Tel Nof Airbase

Tel Nof Israeli Air Force Base Air Force Base 8
בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר תֵּל נוֹף
Rehovot, Central District in Israel
Tel Nof Airbase Shown within Israel Tel Nof Airbase Tel Nof Airbase (Israel)
Coordinates	31°50′22.10″N 34°49′18.64″E
Type	Airbase
Site information
Owner	Israel Defense Forces
Operator	Israeli Air Force
Site history
Built	1939 RAF / 1948 IAF
In use	1939 - present
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: LLEK
Elevation	59 metres (194 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 15R/33L 2,388 metres (7,835 ft) Asphalt 15L/33R 2,387 metres (7,831 ft) Asphalt 18/36 2,750 metres (9,022 ft) Asphalt 09/27 1,830 metres (6,004 ft) Asphalt

Israeli Air Force Memorial on "Pilots' Mountain", IAF's main memorial for its fallen pilots and airmen, created in the 1950s, 25 kilometers east of Tel Nof (31.774559°N 35.090043°E / 31.774559; 35.090043 (Israeli Air Force Memorial on "Pilots' Mountain"))

Tel Nof Airbase (Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר תֵּל נוֹף, English: Lookout hill) (ICAO: LLEK), also known as Air Force Base 8, is the oldest and main base of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) located 5 km south of Rehovot, Israel. Tel Nof houses two strike fighter, two helicopter and a UAV squadron. Also located on the base are the Flight Test Center Manat and several special units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), among others Unit 669 (heliborne Combat Search and Rescue, CSAR) and the Paratroopers Brigade training center and its headquarters.

History

British Mandate

Established in July 1939 as RAF Aqir during the British Mandate, it served as the main base for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Palestine. It was named after the Palestinian village Aqir north of it that perished in the 1948 Palestine war and was located in the area of today's Kiryat Ekron.

Operational units from 1941 to 1948

• No. 6 Squadron between 17 and 24 February 1941 with the Westland Lysander
• No. 10 Squadron detachment (1942) Handley Page Halifax
• No. 11 Squadron (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
• No. 32 Squadron (1946) Supermarine Spitfire IX
• No. 37 Squadron (1945) Consolidated Liberator VI
• No. 45 Squadron (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
• No. 55 Squadron (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
• No. 70 Squadron (1945) Consolidated Liberator VI
• No. 80 Squadron (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
• No. 84 Squadron (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
• No. 113 Squadron (1946–1947) Handley Page Halifax
• No. 159 Squadron (1942) Consolidated Liberator II
• No. 160 Squadron (1942) Consolidated Liberator II
• No. 162 Squadron (1942) Vickers Wellington later Bristol Blenheim IV
• No. 208 Squadron (1941) Hawker Audax and (1946) Supermarine Spitfire VIII
• No. 211 Squadron (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
• No. 215 Squadron (1947) Douglas Dakota I
• No. 221 Squadron detachment (1945) Vickers Wellington XII
• No. 227 Squadron (1942) Handley Page Halifax
• No. 250 Squadron (1941) Curtiss Tomahawk IIB
• No. 294 Squadron detachment (1944) Vickers Wellington IC
• No. 335 (Greek) Squadron (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
• No. 450 Squadron RAAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
• No. 620 Squadron (1946) Douglas Dakota and Handley Page Halifax
• No. 621 Squadron (1946) Avro Lancaster ASR.III
• No. 680 Squadron detachment (1945) Fairchild Argus
• No. 76 Operational Training Unit Vickers Wellington - Formed at RAF Aqir on 1 October 1943, equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk.IIIs and Xs to train night bomber crews for squadrons in the Middle East, disbanding on 30 July 1945. 76 OTU, despite operating Wellingtons, were also working up crews for B-24 Liberators. After completion of their course those crews were passed on to Liberator conversion units.

