“IAF has Substantially Increased its Striking Capacity”
IAF is practicing a multiple-front war: The Commandant of the IAF Hatzerim airbase about the future challenges and about the Russians, whose presence in the region threatens the superiority of the Israeli Air Force
Or Heller
| 16/02/2016
"Hashkem Ve-Ha'arev" (Day and Night in Hebrew) was the codename given to the IAF's major annual training exercise. Indeed, day and night people in many parts of the country could hear the exercise going on. Aircraft taking off and landing, war on several fronts and mainly – a critical self-examination by IAF in preparation for the challenges of the future. On the news they reported another stabbing and another car ramming, but over the last few weeks IAF has been preparing for the real thing, as far as it is concerned: a multiple-front war with the emphasis on the northern front.
The interview with Brig. Gen. Avshalom Amossi, Commandant of IAF Hatzerim airbase which participated in the exercise, was interrupted every few minutes. Aircraft taking off and landing, air combat encounters.
In the interview he granted to Israel Defense, Brig. Gen. Amossi said that "The exercise simulates a war on all of the fronts around the State of Israel. The exercise extends to the entire national territory. It is intended to enhance our preparedness for all of the threats facing us. The idea is to take the airbase and produce tools and capabilities for wartime. The squadrons rely on numerous units around them to develop their operational capabilities."
How does IAF build itself for the coming years, for the new ISIS-dominated Middle East where the state threat has diminished and the threat by non-state entities, like Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS, has intensified?
"We see the chaos around us reflected in the media fairly regularly. Our challenge is to develop such scenarios that would provide the pilots with realistic training and solid operational foundations. We take the theaters around us and disassemble them into possible scenarios, with both close-range and long-range operations, air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. All of the aerial situations are being practiced here – but the ground situations as well. How do you maintain operational continuity in the face of incoming threats, from cyber warfare threats of various types to missiles and rockets? In this type of exercise, we address operational threats and ensure that we operate in a continuous and relevant manner."
What is the effect of the return of the Russian Air Force to a neighboring theater that is of interest to IAF, like Syria? Are you studying the Russian deployment?
"There are many players here in the theater who have been here for some time. Our challenge is to maintain operational continuity at any given moment. When you look at the last year or two, we have been dealing with a major change along the borders around us. Coalition, disintegrating states, and now the Russians, too. My challenge as an airbase commandant is to maintain the freedom of operation vis-à-vis the political echelon. The actual employment and considerations are entrusted to the political echelon. We have been witnessing these changes for a long time now."
In view of the strikes by the Russian Air Force in Syria, are IAF officials involved in the coordination mechanism with the Russians in order to prevent incidents like the one between the Turks and the Russians?
"The aerial coordination was established by the political echelon opposite a directive dictated to us from above. The coordination meetings with the Russians are beyond the scope of this airbase. Here we deal with the ability to operate. All we do is produce a range of operational capabilities that would serve the political echelon in the face of dilemmas it may encounter."
Are you studying the Russian deployment? The strikes by the Russians on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights?
"Everything that happens around us is of interest to us. During a period of so many changes such as this one, it is important for me that our crews be familiar with whatever takes place around them. The pace at which the changes take place is so fast that we keep asking ourselves how these changes affect us. Should we do anything differently? What do we have to learn? Once we have been activated, how should we respond? How will it happen? The learning sequence is highly significant as the pace at which the changes take place is overwhelming."
Do you consider the S-400 SAM battery and the Sukhoi-34 fighter aircraft as weapon systems that threaten the freedom of operation of IAF?
Brig. Gen. Amossi finds it difficult to answer this sensitive question. "The Russians arrived with advanced weapon systems that are similar to other advanced Western weapon systems," he says.
So, with your permission, let's go back to the exercise. IAF Commander, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, boasted recently that on the crucial day you will double and treble the number of strikes per a given day of fighting.
"We have completed a process where IAF succeeds in substantially increasing its striking capacity within a given period of time, all in order to provide more tools to the political echelon. Today we can operate with an enhanced yield of strikes per day. The scope of the actual employment is entrusted to the political echelon. This has to do with efficiency improvement in the aircraft turnaround processes, as eventually, the squadrons at the airbase are the ones generating the strike sorties and they know how to do it in a threatened environment under missile attacks. This capability is already available to us right here, at this airbase, and the decision of whether to utilize it is entrusted to the political echelon. At the airbase, this process is reflected in planning procedures, in ordnance production lines and in the training of technicians. This is the ability the Commandant of IAF spoke about."
Brig. Gen. Amossi noted that the IAF Flight Academy (located at Hatzerim airbase – O. H.) also participated in the exercise. "The Flight Academy cadets are our future. They are our future commanders and our future pilots. So the Flight Academy is being drilled, too. Maintaining the continuity of the training activity during wartime is another task we have to consider. We plan to continue training our cadets even in the face of threats. As we have seen, a confrontation can sometimes evolve into a prolonged affair."
How do you practice sustaining missile and rocket hits at the airbase? It is no secret that some rocket launches during Operation Protective Edge were aimed at Hatzerim and other IAF airbases…
"There were quite a few launches in the direction of Hatzerim airbase during Operation Protective Edge but the airbase remained fully functional. At Hatzerim we continue the efficiency improvement processes the 'Gideon' multi-year plan had set forth for IAF. We are assimilating the Lavi layout (the Italian M-346 trainer of the IAF Flight Academy – O. H.) which completely replaces the Ayit OrBat (the A-4 Skyhawk aircraft IAF has recently decommissioned after almost fifty years of service – O. H.). It is not just the assimilation of a new aircraft, but a complete revision of our instruction concept."
Iran is still in our Sights
Brig. Gen. Avshalom Amossi attempts to remain ambiguous with regard to another issue, what IAF refers to as "The Third Circle" – a codename of the constant preparations for an attack in Iran, which are expected to become less intensive in the context of the "Gideon" plan pursuant to the nuclear agreement between the Iranians and the West. "We at IAF produce a toolbox for the political echelon. This toolbox offers a freedom of choice for a range of solutions. The solutions refer to the types of targets and to close and long ranges. The extent of the changes in the theater of operations compels us to stretch ourselves between those solutions."
Major Yaniv, deputy commander of an F-16I Sufa fighter squadron at Hatzerim airbase, told Israel Defense that "The exercise drills all of us, from end to end, in various combat scenarios taking place in various theaters of operations: interception, national airspace defense and generating strike sorties while sustaining missile attacks. As an operational airbase, we should be ready all the time. We conduct exercises on such a scale so that we will be prepared for any eventuality and for any scenario. We simulate, for example, a missile hitting one of our taxiways, and the airbase must be prepared for that. We practice emergency landings by the aircraft on the runways.
"We live in a problematic neighborhood in the Middle East, and we should always bear in mind the fact that a confrontation can erupt at any given moment. From the pilot in the underground pen to the controller in the tower and the firefighter in the fire station to the trooper assigned to defend the airbase on the ground. The Flight Academy will continue to train the cadets as we have no choice but to press on with the training activity."
The people of IAF know very well that in a scenario of a war against Hezbollah in the northern theater, especially in Lebanon, IAF airbases will sustain, from the very first moment, heavy barrages of rockets intended to prevent the aircraft from taking off. Accordingly, it is estimated that a major part of the ten Iron Dome batteries available to the IAF air-defense layout will be deployed to defend IAF airbases rather than every threatened city, as was the case during Operation Protective Edge.
Further north from Hatzerim airbase, we visited the ordnance machine at the Tel-Nof airbase. This production line converts "dumb" general-purpose bombs into smart bombs by fitting a kit on the bomb that converts it to a precision-guided munition. Each bomb fitted with this kit also receives a "Smiley" sticker.
During Operation Protective Edge, IAF carried out 5,262 strikes. In the context of the scenario being practiced, IAF is preparing to exceed that number of strikes within a few days – very few, in fact – to generate thousands of strikes within just a few hours. The people of IAF know very well that their strike throughput is, first and foremost, an effort intended to shorten the duration of the next war – thereby minimizing the suffering of the Israeli rear area.
