Israeli A-4 Skyhawk Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft)

51 Pages·2009·13.64 MB·English

by  Shlomo Aloni

~.
SHLOMOALONIisaprolific
andwell-respected aviation
historianbasedinIsrael.A
regularcontributortoaviation
magazinesintheUKand
acrosstheglobe,thisishi
fifth volumeforOsprey.
I OSPREY COMBAT AIRCRAFT· 81 I
ISRAELI A-4 S){YHAW){
UNITS IN COMBAT
SERIES EDITOR: TONY HOLMES
I OSPREY COMBAT AIRCRAFT • 81 I
ISRAELI A-4 S){YHAW){
UNITS IN COMBAT
SHLOMO ALONI
PUBLISHING
'<.1
CONTENTS
Frontcover Firsrpublished in GrearBrirain in2009byOspreyPublishing
On12May1970,Ezra'Baban'Dotan, Midland House, WesrWay, Borley,Oxford,0X2OPH
veteranMirageIIIpilotandCOof
443 ParkAvenueSourh, NewYork, NY, 10016,USA
No109Sqn,achievedauniquefeat
foranIsraeliSkyhawkpilotwhen E-mail;[email protected]
heclaimedtwoSyrianMiG-17s
shotdownoverthemountains ©2009OspreyPublishingLimired
ofsouthernLebanon.Avastly
experiencedcombatpilotwho
hadbeeninactionwiththeIsraeli All righrs reserved. Aparr from anyfairdealingforrhepurposeofprivare
DefenceForceAirForce(IDF{AFI srudy, research,criricism orreview,aspermirred underrheCopyrighr, CHAPTER ONE
sincehisconversionontothe
Designand ParentsAcr 1988,noparrofrhis publicarion maybe
Mysterein 1958,Dotanhadswitched LIGHT ATTACI{AIRCRAFT 6
reproduced,srored inarerrieval sysrem,orrransmirred inany form
totheMirageIIIfiveyearslater.
ServingwithNo117Sqn,hehad orbyanymeans,elecrronic,elecrrical,chemical, mechanical,oprical,
claimedtwoSyrianMiG-21sandan phorocopying, recordingororherwisewirhourpriorwrirren permission.
IraqiHunterdestroyedin 1967lone CHAPTER TWO
All enquiriesshould beaddressed torhe publisher.
oftheMiGsandtheHunterhadbeen
WAR OFATTRITION 18
downedduringtheSevenDayWarl.
Likeanumberoffighterpilots, lSBN 13;978 I 84603430 5
Dotanwastransferredtothelight
attackcommunitywhentheA-4 CHAPTER THREE
Edired byTony Holmesand PererMersky
Skyhawkenteredservicewiththe
IDF{AFin1968.Indeed,hewasmade Pagedesign byTonyTruscorr YOM I{IPPURWAR 35
commandingofficerofNo109Sqn, CoverArrworkbyGarerh Hector,usinganA-4Skyhawkmodel
whichhedulyleaduntil1971. supplied byMilvizandaMiG-17 model from Wiek Luijken
Onthemorningof12May1970, CHAPTER FOUR
AircrafrProfilesbyJim Laurier
Dotan'sunitwasflyingstrikesin
supportofIDFOperation Cauldron2, IndexbyMichael FordeI' SKYHAWI{ SUPREME 72
whichsawSkyhawkunits
supportingIsraelisoldiersand Printedandbound in Chinarhorough Bookbuilders
armourintheireffortstomopup CHAPTER FIVE
PalestinianLiberationOrganisation
strongholdsintheeasternareas 09 10 II 12 13 14 15 1098765432 I SIITHAWI{ SUNSET 85
ofsouthLebanon.Thisoffensive
quicklytriggeredaresponsefrom
neighbouringSyrian,whoseair APPENDICES 92
forcescrambledanumberof
FORACATALOGUEOFALLBOOKSPUBLISHEDBYOSPREYMILITARY
MiG-17fighter-bomberstaskedwith ANDAVIATIONPLEASECONTACT: COLOUR PLATES COMMENTARY 93
attackingIDFassetsontheground.
Flyinglowoverthemountainous OspreyDirect,c/oRandomHouseDistributionCenter, INDEX 96
400HahnRoad,Westminster,MD21157
terrainthatwasafeatureofthispart
Email:[email protected]
ofLebanon,Dotanandhiswingman
GioraBen-Dovranintoasimilar OspreyDirect,TheBookServiceLtd,DistributionCentre,
numberofMiG-17s.A-4pilots ColchesterRoad,FratingGreen,Colchester,Essex,C077DW
usuallyignoredenemyattackaircraft E-mail:[email protected]
whentheseencountersoccurred, www.ospreypublishing.com
preferringtopressonwiththeir
briefedmissionsoastoavoidan
engagementbetweenroughly
equalplatforms.IDF{AFfighters
wereusuallyonhandtoengage
Arabattackaircraftinanycase. withair-to-groundrockets.and
However,withthreekillstohis thenfollowedthisupwithasecond
name,andanxioustoattainace MiGdestroyedwith30mmcannon
statuslikemanyofhis fire.ThesesuccessmadeDotan
contemporariesfromtheMirage theonlyIAFpilottobecredited
IIIcommunity,Dotanwascertainly withair-to-airkillswhileflying
notyourusuallightattackpilot! theA-4Skyhawk.
Hequicklychangedcourseand EzraDotanpassedawayon16
hunteddowntheSyrianMiG-17s. May1981followingashortillness.
whosepilotshadindeedchosen Hewasjust44yearsold(Cover
toavoidengagingtheSkyhawks. artworkbyGarethHector!
