Israeli Air Force Museum

IAI Kfir on display at the museum
Established	1977
Location	Hatzerim Airbase, Negev desert, Israel
Type	Aviation museum

The Israeli Air Force Museum is located at Hatzerim Airbase in the Negev desert.

The museum was established in 1977 and has been open to the public since 1991. The museum displays a variety of Israeli Air Force and foreign aircraft, as well as anti aircraft arms. Soldiers from the Israeli Air Force serve as the museum staff.

The museum houses hundreds of models of fighter aircraft that served in the Israeli Air Force as well as actual fighter jets that have been retired from service or captured by Israel. Some of these aircraft, such as the Spitfire "Black Spit" of Ezer Weizman and the yellow Harvard aircraft, are maintained in flying condition and even participate in various air shows. The museum includes historic aircraft such as the Mirage 3 Shahak 159 with 13 kills, the MiG-21 that was smuggled from Iraq in Operation Diamond, the Lavi built by Israel Aerospace Industries, an F-15 Baz with 4 kills, and an F-16 Netz 107 with 6.5 kills. There is also an exhibit of fighter jet parts explaining their uses, an anti-aircraft weapons display, a photography exhibition, and an exhibition titled "Pull to Life" about the 669 Tactical Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit.

During Passover and Independence Day, the Air Force displays active aircraft at the museum, such as the F-15I Ra'am, F-16I Sufa, and AH-64 Apache, and presents special flyovers and activities for children.

The cornerstone for the museum was laid on July 16, 1985, mainly due to the efforts of Brigadier General (Res.) Yaakov Turner. The museum was opened to the public on June 20, 1991.

In February 2015, the silver Boeing-Stearman aircraft was completely destroyed due to poor maintenance. The aircraft had been in flying condition and participated in air shows for years, often flown by Yaakov Turner.

On November 6, 2016, the Ministry of Defense's Engineering and Construction Department and the Air Force announced an architecture competition to design the new Air Force Museum in Hatzerim, which, according to the Ministry of Defense, "will serve as a heritage center for the Air Force and a showcase for the Israeli aviation world."^[1][2] The competition was won by the Haifa-based architecture firm "Schwartz Besnosoff."

In February 2022, it was decided to scrap 20 aircraft that were on display at the museum, including the Boeing 707 that served as a flying command post during Operation Entebbe.

Aérospatiale Alouette II Aerospatiale Super Frelon Aerospatiale Super Frelon Augusta / Bell UH-1 - #002 Augusta / Bell UH-1 - #026 Avia S-199 Beechcraft Queen Air Bell AH-1G Cobra Bell AH-1 Cobra Bell 206 Boeing KC-97 - #039 Masada Boeing KC-97 Boeing 707 - Operation Thunderbolt flying command post Boeing 707 - radar testbed Boeing-Stearman Kaydet - maintained in airworthy condition Britten Norman Islander Cessna 172 Consolidated PBY Catalina Dassault Mirage III - #158 Dassault Mirage III - #159, Re-acquired from Argentina Dassault Mystere IV Dassault Mystere IV - #60 Dassault Ouragan - #49 Dassault Ouragan - #80 Dassault Super Mystere De Havilland Dragon Rapide De Havilland Tiger Moth Dornier Do 27 Dornier Do 28 Douglas DC-3 - #038 Fokker S-11 Fouga Magister Fouga Magister - IAI Tzukit variant General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon - #107 with 6.5 kill markings Gloster Meteor - #06 Gloster Meteor - Gate guard Gloster Meteor - NF-13 Variant Gloster Meteor - NF-13 Variant Gloster Meteor - #15 Gloster Meteor - #18 Grumman E-2C - #944 Hughes 500

IAI Arava - #203 IAI Kfir - #712 IAI Kfir TC - #988, modified Mirage IIIB IAI Kfir - #529, gate guard IAI Kfir - #451 Prism reconnaissance variant IAI Kfir - #310, TC-2 variant IAI Lavi IAI Nesher IAI Westwind - modified testbed aircraft McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - #323 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - transparent panels display aircraft interior McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - #498, F-4E(S) reconnaissance aircraft McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - Kurnass 2000 #614 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - #229 Super Phantom McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - #297, Manat test aircraft McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II - #485 North American Harvard - #14 North American Harvard - #001, maintained in airworthy condition North American P-51D Mustang North American P-51D Mustang Nord Noratlas - #045, 4X-FAE Pilatus PC-6 Piper Super Cub Republic RC-3 Seabee Sikorsky CH-53 - #471 Sikorsky S-55 - #03 Sikorsky S-58 - #07 SOCATA Trinidad Sud-Ouest Vautour - #09 Hamashhit (Defiler) Sud-Ouest Vautour - #33 Big Brother Sud-Ouest Vautour - #70 Phantomas Supermarine Spitfire - LF Mk.IXe TE554, The Black Spitfire, former Israeli Air Force 20–57, maintained in airworthy condition Supermarine Spitfire - LF Mk.IXe SL653, former Israeli Air Force 20-28 Supermarine Spitfire - F Mk.IXe EN145, former Israeli Air Force 20-78 Taylorcraft Auster

• Aerospatiale Gazelle - Former Syrian aircraft, captured 1982.
• De Havilland Vampire - liveried as Lebanese Air Force aircraft
• De Havilland Venom - liveried as Iraqi Air Force aircraft
• Hawker Hunter - Former Chilean example (J-747, ex-XF445), liveried as Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft.^[3]
• Grumman TBM-3E Avenger - BuNo. 69355
• MiG-15 - former Polish aircraft, bearing Egyptian livery.
• MiG-17
• MiG-21 - #007, liveried as Operation Diamond aircraft
• MiG-21 - #339, two seat variant, acquired 2011 from IAI via Romania. ex Madagascar AF aircraft.
• MiG-23 - Former Syrian aircraft, defected 1989.
• Mil Mi-24 - #4010, Acquired 2004^[4]

• Bristol Beaufighter - remains of Israeli aircraft shot down 1948, retrieved 1994.
• De Havilland Mosquito
• Hiller 360
• MiG-17 - remains of Syrian aircraft shot down over the Sea of Galilee in 1966
• MiG-19 - Tail of Egyptian aircraft shot down in 1967
• Noorduyn Norseman
• Sukhoi Su-7 - Tail of Egyptian aircraft shot down during Yom Kippur War
• Tupolev Tu-16 - remains of Iraqi aircraft shot down in 1967

• M163 VADS
• MIM-72 Chaparral
• ZSU-23-4 Shilka
• ZSU-57-2

• SA-2 Guideline - mobile launcher
• SA-2 Guideline - static launcher

• Plymouth Valiant
• Citroën 2CV
• ZIL-157
• Willys M38A1

• Warnes, Alan (March–April 1999). "Hatzerim Album: Spitfires and Meteors at the Israeli Defence Force Museum". Air Enthusiast (80): 76–77. ISSN 0143-5450.

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v t e Israeli Air Force
History	History of the Israeli Air Force List of Israeli flying aces Sherut Avir Israeli Air Force Museum
Branches and components	Air Intelligence Group Air Defense Command
Air bases	Haifa Ramat David Ein Shemer Palmachim Tel Nof Hatzor Sdot Micha Hatzerim Nevatim Ramon Ovda
Formations and units	Aircraft squadrons Flight academy Shaldag 669 Ofek
Equipment	Aircraft Munitions