Tel Nof Airbase


































Tel Nof Israeli Air Force Base


בסיס חיל-האוויר תל נוף

Baha8 tel-nof.jpg

  • IATA: none

  • ICAO: LLEK

Summary
Airport type Military
Operator Israeli Air Force
Location Rehovot
Elevation AMSL
193 ft / 59 m
Coordinates 31°50′22.10″N 34°49′18.64″E / 31.8394722°N 34.8218444°E / 31.8394722; 34.8218444

Runways




































Direction
Length
Surface
ft
m
15R/33L
7,835
2,388

Asphalt
15L/33R
7,830
2,387

Asphalt
18/36
9,022
2,750

Asphalt
09/27
6,004
1,830



Tel Nof Israeli Air Force (Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר תֵּל נוֹף‎) (ICAO: LLEK), also known as Air Force Base 8, is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force. Tel Nof is located near Rehovot, Israel. This large airbase is located only a few miles from Tirosh, where nuclear weapons for its missions are reportedly stored.[1] Just to the south of the Zachariah Jericho 2 training pad are several bunkers for contain nuclear gravity bombs for aircraft at the Tel Nof air base a few kilometers to the northwest (see Nuclear weapons and Israel). [2]




Contents






  • 1 History


  • 2 Units


  • 3 RAF Aqir Operational units


  • 4 See also


  • 5 References


    • 5.1 Bibliography




  • 6 Further reading


  • 7 External links





History


Tel Nof was founded in July 1939[3] during the British Mandate as RAF Aqir and served as the main Royal Air Force station in Palestine. From the 1948 Arab-Israeli War until 1950 it was known as Ekron Airfield.


Today Tel Nof houses several fighter and helicopter squadrons. Several special units of the Israel Defense Forces are also located here, including Unit 669 (airborne combat search and rescue) and the paratroopers training centre. Tel Nof housed the IAF flight academy until April 1966 when it was moved to Hatzerim Airbase.[4]


On 18 October 2011, Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who had been held captive by Hamas in Gaza for over five years and four months, returned to Israel via Tel Nof as part of a deal to exchange Shalit for 1,027 prisoners.[5]



Units




  • 106th Squadron - operating F-15AB/C/D


  • 114th Squadron - operating CH-53


  • 118th Squadron - operating CH-53


  • 133rd Squadron - operating F-15A/B/D


  • 210th Squadron - operating IAI Eitan UAVs[6]

  • Flight Test Center


  • Unit 669, airborne combat search and rescue.

  • Paratrooper Training Center



RAF Aqir Operational units




A 76 OTU Vickers Wellington Mk.X at Aqir, 1944-1945


Operational units of the Royal Air Force stationed at RAF Aqir from 1941 to 1948.




  • No. 6 Squadron RAF (1941) Westland Lysander


  • No. 10 Squadron RAF detachment (1942) Handley Page Halifax


  • No. 11 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV


  • No. 32 Squadron RAF (1946) Supermarine Spitfire IX


  • No. 37 Squadron RAF (1945) Consolidated Liberator VI


  • No. 45 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV


  • No. 55 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV


  • No. 70 Squadron RAF (1945) Consolidated Liberator VI


  • No. 76 Operational Training Unit RAF Vickers Wellington - Formed at RAF Aqir on 1 October 1943, equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk.IIIs and Xs[7] to train night bomber crews for squadrons in the Middle East, disbanding on 30 July 1945.[8] 76 OTU, despite operating Wellingtons, were also working up crews for B-24 Liberators. After completion of their course those crews were passed on to Liberator conversion units.[9]


  • No. 80 Squadron RAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I


  • No. 84 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV


  • No. 113 Squadron RAF (1946–1947) Handley Page Halifax


  • No. 159 Squadron RAF (1942) Consolidated Liberator II


  • No. 160 Squadron RAF (1942) Consolidated Liberator II


  • No. 162 Squadron RAF (1942) Vickers Wellington later Bristol Blenheim IV


  • No. 208 Squadron RAF (1941) Hawker Audax and (1946) Supermarine Spitfire VIII


  • No. 211 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV


  • No. 215 Squadron RAF (1947) Douglas Dakota


  • No. 221 Squadron RAF detachment (1945) Vickers Wellington XII


  • No. 227 Squadron RAF (1942) Handley Page Halifax


  • No. 250 Squadron RAF (1941) Curtiss Tomhawk IIB


  • No. 294 Squadron RAF detachment (1944) Vickers Wellington IC


  • No. 335 Squadron RAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I


  • No. 450 Squadron RAAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I


  • No. 620 Squadron RAF (1946) Douglas Dakota and Handley Page Halifax


  • No. 621 Squadron RAF (1946) Avro Lancaster ASRIII


  • No. 680 Squadron RAF detachment (1945) Fairchild Argus



See also



  • List of Royal Air Force stations

  • List of former Royal Air Force stations



References





  1. ^ http://www.nti.org/learn/facilities/392/


  2. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/israel/tel_nof.htm


  3. ^ Playfair, Vol. I, page 69.


  4. ^ "Tel Nof". Global Security. Retrieved 2009-02-06..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  5. ^ "Schalit lands at Tel Nof IAF base to meet family, Netanyahu" (18 October 2011). Jerusalem Post.


  6. ^ http://www.iaf.org.il/Templates/ArtArch/ArtArch.IN.aspx?lang=HE&lobbyID=43&folderID=47&subfolderID=2196&docfolderID=2196&docID=28922


  7. ^ http://www.aviation-news.co.uk/archive/Coleman's%20War.html


  8. ^ IWM CM 5756


  9. ^ http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?7622-76-Otu-21-9-1944




Bibliography


.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{list-style-type:none;margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>dl>dd{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-100{font-size:100%}


  • Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; Molony, Brigadier C.J.C.; with Flynn, Captain F.C. (R.N.) & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2009) [1st. pub. HMSO:1954]. Butler, Sir James, ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume I: The Early Successes Against Italy, to May 1941. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-065-3.


Further reading



  • Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001.
    ISBN 1-84037-141-2.

  • Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007.
    ISBN 0-85130-365-X.



External links







  • Tel Nof from globalsecurity.org

  • Aeroflight World Airforces

  • The RAF in Palestine










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