Number of combat helicopters in Israel. Israeli air force

Article about the Israeli Air Force. She was inspired by the message that the best fighter pilot in the world (according to Guinness), on whose combat account about 20 downed Soviet MIGs and Sukhikhs, is Colonel Heil Avir Giora Epstein, and behind him is another crowd of Israeli aces. However, an article about Israeli aces pilots is yet to come.

Emblem of the Israeli Air Force

©Alexander Shulman
Alexander SHULMAN

Israeli Air Force

The history of the combat victories of the Israeli Air Force dates back to June 3, 1948. On this day, squadron commander Moddy Alon shot down two enemy Dakota bombers in the sky over Tel Aviv, which were going to bomb the densely populated quarters of the Jewish capital, in a Messerschmit fighter.
Back in the late 1930s, pilot training began in Eretz Israel at the Aviron flight school, the first graduates of which, as part of the British Royal Air Force, took part in the air "Battle for England" during the Second World War. In 1943, the Aviron flight school became integral part Palmach and her cadets joined the Jewish underground army. The impending War of Independence required the immediate creation of an air force on a regular basis, and on November 10, 1947, the Haganah Chief of Staff Yaakov Dori signed an order to create Sherut Avir (Hebrew for Air Service), subsequently renamed
in Heil Avir (air force).
The Israeli Air Force had to be created already in the battles of the War of Independence. The young Jewish state did not yet have either aircraft or trained personnel, and Israeli cities and villages were already subjected to enemy air raids. Literally under enemy fire, aircraft were purchased, Jewish volunteers began to arrive in Israel - pilots from different countries peace. The first aircraft were purchased in Czechoslovakia. They were delivered by air to Israel, assembled directly at the airfields, and the pilots went into battle on new combat vehicles. During the air battles, Israeli pilots seized air supremacy and shot down 18 enemy aircraft. Bomb strikes were carried out on combat positions and rear facilities of the enemy.
Since then, the purpose of the Israeli Air Force has been to gain air supremacy and protect the Israeli population and its armed forces from the aggressive attacks of enemy armies and terrorist organizations. The Israeli Air Force has a powerful fleet of military equipment, unique combat experience gained in numerous wars and armed conflicts, but the main strength of Heil Avir is people. The professionalism and courage of the pilots and ground personnel are covered with legendary glory. In air battles, Israeli aces shot down 686 enemy aircraft, losing only 23 of their own. No air force in the world has such a ratio of victories to losses (30:1).
The combat operations of the Israeli Air Force are based on a whole range of strategic plans, tactical and aerobatic techniques, initiative and a non-trivial approach to solving combat missions at all levels: from ordinary pilots to air force commanders. This principle was fully revealed in the Six Day War of 1967. On June 5, at 0745, the Israeli Air Force attacked along the entire front. Their plan of action was to strike at air bases and destroy all enemy combat aircraft on the ground. Instead of flying straight at their targets, the first wave of Israeli planes flew into the open sea, turned around and at low altitude, over the crests of the waves, approached from the west - not at all from the direction from which the Egyptians expected to attack. After destroying 300 out of 320 Egyptian aircraft, the Israelis immediately proceeded to destroy the air forces of other Arab states bordering Israel. After crushing blows, the air forces of Iraq, Jordan and Syria were also destroyed. In air battles, Israeli pilots shot down another sixty enemy aircraft.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force, General Mordechai Hod, said at the time: “Sixteen years of planning are reflected in these exciting eighty hours. We lived this plan, we went to bed and ate, thinking about it. Finally, we made it." The secret of this outstanding victory lies primarily in the highest combat skills of pilots and ground personnel - many pilots made 8-10 sorties a day.
In the heavy air combat of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israeli pilots shot down 277 enemy planes, losing only five of their own.
The 21st century air warfare strategy was tested by the Israeli Air Force in 1982 with the "Peace for Galilee" campaign, which aimed to repel terrorist attacks on Israel's northern borders. On June 9, Israeli intelligence discovered an enemy grouping of troops in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, which was protected by twenty batteries anti-aircraft missile systems and aviation. Dozens of Israeli planes were immediately taken into the air to conduct air battles and strike at ground targets. Aircraft were also in the air with radar stations that tracked the flights of enemy aircraft, and aircraft for conducting electronic warfare, suppressing enemy communication and control systems. Air battles were controlled in real time - all electronic information about the enemy flowed to the control centers of the Israeli headquarters, from where television instructions were immediately sent directly to the Israeli pilots. The result of the air battle in the Bekaa Valley speaks for itself - the Israeli Air Force destroyed up to 80 aircraft and 19 batteries of enemy anti-aircraft missile systems, without losing a single aircraft.
The key to the success of the Air Force is the use of the latest technical developments. A significant part of the Heil Avir military equipment and weapons are products of the Israeli aviation industry. Concern "Taasiya Avirit", established in 1953, is one of the largest aerospace companies in the world. In his factories and design bureaus employs tens of thousands of qualified specialists who produce aircraft and electronic equipment in accordance with the strict requirements of the Israeli Air Force. Here, such outstanding projects as the creation of multi-purpose combat aircraft "Kfir" and "Lavi" were carried out, which in many respects became an example for developments in other countries.
In terms of the quantity and quality of military equipment in service, the Israeli Air Force belongs to the strongest in the world. According to press reports, the Israeli Air Force has more than a thousand aircraft, including about 700 state-of-the-art fighters and attack aircraft. Military transport aircraft are widely represented, as well as combat helicopters. But the main strength of the Israeli Air Force is its thousands of pilots and aviation specialists, whose courage and skill brought world recognition to the Israeli military aviation.

Pilots are the elite of the Israeli army. The training of one ace pilot costs one million dollars, and therefore only the best of the best can become pilots of the Heil Avir. Air Force pilots are trained at the Air Force Academy. The selection of candidates starts from school bench in the aviation clubs of the aviation section of Gadna. Numerous tests make it possible to reveal not only the physical and intellectual abilities of the future cadet, but also his leadership skills, as well as the ability to be a crew member and work as part of a team. Those who pass this stage of testing will have a week-long test for survival in extreme situations. Only those who have overcome all these barriers begin to master flight skills. Until recently, there were no women among combat pilots. However, now this barrier has also been broken - the first female Air Force cadet was eighteen-year-old Ellis Miller, who passed all the admission tests along with the guys.
The three-year course of study consists of several stages. Initially, there is a distribution of cadets according to flight specialties - someone will have to become a pilot, someone - a navigator or flight engineer. In the future, future fighter pilots, pilots of transport aircraft and helicopters are singled out from among the cadets. Throughout the entire period of training, the cadets are in a situation of severe pressure and high loads, the competitive spirit is stimulated in every possible way - after all, only 10% of the cadets will eventually become professional combat pilots. Two Hebrew words - Khatovim le Tayyas - symbolize the philosophy of the air force: only the best become pilots of "Heil Avir".

Note: The statistics given in the article are the official information of the Israeli Air Force (

From the very beginning of its existence, Israel was involved in a long one. The refusal of the Jews to accept the UN-approved international plan for partitioning Palestine into Arab and Jewish states exacerbated the situation. In the first stage, from November 30, 1947 to May 14, 1948, Jewish and Arab paramilitaries fought for control of the territories of Palestine. After the United Kingdom's mandate to govern Palestine expired on May 15, 1948, Israel declared independence, signaling the start of all-out war. In it, the Israeli armed formations and settlements were opposed by the troops of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen, the purpose of which was the elimination of Israel as a state.

Israel needed strong aviation in combat operations, like air, but it had to be collected bit by bit, hastily buying military aircraft in Europe. On May 31, 1948, the creation of Heil Ha "Avir, the Israeli Air Force, was officially announced, which was used in combat almost immediately. Within less than six months, Heil Ha" Avir turned into a significant combat force, so that the numerical ratio for aircraft was 1 :4 in favor of Israel.

The first Arab-Israeli war (according to the Israeli version - the “War of Independence”) ended on July 18, 1949 with the victory of the Israelis. The latter managed to defend the independence of their state and expand its territory. However, this was only the beginning of many years of bloody confrontation.

SUET CRISIS (NOVEMBER, 1956)

In 1952, King Farouk, who ruled Egypt, was overthrown in a military coup, and Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser came to power. Determined to put an end to the British military presence in his country, by 1956 he had achieved this goal. In the same year, he nationalized the Anglo-French Suez Canal Company, taking control of the most important waterway and thereby jeopardizing the commercial relations of France and Britain with their colonies in the Middle and Far East. As a result, these countries came to the conclusion about the need for a military solution to the problem. To this end, Operation Musketeer was planned.

Israel was given the role of "instigator". His troops were to capture the Mitla Pass in the western Sinai Peninsula, allegedly in retaliation for attacks by Palestinian guerrillas against Israel from Gaza. On October 24, 1956, Great Britain, France and Israel signed the Sevres Agreement, according to which an Israeli raid was scheduled for October 29, after which Egypt was supposed to present an Anglo-French "ultimatum" on the withdrawal of troops from the Suez Canal zone. In this operation, Israel pursued its own interest - to establish control over the Sinai Peninsula, knocking out the Egyptian troops from there.

By the beginning of hostilities, the Egyptian Air Force had about 70 units of first-line military equipment. The most combat-ready units were equipped Soviet aircraft: two squadrons - MiG-15 fighters and a squadron - Il-28 bombers. In Fayida, one squadron of Vampire and Meteor aircraft were based, which were supposed to be decommissioned, but so far they were still on alert and could use forward-based airfields in the Sinai Peninsula. These forces were provided by three transport squadrons (60 aircraft at Almaza and Deversour bases). Six other units (having 84 piston and jet aircraft of various types) were either under re-equipment or liquidation and therefore were not among the combat-ready ones. Having learned about the concentration of Anglo-French troops in Malta and Cyprus, the Egyptian command, in order to counter this threat, redeployed a number of units from the Sinai Peninsula to the Nile Delta, as a result of which the number of Egyptian forces in the Sinai was halved. Most of the air force was also aimed north rather than east, towards Israel.

To attack Egypt, the British and French assembled an impressive tactical air armada, which included fighter-bombers, medium bombers, as well as fighter cover and reconnaissance aircraft. They were based in Malta and Cyprus, as well as five aircraft carriers and one airborne assault ship. Allied ground forces included paratroopers and marines with tanks.

France had four fighter-bomber wings (100 aircraft), three transport aircraft wings and two aircraft carriers, Arromanches and Lafayette, with F4U-7 Corsair fighters on board. On October 23, three squadrons of French fighters arrived in Israel - their Misters, along with F-84 fighters, were supposed to defend Tel Aviv. Later, F-84s supported the Israeli army in the Sinai Peninsula. Noratlas transport planes were involved in delivering cargo to Israeli paratroopers at the Mitla Pass and in Central Sinai. On all machines intended for operations over Egyptian territory, Israeli markings were applied. Thus, Israel was able to concentrate the bulk of its Air Force in the Sinai direction. They included 69 jet and 45 piston fighters, as well as B-17 bombers and transport aircraft. Fighters "Mister" formed an air defense system, and "Meteors", "Hurricanes", R-51 and "Mosquito" stormed ground targets. B-17s flew bombing raids at night.

The British had the most modern aviation. Them Royal Air Force(Royal Air Force, RAF) allocated four squadrons of Valient heavy bombers and six squadrons of Canberra medium bombers to Operation Musketeer, which were based on the island of Malta. The main air power of the RAF was concentrated in Cyprus: 10 squadrons of Canberra bombers, four squadrons of Hunter and Meteor fighters for air defense missions, four squadrons of Venom aircraft for ground attack and six transport squadrons of Hasting and "Valetta". The British Navy Air Force had three aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean - Albion, Bulwark and Eagle. They carried 11 squadrons of Wyvern, Sea Venom and Sea Hawk aircraft on board. The Suez War began in the late afternoon of October 29, 1956, when Israeli troops invaded the Sinai Peninsula in two places. Then about 1,600 paratroopers were dropped from C-47s near the eastern part of the Mitla Pass, while Israeli Mister fighters patrolled over the central part of the Sinai Peninsula, waiting for the reaction of the Egyptian air force. By 20.00 Egyptian troops began to cross the Suez Canal towards the Mitla Pass. An hour later, six French transport aircraft dropped heavy weapons on Israeli paratroopers.

