Israeli A-4 Skyhawk Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft, 81)

The light and agile A-4 Skyhawk was the first modern American jet to be offered to the Israeli Air Force, marking the point where the US took over from France as Israel's chief military supplier. Deliveries began too late for the A-4 to fight in the Six-Day War (1967), but it soon formed the backbone of the IAF's ground-attack force. From 1969 to 1970 it flew endless sorties against Egyptian forces in the War of Attrition (1967-1970). Then, during the Yom Kippur War (1973), five squadrons of A-4s saw combat and 50 planes were lost as they battled against the Arab armored onslaught. Using previously unpublished first-hand accounts and rare photography from the IAF archives and pilots' private collections, Shlomo Aloni tells the definitive history of the IAF's A-4 squadrons, including the story of Ezra "BABAN" Dotan who became an ace with an unique double-kill of MiG17s. Israel Relied On France As Its Principal Supplier Of Arms For More Than A Decade, But By The Mid-1960s Its Desire To Purchase More Advanced And Capable Us Weapons Saw It Buy The Combat-proven Douglas A-4 Skyhawk To Perform Light Strike Missions. Some 48 A-4hs Were Initially Ordered In 1966, And These Soon Formed The Backbone Of The Israeli Air Force's Attack Arm. Entering Service Two Years Later, The Skyhawk (dubbed The Ahit, Or Eagle, In Israel) Flew Thousands Of Sorties During The 1967-70 War Of Attrition With Egypt. Hostilities Along The Lebanese And Syrian Borders Also Triggered Ahit Operations. Israel Had Introduced Additional A-4 Aircraft Of Several Sub-types By 1973, And In October Of That Year, Five Skyhawk Squadrons Saw Combat During The Yom Kippur War. More Than 50 Skyhawks Were Lost During The 19-day Conflict Due To The High-risk Multi-role Missions Flown By The Attack Squadrons. Although Supplanted And Progressively Replaced By The Kfir And Then The F-16, Small Numbers Of A-4s Saw Further Action In The 1982 Lebanon War, And Again Over Lebanon In 2006. --back Cover. Light Attack Aircraft -- War Of Attrition -- Yom Kippur War -- Skyhawk Supreme -- Skyhawk Sunset -- Appendices. Shlomo Aloni. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. COM 81......Page 1 COM 81 2......Page 2 COM 81 3......Page 3 COM 81 4......Page 4 COM 81 5......Page 5 COM 81 6......Page 6 COM 81 7......Page 7 COM 81 8......Page 8 COM 81 9......Page 9 COM 81 10......Page 10 COM 81 11......Page 11 COM 81 12......Page 12 COM 81 13......Page 13 COM 81 14......Page 14 COM 81 15......Page 15 COM 81 16......Page 16 COM 81 17......Page 17 COM 81 18......Page 18 COM 81 19......Page 19 COM 81 20......Page 20 COM 81 21......Page 21 COM 81 22......Page 22 COM 81 23......Page 23 COM 81 24......Page 24 COM 81 25......Page 25 COM 81 26......Page 26 COM 81 27......Page 27 COM 81 28......Page 28 COM 81 29......Page 29 COM 81 30......Page 30 COM 81 31......Page 31 COM 81 32......Page 32 COM 81 33......Page 33 COM 81 34......Page 34 COM 81 35......Page 35 COM 81 36......Page 36 COM 81 37......Page 37 COM 81 38......Page 38 COM 81 39......Page 39 COM 81 40......Page 40 COM 81 41......Page 41 COM 81 42......Page 42 COM 81 43......Page 43 COM 81 44......Page 44 COM 81 45......Page 45 COM 81 46......Page 46 COM 81 47......Page 47 COM 81 48......Page 48 COM 81 49......Page 49 COM 81 50......Page 50 COM 81 1......Page 51 Beretter om det israelske flyvevåbens anvendelse af det amerikanskbyggede jagerfly, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk