210 "White Eagle" Squadron of the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

is an

IAI Eitan The IAI Eitan (איתן – "Steadfast"; export designation Heron TP) is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed in Israel in the early 21st century by the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries.Egozi 2008 The aircraft is a newer ve ...

squadron based at

Tel Nof Airbase Tel Nof Israeli Air Force ( he, בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר תֵּל נוֹף) , also known as Air Force Base 8, is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force. It is located near Rehovot, Israel. Tel Nof houses seve ...

. The squadron was officially inaugurated on December 20 2010, at a ceremony at Tel Nof, and officially accepted its first UAV in February 2011.Newdick and Zidon 2013, p. 200 Its first commander was Lt. Colonel S. and is currently led by Lt. Colonel A. 210 Squadron is the IAF's first UAV unit to operate away from the IAF's traditional UAV hub at

Palmachim Palmachim ( he, פַּלְמַחִים) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about ten kilometers south of the Gush Dan, Tel Aviv area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh ...

. Tel Nof offers a longer runway and the more extensive infrastructure required by the two-ton class Eitan, and will also help the integration of UAV operations into the IAF's core operational thinking. The squadron's aircraft wear a Light Compass Grey scheme and feature tail art in the shape of a white eagle against a black background on their vertical stabilizers. On January 29, 2012, one of the squadron's UAVs crashed shortly after take off from Tel Nof. Falling near Kibbutz

Hafetz Haim Hafetz Haim (, ''lit.'' desirous of life) is a religious kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Nahal Sorek Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The land on which Hafetz Haim w ...

, the aircraft suffered damages estimated at several million dollars. The Eitan fleet was subsequently grounded for several months until two investigative teams, one by the air force and another by

Israel Aircraft Industries Israel Aerospace Industries (Hebrew: התעשייה האווירית לישראל ''ha-ta'asiya ha-avirit le-yisra'el'') or IAI (תע"א) is Israel's major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both mi ...

, submitted their findings. The aircraft was found to have gone down during flight testing of a navigational component fitted on one of its wings, which broke. After additional tests by IAI, the air force finally permitted the Eitan back into the air on September 6, 2012. Two months later the squadron took part in

Operation Cast Lead Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. 210 Squadron and the Eitan have also been mentioned amid the talk of a possible Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear program. The UAV's high service ceiling, its ability to stay a loft for a considerable amount of time, and large payload and range, have made it especially suited for long-range and advanced reconnaissance and intelligence missions. The aircraft have also been linked to possible Israeli strikes against Iranian arms convoy in Sudan.

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Bibliography

* Israeli Air Force squadrons {{mil-aviation-stub