Operation Rooster 53 was an Israeli
military operation during the
War of Attrition
The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...
to capture an
Egyptian
P-12 radar system. Often referred to as merely Operation Rooster, it was carried out on December 26 and 27, 1969. Participating forces including the
Nahal Brigade
The 933rd "Nahal" Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces main infantry brigades. From August 2019 to June 2021, the brigade was led by . On June 28, was appointed as the new commander. However, three days later, on July 1, Asman suddenly ...
's 50th battalion, the elite paratrooper reconnaissance unit
Sayeret Tzanhanim, and 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 ...
.
Background
The War of Attrition raged along the
Suez Canal, as Egypt attempted to recapture the
Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had conquered during the
Six-Day War. Egypt had received a considerable amount of
military equipment
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, including
tanks, radar systems and
weapons, from the
Soviet Union. During the Six-Day War, Israel had captured some of these shipments of equipment, which had allowed it to gain a lot of
intelligence on the weaknesses of the
Egyptian air defense. As newer systems arrived in Egypt, Israel had an effort underway to learn how to deal with these.
Reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers ...
missions showed that a P-12 radar system had been placed on the beach of
Ras Gharib
Ras Gharib ( ar, راس غارب ' ) is the northernmost of the markazes (municipalities) in the Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, situated on the African side of the Gulf of Suez. It has an area of 10,464.46 km². At the 2006 Egyptian national c ...
. An attempt to destroy it with an aerial strike was cancelled.
Planning
Planning of the mission started on December 24. It received approval from the IDF
chain of command
A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part.
Milit ...
and training began on radar systems which had been captured during the Six-Day War.
Sikorsky CH-53
The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...
helicopters were chosen to carry the radar to Israeli territory.
Execution of the mission
The mission was launched at 9 p.m. on December 26.
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed an ...
s and
F-4 Phantom
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 ...
s began attacking Egyptian forces along the western bank of the Suez canal and
Red Sea. Hidden by the noise of the attacking jets, three
Aérospatiale Super Frelon
Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...
s, carrying a force from the 35th
Paratroopers Brigade, led by Lieutenant colonel Arie Sidon and his deputy
Doron Rubin, made their way west towards their target. Making their approach carefully in order not to be spotted beforehand, the paratroopers overwhelmed the light security contingent at the radar installation and quickly took control of the site. By 2 a.m., on December 27, when the paratroops had taken apart the radar station and prepared the various parts for the CH-53s, the two helicopters were called in from across the Red Sea. One CH-53 carried the communications caravan and the radar antenna, while the other took the heavier, four-ton radar itself.
The two helicopters made their way back across the Red Sea to Israeli controlled territory.
References
Operation “Rooster”— Israel Captures Egyptian Radar In War of Attritionin ''Jewish Virtual Library''. Retrieved October 30, 2005.
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Conflicts in 1969
1969 in Egypt
Rooster 53
Aerial operations and battles involving Israel
War of Attrition
1969 in the Israeli Military Governorate
December 1969 events in Asia
December 1969 events in Africa