The F-16 fighter jet, tail number 228, is parked beneath a large shelter the color of desert sand, in the midst of a line of aircraft of the same type. Since all of the aircraft look identical, only people with particularly sharp eyes can spot the tiny differences between them. Aircraft number 228 appears to have no unique characteristics, but a closer look shows that the left-hand surface, beneath the cockpit, has an unusual symbol: a green triangle with a black silhouette of a building with a dome and tower. Here, on the outer surface of the aircraft, the air force customarily paints the aircrafts operational history: aircraft that it shot down, attacks and border crossings, most of which can never be spoken about. But this triangle is different. It symbolizes an extremely famous attack: the attack on the Osirak nuclear reactor in Baghdad in June 1981. The green triangle painted on this modest-looking F-16 bears witness that 31 years ago, it was one of the eight aircraft that carried out one of the most splendid operations in Israels history. Despite its historical significance, it continues to fly ordinary training missions, like every aircraft in the air force. The Nevatim Airbase, where Aircraft No. 228 is parked, is home to two squadrons of F-16 fighter jets (A/B), which are the oldest models of the aircraft. Asaf Ramon, whose father, Ilan Ramon, participated in the attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor and later perished in the Columbia space shuttle disaster of Feb. 2003, died during a routine training flight as he piloted one of the squadrons aircraft. There are other historic aircraft at Nevatim. One example is the oldest aircraft in service with the Israel Air Force, a Boeing 707, No. 140, which was manufactured in 1959. Another is the aircraft known as Sadats airplane, which was purchased abroad and promoted to the Boeing squadron. There are also the Hercules aircraft that were used to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. But the Nevatim Airbase will not remain a historic base for much longer. At the beginning of 2014, the first Samson aircraft, a Hercules C-130J, which is much more advanced than the ones in use now, will be landing there. According to the bases deputy commander, Col. Y., The Samson is 30 percent better on average in every parameter range, load capacity, ability to take off on a short runway, fuel conservation and more. The Samson is very well suited for the air forces needs, and it has aerial refueling capability as a standard feature. In the first wave of arrivals, which will be spread out over four years, the air force will receive ten Samson aircraft. Later on, Samson aircraft will replace the entire Hercules squadron. The jewel in the crown will be arriving two years after the first Samson. In 2016, the air force will receive the first F-35 fighter jet, a fifth-generation aircraft, with state-of-the-art stealth capabilities. It is the most advanced fighter jet in existence today. As far as anyone knows, the West has only one fifth-generation aircraft currently in service the Raptor (F-22). Two other aircraft are in advanced development: the F-35 and the Russian Sukhoi T-50. Other fifth-generation aircraft are being developed in India, China and Japan, but are not ready yet. A fifth-generation aircraft has advanced stealth capabilities, a highly-developed computerized communications system that can be used on all fighting fronts (ground, sea and air), advanced weaponry and more. So far, Israel has ordered 19 F-35 fighter jets at a cost of $10 billion. The delivery date was pushed back from 2014 to 2016, and pessimistic predictions speak of a postponement of another two years. But the Nevatim Airbase is not taking the postponement into account. Construction of the hangars where the aircraft are to be stored will begin by the end of next year. The F-35 will bring unprecedented capabilities to the Middle East and preserve our operational advantage over every other air force in the region, says Brig. Gen. Ronen Simhi, the base commander. In addition to its being the most durable aircraft on the battlefield, its great strength will be in the Israeli systems that will be installed in it and give it a substantial high-quality advantage. The ability to win Today, with the issue of Israels response to the Iranian nuclear program on the agenda, the F-16 fighter jet that attacked the reactor in Baghdad is a living reminder of the operational capabilities that Israel possessed in the 1980s. It is also a reminder of the dilemmas Israel faced then and faces now. Maj. Gen. (res.) David Ivry, who was the air force commander when the Iraqi nuclear reactor was attacked, recalled in a column that he wrote for the Oct. 2011 issue of the military monthly, Israel Defense, how Israel interpreted an American statement as the green light for the attack. On Jan. 