At dawn on October 30, four British Canberra bombers attempted to reconnoiter the Egyptian air defense system in the canal zone. All of them were intercepted by MiG-15 fighters, and one bomber was damaged. In the early morning of the same day, the Egyptian destroyer Ibrahim al-Awwal tried to bombard the port of Haifa, but was attacked by Israeli Hurricane fighter-bombers, was seriously damaged and was forced to surrender to Israeli destroyers. Almost at the same time, a flight of four Egyptian Vampires was reconnaissance of Israeli positions in and east of Mitla and El Thamed. Behind them, two hours later, MiG-15s appeared, which destroyed six vehicles and one Piper Cub aircraft that did not have time to take off. Even more equipment was destroyed during the following raids by the Egyptian "Vampires" escorted by "MiGs". As a result, the Israeli command decided to organize a constant patrol of the canal zone with its Mister fighters. The first air battle began at the end of the day, when six MiGs pulled back six Misters loitering over the canal, while two Egyptian Meteors launched an effective bombing attack on Israeli paratrooper positions east of Mitla. Soon reinforcements arrived on both sides, and a real battle began in the air, as a result of which two MiGs were shot down and one Mister was seriously damaged.

The Egyptian Air Force was taken by surprise by the Israeli invasion. Nevertheless, on October 30, their aircraft managed to make about fifty sorties. The Israeli Air Force carried out over 100 sorties, the greatest effect of which was achieved against the Egyptian troops that entered the western part of the Mitla Pass. The Egyptians lost almost all of their vehicles, but still managed to take advantageous defensive positions on the heights that dominate the Heitan Gorge.

On October 31 at 0600, the British and French issued an ultimatum demanding that both sides, Egypt and Israel, withdraw their troops from the Suez Canal zone, which Israeli units had not yet reached. As expected, the Egyptians rejected this ultimatum. At dawn, four Egyptian Vampires, taking advantage of the temporary absence of Israeli air patrols, attempted to strike Israeli positions in the Mitla area. When they began approaching the target, six Mister fighters arrived in time. "Vampires" still managed to bomb, but two of them were then shot down by fighters. This raid again led to serious losses of the Israeli troops ..

To the east, Israeli aircraft attacked an Egyptian armored convoy moving south towards Bir Jifgafa, but were intercepted by Egyptian Meteors, one of which was shot down. Israeli aircraft continued strafing attacks on this convoy but were unable to stop it, and at the same time the Egyptian Air Force took similar action against Israeli forces advancing towards Bir Hama.

On October 31, the Israeli army suffered its only major setback of the entire campaign, suffering heavy losses after a series of unsuccessful attacks on Abu Ajayla. The Israeli Air Force was now so overburdened that they were forced to come to the aid of French aircraft based in Israel, which attacked another Egyptian column advancing on Abu Ajeila from the canal zone.

In anticipation of an attack after the expiration of the Anglo-French ultimatum, the Egyptian air defense system in the Nile Delta and in the Suez Canal zone was put on full alert early in the morning of October 31. By this time, Soviet and Czech pilots had already flown 20 Il-28 bombers and 20 MiG-15 fighters intended for the Syrian Air Force to Syria. They were escorted by twenty unarmed Egyptian MiGs. Meanwhile, both active and reserve Il-28s of the Egyptian Air Force flew south to Luxor, where, according to the Egyptian command, they should have been safe.

Until the very last moment, the Egyptians believed that the British and French were bluffing, and therefore, when the first wave of allied bombers appeared over Almaza shortly after dark, there was no blackout in the city, and the population and military personnel did not take refuge in bomb shelters. Military equipment was not dispersed. RAF planes, given the task of destroying the Egyptian aircraft, launched a series of bombing attacks. Three waves of Canberra and Valient bombers from Cyprus and Malta attacked Almaza, Abu Suer, Kabrit and Cairo International Airport. Bombing was carried out from a height of 12 km. In this case, only 14 aircraft were destroyed or damaged. The Egyptian Air Force made two attempts to intercept the enemy, but only once was the Meteor NF.Mk 13 night fighter able to approach the Valient bomber at a firing distance.

Early on the morning of November 1, a pair of Canberra reconnaissance flights were attacked by MiGs, damaging one aircraft. Returning from reconnaissance, the pilots reported on the low effectiveness of night raids, and therefore the allied command switched to a new tactic. Anglo-French ground and carrier-based aircraft attacked all Egyptian airfields west of the Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptians urgently dispersed their MiGs throughout the delta, but it turned out that it was very dangerous to take off, since each runway was almost under constant enemy surveillance. On November 2 and 3, the air force academy at Bilbeis and the aircraft repair shops at Helwan were bombed. On November 6, Allied aircraft attacked railway communications, barracks and air defense facilities.

On November 2, the French Corsairs, taking off from the Arromanches aircraft carrier, headed for Alexandria, but the ship itself was, in turn, attacked by the Egyptian destroyers El Nasr and Tarek. When the Corsairs returned and attacked the destroyers, they put up a smoke screen and left. The raids continued on 4 and 5 November. British carrier-based aircraft attacked airfields near Alexandria, trying to divert the attention of the Egyptians from Port Said and Port Fuad, on which it was planned to drop paratroopers. In the Luxor area on November 3, one Canberra was damaged by a MiG, and in general the Egyptian air defense began to operate more effectively. On November 5, the Egyptians shot down three Allied aircraft: one Wyvern over Port Said, one Sea Hawk and one Mister over Cairo.

Since the Anglo-French air offensive tied up the Egyptian air force, the Israelis were able to throw large armored forces forward without fear of air strikes. As a result, the Egyptians were forced to leave the Sinai Peninsula, forcing the Suez Canal in the opposite direction on November 2.

The intensity of the fighting on the ground decreased, there were only a few skirmishes. In the air, however, things were different. Israeli and Egyptian Air Force, or rather. what was left of them grappled in a furious fight. The Vampires flew from El Arish to Bir Jifgafa and Bir Rod Saleem. In the late morning of November 1, they attacked Israeli paratrooper positions near Mitla, losing one vehicle shot down by an Israeli interceptor. Despite daytime attacks by Anglo-French aviation, three Egyptian Meteors NF.Mk 13 with an escort from MiGs appeared at noon over the Sinai Peninsula. In a battle with two Israeli Mister fighters, one MiG was shot down.

Starting from November 2, fierce battles were going on in the Sharm el-Sheikh area. On El Tor, on the western coast of the peninsula, paratroopers with heavy weapons were dropped, other parts of the Israelis advanced along the eastern coast. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force bombed the British frigate Crane, blockading Sharm, mistaking it for an Egyptian ship. On 3 November, Mustangs and B-17s destroyed two heavy guns from an Egyptian battery guarding the Strait of Tiran at Ras Nasrani. The remaining guns were blown up on the night of November 3-4 by the Egyptian artillerymen themselves, who then left for Sharm el-Sheikh. The night attack bogged down, but a second assault, supported by the Mustangs, which dropped napalm, broke into the Egyptian defense perimeter. After the approach of Israeli paratroopers from El Torah, the Egyptian garrison of Sharm el-Sheikh capitulated at 9.30 on November 5.

By this time, active operations on land of the Anglo-French troops began. At dawn on November 5, carrier-based aircraft attacked the Egyptian defensive positions, and at 0820, British paratroopers had already landed at Gamil airfield on the outskirts of Port Said. Fifteen minutes later, French paratroopers were also on Egyptian soil south of Port Said. The previously planned helicopter assault with the aim of capturing the bridges across the canal was canceled, however, reinforcements were transferred to the paratroopers who had already managed to gain a foothold. At dawn the next day after artillery preparation naval artillery amphibious assault under the cover of fighter-bombers captured the port area. Ground fire shot down two planes, a Sea Hawk and one Venom. Nevertheless, aviation provided cover for the paratroopers, who made a swift throw along the banks of the Suez Canal and reached El Cap.

According to the information of the British and French, during the entire operation they destroyed or damaged 260 enemy aircraft in battle, including 207 jets. The Egyptian Air Force denied this claim, reporting the loss of only eight MiG-15 fighters, seven Il-28 bombers, nine Harvards, six C-46s, four C-47s, three civilian Dakotas and one Avro Lancaster, destroyed on earth. 62 aircraft were damaged. Il-28s were destroyed in Luxor, where they seemed to be safe. However, French F-84Fs, equipped with additional tanks, took off from bases in southern Israel and shattered this illusion. About a dozen MiG-15 and MiG-15UTI aircraft of the Syrian training squadron were also destroyed near Abu Suer.

Over the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian Air Force lost four MiGs, four Vampires, one Meteor and a Sokol reconnaissance aircraft. The Israeli Air Force acknowledged the loss of one Mister fighter, two Hurricanes, ten Mustangs and two Piper Kabs. Five more aircraft were hit and crashed to the ground before reaching their bases. The French lost only one F-84 aircraft, which took off from the airfield in Lydda. The loss of the British amounted to four aircraft: one Canberra, which crashed on landing, two Sea Hawks and one Wyvern. To this list should be added another Canberra PR.Mk 7 shot down over the Syrian-Lebanese border.

AT politically The Suez operation turned out to be a fruitless adventure, since both world superpowers intervened in the matter: the USSR and the USA. The latter, threatening direct military intervention, parted the belligerents and forced the "winners" to return what they had seized back. For Britain and France, this was a major political defeat. Israel also had to clear the territory of the Sinai Peninsula from its troops, but before that they removed a large number of captured weapons from there, plus they destroyed all the Egyptian structures of any value.

SIX DAY WAR (JUNE 1967)

Antagonism in the Middle East had already escalated into a full-scale war twice before: in the late 1940s and in 1956. Tensions again began to rise from the beginning of April 1967, when military clashes took place in the Golan Heights, belonging to Syria. The UN decision to withdraw its peacekeeping forces from the Egyptian-Israeli border on May 17, 1967 only added fuel to the fire. This prompted Egypt to close the Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli ships.

At the end of May, the Egyptian-Jordanian-Syrian defense agreement was signed, which led to the creation of the United Arab Republic Air Force. These Air Forces were equipped with modern types of Soviet combat aircraft: front-line MiG-19 and MiG-21 fighters, Su-7 fighter-bombers and Il-28 and Tu-16 bombers. The main problems experienced by the Arab Air Force at this time were the poor operational reliability of aircraft and a chronic shortage of trained crews. Only 126 out of 500 pilots could fly the MiG-21 or MiG-19. There was no pilot reserve.

Marshal of the Egyptian Air Force Sidqi and his staff feared a preemptive Israeli attack already in early June and introduced a state of high alert in the air units. However, President Nasser was convinced that Israel would not dare to fight. He canceled Sidqi's order, and the Arab Air Force returned to its former state again. This was a big mistake.

With the first rays of the sun on June 5, 40 Israeli Mirage IIICJ and Super Mister fighters took off in a westerly direction. They were followed by two more waves of aircraft, a total of 120 aircraft. As usual, the Israeli pilots flew at low altitude, and the Egyptian radars lost them. Since they had practiced this tactic many times in exercises, this did not arouse the suspicion of the Egyptians, and the Egyptian air defense interceptor fighters of the morning shift changed from patrolling as usual. However, this time the Israeli fighters turned south to cross the Egyptian coast undetected.

