Israeli Air Force
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The Israeli Air Force (IAF) (Hebrew: חיל האוויר Heyl ha'Avir) is the air force of the Israel Defense Forces.
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History
Early years (1948-1957)
The IAF was formed when Israel achieved statehood in 1948 and found itself under immediate attack. The air force was at first assembled from a hodge-podge collection of civilian aircraft commandeered or donated and converted to military use. A variety of obsolete and surplus ex-World War II (mostly Ex-Luftwaffe) combat aircraft were quickly sourced by various means to supplement this fleet. The backbone of the IAF consisted of 25 Avia S-199 and 62 Spitfires LF Mk IXE purchased from Czechoslovakia. During the 1950s, France became a major supplier of warplanes to Israel, but the trust between the two countries was violated just before the Six Day War, when France declared an arms embargo on Israel. This had a two pronged effect: Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) significantly increased its efforts and abilities in weapons production (initially based on the French models) and the United States replaced France as Israel's primary military aircraft broker, producing the majority of the IAF combat fighters from the late 1960s until today.
The Six-Day War
During the Six-Day War, the Israeli Air Force achieved absolute air superiority by eliminating the vast majority of opposing Arab air forces on the first day of fighting. On June 5, 1967, in Operation Focus, a massive coordinated raid employing special Durandal and conventional bombs, rockets and strafing, the IAF destroyed the most of the Egyptian air-force while their planes were still on the ground. By the end of the day the Syrian and Jordanian air forces were virtually wiped out as well. The IAF shoot-down record at the end of the war was a claimed record of 451 enemy aircraft downed versus 10 downed of its own. While this operation was taking place, only a handful of aircraft were left to guard Israeli skies.
The War of Attrition
In the War of Attrition, the IAF operated in air "dog fight" and bombing of strategic targets deep within enemy's territory. Notable operations were:
- September 11, 1969: IAF planes shot down 11 Egyptian jet fighters in dogfights.
- September 26, 1969: IAF Super Frelon and CH-53 Sikorski helicopters carry paratroopers in a raid to "hijack" and airlift back an advanced Soviet P-12 radar deployed in Egypt near Suez. A Ch-53 Helicopter carried the 4 ton radar back, tethered under it.
- January 7, 1970: the IAF start performing deep strikes on Egyptian targets, in order to force them to cease artillery and commando attacks on Israeli forces arrayed along the east side of the Suez Canal.
- July 30, 1970: the IAF ambushed and shot down 5 Egyptian MiG-21 fighters, flown by Soviet pilots.
Yom Kippur War
In the Yom Kippur War the IAF suffered heavy casualties from Soviet anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles but managed to regroup and assist IDF's ground forces and later bomb infrastructure targets in Syria and Egypt. IAF helicopters proved to be highly useful in logistics and rescue efforts (MedEvac). According to Israel, during that war, the IAF lost 102 planes while the Egyptian Air Force lost 235 and the Syrian Air Force lost 135.
Growth (1973 - 1982)
From the 1970s onwards, following the Yom Kippur War, most of Israel's military aircraft have been obtained from the United States. Those included the F-4 Phantom II, A-4 Skyhawk, E-2 Hawkeye and others.
The Israeli Air Force has also operated a number of domestically-produced types like the IAI Nesher, and later, the more advanced IAI Kfir, which were unauthorised derivatives of the French Dassault Mirage V (Israel bought and paid for 50 Mirage V's from Dassault Aviation, but they were not delivered due to the French embargo). The Kfir was adapted to utilize a more powerful US engine, produced under license in Israel.
During the 1980s and 1990s the IAF was equipped with a variety additional American aircraft (e.g. F-15, F-16, AH-1 Cobra and C130 Hercules).
In 1981 8 IAF F-16A fighters covered by 6 F-15A jets flew to Iraq and bombed the nuclear facilities of Osiraq. Among the pilots that took part in the attack was the late Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. The attack was code named Operation Opera (sometimes also referred to as Operation Babylon or Operation Ofra) by Israel.