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan entered the White House. Ivry wrote that Alexander Haig, who was the first secretary of state during Reagans administration and had a brilliant background in security, tried to persuade the French government to stop the Osirak project, to no avail. Haig, frustrated by this failure of diplomacy, told the prime minister at the time, Menachem Begin, that the talks with the French had been fruitless. Begin concluded from this that the United States had given Israel the green light to go ahead with the attack. In other words, according to Ivry, the U.S. had exhausted all diplomatic means, and it was now possible to go to the military level. Ivry admits that he is not certain that this was what Reagan and Haig had meant, but today he says that the situation is completely different and that the American administration is doing everything possible not to grant legitimacy to an Israeli military operation. Israels problem is that it is supposed to reach its own red line before the U.S. reaches its red line a troublesome dilemma, as he describes it. Back to the Nevatim Airbase. Brig. Gen. Simhi, 46, states unequivocally that the Israel Defense Forces have a solution to every kind of challenge: close or distant, deep in the earth or above the ground. Simhi came to Nevatim from Ramat David, where he served as commander, and has 22 years of F-16 flying on his resume. No country in the region is capable of defeating us, he says confidently. If war should break out, it will be hard and we will suffer losses, on the homefront too, but we will not be defeated. On the other hand, we can inflict defeat. Our enemies are arming themselves with thousands of missiles and rockets because they know they cant deal with the air force. Our solution is a skilled, high-quality attack force that can attack any objective in any country that fires upon Israel. Simhi says we also have proven ways to protect the homefront, such as Iron Dome and the Arrow missile, and soon we will also have another interception system, Magic Wand. Our capabilities have not been fully exposed. Ive been serving in the air force for 28 years, and this is the strongest point weve ever been at. Regarding the public dispute over the Iranian nuclear program, Brig. Gen. Simhi says that it is a legitimate discussion in a democratic country even if, as a high-ranking army officer, he would rather that it not be on the discussion table quite so much. Making the desert bloom The Nevatim Airbase is complex and hard to manage. It is the only air force base that has F-16 aircraft, heavy transport aircraft (such as the Hercules and the Boeing 707), aircraft used for intelligence and control purposes (Gulfstream V) and maritime patrol (Westwind), an advance landing unit, a loading unit and more. The base commander comes from the combat echelons, and his deputy comes from the transport array. Col. Y., the bases second-in-command, is responsible for the operation of the heavy transport array and the reception of the new aircraft. By 2017 we will be upgraded from one end to the other, he says with undisguised pleasure. The runways at Nevatim are parallel, and divided between the combat and transport squadrons. The runway for the transport aircraft is the only one of its kind in Israel. At four kilometers long, it is considered a particularly high-quality runway. Is it any wonder that civil aviation authorities look at it with envy and want to turn it into an alternative runway replacing Ben-Gurion International Airport- I understand them, Col. Y. says with a smile, but we (the transport squadron) left Ben-Gurion International Airport to keep our distance from civilian aircraft. It would be absurd for them to follow us here. Nevatim is a military-combat airport with a heavy flight load, and soon the air forces number-one aircraft, the F-35, will be here. If civilian aircraft land here permanently, that will restrict our operational activity. Its not a desirable situation, he says. Nevatim is the largest air force base in terms of its area and the number of units stationed there. But in 2016, it will become even larger. The air forces technical school will be moved there, doubling the number of people who serve there. A thermo-solar power station to supply electricity is in the planning stages. Well be a small city, Col. Y. says enthusiastically. This is making the Negev bloom in the full sense of the word. Were bringing the State of Israel back to the eastern Negev. Col. Y. touches on a sensitive problem here that has affected Nevatim since the day it was founded: relations with the Bedouin. During the 1980s, when the base was constructed as part of the Camp David accords, long and careful negotiations with the Bedouin tribes living in the area were required so that they would leave of their own free will and allow the base to be built. The negotiations ended with an agreement, and the Bedouin have rights that are carefully preserved. One example, says Col. Y., is the right to visit their cemeteries, which are located on the grounds of the