Herzl Bodinger | |
---|---|
Born | 1943 |
Allegiance | Israel |
Service | Israeli Air Force |
Years of service | 1961–1996 |
Rank | Aluf |
Aluf (ret.) Herzl Bodinger (Hebrew: הרצל בודינגר; born 1943) is a retired general in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as the former Commander in Chief of the Israeli Air Force and currently serves as a member of the International Board of Governors for Ariel University.[1]
Bodinger was born in Israel and joined the IDF in 1961. He volunteered to attend the flight academy and graduated as a fighter pilot, flying the Dassault Mystère and Sud Aviation Vautour.
During the Six-Day War, Bodinger served as a Vautour pilot and participated in Operation Moked, attacking airfields in Iraq and Egypt and destroying ten Tupolev Tu-16 bombers on the ground. During the Yom Kippur War, he was a Mirage III pilot, and shot down a Syrian MiG-17. During post-war conflicts, he shot down a Syrian MiG-21 over Lebanon.[2]
Bodinger went on to command the Israeli Air Force from January 1992 to July 1996.[2] During his 35-year career, Bodinger accumulated about 6,000 flight hour and conducted 451 aerial sorties.[3]
Following his retirement from the air force, Bodinger was appointed to head RADA Electronic Industries.[2] In the 2000s, he headed a committee appointed by Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz to prepare a plan for Israel's airports.[4]