Commander of the Israeli Air Force
| Israeli Air Force | |
|---|---|
| זרוע האויר והחלל | |
 |
|
| Founded | 28 May 1948 |
| Country |
 Israel
|
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 684 aircraft |
| Part of |
 Israel Defense Forces
|
| Garrison/HQ |
HaKirya Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Aluf Amir Eshel |
| Insignia | |
| Air Force Ensign |  |
| Roundel |  |
| Aviator badge |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Boeing F-15I Ra'am |
| Fighter | McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II |
| Patrol | Eurocopter Panther |
| Reconnaissance | IAI Eitam, Beechcraft RC-12D |
| Trainer | Grob G-120, Beechcraft T-6 Texan II, Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master, Beechcraft C-12 Huron, Bell 206 |
| Transport | Boeing 707-320, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, Sikorsky S-70 |
| Tanker | Lockheed KC-130 Hercules, Boeing KC-707 |
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; Hebrew: זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as חֵיל הָאֲוִיר, Kheil HaAvir, "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. As of May 2012[update]Aluf Amir Eshel serves as the Air Force Commander.
The Israeli Air Force formed on May 28, 1948, using commandeered or donated civilian aircraft and obsolete and surplus World War II combat-aircraft. Eventually, more aircraft were procured, including Boeing B-17s, Bristol Beaufighters, de Havilland Mosquitoes and P-51D Mustangs. The Israeli Air Force played an important part in Operation Kadesh, Israel's part in the 1956 Suez Crisis, dropping paratroopers at the Mitla Pass. On June 5, 1967, the first day of the Six-Day War, the Israeli Air Force executed Operation Focus, crippling the opposing Arab air forces and attaining air supremacy for the remainder of the war. Shortly after the end of the Six-Day War, Egypt initiated the War of Attrition, and the Israeli Air Force undertook repeated bombings of strategic targets deep within enemy territory. When the Yom Kippur War broke out on October 6, 1973, Egyptian and Syrian advances forced the IAF to abandon detailed plans for the destruction of enemy air defences. Forced to operated under the missile and anti-aircraft artillery threat, the close air support it provided allowed Israeli troops on the ground to stem the tide and eventually go on the offensive.
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Wikipedia