At 0845 Cairo time, when the UAR air force morning patrols landed, and most of the senior officers were still on their way to duty from home, the airfields at El Arish, Bir Gifgaf, Cairo West, Jebel Libni, Bir Tamada, Abu Suer, Kabrite, Beni Suef, Inkhase and Faitde were subjected to air raids. Ten units of four aircraft each made one bombing run, and then several strafing runs, firing cannons and machine guns, as well as NURSs, at Egyptian aircraft parking lots. The first wave was followed by a second and a third at ten-minute intervals. Having used up their ammunition, the Israeli pilots returned to their bases within the a short time. It took 80 minutes to attack with eight waves of aircraft. After a ten-minute lull, the air raids resumed and continued again for 80 minutes. During this operation, only 12 fighters were left to protect the air borders of Israel. Sixty training "Masters", converted to attack ground targets, did not take part in it, as they were supposed to support the actions of the Israeli ground forces.

Over 300 Egyptian aircraft were destroyed or damaged in this three-hour air attack, mostly on the ground. The primary targets of the Israeli pilots were Tu-16 long-range bombers, which posed a great potential danger to Israel, as they could carry air-to-ground missiles capable of reaching Israeli cities and settlements. Both Tu-16 squadrons were destroyed. Israeli losses during these air raids amounted to 19 vehicles.

In the air, the UAR Air Force lost four unarmed trainers near Imbaba - the first losses of the war - and one MiG-21 when it took off from the airfield at Abu Sueira. Another MiG-21 was wrecked as it attempted to land on a cratered runway after driving four Israeli Super Misters away from it. The three surviving MiG-21s took off from the Inkhas base between Israeli raids. It happened at 8.56. There was no control from the ground, but over the Cairo West base they managed to shoot down the Hurricane, which, falling, crashed into a Tu-16 standing on the ground. Perhaps the Israeli pilot did it on purpose. Another MiG-21, which took off from the airfield in Abu Sueira, at 10.01 shot down the Mister, which fell near the outer border of the airfield. The last two MiG-21s that could fly were destroyed when they taxied to the runway a few minutes later, and this was done by the same Mirage III.

MiG-19s and 21s based at Kherghad flew north to help their comrades, but when they tried to land at Abu Sueira at 10.30 they were attacked by sixteen Mirages. Four MiGs were immediately shot down, but in the ensuing air battle, neither side managed to shoot down a single aircraft. Nevertheless, all the MiGs were killed. They either crashed trying to land with their gear retracted next to the runways riddled with funnels, or simply crashed to the ground when they ran out of fuel. Only at El Arish did the airfield remain intact, because here the Israeli pilots relied mainly on cannon fire and guided bombs, similar in design to the American Bullpups, used only against aircraft in the parking lots. Now only one Egyptian plane remained in the air - Il-14, on board of which were Air Marshal Sidqi and other senior officers of the Egyptian armed forces. They flew over the battle zone from the very beginning of the Israeli attack and were unable to take any urgent measures to save the situation, because the Israelis did not give them the opportunity to land. Thus, Egypt's ability to launch a counterattack was eliminated.

A few hours later, in response to the Israeli attack on Egypt, other Arab neighbors of Israel also got involved in the battle. In the morning, long-range Jordanian artillery damaged at least one runway at Ramat David Air Base. However, by the time 16 Royal Jordanian Air Force Hunters struck Netanya and Kfar Sirkin, the Israelis had already moved on Jerusalem.

At 14.30 Tel Aviv time, the Israeli Air Force shifted its direction of operations from the UAR Air Force to the Jordanian Air Force and raided the air bases in Mafraq and Amman and the strategically important radar station in Ajloun. Of the 18 Jordanian Hunter fighters on the ground, 17 were destroyed. The Israelis lost only one machine. The remaining Hunter was then damaged, killing two pilots. King Hussein ordered the surviving Hunter pilots to be placed at the disposal of the Iraqi Air Force command. On that first day of the war, Israeli aircraft also attacked Iraqi and Palestinian units advancing westward from Mafraq, defensive positions around Jerusalem, the Jordanian army headquarters in Jericho, a convoy east of Mount Olives, and the royal palace in Amman.

The list of targets of Israeli aviation on June 5 also included objects of the Syrian Air Force. At 11.45 (Tel Aviv time), 12 Syrian MiG-21s bombed the oil refinery in Haifa and attacked the Mahanaim airfield at strafing flight. An hour later, a powerful response from the Israeli Air Force followed, which bombed the Syrian air bases in Damascus, Merge Real, Doumeira and Seykal. The more distant T-4 airfield was raided in the middle of the day, shortly after three Israeli planes also attacked the Iraqi H-3 airbase. Although the Syrian Air Force did not suffer such catastrophic damage as the Egyptian or Jordanian ones, they nevertheless lost two-thirds of the first-line vehicles.

During the day, the Israeli Air Force again attacked Egypt and attacked the Cairo International Airport and the airfields at Mansoura, Helwan, El Minya, Bilbeis, Kherghad, Luxor and Ras Banas, as well as 23 radar positions.

On the second day of the war, June 6, the Israeli Air Force concentrated its main efforts on supporting the actions of its ground forces in the Sinai Peninsula and on the west bank of the Jordan River. The strike on enemy artillery positions west of Rafah allowed the Israelis to break into the layered defense of the Egyptians. That night, in the rear of the Jordanian troops, east of Jerusalem, an Israeli commando helicopter landing was landed. Another helicopter assault preceded the fall of Abu Agheila, the most important fortified area of ​​the Egyptians near the border in Sinai. On June 6, combat missions were made to the Gaza and Bir Lahfana region to support the infantry, but in the early morning all Egyptian units had already begun to withdraw from the Sinai.

Noticing this, the Israelis decided to send forward a mobile detachment to capture the Mitla and Jiddi passes. This detachment broke through the crumbling Egyptian defenses and completed the task. A significant part of the Egyptian army was trapped east of the mountains, where it was ruthlessly destroyed from the air by Israeli aircraft. Just before the Mitla Pass, the whole area was littered with the mangled wreckage of thousands of Egyptian trucks, vans and jeeps.

The UAR Air Force Command, in turn, decided to put together a hastily at least some strike air group in order to strike from the air at the Israeli units straddling the passes, shoot them down from there and rescue the many thousands of their troops from the encirclement. On the night of June 5-6, the Egyptian command managed to assemble a somewhat motley formation of 50 aircraft, mostly those that received minor damage and were immediately repaired. The Egyptians suffered the most damage in the flight crew: 70 pilots were killed and 200 were injured. The first indication that they still existed was given by the UAR Air Force at 5:36 a.m. on June 6, when two MiG-21s attempted to attack an Israeli convoy at Bir Lahfan. Both aircraft were shot down. The same fate befell a pair of Su-7 fighter-bombers, which at 0600 challenged Israeli fighters in the El Arish area and were destroyed. Then the Egyptian Su-7 and MiG-21 twice tried to shoot down Israeli helicopters. All of these attacks were pinpricks compared to the beating that the Israeli Air Force inflicted on the Egyptian army.

On the night of June 5-6, Iraq and Jordan joined forces to strengthen the defense of the H-3 airfield. At dawn on June 6, an Iraqi Tu-16 dropped bombs on an Israeli industrial complex in Natanya, but was then shot down by anti-aircraft fire.

Shortly thereafter, the Israeli Air Force launched another strike on the H-3 airbase and met with a fierce rebuff in the air from Iraqi and Jordanian fighters. The Arabs claimed to have shot down nine enemy aircraft, but the Israeli Air Force admitted the loss of only two aircraft. The Israelis, meanwhile, shot down one or two Lebanese Hunter reconnaissance aircraft over the Galilee. On June 6 and 7, the Israeli Air Force launched devastating strikes on Jordanian positions on the West Bank of the Jordan.

Israel also reported eight air battles that took place on the eastern front from 6 to 7 June, mostly over the H-3 airbase. There, by the end of the war, one Jordanian pilot, Captain Ihsan Shardom, chalked up one downed Mirage, two Misters, and one Süd-Quest Votour.

During the remainder of the war, the UAR Air Force continued to deliver small-scale, but each time more and more effective strikes against Israeli troops in the Sinai Peninsula, although this could no longer affect the outcome of the war. At dawn on June 7, four MiG-19s defeated an Israeli convoy on a road along the Mediterranean coast. True, shortly after that, three MiGs were shot down by an Israeli air patrol. The subsequent three raids by the UAR Air Force and artillery fire from Egyptian ships slowed the advance of the Israelis in this sector. Near El Arish, Israeli fighters shot down one Il-18 and one MiG. Several units of the MiG-17 sent to strike at the Mitla Pass and southern Sinai suffered serious losses, but also had successes. For example, a MiG-17 shot down a Super Mister east of Ismailia.

On June 8, there were reports that volunteers from Algeria were fighting side by side with the Egyptian pilots. In addition, pilots from the UAR Air Force units stationed in Yemen arrived in Egypt. At the same time, the combat successes of the Israeli Air Force began to wane. On 8 June they shot down only nine UAR aircraft. In the late evening of the same day, the Israelis attacked from the sea and from the air the American intelligence ship "Liberty" and inflicted serious damage on it. It is still not clear how this could happen. Hostilities in the Sinai Peninsula practically ceased, and Egypt on June 9 at 4.35 accepted the UN proposal for a ceasefire.

Now the Israeli Air Force began to prepare for the next campaign, this time against Syria. But since Israeli aviation and before that it delivered a series of serious blows to the Syrian fortified area on the Golan Heights, Syria, which found itself alone after the defeat of Egypt and Jordan, on the evening of June 8, declared its agreement to accept the UN proposal for a ceasefire.

Israel, however, did not give such consent, and at 11.30 on June 9, the Israeli army launched a full-scale offensive on the Golan Heights.

At first, the Israelis met with fierce resistance, but then, after expressing a vigorous protest at the UN Security Council, the Syrian government withdrew its troops to defend the capital. In the air, both sides did not show much activity, although the Syrian Air Force and the UAR shot down one "Mister" and, possibly, one "Votur" near Damascus. Some Israeli planes were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. The Israeli Air Force claimed to have shot down 12 Syrian aircraft in aerial combat during the Six Day War. The main focus of Israeli aviation was on supporting ground troops who were fighting for the capture of the Golan Heights and the city of Quneitra. They managed to complete their task before the ceasefire scheduled by the UN Security Council for 6.30 June 10.

The so-called Six Day War was over, and Israel had won a victory that had a deafening resonance in the world.

The Israeli Air Force destroyed 286 UAR aircraft (60 of them in dogfights), 22 Jordanian Air Force aircraft, 54 Syrian aircraft, 15 to 20 Iraqi aircraft and one Lebanese aircraft. The loss of the Israeli Air Force amounted to at least 45 vehicles, or even more. 12 of them were shot down in air battles. 20 pilots were killed and 13 were taken prisoner.

However, lasting peace did not reign in the region. Reconciliation between Jews and Arabs did not follow, even for a short time. Both sides were simply building up their forces before starting the next, inevitable, round of confrontation.

WAR OF ATTRACTION (1969-1970)

The ceasefire at the end of the Six Day War brought only a brief respite in the struggle between Israel and its neighbors. Preceding the war, periodic shelling, airspace violations (which often ended in the fact that the violator was simply shot down) and raids by sabotage and airborne groups continued to take place after it. For example, on July 1, 1967, Egyptian troops ambushed an Israeli patrol on the east bank of the Suez Canal. For ten days thereafter, artillery duels took place across the canal, which soon provoked air clashes. Israel claimed that its Air Force shot down 4 Egyptian MiG-17s and 3 MiG-21s in July and 4 Syrian MiG-19s in October.

The French embargo on the supply of 50 Mirage 5J fighters, introduced even before the start of the six-day war, forced Israel to look for other aircraft suppliers to compensate for combat losses and modernize the materiel. The United States ordered 50 F-4E fighters and 6 RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft, as well as 25 A-4E attack aircraft formerly in service with the US Air Force, in addition to 48 A-4H attack aircraft (and two TA-4H) ordered even before the war. In 1968, the Israeli Air Force also received 20 Bell UH-1 multipurpose helicopters.

In September 1968, artillery exchanges across the canal resumed, and in October, Israeli commandos made several raids deep into Egyptian territory.

