Hatzor Airbase
Encyclopedia
Hatzor Israeli Air Force Base , also titled Kanaf 4 (lit. Wing 4) is an Israeli Air Force
military air base, located in central Israel
, near kibbutz Hatzor
after which it is named. It was founded by Britain's Royal Air Force
as RAF Qastina.
village of the same name, was an RAF station in Palestine between 1942 and 1948.
On the night of 25 February 1946, Irgun
militants attacked the airbase and destroyed several parked RAF Handley Page Halifax
transports. Two additional RAF airfields, RAF Lydda
(Ben Gurion International Airport) and RAF Kfar Sirkin
, were attacked in what became known as the "Night of the Airplanes". Altogether, the attacks destroyed 20 RAF aircraft and damaged several others. Following these attacks, the RAF vacated some of its Palestine
-based planes to Egypt
.
On 15 March 1948, as the British Mandate for Palestine drew to a close, the RAF evacuted the airfield and it was taken over by Haganah
forces.
RAF Units stationed at RAF Qastina:
, an Iraqi Air Force pilot, had been persuaded by the Mossad
(The Blue Bird – Operation Diamond)
to fly the flagship of the Soviet export aircraft industry to Israel. The MiG was the most advanced aircraft in Arab inventories at the time.
Hatzor has a network of eight simulator pods which use satellite footage of countries including Lebanon and Syria to train pilots for deep strike missions.
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
military air base, located in central Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, near kibbutz Hatzor
Hatzor (Kibbutz)
Hatzor , officially Hatzor Ashdod to distinguish it from Hatzor HaGlilit, is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Ashdod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 545.-History:...
after which it is named. It was founded by Britain's Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as RAF Qastina.
RAF Qastina
RAF Qastina, after the nearby PalestinianPalestinian
Palestinian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Palestine, the Palestinian territories or the State of Palestine*A member of the Palestinian people, also rendered as Palestinian Arabs**Demographics of Palestine...
village of the same name, was an RAF station in Palestine between 1942 and 1948.
On the night of 25 February 1946, Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
militants attacked the airbase and destroyed several parked RAF Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
transports. Two additional RAF airfields, RAF Lydda
RAF Lydda
Lod Air Force Base, also Air Force Base 27, was an Israeli Air Force base that was part of the Ben Gurion International Airport, located approximately north of Lod; east-southeast of Tel Aviv....
(Ben Gurion International Airport) and RAF Kfar Sirkin
Kfar Sirkin
Kfar Sirkin or Kefar Syrkin is a moshav in Israel within the municipal jurisdiction of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council near the city of Petah Tikva. Founded in 1933, it was named after the famous Zionist Nachman Syrkin....
, were attacked in what became known as the "Night of the Airplanes". Altogether, the attacks destroyed 20 RAF aircraft and damaged several others. Following these attacks, the RAF vacated some of its Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
-based planes to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
On 15 March 1948, as the British Mandate for Palestine drew to a close, the RAF evacuted the airfield and it was taken over by Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
forces.
RAF Units stationed at RAF Qastina:
- No. 47 Squadron RAFNo. 47 Squadron RAFNo. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Hercules from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.-First formation:No. 47 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire on 1 March 1916 as a home defence unit, protecting Hull and East Yorkshire against attack by German...
(1946) Handley Page Halifax A.7 & A.9Handley Page HalifaxThe Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing... - No. 512 Squadron RAFNo. 512 Squadron RAFNo. 512 Squadron was a Second World War Royal Air Force transport squadron.-History:No. 512 Squadron was formed on 18 June 1943 from the Dakota element of 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon. It operated on supply routes from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar and Algeria to support the campaign in North West...
(1945) Douglas DakotaC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and... - No. 644 Squadron RAFNo. 644 Squadron RAFNo. 644 Squadron RAF was a unit in 38 Group of the Royal Air Force during World War II which undertook glider-towing and supply dropping missions as well being employed in the paratroop role.-Formation and World War II:...
(1945-1946) Handley Page Halifax A.7 & A.9Handley Page HalifaxThe Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing... - No. 651 Squadron RAFNo. 651 Squadron RAFNo. 651 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force in Italy and North Africa during the Second World War and afterwards in Egypt. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of these...
(1947-1948) Auster AOP6
Israeli Air Force Base Hatzor
On the morning of August 16, 1966, an Iraqi MiG-21 jet landed in Hatzor AFB. Munir RedfaMunir Redfa
Munir Redfa was an Iraqi fighter pilot, of ethnic Assyrian origin, who defected to Israel in 1966 by flying a MiG-21 of the Iraqi Air Force. In what is considered as one of the Mossad's most successful operations, Redfa's entire extended family was smuggled safely out of Iraq to Israel...
, an Iraqi Air Force pilot, had been persuaded by the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
(The Blue Bird – Operation Diamond)
Operation Diamond
Operation Diamond was an operation undertaken by the Mossad. Its goal was the acquisition of a Soviet-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, the most advanced soviet fighter plane at that time. The operation began in mid-1963 and ended on August 16, 1966, when an Iraqi Air Force MiG-21, flown by a...
to fly the flagship of the Soviet export aircraft industry to Israel. The MiG was the most advanced aircraft in Arab inventories at the time.
Hatzor has a network of eight simulator pods which use satellite footage of countries including Lebanon and Syria to train pilots for deep strike missions.
Israeli Air Force Units
- 101st Squadron – operating F-16C
- 105th Squadron – operating F-16D