254 Squadron (Israel)
254 Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1980–1984 |
Country | Israel |
Branch | Israeli Air Force |
Role | fighter |
Garrison/HQ | Hatzor |
Nickname(s) | Midland Squadron |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Giora Epstein |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | Dassault Mirage III IAI Kfir |
254 Squadron, also known as the Midland Squadron (Hebrew: טייסת מרכז המדינה), is a former unit of the Israeli Air Force.
History
254 Squadron was formed in April 1980 at Hatzor to operate the IAI Kfir C-1. These had served with 109 Squadron which had begun to equip with the C-2 variant. Manned mainly by reserve pilots, 254 Squadron was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Giora Epstein, Israel's highest scoring fighter ace, and a reserve pilot himself.[1][2]
A year later the squadron received an additional aircraft type, the
254 Squadron was operating both types when the 1982 Lebanon War broke out,[4] during which the Mirages continued flying combat air patrols. On at least one occasion they were even vectored towards enemy aircraft, but these were soon dispatched by F-15s also on the scene. They were soon thereafter retired.[1][3] In 1984, as more Kfir C-2s were rolling off the production line, the Kfir C-1s were leased to the US military and 254 Squadron was deactivated.[2]
Markings
The 254 Squadron badge was a stylized bird over the outline of Israel's coastline. Its Kfirs wore the standard four-tone camouflague used by all IAF delta-winged fighters at the time, though usually without the black identifications triangles common on the Mirages and IAI Neshers. They also carried serials in the 700 range, which were applied on the tail and nose gear.[5][6]
While with 253 Squadron, the Mirages had received blue rudders with two white chevrons separated by a black band. At the end of their tenure with the squadron some aircraft were seen with the top chevron changed to red.[7][8][9] When the Mirages joined 254 Squadron, not only were the different rudders maintained, but both were applied to the Kfirs as well.[10] The different markings may have been an attempt at disinformation, meant to mislead uninformed observers.[6][7]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c Norton 2004, p. 207
- ^ a b Norton 2004, p. 298
- ^ a b Aloni 2004, p. 80
- ^ Norton 2004, p. 45
- ^ Norton 2004, p. 295
- ^ a b Norton 2004, p. 303
- ^ a b Norton 2004, p. 209
- ^ Baker, Nigel (September 26, 2003). "Dassault Mirage III & Mirage 5/Nesher in Israeli Service". acig.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ Encycovski, Eli. "טייסת מרכז המדינה" (in Hebrew). sky-high.co.il. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ Norton 2004, p. 296
Bibliography
- Aloni, Shlomo (2004). Israeli Mirage and Nesher Aces. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ]
- Norton, Bill (2004). Air War on the Edge – A History of the Israel Air Force and its Aircraft since 1947. Surrey, UK: ISBN 1-85780-088-5.