In March 1969, Nasser announced the start of a war of attrition. Just at this time, Israel completed the construction of the fortified Bar Lev line on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal. Israel also responded to the barrage of Egyptian artillery with shelling and powerful air raids. By the end of May, 21 Egyptian planes had been shot down. Israeli losses amounted to three cars. By November, the number of Egyptian aircraft destroyed had increased to 51. Of these, 34 aircraft were shot down in air duels. In January 1970, the Israeli Air Force delivered powerful strikes against "military" targets in the Cairo area, after which the Egyptian government turned to the Soviet Union for help. This request was soon granted. The USSR sent five MiG-21 squadrons to Egypt, of course, along with volunteer pilots who turned out to be more prepared for fights with Israeli aces. By the end of that month, the Israelis had dropped 8,000 tons of bombs on Egypt. Since April, Egyptian fighter-bombers have launched short-lived air raids on Israeli fortified positions in the Sinai. In the air, Israel met with a serious rebuff. During July alone, Soviet MiGs shot down five Israeli Phantoms. In the end, on August 8, 1970, a truce was declared.

DOOMSDAY WAR (OCTOBER 1973)

In 1967, Israel's unheard-of debacle against its historically hostile Arab neighbors created dangerous complacency among the Jews. Israel was a country of 2.5 million, surrounded by a hundred million potential enemies. The leaders of Egypt and Syria have vowed to restore Arab glory by planning a campaign that will take Israel by surprise. In order to take revenge on Israel, the Arabs managed to create a powerful military coalition, the main participants of which were Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan. This coalition was supported by other Arab countries, including Algeria and Libya. Even Pakistan, not being an Arab country, came out in support of it.

As a result of a brutal war of attrition, the material base of the Israeli Air Force has largely worn out. When the countdown to the start of the next conflict began, Israel had only 370 first-line aircraft against 730 aircraft in Egypt and Syria. Jordan was still too weak to take part in the next war, but could bind the Israeli troops by a simple act of mobilization and would then send only a symbolic contingent of its troops. By October 1973, everything was ready for the war, which was destined to have a profound impact on the theory and tactics of air combat.

The earlier victories reinforced the perception in Israel that the Arabs were inherently disorganized and incapable of effective warfare, despite their varied arsenal of Soviet military equipment. However, Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat adopted a plan whereby the Arabs could win the war without winning on the battlefield. Its basis was to be a surprise attack on two fronts simultaneously: Syrian troops in the north and Egyptian troops in the south. While the Syrians were supposed to liberate the Golan Heights and advance into Israeli territory, Egypt planned to launch a phased offensive through the Suez Canal.

The Arab troops advanced under the pretext of exercises went on the offensive at 14.00 on October 6, 1973. On this day, the religious holiday Yom Kippur (Judgment Day) was celebrated in Israel, and vigilance in the country, naturally, was weakened. Wave after wave of Egyptian planes swept over the Suez Canal to strike Israeli airfields, anti-aircraft missile launchers, radars and many other military installations in the Sinai Peninsula. In addition to 222 fighter-bombers, Egypt used 25 KSR-2 air-to-ground missiles fired from Tu-16 bombers and surface-to-surface tactical missiles.

In the north, Syrian aviation supported the throw of its ground forces across the Golan plateau. MiG-17 and Su-7 attacked ground targets from extremely low altitudes. Despite its relatively short range and lack of modern avionics, the Su-7 was an excellent fast fighter-bomber capable of hitting targets with great accuracy. Algerian Su-7s were stationed in Egypt and took part in the war against a common enemy, being under the operational control of the Egyptian command. MiG-17s have proven themselves well in strafing attacks on enemy columns. At the beginning of the war, Egypt had 110 MiG-17s in 6 squadrons; the Syrian Air Force was armed with 100 vehicles of this type.

From above they were covered by the MiG-21. MiG-21 aircraft formed the basis of the Egyptian and Syrian fighter aircraft. Israeli propaganda tried to play down the danger that the MiG-21 posed to the Israeli Air Force, although it is now clear that this type of Soviet fighter was an unpleasant surprise for the Israelis. The Egyptian and Syrian air forces had about 300 MiG-21 aircraft, which were equipped with 18 squadrons.

Mi-8 helicopters landed assault units, which were tasked with capturing important facilities in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. The first Israeli planes took to the air in 30 minutes, but it took two hours to bring all parts of the Israeli Air Force to full combat readiness. In the attacking role, A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft were used, which were escorted by more modern F-4 Phantom aircraft. Of the 40 landing helicopters, the Israelis managed to intercept only 5.

In general, F-4s in this war did most of the combat work in the air. So, out of 28 Egyptian MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters that participated in the first raid on the Ophir airbase on October 6, 1973, a pair of Israeli Phantoms on combat duty were able to shoot down seven cars. Other F-4s were busy intercepting Egyptian Mi-8 helicopters that were trying to land special forces at key points in the Sinai Peninsula. Of the 40 helicopters, 5 were shot down.

"Mirages" IIICJ, together with "Nashers", made in Israel analogues of the French attack aircraft "Mirage" 5 (there were, however, a few more), were used against ground targets. It should, however, be said that both the Mirages and the F-4 brought considerable benefits, also performing air defense tasks. Even the obsolete "Super Misters" B2 were thrown into battle. There were about a dozen of them. Helicopter support was provided by Super Frelon and UH-I Iroquois vehicles.

If on the southern front such a factor as the Sinai desert acted in favor of Israel, which served as a buffer zone, then in the north such a factor was absent. Thus, military operations against Egypt have so far receded into the background. The Israeli troops operating on the southern front were given the task of containing the Egyptians, exhausting their forces in defensive battles. Priority was given to the northern front, where Syrian troops were only a few kilometers from Israeli towns and villages. The Israeli army still managed to hold out and buy time to mobilize reserves. Heavy fighting, during which a fierce tank battle took place with heavy losses on both sides, lasted three days. In the end, the Syrian troops ran out of steam, unable to take advantage of the advantage gained in the first hours of the war, which they got at a high price. As a result, the Syrians were forced to start a retreat. At the same time (October 9), the Israeli Air Force responded to the rocket attack on Israeli territory by bombing the headquarters of the Syrian army in Damascus and the oil refinery in Homs.

On October 7, Iraq sent a Hunter squadron to help the Syrian Air Force, and some time later, a MiG-21 unit. Jordan's contribution to the air war was limited to launching missiles at Israeli aircraft flying into the zone of operation of Jordanian air defense systems. As the Syrian units were now in retreat, the air defense system became of vital importance to Syria, as Israeli strategic bombing aircraft flew almost as far as the Syrian-Turkish border. By October 12, the Syrian air defense system was in a deplorable state. Many MiG-21s were either destroyed or permanently disabled as a result of severe damage. And the role of interceptors had to be assigned to obsolete MiG-17s.

Meanwhile, on the Egyptian front, things were not going well for the Israelis. Two days after the start of the offensive, Egyptian troops captured the eastern bank of the Suez Canal and firmly held it, despite 23 Israeli counterattacks. True, the Israeli Air Force managed to prevent further Egyptian commando operations by shooting down 10 Egyptian Mi-8 helicopters on October 10, but the shield from the Egyptian air defense systems proved to be extremely effective, as well as anti-tank guided missiles, with which the Egyptians defended the bridgehead they had captured. On October 7, Israeli aircraft made attempts to act directly against the air defense system, but this led to serious losses.

Six Phantoms were shot down, two pilots were killed and nine were captured. Another F-4E was shot down, but was able to return and engulfed in flames landed at the Ramat David airbase. The raids on Egyptian airfields did not result in big losses for the Arabs. On October 8, Phantoms raided Syrian airfields and Egyptian pontoon crossings across the canal, and also patrolled air space. Four MiG-17s were shot down while trying to attack Om-Khasiba. One F-4E was included in the list of losses. Apparently, he was shot down by a Syrian MiG-21.

To understand how serious the situation was for the Israelis, it is best to turn to the numbers of Israeli casualties.

During the first four days, the Israeli Air Force lost 81 aircraft, which amounted to two-thirds of the total number of losses that Israeli aviation was to suffer during the 19 days of the conflict. This was mainly due to the self-confidence of the Israelis, who, based on the experience of the 1967 war, treated Egyptian S-75 air defense systems with contempt. But the Israelis paid the price for their frivolity - this time the Arabs had much more advanced air defense systems. Along the entire length of the canal on its western bank, new air defense systems are located: S-125, Kub, Strela-1 and portable hand-held anti-aircraft systems Strela-2.

SAM 2K12 "Cube" was an unknown quantity for the West, and no one knew how to deal with its combined radar and electro-optical guidance system or target search radar. The SAM batteries were placed according to the classical Soviet scheme of a multi-level air defense system. Trying to avoid hitting any one known type of missile defense system, Israeli fighters inevitably fell into the coverage areas of other air defense systems. At the same time, the guided missile of the Kub air defense system turned out to be an unexpected gift for the Israelis, since it often could not distinguish its own aircraft from someone else's and hit the wrong target. According to some reports, 40 Egyptian and 4 Iraqi planes were mistakenly shot down by missiles of this type. Even before the end of the war, 6 9K12 Kub launchers fell into the hands of the Israelis, which were sent by plane to the United States, where specialists carefully studied them and developed the necessary countermeasures.

On October 8, when both sides continued to bomb each other's airfields, a squadron of Algerian Su-7 fighter-bombers arrived to help the Egyptians. In contrast to the 1967 war, when the Arab Air Force was destroyed on the ground, now not a single Egyptian aircraft has been lost in this way, and the Israeli attempts to achieve this cost them dearly. Syria is less fortunate in this respect. On October 8, for example, it lost a dozen planes during Israeli raids on three Syrian airfields. Since October 14, the Libyan squadron of "Mirages" Sh / 5 also took part in air battles, which, according to some reports, made about 400 sorties. These Mirages were piloted by mercenary pilots, mostly Pakistanis.

Despite heavy opposition from Arab air defenses, the Israelis continued to attempt to attack. October 9, 16 "Phantoms" went to Damascus, having received the task to strike at the headquarters of the Syrian army, but due to bad weather conditions, only eight aircraft reached the target. Several hits were noted at the cost of losing one car. Her pilot was killed, and the navigator was taken prisoner. Another "Phantom" barely made it home. During Israeli air raids on power plants and Egyptian airfields, another Phantom was shot down.

The next day, the Phantoms attacked various Egyptian and Syrian air bases and suffered no losses, but in similar operations on October 11, two F-4s were shot down by Egyptian MiG-21s over the Banbach airfield. The day of October 12 passed without loss, but the next day one F-4 was seriously damaged by anti-aircraft artillery fire during a raid on the El Mazza airfield near Damascus. The campaign against Syrian airfields ended on October 14, but raids on targets in Egypt continued. During the bombing of Mansur, according to unconfirmed reports, two MiG-21s were shot down. In turn, the MiGs put up a decent resistance, as a result of which two F-4Es ran out of fuel on the way back and they were forced to land on unprepared airfields in Baluey and Refidim.

On October 15, 12 Phantoms attacked the Tanta airfield and shot down one MiG-21, but they themselves suffered losses - one F-4 was destroyed, the navigator of the car was killed, and the pilot was captured. Another "Phantom" was seriously damaged, but somehow flew back. On October 16, anti-aircraft missile systems were attacked in the Port Said area. On October 17 and 18, these raids were repeated. During these attacks, three Israeli "Phantoms" were shot down, and the fourth was heavily damaged. On October 18, four Syrian MiG-17s were intercepted and, according to the Israeli side, destroyed. At least one of them was shot down by a new Israeli-made Rafael Shafrir rocket. On October 20, Egyptian missiles destroyed another two Phantoms.

For both sides, the moment came when they had to replenish their units, pretty battered in battle, with new equipment from the arsenals of the superpowers. As early as October 9, two air bridges with different senders of military cargoes, but with one geographical address (USA / USSR - Middle East), were in full swing. Some American transport planes landed directly on airfields located in the Sinai Peninsula. The Soviet BTA made 934 flights to Syria alone, delivering 15,000 tons of military equipment there. US military transport aircraft C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy carried out 566 sorties until November 15, transferring 22,395 tons of cargo to Israel, including disassembled CH-53D helicopters. In addition, Israeli Boeing 707s and 747s delivered another 5,500 tons of equipment. A lot of goods arrived by sea.