Dotandespatchedhisfirstvictim
L.U LIGHT ATTACI{ supplierto the IOF. However,dependenceupon asinglesourceworried r
oZ Israeli leaders,andtheoverallqualityofthehardwaresuppliedconcerned :GIO:
c::: IAF planners. At the time, French combat aircraft were considered --1
L.U »
«af. inferiortocontemporaryAmericanandSovietdesigns. »----11
AIRCRAFT The USSR hadstarteddeliveringadvanced weapomy toArab nations
:I: n
u in the MiddleEast from 1955. Along with the weapons came training, ""
»
doctrine and advisors. Before too long, Soviet influence had spread
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throughout the region, threatening moderate Arab nations. Nearly a n
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decade later, the US government realised that it could only observe its .»,
stated policy of avoiding advanced offensive weapons export to the --1
French fightersdominatedthefrontlineorderofbattleoftheIsraeli MiddleEastbylosinginfluenceamongmoderateArabnations. Forcedto
Defence Force/Air Force (lDF/AF) during the early 1960s. For combat the growing Soviet domination in the region, US policy
example, on 1 April 1963 it fielded 36 Dassault Mirage III dramaticallychanged due to Cold Warconsiderations, and this in turn
interceptors, 31 DassaultSuperMystere fighter-bombers, 22SNCASO openeda'windowofopportunity'for Israel.
VautourIl bombers,39DassaultMystere IVattackaircraft, 26Dassault Thedecision by the USgovernment to deliveradvanced arms to both
Ouragan trainers and 14 Gloster Meteors assigned to a reserve fighter JordanandSaudiArabiatriggeredtheprocess.TheJordanian purchaseof
unit. AJIIDF/AFattackaircraft,with theexceptionoftheVautour,were SovietMiG-21swasconsideredarealisticoption unlessacomparableUS
fighters that had been reassigned the air-to-ground mission as newer alternative could be found. The Americans duly offered the the F-l04
equipment was introduced into service. AJI Israeli attack aircraft, Starfighterto the RoyalJordanian Air Force(RJAF),andasked Israel not
includingtheVautour,werein needofreplacementbythemid-1960s. to oppose the sale. The Israelis were willing to agree only if the US
The lDF/AFs Air Department Weapon Systems Branch (ADWSB) government would approve the export ofsimilarly advanced combat
duly commissioned staffstudies covering replacements for both heavy aircraftto the IDF/AF.
attackand lightattackjets. In the formercategorywerethe Vautourand American and Israeli diplomats gathered in February-March 1965 to
SuperMystere,whilstthelatteraircraftweretheMystereand Ouragan. issueavagueformula thatwouldallowarmstobetradedbetweenthelWO
The replacementheavyattackaircrafthad to boasttwoenginesand be countries. As a result ofthis understanding, Israel lifted its objection to
able to attack a target 800 km away with 3000 kg of bombs after an the F-I04 sale to Jordan in return for a US commitment to supply
extended flightatlowlevel.Asimilarlow-level mission profileapplied to Israeliattackaircraftfromthe combataircraftto the IDF/AF. PresidentLyndonJohnson'sadministra
early1960scometogetherfora
the single-engined light attack aircraft, which was expected to attack a tion stipulated, however, that American aircraft would only be sold to
uniquef1ypastduringanIDF/AF
target400 kmawaywith up to 1000kgofbombs. Dayairshow.Theyare,fromleft Israel ifcomparabletypeswerenotavailablefor purchasein Europe.
Heavyattackaircraftcandidates were the American F-4 Phantom ll, toright,theGlosterMeteor, As part ofthe diplomatic discussions held in early 1965, the Israelis
the British Buccaneer and the French Mirage IV and Super Vautour DassaultOuragan,Dassault brieflydelved intoactual 10F/AFoperational requirements. Itwanted to
Mystere,DassaultSuperMystere
proposals. Preferred options for the light attack aircraft were the add a number (75 jets) to the US combataircraft exportcommitment.
andSNCASOVautour.TheMeteor
American F-5 Freedom Fighter and A-4 Skyhawk and an improved servedasanemergencyattack The Americans, in turn, mentioned the B-66 Destroyer as a possible
French Super Mystere. Despite the staff study having explored the aircraftforreservistsuntil1964, candidate for the heavy attack aircraft operational requirement.
various aircraft types suitable for the IDF/AF's mission tasking, the whenitwasreplaced inthisrole However,itwasquicklyagreedtoleavehardwarespecificstothemilitary.
bytheFougaMagisterarmed
ADWSBwasfullyawarethatultimatelythejetchosen had tobeFrench. Israel was asked by the US delegation to prepare a proper request for
trainer.TheOuragan,Mystere,
Since1955,all IDF/AFfighterpurchaseshad involved French machines, SuperMystereandVautourwere presentation in Washington, DC.
forFrancewastheonlysupplierwillingtosellcombataircrafttoIsrael. thesubjectoftheIDF/AF'slightand By then the IDF/AF listofcandidates for future combataircraft had
Francedominated aircraftsalesto Israel from the mid-1950s until the heavyattackaircraftreplacement been cutdown to theSuperVautourversus the Mirage F2 for the heavy
studiesthateventuallyresultedin
endofthe 1960s. Duringthis period,otherWestern powerswerehappy attack aircraft requiremell(, with the Jaguar as a possible light attack
thepurchaseofthevastlysuperior
with the fact that France had assumed the position of primary arms A-4SkyhawkandF-4PhantomII option. A small-scale acquisition of Mirage IVs was also proposed to
fulfill thereconnaissancemission. Francewaskeentopreserveitsposition
as sole supplier ofcombataircraft to Israel, but the drawback with the
French option was that none of the aforementioned heavy and light
attack types was expected to be available before 1970. Comparable US
combataircraftwerealreadyoperational.
