Ramat David Airbase


Ramat David Israeli Air Force Base is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force, located southeast of Haifa, close to kibbutz Ramat David and Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley. It was originally built as a Royal Air Force station in 1942 under the British Mandate when it was known as RAF Ramat David. In 2014, it was reported to be the most likely location for a new International airport to complement Ben Gurion Airport.

History

, in his World War II autobiography 'Going Solo', mentions landing his RAF Hawker Hurricane at Ramat David in 1941. At the time it was a hastily prepared grass airstrip rolled out in a cornfield by the residents of the nearby Kibbutz.

RAF Ramat David

RAF Ramat David was a Royal Air Force station in the British Mandate of Palestine between 1942 and 1948, located approximately 4 km south of Ramat Yishay ; 80 km north-northeast of Tel Aviv.
Royal AirForce operational units at RAF Ramat David:
After the Israeli Declaration of Independence and the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the base was temporarily maintained by the RAF to cover the withdrawal of British forces from Palestine. On 22 May, the Royal Egyptian Air Force attacked the base, mistakenly believing it was an Israeli airbase. In a series of three attacks, several aircraft were destroyed or damaged, a hangar was destroyed, and four airmen were killed. Five Egyptian fighter planes were shot down.

Israeli Air Force Base Ramat David

On 26 May 1948 the base was handed over to the newly created Israel Defense Forces. Ramat David currently houses two F-16 C/D squadrons, including 117 "First Jet" squadron, formed on 7 June 1953, and a Eurocopter AS565 Panther squadron. In 2010, the airbase was the second-largest unit in the IDF with over 1,100 soldiers.

Israeli Air Force Units