Aluf ''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral ...

Amikam Norkin ( he, עמיקם נורקין; born December 20, 1966) is an Israeli general, who served as commander 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 ...

from 2017 to 2022. Before his selection to succeed

Amir Eshel Amir Eshel ( he, אמיר אשל; born 1959) is a former Israeli general who served as commander of the Israeli Air Force and currently serves as Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Biography Amir Eshel was born in Jaffa. His f ...

as commander of the IAF, Norkin served as head of the IDF

Planning Directorate The Planning Directorate was the central body in the Israel Defense Forces' General Staff whose focus was on the strategic and tactical planning, the building of military forces, and military organization of the armed forces. It also served as a ...

Biography

Norkin was born in Beit She'arim to

olim Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally descri ...

of Romanian-Jewish origin. He was drafted in the IDF Armour Corps in 1984, and graduated from the

IAF Flight Academy The Israeli Air Force Flight Academy trains aircrew to operate Israeli Air Force aircraft, qualifying fighter, helicopter and transport pilots as well as combat and transport navigators. The IAF flight course is considered one of the most pres ...

as a fighter pilot in July 1987. In 1988, he joined the "Knights of the Twin Tail" Squadron and became the youngest

F-15 The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

pilot in the world. In the beginning of the 90s, he flew the ''Kurnass'' 2000 variant of the

F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...

out of

Hatzerim Hatzerim ( he, חֲצֵרִים, ''lit.'' Farmyards) is a kibbutz located 8 kilometers west of Beersheba in the Negev desert in Israel. It is named after the Bible (Deuteronomy 2:23), mentioning a site nearby: "the Avvites who lived in farmyards ...

, and participated in bombing sorties during

Operation Accountability On July 25, 1993, Israeli forces launched a week-long attack against Lebanon named Operation Accountability ( he, מבצע דין וחשבון, Mivtza Din VeHeshbon) in Israel and the Seven-Day War in Lebanon. Israel specified three purposes ...

. A number of years later, Norkin was appointed First Deputy Squadron Commander of the "Golden Eagle" Squadron and participated in

Operation Grapes of Wrath Operation Grapes of Wrath ( he, מבצע ענבי זעם ''Mivtsa Enavi Zaam''), known in Lebanon as the April Aggression (), is the seventeen-day campaign of the Israeli Defense Forces against Hezbollah in 1996 which attempted to end rocket at ...

. His next position was Head of the IAF Operations Department. Between 1999 and 2002 Norkin was Commander of the "Knights of the Twin Tail" Squadron. In 2003 he was chosen to integrate the IAF's new

F-16I A large number of variants of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon have been produced by General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and various licensed manufacturers. The details of the F-16 variants, along with major modification programs and ...

aircraft as Commander of the "Negev" Squadron. From 2009 to 2012, Norkin, now a Brigadier General, acted as Commander of Tel Nof AFB, and was appointed Head of IAF Training & Doctrine Division in 2012. In August 2014, he was appointed IAF Chief of Air Staff until June 2015, when he was promoted to the rank of Major General and was appointed Head of the IDF Planning Directorate. On August 10, 2017, Norkin was appointed Commander of the IAF, replacing Major General

. Norkin completed his term as commander of the IAF on April 4, 2022. He was succeeded by

Tomer Bar Aluf Tomer Bar ( he, תומר בר; born 1969) is an Israeli general and current commander of the Israeli Air Force. Before his selection to succeed Amikam Norkin as commander of the IAF, Bar served as head of the IDF Force Design Directorate, a r ...

Awards and Decorations

*: **

Second Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...

Security Zone in Lebanon Campaign Ribbon

South Lebanon Security Zone ** Protective Edge Operation ribbon

Operation Protective Edge The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge ( he, מִבְצָע צוּק אֵיתָן, translit=Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, ), was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that h ...

*: **

Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(2021) *: ** US_Legion_of_Merit_Commander_ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norkin, Amikam Israeli Air Force generals Israeli aviators Israeli Jews University of Haifa alumni Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent 1966 births Living people Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Commanders of the Legion of Merit Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit