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The Israeli Air Force (IAF) (Hebrew: חיל האוויר Heyl ha'Avir) is the Air branch of the Israel Defense Force.
The IAF was formed when Israel achieved statehood in 1948 and found itself under immediate attack. The air force was at first assembled from a hodge-podge collection of civilian aircraft commandeered or donated and converted to military use. A variety of obsolete and surplus ex-World War II combat aircraft were quickly sourced by various clandestine means to supplement this fleet.
During the 1950s, France became a major supplier of warplanes to Israel, but this supply stopped under international pressure at the time of the Six Day War.
During the Six Day War, the Israeli Air Force achieved absolute air superiority by eliminating the entire opposing Arab air forces on the first day of fighting. On June 5, 1967, in a massive coordinated raid, the IAF destroyed the entire Egyptian air-force while most of the Egyptian planes were still on the ground. By the end of the day the Syrian and Jordanian air forces were wiped out as well. The IAF shoot-down record at the end of the war was a claimed record of 451 enemy aircraft downed versus 10 downed of its own.
On June 8, 1967, the Israeli Air Force attacked the USS Liberty while she was in international waters. The Israeli Government later admitted that it was a mistake, though some doubt the veracity of the Israeli claim.
From the 1970s onwards, following the Yom Kippur War, most of Israel's military aircraft have been obtained from the United States.
The Israeli Air Force has also operated a small number of domestically-produced types, most famously the IAI Kfir, an unauthorised copy of the French Dassault Mirage III adapted to utilise a more powerful US engine.
During the 1980s and 1990s the IAF was equipped with American aircrafts ( F-15, F-16, AH-1 Cobra and C130 Hercules). In 1981 8 IAF F-16 fighters covered by 8 F-15 jets flew to Iraq and bombed the nuclear facilties of Osiraq. Among the pilots that took part in the attack was the late Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. This operation was named by Israel Opera operation.
During 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee, IAF warplans destroyed the Syrian air defence without a single fighter lost and shot down Syrian aircraft (some claim that part of the Syrian aircraft shot down by the IAF were piloted by Soviet pilots). IAF AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunships have destroyed dozens of Syrian armored fighting vehicles and other ground targets, including many T-72 main battle tanks.
After the war has ended, the AH-1 Cobra and the IAF main activity during those years was to attack Hizbullah's and the PLO's positions in south Lebanon.
During the 1990s the IAF upgraded most of its aircraft with advanced Israeli-made systems, improving the performances of the aircraft. In the 1990s the IAF also received the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship and equipped its aircraft with the Rafael Python 4, Popeye and Darby advanced Israeli missiles.
In the new millennium, the IAF bought the F-15I and the F-16I Sufa, two of the most advanced variants of the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, manufactured specially for Israel according to the IAF requirements. The IAF has purchased 102 Sufa F-16I warplanes, the first planes arrived at the April, 2004. The IAF also purchased the advanced Israeli air-to-air missile Rafael Python 5, with full-sphere capability, considered among the best in its field.
During the al-Aqsa intifada, the IAF was largly employed in targeted killings of terrorist leaders, most notably Salah Shakhade, Mahmoud Abu-Hunud, Abu Ali Mustafa, Ahmed Yassin and Abed al-Aziz Rantissi. This policy is very controversial - mainly due to the collateral damage caused, but Israel claims it is vital to fight terrorism and that IAF pilots do whatever they can to avoid civilian casualties - including aborting strikes.
The insignia of the Israeli Air Force is a blue Star of David on a white circle. This is usually painted in six positions - on the top and bottom of each wing, and each side of the fuselage. Squadron markings are usually carried on the tail fin.
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