The 102 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 ...
, also known as the Flying Tiger Squadron, operated
A-4H Skyhawk fighters and now operates M-346 Lavi at
Hatzerim Airbase
Hatzerim Israeli Air Force Base ( he, בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר חֲצֵרִים, ''Basis Heil HaAvir Hatzerim'') is an air base of the Israeli Air Force in the Negev Desert on the west outskirts of Beersheba, near Kibbutz Hatze ...
in the Negev near Beersheba.
History
It was formed in August 1967 when Israel received new A-4s to replace the aging
Dassault Mystere
Dassault Group (; also GIM Dassault or Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS) is a French group of companies established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, and led by son Ser ...
and
Super Mystere. It also represented the switch to US-made weapons due to the French embargo after 1967 crisis.
The squadron fought in all major Israeli wars since 1968, carrying out both interdiction and close ground support missions. It has suffered severe losses, the heaviest in the
Yom Kippur war
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
in 1973, when about 20 planes were lost and 7 pilots killed.
The squadron continues to fly today, playing various roles, and also uses the 2-seat M-346s in advanced IAF pilot training. The squadron is designated to continue service as operational and training units in the future.
Current role
During March 2016 the unit was noted as flying
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Lavi's.
The last A-4Ns were retired in December 2015.
References
External links
Global Security ProfileDefense Industry Daily: Israel’s Skyhawk Scandal Leads to End of an EraArchived
2009-08-17)
Israeli Air Force squadrons
Flying training squadrons
Military units and formations established in 1967
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