Egypt and Syria quickly made up their losses in aircraft. From October 14 to October 20, their Air Force received 100 Soviet fighters each. Israel, pretending to be a Kazan orphan, issued a desperate cry for help, saying that by October 13 it allegedly had military supplies for only 4 days of the war, and this led to an acceleration in the pace of American supplies. Phantoms and Skyhawks were urgently withdrawn from US Air Force and Navy squadrons and sent to the Middle East. The first 28 vehicles were there in combat readiness by October 17, and another 50 by October 22. US markings were painted over. These aircraft were taken from the 4th and 401st TIAK and made 200 sorties in the war in the Middle East. During the fighting, four squadrons of "Phantoms" (69, 107, 119 and 201st) destroyed 115 enemy aircraft, and also attacked enemy ground targets.

However, the victory for Israel was brought not by additional deliveries of fighters, but by US Air Force transport aircraft, which delivered new electronics and weapons: devices electronic countermeasures to combat S-75 and S-125 air defense systems, Waley and HOBOS smart bombs, AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missiles, AGM-65 Maverick tele-guided missiles, Rockey cluster bombs and anti-tank guided missiles "Toy" for the ground forces. Stockpiles of Hawk anti-aircraft missiles and AIM-9 and AIM-7 air-to-air missiles were also replenished.

Having received a new weapon, Israel was now ready to take advantage of the tactical mistake made by the Egyptian command on October 14th. Egyptian troops violated the original plan and got out from under the wide and reliable shield of the air defense system. The fighting has now acquired a maneuverable nature with a rapidly changing situation, which was very beneficial for Israel. The result was quite predictable. On the night of October 15-16, with the support of helicopters, units of the Israeli Navy attacked the Egyptian coast far to the west of the front line. At the same time, Israeli units, taking advantage of the gap in the Egyptian defense line, penetrated through it to the opposite bank of the Suez Canal.

At the same time, fighting in the skies intensified to such an extent that the northern front was left with almost no air cover, which provided the Syrians with a rare opportunity to use MiG-17 and Su-7 aircraft to strike Israeli bases and an oil refinery. The Egyptian command threw even Aero L-29 jet trainers into battle as attack aircraft, which, however, did not achieve much success.

As a result of the successful actions of the Israeli units, the situation for the Egyptians became close to critical, and then, in a futile attempt to disrupt the Israeli forcing of the Suez Canal, the Egyptian command used Mi-8 helicopters as bombers on October 19. They dropped napalm from the cargo bays from a low altitude. When the Israeli troops crushed the enemy defenses with a flank strike and walked through the positions of the air defense system along the canal, capturing 12 out of 40 anti-aircraft systems, the powerful defensive umbrella of the Arabs fell apart, giving Egyptian aircraft to the mercy of the enemy.

When Israeli troops firmly established themselves in the bridgehead on the western bank of the Suez Canal, it became clear that Egypt, not Israel, would lose the territory. The time has come for the Arabs to use their last weapon: on October 20, Saudi Arabia cut off oil supplies to the West. At the same time, Egypt requested a ceasefire. Through mediation and under pressure from the superpowers, it was decided that the truce would come into effect at 6:52 p.m. on 22 October. However, Israel had its own opinion on this matter, and he continued to advance south towards Suez, trying to surround the Egyptian 3rd Army, and only on October 24 the US forced him to stop his troops.

In the north, too, there was a scramble to secure better positions before the truce began. Under the cover of fighter jets, Syrian troops and Israeli helicopters delivered reinforcements to posts located on the tops of the mountains. In the last hours of the war, Israel managed to capture an important observation post on Mount Hermon. Helicopters and parachute troops played the main role in this operation.

Up to the present day, each of the parties refutes the enemy's data on the number of air losses. What is certain is that they were stunning. Egypt and Syria lost 220 vehicles each. To this should be added 21 Iraqi Hunters and MiG-21s and 30 Algerian and Libyan fighters.

Israel lost 120 aircraft. Almost half of the losses were A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft - 53 units. These machines had to bear the brunt of the fight against the powerful air defense systems of the Arab countries and enemy ground forces.

37 Phantoms were lost. Another six of these machines were so badly damaged that they had to be written off. Thus, in terms of the number of losses, the Phantoms were second only to the A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft. This was due to the specifics of the combat missions assigned to the "Phantoms", performing which they had to overcome the dense fire of anti-aircraft artillery and enter the zones of operation of the air defense system. At the same time, the Israeli pilots who fought on the F-4E had 115 victories in air battles.

Also, the Arabs shot down 11 "Mirages" or "Nashers" - unlicensed copies of the "Mirage" of Israeli production.

About 40 Israeli planes were shot down by anti-aircraft missiles, 31 - by anti-aircraft artillery fire, and most of these losses occurred in the first days of the war.

The total Arab losses from the air defense system and ZA amounted to only 17 and 19 vehicles, respectively. About 400 air battles took place in the air. Israel acknowledges the loss of only 21 aircraft in them and claims that its pilots shot down 335 Arab aircraft, two-thirds of this number by cannon fire, and the rest with AJM-9 Sidewinder missiles or their Israeli-made IAI Shafrir counterparts fired at close range . Israel's own missiles destroyed two planes, while the Arabs - 58.

Helicopters make up a separate loss item. The Egyptians lost 42 rotorcraft, the Syrians 13, and the Israelis 6.

Yom Kippur ushered in a new era of air warfare, and the Egyptian complex, multi-layered air defense system nearly overpowered the Israeli air force.

This war and its results became the subject of a comprehensive analysis by experts from different countries, who drew the appropriate conclusions. Due attention was paid to the Soviet air defense systems. The role of radar countermeasures in increasing the probability of successfully completing a combat mission has become more obvious. Laser-guided or TV-guided missiles, which were successfully tested in Vietnam, gained much wider acceptance due to the apparent effectiveness they showed in pinpoint strikes by the Israeli Air Force in the second phase of the war. , used by Israel to collect information, have become an integral part of any modern army.

ISRAEL'S LONG-TERM AIR RADIES (1976-1985)

In four major Middle East wars, Israel has shown that it has a fairly effective air force. However, in 1976 it turned out that he also had the means to transfer his troops over long distances.

On June 27, 1976, an Air France plane took off from Athens for Paris. On board the Airbus A300 were the crew and 258 passengers, including four tourists who transferred from the plane that arrived in Athens from Bahrain. 8 minutes after takeoff, the “tourists”, threatening with pistols and grenades, hijacked the airliner. First, they forced the pilots to head for Benghazi, and then the plane flew to Uganda, where President Idi Amin provided the terrorists with asylum.

The kidnappers - members of the Baader-Meinhof and PLO organizations - demanded the release of 53 prisoners who were in prisons in several countries. The terrorists released a few passengers, but all the Jews, who made up the majority, were left as hostages. The French crew of the plane decided to share the fate of the latter and stayed with them.

Israel, which has long been a target for terrorists, immediately launched a rescue operation. However, having flown to Entebbe, the terrorists found themselves outside the range of most types of Israeli aircraft. Nevertheless, the preparations for the operation were in full swing. She was given the code name Operation Thunderbolt (translated from English - "lightning strike").

On Saturday, June 3, three C-130 Hercules transport planes took off from the Afir air base, located in the very south of the Sinai Peninsula, occupied by Israel. A Boeing 707 flew with them, providing control and communications during the operation. In this composition, the system of Israeli aircraft flew over Ethiopia and Kenya. Having passed Nairobi, where the second Boeing 707 (medical) aircraft had already landed, this link approached the Ugandan airport in Entebbe. Israeli intelligence officers who entered the airport in advance had already managed to report that the hijacked plane was parked at the old terminal where the hostages were kept.

The key to the success of the Israeli rescue operation in Entebbe, according to the plans of the Israeli command, was the element of surprise. In order to freely get close to the place where the hostages are being held, the Israeli paratroopers dressed in the form of PLO fighters.

Three Boeing C-130s landed just after midnight. The first plane taxied openly to the terminal building, and a black Mercedes rolled out of it through the hatch-ramp, the same, up to the number, as President Amin's. He was followed by Land Rovers with men in PLO uniforms armed with AK-47s. The Ugandan guards saluted a man in a black Mercedes, whom they mistook for their president, and immediately fell down, mowed down by AK-47 bursts. Disguised Israeli special forces fired. From another plane, a second wave of Israeli special forces rushed out. The fighters burst into the terminal building shouting: “Lie down! We are Israelis! A shootout with the terrorists ensued, right over the heads of the hostages.

The second unit captured the control tower and destroyed the radio transmitting equipment, but in the process, the commander of the special forces, Colonel Yehonatan Netanyahu, was killed by a sniper's bullet. To completely eliminate any possibility of an air chase, the Israeli paratroopers destroyed eleven MiG fighters - almost all the military equipment of the Ugandan Air Force.

Within a few minutes, the terrorists were finished, and the hostages were quickly put into the fourth, empty, C-130, which had just landed. Unfortunately, three hostages died in the shootout.

The C-130s took off, leaving the bodies of the hijackers on the ground, as well as 20 killed and over 100 wounded Ugandan soldiers. After landing in Kenya, the Israeli planes refueled while the wounded were transferred to a waiting air ambulance and then continued their flight. A triumphant meeting awaited them at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.

As a result of the successful operation, the lives of more than 100 hostages, as well as members of the Air France Airbus crew, were saved. This was achieved at the cost of the lives of three hostages and the commander of the special forces, Lieutenant Colonel Netanyahu, whose younger brother was destined to later become Prime Minister of Israel.

Five years later, Israel conducted another long-range raid, but of a different nature.

Iraq has long been suspected of having a covert program to build its own nuclear weapons, in which the main role belonged to the nuclear center in Osirak. This plant was built with the help of French and Italian specialists in the desert, 19 km southeast of Baghdad.

Israeli intelligence reported that the power plant would be operational by September 1981, and production of enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium would begin shortly thereafter.

All of Iraq's neighbors were deeply concerned about this. But the greatest danger threatened Israel, and therefore in this country it was decided to strike at a nuclear reactor from the air. It was not easy to do this, since Baghdad is more than 1100 km away from Israel. However, shortly before this, Israel acquired American-made F-15 and F-16 fighters, which were up to such a task.

After careful preparation, which included the construction of a life-size model of the reactor for training attacks, the command gave the go-ahead for the operation.

On Sunday, June 6, 1981, six F-15 Eagles, which were supposed to provide fighter cover, and eight F-16 Fighting Falcons, each carrying two 1000 kg bombs, took off from the air force base Etzion.

Flying at low altitude over the desert regions of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the Falcons reached their target in 80 minutes. After climbing steeply, the F-16 pilots saw the reactor dome clearly visible against the background of the desert and immediately began approaching the target. There is reason to believe that all 16 bombs hit the object, although one of them did not explode. The Iraqi air defense system was alerted to full alert, but it was too late. When the Iraqi anti-aircraft guns opened fire, Israeli planes were already flying home.

This air raid caused great anger in the Arab world, but at the same time it demonstrated that the Israelis have both the ability and the will to launch powerful strikes against distant targets if it serves their interests. This became clear again in 1985.

On September 2, 1985, three Israelis were brutally murdered aboard a yacht in Larnaca, Cyprus. The investigation determined that the perpetrators belonged to Unit 17, a terrorist organization associated with the PLO. Israel decided to respond to this with a strike on the PLO headquarters in Tunisia.

The distance for the flight was considerable - almost 2000 km there and back. This raid was to be the longest in Israeli history. For this operation, F-15 Eagle fighter-bombers were allocated, which were supposed to be refueled in the air from a Boeing 707 tanker aircraft.

The target of the flight was the PLO building complex in Hamam al-Shatt, where the offices of Yasser Arafat and his closest advisers were located, as well as the operational and propaganda departments and the communications center. This complex of buildings also housed Unit-17.

