First joint IDF/AF and USAF maneuvers

Here’s an interesting artcile from the Jerusalem post about this exercise:

First joint maneuvers for IAF, USAF in Negev
By Arieh O’Sullivan

JERUSALEM (April 23) – In a marked boost in military cooperation, the IAF held a joint exercise recently with the US Air Force over the Negev involving mid-air refueling, dogfighting, and air-to-ground attacks.

While the American and Israeli air forces have a long but quiet tradition of exercising in Israel, it was the first time that their jets performed maneuvers in combined formations.

An Israeli 707 tanker refueled American F-16s from the 22nd fighter squadron based in Germany. In return, an American KC-135 refueling plane topped up Israeli F-15s and F-16s, according to the latest edition of Air Force Magazine, which hits the newsstands today.

The exercise was held in early March, but details were only allowed to be published now.

Eleven US F-16s participated in the maneuvers together with 14 Israeli F-15s and 10 F-16s, the magazine said.

For the Americans it is not unusual to participate in joint air maneuvers with a foreign air force. But for the IAF, it was a first-time event which no doubt opened the eyes of the Israeli aviators.

“The American pilots often exercise in tight formations with a lot of aircraft, so even in this field we had something to learn from them,” the magazine quoted IAF F-15 pilot Capt. R. as saying.

At one point, the fighter jets split into two groups, each made up of both Israeli and US aircraft, for a dogfight.

One side simulated MiG-21s and 29s and tried to shoot down each other while trying to avoid simulated surface-to-air missiles.

“Only rarely do we get a chance to carry out this amount of air-to-ground missions,” the magazine quoted Michael, a US F-16 pilot, as saying. “Compared to us, the Israeli pilots are able to train a lot in this area. This has been a great opportunity for us to learn and work together in order that in the future we will be able to work jointly more efficiently if we have to.”

One of the biggest noticeable differences was in the method of mid-air refueling, noted one Israeli pilot.

“Despite the differences in our work methods, the cooperation between us was very successful,” said IAF F-16 pilot Lt. B. “The refueling passed without any special mishaps even when the weather turned bad. It was a rich experience for both sides.”

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Unfortunately, not many details are given 🙁