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Nevatim Airbase

Coordinates: 31°12′30.05″N 35°00′44.28″E / 31.2083472°N 35.0123000°E / 31.2083472; 35.0123000
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Nevatim Israeli Air Force Base
Air Force Base 28
בסיס נבטים
Nevatim, Southern District in Israel
Nevatim Airbase is located in Northern Negev region of Israel
Nevatim Airbase
Nevatim Airbase
Shown within Israel
Nevatim Airbase is located in Israel
Nevatim Airbase
Nevatim Airbase
Nevatim Airbase (Israel)
Coordinates31°12′30.05″N 35°00′44.28″E / 31.2083472°N 35.0123000°E / 31.2083472; 35.0123000
TypeAirbase
Site information
OwnerIsrael Defense Forces
OperatorIsraeli Air Force
Site history
Built1947 (1947) & 1983
In use1947 – 1948, 1983 – present
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: VTM, ICAO: LLNV
Elevation424 metres (1,391 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
08L/26R 2,600 metres (8,530 ft) Asphalt
08R/26L 3,350 metres (10,991 ft) Asphalt
07/25 3,900 metres (12,795 ft) Asphalt
A Dassault Mystère IV jet near the east entrance of Nevatim Airbase (31°12′28″N 35°03′01″E / 31.207875°N 35.050282°E / 31.207875; 35.050282 (Dassault Mystère IV at Nevatim Airbase))

Nevatim Airbase (Hebrew: בסיס נבטים, English: sprouts) (IATA: VTM, ICAO: LLNV), also Air Force Base 28, is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base, located 15 km east-southeast of Beersheba, near moshav Nevatim in the northern Negev desert. It is one of the largest in Israel and has three runways of different lengths. Stealth fighter jets, transport aircraft, tanker aircraft and machines for electronic reconnaissance/surveillance, as well as the Wing of Zion, are stationed there.

History

As early as 1947, a rough runway was built here in the northern Negev Desert for the Sherut Avir, the air wing of the Haganah. The airfield was named Malhata after an archaeological site on which it was partly built.

In 1958, the site was earmarked for the construction of a future international airport for the city of Beersheba and its surroundings, which would replace the local airport located to the northwest, which was not suitable for development as a modern major airport. In 1966, an inter-ministerial committee was set up to study the possibility of building an international airport in the Beersheba region, but in practice this issue was not further promoted.

It was reopened in 1983 as a new modern airbase with initially two runways as the result of joint Israeli and US government funding as part of the IAF's redeployment out of its bases in the Sinai after the peninsula was returned to Egypt following the Camp David Accords. From 1979 to 1982 Ramon Airbase and Ovda Airbase were also built in the Negev – mainly by US companies.[1]

140 Squadron "Golden Eagle"

The 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle", which operated from 1973 with A-4H/N Skyhawk Ayit and then from 1986 with F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Netz, was relocated from the abandoned Etzion Airbase via Ramon to Nevatim.[2] The F-16A Netz #243, flown by Ilan Ramon (1954–2003), was involved in Operation Opera, the attack and destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak on 7 June 1981 (see photo of F-16A in the gallery below, especially the triangle symbol of Operation Opera on the jet).

All F-16s of the airbase were retired in the mid-2010s and replaced by F-35Is starting in late 2016.

Today

Infrastructure

While transport and tanker aircraft as well as reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft are stationed on the southern area of the airbase with one runway, the northern area with its two runways is reserved for the three squadrons with F-35I stealth fighter jets. Two other runways located there are no longer in operation. This can be clearly seen on satellite images. The southern runway, built in 2008, is 3,900 metres long and was the longest runway in the Middle East at the time.[3]

  • A 2010 erected building for the 120 Squadron "Desert Giants", opera­ting Boeing 707 tankers
    A 2010 erected building for the 120 Squadron "Desert Giants", opera­ting Boeing 707 tankers
  • ATC tower at Nevatim Airbase near the southern runway in 2013
    ATC tower at Nevatim Airbase near the southern runway in 2013
  • Photo impressions of the Nevatim Airbase in 2013
    Photo impressions of the Nevatim Airbase in 2013
  • IDF Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi (brown boots) visited the Nevatim Airbase in February 2023
    IDF Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi (brown boots) visited the Nevatim Airbase in February 2023

