Force 14 Force 14 is the aerial arm of the Fatah , the largest Palestinian faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization . Envisioned as the nucleus of a future Palestinian Air Force , Force 14 personnel included both fighter , helicopter and transport pilots . Nevertheless , its main role within the PLO has been political rather than military , and its activities centered on cargo and transportation . It is not known to have participated in any operations against Israel . History . Formation . Fatah ' s embryonic aerial unit was formed sometime in 1968 / 69 from a modest core of several dozen pilots and technicians trained in Algeria , Morocco and Libya . The original intention of its founders had been to train pilots for the execution of suicide missions against strategic targets in Israel . This soon changed , however , and the unit was seen as a first step in the formation of a Palestinian Air Force which would be operated in coordination with the air forces of other Arab countries . When Fatah forces were reorganized in the summer of 1971 , the unit was attached to the Palestinian Liberation Army ' s Yarmouk brigade and was stationed in Syria . In 1972 , however , it was detached from the brigade and attached to the Fatah ' s general staff , the Central Operations Room . It was at this point that it received the name " Force 14 " , after its extension number at Fatah headquarters . Growth . Since its founding , Force 14 had been sending pilots and technicians to train with various Arab , Communist and Third World nations . These were absorbed by the air force of Syria , Algeria and Libya , as well as in various Warsaw Pact air arms . 1972 saw Algeria accepting a group of 15 - 18 Palestinian cadets for fighter pilot training , destined to fly Syrian Air Force MiGs . As the PLO developed working relations with various governments , its military means and capabilities grew . In August 1978 , 32 pilots and 60 mechanics returned from various training courses , and a 150 were in training in the Eastern Bloc a year later . Fatah had also initiated a military assistance programme , and Force 14 became a useful instrument of Palestinian diplomacy . Its personnel were sent to assist Idi Amin ' s Ugandan Air Force in 1976 and delivered arms and supplies to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua after their victory . Force 14 also provided helicopter and fighters pilots for the Nicaraguan war against the Contras , as well as crews for Aeronica , a local airline . The PLO may have also established several of its own small airlines to operate its cargo planes . These served as both a cover for PLO activities as well as the nucleus of a future Palestinian airline . Following Syria ' s break with the PLO and its expulsion from Lebanon in the wake of the 1982 Lebanon War , Force 14 relocated its headquarters and the bulk of its personnel to the Yemen Arab Republic , although it maintained a presence in various other Arab countries , including Algeria , Libya and Iraq . In November 1982 a Force 14 pilot crashed while flying a MiG - 21 fighter in Yemen , which at this time appears to have provided the force with all its fixed - wing training . Helicopter training was reportedly provided by Libya . In 1985 The PLO was reported to have leased the Island of Kamaran from Yemeni authorities to serve as a base for Force 14 . Two years later the PLO was also reported to have acquired four McDonnell Douglas DC - 8 s , operating them from Yemen under the colours of the Red Crescent . Decline . The signing of the Oslo Accords in September 1993 brought about the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority . With the opening of Gaza International Airport , the PNA established a 200 - strong Aviation Police ( " Shurta al - Jawiya " ) , subordinate to the Palestinian Civil Aviation Department and based on Force 14 personnel . Consisting mainly of guards and security personnel , the unit initially also comprised crews responsible for maintaining and operating the authority ' s fleet of three Mil Mi - 17 helicopters . These , however , were all destroyed by the Israeli Air Force on December 3 , 2001 , during the Al - Aqsa Intifada . The current state and activities of Force 14 are unknown , though it was reportedly still sending recruits on various training courses throughout the world in the mid 1990s . Known inventory . Aircraft reportedly owned or operated by Force 14 since its formation :