Boeing KC-707 Re'em; Israel Air Force

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An important aircraft of the Israel Air Force is the Boeing KC-707 Re'em. The Israeli KC-707's are assigned to the no 120 Squadron which is based at Israel's Nevatim Air Base (Air Force Base 28). The 120 Squadron is also known in Israel as the "Giants of the Desert" Squadron and is one of the transport squadrons of the Israel Air Force. The Boeing 707 aircraft are used in the country for three different roles, namely; passenger transport, radar intelligence and as a tanker. Especially aerial refueling is the main task of this unit. The KC-707 Re'em is used to refuel the IAF fighters in the air. The aircraft is therefore of strategic value for this small country in the Middle East. For the task of radar intelligence, the IAF would still have a single Boeing 707 Phalcon in service. This aircraft has a very thick nose in which a special radar is housed for observations. The Air Force of Israel currently still has ten Boeing 707 aircraft in use. The KC-707 Re'em can be recognized by its uniform white fuselage with a gray belly. It is remarkable that the KC-707, in contrast to the American KC-135, still flies with the old thin shaped engines of the type P&W JT3. During Blue Wings 2020, a total of three different aircraft were deployed to escort the six F-16 barrack fighters to and from Israel. During the flight from Israel to Nörvenich in Germany, each tanker accompanied two F-16s on their ferry flight. One of the planes would not land, but would fly back to Israel immediately after the F-16s landed in Germany. The other two aircraft did make a landing at Nörvenich. In addition to the tanker task, these two aircraft also had the associated ground personnel on board who belonged to the F-16s. The planes were unloaded and were scheduled to depart back to Israel the same day. The same procedure would be followed at the end of this historic meeting between Israel and Germany to escort the F-16s back to Israel.