F-35I Adir

Since December 2016, new F-35I Adir (The Mighty One) fighter jets have been stationed at Nevatim. Israel buys them from a US manufacturer consortium around Lockheed Martin, modified according to its needs. A total of 75 of these stealth jets have been ordered so far, which are to be delivered by the end of the 2020s. This will fill up three squadrons, all of which are already set up at Nevatim and will reach full strength by that time. These are the 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South", the 117 Squadron "First Jet" and the 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle", all of which have a longer history on other bases and with other aircraft (see Units).[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Parallel to the introduction of the F-35I, a flight simulator was also installed at Nevatim, which is intended to familiarize new pilots with the aircraft before they sit in the cockpit for the first time and to familiarize experienced pilots with combat situations without putting themselves in danger.[10] After a year-long testing and training phase, Israel officially declared the base's first eight F-35Is operational at the beginning of December 2017.[11] On 22 May 2018, Israel's then Air Force commander, Major General Amikam Norkin, reported that Israel became the first country in the world to use the F-35 in combat during recent clashes with Iran in Syria.[12] In July 2019, Nevatim-based F-35Is twice attacked Iranian missile depots located north and northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.[5]

Other airplanes

The Boeing 707 Re'em tanker aircraft, which date back to the 1970s and have been stationed at Nevatim since 2008, will be gradually replaced by the newer Boeing KC-46A Pegasus. At the beginning of 2021, Israel signed a preliminary contract for initially two tanker aircraft; in the medium term, up to eight examples are planned, which are to be delivered from around 2025.[13][14][15] In November 2024, it was announced that Boeing had begun production of the first of four tanker aircraft for Israel and that there's an option for eight more. In addition, new large hangars will be built for all Pegasus tankers.[16]

The 122 Squadron "Nachshon", which has existed since 1971, operates several Gulfstream jets in different configurations at Nevatim: three GV SEMA Shavit aircraft since 2005, five G550 CAEW Eitam aircraft since 2008 and the G550 ELINT/COMINT Oron since 2021, all of them for various tasks, such as electronic reconnaissance and surveillance, early warning, photo reconnaissance, etc. also for the Israeli Navy. The purchase of additional machines of the latest type is in progress.[17][18][19][20]

The Nevatim Airbase is also the home base of the so-called Israeli Air Force One, a converted Boeing 767 for international visits by the President of Israel or the Prime Minister. Officially called Wing of Zion, it is operated by the IAF and has its own hangar at Nevatim. The purchase and maintenance of this machine are very controversial in Israel, which led to it being shut down before it was put into operation in 2022. After Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected as Prime Minister at the end of 2022, the Wing of Zion was finally put into operation in the course of 2023 and made its first official flight in July 2024.[21]

  • The first two F-35I Adir (No. 901 and No. 902) arrived at Nevatim on the evening of 12 December 2016
    The first two F-35I Adir (No. 901 and No. 902) arrived at Nevatim on the evening of 12 December 2016
  • C-130J (gray), C-130H (beige) and Boeing 707 Tanker (white) near the southern Nevatim runway in 2017
    C-130J (gray), C-130H (beige) and Boeing 707 Tanker (white) near the southern Nevatim runway in 2017
  • The Wing of Zion aka Israeli Air Force One (a Boeing 767) has its hangar at the Nevatim Airbase
    The Wing of Zion aka Israeli Air Force One (a Boeing 767) has its hangar at the Nevatim Airbase
  • The Wing of Zion became opera­tional in the end of 2023 and made its first official flight in July 2024
    The Wing of Zion became opera­tional in the end of 2023 and made its first official flight in July 2024

International Airport

Since the international Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv has been reaching its capacity limits for years, there are considerations to convert one of Israel's military airbases completely or partially into a civilian airport or to expand it accordingly. In addition to a complete conversion of Ramat David Airbase in the north of Israel, a dual use of Nevatim Airbase is being discussed, as it could be expanded without major problems because it is surrounded by desert with only few settlements. The proximity to the growing city Beersheba (around 15 km) also speaks for this. The IAF is strongly opposed to this proposal as it believes it would restrict military flight movements too much.[22]

Nuclear weapons

After the US Air Force announced in early March 2024 that its F-35 stealth jets are now certified for use with B61-12 atomic bombs,[23] there is an increasing discussion about whether the Israeli F-35I Adir at Nevatim are also capable of transporting and dropping Israeli nuclear weapons. For this purpose, they would have to be stored on the base in specially secured bunkers.[24]

2024 Iranian attacks

In April 2024 the air base suffered an attack from Iran as part of the 2024 Iran–Israel conflict; according to an analysis of satellite images by Associated Press, there was only minor damage.[25]

