Tuesday's crash was not the first Israel Air Force Cobra helicopter accident. On March 18, 1987, the commander of the "first squadron" of Cobra helicopters, Lt. Col. Zion Bar-Or, was killed in a Cobra crash. The helicopter fell from an altitude of 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) and crashed as a result of a technical malfunction. The other pilot in the helicopter at the time, Lt. Col. Yuval Wagner, was seriously injured in the crash. On March 15, 1998, a Cobra helicopter crashed into the sea during an exercise flight across from the Netanya shore. The crash was also caused by a technical malfunction. Both pilots, Brig. Gen. Shmuel Adler, who was the commander of the Palmahim Air Force Base, and 2nd Lt. Ilan Gur, were killed in the crash. On Sept. 10, 2008, a Cobra helicopter crashed near Kibbutz Ginegar mere moments after taking off from the Ramat David base. Both pilots, Yuval Holtzman and Shai Danor, were killed. The history of the Cobra helicopter The AH-1 Cobra was one of the first attack helicopters developed by the U.S. military that is still in use today. The Cobra is praised for its extensive firepower and speed. The AH-1 was the backbone of the U.S. Army's attack helicopter fleet, but has been replaced by the AH-64 Apache in the U.S. Army. In 1974, following the Yom Kippur War, the Israel Air Force needed a solution for two tough problems: Carrying out operations in areas protected by enemy anti-aircraft missiles, and stopping enemy tanks in motion. Fighter helicopters seemed like a possibility that would address both issues. The Israel Air Force already had experience operating combat helicopters, but only with converted Sa'ar helicopters that were never fully operational. The Cobra helicopter, which had been successfully used in Vietnam, was found to be a suitable aircraft for the IAF's needs, and the Cobras began arriving in Israel as early as 1975. The debut flight of the IAF Cobra helicopter was on May 13, 1975, but only in December 1977 did the first fighter helicopter squadron come into being. The Israeli Air Force renamed the Cobra "Tzefa" (Hebrew for "viper"). The first operational flight of the IAF Cobra/Tzefa helicopters was in April 1980, when they were used to stop a terror cell that had infiltrated Israel from Jordan. In June 1982, during the First Lebanon War, the first two Cobra helicopters fell during battle, killing the first two IAF helicopter pilots. The Cobras were used intensively during Operation Peace for the Galilee (1982). They gave close support to the IDF's infantry and armor, and destroyed advanced enemy T-72 tanks, anti-aircraft emplacements, Katyusha rocket launchers and many other targets. At the outset of the operation, the Cobras were utilized against tanks and terrorist vehicles all across the front. When the Syrian Army entered the fray, the Cobras were diverted to combating their armored forces, while giving close support to the IDF armored and infantry divisions. To this end, much use was made of the Cobras' anti-tank missiles, which proved effective against the T-72 tanks. The helicopters destroyed dozens of tanks and other armored vehicles, both heavy and light, belonging to the Syrian and terrorist forces. In July 1985, the second Cobra squadron was established, made up of new helicopters received from the U.S., starting in 1983. Over the years, the Cobra helicopter has participated in countless pinpoint attacks and has guided many ground units, and was especially lethal in an anti-tank role against Syrian armor in skirmishes in Lebanon. During the Second Lebanon War, in 2006, it was the Cobra helicopter squadron that logged the most flight hours, especially in guiding ground forces. On Oct. 16, 1986, a Phantom airplane carrying out a routine attack in Lebanon was hit following a technical malfunction, and the two crew members had to bail out. The pilot had a rough fall and rolled into a canyon, but crawled into a thicket of bushes and camouflaged himself, awaiting rescue. The navigator, Maj. Ron Arad, fell captive. The terrorist forces who had captured him scoured the area looking for the pilot, and shot at the two Cobras which came to rescue him. The Cobras managed to make contact with the pilot. They flew low in his direction, and directed him to climb as far up the canyon wall as he could. One of the Cobras managed to sidle up to the pilot. The plan called for the weapons drum hatch to be opened, for him to sit on, but instead he took hold of one of the chopper's skids under one arm, grabbed the radio with the other hand and shouted, "Go!" He was carried, hanging in midair from the Cobra's skid, to Israeli territory. In December 1988, a similar method was used to rescue four infantrymen from the Golani brigade, who had participated in Operation Blue and Brown against the PFLP headquarters at Nu'eimeh, and had been inadvertently left behind in the terrorist-controlled area. They were tied to the rescue Cobras' skids and evacuated to nearby Israel Navy vessels.