Amos Lapidot

Amos Lapidot
Lapidot introducing Prime Minister Shimon Peres to the IAI Lavi, 1985
Born	1934 Kfar Saba, Mandatory Palestine
Allegiance	Israel Defense Forces
Years of service	1952–1987
Rank	Aluf
Commands held	113 Squadron, Hatzor Airbase, Air Intelligence Directorate, Commander of the Israeli Air Force
Battles/wars	Suez Crisis Six Day War War of Attrition Yom Kippur War 1982 Lebanon War South Lebanon conflict
Other work	President of Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Chair of the acaedemic committee of the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies

Amos Lapidot (Hebrew: עמוס לפידות‎; born 1934) is a former Israeli fighter pilot who served as the tenth Commander of the Israeli Air Force, a position he held from 1982–1987.

Lapidot was born in Kfar Saba in 1934, and grew up in Havatzelet HaSharon. He initially enlisted in the IDF Artillery Corps, before eventually joining the nascent Israeli Air Force, and completed the IAF pilots' course in 1954. He flew the P-51 Mustang, Gloster Meteor, and Dassault Ouragan.

During the Suez Crisis, he flew the Ouragan and the Dassault Mystère. In 1961 he switched to the Dassault Mirage III and became the deputy commander of 101 Squadron, the IAF's first Mirage squadron. In 1962, he was assigned command of 113 Squadron, flying Ouragans, and in 1965 became commander of 101 Squadron, which he was to lead during the Six-Day War. In 1970, he was put in charge of the weapons department in the Israeli Air Force and in 1973 became commander of Hatzor Airbase, which he led during the Yom Kippur War.

In 1975, Lapidot was put in charge of the Air Intelligence Directorate and in 1981 he became the director of the IAI Lavi project. A year later, in 1982, he was promoted to the rank of Aluf and became the Commander of the Israeli Air Force.