Libyan pilots defect

Here's an interesting development during the ongoing Libyan crisis. Today (Feb. 21) a pair of Libyan colonels flew their Mirage F1 fighters to Malta and defected rather than attack protesters.

This would appear to be a major blow to the regime's firepower. While Libya reportedly has received some 38 Mirage F1s of various models, only a dozen of those are currently operational, so loging 2 of that dozen is major loss of firepower. One suspects that the usefulness oft he remaining planes will be curtailed as well, due to regime fears about more defections.