Roni Zuckerman | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Known for | 1st female jet fighter pilot for the Israeli Air Force |
| Relatives |
|
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service/ |  Israeli Air Force |
| Years of service | 2001 –present |
Roni Zuckerman (born 1981) is an Israeli who served as the first female jet fighter pilot for the Israeli Air Force.
Roni Zuckerman was born and raised on kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta'ot ("the Ghetto Fighters' kibbutz"), located near Haifa. Her father Shimon was an electrical engineer and her mother Mati was a doctor of genetic engineering. She is the granddaughter of Zivia Lubetkin and Yitzhak Zuckerman (also known as Icchak Cukierman), who were among the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II and among the 34 fighters who survived. They were founding members of the kibbutz, which was established by former Jewish partisans in 1949. Zuckerman studied physics and computers at Salman Tzur High School at kibbutz Gesher HaZiv. [1]
Although women had served as pilots during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and a few years thereafter, the Israel Defense Forces had, until 1995, denied women the opportunity to become pilots. After the prohibition was lifted, the first female graduate was F-16 navigator Sari Rahat in 1998, [2] followed three years later by Zuckerman, the first female jet-fighter pilot in IAF history. [3]
Another Israeli woman who took the course at the same time as Lt Zuckerman, but failed to qualify, described to a reporter the training as "mentally and physically exhausting." She stated, "I did 100 push-ups a day, which is difficult for a woman. Of the women on the course, only Roni qualified." [4] Zuckerman received her wings in 2001, becoming the fourth female soldier to complete the pilot's course and the first to become a fighter pilot. She was assigned to an F-16 squadron as a fighter pilot and also later became a commander at the IAF flight academy. She was released from active service in 2007, although continued to do reserve duty. [1] [4]
After her discharge, Zuckerman studied electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University, and became vice president of engineering, operations, and purchasing at an energy company. She is married with three children. [1]
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.
Yitzhak Zuckerman, also known by his nom de guerre "Antek", was one of the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 against Nazi Germany during World War II.
Hatzor Airbase, also titled Kanaf 4 is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base, located in central Israel near kibbutz Hatzor after which it is named. However, there have been no fighter jets stationed there since 2021, only patrol aircraft, UAVs and defense missiles.
A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting. A fighter pilot with at least five air-to-air kills becomes known as an ace.
Zivia Lubetkin was one of the leaders of the Jewish underground in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and the only woman on the High Command of the resistance group Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa (ŻOB). She survived the Holocaust in German-occupied Poland and immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1946, at the age of 32.
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.
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.
Aluf Mordechai (Motti) Hod was the Commander of the Israeli Air Force during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Aluf Dan Tolkowsky is a retired Israeli Air Force officer who served as a major general in the Israeli Air Force (IAF) from 1953 to 1958. A noted investor, he helped start the first Israeli venture capital fund.
This list is about women in warfare and the military from 1945 to 1999, worldwide.
This article is about women in warfare and the military (2000–present) throughout the world outside the United States. For women in warfare and the military in the United States since 2000, please see: Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States, 2000–2010 and Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States from 2011–present.
Yael Rom, born Yael Finkelstein, was one of the first female pilots of the Israeli Air Force and the first trained and certified by the force. She was co-pilot of the lead C-47 at the parachute drop at the Mitla Pass which launched the 1956 Suez War.
Israel is one of only a few countries where military service is compulsory for all able-bodied female citizens. Under Israeli conscription laws, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may draft recruits from three communities: the Jews, the Druze, and the Circassians. As the latter two communities are less populous, their women are not required to serve. Women from the Jewish majority are not exempted from the conscription laws, but serve for slightly shorter terms than male conscripts. All women who are exempted from the conscription laws may still enlist voluntarily. Jewish women who are called up for military service may apply for an exemption on humanitarian, religious, or certain legal grounds. Those who claim such an exemption will typically be redirected to Sherut Leumi, the alternative means of national service.
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Squadron Leader Avani Chaturvedi is an Indian pilot from Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh. She was declared as the first female combat pilot in India along with two of her cohorts, Mohana Singh Jitarwal, and Bhawana Kanth. The trio was inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 18 June 2016, to serve the nation.
Bhawana Kanth is one of the first female fighter pilots of India. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with two of her cohort, Mohana Singh, and Avani Chaturvedi. The trio was inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. After the government of India decided to open the fighter stream in India Air Force for women on an experimental basis, these three women were the first to be selected for the program.
Squadron Leader Mohana Singh Jitarwal is one of the first female fighter pilots of India. She was declared as the first female combat pilot along with two of her cohort, Bhawana Kanth, and Avani Chaturvedi. All three women pilots were inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. After the government of India decided to open the fighter stream in India Air Force for women on an experimental basis, these three women were the first to be selected for the program.
Rami Harpaz was a colonel in the Israel Defence Forces and a prisoner of war during the War of Attrition. Harpaz served as a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and spent three and a half years in an Egyptian prison. Following his release, he returned to the Air Force, and came to command the IAF base at Ramat David.
Alice Miller is an Israeli pilot who successfully sued the Israeli military for the right to enlist in the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy.
Rina Levinson-Adler was one of the first three female pilots admitted to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilot training course.