The raid was carried out on 1 October. Aerial refueling went off without a hitch, according to schedule. The only concern was the weather: the Gulf of Tunis was all covered with thick clouds. However, as the aircraft approached the coast, the weather improved and the F-15 pilots were able to recognize their targets on the ground. The raid was unexpected and very destructive. All targets were either destroyed or severely damaged. There were direct bomb hits on Arafat's headquarters and the Unit 17 barracks. Israel has shown once again that it can act if it wants to, regardless of any political consequences and world public opinion.

OPERATION "PEACE FOR GALILEE" - BATTLE OVER THE BEKAAA VALLEY ("FIRST LEBANE WAR", JUNE 1982)

After Egypt's rapprochement with the West, which followed the signing of the historic Camp David Accord, Syria automatically became Israel's main Arab adversary. This Arab country for many years defended the cause of the Palestinians, who did not stop fighting for the creation of their own, officially recognized state. The rejection of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was expressed in attacks by PLO fighters on the Israeli border area, which were carried out from bases in southern Lebanon. In response, Israeli attack aircraft launched missile and bomb attacks on these bases.

With the obvious goal of stopping the civil war in Lebanon, Syria sent its troops to this neighboring country on May 31, 1976. They were not to be considered as occupying forces, and therefore air cover units and anti-aircraft missiles remained in Syria. Syrian air defense systems were located in the border area, from where they could resist any attempt by Israeli aircraft to strike at Damascus. In March and April 1978, part of southern Lebanon, up to the Litani River, was occupied by Israeli troops. The Israeli Air Force periodically attacked targets in Lebanese territory, which caused opposition from Syrian aircraft.

Parallel to the border, from Rai-aka to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Bekaa Valley stretches southward. Israel has made significant efforts to collect information on Syrian positions in the area and has lost several Firebee-type RPV reconnaissance drones to Syrian anti-aircraft fire.

During air battles with Israeli aircraft, the Syrian Air Force lost at least 12 MiGs from 1979 to June 1982, including two MiG-25s shot down while trying to attack the RF-4E Phantom reconnaissance aircraft.

In the late 70s - early 1980s. The Israeli Air Force received a serious trump card - more modern than their opponents, aircraft - especially the exceptionally maneuverable F-16 "Fighting Falcon" and F-15A "Eagle". Israel was among the first buyers of these types of aircraft, adopting them almost at the same time as the United States.

Israeli F-16 fighter-bombers began to make sorties immediately after entering Israel in 1980. From the very beginning, F-16s were used as fighter-bombers to escort bomb-laden F-4E Phantoms and destroy enemy ground targets and aircraft.

The F-15A has become the main Israeli air defense fighter. Although this aircraft has good speed and maneuverability, its main advantage is its excellent avionics equipment, which also consists of the APG-63 pulse Doppler radar. Israeli F-15As can carry the same range of missiles as their American counterparts: the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow, as well as Israeli Shafrir or Python missiles with infrared seeker.

To eliminate the threat from the PLO, Israel planned the invasion of Lebanon with its armored formations. This operation was scheduled for mid-1982. In order to reduce unwanted international outcry, this attack should have been filed as revenge for the "atrocious" crimes of the PLO. The desired casus belli soon presented itself. They were the assassination attempt on the Israeli ambassador in London on June 3. The attempt on the life of the Israeli ambassador in London was used as a pretext to justify the Israeli invasion of neighboring Lebanon in 1982. The Israeli command pursued the goal of depriving the PLO of its bases in Lebanon, from which PLO saboteurs raided Israeli territory and from where artillery and mortar attacks were carried out Israeli settlements. Lebanon was already in spasms civil war between Christian forces supported by Israel and an alliance of various Muslim organizations and the PLO backed by Syria.

The next day at 15.15, seven waves of A-4, F-4, F-16 aircraft of the Israeli Air Force rushed to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. They attacked Palestinian refugee camps. The following morning, Beirut, the coastal highway, and PLO bases were hit. At the same time, one Skyhawk was shot down by the Strela missile, which was the first loss of the Israeli Air Force.

Israel's plans became apparent to the world only on June 6th. His ground forces, supported by helicopters, began a rapid advance north along the coast, which was supposed to lead the troops almost to the gates of Beirut. Israel has stated that the purpose of this full-scale invasion is to create a demilitarized zone in front of its northern borders. The PLO detachments that tried to resist were driven back, and this forced Syria, as an ally, to help Lebanon. On June 7, the Syrian Air Force tried to intercept F-16 aircraft over Beirut and Damour, but in the end two MiGs were lost. To protect its flanks, Israel deployed large forces in CH-53 heavy transport helicopters to the Shuf Mountains, southeast of Beirut. This operation, carried out the next day, threatened the Syrian positions in the Bekaa Valley from the flank. In addition, now Israeli forces could cut off communication between Beirut and Damascus, and so Syria responded by attacking its Gazelle fire support helicopters. Syrian attack aircraft penetrated deep into Lebanese airspace and attacked Israeli tanks near the port of Sidon.

As a result, it became clear to the Israeli command that the Syrians could interfere with operations against the PLO, which were carried out on the coastal plain. The adoption of countermeasures became an urgent need. In addition, the Israeli Air Force was constrained in their actions by the Syrian air defense system in the Bekaa Valley. The situation was further complicated by the fact that, according to intelligence, additional air defense systems arrived there. It was necessary to act urgently. At that moment, there were 19 SAM positions in the Bekaa Valley.

On June 9, after preliminary reconnaissance of the location of their positions with the help of UAVs, the Israelis carried out a false attack with a special group of aircraft. She provoked the inclusion of the radar of the Syrian air defense systems, which was what the Israelis wanted. Israeli attack aircraft armed with anti-radar missiles and cluster bombs immediately rushed to attack in waves.

90 vehicles took part in these raids. First, shortly after 1400, a unit of 26 F-4s fired AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles and AGM-45 and AGM-78 Standard air-to-ground missiles against air defense systems and control radars. In addition, Israeli ground troops fired their Zeev ground-to-ground tactical missiles at the same targets. As a result, 10 SAM positions were put out of action within 10 minutes. The almost completely paralyzed Syrian air defense was then dealt another heavy blow. 40 F-4s, A-4s and Kfir planes hit the launch sites of the anti-aircraft missiles themselves, using TV-guided Maverick missiles, cluster bombs and laser-guided bombs. This second phase of the raid ended at 1435 hours. After a short break, the third phase of the operation began. Another wave of Israeli aircraft attacked other Syrian targets along the front, as well as the surviving air defense sites.

The cover group included F-16s and F-15 Eagles that engaged the Syrian fighters. The battle soon split into dozens of separate air duels. MiG-21 units were badly battered. The Israeli Air Force, according to them, shot down 22 enemy fighters and inflicted heavy damage on seven aircraft, without losing a single aircraft. Syria acknowledged the loss of 16 vehicles, but announced 26 Israeli aircraft shot down, most of which were probably reconnaissance drones.

However, the most important result of the battle on June 9 was that in four raids, Israeli aircraft disabled at least 17 rocket launchers, leaving Syrian troops with virtually no ground-based air defense systems.

On June 10, the last two missile launch sites were destroyed, and now Syria could rely only on its Air Force in the fight against Israeli aircraft. Fierce battles broke out in the sky, as a result of which the Syrians reported 10 air victories. Israel claimed that its pilots shot down 25 Syrian planes and three helicopters. The latter tried to stop the advance of the Israeli column into the Bekaa Valley, to which the Israeli command responded by introducing AN-I Cobra and Hughes 500MD Defender fire support helicopters into battle.

The next day, June 11, similar air battles took place when Syrian troops attacked Israeli units, which, as it seemed to the Syrian command, intended to cut the road leading from the Bekaa Valley to Beirut. According to Israeli data, this cost the Syrian air force another 18 downed aircraft, lost just before the temporary ceasefire came into force. In fact, the air war was over, although Israeli aircraft continued to occasionally strike. The work of the Israeli helicopter pilots did not decrease, since over the next months they had to support their troops from the air, occupying southern part Lebanon.

The superiority of Israeli aviation over the Syrian Air Force was overwhelming, and this was largely due to ground support elements, the main of which was the Israeli multi-level air combat control system. One of its main components was the recently acquired E-2C Hawkeye AWACS aircraft. During the fighting, two of the four E-2Cs in operational readiness were patrolling in the air near the coast. Later, the Syrian command admitted that all of its aircraft were detected by the enemy almost immediately after takeoff, which deprived them of any chance of a surprise attack. In addition to the E-2C, Israel had Westinghouse low-altitude surveillance radar systems (this system was an AN / TPS-63 tactical radar suspended under a balloon). Close reconnaissance was carried out by reconnaissance RF-4E "Phantom". One RF-4E was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire, and in view of the exceptional value of its avionics and electronic reconnaissance equipment (some of which were Israeli-made), the Israeli command sent a special search party behind enemy lines with the task of finding and destroying the wreckage of the aircraft. The search engines found not only the crashed plane, but also a group of eleven Soviet specialists who were removing "black boxes" from the plane. The Israelis forced them to retreat. During the fighting over the Bekaa Valley, RPV drones were widely used for both reconnaissance and deception purposes. These were the Firebee and IA1 Scouts, the latter of which were equipped with a piston engine and, having television cameras and panoramic cameras, transmitted information about the results of air raids in hot pursuit.

All operations to destroy the positions of the air defense systems were carefully planned. Aircraft of the first wave launched missiles from a distance of 35 km - outside the zone of action of the air defense system. These missiles were supposed to hit the “nerve” centers of the air defense system with pinpoint strikes and therefore were Maverick-type weapons with a television seeker and AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard anti-radar missiles. After the air defense control centers were disabled, Israeli aircraft were able to attack the launch positions of the air defense system from a closer distance and using cluster and high-explosive bombs. Most of this work was done by Phantoms.

Boeing 707s converted from ordinary civilian airliners also took part in the battles. Equipped with side-looking radars and electronic warfare equipment, they interfered with the enemy’s radars and their guidance systems for interceptor fighters.

In the battles over the Beka Valley, Syria admitted the loss of 60 aircraft and "less than 30" air defense systems. Israel claimed that its Air Force shot down 92 Syrian planes and helicopters, including 85 fighter jets and 5 Gazelle helicopters. 40 downed Syrian aircraft (20 MiG-21 and 20 MiG-23) fall on 37 F-15 Eagle fighters. In total, the Needles shot down 58 enemy vehicles. Another victory won by the F-4E should be attributed to McDonnell Douglas. The remaining 44 downed aircraft of the Syrian Air Force fall to the share of 72 F-16s, and again these machines are almost equally distributed between the MiG-21 and MiG-23.

Syria, after initially inflating data on the number of air victories, then settled on 19 Israeli planes and helicopters shot down. Israel acknowledged the loss of only one Skyhawk and two helicopters. This data is underestimated. In reality, Israel lost 13 fighters and attack aircraft, including several F-15As. Two helicopters (AN-1 "Cobra" and Bell 212) were shot down by PLO fighters. The Israeli command claimed that all of its lost planes and helicopters were shot down by anti-aircraft missiles.

The inevitable dispute over the number of planes shot down does not negate the fact that Israel won a complete victory in the air battle over the Bekaa Valley, in which fighters from both sides took part. Even the numbers of Israeli casualties cited by the Syrians cannot belittle its significance, calling into question only the extent of Israeli air superiority.

Thus, the good training and skill of the Israeli pilots, as well as the constant military-technical assistance from the United States, provide the Israeli Air Force with a clear advantage in the fight against hostile neighbors.

After the events described, the Israeli Air Force was used in the Second Lebanon War (2006) and Operation Cast Lead (2008). However, in these conflicts, Israel was opposed by Hezbollah and Hamas militants, who did not have serious air defense systems. Under the conditions of absolute air supremacy, Israel used aviation only for launching missile and bomb attacks on enemy targets. But it seems that in the near future, the Israeli Air Force will again meet with serious opponents - Iran and Syria ...

