| 101 Squadron | |
|---|---|
| טייסת הקרב הראשונה | |
 | |
| Active | May 20, 1948 – Present |
| Country |  Israel |
| Branch |  Israeli Air Force |
| Role | Air Defence |
| Garrison/HQ | Ramat David Airbase |
| Nickname(s) | First Fighter Squadron |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Modi Alon Yosef Alon Avraham Lanir |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-16C |
101 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), also known as the First Fighter Squadron, operates F-16C Fighting Falcon Barak out of Ramat David Airbase.
101 Squadron is Israel's first fighter squadron, formed on 20 May 1948, six days after Israel declared its independence. Initially flying the Avia S-199, it has since operated the Supermarine Spitfire, North American Mustang, Dassault Mystere IV, Dassault Mirage IIICJ, IAI Nesher and IAI Kfir.
101 Squadron was formed at two air bases simultaneously: IAF Ekron, former RAF Aqir, currently Tel Nof Airbase, and Žatec, code-named "Zebra", in northwestern Czechoslovakia, a former Luftwaffe airfield close to a Messerschmitt production facility. Pilots received initial flight training on the Avia S-199s, Czechoslovak-built copies of the Bf 109G with 1,320 hp Junkers Jumo 211F powerplants. During one ferry flight some of the squadron's 15 aircraft were forced to land in Greece, and were immediately impounded. During the next ferry-flight a C-46 was used as a navigation guide, and a corvette was readied off the coast in case any aircraft had to be ditched and pilots rescued from water. [1]
Four of these flew the squadron's first mission on 29 May 1948, strafing the Egyptian ground forces near Ad Halom, in the prelude to Operation Pleshet. 101 Squadron was responsible for the Israeli Air Force's first aerial victories on 3 June 1948, when Modi Alon, after taking off from Herzliya Airport, shot down a pair of Royal Egyptian Air Force C-47s which had just bombed Tel Aviv. [2] [3]
A makeshift strip located around the current Herzliya Airport was the main operating base of the squadron between June and October 1948, and the squadron moved to it after un-assembled planes were strafed on the ground on 30 May. The airfield was used as it was some distance behind the front lines, and was clandestine. It was a purpose built strip that was constructed after the beginning of hostilities in between the orange orchards around Herzliya, and did not appear on published maps. [4] [5] [6]
During these initial operations, the squadron operated with a few planes in the face of the Arab forces' near-Air supremacy and the airplanes were dispersed between the orange trees when parked. The squadron was moved in October to Hatzor Airbase from the strip in due to its unsuitability in rainy conditions, probable loss of clandestine status, fluidity of the front lines which made former British bases safe for use, and a shift in the balance of air superiority towards the Israelis. [4] [5] [6] In 2021 the squadron relocated from Hatzor Airbase to Ramat David Airbase alongside the 105 Squadron.
The Israeli Air Force operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. As of April 2022, Aluf Tomer Bar has been serving as the Air Force commander.
The Avia S-199 is a propeller-driven Messerschmitt Bf 109G-based fighter aircraft built after World War II using the Bf 109G airframe and a Junkers Jumo 211F engine in place of the original and unavailable Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. It is notable as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force, and used during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir is an Israeli all-weather multirole combat aircraft based on the French Dassault Mirage 5, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-built version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine.
David Elkana Ivry is a Major General (retired) in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). As commander of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) he played a key role in Operation Opera, the destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor located 990 miles (1,590 km) from Israel, in 1981. In 1999, Ivry was appointed first director of the Israeli National Security Council. From 2003 to 2021, he served as the Vice President of Boeing International and president of Boeing Israel. Ivry was the Israeli Ambassador to the United States from 2000 to 2002.
Hatzor Airbase, also titled Kanaf 4 is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base, located in central Israel near kibbutz Hatzor Ashdod after which it is named. However, there have been no fighter jets stationed there since 2021, only patrol aircraft, UAVs and defense missiles. A Combined Operations Center for the US military and Israel has also been built there in 2021.