Gallery

• 
  A Greek pilot in front of a British Hawker Hurricane at RAF Aqir, 1939-1943
• 
  A 76 OTU Vickers Wellington Mark X at RAF Aqir, 1944-1945
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  Air gunner training at RAF Aqir, 1944-1945
• 
  Handley Page Halifax, 113 Squad­ron from RAF Aqir, 1946-1947

Names of the base

After the British withdrawal from RAF Aqir in 1948, the base was renamed Ekron Airbase after the Israeli village Kiryat Ekron north of it and, from 1950, Tel Nof Airbase (English: Lookout hill). The name "Tel Nof" dates back to the 1930s, when the area was known by this name as an urban development area, similar to the then-thriving "Tel Aviv" (English: Spring hill).

First Israeli fighter aircraft

On 29 May 1948, the first four fighter aircraft Avia S-199 of the first aircraft squadron 101 "First Fighter" of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) took off from here for their first mission, an attack on the Ad Halom Bridge in the eastern outskirts of Ashdod, which was in the hands of Egyptian troops. Important was less the modest military success of this operation than the shock to the Egyptian soldiers when they saw with their own eyes that Israel now had an Air Force.

On 17 August 1948, Ekron Airbase (later Tel Nof Airbase) was officially and ceremoniously opened. Hatzor Airbase and Ramat David Airbase taken over from the British soon followed. The IAF Flight Academy was installed at Tel Nof in 1955 until it was moved to the newly built Hatzerim Airbase in 1966.

• 
  Czech Avia S-199 of Israeli 101 Squadron at Ekron Airbase in 1948
• 
  An Avia S-199 of 101 Squadron at the IAF Museum in 2006
• 
  A Spitfire Mk.IXe of 101 Squadron, from the early days of the IAF
• 
  A P-51D Mustang of 101 Squadron of the IAF, from its early days too

Paratroopers Brigade

During the 1948 Palestine War there was a provisional paratroopers unit in Israel, which was expanded from the beginning of the 1950s into a regular Paratroopers Brigade, whose headquarters and training center is still located at Tel Nof to this day. This brigade and its units has since been involved in many important operations in Israel's wars, such as: the Suez Crisis and the Six-Day War, where the conquest of the Old City of Jerusalem with the capture of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall by Israeli paratroopers was particularly remembered.

• 
  Soldiers of the Israel Paratroopers Brigade at Tel Nof Airbase in 1955
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  Paratroopers climb aboard en route to Jerusalem on 7 June 1967
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  Israeli paratroopers reach the Western Wall on 7 June 1967
• 
  Israeli paratroopers are jumping from a Nord Noratlas in 1972

One and a half kilometers west of Tel Nof lies the main Paratroopers Memorial near National Road , which commemorates those who fell in these units (31.842728°N 34.788440°E / 31.842728; 34.788440 (Israeli Paratroopers Main Memorial)).

• 
  Inauguration of the Paratroopers Memorial on Yom HaZikaron 1960
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  Moshe Dayan lays a wreath at the Paratroopers Memorial in 1969
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  The Paratroopers Memorial in 2020 west of Tel Nof at National Road 40
• 
  Training jump of paratroopers shortly before sunset in May 2010

Six-Day War

As late as the Six-Day War in June 1967, French fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation played a leading role in the IAF, such as the Mystère IV, the Super Mystère and the Mirage III. Some of these were also stationed at Tel Nof at that time. In the mid-1960s, Israel had commissioned Dassault to build an improved version of the Mirage III that was specifically tailored to the needs of the IAF, as they needed a ground attack aircraft in a desert environment. The first examples of this version, called the Mirage 5, were supposed to be delivered in 1967, but this never happened.

