Israeli Air Force - Definition

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) (Hebrew: חיל האוויר Heyl ha'Avir) is the Air branch of the Israel Defense Force.

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 combat aircraft were quickly sourced by various means to supplement this fleet.

During the 1950s, France became a major supplier of warplanes to Israel, but this supply stopped due to diplomatic and economical considerations (the Arab states were deemed to be a much more important trading partner than Israel, and a vital pillar of the French oil supply) at the time of the Six Day War.

The Six Day War

During the Six Day War, the Israeli Air Force achieved absolute air superiority by eliminating the entire opposing Arab air forces on the first day of fighting. On June 5, 1967, in a massive coordinated raid employing special Durandal bombs, the IAF destroyed the entire Egyptian air-force while most of the Egyptian planes were still on the ground. By the end of the day the Syrian and Jordanian air forces were 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.

On June 8, 1967, the Israeli Air Force mistakenly attacked the USS Liberty while she was in international waters. The Israeli Government later apologized for this tragic mistake.

The Attrition War

In the War of Attrition, the IAF operated in air "dog fight" and bombing of startegic target deep within enemy's territory. Noteable operations were:

• September 11, 1969: IAF planes shot down 11 Egyptian jet fighters in dogfights.
• September 26, 1969: an IAF CH-53 Yasur helicopter airlifts an advance Soviet P-12 radar deployed in Egypt near Suez.
• January 7, 1970: the IAF start bombing Egyptian ground targets in order to force them cease attacks on Israel.
• July 30, 1970: the IAF shot down 5 Egyptian MiG (Mikoyan-Gurevich) fighters, piloted by Soviet piolts.

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). 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.

The Israeli Air Force has also operated a small number of domestically-produced types, most famously the IAI Kfir, an unauthorised copy of the French Dassault Mirage III adapted to utilise a more powerful US engine.

During the 1980s and 1990s the IAF was equipped with American aircrafts ( F-15, F-16, AH-1 Cobra and C130 Hercules). In 1981 8 IAF F-16 fighters covered by 8 F-15 jets 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. This operation was named by Israel Opera operation.

Operation Peace for Galilee

During 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee, IAF warplans destroyed the Syrian air defence without a single fighter lost and shot down 80 Syrian aircraft (some claim that part of the Syrian aircraft shot down by the IAF were piloted by Soviet pilots). IAF AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunships have destroyed dozens of Syrian armored fighting vehicles and other ground targets, including many 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 henceforth)

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 and the F-16I Sufa, 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 at the April, 2004. 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.

During the al-Aqsa intifada, the IAF was largely employed in targeted killings of terrorist leaders, most notably Salah Shakhade, Mahmoud Abu-Hunud, Abu Ali Mustafa, Ahmed Yassin and Abed al-Aziz Rantissi. This policy is very controversial - mainly due to the collateral damage caused, but Israel claims it is vital to fight terrorism and that IAF pilots do whatever they can to avoid civilian casualties - including aborting strikes.

Markings

The insignia of the Israeli Air Force is a blue Star of David on a white circle. This is usually painted in six positions - on the top and bottom of each wing, and each side of the fuselage. Squadron markings are usually carried on the tail fin.

Records and Highlights

The Israeli Air Force is considered as the strongest air force is the Middle East and as one of the best and most sophisticated air forces in the world, which many of its electronics and weapons systems are developed and built in Israel by the Israeli Military Industries. However, the main secret of the IAF is the skills of its pilots. The Israeli combat pilots are considered as the best in the world, together with the American pilots, and hold a large number of shoot-downs records. It is rumored that American pilots get training from their Israeli counterparts as part of their training curriculum.

The following is a report that reveals some of the records of the IAF:

Sep. 22, 2003 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

"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."

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 a whopping 30:1.

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 10 downed. See: Operation Red Sheet.
• Obtaining the first shoot-downs for the American fighter jets, the F-15 and the F-16.
• June 7, 1981: 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: The destruction of the entire Soviet-Syrian air-defence system in Lebanon within few hours without a single warplane lost; Syria with the U.S.S.R built up an overlapping network of surface-to-air missiles, and the density of SAM site locations was unmatched anywhere in the world including the U.S.S.R. itself. Also the IAF achieved in dogfights a total of 80 Syrian planes shoot-downs, without a single Israeli plane being shot down.
• October, 1985: The bombing of PLO Headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, the longest combat mission ever undertaken by the IAF.
• The only documented emergency landing of an F-15 with only one wing.
• "Ace" pilots: 39 IAF pilot shot down at least 5 jet planes, 10 out of them shot down at least 8 jet planes.
• "Ace of Aces": Major General Giora Epstein shot down 17<b> (seventeen) jet planes, holding the world record of jets shot down. [1] (http://www.iaf.org.il/Templates/Kills/FirstDown.aspx?lang=EN&subfolderID=294&folderID=43&lobbyID=40)