Israeli F-15 Eagle Units in Combat

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Post-Yom Kippur War, Israel purchased the F-15 Eagle, the then worlds best air-to-air fighter, in an effort to prevent another surprise attack from the air. For the first time in its history the IDF/AF operated a fighter that was a full generation ahead of opposing interceptors in the region. The first kill F-15 Baz (Buzzard) arrived in Israel in 1976 and soon proved its worth in combat. Israeli Baz pilots were credited with 12.5 kills between 1979 and 1981, with 33 victories following during the June 1982 Lebanon War. Despite substantial combat, no Israeli F-15 has ever been lost to enemy action. In the 1990s the US government supplied the IDF/AF with the F-15I Raam (Thunder) to fulfill the long-range surface-to-surface missile mission post-Desert Storm. From A to I, the extremely capable, and combat-tested, Israeli F-15 force will continue to deter potential enemies well into the foreseeable future. This book examines the history and development of these units.

Reviews

"Shlomo Aloni has done an excellent job of interviewing former Israeli Eagle pilots and cataloguing the early kills of the F-15 in the service of the Israeli air arm... I would certainly recommend Israeli F-15 Eagle Units in Combat as a good introduction to Israeli Eagle operations from 1976 to the mid-1980s." --Steve Davies, Scale Aircraft Modelling (January 2008)

Author Bio

Shlomo Aloni is a prolific and well-respected aviation historian based in Israel. He is the Israeli correspondent for leading aviation magazines in the UK such as AirForces Monthly and International Airpower Review, as well as publications in Spain and Turkey. This is his fourth volume for Osprey. having written Aces 59 and 60 and Combat Aircraft 23. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, Chris Davey has illustrated more than 20 titles for Ospreys Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Aviation Elite Units series since 1994. He is one of the last traditional airbrush artists in the business and has become Ospreys artist of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter, proving his undoubted skill when dealing with large aircraft subjects such as the Halifax and Sunderland.