The French-built fighter jets – except the Mirage 5 – now on display at the IAF Museum near Hatzerim Airbase:

• 
  A Dassault Mystère IV-A of 116 Squadron "Defenders Of The South" from Tel Nof
• 
  Dassault Super Mystère B2 Sambad of 105 Squadron "Scorpion", the only IAF squadron with that aircraft
• 
  A Dassault Mirage III Shahak, also flown by 119 Squadron "Bat" at Tel Nof Airbase
• 
  French Air Force Dassault Mirage 5, of which 50 copies were to be delivered to Israel from 1967

In response to the Six-Day War, the delivery of 50 already produced and largely paid for Dassault Mirage 5 to Israel was stopped by French President Charles de Gaulle, as he no longer wanted to supply new offensive weapons to the former ally. After Israeli commando units blew up 14 Lebanese airliners at Beirut Airport on the evening of 28 December 1968 in Operation Gift, using French transport helicopters Super Frelon from Tel Nof and naval boats supplied by France, de Gaulle then imposed a total arms embargo on Israel.

Yom Kippur War

An F-4E Phantom II Kur­nass of 119 Squadron "Bat" at the Giv'at Olga Technoda in Hadera

Despite the embargo Tel Nof Airbase has been steadily expanded over the years, and during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, seven air squadrons operated at the base. While the Six-Day War 1967 was still characterized by French-made fighter aircraft, US ones now dominate.

The seven squadrons at Tel Nof during the Yom Kippur War:

• 119 Squadron "Bat" with F-4E Phantom II Kurnass heavy strike fighter jets
• 115 Squadron "Flying Dragon" with A-4H/N Skyhawk Ayit light strike fighter jets
• 116 Squadron "Defenders Of The South" with A-4H/N Skyhawk Ayit light strike fighter jets
• 118 Squadron "Night Riders" with CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur heavy transport helicopters
• 114 Squadron "Night Leaders" with Super Frelon Tzirʿa heavy transport helicopters
• 124 Squadron "Rolling Sword" with Bell 205/206 light general-purpose helicopters
• 103 Squadron "Elephants" with Nord Noratlas transport aircraft

US-made airplanes, most of them now at the IAF Museum near Hatzerim Airbase:

• 
  An RF-4E Phantom II Orev of 119 Squadron "Bat" at Tel Nof Airbase in 1974 just after the Yom Kippur War
• 
  A-4N & A-4H Skyhawk Ayit (from left) of 147 Squadron "Goring Ram", stationed in two squadrons at Tel Nof
• 
  CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur of 118 Squadron "Night Riders" from Tel Nof during the Yom Kippur War 1973
• 
  Bell 205/206 and Bell 212 (from left) general-purpose helicopters of 124 Squadron "Rolling Sword"

The total of twelve (or sixteen) Super Frelon Tzirʿa transport helicopters that Israel had received from France before the embargo were stationed in the 114 Squadron "Night Leaders" at Tel Nof from 1966 to 1991 and were retrofitted with more powerful US engines until they were finally all decommissioned. The more than twenty French but German-built Nord Noratlas transport aircraft of the 103 Squadron "Elephants" at Tel Nof were in service there from 1956 to 1978. Most of them were former machines of the German Air Force (Deutsche Luftwaffe) or were built under license in Germany and handed over or delivered to Israel from the early 1960s.

• 
  French-made Super Frelon Tzirʿa transport helicopter of 114 Squadron "Night Leaders" during the 1960s
• 
  A Super Frelon transport helicopter, later with US-made engines, at the IAF Museum near Hatzerim Airbase
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  A Nord Noratlas transport aircraft of 103 Squadron "Elephants" (see nose) during the Six-Day War
• 
  A French but German-built Nord Noratlas transport aircraft of 103 Squadron "Elephants"

F-15 Fighter Jets

Arrival of the F-15

From 1976, the then new F-15A/B Eagle Baz fighter jets were introduced with 133 Squadron "Knights Of The Twin Tail", which made Israel the first country in the world outside the United States to possess this aircraft. Because the landing of the first three planes was delayed on that Friday, 10 December 1976, the reception ceremony was also delayed and only ended shortly before the beginning of Shabbat. As a result, some government ministers didn't have enough time to return home before the start of Shabbat. Its "desecration" led to a government crisis and ultimately to the collapse of the coalition of the first government of Yitzhak Rabin.