HAIL AVIR - this is the Hebrew name for the air force of the Jewish state, which is considered the main strike weapon of the IDF. They were founded in October 1947 and by the beginning of the War of Independence were 4 squadrons of 28 light passenger aircraft. They were re-equipped with machine guns and makeshift bomb releasers. These machines were piloted by experienced pilots, participants in the 2nd World War. And although there was not a single combat aircraft among their aircraft, the actions of the first IDF squadrons terrified the Arabs.

During the war, they were joined by 25 Messerschmitts purchased from Czechoslovakia, 13 fighters purchased from the United States and 10 from South Africa, which flew another 40 volunteer pilots.

Despite such a variegated and by no means modern equipment, Israeli aviation dominated the battlefields, and when British attack aircraft came to the aid of the Egyptians surrounded in the Fallujah area, Jewish pilots defeated them utterly, shooting down 6 aircraft.

In subsequent wars, the Hail Avir was equipped mainly with French Mister and Mirage fighters. On these machines, the Israelis steadily gained air supremacy, which was one of the main prerequisites for the defeat of the Arab armies.

And only in the 70s did the re-equipment of Hail Avir with American-made aircraft begin. At the same time, Israeli firms began to implement their own projects for the manufacture of military vehicles. And today, Israel is one of the few countries producing modern fighters, which include the Kfir in service. But even before him, Israeli designers created the Lavi fighter-bomber, which in its characteristics surpasses contemporary aircraft. And the Americans literally forced them to stop fine-tuning this machine, pledging to supply their own fighters in return. Today, it is they who make up the bulk of the Israeli Air Force combat aircraft fleet.

Organizationally, they consist of aviation and air defense. Leading Heil Avir Commander (in given time Major General Dan Halutz) is subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff and is responsible for the combat readiness, development, operational training and logistics of the Air Force, whose headquarters is located in Tel Aviv.

In terms of the number of aircraft and helicopters, Israeli aviation is not inferior to the leading European countries. More than 700 combat aircraft, of which 250 are in reserve. 18 squadrons, consisting of 86 F-15 Stike Eagle interceptors, 232 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter-bombers, 50 F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers, 100 front-line attack aircraft A-4 "Sky Hawk" and 250 fighter-bombers "Kfir". The basis of military aviation is the American F-15 and F-16 aircraft, capable of delivering over 10 tons of bombs and missiles to a distance of up to 1,500 km.

The reconnaissance unit includes 10 Avax aircraft, 6 Boeings equipped with the Falcon detection system, 33 long-range reconnaissance aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft. Military transport aviation consists of 5 squadrons - 34 transport and 8 refueling aircraft. The helicopter unit consists of 130 attack helicopters, 153 amphibious transport and 10 anti-submarine helicopters.

Air Force units and subunits are stationed at 10 air bases. In addition, there are 47 more airfields, of which only three have unpaved runways, the rest are paved. All of them are equipped with systems that ensure flights in difficult weather conditions and at night.

The aviation personnel numbers 21,000 people, mostly career officers and sergeants (another 20,000 are in the air defense, mostly conscripts). The Heil Avir command pays the closest attention to the recruitment and training of the flight contingent. In Israel, for several decades, the selection of candidates for this, frankly speaking, the most prestigious military profession has been established.

All recruiting offices are looking for young men who are most suitable in terms of their psychophysical data to become pilots, looking for them even in secondary schools. Selected graduates go through a ten-day gathering. Those who successfully complete it are trained in flight practice on light aircraft for a year. The best become applicants for admission to the Air Force Academy, located at the Hatzerim airbase. But, despite such a severe selection, no more than 15 percent of those who entered it initially graduate from this academy.

In the future, Israeli pilots continuously improve their skills. They have the largest flight time in the world, 30 percent superior to American pilots, although an hour of flight of a modern fighter aircraft costs the Israelis $ 17,000. More than half of the combat pilots who have served are in the mobilization reserve and are systematically involved in flights in order to save skills at a level not inferior to regular pilots.

Both those and other pilots are required to live in close proximity to the air base where they serve or to which they are assigned according to the mobplan. They are under the strictest secrecy, they are not allowed to be photographed, their names and places of residence are state secret. All activities for the training of pilots and care for them are fully justified by the highest combat skills of these air fighters, who have earned the fame of the best in the world.

Ground technical personnel are trained at the Air Force School located in Beer Sheva, flight directors, control systems specialists are trained in Bikat-Uvda.

Upon mobilization, all Air Force reservists are required to arrive at their air bases within 24-36 hours in full readiness for combat operations. At the same time, the personnel of the Air Force is increasing by 12 thousand people.

The Air Defense Forces became part of Hail Avir in 1965, when the then modern American Hawk-type anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) were put into service. According to Militri Technology magazine, as of January 1, 2003, Israeli air defense consisted of 17 Advanced HOK SAM batteries, 6 Patriot SAM batteries, and 8 Chapparel short-range SAM batteries.

Despite such a relatively abundant amount of air defense systems, the Israeli leadership believed that they did not guarantee the country from being hit by operational tactical missiles that potential adversaries have - Iraq, Iran, Syria and Egypt. Therefore, since 1988, specialists from the Israeli company "Ai-Ai-Ai" and the American corporation "Lockheed-Martin" have been developing an anti-missile system (PRK), which received the name "Arrow". It was created by 1998, tested, and in 2000 the first battery was put on combat duty in a positional area north of Tel Aviv.

The Arrow missile defense system is designed to confidently intercept warheads of operational-tactical missiles (range up to a thousand km) and enemy aircraft at distances up to 100 km and altitudes up to 50 km. The combat means of interception is the two-stage anti-missile "Arrow-2" with an inseparable warhead. It is equipped with a combined (infrared and radar) homing head, which ensures reliable target acquisition in adverse weather conditions and in the presence of active radio countermeasures.

G., a major in the Israeli Air Force, repatriated from Ukraine. He completed a very demanding military pilot course and currently serves as a second in command of a squadron. In a conversation with the "Cursor" he spoke about his service.

Tell us about yourself first. Where did you immigrate from, where did you study?

I immigrated from Ukraine in 1996 with my parents, at the time of moving to Israel I was 14.5 years old. He graduated from school here, then received a deferment from military service and completed his first degree in electronics at the Technion. After graduation, he was mobilized. I am now married and we have four children. My wife and children live at the Air Force base, there is a special village for officers and their families. In the army, I took a leave of absence to complete my second degree, also in engineering.

Did you want to serve in aviation?

No, I was more attracted to the infantry, but the army offered me pilot courses. I became interested, learned about flying specialties, and decided to try. There were many selection interviews. The course lasts three years, almost the entire military service. Several hundred people enter, a few dozen graduate. In addition to me, at the beginning of the course there were several other repatriates, about ten people, but among those who successfully completed the course, only I was a repatriate. But this is not because of the "glass ceiling", since during the training of the army it does not matter what language the cadet speaks at home. The percentage of repatriates who successfully completed the course, compared to the number of those who began training, does not differ from that of native Israelis.

The course is very difficult, but the main difficulties are mental rather than physical. The physical activity of infantrymen is perhaps higher. And it turns out that for three years a cadet is checked, tested and examined every day. However, you can get used to this. The hardest part of the course is the flight. From a physical point of view, the most difficult period is the first year, when we go through the course of a young fighter, perform orientation on the ground and other similar tasks.

What is your flying specialty?

Combat aircraft navigator F-15 and F-16 . For each specialty during the course, a separate selection is carried out, that is, a separate specialization - aircraft pilots, helicopter pilots, navigators, and so on.

After the course, pilots undergo another year of additional training, including operational training. For navigators, such training lasts six months. Then they are enlisted in the squadron, where they have another year of training flights, and only then are they allowed to fly on combat missions. For the first two years of service in the squadron, the pilot and navigator come to the unit every day, as if to work. Then they are transferred to other positions, for example, to headquarters or to a flight school, and they have to fly once a week. Then they are given command posts or transferred to the reserve. In the reserve, they also come every week to make training flights.

After the course, I got into the squadron F-16i , spent the first two years there, then became a flight simulator instructor, then returned to the squadron and became the commander of new pilots and navigators. Then I took the post of second deputy commander. Then he commanded a squadron at the flight academy. Now I am the first deputy squadron commander F-15i "Patishim". I have under my command all the pilots and navigators, soldiers and conscripts directly related to flights. In the coming years, I will stay in the army, and then we will see.

What tasks did you have to complete?

There can be many combat missions, and they are diverse - sorties to intercept an air target, strikes on a ground one. The planes I fly are mostly missions against ground targets. Accordingly, I performed such tasks. I can't say more.

Air Force - elite troops ...

I wouldn't say so. We are part of the Israeli army. We have our own machines that allow us to complete tasks and missions that others cannot do, but that's all. This is our job. Other branches of the military have other tasks. But everyone does their own thing and contributes.

But at the same time, you associate yourself with the army almost for the rest of your life, even if you decide to end your military career.

Yes, every week - one flight. Up to 51 years old you can fly combat aircraft, up to 60 years old - as an instructor at a flight school. At 18, you think more about flying romance than about the distant future, and you don’t really think about such things. But now I even like it. Flying is great, and the more you can fly, the better. Many pilots would be happy to continue flying further, after reaching the age limit.

Has anything changed in the training of pilots after being deployed in Syria Russian funds Air defense - S-300 and S-400?

Russian air defense systems that appeared in Syria have long been known to us, and we last years we conduct training taking into account the capabilities of these weapons. We are training not for the last, but for the next war. Such systems may appear in many potential adversaries, and we take all this into account. Our training is built taking into account all types of weapons that may appear with opponents.

And how much does air defense develop today?

Air defense systems are being actively developed and improved, both in the western and eastern blocs. There are many new developments, both in our country and in other countries. This direction is very popular, as it is much cheaper than the production of aircraft and the training of pilots. It is much easier to train the calculations of air defense batteries.

The main difference, in my opinion, is the quality training and careful selection of pilots and navigators. The Israeli Air Force has the privilege of being the first to select new recruits, and this is a big plus. Thanks to this, our Air Force remains at a very high level. In addition, we have some of the best aircraft in the world, F-15i and F -16i equipped with Israeli systems that our opponents do not have. We also have a lot of accumulated experience, we have developed our own tactics and strategy.

One of our features is that we still pay a lot of attention to the training of pilots for close combat, when it is necessary to shoot down an enemy aircraft from a gun. Most other air forces have abandoned this in favor of missiles. And with us this is still a basic exercise, and skills in handling modern weapons are based on the skills acquired in training for close combat. We believe that a pilot must always react quickly, think and make decisions, and this is best trained in close combat. One who is good at close quarters will be good at both range and bombardment.

And if we compare our pilots with pilots from other countries?

It is difficult to make such a comparison, since in joint exercises we are not against each other, but together. I would say that in Western countries the training of pilots is good, but with its own specifics.

For example, American training is slightly different from ours. The Americans are used to acting in masses, they have thousands of aircraft, and their pilots simply follow orders and act strictly according to instructions. In our country, it is customary to be flexible, since there are many potential opponents around with different aircraft, and the situation in the air can change at any second. We learn to make decisions in accordance with such changes. The Americans, on the other hand, carefully prepare the operation, and then strictly follow the developed plan.

I saw Russian and Ukrainian pilots only during forest fires in our country, I happened to accompany them on flights with firefighting aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in 2010 and 2016 and the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry in 2016.

Pilots in all countries are similar, we speak a language understandable to each other.

Sometimes one gets the impression that aviation is being given an increasingly dominant role, while other troops are becoming its appendage.

Actually it is not. Over time, the integration of all branches of the military is becoming closer. Modern control systems for aviation and ground forces allow them to constantly engage in dialogue. At the same time, the headquarters sees the overall picture, ground and air, and this provides the necessary information node for decision-making. Combat in the air and combat on the ground today are closely connected, there are special Air Force officers who accompany the ground troops and coordinate their interaction with us. This was not the case in the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Pilots do a lot of training with ground troops these days.

