History
The unit was established in 1969 during the War of Attrition as a counter to the strengthening of Egyptian army air defense systems along the Suez Canal. [3] The unit was a combined force operating both aerial and ground assets. [3]
On July 8, 1971, a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion modified for electronic warfare crashed in the Mediterranean Sea, near El Arish. All ten crew members including six members of the unit were killed in the incident. [4]
On September 17, 1971, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser electronic warfare plane was shot down east of the Suez Canal by two Egyptian SA-2 surface-to-surface missiles. Seven crew members including two unit personnel perished in the incident. [5]
In the Yom Kippur War, the unit also operated modified versions of the Douglas DC-3 with specialized electronic warfare and reconnaissance equipment. [3] During the war, a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion modified for electronic warfare was shot down killing seven crew members including four unit personnel. [6]
On April 19, 1974, two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion electronic warfare helicopters collided while landing at Rosh Pina Airport. Ten crew members including five unit personnel perished in the incident. [7]
The unit operated in the First Lebanon War under the command of Lt.Col Rami Luz. [8]
The unit is known to have utilized the planes of the Naschon Squadron having specially modified them for electronic warfare missions. [9] [10]
The unit was initially stationed at the Lod Airbase but was moved to Tel Nof Airbase after the closure of Lod Airbase. [3]
The unit currently serves as an air support team and operates a wide variety of aircraft from various Israeli Air Force squadrons modifying them for electronic warfare. Commonly used aircraft include the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallions. [11]
This unit is one of the most classified units with very little information being released about the unit's operations. [11]
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 CH-53 Sea Stallion is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The Sea Stallion was originally developed in response to a request from the United States Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons made in March 1962 for a replacement for the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave helicopters flown by the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
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 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.
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.
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 and several special units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), among others Unit 669 and the Paratroopers Brigade training center and its headquarters.
Nevatim Airbase, also Air Force Base 28, is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base, located 15 km east-southeast of Beersheba, near moshav Nevatim in the Negev desert. It is one of the largest in Israel and has three runways of different lengths. Stealth fighter jets, transport aircraft, tanker aircraft and machines for electronic reconnaissance/surveillance, as well as the Wing of Zion, are stationed there.
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.
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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.
The 114 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Night Leaders Squadron, is a helicopter squadron of CH-53-2000 Sea Stallions based at Tel Nof Airbase.
The 118 Squadron is an active helicopter squadron of the Israeli Air Force and is part of the Participation & Helicopter Group, based at Tel Nof Airbase. Established on October 1970 and nicknamed the "Night Birds", also known as the "Night Riders" and the "Nocturnal Birds of Pray", the squadron is operating the Sikorsky CH-53-2025 Yas'ur.
124 Squadron, established January 1st, 1958, is a squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as Rolling Sword Squadron.
120 Squadron is a squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Desert Giants.
The 122 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Nahshon Squadron, is a G550 squadron based at Nevatim Airbase.
The 135 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Air Kings Squadron.
210 "White Eagle" Squadron of the Israeli Air Force is an IAI Eitan squadron based at Tel Nof Airbase.
The 166 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the Fire Birds Squadron, is an Elbit Hermes 900 squadron based at Palmachim Airbase.
On 26 July 2010, an Israeli Air Force Sikorsky CH-53 Yas'ur helicopter crashed during a training flight in the Carpathian Mountains, near the city of Brașov in Romania. The accident took place during a joint Romanian-Israeli aviation military exercise code-named "Blue Sky 2010".
The Red Baron Squadron is a squadron in the Israeli Air Force, which operates " Eitan " type UAVs from the Tel Nof Airbase. The squadron was established on January 28, 2019 as part of an agreement between the Israeli government, the aerospace industry and the German Army. It is the only Israeli Air Force squadron without a numerical designation.
Unit 5700 also known as Forward Air Field Tactical Unit is a special unit of the Israeli Air Force concerned with establishing and operating temporary forward landing bases for transport, reinforcement, logistics, and other purposes. Along with Shaldag Unit and Unit 669, it constitutes the special forces wing of Israeli Air Force.
Israel 
Israeli Air Force 
