Is there hope of Libya's military turning against Gaddafi?

Today, two Libyan Air Force Mirage fighter jets landed in Malta. They were both loaded with explosive ordnance and were both equipped with fully loaded cannons to be used for strafing runs. Their pilots, two senior officers in the Libyan Air Force, said that they had been ordered to take off and fire on protesters but instead of following their orders they defected to Malta seeking political asylum. So it appears that there are indeed elements within the Libyan military who are willing to disobey orders and stand up to Gaddafi after all. But can we hope that enough of them will band together to force Gaddafi out of power like the Egyptian military did with Mubarak?

One of the defecting Libyan Mirages in Malta

  I'm not sure it will be that easy in Libya and here's why: Despite the fact that there have been reports of certain elements of the police forces and the military, even a whole armored division which has reportedly joined the protesters in Benghazi, defecting against Gaddafi there are two major factors that will certainly come into play when it comes to where the military's loyalty lies in Libya.

The first factor is that the Libyan military is not a cohesive unit with a clear linear chain of command as is the Egyptian military for example. Perhaps it was intentionally designed that way to prevent a military coup. Some elements of the military have been sympathetic with the protesters and have even reportedly  armed them to fight other pro-governments elements of the military. However, the likelihood of this happening with other factions of the military is slim to none. Take for example the Khamis Brigade, it's an entire brigade named after, and led by, Muammar Gaddafi's own son. It's safe to assume that they will fight till the last man and the last bullet as Seif Al Islam Gaddafi had warned on TV the night before.

Another element that will come into play when considering how likely the military is to perform a coup on Gaddafi is the fact that this is Libya, where the military is used to crush protests. In Egypt, the military has never in it's history been ordered to fire on the general public and were not about to begin now. The dirty work of the regime was carried out by Egypt's police force and state security apparatus, not the military. In Libya however, having the military use full force to crush the slightest acts of dissent is a normal thing and it's almost become as much of a regular duty to them as protecting their borders or patrolling their waters. To illustrate my point it's sufficient to state that Libya's Air Force has an entire squadron which is designated as the counter-insurgency squadron. So it will take a huge effort and a lot of of blood and sacrifice to force these elements of the military to change their minds. One thing is for sure; singing, chanting, and holding signs in a public square will not topple the regime in Libya. If anything, it will give the counter-insurgency squadron a more concentrated target for them to drop their bombs on.