RAF Ramat David

It was originally built as a Royal Air Force station in 1942 under the British Mandate for Palestine when it was known as RAF Ramat David. After the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948 and the start of the First Arab–Israeli War the next day, the base was temporarily maintained by the RAF to cover the withdrawal of British forces from Palestine.

On 22 May 1948, the Royal Egyptian Air Force attacked the base, mistakenly believing it was now an Israeli airbase. In a series of three attacks, several aircraft were destroyed or damaged, a hangar was destroyed, and four British airmen were killed. Five Egyptian fighter planes were shot down.^[1] It was finally taken over by the IAF in that year.

Ramat David IAF Base

Over time, it became the main base of IAF operations north of Israel in Syria and Lebanon. In 1986, the "First Jet" Squadron on Ramat David was the first in Israel to receive the then new F-16C jets, which was followed in 1991 by the "Valley" Squadron with new F-16D jets (two-seaters). The latter is based here until today (2023).^[2][3]

The fighter jets are housed in a large underground shelter system, into which they disappear after each landing and whose entrance and exit are at the western end of the east-west runway (see map down below). This protects them from missiles and at the same time hides them from view and precise localization. Syria and Lebanon are only 50 to 60 km away, from where rockets are repeatedly fired at northern Israel. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, this airbase was the only one where rockets hit and not only destroyed facilities but also caused casualties.^[4]

• 
  An aircrew from the 98th Bombardment Group at RAF Ramat David in 1942
• 
  Aerial photo of the Israeli Ramat David Airbase in 1949, taken from a B-17 Flying Fortress
• 
  IAF Base Wing 1 was named after Major General Ezer Weizmann in 2011
• 
  Ramat David Airbase seen from Mount Carmel, looking east-southeast, June 2019
• 
  Change of command ceremony at Ramat David Airbase in July 2022
• 
  ATC Tower at Ramat David Airbase in August 2023 with an AS565 Panther Atalef flying by

Fighter jets

At the beginning of October 2020, as part of an IAF efficiency program, the 117 Squadron "First Jet" with F-16 fighter jets on Ramat David was disbanded and most of the jets and pilots were assigned to other units. It was involved in all of the country's wars since 1953 and, among other things, also involved in Operation Opera, the destruction of an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.^[5] In July 2021, the squadron reopened at Nevatim Airbase with new F-35I Adir jets.^[6]

In March 2021, the two F-16 Squadrons 101 "First Fighter" and 105 "Scorpion" were relocated here from Hatzor Airbase to bring all remaining F-16C/D Barak jets under one roof.^[7] A few other F-16C/D jets are based at Ovda in the Aggressor Training Squadron "Flying Dragon". Three squadrons with the newer F-16I Sufa, adapted to Israeli needs, are based at Ramon Airbase, as well as a fourth squadron of them at Hatzerim Airbase.

Helicopters

The Eurocopter AS565 Panther Atalef of the 193 Squadron "Defenders Of The West" on Ramat David serve as maritime reconnaissance, surveillance and SAR helicopters and are used in close cooperation with the Israeli Navy as on-board helicopters on ships of the Sa'ar 5-class corvette and Sa'ar 6-class corvette.^[8] These have their home port in the Haifa naval base, 25 km away.

In early January 2022, an AS 565 Panther Atalef crashed off the coast of Haifa, killing two crew members and seriously injuring another. From 2024, the Panthers will be replaced by eight SH-60 Seahawks, which were already ordered by the IAF and Navy in 2015.^[9]

International airport

Since 2014, there have been considerations to convert Ramat David into a third major international airport alongside Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and Ramon Airport near Eilat.^[10] The Nevatim Airbase in the south of Israel is now also being discussed, which could be used for both military and civilian purposes, as was previously the case with the Ovda Airbase for over 30 years.^[11]

In the meantime, the civilian conversion of Ramat David seemed to be off the table, because the local resistance to it is too strong. In 2021, the government's policy was to build two medium-sized international airports at both Haifa in the north and Be'er Sheva in the south.^[12] However, after the presentation of an extensive study and audit in 2023, Ramat David is once again the top priority for a major airport.^[13][14]

• 
  An F-16C Barak from the 117 Squadron "First Jet" disbanded on Ramat David in 2020
• 
  Relocation of the 101 Squadron "First Fighter" from Hatzor Airbase to Ramat David in 2021
• 
  An AS565 Panther Atalef of 193 Squadron as onboard helicopter of a Sa'ar 5 corvette in 2011
• 
  Will Ramat David Airbase be converted into a third major international airport?

Bibliography