Nuclear weapons

It is assumed (e.g. by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) that Israel is in possession of nuclear weapons since the late 1960s and that they are stored at some point at Tel Nof in a specially secured area (presumably here: 31.847892°N 34.814606°E / 31.847892; 34.814606 (Nuclear weapons bunker at the Tel Nof Airbase?)) and at the neighboring Sdot Micha Airbase in bunkers (presumably here: 31.755783°N 34.917572°E / 31.755783; 34.917572 (Nuclear weapons bunker at the Sdot Micha Airbase?)) near the positions of Jericho missiles. Fighter aircraft that can carry such weapons over long distances, like the F-15 Eagle (see gallery below) and once the F-4E Phantom II (see picture above) have been on alert around the clock at the base since the 1970s. This form of deterrence was one of the lessons that Israel learned from the wars with its neighbors, even though the country has not yet admitted that it has nuclear weapons.

Operation Wooden Leg

On 1 October 1985, under the name Operation Wooden Leg, ten two-seat F-15B/D Eagle Baz from Tel Nof (two of them in reserve) attacked the headquarters of the PLO near Tunis. On their 2,300 km long flight to the destination on the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia the F-15s were refueled several times by two Boeing 707 Re'em. The headquarters were completely destroyed and – depending on the source – 50 to 75 PLO fighters were killed, including many leaders, but not Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The action was condemned without dissent in the UNO, and the USA also criticized it because it strained its relationship with Tunisia. The eight F-15 jets from Tel Nof involved received a corresponding symbol (target cross in the red circle with a wooden leg, see picture in the gallery below).

Variants at Tel Nof

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  One of the first F-15A Eagle Baz of 133 Squadron "Knights Of The Twin Tail" at the IAF Museum near Hatzerim Airbase in 2006
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  An F-15D Eagle Baz from Tel Nof involved in Operation Wooden Leg with wooden leg symbol (left to the Star of David) in 2015
• 
  The F-15I Eagle Ra'am of the Flight Test Center Manat at Tel Nof (see special symbol on tail) during an exhibition in 2017
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  From 2029, fifty F-15IAs, based on the USAF's new F-15EX Eagle II, will replace the aging F-15A/B/C/D Baz at Tel Nof

Today

Today (2024), Tel Nof is home to two strike fighter jet and two transport helicopter squadrons as well as a drone squadron. Also located there is the Flight Test Center Manat with one example of all aircraft variants (see F-15I Eagle Ra'am in the gallery above and F-35I Adir in the gallery under "Units"). Several special units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are also located there, including Unit 669 heliborne Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) and the training center for the Israeli Paratroopers Brigade.

• Since January 2019, the so-called "Red Baron" Squadron has been operating at Tel Nof to train Israeli and German soldiers on the IAI Eitan (Heron TP) UAV. IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) has built its own version of this UAV for the German Air Force, whose crews are now being trained by Israeli soldiers and technicians. This unit is the only non-fully Israeli squadron within the IAF.

• In November 2020, a brand-new F-35I Adir from the USA landed directly at Tel Nov. This specially equipped machine will serve as a test platform at the local Flight Test Center Manat for further improvement of this stealth jet (see gallery under "Units").

• At the end of 2021, Israel ordered twelve new CH-53K King Stallion Wild transport helicopters from the US for two billion dollars, which will complement the CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur at Tel Nof in the next few years. In July 2023, the 114 Squadron "Night Leaders" was temporarily closed and merged with the 118 Squadron "Night Riders". The former will reopen in the future and accommodate the new CH-53K King Stallion as they arrive from the United States (see gallery under "Units").