.. Priortogivingitspresentation in Washington, DC,the IDF/AFlisted
American candidates that it had identified assuitable for the heavyand
~ light attack aircraft requirements - the 'offered' B-66 was considered
unsuitable and rejected. Instead, the F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruderand
6 A-7CorsairII wereevaluatedfortheheavyattackrequirement,whilethe 7
.-"
L.U A-4, F-5andF-lOOSuperSabrewereconsideredforthelightattackrole. AGM-45Shrikeanti-radiation mis r
Z
o TheresultingIDF/AFprocurementprogramme,christenedPlanSamuel, sile launch capability and the rear :GrO:
cr: called for theimmediateacquisitionof30 heavy 120lightattackaircraft. radar warning system. Skyhawk -j
L.U
f l>
e... It also recommended the purchase of relatively cheap and simple compatible weapons banned from -j
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:r: aircraftthatwerealreadyinservice.CheapwouldallowtheIsraelistobuy export to Israel included napalm, l>
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asubstantial numberofjets,andsimplewould facilitate theswifttransi Rockeyeclusterbomb unitsand the A
tionofaircrewfrom French fighters toAmericanaircraft. AGM-12 Bullpup air-tO-surface l>
""
AnotherPlan SamueLguidelineemphasisedshorttake-offand landing. missiIe. n
""
TheIDF/AFwasfocusedonachievingregionalairsuperioritythrough its The Israelis themselves waived l>
"
proven techniqueofsystematicallytargetingenemyairbases. Naturally, the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air -j
IDF/AF planners were concerned about reciprocal enemy attacks on missile self-protection option, and
VossiSarig(left)shareshis
Israeli air bases, and for this reason short take-offand landing (STOL) SkyhawkexperiencewithIDF instead requested the replacement
performancewasconsideredessential when itcameto purchasinga new ChiefoftheGeneralStaffBranch ofthe jet's TACAN (TACtical Air
EzerWeizman(centre)duringa
generationofcombataircraft.Theseconcernsin wrn led toapreference Navigation) system with a second
post-SixDayWarvisittoDouglas'
forUS Navytypes,which theIsraelisconsidered bettersuited toSTOL. Palmdale,California,plant.Ezer transceiver. They also opted for a
IDF/AF Commander Ezer Weizman presented Plan SamueL in WeizmanwasIAFCommanderfrom braking parachute, in addition to
Washington, DC, in October 1965. He stated that the F-4 was the 1958until1966andIDFChiefofthe the arrestOr hook already fitted as
GeneralStaffBranchfrom 1966until
preferred heavyattackaircraft, with theA-6 beingan acceptableoption, standardtothejetthankstoitsnaval
1969.Hewaswidelyrecognizedas
and that the A-4 was the IDF/AF's choice for the light attack aircraft the'father'oftheIsraeliSkyhawk heritage.The Israelisalsowanted to
requirement. The immediateAmerican reaction was negative, as it was purchase,havingheadedupthe install 30 mm DEFA cannon in
felt that Israel had requested too manyaircraft.TheUSgovernmentalso presentationofPlanSamuelin theirjetsin placeofthe20mmColt
Washington,DC,inOctober1965.
statedthattheEuropeanacquisitionoption had notbeenfullyexhausted. Mk 12s fitted In US Navy
Hewassubsequentlyaskedby
For a while, the Israeli government believed that the opporwnity to theIsraeligovernmenttorevisit A-4s- this modification would not
purchase US combat aircraft was gone. However, behind closed doors, theUScapitalandappealtothe takeplaceuntil 1969, however.
diplomacyforged ahead to the point where, in early 1966, theJohnson Johnsonadministrationtoliftits The end product following all
suspensionofSkyhawkdeliveries
administration felt that it was able to comply with the 1965 US these deletions and modifications was the new A-4H variant, tailored Israel'sveryfirstA-4H Skyhawk
toIsraelfollowingtheSixDayWar.
commitmenttoIsrael in respectto thesupplyofarms. In February 1966 Weizman'smissionprovedtobea specifically to satisfy American demands for a downgraded Skyhawk, servesasabackdropforthis
USgovernmentofficialsfinallypresentedtheir'bestoffer'to lsrael-only success,forthebanwasliftedin aswellas Israeli requirements.Thelatterrequested thatthejetsbeferried photograph,takenatPalmdalein
early1967.Standingsecondfrom
October1967.EzerWeizmanlater
48examplesoftheleastcapabletyperequested.TheIsraelisdid nottryto becametheseventhpresidentof byairdirectlyto theMiddleEastupon theircompletion,buttheyhad to leftisAharonVoeli,IDF/AFAttache
contest the deal, as they realised that they were being presented with a agreetoshipmentbyseainstead. Deliverydateswerealsoimposed bythe inWashingtonuntilJuly1967,and
Israelin 1993,andservedasecond
golden opportunity to introduce two squadrons of urgently needed termfrom 1998throughto2000 Americans, who stipulated that one aircraft would be handed over per tohisleftishisreplacement,Uri
Varom
DouglasA-4Skyhawksinto IDF/AFservice. month fromSeptember 1967through toApril 1968,followed byfourto
Thedraftcontractcoveringthe Israeliacquisition six aircraft per month from May to December 1968. The $70,160,742
of the A-4F Skyhawk was signed in WashingtOn, contractfor theA-4swassignedon 2June 1966.
