(En - 31 Mar 2014 - Misc) A selfie from the skies over Tel Aviv

 

The Israeli Air Force posted a picture on its official Facebook page on Sunday that was taken by an IAF pilot as he flew upside down above central Tel Aviv.

The Facebook post was titled "#selfie."

The photo was taken by "Maj. Ofer" in an Efroni (Beechcraft T-6 Texan II) training aircraft during a rehearsal last year for the traditional Independence Day airshow over Tel Aviv.

As of Monday morning, the IAF's Facebook post had more than 5,000 "likes."

In the background of the picture, the Tel Aviv coastline is clearly visible, while Rabin Square and the Tel Aviv municipality building can be seen in the foreground.

Link

(En - 29 Mar 2014 - News) Israel Creates Its Own AH-64D

Back in 2010 the Israeli Air Force decided to halt upgrading its older AH-64A Apache helicopter gunships to the all-weather AH-64D "Longbow" version. At that point 17 of 47 Israeli AH-64s had been upgraded. The issue was cost and eventually less expensive Israeli sources were found for the electronics needed to achieve many of the capabilities of the D model. Using Israeli electronics also meant it was easier integrating AH-64 systems with Israeli made communications and battle management systems. This also reduced the cost as has the decision to switch to Israeli missiles instead of the American Hellfire.
 
With the improved electronics the AH-64 can be used at night and in bad weather, and be able to spot things on the ground and far away (about ten kilometers). Up to sixteen missiles (plus its 30mm cannon) can be carried, and these weapons are particularly useful for urban warfare, where you want to minimize civilian casualties. It was the civilian casualties sometimes caused when Israeli AH-64s were used against Islamic terrorists in Gaza that created political opposition to the U.S. selling Israel more AH-64s or allowing them to upgrade using American suppliers.
  
Since 2009 Israel has used the original AH-64A and the few AH-64Ds it received from the U.S. against Islamic terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Based on past experience, Israel developed tactics that integrated the AH-64s closely with the ground units. The Israelis examined how the U.S. has been using AH-64s in Iraq and Afghanistan, and picked up some tips there as well. Now the Israelis are using all that knowledge to upgrade and refurbish their AH-64s with Israeli equipment and ideas.
  
Israel currently has 44 AH-64s and 33 older (but often upgraded) AH-1 helicopter gunships in service.
Link

(En - 28 Mar 2014 - News) Army chopper makes emergency landing in West Bank

A Blackhawk army helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday in Palestinian territory following a serious technical failure, the IDF said Wednesday. The chopper landed south of the West Bank city of Hebron.

The Blackhawk was on routine duty when a malfunction occurred in one of its engines, forcing a quick descent.

Due to the sensitive location of the landing site, the military quickly sent a team of technicians to the scene as well as additional soldiers to guard the perimeter and repel any potentially hostile crowds.

There were no casualties in the incident, the army said. The malfunction had not been fixed as of Wednesday and the chopper was still grounded.

 

On Monday an Israel Air Force training accident was averted, after the pilot of a fighter jet suffered a bout of vertigo in-flight.

 

The navigator of the F-16 Sufa plane took over the controls until the pilot regained his composure and landed the aircraft, according to Israel Radio.

 

The IAF launched an investigation into the incident, which occurred over the Mediterranean Sea
Link

(Fr - 23 Mar 2014 - Litterature) Des mules dans le ciel d’Israël : Mezek, d’André Juillard et Yann

Mezek, c’est le nom des avions tchèques qu’Israël utilise en 1948, pour se défendre contre ses voisins arabes. Malheureusement, ces avions, surnommés des « mules », constituent des dangers volants pour les pilotes qui les utilisent. En effet, ils sont constitués de « vieilles carcasses de messerschmitt équipées de moteurs de bombardiers junker jumo, si gros qu(‘ils ont du souder une bosse (…), et si lourds que l’appareil a tendance à faire un « cheval de bois » à chaque atterrissage ».

Cette BD historique* retrace donc la création de l’Etat d’Israël en se penchant sur les combats aériens et plus précisément, sur les aviateurs qui les animent. Parmi eux, des volontaires juifs venus de tous les pays et d’autre part, des mercenaires d’horizons divers, payés grassement, un peu trop aux yeux des premiers. Björn en fait partie, beau suédois qui fait tomber en pamoison toutes les femmes qui l’entourent : Jackie, Tzipi ou la belle Oona…

L’album est magnifique, condensé et concentré sur la vie dangereuse de ces pilotes. Les dessins sont superbes, justes voluptueux lorsque Juillard évoque, après les combats aériens, d’autres combats amoureux au sol…

 

Le scénario de Yann explicite le contexte des situations pas toujours évident à saisir pour la néophyte que je suis en histoire (et en avions !). Lors d’une première lecture, j’ai été peu réceptive aux attraits de cette BD, trop occupée à tenter de comprendre les évènements qui défilent au pas de course. Mais en écrivant cette chronique, j’ai révisé cette impression en me replongeant dans l’album et je m’aperçois qu’il est sacrément riche : l’intrigue se démultiplie dans plusieurs di rections tout en restant focalisée sur ce personnage central qu’est Björn. Peut-être cela aurait valu le coup de publier plusieurs tomes tant cette histoire est riche. D’autre part, je n’oublie pas la maîtrise dont font preuve les auteurs en restant neutres dans leur approche du sujet. Un très bel album.

