Desert Eagle

This week long exercise, held at Ovda air base in the south of Israel, ended on 10 August 2021. F-15E Strike Eagles from RAF Lakenheath's 494th Fighter Squadron Panthers trained together with the Ovda based F-16C Baraks from 115 The Flying Dragon Squadron and F-15A/B Baz fighters from 133 Knights of the Twin Tail Squadron, which are based at Tel Nof.

The US Strike Eagles were hosted by the 133 Squadron, which is the oldest, most famous and most experienced squadron in Israel and is responsible for the tactics development programme for air engagement in the Heyl Ha'Avir (IAF, Israeli Air Force).

In 2021, the IAF already participated in and hosted a number of training exercises. This specific training exercise was aimed to attack vital targets protected by combat aircraft and multi-layered air defence and to prepare for rapid integration between the IAF and USAF fighters.

In January 2021, the US Department of Defence (DoD) announced that Israel, which had been under the area of responsibility of the US military’s European Command (EUCOM), was being moved to the Central Command, which operates in the Middle East. The move is meant to improve the cooperation between Israel and other countries in the region in confronting the threat posed by Iran.

Photo by IAF/USAF