DC, on 18 March 1966. The deal, which was
shrouded in secrecy, was codenamed Operation CREWCONVERSION
Rugby. With onlya handful ofgovernmentofficials Operation Rugby allowed the IDF/AF to activate a pair of Skyhawk
in Israel and the US 'in the know' about this squadrons,and twObasingoptionsfortheseunitswereexplored. Inorder
purchase agreement, the Johnson administration's to simplify the logistical support for the aircraft, the Israelis initially
announcement in April 1966 that itwas approving believed that operating both units side-by-side from a single base was
armssalestoJordan(which includedtheF-104)and preferable. And with IDF/AF engineeringexperts and logistics officers
Saudi Arabia triggered a wave of protests in both expectingthejet'sserviceintroductiontobedifficultduetotheSkyhawk
Israel and the US. Notification referring to thesale being the first American jet combat aircraft to fly in Israeli service, a
of a 'limited number of tactical aircraft' to Israel singlelocation forall aircraftseemed tobeobviouschoice.
followed on20May 1966. However, theoperational plan was tosplittheSkyhawkforce between
Furtherdetaileddiscussionssubsequentlydefined two bases. Ifoneairfield was neutralised byan enemyairstrike, therefore,
the configuration of the Israeli Skyhawks. The at least halfofthe IDF/AF's most modern attack force would still be
An,ericans wanted to downgrade the offensive operational. Basing two squadrons at rwo bases- one in thesouth and
capabilities of the Operation Rugby aircraft, so one in the north - would also improve force flexibility. Operational
certain itemswere madeunavailabletothe IDF/AF. requirementsprevailed.TheSkyhawksquadronsweretobesplitberween
8 These included loft-bombing computer logic, Ramat David air base in the north and Hatzor air base in the south. 9
..
"'
UJ Halfofthe A-4s would be used ro re-equip a Mystere unit at Ramat Senior Formation Leaders' Course,and IDF/AF HQrold me that Iwas r
Z
o David, with the restassigned ro a newsquadron formingat Hatzor. no longer allowed ro pick Ramat David pilots for my unir. Nissim :G:rO:
a: The first group ofwould-be A-4 engineers left Israel for America in Ashkenazi from Hatzorwas dulyassigned as mydepury. ---1
lUe. .J. December 1966, with the second following three months later. Pilots 'Asluckwould have it,Nissim thensufferedan attackofkidneysrones J-->-1
« ---1
I were scheduled to join the technical staff undergoing Skyhawk that forced him ro have an emergency operation, so Arik Ezuz was nJ>
U conversion in the US from May 1967, again in (WO groups. The lead assigned as my deputy and we attended all the introducrory courses ""
group included the (WO furure A-4 squadron commanders, while the rogether abroad. Nissim evenrually recovered in time ro parricipate in J>
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follow-upgroup included the(WOseniordepurysquadron commanders. theSkyhawkconversion course in Florida roo. n
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All four pilots in thesesenior positions were vasrlyexperienced. 'Shadmiand1werescheduled ro leavefor theUS on 5June 1967,and J>
"
The Ramat David-based unit (No 109 Sqn) was ro be led by Ohad my boss, Rafi Harlev, who was Head ofAir Department Operations ---1
Shadmi, who had graduated with FlyingSchool Class J7 in May J955 Branch,organisedafarewell parryfor me. Duringthecourseofrhisevent
and gone on ro fly the Mystere during the 1956 Suez War. CO of we received news that the Egyptian army was marching inro Sinai.
No 109 Sqn sinceApril 1964, he was ro oversee the unit's transition Ifigured rhatunderthesecircumstanceswewouldn'tdepartforAmerica,
from Mysteres ro Skyhawks. Shadmi's counterpart at Hatzor was Yossi but Rafl reassured me that nothing would happen. Just in case, Imade
Sarig, who had graduated with FlyingSchool Class 19 in January J956 him promise thatwewould becalled back ifthesituation worsened.
and flown MeteorsduringtheSuezWar. Helatercommanded Vaurour 'We leftIsrael for Florida, then flew on ro California for avisit ro the
equipped No 110Sqn for ayearfrom July 1964, before becominghead Douglas planr ro see the production line and discuss the modiflcations
ThefirstfourIsraelipilotsto
oftheOperations BranchAttack PlanningSection in late1965.AsSarig undertaketheSkyhawkconversion thatwerebeingmaderoourA-4s.Things in theMiddleEastwere tense,
recalls, hewas then given thetaskofactivatinganewSkyhawksquadron courseintheAmericaposefora and we called Israel (Wice aday ro see ifwe were needed. Shorrly after
photobetweensortiesatNAS
atHatzor; arriving in California we were indeed recalled. The IDF/AF Attache in
CecilField,Florida.Theyare,from
'IDF/AF Commander Ezer Weizman invited me ro join him during lefttoright,OhadShadmi,Yossi Washingron, DC,Al,aron Yoeli, organised a flight for us ro New York,
the J965 Paris Airshow. There, we went ro the Dassault chalet for a Sarig,HagaiRonenandNissim where we boarded an empty EI AI Boeing 707. We were the only
presentation on the Jaguar. Our operational requirement was for an Ashkenazi.Upontheirreturnto passengers, and the airliner was so light that it set a New York ro Tel
IsraelShadmiandSarigbecame
arrackaircraft thatwould becapableofflying a low-low mission profile Aviv record of8 hoursand40 minutes. Shadmi rerurned ro his unitand
squadronCOs,withRonenand
from Ramat David ro the Suez Canal Zone with a certain number of Ashkenaziastheirseniordeputy lreturnedro theOperations Branch. ImmediatelyaftertheSix DayWar
bombs. Whileexaminingthepresentedgraphs, Icamero theconclusion commanders.Atthistimethere ended, weheaded backroCaliforniafOI'ourSkyhawkconversioncourse.'