Operation Peace for Galilee
During 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee, IAF warplanes destroyed the Syrian air defence without a single fighter lost and shot down 80 Syrian aircraft (however the Syrians claim shooting down Israeli aircraft). However, one IAF A-4 Skyhawk, piloted by Captain Aharon Achiaz, was lost to a PLO SA-7 missile, with the pilot being captured (although the pilot declared at a press conference in Beirut that he was "treated very well" by his captors). IAF AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunships have destroyed dozens of Syrian armored fighting vehicles and other ground targets, including some T-72 main battle tanks.
After the war has ended, the AH-1 Cobra and the IAF main activity during those years was to attack Hizbullah's and the PLO's positions in south Lebanon.
High Tech age (1990 and beyond)
During the 1990s the IAF upgraded most of its aircraft with advanced Israeli-made systems, improving the performances of the aircraft. In the 1990s the IAF also received the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship and equipped its aircraft with the Rafael Python 4, Popeye and Darby advanced Israeli missiles.
In the new millennium, the IAF bought the F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) and the F-16I Sufa (Storm), two of the most advanced variants of the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, manufactured specially for Israel according to the IAF requirements. The IAF has purchased 102 Sufa F-16I warplanes, the first planes arrived in April, 2004 (the IAF is the largest operator of F-16's after the US Air Force). The IAF also purchased the advanced Israeli air-to-air missile Rafael Python 5, with full-sphere capability, considered among the best in its field. The IAF also purchased a special version of the Apache Longbow, marked "AH-64DI" and known as "Saraf". During 2005 the Israeli Air Force received special "Gulfstream V" jets (known as "Nachshon"), modified with the newest and most advanced intelligence systems in the world, all made by Israeli Military Industries.
During the al-Aqsa intifada, the IAF was largely employed in targeted killings of Palestinian terrorist leaders, most notably Salah Shakhade, Mahmoud Abu-Hunud, Abu Ali Mustafa, Ahmed Yassin and Abed al-Aziz Rantissi. This policy is controversial - due to the collateral damage caused in certain instances. Israel notes it is vital to fight terrorism and that IAF pilots do whatever they can to avoid civilian casualties - including aborting strikes.
In 2003, 27 retired Air Force Pilots composed a letter of protest to the Air Force Commander, announcing their refusal to continue and perform attacks on targets within Palestinian population centers, and claiming that the occupation of the Palestinians "morally corrupts the fabric of Israeli society". This letter, the first of its kind emanating from the Air Force, evoked a storm of political protest in Israel, with most circles condemning it as dereliction of duty. IDF ethics forbid soldiers from making public political affiliations, and subsequently the IAF commander, Dan Halutz, announced that all signatories were to be suspended from flight duty, after which some of the pilots reconsidered and removed their signatures.
After a landmark 1994 High Court appeal by Alice Miller, a Jewish immigrant from South Africa, the Air Force was instructed to open its pilot's course to women. Miller failed the entrance exams, and the first female fighter pilot successfully received her wings in 2001 (several female navigators graduated before her).
Records and highlights
The Israeli Air Force is considered the strongest air force in the Middle East, and one of the best and most sophisticated in the world. Over the past few decades Israel has purchased (or been given) the most sophisticated American fighters available. However, the greatest strength of the IAF is the skill of its pilots. Israeli combat pilots are considered the best in the world, and hold a large number of shoot-down records. It is interesting to note that American pilots receive training from their Israeli counterparts as part of their training curriculum. Many of the IAF's electronics and weapons systems are developed and built in Israel by Israeli Military Industries, Israeli Aircraft Industries, Elbit and others.
