Records and highlights
The Is Air Force is considered the strongest air force in the Middle East, and one of the best and most sophisticated in the world. The Israeli air force is more powerful than those of all of the Arab armies put together. Many of Israel's most technologically advanced warplanes are of American origin, such as the F-16 Fighter Jet. The economic aid Israel receives from the USA is, therefore, a primary reason for the Israeli Airforce's superiority in the Middle East. However, the greatest strength of the IAF is the skill of its pilots. Israeli combat pilots are considered the best in the world, and hold a large number of shoot-down records. It is interesting to note that American pilots receive training from their Israeli counterparts as part of their training curriculum. Many of the IAF's electronics and weapons systems are developed and built in Israel by Israeli Military Industries and Israeli Aircraft Industries.
The following is a report that reveals some of the skills of the IAF pilots:
"Israeli air force pilots handily beat their German counterparts in "dogfights" in the first ever air force exercise between the two countries, an Israeli military official said Monday. The Israeli F-15 pilots, aided by special technology that Israel does not share or sell to other countries, beat the Germans by more than 100 "hits," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. In the past, Israel has beaten American air force pilots by similar margins, the officials added. Israel purchases U.S. warplanes without battle technology, installing its own locally made systems into the aircraft. The exercise was conducted over the past two weeks in the skies of Sardinia in Italy." [1]
According to the IAF website:
687 enemy airplanes have been shot down in dogfights since Israel`s birth. Only 23 Israeli planes have been shot down by enemy planes since 1948 - a statistic which puts the dogfight victory ratio between Israel and its Arab neighbors at a whopping 30:1.
The IAF is holding world records at the amounts of enemy's warplanes shoot-downs, air combats, special operations, and air to ground operations at the jet era.
Some of the records and highlight moments are as follows:
June 5, 1967 - the Six Day War: The destruction of the entire Egyptian air-force within 3 hours. By the end of the day the Syrian and Jordanian air forces were wiped out as well. The IAF shoot-down total at the end of the war was a claimed record of 451 enemy aircraft downed versus of its own 10 downed. See: Operation Red Sheet.
March, 1969 until August, 1970- the War of Attrition: 111 enemy warplanes were shot-down in dogfights by IAF pilots while only 4 IAF warplanes were shot down in dogfights by enemy pilots.
Also, during the Cold War the Soviet Union held close relationships with the Arab nations - On July 30, 1970 the tension peaked:
A large scale air brawl between IAF planes and MiGs flown by Soviet pilots occurred- 5 MiGs flown by Soviet pilots were shot down, while the IAF suffered no losses.
October 9, 1973- the Yom Kippur War: The destruction of the Syrian General Staff in Damascus: On October 9th 1973, two F-4 Phantom quartets attacked and destroyed the Syrian General Staff Headquarters in the heart of Damascus. The Syrian Air Force Headquarters were damaged as well.
Also, during the Yom Kippur War, the IAF shot-downed 277 enemy warplanes- accounting for over a third of the IAF`s total kills since 1948.
Obtaining the first shoot-downs for the American fighter jets, the F-15 and the F-16. [2]
June 7, 1981 - Operation Babylon: The destruction of the Iraqi Osiraq nuclear reactor. Eight IAF F-16 fighters flew to Iraq and bombed the nuclear facilties of Osiraq. Among the pilots that took part in the attack was the late Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut.
June 8, 1982 - Operation Peace for Galilee: The destruction of the entire Soviet-Syrian air-defence system in Lebanon within few hours without a single warplane lost; Syria with the U.S.S.R built up an overlapping network of surface-to-air missiles, and the density of SAM site locations was unmatched anywhere in the world including the U.S.S.R. itself. Also the IAF achieved in dogfights a total of 80 Syrian planes shoot-downs, without a single Israeli plane being shot down.
October 1, 1985 - Operation Wooden Leg: The bombing of PLO Headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, the longest combat mission ever undertaken by the IAF: 2300 kilometers, involving in flight refueling by an IAF Boeing 707..
Israeli F-15 after losing wing.The only documented successful emergency landing of an F-15 with one wing, the other torn off after an airborne collision with an A-4 Skyhawk. The Skyhawk exploded and its pilot ejected. McDonnell-Douglas, the F-15 Manufacturer, refused to believe it was possible until photos of the incident were shown. The F-15 was restored to flight status.
"Ace" pilots: 39 IAF pilots shot down at least 5 jet planes, 10 out of them shot down at least 8 jet planes.
"Ace of Aces": Major General Giora Epstein shot down 17 (seventeen) jet planes, holding the world record of jets shot down.
126 enemy planes were shot down in dogfights in the years between the wars - most of them in the 70`s. The IAF lost only 2 planes in dogfights between the wars, in 1959 and in 1964.