thattheJaguarwas unable ro fly this baseline mission profile. l reported weretwodeputycommanders Bythetimethe pilots returned ro the US they had even morecombat
ineveryIDF/AFfightersquadron,
myfinding roEzer. Heasked me ifl wassure,and Iimmediatelyreplied experience. Ohad Shadmi had flown 17 operational sorties during the
withDeputyAbeingseniorand
in the affirmative. He srood up, abruprly ended the presentation and DeputyBjunior June 1967 Six Day Waras CO ofNo 109 Sqn, while the unit's senior
ordered me ro follow him our. depury commander, Hagai Ronen, had completed
'We exited the Dassaultchalet in a big fuss and went ro the Douglas 19 missions. Finally, Nissim Ashkenazi flew eight
chaler. Ezer presenred himselfand asked for the company's Skyhawk sorries in theSuperMystere.
presenration.TheDouglas responsewas"Weare not ready now, butwe The Skyhawk engineering conversion team
will organiseapresenration foryou thiseveningattheHotel GeorgeV". personnel had notbeen recalled ro Israelduringthe
That evening three of us - Ezer, Arie Hillel (the Head of Material emergency, however, beingleft in siru at Naval Air
Deparrment) and I- arrended thebriefing. Idelved inro thegraphsand Station (NAS) Cecil Field, Florida, undertaking
quickly realised that thisaircraft was absolutely right for us. theiI'ground school as planned.
'AyearlatertheSkyhawkbecamearealiryfor theIDF/AF. lforwarded During July J967 the pilots attended an
my name as a candidate for future assignment ro the A-4 introduction instrument flying course run by VA-45 at NAS
team. There were (WO candidates ro command the Ramat David unit Cecil Field. This unit was one of (WO fleet
Shadmi and 1. Both ofus were Ramat David "natives".At the time the replacemenr squadrons for the Arlantic Fleet's
IDF/AF was divided inro "Air Force North" at Ramat David and "Air Skyhawkcommuniry. Havingearned theirstandard
Force Sourh" at Hatzor. I never served at the larrer base except when instrumenrclearance ratingon IAugust, the pilots
undertakingOuragan and Super Mystereconversion courses. were reassigned ro neighbouringVA-44(thesecond
'When I was rold that I was ro lead the new Hatzor unit, it was A-4 training unit) for the Skyhawk conversion
suggested that my depury should be a Hatzor "Air Force South" pilor. course - this squadron was equipped with both
I immediately rejected this proposal, and Aki Arrzi was assigned as my singleand (Wo-seatA-4s.
depury. Hehadalsoservedexclusivelyat Ramat DavidasaVaurourpilor. The IDF/AF personnel quickly learned that the
When Arrzi was injured in a flying accident prior ro the Skyhawks' Skyhawk was a simple aircraft ro fly. Conversion
arrival, Zur Ben-Barak, also from Ramat David, replaced him as my consisted of eight flights that covered general
10 depury. However, Ben-Barak was killed in an accident whilst on the handling,aerobatics, formation flyingand high/low 11
''4'
LJ.J altitude navigation. Tactical training followed, with 15 sorties that miSSions to our credit, yet flying in America exposed us to different ,-
Z
a included a number of innovations for the Israeli pilots - in-flight qualifications, especially in-flight refuellingand long rangeoperations.' Gl
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a:: refuelling, radarhandling, landingwith cablearrestinggearandacatapult -l
LJ.J »
IC« L take-off. Thelanerwas performedatMarineCorpsAirStation (MCAS) SKYHAWKSUSPENSION »--ll
:I: Che'TY Point, in North Carolina. The final phase of the Skyhawk The IDF/AF had lost30anackaircraftduring theSix Day War, and it n
u
conversion course tOok place at MCAS Yuma, in Arizona, where the was thereforelookingforward to the introductionoftheSkyhawktohelp A
»
pilotscompleted 28 flights coveringvariousaspectsofweaponsdelivery. offset these losses. The attrition suffered during this briefbut bloody
:oJ
Yossi Sarighad vivid memoriesofhis timespent in America; conflict had adversely affected the [DF/AF's plans for the A-4's n
:oJ
'The engineering team resided in rented apartments atJacksonville, introduction to service, so Israel forwarded a request to the US »
-n
butwe moved into theCecil Field BachelorOfficers'Quarters.Thevery governmentcoveringtheacquisition ofan additional 27 Skyhawks. -l
daywearrived atCecil Field,wesaw twOSkyhawks takingofftogether. Meanwhile, theJohnson administration hadsuspendedarmsdeliveries
Theleader, whosejethadsufferedadeflatingtyreas theA-4saccelerated to the MiddleEastas partofitsdiplomaticefforts tostabilisethe region
down therunway,driftedsidewaysand underneath thewingmanasthey once again. This suspension is often mentioned as having delayed the
took off, causinga collision. The wingman ejected safely but the leader Skyhawk's arrival in Israel. However, test pilotJohn Lane had actually
was killed. This was our first memoryfrom Cecil Field. made the first A-4H flight at Douglas' Palmdale facility on 27 OctOber
'\'V'eapons trainingwasatYuma, so we madea longflight from Cecil [967, some72 hours afterthesuspension had been lifted.
Field that included a nightstopen route. Wewereoffered thechoiceof The first shipment offour Skyhawks left America on 13 December
where to make thatstop so we choseSan Francisco. We were then told 1967and docked atHaifa, in Israel,on thenightof29 December.These
thatSan Francisco was not on our route, butwe insisted. We landed at jets were then transported to Ramal' David, from where Ohad Shadmi
NAS Moffet Field, spent a nice evening in San Francisco and then completed the first Skyhawk flight in Israeli skies on JJanuary 1968.
continued toYuma the nextday. Yumawas in thedesert, buton theday Two weeks laterSkyhawkConversion Course Icommencedwithseven
wearrived itwas rainingso heavily that the basealmostflooded. students. Their instructors wereShadmi, Sarig, Ronen and Ashkenazi.