The following is a report that reveals some of the skills of the IAF pilots:
- "Israeli air force pilots handily beat their German counterparts in "dogfights" in the first ever air force exercise between the two countries, an Israeli military official said Monday. The Israeli F-15 pilots, aided by special technology that Israel does not share or sell to other countries, beat the Germans by more than 100 "hits," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. In the past, Israel has beaten American air force pilots by similar margins, the officials added. Israel purchases U.S. warplanes without battle technology, installing its own locally made systems into the aircraft. The exercise was conducted over the past two weeks in the skies of Sardinia in Italy." Template:Ref
According to the IAF website: 687 enemy airplanes have been shot down in dogfights since Israel's birth. Only 23 Israeli planes have been shot down by enemy planes since 1948 — a statistic which puts the dogfight victory ratio between Israel and its Arab neighbors at 30:1.
The IAF is holding world records at the amounts of enemy's warplanes shoot-downs, air combats, special operations, and air to ground operations at the jet era.
Some of the records and highlight moments are as follows:
- June 5, 1967 – the Six Day War: The destruction of the entire Egyptian air-force within 3 hours. By the end of the day the Syrian and Jordanian air forces were wiped out as well. The IAF shoot-down total at the end of the war was a claimed record of 451 enemy aircraft downed versus of its own ten downed. See: Operation Red Sheet.
- March, 1969 until August, 1970 – the War of Attrition: 111 enemy warplanes were shot-down in dogfights by IAF pilots while only four IAF warplanes were shot down in dogfights by enemy pilots (according to Isaeli sources).
- Also, during the Cold War the Soviet Union held close relationships with the Arab nations. On July 30, 1970 the tension peaked: An IAF ambush resulted in a large scale air brawl between IAF planes and MiGs flown by Soviet pilots — five MiGs were shot down, while the IAF suffered no losses.
- October 9, 1973 – the Yom Kippur War: The destruction of the Syrian General Staff in Damascus: On October 9 1973, two F-4 Phantom quartets attacked and destroyed the Syrian General Staff Headquarters in the heart of Damascus. The Syrian Air Force Headquarters was damaged as well.
- Also, during the Yom Kippur War, the IAF shot-downed 277 enemy warplanes accounting for over a third of the IAF's total kills since 1948.
- Obtaining the first shoot-downs for the American fighter jets, the F-15 and the F-16. [1]
- June 7, 1981 – Operation Babylon: The destruction of the Iraqi Osiraq nuclear reactor. Eight IAF F-16 fighters flew to Iraq and bombed the nuclear facilties of Osiraq. Among the pilots that took part in the attack was the late Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut.
- June 8, 1982 – Operation Peace for Galilee: The destruction of the entire Soviet supplied Syrian air-defence system in Lebanon within few hours without a single warplane lost; Syria with the help of the U.S.S.R built up an overlapping network of surface-to-air missiles. Also the IAF states it achieved in dogfights a total of 80 Syrian planes shoot-downs, without a single Israeli plane being shot down.
- October 1, 1985 – Operation Wooden Leg: The bombing of PLO Headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, the longest combat mission ever undertaken by the IAF: 2300 kilometers, involving in flight refueling by an IAF Boeing 707..
- The only documented successful emergency landing of an F-15 with one wing, the other torn off after an airborne collision with an A-4 Skyhawk. The Skyhawk exploded and its pilot ejected. McDonnell-Douglas, the F-15 Manufacturer, refused to believe it was possible until photos of the incident were shown. The F-15 was restored to flight status.
- "Ace" pilots: 39 IAF pilots shot down at least five jet planes, ten out of them shot down at least eight jet planes.
- "Ace of Aces": Major General Giora Epstein shot down seventeen jet planes, holding the world record of jets shot down after the Korean War.
- 126 enemy planes were shot down in dogfights in the years between the wars — most of them in the 1970s. The IAF lost only two planes in dogfights between the wars, in 1959 and in 1964.
See also: IAF shot-downs and kills record.
See also
- List of aircraft of the Israeli Air Force
- Israel Aircraft Industries
- Israeli Defence Forces
- List of air forces
Template:Israel Defense Forces
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References
- Template:Note Sep. 22 2003 The Associated Press