Ramon Airbase
| Ramon Israeli Air Force Base Air Wing 25  | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
בסיס חיל-האוויר רמון | |||||||||
| Mitzpe Ramon, Southern District in Israel | |||||||||
  Ramon Airbase Shown within Israel | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°46′29″N 034°40′04″E / 30.77472°N 34.66778°E | ||||||||
| Type | Airbase | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Israel Defense Forces | ||||||||
| Operator | Israeli Air Force | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1979-82 | ||||||||
| Built by | US companies | ||||||||
| In use | 1982 - present | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: LLRM | ||||||||
| Elevation | 648 metres (2,126 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ramon Airbase (Hebrew: בסיס חיל-האוויר רמון (ICAO: LLRM), Basis Hayil-HaAvir Ramon, lit. Ramon Air Force Base) is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base in the Negev desert, 50 km south of Beersheba and 20 km northwest of the town Mitzpe Ramon. The base and the town got their names from the huge "erosion crater" Makhtesh Ramon south of it. The base is also titled Kanaf 25 (Hebrew: כנף 25, lit. Wing 25), it was formerly known as Matred.
History
It was built as the result of joint Israeli and US government funding as part of the IAF's redeployment out of its bases in the Sinai after the peninsula was handed over to Egypt following the 1978 Camp David Accords. It was constructed between 1979 and 1982 by US companies.[1]
In September 1990, the first AH-64A Apache Peten attack helicopters arrived on Ramon, joined in 2005 by the improved AH-64D Apache Longbow Sharaf.[2][3]
In January 2005, the "Bat" Squadron on Ramon was the first to fly the new F-16I jet Sufa adapted to Israeli needs. Shortly afterwards, the "Negev" Squadron and the "One" Squadron there were also equipped with F-16I jets.[4][5][6]
On September 6, 2007, in Operation Outside the Box four F-15I of the "Hammers" Squadron from Hatzerim Airbase and four F-16Is from Ramon attacked an almost completed nuclear reactor in Syria and destroyed it in order to prevent Syria from building its own nuclear bombs (see gallery directly below).[7]
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The village Mitzpe Ramon and "erosion crater" Makhtesh Ramon south of the base -
IAF bases abandoned on the Sinai Peninsula (red) and newly built in southern Israel (blue) -
The Syrian nuclear reactor before and after destruction by Operation Outside the Box in 2007 -
ATC Tower on Ramon Airbase in 2018 -
Change of command ceremony on Ramon Airbase in Juni 2020 -
Two maps of Ramon Airbase with details and places around
Current
Currently (2023), in addition to the three F-16I squadrons, two squadrons of AH-64A/D Apache attack helicopters are based here, the only ones in Israel.[8]
For many years there have been considerations of purchasing new AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters from Boeing, but this has so far failed due to the costs.[9][10]
Units
- 113 Squadron "Hornet" – operating AH-64D Apache Longbow Sharaf[3]
- 119 Squadron "Bat" – operating F-16I Sufa[4]
- 190 Squadron "Magic Touch" – operating AH-64A Apache Peten[2]
- 201 Squadron "One" – operating F-16I Sufa[6]
- 253 Squadron "Negev" – operating F-16I Sufa[5]
- Special units of the IDF: Sky Rider Unit, Meitar Unit and David's Sling Brigade
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An AH-64D Apache Longbow Saraf of 113 Squadron "Hornet" during an exercise -
An F-16I Sufa of 119 Squadron "Bat" starts with full afterburner -
An AH-64A Apache Peten of 190 Squadron "Magic Touch" of Ramon on display -
An F-16I Sufa of 201 Squadron "One" about to land, based on Ramon -
An F-16I Sufa of 253 Squadron "Negev" during an exercise, based on Ramon -
The Sky Rider Unit in action using a small Skylark UAV
Note: IAF aircraft can usually be assigned to their squadron by the symbols on the tail
See also
References
- ^ "Pentagon Selects Two Contractors to Construct Negev Air Bases". 21 May 1979.
- ^ a b "The Magic Touch Squadron". IAF-Website. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b "30 years to the 113th ("Hornet") Squadron". IAF-Website. 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b "The Bat Squadron". IAF-Website. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b "The Negev Squadron". IAF-Website. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b "The One Squadron". IAF-Website. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "After a decade Israel admits: We bombed Syria nuclear reactor in 2007". The Jerusalem Post. 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Ramon AFB Combat Preparation". IAF-Website. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ "IAF Considers New Apache-E Helicopter". Israel Defense. 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Israeli Air Force could buy 20 new helicopters from US". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
External links
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| National | |
