Hatzerim Airbase

Hatzerim Airbase (Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר חֲצֵרִים, Basis Heil HaAvir Hatzerim, lit. Homesteads) (ICAO: LLHB) is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base on the northern edge of the Negev desert in the Southern District of Israel, 6 km west of Beersheba, near kibbutz Hatzerim. Apart from two squadrons of operational fighter jets, it houses the IAF Flight Academy, the IAF Aerobatic Team and – adjacent to the airbase – the IAF Museum (see map).

Hatzerim Airbase was constructed during the 1960s and declared operational on 3 October 1966. It was the first IAF base built from the ground up, as a new base for the IAF, and not on existing base areas of the Royal Air Force.

From 1968 to 2015 there was a helicopter squadron here, most recently with UH-60 Black Hawk, which then moved to Palmachim Airbase. From 1969 until today there's the "Flying Tiger" Squadron with jet trainers at Hatzerim, which flew the TA-4H Skyhawk Ayit two-seater for many years (see photo down below), but also its one-seater fighter version A-4H/N.

After the base was opened, the IAF Flight Academy was relocated here from Tel Nof Airbase and has since then mainly used the northwestern part of the airfield and its runway for its propeller aircraft. Two-seat turboprop training aircraft, which are also flown by the IAF Aerobatic Team, are stationed on the much larger southern area with its three runways. The jet trainers are also located there, alongside operational IAF fighter jets. The northern area still has a heliport, but since the last helicopter squadron withdrew, it has only been used by the Flight Academy's training helicopters (see map).

The Flight Academy had already flown the French two-seater Fouga CM.170 Magister Tzukit at Tel Nof Airbase since 1960, which it kept for a total of 50 years in different variants until it was decommissioned in 2010 and was also flown by the Aerobatic Team during this time. These Hatzerim aircraft were also used during the Six-Day War to carry out attacks on enemy radar stations and anti-aircraft artillery and also did close air support (CAS).

From 2010, the Flight Academy and the Aerobatic Team were equipped with the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Efroni, a two-seat turboprop aircraft that has similar flight characteristics to a light jet and is ideal for both purposes. It is used in over a dozen Air Forces worldwide for training purposes.

At the end of May and end of November 2024, the Flight Academy received new AgustaWestland AW119Kx Ofer helicopters to train its IAF pilots. These are equipped with Israeli systems and replace the older Bell 206 Sayfan models dating back to the 1970s (see gallery below). A total of 12 new helicopters were purchased.

The 69 Squadron "Hammers" was founded in 1948 at Ramat David Airbase and relocated to Ekron Airbase (today: Tel Nof) in 1949. The squadron got its name from the B-17 Flying Fortress bombers used at the time. From 1969 it flew the F-4E Phantom II Kurnass (see gallery below), moved to Hatzerim Airbase in 1991 and received the F-15I Ra'am from 1998, which is derived from the F-15E Strike Eagle (see also "Units").