Now unmanned aircraft is actively developing. What do you think is her future?

Yes, of course, everything goes to this. Israel is one of the world leaders in unmanned aerial vehicles. I think in another 30 years, and most missions will be carried out by unmanned aircraft. While this is not yet the case, the level of technology does not allow replacing a person watching the battle from above with his own eyes, there is still no full opportunity to replace a person in all tasks. But this, I repeat, is only a matter of time.

Not sad?

Enough combat missions for my age.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL. ISRAEL ARMED FORCES

In operational terms, the armed forces are subdivided into three territorial districts (Northern, Central and Southern), and according to the types of troops - into land, air and naval forces.

National Army. The Israeli army has a relatively small number of regular soldiers and consists mainly of conscripts and reserves (the number of regular soldiers is relatively large in the Air Force and Navy). For this reason, the Israeli armed forces, unlike most other armies, do not form a closed professional corporation, but in the full sense of the word are a national army. The consequence of this is the interest of the Israel Defense Forces in raising the professional and general educational level of the country's population. The mobilized receive in army technical schools the knowledge and skills necessary in modern military affairs; special educational programs are aimed at expanding and deepening the knowledge of soldiers in the field of Jewish history, geography, archeology of Israel, etc.; the army makes sure that new immigrants and recruits, whose formal education has not been completed, better master the skills of reading and writing; the army sends specially trained female instructors to development cities to eliminate educational disparities.

There are a number of special service programs in Tsakh Ale, including:

Yeshivot x a-x esder- a special version of military service, in which service is combined with studies in a yeshiva. This service is intended for yeshiva high school students ( Yeshivot Tikhoniyot), conscripts of Tsakh ala. The term of such service is 4 years, including 16 months of military service, and the rest of the time is studying in a yeshiva. In August 2005, the number of soldiers and officers serving in Tsakh Ala under this program reached six thousand people, 88% of them in combat units.

Air defense missions include:

• Ensuring the air defense of the country. This task is performed by Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and advanced HAWK systems in cooperation with the command and control system and fighter aircraft.
• Ensuring the country's missile defense. A ballistic missile warning against Israel comes from a network of American early warning satellites. The interception is carried out by specialized Hetz-2 anti-missiles, and in case of failure, by Patriot missiles.
• Defense of individual military and civilian facilities (for example, air force bases, nuclear center in Dimona).
• Air defense of the ground forces. This task is performed by mobile air defense systems, their divisions are armed with Stinger and Chaparel anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as Makhbet missile and artillery systems.
• Security and ground defense of air force bases.

The first air defense systems (40 mm anti-aircraft guns L-70) were supplied to Israel by the German government in 1962; in the same year, the first HAWK anti-aircraft missile systems arrived in Israel from the United States. It was Germany and the United States that supported the development of Israel's air defense throughout all subsequent years. As of 2002, Israel had 22 batteries of heavy anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as approximately 70 portable launchers of light anti-aircraft missile systems.

Israeli Navy for a long time remained the least developed branch of the armed forces. However, after unprecedented successes in 1973 (19 enemy ships destroyed without losses on the Israeli side), a period of rapid development began, and at present the Israeli Navy is considered not only one of the most operational in the world, but also the dominant sea ​​power in the Eastern Mediterranean basin.

About 9,500 people serve in the Israeli navy; during the mobilization of the numerical strength of the Navy, they reach 19,500 people. The Israeli navy (data for 2002) has six submarines (three of the obsolete Gal model, laid down in 1973-74, commissioned in 1976-77) and three of the Dolphin model, laid down in 1994-96, put into operation in 1999-2000), fifteen (according to other sources - twenty) corvettes of the Eilat type and missile boats types "Hetz", "Aliya" and "Reshef" and thirty-three patrol boats.

Several units have been created in Tsakhala and the police, the main task of which is to resistance to terror. Among them: Yamam - special unit the anti-terror police, responsible for anti-terrorist operations in Israel; Saeret Matkal (General Staff Intelligence), responsible for anti-terrorist operations outside the country; Shaetet-13 (13th flotilla, special forces of the Navy, responsible for anti-terrorist operations abroad involving naval forces); Lothar Eilat (Lothar - lohma be-terror/fight against terror/, unit 7707, responsible for anti-terrorist operations in Israel in the area of ​​the city of Eilat; due to the geographical remoteness of Eilat and its proximity to the Egyptian and Jordanian borders, it was decided to create a separate unit for it). In addition, anti-terrorist special forces were created in each of the military districts: Saeret "Golani" (reconnaissance of the Golani infantry brigade) - in the North, Saeret Tsankhanim (reconnaissance of the parachute brigade), Saeret Nahal (reconnaissance of the Nahal infantry brigade) and Saeret " Duvdevan" (special unit of the so-called mistarvim operating in Arabic camouflage in controlled territories) - in the Central and Saeret "Giv'ati" (reconnaissance of the infantry brigade "Giv'ati") - in the Southern Military District. In 1995, to counter the "guerrilla war" in Lebanon, Saeret "Egoz" was recreated (disbanded in 1974 together with Saeret "Cheruv" and Saeret "Shaked"); subsequently, the fighters of this detachment made an invaluable contribution to the fight against Palestinian terror in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Gaza.

Nuclear potential. The existence of a constant threat to national security from the Arab neighbors forces Israel to maintain powerful armed forces in the country, equipped with modern means of armed struggle, including weapons of mass destruction. Although Israel has never conducted an open nuclear test, it is estimated that Israel now ranks sixth in the world among nuclear powers after the USA, Russia, England, France and China. Israel's nuclear program dates back to the 1950s; D. Ben-Gurion and S. Perez stood at its origins. Scientific support nuclear program carried out by a team of scientists from. In 1952, the Nuclear Energy Commission, headed by E. D. Bergman, was established under the control of the Department of Defense. In 1956, Israel entered into a secret agreement with France to build a plutonium nuclear reactor. The reactor began to be built in a remote corner of the Negev desert, near Dimona. The facility for reprocessing irradiated fuel was created in 1960, and the 26 MW reactor was put into operation in 1963. (Now the reactor power reaches 150 MW, which, according to experts, makes it possible to obtain weapons-grade plutonium in an amount sufficient to produce more than ten bombs average power per year.) By the Six Day War, the first two nuclear devices had already been assembled, starting in 1970, Israel began to produce from three to five nuclear charges in year. At the same time, Israel refused to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, reaching an understanding with the US administration (and personally with President R. Nixon), according to which, "it was assumed, but not recognized" that Israel was a state possessing nuclear weapons. Only on July 13, 1998, at a press conference in Jordan, S. Peres, who was then Prime Minister of Israel, for the first time publicly admitted that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, but neither he nor any other of the Israeli leaders, either then or later did not release any details relating to this area. According to various estimates, by now Israel could potentially have from one hundred to five hundred nuclear warheads, the total TNT equivalent of which could be up to fifty megatons. Since 1963, Israel has been developing ballistic missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Back in 1989, successful tests passed ballistic missile"Jericho-2B" with a range of up to 1,500 km, capable of hitting targets, including throughout Libya and Iran. The Israeli Armed Forces also have airborne nuclear delivery vehicles (including the US-made F-16, F-4E Phantom and A-4N Sky Hawk aircraft). Israel is the only power in the Middle East with a high degree of probability nuclear systems land, sea and air based weapons.

Israeli defense spending in 2002 they amounted to 9.84 billion dollars (1984 - 4.3 billion dollars). Although Israel's defense spending has been steadily rising, on a per capita basis, it has remained relatively stable, albeit quite high, at about $1,500 a year.

A major contribution to the maintenance of Israel's defense capability is made by military assistance received by Israel from the United States. For the first time, Israel received gratuitous military aid from the United States in 1974 (worth one and a half billion dollars). For the period from 1974 to 2002. Israel received $41.06 billion in free military aid from the United States. At the same time, Israel is obliged to spend most of the military aid funds in the United States for the purchase of military equipment, spare parts, ammunition and equipment, which hinders the development of defense industry enterprises in Israel itself.

Procurement, production and export of weapons. The first major purchases of weapons were made in 1948 in Czechoslovakia (rifles, machine guns, and later fighters of the Messerschmidt type). At the same time, Israel was buying weapons from France and other countries, as well as acquiring surplus US military equipment. In 1952, Israel signed an agreement with the US government on the purchase of military equipment, but during this period the share of Israeli military purchases in the US was insignificant. The first jet planes of the Israeli Air Force - "Meteor" - were bought from Great Britain, which eventually became the main supplier of naval equipment, primarily destroyers and submarines. In the 1950s France is gradually becoming the main supplier of weapons to the Israel Defense Forces (primarily jet aircraft) - up to the embargo on the supply of weapons to Israel, imposed on June 2, 1967 by President de Gaulle. In the 1960s the role of the United States as a supplier of weapons for the Israel Defense Forces is growing - however, the United States becomes the main supplier only after the Six Day War.

The power of the Israel Defense Forces is determined not only by modern weapons purchased from abroad, but to a large extent depends on the industrial infrastructure with which the Israeli armed forces form a single military-industrial complex: the armed forces set technical tasks for the Israeli military industry, and the military industry enriches the arsenal Tsakh ala with its technical achievements, opening up new operational possibilities. The high level of the Israeli military industry is the result not so much of economic factors as of political decisions, since from the very first days of the existence of the Jewish state it became obvious that in emergency circumstances one cannot rely on the delivery of weapons and equipment ordered from abroad. Today, the products of the Israeli industry cover almost all major branches of military production and include electronic and electrical equipment(in particular, radar and telecommunications equipment - an area in which Israel is among the world's best manufacturers), precision optical equipment, light shooting weapons, artillery and mortars, rockets, some of which are the most advanced in their class, tanks, aircraft (light - for operational communications and maritime patrols, transport, unmanned aerial vehicles, fighters and fighter-bombers), combat ships, ammunition, personal equipment, military medical equipment, etc.

By the beginning of 2002, the total number of enterprises of the military-industrial complex (MIC) of Israel was about one hundred and fifty, and the total number of employees in defense enterprises exceeded fifty thousand people (of which about twenty-two thousand people are employed in three state-owned companies: the Aviation Industry Concern ”, the association“ Military Industry ”and in the Office for the Development of Arms“ Rafael ”).

The total volume of production of the Israeli military-industrial complex in 2001 exceeded $3.5 billion, and Israeli defense enterprises signed contracts for the export of their products in the amount of $2.6 billion (Israel accounts for 8% of world arms exports). The Israeli military industry not only provides a significant part of Tsakhal's need for weapons, equipment and equipment, but also exports its products for hundreds of millions of dollars to the South (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru) and Central (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico). ) America, South Africa, East Asia (Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand) and many other countries that avoid publicizing their military purchases in Israel, as well as NATO countries, including the United States. In recent years, Israel has been successfully developing military-technical cooperation with China, India, Turkey and the countries of Eastern Europe.

The products of the Israeli military industry are in demand on the world market due to their high quality. The aircraft converted by Israeli enterprises in recent years are in service with Croatia, Romania, Turkey, Zambia, Cambodia, Burma, Sri Lanka and other countries. Israel controls 90% of the world market for unmanned aircraft, with the United States being the main buyer; many other countries also acquire this technique. Among the important objects of Israeli export of military equipment, one should also note the means of communication (for example, search and detection systems for ejected pilots of aircraft and helicopters, as well as reconnaissance and special forces fighters, which make it possible to establish their location with an accuracy of 10 m); sights and night vision devices for both small arms and armored vehicles and helicopters; electronic combat control systems for units of various levels; radar installations for different types armaments; means of searching and detecting mines, unexploded ordnance (which is very important for many countries in Asia and Africa); robots for the safe detonation of detected explosive devices; weapon and many other types of military equipment and equipment. The advantage of Israeli weapons and military equipment supplied to the foreign market is that almost all of it has been tested in real combat operations, modified in accordance with the requirements of the field conditions of its operation and therefore is very reliable. The proceeds from the export of the Israeli military industry serve its further development.

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