
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 29, 1990                   TAG: 9003290500
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

U.S. SAYS LIBYA ENHANCING PLANES

Libya has successfully tested a system to refuel fighter-bombers in flight, a major advance toward extending the range of the aircraft and giving them the ability to carry heavier payloads, according to Pentagon intelligence reports.

The refueling program has been of serious concern to administration officials, especially in light of reports that Libya was manufacturing chemical weapons.

With aerial refueling, Libyan SU-24 Fencer fighter-bombers could fly farther at low altitude, making the planes less vulnerable to detection.

Such a system would greatly enhance Libya's ability to attack Israel.

Administration officials said the recent Libyan test involved a Mirage F-1 fighter-bomber and an American-made C-130 transport plane that had been converted into a refueling tanker.

During the test, a refueling probe mounted on the C-130 was connected to the Mirage F-1 on four of six attempts.

While the link between the planes lasted only several minutes, American officials said it was an important step indicating Libya had overcome many of the technical problems that have plagued its aerial refueling program. Libya has been trying to extend the range of its fighter-bombers for a long time.

The New York Times disclosed last year that Moscow had agreed to refit a Libyan transport plane, a Soviet-made IL-76, so it could be used as an aerial tanker.

American officials criticized that transaction and Moscow has not delivered the refueling plane or supplied additional SU-24 fighter bombers.

Since then, the Libyans have tried to develop an aerial refueling system using the C-130.

In March, American intelligence reported that a C-130 that appeared to have a fuel probe on its left wing was parked near a Mirage F-1 at a military airfield near Tripoli, leading American intelligence analysts to speculate that the technical problems had been overcome.

Soon after this, the Libyans demonstrated the ability to link the planes in flight, though American officials do not know if fuel was actually transferred from the C-130 to the Mirage during the flight tests.

by CNB