117 Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1953-2020; 2021- |
Disbanded | September 2020 - as active Air Defense squadron; reestablished July 2021 as training squadron |
Country | Israel |
Branch | Israeli Air Force |
Role | F-35I training (2021-); Air Defense (1953-2020) |
Garrison/HQ | Nevatim Airbase (2021-); Ramat David Airbase (1953-2020) |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | F-35I (current); F-16C (previous); Gloster Meteor (first) |
The 117 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), also known as the First Jet Squadron, is initially a training squadron for F-35I Adir fighter pilots, based at Nevatim Airbase. [1]
Before it closed in September 2020 after 67 years of service, [1] the 117th was an F-16C fighter squadron based at Ramat David Airbase. [2] The squadron operated Israel's first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, flying the T7 (two-seat trainer), F8 (fighter) and FR9 (reconnaissance) variants. [3]
In July 2021, Airforce Technology reported that the Israeli Air Force had re-established the 117th First Jet Squadron as a training squadron in the IAF’s F-35I Adir division, based at Nevatim Airbase in the Negev. It will become an operational squadron as soon as there are enough jets arrived from the US. [1]
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1940, although work on the engines had been under way since 1936. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. The Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter. Gloster's 1946 civil Meteor F.4 demonstrator G-AIDC was the first civilian-registered jet aircraft in the world. Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades.
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