Herzliya Airport (Hebrew: שְׂדֵה הַתְּעוּפָה הֶרְצְלִיָּה Arabic: مطار هرتسيليا, is an airport located in the city of Herzliya in central Israel. The airport is mainly used by flight schools and for general aviation. It has no terminals.
Ramat David Airbase is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base located 20 km southeast of Haifa in the Northern District of Israel, close to kibbutz Ramat David in the Jezreel Valley. It is the northernmost IAF base in Israel with fighter jets, UAVs and helicopters based on it. There is an ongoing debate about whether Ramat David should be converted into an international airport.
Tel Nof Airbase, also known as Air Force Base 8, is the oldest and main base of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) located 5 km south of Rehovot, Israel. Tel Nof houses two strike fighter, two helicopter and a UAV squadron. Also located on the base are the Flight Test Center Manat and several special units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), among others Unit 669 and the Paratroopers Brigade training center and its headquarters.
Hatzerim Airbase is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base on the northern edge of the Negev desert in the Southern District of Israel, 6 km west of Beersheba, near kibbutz Hatzerim. Apart from operational fighter jets, it houses the IAF Flight Academy, the IAF Aerobatic Team and the IAF Museum.
The 105 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as The Scorpion, operates F-16Ds from Ramat David Airbase.
Palmachim Airbase is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base and spaceport, which the IAF and the Israel Space Agency (ISA) operate jointly. It is located west of the city of Yavne on the Mediterranean coast, 12 km south of the Gush Dan metropolitan area with Tel Aviv, named after the Kibbutz Palmachim north of it. There are no fighter jets stationed there, but helicopters, UAVs and defense missiles.
116 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as Lions of the South Squadron, is an F-35I Adir stealth fighter squadron based at Nevatim Airbase. They once flew the F-16A/B.
119 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Bat Squadron, is an Lockheed Martin F-16I Sufa fighter squadron based at Ramon Airbase.
Bir Gifgafa is an airfield in the Sinai, 90 km east of the Suez Canal. During the 1960s and 1970s it played a significant role in Arab–Israeli wars, at different times serving both Egypt and Israel.
Aluf Amos Lapidot was an Israeli fighter pilot who served as the tenth Commander of the Israeli Air Force, a position he held from 1982 to 1987. From 1998 to 2001 he was the President of Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
253 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Negev Squadron, is an F-16I fighter squadron based at Ramon Airbase.
Mordechai "Modi" Alon was an Israeli fighter pilot who with the formation of the Israeli Air Force in May 1948, assumed command of its first fighter squadron. Flying the Avia S-199, Alon participated in the IAF's first combat sortie on 29 May 1948, and on 3 June scored the IAF's very first aerial victories, downing a pair of Royal Egyptian Air Force C-47s over Tel Aviv.
The History of the Israel Air Force begins in May 1948, shortly after the formation of the State of Israel. Following Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, its pre-state national institutions transformed into the agencies of a state, and on May 26, 1948, the Israeli Air Force was formed. Beginning with a small collection of light aircraft, the force soon transformed into a comprehensive fighting force. It has since participated in several wars and numerous engagements, becoming what has been described as "The mightiest air force in the Middle East".
Ran Goren is a retired fighter pilot and Major General of the IDF, former Deputy Commander of the Air Force and Head of the Manpower Directorate.
144 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), also known as the Phoenix Squadron, operates Spark Nitsot UAVs out of Hatzor Airbase.
| History |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Branches and components | ||
| Air bases (N to S) | ||
| Formations and units | ||
| Equipment | ||
| Combat squadrons |    | |
|---|---|---|
| Helicopter squadrons | ||
| Command / transport | ||
| Unmanned | ||
| Other | ||
| Inactive | ||
| Notable | ||
| Historical |
| |