For many years, aircraft rearming was regarded as a bottleneck. Now, this bottleneck has been eliminated. IAF closely monitors whatever happens in the context of the civil war in Syria. The Americans, the Europeans and the Russians are currently learning the lessons IAF had learnt in Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip.
IAF is practicing a multiple-front war: The Commandant of the IAF Hatzerim airbase about the future challenges and about the Russians, whose presence in the region threatens the superiority of the Israeli Air Force
The interview with Brig. Gen. Avshalom Amossi, Commandant of IAF Hatzerim airbase which participated in the exercise, was interrupted every few minutes. Aircraft taking off and landing, air combat encounters.
In the interview he granted to Israel Defense, Brig. Gen. Amossi said that "The exercise simulates a war on all of the fronts around the State of Israel. The exercise extends to the entire national territory. It is intended to enhance our preparedness for all of the threats facing us. The idea is to take the airbase and produce tools and capabilities for wartime. The squadrons rely on numerous units around them to develop their operational capabilities."
How does IAF build itself for the coming years, for the new ISIS-dominated Middle East where the state threat has diminished and the threat by non-state entities, like Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS, has intensified?
"We see the chaos around us reflected in the media fairly regularly. Our challenge is to develop such scenarios that would provide the pilots with realistic training and solid operational foundations. We take the theaters around us and disassemble them into possible scenarios, with both close-range and long-range operations, air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. All of the aerial situations are being practiced here – but the ground situations as well. How do you maintain operational continuity in the face of incoming threats, from cyber warfare threats of various types to missiles and rockets? In this type of exercise, we address operational threats and ensure that we operate in a continuous and relevant manner."
What is the effect of the return of the Russian Air Force to a neighboring theater that is of interest to IAF, like Syria? Are you studying the Russian deployment?
"There are many players here in the theater who have been here for some time. Our challenge is to maintain operational continuity at any given moment. When you look at the last year or two, we have been dealing with a major change along the borders around us. Coalition, disintegrating states, and now the Russians, too. My challenge as an airbase commandant is to maintain the freedom of operation vis-à-vis the political echelon. The actual employment and considerations are entrusted to the political echelon. We have been witnessing these changes for a long time now."
In view of the strikes by the Russian Air Force in Syria, are IAF officials involved in the coordination mechanism with the Russians in order to prevent incidents like the one between the Turks and the Russians?
"The aerial coordination was established by the political echelon opposite a directive dictated to us from above. The coordination meetings with the Russians are beyond the scope of this airbase. Here we deal with the ability to operate. All we do is produce a range of operational capabilities that would serve the political echelon in the face of dilemmas it may encounter."
Are you studying the Russian deployment? The strikes by the Russians on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights?
"Everything that happens around us is of interest to us. During a period of so many changes such as this one, it is important for me that our crews be familiar with whatever takes place around them. The pace at which the changes take place is so fast that we keep asking ourselves how these changes affect us. Should we do anything differently? What do we have to learn? Once we have been activated, how should we respond? How will it happen? The learning sequence is highly significant as the pace at which the changes take place is overwhelming."
Do you consider the S-400 SAM battery and the Sukhoi-34 fighter aircraft as weapon systems that threaten the freedom of operation of IAF?
Brig. Gen. Amossi finds it difficult to answer this sensitive question. "The Russians arrived with advanced weapon systems that are similar to other advanced Western weapon systems," he says.
So, with your permission, let's go back to the exercise. IAF Commander, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, boasted recently that on the crucial day you will double and treble the number of strikes per a given day of fighting.
"We have completed a process where IAF succeeds in substantially increasing its striking capacity within a given period of time, all in order to provide more tools to the political echelon. Today we can operate with an enhanced yield of strikes per day. The scope of the actual employment is entrusted to the political echelon. This has to do with efficiency improvement in the aircraft turnaround processes, as eventually, the squadrons at the airbase are the ones generating the strike sorties and they know how to do it in a threatened environment under missile attacks. This capability is already available to us right here, at this airbase, and the decision of whether to utilize it is entrusted to the political echelon. At the airbase, this process is reflected in planning procedures, in ordnance production lines and in the training of technicians. This is the ability the Commandant of IAF spoke about."
