laststandonzombieisland

Almost since the days of the Wright brothers, some of the first trained aviators took to the sky for the highest bidder in far-off places. While most know these pilots primarily through the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) in 1940s China and Air America in 1960s-70s Vietnam, the fact is just about every conflict since 1911 has seen at least a few pilots taking their skills overseas for adventure– and varying amounts of cash.

The latest example seems to be Borys Reyes, an Ecuadorian fighter pilot, whose vintage (1978-79 model) Dassault Mirage F1 was apparently shot down by Libyan National Army forces near al-Watiyah on 23 April. Flying for the UN-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord, the LNA has described Reyes as a “mercenary.”

The LNA has released images they say are his ejection seat, survival gear, parachute, and flight suit name patch– but not Reyes, who apparently was able to beat feet.

Janes notes that several players in the area are disputing LNAs version of the events, which is common.

It should be noted that the Libyan Air Force in the Gaddafi-era used merc pilots hired from East German, Czechoslovakia, and other assorted Warsaw Pact countries for much of the Cold War, transitioning to a more diverse group in the 1990s.