Nevatim Airbase

Israeli Air Force base

Nevatim Israeli Air Force Base
Air Force Base 28

בסיס נבטים

Nevatim, Southern District in Israel

Nevatim Airbase

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Nevatim Airbase

Nevatim Airbase (Israel)

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Coordinates| 31°12′30.05″N 35°00′44.28″E﻿ / ﻿31.2083472°N 35.0123000°E﻿ / 31.2083472; 35.0123000
Type| Airbase
Site information
Owner| Israel Defense Forces
Operator| Israeli Air Force
Site history
Built| 1947 (1947) & 1983
In use| 1947 – 1948, 1983 – present
Airfield information
Identifiers| IATA: VTM, ICAO: LLNV
Elevation| 424 metres (1,391 ft) AMSL
| Runways

Direction | Length and surface
08L/26R | 2,600 metres (8,530 ft) Asphalt
08R/26L | 3,350 metres (10,991 ft) Asphalt
07/25 | 3,900 metres (12,795 ft) Asphalt
A Dassault Mystère IV near the entrance of the airbase

Nevatim Airbase (Hebrew: בסיס נבטים, English: sprouts) (IATA: VTM, ICAO: LLNV), also Air Force Base 28, is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base, located 15 km east-southeast of Beersheba, near moshav Nevatim in the Negev desert. It is one of the largest in Israel and has three runways of different lengths. Stealth fighter jets, transport aircraft, tanker aircraft and machines for electronic reconnaissance/surveillance, as well as the Wing of Zion, are stationed there.

## History

[edit]

As early as 1947, a rough runway was built here in the northern Negev Desert for the Sherut Avir, the air wing of the Haganah. The airfield was named Malhata after an archaeological site on which it was partly built. It was reopened in 1983 as a new modern airbase with two runways 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 it was returned to Egypt following the Camp David Accords. From 1979 to 1982 Ramon Airbase and Ovda Airbase were also built in the Negev.[citation needed]

The 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" operating A-4H/N Skyhawk Ayit and then F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Netz, was transferred from the abandoned Etzion Airbase over Ramon to Nevatim.[1] The F-16A Netz #243, flown by Ilan Ramon (1954–2003), was involved in Operation Opera, the attack and destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak on 7 June 1981 (see photo in gallery below, especially the triangle symbol on the F-16 jet).

Since 2003 the base has gradually received more squadrons of F-16s. A third runway was built in the mid-2000s decade as part of a project to accommodate the transfer of military activities previously taking place at Ben Gurion Airport (Air Force Base 27) to Nevatim. All F-16s on the base were retired in the mid-2010s.[citation needed]

* IAF bases abandoned on the Sinai Peninsula (red) and newly built in southern Israel (blue)

* An A-4H/N Skyhawk Ayit of the 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" of Etzion Airbase around 1973

* The F-16A Netz #243 of Ilan Ramon, involved in Operation Opera, exhi­bited in Czechia in 2004

* A sculpture of 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" near a parking area at Nevatim

* A 2010 erected building for the 120 Squadron "Desert Giants", opera­ting Boeing 707 tankers

* ATC tower at Nevatim Airbase near the southern runway in 2013

While transport and tanker aircraft as well as reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft are stationed on the southern area of the airbase with one runway, the northern area with its two runways is reserved for the three squadrons with F-35I stealth fighter jets. Two other runways located there are no longer in operation.[citation needed]

## Today

[edit]

### F-35I Adir

[edit]

