA’s warplanes are outdated and lacking proper maintenance. Pro-government forces are trying to change this situation by employing foreign experts to restore the warplanes, which are also being flown by foreign contractors
on April 24, 2019, LNA forces shot down GNA Air force Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jets In Libya
on April 15, 2019, Libyan government forces have shot down a Libyan National Army MiG-21 fighter jet over Tripoli
on April 12, 2019, Haftar’s Libyan National Army claims to shot down a Libyan government military aircraft