In the October 2024 Iranian attack, videos geolocated by CNN showed a significant number of Iranian missiles hitting the base.[26][27] Iranian media reported that several of Israel's most advanced aircraft had been destroyed, without providing evidence to support this assertion.[28]

The IDF stated: "Tonight's Iranian ballistic missile attack has had no operational impact on the IAF and its ongoing airstrikes against terror targets in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon".[29] Flight route records indicated that a significant portion of the IAF's Boeing 707 and C-130 aircraft were on station off the Israeli coast, either to support IAF fighter activity or put into the air for their own safety in anticipation of attacks on the air bases.[29]

Satellite images taken after the attack showed four apparent impacts of Iranian missiles at the base.[30] One caused a large hole in the roof of a hangar complex near the southern runway.[30][31][32] Another missile appeared to have struck a road on the base.[30] The IDF said Iranian missiles damaged "office buildings and other maintenance areas" at its air bases but that no soldiers, weapons or aircraft were hit.[30]

Units

⃰ SEMA = Special Electronic Mission Aircraft, CAEW = Conformal Airborne Early Warning, ELINT = Electronic Intelligence, COMINT = Communication Intelligence

Note: IAF aircraft can usually be assigned to their squadron by the symbols on the tail or the air intakes

Accidents

Ilan & Asaf Ramon International Airport north of Eilat
  • On 13 September 2009, an F-16A from Nevatim crashed over mountainous terrain during a training flight in the southern West Bank. Since the 21-year-old pilot Assaf Ramon had not reported any problems before the crash, it was assumed that he had suddenly fainted as a result of the high speed and G-force conditions to which he was subjected.[41] Assaf Ramon was the son of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. Ramon Airport near Eilat is named after these two men (see photo on the right).

References

  1. ^ "US Army Corps of Engineers - Israeli Airbases". usace.army.mil. 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  2. ^ "Nevatim". GlobalSecurity.org. 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  3. ^ "The new runway was inaugurated in Nevatim". IAF Website (in Hebrew). 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  4. ^ "Adir Who? Israel's F-35i Stealth Fighters". defenseindustrydaily.com. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  5. ^ a b "Report: Israel Hit Iranian Targets in Iraq". Israel Defense. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  6. ^ a b "New IAF F-35 Squadron to Become Official". Israel Defense. 2020-01-15. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  7. ^ "The 117th Squadron has Reopened". IAF-Website. 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  8. ^ "Israel to Procure Third "Adir" F-35 Squadron". Israel Defense. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  9. ^ "Israel Orders Third F-35 Fighter Jets Squadron". Israel Defense. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  10. ^ "Tough in the Simulator - Easy in the Air". Israel Defense. 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  11. ^ "Israel declares the F-35I Adir operational". aerobuzz.de (in German). 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  12. ^ "Israel flew the F-35I Adir in live action". aerobuzz.de (in German). 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  13. ^ a b "120th 'Desert Giants' Squadron expands the long reach of the IAF". The Jerusalem Post. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  14. ^ a b "Israel signs for Boeing KC-46". flightglobal.com. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  15. ^ a b "Boeing KC-46: The IAF's Next Tanker". IAF-Website. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  16. ^ "Boeing to Supply 15 Tankers, Including One to Israel". Israel Defense. 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  17. ^ a b "The Nachshon Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2024-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ a b "Gulfstream G550 mit vielfältigen Sensoren - Oron trifft in Israel ein". Flugrevue (in German). 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  19. ^ a b "Truppenversuche beginnen - Oron für Israel". Flugrevue (in German). 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
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  24. ^ "F-35 Jet Trained in the U.S. to Carry Nuclear Bombs – What Might Israel's Options Be?". The War Zone. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  25. ^ "Satellite image analyzed by AP shows damage after Iranian attack on Israeli desert air base". AP News. 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  26. ^ "October 1, 2024 Iran launches missile attack on Israel". CNN. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  27. ^ Parker, Claire; Chason, Rachel; Berger, Miriam; Lamothe, Dan (2024-10-02). "Iran hits Israel with ballistic missiles; Netanyahu vows to strike back". Washington Post (subscription required). ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
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  33. ^ "Nevatim Wartime Preparedness". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. 2019-05-26. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2024-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ "The Elephants Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. ^ "Israeli Air Force re-establishes 117th Squadron as F-35I training squadron". airforce-technology.com. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  36. ^ "The Yellow Bird Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  37. ^ "The Golden Eagle Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2024-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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  40. ^ "Israel combines special forces into new Air force unit". DefenseNews. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  41. ^ "Life story of Assaf Ramon". Memorial for Israel's fallen soldiers (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-11-02.
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