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| Evron Air Base | |
|---|---|
| Name | Evron Air Base |
| Native name | מטוסי חניתה |
| Location | Near Tirat Carmel, Northern District |
| Country | Israel |
| Type | Air base |
| Owner | State of Israel |
| Operator | Israeli Air Force |
| Built | 1940s |
| Used | 1940s–present |
| Runway | Multiple asphalt runways |
Evron Air Base is a former Royal Air Force and long-standing Israeli Air Force installation near the city of Haifa in northern Israel. The facility played roles during the British Mandate, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, and subsequent conflicts, hosting a range of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, as well as training and unmanned systems. Over decades Evron interfaced with regional ports, airways, and defense networks, influencing operations linked to the Israel Defense Forces, Royal Air Force, United States Air Force, and allied maritime and intelligence services.
Founded during the British Mandate, the base traces origins to Royal Air Force construction in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when the RAF developed airfields across Mandatory Palestine to support operations linked to the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, and North African Campaign. After the end of the Mandate, the site was seized during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and absorbed into the emergent Israel Defense Forces aviation assets, intersecting with operations by the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi (group). During the 1956 Suez Crisis (Operation Kadesh), units staged sorties in coordination with the Royal Navy and French Air Force elements supporting Anglo-French efforts. In 1967 the base supported IAF deployments during the Six-Day War, contributing to sorties targeting Syrian Air Force and Egyptian Air Force assets along the Golan Heights and Sinai front. Through the War of Attrition and Yom Kippur War, Evron acted as a logistical and rear-area hub linked to Israeli Navy maritime patrols and Aerial Surveillance missions coordinated with Shin Bet and Aman (military intelligence)]. Post-1973, the installation modernized alongside procurement from the United States Air Force and European manufacturers including McDonnell Douglas, Gulfstream Aerospace, and Aérospatiale.
Situated near the city of Haifa and adjacent to the ports of Haifa Port and Ashdod, the base occupies land in the Northern District close to transportation arteries connecting to Tel Aviv, Nazareth, and the Galilee. Facilities historically included multiple asphalt runways, hardened aircraft shelters, maintenance hangars, fuel farms, and control towers integrated into the national air traffic network overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel. Support infrastructure linked to nearby rail and road lines connected operations with the Israel Railways network and logistics centers. The site contains technical workshops, radar installations interoperable with ELTA Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems sensors, and command centers tied to IAF regional units and IDF joint operations. Nearby installations included Ramon Airbase, Hatzor Airbase, and Ramat David Airbase, facilitating rotation and dispersal plans.
Over time Evron hosted fighter, reconnaissance, transport, trainer, and helicopter squadrons drawn from the Israeli Air Force order of battle, with aircraft types like the Avia S-199, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Dassault Mirage III, F-4 Phantom II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and later UAVs from manufacturers such as IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) and Elbit Systems. Rotary-wing assets included models from Sikorsky and Boeing (helicopters) used for search and rescue, medevac, and special operations alongside units from Sayeret Matkal and Shayetet 13 during joint missions. Transport and logistics movements employed C-130 Hercules, C-160 Transall, and smaller utility aircraft connecting to regional bases and to international partners like the United States. Training detachments worked with platforms such as the Aero L-39 Albatros and piston trainers once supplied through European intermediaries, while electronic warfare and reconnaissance derived from upgrades by ELM Systems and Israel Military Industries-linked programs.
Evron functioned as a forward support base, tactical staging area, and logistics node integrated into IAF operational planning for northern and central theaters, coordinating with command structures including Headquarters (Israel Defense Forces), Northern Command (Israel), and joint task forces. Its responsibilities covered air defense interoperability with Arrow (missile) and David's Sling systems supplied by cooperation with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Raytheon, maritime patrol liaison with the Israeli Navy, and contingency dispersal during crises like the First Lebanon War and subsequent operations in Lebanon. Evron supported training exercises run with NATO partners, bilateral drills with the United States Marine Corps and Royal Australian Air Force, and hosted visits by delegations from air arms such as the French Air and Space Force and German Air Force for interoperability exchanges.
Throughout active years Evron recorded several operational accidents, ground incidents, and emergency landings involving both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, some linked to adverse weather near the Mediterranean coast, mechanical failures of types like the F-4 Phantom II and early F-16 Fighting Falcon engines, and runway excursions during high-tempo sortie periods. The base was also involved indirectly in incidents tied to regional hostilities, including anti-aircraft engagements with Syrian Surface-to-Air Missiles and engagements during Operation Litani. Investigations frequently engaged bodies such as the Israeli Air Accidents Investigation Board and international manufacturers like General Electric and Pratt & Whitney for engine forensics, with lessons incorporated into safety programs promoted by International Civil Aviation Organization adherence and IAF flight-safety directives.
In recent decades parts of the installation have seen reduced flying operations and phased redevelopment discussions involving civilian authorities like the Ministry of Transportation (Israel), regional planners from the Haifa District Planning Committee, and commercial developers. Proposals have included conversion for civilian aviation, logistics hubs tied to Haifa Bay, industrial parks linked to Technion – Israel Institute of Technology partnerships, and preserved sections for heritage associated with air operations and the RAF legacy. Technologies from Elbit Systems and IAI have been trialed on-site for unmanned systems, while conservationists and municipal officials negotiated land use with stakeholders such as Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The site continues to inform strategic planning within the IAF force posture and regional infrastructure development.
Category:Israeli Air Force bases Category:Airports in Israel Category:Military installations established in the 1940s