22 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comNEWS
// JUNE 2018 #363Middle East
Israel celebrates 70th anniversary
THE S TAT E of Israel marked
70 years of independence
on April 19 with events
including a larger-than-
usual flypast. The occasion
was preceded by some
controversy when a practice
run for the flying display- including a simulated
dogfight – was performed
off Te l Aviv’s beach on
April 12. City residents
hadn’t been notified and
there was some panic in a
region where tensions had
risen amid fear of Syrian
retaliation following air
strikes by Israel.
The Israeli
Air Force(IAF) initially cancelled
the F-15 demo, and ten-
minute simulated dogfight,
before reinstating it
to the programme.
Foreign participants
in the flypast included
an Austrian Air Force
C -130K , three Hellenic
Air Force F-16s, a PolishAir Force C295, a Royal
Air Force Hercules
and a Royal Canadian
Air Force C C -17 7.
The IAF’s M-346 Lavi
participated in the main
Tel Aviv flypast for the
first time and was noted
carrying new drop tanks.
Yissachar RuasIAF F-15B Baz 109
(FMS 73-0109),
nicknamed ‘Silver
Bullet’, pops fl ares
during the April 19
fl ypast. Yissachar RuasSyrian
Flamingos
fl ying
again
REMARKABLY, A small
number of Syrian Arab
Air Force (SyAAF) MBB-
SIAT 223K1 Flamingo
aerobatic trainers have
recently been made
airworthy again, after
years in storage.
A video released on
the internet on March
27 and taken earlier
in the month showed
three of the type flying
together over Kuweires
air base, east of Aleppo.
A photograph of a
Flamingo – apparently
serial 1766 – on the
ground shows it to be
in very good condition.
Earlier, satellite imagery
of Aleppo International
Airport/Nayrab, dated
March 7, showed four
Flamingo fuselages
outside a hangar, either
awaiting rebuild or
possibly being stripped
for spares to make the
others operational.
Syria took delivery of 58
Flamingos between 1974
and 1977, 41 of them built
by CASA in Spain and 17
by Farner in Switzerland.
They were previously
operated by the 77th Air
Training Brigade’s Basic
Flying School at Kuweires,
but until now had been
left in storage around the
airfield. Dave AllportAbove: The IAF released this photo of Lt Col ‘L’ together with AH-64D Saraf 754, but it’s
unclear whether this was the helicopter involved in downing the UAV. IAFTHE ISRAELI Air Force
has claimed an Iranian
unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV ) it destroyed
on February 10 was
carrying explosives and
was intended to carry
out an attack on Israeli
territory. The UAV was
intercepted and downed
by an IAF AH-64D Saraf.
An IAF statement said:
“T he Iranian aircraft was
detected [by] the IAF/
IDF’s defence systems
and traced until its
interception. It did not
pose a danger during its
flight in Israel’s territory.”
The Saraf was piloted by
Lt Col ‘L’, the commander
of 113 ‘Hornet’ Squadron
based at Ramon. He was
cleared to engage the UAV
by an air traffic controller
and it exploded in mid-air.
“We were incommunication with the
control centre when the
UAV was detected,” Lt Col
‘L’ told the IAF website. “I
realised what and where
it was and managed to
make contact as soon as
it got closer. I made eye
contact before it even
entered Israel’s territory.
When it neared the border,
we understood that it was
indeed a UAV... As soon as
it crossed the border, I was
permitted to intercept.”
According to the IAF, this
was the first time the air
force had intercepted an
Iranian UAV infiltrating Israeli
territory. The drone was
described as a “challenging,
low-signature UAV”.
Lt Col ‘L’ monitored the
UAV’s wreckage until it
reached the ground and
then directed a UH-60
Yanshuf to collect it.Israel details Iranian UAV interception