'Rainaside, flyingatYumawasan amazingexperience. BothUS Navy Reserve pilotsservingwith No 109Sqn whowanted to transition with
and USMarineCorpssquadrons regularlyrotated toYumaforweapons their unit from the Mystere to theSkyhawkwereasked tosign up for a
training.Thelocalcommunityand pressused towelcomeeveryunitand full yearofactiveservice. Onesuch individualaffected by thisorderwas
all their pilots, butour mission was topsecret. Nevertheless,on our first Arieh Dagan, who was as reserve pilot with the unit from 1960 until
evening in town all the neon boards flashed "WELCOME VA-44, 1981. He recalled;
WELCOMEPfLOTYOSSfSARlG"and soonl 'The message to the reservepilots in No 109Sqn whodid nOtwant to
'Flyingwouldstartearlyin themorningbecauseofthe heat.Touching convert OntO the A-4 was that we were to continue flying the Mystere
the aircraft with bare hands after I100 hI'S was impossible, it was that with anothersquadron at another base as "guests" until our future was
IDF/AFcommanderMotiHod
hot. Pretty soon we had earned a sound reputation for bombing decided. A reserve pilot signing on for a year's service would be
Icentrelwasphotographedinfront
proficiency. Each mission had its own time window on the range, and ofthefirstIsraeliA-4HSkyhawkon immediately converted onto the Skyhawk and then allowed to remain
you had to leave the area on schedule in order to avoid delaying jets thef1ightlineatDouglas'Palmdale as a I'eservistas partofthesquadron after the yearwas up.
facilityinOctober1967.Thefirst48
comingin behind you. Onedaywewerea bitslowdeparting the range, '] initially hesitated when it came to going back into the ]DF/AF full
jetsdeliveredaspartofOperation
and thegroundcontrollerurged ustocleartheareaasanotherformation time. Having not flown for twO weeks, Ithen received a phonecaJl from
RugbywereassignedUSNavy
wason itsway in.Theleaderoftheapproachingformation immediately BureauNumbers155242to155289 Ohad Shadmi. He told me that the wing commander had approved
came on the radio and said "No problem. We have heard that they are my participation in the Skyhawk
"hotshit",and we want tosee thoseguys in action". Wecompleted our conversion course, and that Ishould
attacksand theywatched us from above. prepare myselffor four months of
'WhileatYuma,wegotfriendlywithairmen from aUS MarineCorps reserveservice.ThefollowingSunday
F-4 squadron. Oneeveningweasked theircommanderfora ride in one Istaned mytrainingon theSkyhawk.
ofhis Phantom TIs. He was a bit surprised, but accepted the request. 'Shortlyafterwards, thesquadron
Early next morning, at 0300 hI'S, we met for briefing, took-offat dawn staged a Mystere farewell flypast.
so that no one would know and flew with them in the backseatofthe This was acrually a ferry flight, as
F-4. AJI ofuswerealreadyexperiencedjetfighters that had flown injets the Mysteres weredeparringRamal'
equipped with afterburningengines,so we"secretly"sampled flying the David for Tel Nof. lDF/AF
F-4. As already noted, nothing could be kept secret at Yuma, and two commander Moti Hod approached
days later the local press reported our Phantom 11 flight. We were the meduringthesubsequentreception
fIrst [sraelipilots to fly the F-4. atTel Nofand asked mewhy] had
'OveraJl,theSkyhawkconversioncoursewasanenlighteningexperience. not signed on for a year ofregular
12 We were senior pilots with a lot offlying hours and many operational service to fly the Skyhawk. [ was 13
<'~
w overcome wirh embarrassmenr! flown byrhe USNavy, rhe flrsr four r
Z
o Ramar David Wing Commander Skyhawks were cleared ro lifr jusr G)
:I:
aw: Yaakov Agassi was sranding righr rhree500-lband rwo250-lbbombs »-l
Ia. .. nexr ro me, and he immediarely arrached direcrly ro rhe jer's five -l
« -l
placed hisfooron mineand pressed hardpoinrs. Alrhough, rhis was an »
:I: n
u
wirh all his mighr. Only rhen did I improvemenr over rhe Mysrere, ;;0;
»
realise rhar Mori was nor aware of which could onlycarry rwo 500-lb
::lJ
my parriciparion in rhe Skyhawk bombs, ir was srill wayshorr ofrhe n
::lJ
Conversion Course! possible ordnance conflgurarions »
-"
'] avoided a direcr answer by achievable wirh TERs and MERs. -l
explaining my poinrofviewon rhe The larrer allowed rhe diminurive
marrer. ] rold him rharl did nor jer ro lifr up ro 20 bombs.
believe experienced reserve pilors No 109 Sqn's aircrew cadre had
needed a full year ro converr ro rhe Skyhawk, nor could rhey afford ro A-4HSkyhawkBuNo155244 grown from four qualified pilors in
sign up forayearofregularservicerharwould disruprrheirnormalcourse isunloadedatHaifaporton29 December j967 ro eleven by April
December1967.Thejetswere
oflife.Evenrually, Ipaved rhewayforall ofrhesquadron'sreservepilors.' 1968, wirh an addirional nine
shippedtoIsraelinbatchesof
lDF/AF flghrer squadrons are unique in rhe way rhey combine rhree threeorfourasdeckcargo. Ships IsraelPrimeMinisterLevyEshkol aviarorswell on rheirwayrocompleringrheconversioncourse.Theflrsr
differenrrypesofaircrewwirhin rheirservingpersonnel.Aranyonerime, transportingaircraftforRamat inauguratesSkyhawkoperations four Skyhawk pilors (Ohad Shadmi, Yossi Sarig, Hagai Ronen and
regulars, emergency posringsand reservisrscan beservingalongsideone David-basedsquadronsdocked inIsraelatHaifaon30December Nissim Ashkenazi) gave rhe Skyhawk irs operarional debur in IDF/AF
atHaifa,whilevesselsloadedwith 1967,withA-4HBuNo 155245in
anorher inasquadron. Whenabrand newcombaraircrafrenrerslDF/AF A-4sforunitsatHatzorandTelNof thebackground.Asthisphotograph service on 15 February 1968 when rhey flew rwo bombing missions
service, rhe rrainingsyllabusrharisdeveloped for flighrcrewsisserup ro headedforAshdod.Aspecialwhite reveals,whenthePrimeMinister againsr Palesrinian Liberarion Organisarion (PLO) rerrorisr camps in
deal wirh large pilor numbers so rhar unirs can arrain operarional 'cocoon'coveringprotectedthe cuttheribbonthenewSkyhawks neighbouringJordan in rhe four availableSkyhawks.
