Ramat David Airbase

Ramat David Israeli Air Force Base (ICAO: LLRD, Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִיר רָמַת דָּוִד‎ Basis Kheil HaAvir Ramat David) 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.[1]

Ramat David Air Force Base
בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר רָמַת דָּוִד‎
Ramat David AFB
Coordinates32°40′00″N 035°11′00″E
Site information
OwnerIsraeli Air Force
Site history
Built1942
Built byRoyal Air Force
Airfield information
IdentifiersICAO: LLRD
Elevation56 metres (184 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
09/27 2,606 metres (8,550 ft) Asphalt
11/29 2,431 metres (7,976 ft) Asphalt
15/33 2,406 metres (7,894 ft) Asphalt

History

Roald Dahl, 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 (Northern District); 80 km north-northeast of Tel Aviv.

Royal Air Force 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.[2]

Israeli Air Force Base Ramat David
Ramat David in 1949, taken from a B-17.
Ramat David Airbase 2019, as seen from Mount Carmel

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.[3]

Israeli Air Force Units

See also

References
  1. Berman, Lazar (September 18, 2014). "Air force base slated to become second major airport". The Times of Israel. The Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 October 2014. After years of attempts to find a location for a second major international airport in Israel, the Ramat David air force base in the Lower Galilee has emerged as the likely solution.
  2. IAF v RAF - Spyflight.co.uk
  3. "IDF Record Book 2010". Bamahane (in Hebrew). No. 3052. 8 September 2010. p. 83.

Bibliography
  • Jefford, C.G. 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.
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