Ramat David Airbase

Ramat David Airbase (Basis Kheil HaAvir Ramat David, English: David Heights) is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base located 20 km southeast of Haifa in the Northern District of Israel, close to kibbutz Ramat David in the Jezreel Valley. It is the northernmost IAF base in Israel.
History
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. It was finally taken over by the IAF in that year.
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).
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.
Today
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. 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. Meanwhile, the civilian conversion of Ramat David seems to be off the table again, because the local resistance to it is too strong.
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. These have their home port in the Haifa naval base, 25 km away.
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. In July 2021, the squadron reopened at Nevatim Airbase with new F-35I Adir jets.
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. 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.
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.
Units
101 Squadron "First Fighter" – operating F-16C/D Barak
105 Squadron "Scorpion" – operating F-16C/D Barak
109 Squadron "Valley" – operating F-16D Barak
193 Squadron "Defenders Of The West" – operating Eurocopter AS565 Panther Atalef
Note: IAF aircraft can usually be assigned to their squadron by the symbols on the tail
RAF Ramat David
Roald Dahl, in his World War II autobiography 'Going Solo', mentions landing his RAF Hawker Hurricane at Ramat David in 1941. At the time it was a hastily prepared grass airstrip rolled out in a cornfield by the residents of the nearby kibbutz.
Royal Air Force operational units at RAF Ramat David:
No. 6 Squadron RAF between 28 September 1945 and 2 June 1946 with the Hawker Hurricane IV & Supermarine Spitfire LF.9
No. 32 Squadron RAF
No. 37 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 74 Squadron RAF
No. 127 Squadron RAF
No. 154 Squadron RAF
No. 208 Squadron RAF
No. 213 Squadron RAF
No. 216 Squadron RAF
No. 232 Squadron RAF
No. 242 Squadron RAF
No. 243 Squadron RAF
No. 249 Squadron RAF
No. 294 Squadron RAF
No. 459 Squadron RAAF
No. 651 Squadron RAF
No. 4 Middle East Training School (1943-44)
See also
List of former Royal Air Force stations
List of airports in Israel
References
Bibliography
External links
Ramat David from globalsecurity.org
Aeroflight World Airforces
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations established in 1948
Israeli Air Force bases
World War II airfields in Mandatory Palestine