base. There are three such cemeteries. The Bedouin are very close to the large base, and the minaret of Aroers mosque looks out over the runways. So a great deal of effort is invested in keeping relations good and neighborly. More than air transport One of the immediate questions that Nevatim Airbase gives rise to is how people can live disconnected from the center of the country. This is, after all, the middle of nowhere. One of the officers gave an honest answer to the question What is there to do here after hours- He said, The Internet and the canteen, but the base commander sees that as an advantage. I downshifted from fifth gear to first, Brig. Gen. Simhi says with a smile. In an active environment like the center of the country, you live your life at an insane pace. While its true that you cant just go out for pizza here that requires planning suddenly you discover that you have time. Theres time for family. Theres time to do interesting things. The quality of life here is good. Sports lovers have what they need at Nevatim: There is a high-quality gym, spin cycles, a bicycle path, a pool and more. One of the pilots described Nevatim very well. Life here is like a kibbutz. Everythings open, and I can take a container of milk from my neighbors refrigerator in the family quarters without asking. But Lt. M., a navigator of Hercules aircraft who came here two months ago as an outstanding transport servicewoman from the most recent pilots course, sees no problem with the distance from Tel Aviv. She has no time for that in any case. We work until late, and Im either at the squadron or asleep. Lt. M. is being modest, and her comrades prod her to tell about her volunteer work with youth at risk. M. gives the tiniest smattering of details about her volunteer work with the art program at Kiryat Eliezer, and at Michmoret on weekends. That is all. Nobody can get her to say anything more. Brig. Gen. Simhi tells about the projects that are done by base personnel in cooperation with the Ramon Foundation named for Ilan Ramon and Squadron 10, the volunteer organization run by the pilots that provides educational projects for youth at risk. We have a leadership project for sixth-graders that we do for an entire year, and the results are amazing, he says proudly. We see the changes in these young men and women with our own eyes. Maj. G., the deputy commander of the Hercules squadron, sees the location of the base as an operational and economic advantage. Our training grounds are here in the south anyway. We take off, and we can start training right away. In our previous location, in the center of the country, we had to do whats called an administrative flight, and a long one, just to get here. This is a big saving in fuel, fatigue and wear-and-tear on the aircraft. But he admits, Its easier to call a reservist to come to a base in the center of the country than here. But the pilots are attracted, naturally, by technological progress. The moment the Samson aircraft arrive here, everybodys going to want to come and fly here. The Samson is an impressive aircraft, says Maj. G. Its a sophisticated, advanced aircraft, equipped with a glass cockpit (a modern cockpit whose indicators are shown on screens, and in which everything is computerized). Its engines have undergone serious upgrading that allows them to operate at full power even at high altitude. It saves one crew member there is no flight engineer and it is suitable for special operations, not just transporting personnel and equipment. As part of the expansion of the base, the Hercules aircraft are about to receive their own playground. This is an area where they will be able to train with various flight plans and operational activities. For that purpose, we will be creating an unpaved runway 1,700 meters long. Drop areas have been defined and various compounds have been built that will allow heavy transport aircraft to participate in operational training from the moment they take off from the bases runways. How the wheel of fortune turns In Oct. 1983, a Skyhawk aircraft piloted by the air force commander at the time, Maj. Gen. (res.) David Ivry, landed at Nevatim. The landing symbolized the official inauguration of the base, which was the only one of all the bases funded by the Americans following the evacuation of the airbases in Sinai Etzion and Eitam that was built by Israeli contractors. (The other two Ramon and Uvda were built by the Americans.) In 1996, the base was on the verge of closure for financial reasons. It was saved at the last moment by the determination of the commander at the time, Amos Yadlin, not to shut it down. In 2003, the F-16 squadrons were moved to Nevatim. In Aug. 2008, the air forces entire transport base was moved there for all practical purposes. Until that time, it had been adjacent to Ben-Gurion International Airport. Now, Nevatim is about to become the largest and most important strategic base in the air force. How the wheel of fortune turns.
