Israeli Air Force Museum facts for kids

IAI Kfir

The Israeli Air Force Museum is a cool place to visit if you love airplanes! It's located at the Hatzerim Airbase in the Negev desert in Israel.

This museum first opened in 1977, but it started letting the public visit in 1991. It shows off many different types of planes from the Israeli Air Force, as well as some planes from other countries. You can also see anti-aircraft weapons there.

Awesome Aircraft on Display

The museum has a huge collection of aircraft. It's like a giant parking lot for amazing flying machines!

Israeli Air Force Planes

You'll find many famous planes that served with the Israeli Air Force. Here are some of the highlights:

Aérospatiale Alouette II: A light helicopter. Aerospatiale Super Frelon: A large transport helicopter. Avia S-199: A fighter plane used in Israel's early days. Bell AH-1G Cobra: A powerful attack helicopter. Boeing KC-97: A large tanker plane, one is named Masada. Boeing 707: One was used as a flying command center during Operation Thunderbolt. Boeing-Stearman Kaydet: A classic training plane that can still fly! Dassault Mirage III: A fast fighter jet. Dassault Mystere IV: Another early French-made fighter. Dassault Ouragan: One of the first jet fighters used by Israel. Dassault Super Mystere: An advanced fighter jet. Douglas DC-3: A famous transport plane. Fouga Magister: A jet trainer, also used for ground attacks. General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon: A modern fighter jet, one on display has 6.5 "kill markings" showing its success in battles. Gloster Meteor: An early British jet fighter. Grumman E-2C: A plane used for early warning and control. Hughes 500: A small, versatile helicopter.

The Black Spitfire IAI Arava: A short take-off and landing transport plane. IAI Kfir: A fighter jet made in Israel, based on the Mirage. IAI Lavi: A advanced fighter jet prototype developed in Israel. IAI Nesher: Another Israeli-made fighter, similar to the Mirage. McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: A light attack aircraft. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle: A very powerful air superiority fighter. McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II: A famous fighter-bomber. One has clear panels so you can see inside! North American Harvard: A training aircraft. North American P-51D Mustang: A legendary World War II fighter plane. Nord Noratlas: A transport aircraft. Sikorsky CH-53: A large transport helicopter. Supermarine Spitfire: A famous World War II fighter. One, known as The Black Spitfire, can still fly!

Planes from Other Countries

The museum also shows planes that were used by other countries, some of them captured during conflicts.

Former Syrian MiG-23 at the IAF Museum

• Aerospatiale Gazelle: A helicopter captured from Syria in 1982.
• De Havilland Vampire: Painted to look like a Lebanese Air Force plane.
• De Havilland Venom: Painted to look like an Iraqi Air Force plane.
• Hawker Hunter: A fighter jet, painted like a Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft.
• MiG-15: A Soviet-made fighter jet, painted with Egyptian markings.
• MiG-17: Another Soviet fighter.
• MiG-21: A famous Soviet fighter jet. One on display was part of Operation Diamond, where an Iraqi pilot flew it to Israel.
• MiG-23: A Syrian fighter jet that was flown to Israel in 1989.
• Mil Mi-24: A large attack helicopter.

Plane Parts and Remains

Sometimes, only parts of planes are found after they crash or are shot down. The museum displays some of these pieces, which tell important stories.

Tail of Egyptian Su-7 shot down October 6, 1973

• Bristol Beaufighter: Remains of an Israeli plane shot down in 1948.
• MiG-17: Parts of a Syrian plane shot down over the Sea of Galilee in 1966.
• Sukhoi Su-7: The tail of an Egyptian plane shot down during the Yom Kippur War.
• Tupolev Tu-16: Remains of an Iraqi bomber shot down in 1967.

Anti-Aircraft Weapons

Besides planes, the museum also displays different types of weapons used to shoot down aircraft.

Anti-Aircraft Guns

• M163 VADS: A self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.
• ZSU-23-4 Shilka: A Soviet-made anti-aircraft vehicle with four cannons.

Missiles and Systems

• SA-2 Guideline: A large surface-to-air missile system.

Other Vehicles

The museum also has a few other interesting vehicles that were used by the air force or are part of the collection.

• Plymouth Valiant: A classic car.
• Citroën 2CV: A small, unique car.
• Willys M38A1: A military jeep.

See also

In Spanish: Museo de la Fuerza Aérea de Israel para niños