Brig. Gen. Amossi noted that the IAF Flight Academy (located at Hatzerim airbase – O. H.) also participated in the exercise. "The Flight Academy cadets are our future. They are our future commanders and our future pilots. So the Flight Academy is being drilled, too. Maintaining the continuity of the training activity during wartime is another task we have to consider. We plan to continue training our cadets even in the face of threats. As we have seen, a confrontation can sometimes evolve into a prolonged affair."
How do you practice sustaining missile and rocket hits at the airbase? It is no secret that some rocket launches during Operation Protective Edge were aimed at Hatzerim and other IAF airbases…
"There were quite a few launches in the direction of Hatzerim airbase during Operation Protective Edge but the airbase remained fully functional. At Hatzerim we continue the efficiency improvement processes the 'Gideon' multi-year plan had set forth for IAF. We are assimilating the Lavi layout (the Italian M-346 trainer of the IAF Flight Academy – O. H.) which completely replaces the Ayit OrBat (the A-4 Skyhawk aircraft IAF has recently decommissioned after almost fifty years of service – O. H.). It is not just the assimilation of a new aircraft, but a complete revision of our instruction concept."
Iran is still in our Sights
Brig. Gen. Avshalom Amossi attempts to remain ambiguous with regard to another issue, what IAF refers to as "The Third Circle" – a codename of the constant preparations for an attack in Iran, which are expected to become less intensive in the context of the "Gideon" plan pursuant to the nuclear agreement between the Iranians and the West. "We at IAF produce a toolbox for the political echelon. This toolbox offers a freedom of choice for a range of solutions. The solutions refer to the types of targets and to close and long ranges. The extent of the changes in the theater of operations compels us to stretch ourselves between those solutions."
Major Yaniv, deputy commander of an F-16I Sufa fighter squadron at Hatzerim airbase, told Israel Defense that "The exercise drills all of us, from end to end, in various combat scenarios taking place in various theaters of operations: interception, national airspace defense and generating strike sorties while sustaining missile attacks. As an operational airbase, we should be ready all the time. We conduct exercises on such a scale so that we will be prepared for any eventuality and for any scenario. We simulate, for example, a missile hitting one of our taxiways, and the airbase must be prepared for that. We practice emergency landings by the aircraft on the runways.
"We live in a problematic neighborhood in the Middle East, and we should always bear in mind the fact that a confrontation can erupt at any given moment. From the pilot in the underground pen to the controller in the tower and the firefighter in the fire station to the trooper assigned to defend the airbase on the ground. The Flight Academy will continue to train the cadets as we have no choice but to press on with the training activity."
The people of IAF know very well that in a scenario of a war against Hezbollah in the northern theater, especially in Lebanon, IAF airbases will sustain, from the very first moment, heavy barrages of rockets intended to prevent the aircraft from taking off. Accordingly, it is estimated that a major part of the ten Iron Dome batteries available to the IAF air-defense layout will be deployed to defend IAF airbases rather than every threatened city, as was the case during Operation Protective Edge.
Further north from Hatzerim airbase, we visited the ordnance machine at the Tel-Nof airbase. This production line converts "dumb" general-purpose bombs into smart bombs by fitting a kit on the bomb that converts it to a precision-guided munition. Each bomb fitted with this kit also receives a "Smiley" sticker.
During Operation Protective Edge, IAF carried out 5,262 strikes. In the context of the scenario being practiced, IAF is preparing to exceed that number of strikes within a few days – very few, in fact – to generate thousands of strikes within just a few hours. The people of IAF know very well that their strike throughput is, first and foremost, an effort intended to shorten the duration of the next war – thereby minimizing the suffering of the Israeli rear area.
For many years, aircraft rearming was regarded as a bottleneck. Now, this bottleneck has been eliminated. IAF closely monitors whatever happens in the context of the civil war in Syria. The Americans, the Europeans and the Russians are currently learning the lessons IAF had learnt in Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip.