capabiliry wirh rhe jer in a quick and cosr-effecrive manner. However, aircraftfromtheelementsduring werestillwrappedupintheirwhite Four monrhs larer, a shipmenr of rhree Skyhawks rhar docked ar
theirlongvoyagefromtheUS protective'cocoons',andthese
rhere are usually insuHlcienr numbers ofregular fullrime pilors in rhe wereonlyremovedatRamatDavid Ashdod signalled rhe subsequenr acrivarion ofNo 102 Sqn ar nearby
sysrem ro fill rhe places in rhese conversion courses. The IDF/AF has afterthejetshadcompletedtheir Harzor. Yossi Sarig's lerrer ofappoinrmenr as rhe unir's flrsr CO was
found overrheyears rharrheonlywayroachieveeconomiesofscalewhen No109Sqn'sdeputiesflying transportationfrom Haifabyroad dared 28 December 1%7,burunlikeNo 109Sqn,which was[I'adingirs
rraining pilors on a brand new aircrafr rype is ro include regulars, MysteresintrailwiththeirCO, Mysreres for Skyhawks, No 102 Sqn was a new unir rhar had ro be
emergency posrings and reservisrson rhecoursear rhesame rime. OhadShadmi,inA-4HBuNo155244 creared from scrarch. Sarigrecalled;
tailnumber03(IDF{AFnumber
This was indeed rhecasewirh rhecadreofarrackpilorsdesrined ro fly 5303)overRamatDavidduringthe Havingbeenissuedwithhisletter 'When we rerurned from America in lare 1967,Shadmi had aplacero
rhe Skyhawk, for lDF/AF Mysrere unirs were manned in rhe main by Skyhawk'sfirstflightinIsraelon ofappointmentasCOofNo102Sqn rerurn ro- his Mysreresquadron ar RamarDavid. Iwas lefr ro reporr ro
reservisrs.Therefore, rhecomposirion ofSkyhawkConversion Course 1 1January1968.Shadmiperformed (signedbyIDFChiefofStaffVitzhak Harzor's WingCommander, Beni Peled. We kneweach orherwell, and
flypastsoverallmajorIDF{AFair Rabin)twodayspriortothe30
was rhree regulars, rhree emergency posrings and one reservisr (Arieh as1sardown in his office, Beni said ro me, "Yossi, welcome ro Wing4.
basesduringthecourseoftheday, December1967Skyhawkreception
Dagan),despire rheIDF/AFsripularion rharonlyfullrime pilorswere ro familiarisingservingpersonnelwith atHaifa,VossiSarig(right) You are an experienced pilor, so rhere is lirrle help rhar Ican offer you.
fly rhe aircraft. Skyhawk Conversion Course 2, which opened in April thesightoftheSkyhawkinflight introducesA-4HBuNo155246to I am abour ro leave here soon in any case. Ourside in rhe parking lor,
IDFDeputyChiefofStaffHaim
1968, included rwo reservisrs in irs your pick-up rruck is wairing for you. Your secrerary is sirring in rhe
Bar-Lev(centre).Thelatterwould
inrake of nllle pilors. The cabin beside rhe driver'ssear wirh her rypewrirer on her lap. Driveover
succeedVitzhakRabinasIDF
conversion of reservisrs ro rhe ChiefofStaffon1January1968 ro Harzor Wing Flying Squadron Commander Giora Furman, and he
Skyhawk conrinued surrepririously will assignyou an officefrom where
unril rhe IDF/AF waived rhe one you can srarr building your
yearaC[lveservicecomm([lnenr. squadron". And rhar was how we
AJrhough pilor rraining had srarred No 102Sqnl
commenced, rhe delivery of A-4s 'There was only me, Nissim
wasslowerrhan had originallybeen (Ashkenazi), rhe Technical Officer
anricipared. Indeed, rhe vessel and his core ream ar rhar poinr.
carrying rhe second shipmenr of Nissim wasinchargeofadapringrhe
four Skyhawks did nor dock ar Wing Flying Squadron building ro
Haifa unril 11 April 1%8. our needs. I kepr myself busy by
Equipmenr also rrickled in slowly. helping rhe Technical Officer and
Lacking Triple Exrernal Rack ..1-(, / ' his men prepareforrhearrivalofour
(TER) and Mulri Exrernal Rack ~E~8 ¢' .~~ aircrafr. We also accepred rhe flrsr
14 (MER) insrallarions like rhe A-4s rwo "American" hardened aircrafr 15
u.J shelters(HASs) thathadbeen prepared forusbasedonan IDF/AFdesign.