Since December 2016, new F-35I Adir (The Mighty One) fighter jets have been stationed at Nevatim. Israel buys them from a US manufacturer consortium around Lockheed Martin, modified according to its needs. A total of 75 of these stealth jets have been ordered so far, which are to be delivered by the end of the 2020s. This will fill up three squadrons, all of which are already set up at Nevatim and will reach full strength by that time. These are the 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South", the 117 Squadron "First Jet" and the 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle", all of which have a longer history on other bases and with other aircraft.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Parallel to the introduction of the F-35I, a flight simulator was also installed at Nevatim, which is intended to familiarize new pilots with the aircraft before they sit in the cockpit for the first time and to familiarize experienced pilots with combat situations without putting themselves in danger.[8] After a year-long testing and training phase, Israel officially declared the base's first eight F-35Is operational at the beginning of December 2017.[9] On 22 May 2018, Israel's then Air Force commander, Major General Amikam Norkin, reported that Israel became the first country in the world to use the F-35 in combat during recent clashes with Iran in Syria.[10] In July 2019, Nevatim-based F-35Is twice attacked Iranian missile depots located north and northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.[11]

### Other airplanes

[edit]

The Boeing 707 Re'em tanker aircraft, which date back to the 1970s and have been stationed at Nevatim since 2008, will be gradually replaced by the newer Boeing KC-46A Pegasus. At the beginning of 2021, Israel signed a preliminary contract for initially two tanker aircraft; in the medium term, up to eight examples are planned, which are to be delivered from around 2025.[12][13][14]

The 122 Squadron "Nachshon", which has existed since 1971, operates several Gulfstream jets in different configurations at Nevatim: three GV SEMA Shavit aircraft since 2005, five G550 CAEW Eitam aircraft since 2008 and the G550 ELINT/COMINT Oron since 2021, all of them for various tasks, such as electronic reconnaissance and surveillance, early warning, photo reconnaissance, etc. also for the Israeli Navy. The purchase of additional machines of the latest type is in progress.[15][16][17][18]

The Nevatim Airbase is also the home base of the so-called Israeli Air Force One, a converted Boeing 767 for international visits by the President of Israel or the Prime Minister. Officially called Wing of Zion, it is operated by the IAF and has its own hangar on Nevatim (see map and image in the galleries). The purchase and maintenance of this machine are very controversial in Israel, which led to it being shut down before it was put into operation in 2022.[19]

### International Airport

[edit]

Since the international Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv has been reaching its capacity limits for years, there are considerations to convert one of Israel's military airbases completely or partially into a civilian airport or to expand it accordingly. In addition to a complete conversion of Ramat David Airbase in the north of Israel, a dual use of Nevatim Airbase is being discussed, as it could be expanded without major problems because it is surrounded by desert with only few settlements. The proximity to the growing city Beersheba (around 15 km) also speaks for this. The IAF is strongly opposed to this proposal as it believes it would restrict military flight movements too much.[20]

### Nuclear weapons

[edit]

After the US Air Force announced in early March 2024 that its F-35 stealth jets are now certified for use with B61-12 atomic bombs,[21] there is an increasing discussion about whether the Israeli F-35I Adir at Nevatim are also capable of transporting and dropping Israeli nuclear weapons. For this purpose, they would have to be stored on the base in specially secured bunkers.[22]

## Units

[edit]

* 103 Squadron "Elephants" – operating the C-130J Super Hercules Shimshon[23][24]
* 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South" – operating the F-35I Adir[4]
* 117 Squadron "First Jet" – operating the F-35I Adir, initially for pilot training[25]
* 120 Squadron "Desert Giants" – operating the Boeing 707 Re'em as a flying tanker, will be replaced by KC-46 Pegasus[12][13][14]
* 122 Squadron "Nachshon" – operating the GV Shavit and G550 Eitam & Oron as SEMA/CAEW/ELINT/COMINT ⃰ planes[15][16][17][18]
* 131 Squadron "Knights Of The Yellow Bird" – operating the C-130H Hercules Karnaf[26]
* 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" – operating the F-35I Adir[27]
* Operating the Wing of Zion with its own hangar aka Israeli Air Force One[19]
* Unit 5700 – Forward Air Field Tactical Unit (Special unit, on Nevatim since 2009)[28][29]

⃰ SEMA = Special Electronic Mission Aircraft, CAEW = Conformal Airborne Early Warning, ELINT = Electronic Intelligence, COMINT = Communication Intelligence