• The aging F-15A/B/C/D Eagle Baz fighter jets at Tel Nof will be replaced in the medium term by new F-15IA (Israel Advanced), which are based on the F-15EX Eagle II. 25 new jets for one squadron have been ordered with the option for 25 more, which will be delivered from 2029. These new, powerful strike fighter jets would be needed to carry heavy bunker-busting bombs that could then be used against Iran's underground nuclear facilities. At the same time, at the Hatzerim Airbase 70 kilometers to the south, the 25 F-15I Ra'am jets there are being brought up to the latest F-15I+ standard through fundamental updates.

• During the Gaza War 2023/24, drones of the type IAI Eitan (Heron TP) from Tel Nof are 24 hours a day in the air over Gaza to provide the IDF with target data for its attacks against positions of the terrorist militia Hamas. According to unofficial sources, these drones are also capable of attacking targets on the ground using guided weapons.

• In the Iranian strikes against Israel on 1 October 2024, 32 missiles hit the Nevatim Airbase, another main target was the Tel Nof Airbase, the Mossad Headquarters and the Glilot base of the Military Intelligence Unit 8200 both north of Tel Aviv. Independent researchers who examined emerging satellite imagery said, it has caused only limited damage.

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  The badge of Unit 669 heliborne Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), nicknamed "Flying Cats"
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  The badge of the Israeli-German "Red Baron" Squadron at Tel Nof for training on the IAI Eitan UAV
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  ATC Tower at Tel Nof Airbase with a CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur helicopter flying by
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  Aluf Tomer Bar (right) takes command of the IAF at Tel Nof in April 2022

Units

• 106 Squadron "Edge Of The Spear" – operating F-15C/D Eagle Baz
• 114 Squadron "Night Leaders" – temporarily closed until new CH-53K King Stallion Wild arrive from the US
• 118 Squadron "Night Riders" – operating CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur
• 133 Squadron "Knights Of The Twin Tail" – operating F-15C/D Eagle Baz
• 210 Squadron "White Eagle" – operating IAI Eitan UAVs
• 5601 Squadron "Flight Test Center" Manat – operating examples of all IAF aircraft
• Unit 555 "Sky Crows" – for Electronic Warfare (EW)
• Unit 669 "Flying Cats" – heliborne Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) (at Palmachim also)
• Unit 888 "Refaim" – combined special operations task force
• Paratroopers Brigade Training Center
• "Red Baron" Squadron – to train Israeli and German crews on the Heron TP Eitan UAV

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  An F-15D Eagle Baz two-seater of 106 Squadron "Edge Of The Spear" about to land at Tel Nof
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  CH-53K King Stallion Wild will be based on Tel Nof in the coming years
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  CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur of 118 Squadron "Night Riders" from Tel Nof
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  A single-seat F-15C Eagle Baz of 133 Squadron "Knights Of The Twin Tail" with four Syrian "Kill Marks"
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  An IAI Eitan UAV of 210 Squadron "White Eagle" from Tel Nof
• 
  The Tel Nof Flight Test Center Manat gets a special F-35I Adir in 2020
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  Shoulder patch of Unit 555 "Sky Crows" for Electronic Warfare (EW) at Tel Nof
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  The Unit 669 trains the rescue of people with a CH-53D Sea Stallion Yas'ur from Tel Nof
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  Change of command of the multi­dimensional Unit 888 "Refaim" in July 2021 at Tel Nof
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  Paratroopers rain down over southern Israel in March 2012
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  The Israeli-German "Red Baron" Squadron for UAV training was inaugurated at Tel Nof in 2019

Note: IAF aircraft can usually be assigned to their squadron by the symbols on the tail

Accidents

• On 29 April 1964, a Nord Noratlas 2501D of 103 Squadron "Elephants" from Tel Nof (aircraft registration 4X-FAD/044) was flown into a mountain near the Ramon Airbase. In this CFIT (Controlled flight into terrain), all 9 occupants were killed, the two pilots and the 7 passengers. It was the former GC+231 of the German Air Force (Deutsche Luftwaffe). See also picture of an identical Nord Noratlas above under Yom Kippur War.