Z
o 'I was impatienttogettheunit upand running, which meantwebent G)
uc.cJ afew rules in orderto achieveoperational capabiIity. Forexampie, each I-l
ef0.. . time ashipment ofSkyhawk parts arrived at the 1DF/AF Air Logistics :-t>l
I<I: Base, our technical team would rransport the complete shipment to :-t>l
U Hatzor. There, we would check through the containers toseewhat had n
A
arrived from America, keeping halfofthe partsand returningthe rest to :t>
the IDF/AF Air Logistics Base for No 109Sqn. This waywe had all the :xl
n
necessaryground handlingequipmenton strength by the time our first :xl
:t>
aircraftarrived. "
-l
'When the latter weredelivered, all we had to do in order to become
operational was peel offthejets' protectivecocoon coveringand upload
ordnanceonto the hardpoints. Several hours after theSkyhawksarrived
ThisNo102Sqnjetwasbombed we proudly reported to the IDF/AFstaffthatwewereoperational.They
upatHatzortoillustratejusthow
could not believe it,so we invited them tocomeandseefor themselves.
muchordnancetheA-4Hcouldcarry
They duly came to Hatzor, saw our readiness status and readilyagreed
whenfittedwithTERsandMERs. -----
The20bombsseenhereareas that we were indeed operational.'
follows- 12250-lbMk81 bombs The IDF/AF was heavily involved in anti-terrorist operations at this
withSnakeyeretardingtailfin kits
timeas the PLO hadestablished afirm foothold in nearbyJordan, from
wloiandgedpythlornese,paesrinTgElReo5n00t-hlbeMinkne8r2 whereattacksagainst Israel were launched.TheSkyhawkstOokpartinall refuelling promised even better endurance, and testing of this new A-4HBuNo155244isseenatRamat
qualification for IDF/AF pilots also commenced in December 1968. Davidshortlyafterithadhadits
bomboneachoftheouterwing four principal 'airpolicing' missionsthatdominated theaerialcampaign
stationsandsixMk82sonthe against the PLO- bombing its infrastructure in Jordan, maintaininga Skyhawk pilots were taught how to buddy refuel from either another protectivecoatingremoved.This
aircraftbecameSkyhawktail
MERsattachedtothecentre A-4 orfrom afour-engined C-97Stratofreighterthat had been modified
quick-reaction alert to arrack terroristgroupsas theyattempted to cross number05(IDF{AFnumber53051.
fuselagepylon.TheA-4'sability
to carrysomuchordnancewas the Israeli-Jordanian border (codenamed Cricket), flying visual intoatanker through thefltmentoftwOSkyhawkbuddy refuellingpods anditservedasaNo109Sqnjet
under theouterwings. untilaftertheYomKippurWar,
paramountfortheIDF{AFwhen reconnaissance missions along the Israeli-Jordanian border (Crab) and
itcametoitsselectionasthelight air reconnaissancein forceoverJordan (Crove). No 102Sqn'soperational Bythen afollow-on orderforan additional 42A-4Hs had beensigned FwlhyeinngiTtiwgearsStrqaunasdferorrnedtothe
attackaircraftofchoicetoreplace with the US government, and no fewer than 46 Skyhawks arrived in
debut came on 4 August 1968, when Palestinian terrorist camps in
variousFrenchtypes.TypicalSix
Israel during 1969. In anticipation ofthese on-goingdeliveries, a third
DayWarloadsforthelatteraircraft Jordan were bombed.
Skyhawksquadron wasactivated duringJanuary 1969 atTel Nof- the
werejusttwo500-lbbombsforthe As thewaron the terroristsgathered pace, the lastofthe48Skyhawks
MystereandSuperMystere,two purchased through Project Rugbywas delivered in late 1968.TERs and first three jets for No 115 Sqn arrived at Ashdod two months later. By
500-lbbombsandeightrocketsfor then the post-SixDayWarclashesbetween Egyptand Israel hadevolved No115Sqn'sA-4Htailnumber
MERs finally arrived at this time toO, and No 109 Sqn flew the first
theOuraganandeight150-lb 61 sitsbetweenNo109Sqn'stail
into afull-scale staticwaralong the SuezCanal, which separated Egypt
bombsfortheVautour mission with ajetsoconfiguredon 2 December 1968against Palestinian numbers17and130atRamat
on the west bank and Israel on the east bank. Sporadic IDF/AF
targets in Jordan. Both squadrons Davidduringaturnaround
operations over Jordan, Lebanon and Syria also continued apace In competition- oneoftheevents
had received almost their full
parallcl with the largerscaleconflict in the west. stagedduringNo109Sqn's18th
complement ofaircraft and pilots
birthdaycelebrations,heldon1
byend ofthe year too. July1969.SisterunitNo115Sqn
Nos 102 and J09 Sqns quickly wastheIDF{AF'sthirdSkyhawk
outfit,beingactivatedatTelNof
appreciated the 'long legs' of the
inearly1969withformerMirageIII
A-4, whose endurance was roughly
pilotEliezerPrigatasCOandUdi
twice that of previous IDF/AF ShelachIwhohadalsoflown
artack aircraft. Demonstrating this MirageIlls)asseniordeputy.The
firstthreeA-4HsforNo115Sqn
capability, No 109 Sqn Deputy
wereunloadedatAshdodon20
ommanderAYehudaKoren (who March1969,andPrigatmadethe
ultimately claimed 10.5 kills in unit'sfirstflightintailnumber62
Mirage Illsduringthecourseoffour on28March1969.Theunitwas
officiallyactivatedtwodayslater.
wars with No I17 Sqn - a unique
No115Sqn'sbuild-upincludedthe
feat) flew a 3 hour 25 minute arrivalofsixaircraftinthreepairs
communications relay sortie over on29April,18Mayand21 June
Egypt on 10 December 1968 in 1969,aswellastheassignmentof
itsfirstfourregularpilotson8May.
support of a long-range
Initialoperationalcapabilityhad
16 reconnaissance mission. In-flight beenachievedbyJuly1969 17