* C-130J Super Hercules Shimshon of 103 Squadron "Elephants" (see tail) in 2015

* Two F-35I Adir of 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South" (lion symbol at tail) from Nevatim

* An F-35I Adir of 117 Squadron "First Jet" (jet-in-the-crosshairs symbol) at the reopening in 2021

* A Boeing 707 Re'em refueling a C-130H Hercules Karnaf of Squadrons 120 & 131

* Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tankers will replace the aging 707s of Nevatim in the coming years

* A GV Shavit (bottom left) and a G550 Eitam of 122 Squadron "Nachshon", in May 2016

* A newly arrived G550 Oron for 122 Squadron on Nevatim Airbase, in April 2021

* An F-35I Adir of 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" (see eagle symbol) in its shelter

* The Wing of Zion aka Israeli Air Force One has its own hangar on the Nevatim Airbase

* The badge of Nevatim Airbase aka Airbase 28

Note: IAF aircraft can usually be assigned to their squadron by the symbols on the tail or the air intakes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Nevatim". GlobalSecurity.org. 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
2. ^ "Adir Who? Israel's F-35i Stealth Fighters". defenseindustrydaily.com. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
3. ^ "Report: Israel Hit Iranian Targets in Iraq". Israel Defense. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
4. ^ a b "New IAF F-35 Squadron to Become Official". Israel Defense. 2020-01-15. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
5. ^ "The 117th Squadron has Reopened". IAF-Website. 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
6. ^ "Israel to Procure Third "Adir" F-35 Squadron". Israel Defense. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
7. ^ "Israel Orders Third F-35 Fighter Jets Squadron". Israel Defense. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
8. ^ "Tough in the Simulator - Easy in the Air". Israel Defense. 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
9. ^ "Israel declares the F-35I Adir operational". aerobuzz.de (in German). 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
10. ^ "Israel flew the F-35I Adir in live action". aerobuzz.de (in German). 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
11. ^ "Report: Israel Hit Iranian Targets in Iraq". Israel Defense. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
12. ^ a b "120th 'Desert Giants' Squadron expands the long reach of the IAF". The Jerusalem Post. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
13. ^ a b "Israel signs for Boeing KC-46". flightglobal.com. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
14. ^ a b "Boeing KC-46: The IAF's Next Tanker". IAF-Website. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
15. ^ a b "The Nachshon Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2024-03-03.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
16. ^ a b "Gurfstream G550 mit vielfältigen Sensoren - Oron trifft in Israel ein". Flugrevue (in German). 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
17. ^ a b "Truppenversuche beginnen - Oron für Israel". Flugrevue (in German). 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
18. ^ a b "Israel's "Oron" Spy Aircraft Declared Fully Operational". Israel Defense. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
19. ^ a b "Long-delayed 'Israeli Air Force One' set to finally become operational in November". The Times of Israel. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
20. ^ "Two air force bases under consideration as Israel's third international airport". The Times of Israel. 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
21. ^ "F-35A Is Officially Certified For Nuclear Strike". The War Zone. 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
22. ^ "F-35 Jet Trained in the U.S. to Carry Nuclear Bombs – What Might Israel's Options Be?". The War Zone. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
23. ^ "Nevatim Wartime Preparedness". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. 2019-05-26. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2024-03-03.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
24. ^ "The Elephants Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-03.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
25. ^ "Israeli Air Force re-establishes 117th Squadron as F-35I training squadron". airforce-technology.com. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
26. ^ "The Yellow Bird Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-03.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
27. ^ "The Golden Eagle Squadron". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website. Archived from the original on 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2024-03-03.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
28. ^ "7th Wing: The Israeli Air Force's New Special Operations Wing". IDF-Website. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
29. ^ "Forward Landing Unit (YAC)". WayBack-Machine: IAF-Website (in Hebrew). 2020-07-14. Archived from the original on 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2024-03-03.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nevatim IAF base.

* Nevatim from globalsecurity.org
* Aeroflight World Airforces

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