115 Squadron ( Israel ) 115 Squadron , also known as the Flying Dragon or Red Squadron , is the Israeli Air Force ' s aggressor squadron . Based at Ovda , it is the sole IAF squadron to operate fixed - wing aircraft , helicopters and also ground - based assets . History . Formation . The squadron was established on July 8 , 1954 as a semi - autonomous unit of 109 Squadron , specializing in photo - reconnaissance flights . Commanded by Captain Azriel Ronen , the squadron initially operated 4 de Havilland Mosquito PR . 16s out of Hatzor Airbase . These were soon augmented by three Mosquito NF . 30s converted to reconnaissance configuration , and in June 1956 , 115 became a fully independent squadron . Commanded by Major Eli Eron , the new unit was based at Tel Nof . It was soon bolstered by three additional PR . 16s and three Gloster Meteor T . 7s . As Middle East tensions rose in the mid - 1950s , 115 squadron operations were stepped up . It carried out reconnaissance missions throughout the region , flying as far as Iraq and Libya . Intelligence gathered during these missions proved valuable not only during the 1956 Suez Crisis , but in subsequent wars as well . In the run - up to Suez Crisis itself , the squadron gathered information on Egyptian forces and their dispositions in the Sinai , while during the war it provided much - needed intelligence on enemy activity . The squadron was disbanded in November 1958 with the withdrawal of the Mosquito from service . Its Meteors were allocated to other squadrons . Flying the A - 4 Skyhawk . 115 Squadron was reformed in January 1969 at Tel Nof , as the IAF ' s third A - 4 Skyhawk squadron . Its first three jets arrived at the port of Ashdod on March 20 , and on March 28 the squadron flew its first flight . It soon achieved operational capability and on April 22 saw its first combat sortie in the ongoing War of Attrition , against a radar station in Jordan . In July it participated in operation Boxer , during which one of its aircraft was hit but managed to make a forced landing at Rephidim . The squadron also participated in the Priha operations , while during operation " Rhodes " , the January 1970 assault on the island of Shadwan , a squadron A - 4 sunk an Egyptian torpedo boat . Altogether 115 Squadron flew about 1 , 000 sorties throughout the war . Initially operating the A - 4H , in 1972 the squadron made the conversion to the A - 4N Skyhawk II . It was still flying both models , however , when the Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973 . On October 3 the Squadron had lost its commanding officer , Ami Gadish , when his aircraft crashed during a training sortie . On Friday , October 5 , Giora Romm took command of the squadron , despite having never flown the Skyhawk nor serving with the unit . War broke out the very next day , and Romm ' s first flight was a combat sortie targeting Egyptian troops crossing the Suez Canal , Romm familiarizing himself with the aircraft en route to the target . 115 Squadron flew all types of attack missions during the Yom Kippur War , from close air support ( CAS ) to air base strikes and SEAD . The squadron suffered its first fatalities of the war on October 7 , when Shimon Ash went missing during a strike against Egyptian anti - aircraft artillery , while Israel Rozenblum was killed on the Golan Heights . Two more aircraft was lost on the following day , both on the Egyptian front , with Zvi Bashan killed and Zvi Rozen becoming a prisoner of war . Another pilot , Mario Shaked , was lost on October 9 , and two more aircraft lost on October 11 , Yizhak Ofer killed on the Golan Heights and Schneider becoming a POW . These were the last of 115 Squadron ' s losses during the war , out of 750 sorties flown , a loss rate of 0 . 9 percent . The squadron was back in action pounding Palestinian positions in southern Lebanon during the late 1970s and early 1980s , and saw extensive action during Operation Peace for Galilee , the 1982 invasion of Lebanon . On June 6 , 1982 , it lost one of its aircraft while on a strike near Beaufort Castle , pilot Aharon Achiaz falling into Palestinian captivity . The squadron relocated to Nevatim in 1984 , continuing to fly sporadic attacks against Lebanese targets during the subsequent decade , flying 38 sorties during Operation Accountability of April 1993 . It was disbanded on July 21 , 1994 , with some of its aircraft going into storage while others were dispersed among remaining IAF A - 4 Squadrons . Aggressor Squadron . In March 2005 the squadron was reformed at Ovda as the IAF ' s Advanced Training Center , the initiative of former IAF commander - in - chief Eliezer Shkedy . Operating both F - 16 s and AH - 1 Cobras , the unit is tasked with emulating enemy forces and tactics , creating scenarios as close as possible to what pilots may face in war . Holding training sessions for IAF combat squadrons , the squadron also operates a surface - to - air section , simulating enemy air defences . It is not an operational unit , though all its pilots have emergency postings and its aircraft are equipped to serve as combat aircraft in the event of war . Modelled on USAF aggressor squadrons , the unit is also offering its services to other nations . In May 2006 it trained with the Massachusetts Air National Guard ' s 101st Fighter Squadron , and in 2008 the squadron provided desert training for 55 Czech Air Force pilots prior to their deployment to Afghanistan . As a tribute to Czechoslovak military assistance to Israel during the 1948 Arab - Israeli War , the training session was named " Etzion " , once the codename for the Czech airfield at Žatec from which a great deal of aircraft and material were dispatched to Israel . In early December 2010 , 115 Squadron hosted Italian Air Force Panavia Tornado s at Ovda , conducting a week - long joint training session . In December 2011 the Israeli and Italian Air Forces completed another two - week joint training exercise . The exercise involved pilots flying F - 16As , F - 16Cs and F - 15Is from three Israeli squadrons , pitted against Italian Air Force pilots flying Eurofighter Typhoon s and Panavia Tornado strike fighters . In March 2012 the Polish Air Force ' s 10th Tactical Squadron deployed to Ovda for a two - week - long joint exercise with Israel ' s 115 , 117 and 106 squadrons .