• On 19 April 1974, two CH-53 helicopters from Tel Nof collided over the Rosh Pina Airport in northern Israel. One of the two helicopters was able to land safely, while the other crashed and burst into flames. All eight IDF soldiers on board died. The IAF determined that the cause was human error on the part of one of the pilots, although several helicopters were landing at the same time and the air traffic controller was obviously overwhelmed.

• On 10 May 1977, a CH-53 helicopter from Tel Nof crashed during a night training exercise in the Jordan Valley, killing all 54 people on board (including the 10-man crew), making it the worst single-aircraft crash in Israel. The crash site was in the West Bank, about 5 kilometers north of Jericho in a wadi. The cause was determined to be flying at too low an altitude during the dark, which caused the helicopter to strike a hill, crash and explode (CFIT, Controlled flight into terrain).

The F-15D Eagle Baz #957 before the Israeli attack on Iran during the night of 25-26 October 2024

• See also: 1983 Negev mid-air collision
  In May 1983, an F-15D Eagle Baz #957 from Tel Nov and an A-4 Skyhawk Ayit collided in mid-air during an exercise over the Negev desert in southern Israel. While the A-4 pilot ejected, the two-seat F-15D managed to land safely at nearby Ramon Airbase, despite having its right wing almost completely torn off in the collision. This was only possible because the F-15 pilot turned on the afterburners, compensating for the lack of lift. The landing took place at about twice the normal speed, and the jet only came to a stop shortly before the end of the runway. The aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas was so impressed by what was happening that it sent over a new right wing free of charge. The aircraft with the number 957 was repaired and put back into service. More than 41 years later it took part in the October 2024 Israeli strikes on Iran (see photo on the right).

• See also: 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster
  On 4 February 1997, two CH-53 Sea Stallion Ya'sur helicopters of 118 Squadron "Night Riders" from Tel Nof collided in the evening hours over northern Israel while they were carrying soldiers into the Israeli security zone in Southern Lebanon. Both planes crashed, killing all 73 people on board - all male military personnel. The two crash sites were located in the Moshav She'ar Yashuv (Today's memorial: 33.222984°N 35.641142°E / 33.222984; 35.641142 (Memorial of the 1997 helicopter crash)) and in an open field near the Kibbutz Dafna. The crash, which represents the worst Israeli aviation disaster to date, sparked nationwide mourning and is considered one of the main reasons for Israel's decision to withdraw from Southern Lebanon in 2000. The cause of the accident is believed to be that the two helicopter pilots lost visual contact and orientation with each other as they flew towards the Lebanese border with their lights switched off as required.

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  Remains of one of the two crashed CH-53 helicopters at She'ar Yashuv
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  Debris of the second crashed CH-53 helicopter near Dafna
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  Rescue and transport of victims of the two helicopter crashes
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  Funeral of one of the victims with great sympathy
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  Portrait photos of all 73 victims of the accident
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  Memorial in Migdal HaEmek
• 
  Memorial in She'ar Yashuv, one of the two crash sites

The crash site in Romania

• On 26 July 2010, a CH-53 helicopter of 118 Squadron from Tel Nof crashed near the town of Brașov in Romania during a Romanian-Israeli military exercise in the Carpathian Mountains. All seven passengers died: four Israeli pilots, two Israeli mechanics and a Romanian liaison officer. An investigation determined that the crash was most likely due to human error.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Bibliography

• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; Molony, Brigadier C.J.C.; with Flynn, Captain F.C. (R.N.) & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2009) [1st. pub. HMSO:1954]. Butler, Sir James (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume I: The Early Successes Against Italy, to May 1941. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84574-065-8.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.

External links

• Aeroflight World Airforces
• The RAF in Palestine Archived 6 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine