RAF Qastina The airbase was opened in 1942 as
RAF Qastina by the
Royal Air Force of the
United Kingdom in the then
British Protectorate of Palestine. It was named after the Palestinian village
Qastina southeast of it, that perished in the
1948 Palestine War, and the nearby British military base
Camp Qastina. Two British squadrons, operating
Dakota and
Halifax aircraft, were initially stationed at the airbase. Qastina12.png|Shepherd with sheep in the Palestinian village of
Qastina around 1940 Qastina De Gaulle remet crx Liberation 1941 05 26.jpg|The French general
Charles de Gaulle (tall man in the middle) visiting
Camp Qastina in May 1941
Operational units from 1945 to 1948 Some RAF Units stationed at
RAF Qastina: •
No. 512 Squadron RAF between 8 and 24 October 1945 with the
Douglas Dakota •
No. 644 Squadron RAF between 1 December 1945 and 1 September 1946 with
Handley Page Halifax A.7 & A.9 became
No. 47 Squadron RAF between 1 and 30 September 1946 with
Handley Page Halifax A.7 & A.9 •
No. 651 Squadron RAF between 1 June 1947 and 11 February 1948 with the
Auster AOP.6 Handley Page Halifax - British Forces in the Middle East, 1945-1947 E32215.jpg|
Handley Page Halifax bombers at the neighboring airbase
RAF Aqir, used as transport aircraft after
WWII in 1946 Auster AOP.6 TW539 663 Sqn 1954.jpg|An
Auster AOP.6 observation aircraft of a different squadron in 1954
Night of the Airplanes On the night of 25 February 1946,
Irgun militants attacked the airfield and destroyed several parked RAF
Handley Page Halifax bombers used as transport aircraft (see photo above). Two additional RAF airfields,
RAF Lydda (nowadays
Ben Gurion International Airport) and
RAF Sirkin, were attacked in what became known as the "Night of the Airplanes". Altogether, the attacks destroyed 20 RAF aircraft and damaged several others. Following these attacks, the RAF relocated many aircraft to bases in
Egypt.
Israeli Air Force Base Hatzor On 15 March 1948, as the
British Mandate for Palestine drew to a close, the RAF evacuated the airfield and it was taken over by
Haganah forces of the newly founded
State of Israel and renamed
Hatzor Airbase after the nearby
kibbutz Hatzor Ashdod (see map at the top).
101 Squadron "First Fighter" The
101 Squadron "First Fighter" was founded in May 1948 at
Ekron Airbase (now Tel Nof) as the first military aircraft squadron in Israel and relocated to Hatzor in November – at that time still with
Avia S-199 fighter aircraft, made from leftover parts of the
Messerschmitt Bf 109. A total of 25 of these were imported from
Czechoslovakia, where German aircraft had been manufactured in the
Avia factories during
World War II. It was followed by the
Supermarine Spitfire together with the
North American P-51 Mustang. During this time the squadron was stationed at
Ramat David Airbase. Avia S-199 in June 1948 (Israeli Air Force).png|Czechoslovak
Avia S-199 of the Israeli
101 Squadron "First Fighter" in June 1948 Avia-S199-hatzerim-2.jpg|An Avia S-199 of
101 Squadron "First Fighter" at Hatzor, now at the
IAF Museum near
Hatzerim Airbase Hatzerim 290110 Spitfire 02.jpg|A
Spitfire Mk.IXe of
101 Squadron "First Fighter" from the early days of the IAF at the
IAF Museum Hatzerim Mustang 29012010 02.jpg|A
P-51D Mustang of
101 Squadron "First Fighter" at the
IAF Museum near
Hatzerim Airbase Shahak "#158" of
101 Squadron "First Fighter" of Hatzor with 13 "Kill Markings" at the
IAF Museum near
Hatzerim Airbase In April 1956 the
101 Squadron was back at Hatzor Airbase and got its first jets with the
Dassault Mystère IV A (see:
Operation Shacharit) and then in 1962 with the
Dassault Mirage IIICJ Shahak (see picture on the right), which were used very successfully during the
Six-Day War, the
War of Attrition and the
Yom Kippur War. From 1971 and 1976 respectively, the
IAI Nesher (griffon vulture) and the improved
IAI Kfir (young lion) – built in Israel and based on the
Dassault Mirage 5 – were handed over to the squadron as additional jets. From 1987 onwards it flew the
F-16C/D Barak and had been involved in numerous missions since its inception.
105 Squadron "Scorpion" In August 1950 at
Ramat David Airbase, a group was established within the
101 Squadron to train pilots to attack ground targets. This group was nicknamed "Scorpion" and soon became the
105 Squadron. It initially flew the English
Spitfire, later the US
P-51 Mustang and the French
Mystère IV A. In 1958, it moved to Chazor and was the only squadron in Israel to fly the new
Super Mystère B2 (SMB2) Sambad. These jets were eventually upgraded by
IAI under the name
Saar and flew until the end of the 1970s – most recently in other squadrons. From 1975, the
F-4E Phantom II Kurnas was introduced, then also the
IAI Kfir and from 1991 finally the
F-16C/D Barak. It was also involved in numerous missions.
109 Squadron "The Valley" The
109 Squadron "The Valley" was founded in 1951 under a different name at
Tel Nof Airbase and was relocated to Hatzor from 1952 to 1956, where it flew the
de Havilland Mosquito purchased from the British as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. In 1956 it took part in the fighting during the
Suez Crisis. After that, its Mosquitos were decommissioned and the squadron transferred to
Ramat David Airbase.
113 Squadron "Hornet" The
113 Squadron "Hornet" was established in 1955 at Hatzor as the second jet squadron of the
IAF – after the
117 Squadron "First Jet" founded in 1953 at
Ramat David. Initially it flew the
Dassault Ouragan (Hurricane), from 1973 the
IAI Nesher (griffon vulture) and from 1976 the improved
IAI Kfir (young lion). In 1986 the 113 Squadron at Hatzor was closed and re-established in 1989/90 at
Ramon Airbase with
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
201 Squadron "The One" The
201 Squadron "The One" was established at Hatzor in September 1969 as the first of what would later be five
F-4E Phantom II Kurnass squadrons. It then took part in the
War of Attrition with Egypt and the
Yom Kippur War, suffering heavy losses in the latter. In June 1988, the squadron and its Phantoms were relocated to
Tel Nof Airbase, where they remained in service until 2004.
Gallery of formerly stationed aircraft Most of the aircraft types are now at the
IAF Museum adjacent to
Hatzerim Airbase: 4X-3187 Israel Air Force 1955.jpg|The
de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito, here in 1955, was used as a bomber during the
Suez Crisis (1956) Hatzerim Ouragan 29012010.jpg|A
Dassault Ouragan fighter jet, as it was stationed at Hatzor from 1955, at the
IAF Museum near
Hatzerim Danny Shapira, 1956 enhanced square.jpg|IAF test pilot Danny Shapira in front of a new
Dassault Mystère IV A jet in June 1956 at Hatzor Airbase Super Mystere Hatzerim 2901101.jpg|A
Super Mystère B2 (SMB2) Saar of
105 Squadron "Scorpion" from 1958, at the
IAF Museum near
Hatzerim Meitar Collection (997009327157005171.jpg|A
Mirage IIICJ Shahak of
101 Squa­dron "First Fighter" is prepared for a mission in June 1967 at Hatzor F-4E GivatOlga 081014 01.jpg|An
F-4E Phantom II Kurnass, also of
201 Squadron "The One" from 1969, now at the
Giv'at Olga Technoda Israeli Air Force during the Yom Kippur War, October 1973 V.jpg|An
IAI Nesher of the
113 Squadron "Hornet" is made ready for takeoff at Hatzor Airbase in October 1973 IAI Kfir C-7 כפיר (468973903).jpg|An Israeli-made
IAI Kfir of
144 Squa­dron "Phoenix" from 1975, at the
IAF Museum near
Hatzerim Airbase In the early days of the
IAF – from 1948 onwards – propeller planes were purchased from various countries. From 1955 until the
Six-Day War in 1967 only fighter jets from the French manufacturers
Sud and
Dassault were imported. When French president
Charles de Gaulle then imposed a total arms embargo on Israel, the IAF turned to the United States and also built its own jets, such as the
IAI Nesher and the
IAI Kfir. This development can also be seen in the photo galleries above. In the first 18 years of the newly founded State of Israel, there were only the airbases of
Tel Nof,
Ramat David and Hatzor, which had been taken over from the British, with the latter usually being used to station the newest and most powerful fighter jets. However, this changed over time, until finally in 2021 the last remaining squadrons there
101 Squadron and
105 Squadron with
F-16C/D jets moved to Ramat David in northern Israel, meaning that from then on no manned jets were stationed at Hatzor (see
Units).
Operation Shacharit In April 1956, Operation
Shacharit (Morning Prayer in
Judaism) began with the delivery of
Dassault Mystère IV A jets from France to Israel. 12 aircraft arrived in the first wave at Hatzor (see photos below), 12 more in August, and in October – shortly before the
Suez Crisis – another 36 aircraft in two waves took off from France. On their way to Israel, the planes landed in
Brindisi, Italy, to refuel. The Italians were previously stated that the jets are flying from Israel to France for repairs. For the last major transfer, they were divided into two groups of 18 with identical tail numbers, so that it appeared as if the jets were flying there and back. A total of 61 aircraft arrived in Israel (including a photo aircraft), but some of them could not be made combat-ready due to a lack of spare parts and ammunition.--> Operation Shacharit, 1956 I.jpg|New
Dassault Mystère IV A jets for the
IAF arrived at Hatzor in April 1956 during Operation Shacharit Operation Shacharit, 1956 II.jpg|Politicians and military personnel at the arrival of the new
Mystère IV A jets at Hatzor in April 1956 IDFAF Mystère IVA 160308 Santiago Los Cerillos.jpg|A
Mystère IV A jet of
116 Squadron "Defenders of the South" of Hatzor, on display at
Santiago de Chile 2008
Deserted pilots • On 19 January 1964, an
Egyptian Air Force Yak-11 trainer deserted to Hatzor with Captain Mahmoud Abbas Hilmi on board. The 26-year-old Egyptian flight instructor asked for political asylum after landing. • On the morning of 16 August 1966, an
Iraqi Air Force MiG-21 landed at Hatzor, the culmination of
Operation Diamond.
Munir Redfa, an Iraqi Air Force pilot, had been persuaded by the
Mossad to fly the flagship of the Soviet export aircraft industry to Israel. The MiG was the most advanced aircraft in Arab inventories at the time. Yak 11 Egyptian 1964.jpg|In January 1964, an Egyptian pilot deserted to Hatzor in a
Yak-11 trainer Hatzerim 201206 MiG21.jpg|The
MiG-21 that deserted from Iraq to Hatzor during
Operation Diamond in 1966, now at the
IAF Museum Operation Diamond.ogv|thumbtime=0:49|Original footage from 1966 of the deserted Iraqi
MiG-21 jet
Flooding Since Hatzor Airbase is located in a valley between two streams – which, apart from a few rainy weeks, are dry most of the year – flooding has occurred repeatedly since its founding, affecting military equipment. This happened in the 1950s, in the winter of 1991/92, in 2013 and most recently in 2020, when fighter aircraft and a battery of defense missiles were so heavily damaged that repairs took five months. This is also a reason why the last two squadrons of manned fighter aircraft at Hatzor were relocated to
Ramat David Airbase in northern Israel in 2021. There are simulators for all F-15 and F-16 models installed.
Defensive missiles On 2 April 2017, the first two batteries of Israel's latest missile defense system – the
David's Sling – went operational on the airbase. A battery of the smaller
Iron Dome system has been installed there since 2012, but was damaged in a flood in the winter of 2012/13 and had to be repaired. == Today ==