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(En - 20 Mar 2014 - News) Israel unveils new advanced training jets

The Israel Air Force showed off its new cutting-edge training aircraft, the M-346, on Thursday.

The plane underwent a successful test flight, and was presented at a ceremony in Italy by provider Alenia Aermacchi. Officials from the Defense Ministry brokered theUSD $1 billion dollar deal to purchase 30 jets from the Italian manufacturer in July 2012, and on Thursday representatives from the ministry and the IAF attended the event.

 

 

The first two jets are expected to arrive in Israel over the summer, and the remaining aircraft will gradually be shipped over the next two years .

The new aircraft are slated to replace the Skyhawk jets presently used for training new inductees.

In a throwback to the line of Israel Aircraft Industries fighter planes that were discontinued in the 1980s due to financial constraints and international pressure, the new jets will be named “Lavi.”
 

 

 “The Lavi plane represents a leap forward in training future pilots, and will prepare them for the next generation of combat planes in the air force,” Brigadier General (Res.) Shmuel Zucker said. “The Defense Ministry will act to accelerate as much as possible the delivery of the planes, in order to replace the old Skyhawk jets, that have been in use for over 40 years in air force training, and to improve the safety of the recruits.”

 

In exchange for the billion dollar deal, Italy has agreed to purchase spy satellites and airborne surveillance technologies from Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd. and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, at roughly the same price.

Link

(Fr - 19 Mar 2014 - Actu) Raid israélien contre des sites militaires syriens sur le Golan

 

Israël a bombardé plusieurs sites militaires syriens, tuant un soldat et en blessant sept. Ces attaques ont été menées en représailles à l'explosion d'une bombe artisanale qui a blessé quatre militaires de Tsahal mardi sur le plateau du Golan.

 

Parmi les cibles visées durant la nuit par la chasse israélienne figuraient un poste de commandement, un centre d'entraînement et des batteries d'artillerie, a déclaré un porte-parole de l'armée israélienne. Le régime de Bachar al-Assad a condamné ces bombardements, mais n'a pas brandi la menace de représailles.

Le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu avait averti dès mardi qu'Israël réagirait "avec force" après l'explosion de mardi. Le ministre de la défense Moshé Yaalon a mis en demeure mercredi le régime du président al-Assad de cesser de "coopérer" avec les ennemis d'Israël.
Présence du Hezbollah
Certaines zones du côté syrien du plateau du Golan sont contrôlées par des rebelles combattant l'armée syrienne, y compris des combattants jihadistes hostiles à Israël. Selon Jérusalem, le mouvement chiite libanais Hezbollah, allié de Bachar al-Assad et ennemi de longue date d'Israël, est également présent dans cette région.

Les quatre soldats israéliens ont été blessés alors qu'ils patrouillaient sur la ligne séparant le territoire capturé par Israël à la Syrie lors de la Guerre des Six Jours en 1967 et annexé par la suite - annexion non reconnue par la communauté internationale - du territoire syrien.

Cet incident est le plus grave pour l'armée israélienne depuis le début du soulèvement contre Bachar al Assad il y a plus de trois ans.
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(En - 19 Mar 2014 - News) Israeli Airborne Rescue: The MDA Helicopters

Two farm workers, badly burned
A child’s hand stuck in a gate, with several fingers severed
A traveler in the Judea desert suffering a heart attack

These three cases are all recent, involving casualties that were quickly evacuated to hospitals by one of the Israeli MDA’s medical helicopters, later receiving quick and efficient treatment.

Since the child reached a hospital relatively quickly the doctors successfully re-attached his severed fingers. The same goes for the heart attack and burn victims – quick evacuation saved their lives.
This is the mission of the MDA’s (Magen David Adom, Israeli medical emergency service) helicopter wing: A pair of helicopters, one stationed in the south and one in the north, providing airborne medical emergency services for casualties throughout Israel.

Moshe Vaknin, Helicopter Project Manager for the MDA: “Our mission isn’t rescue, it’s evacuation and medical emergency service, in the field and during flight. The two helicopters are capable of landing anywhere. The southern aircraft covers the huge area stretching between Eilat, the Dead Sea and the deserts, while the southern aircraft covers northern Israel. Each helicopter carries the most advanced emergency equipment, including respiration machines, monitoring equipment, medicinal treatment and more. Our teams are in contact with all MDA call centers in Israel, and are capable of quickly evacuating casualties to trauma units in all central hospitals.”

Every helicopter can accommodate two casualties lying down, similar to a medical emergency ambulance. The airborne teams are veteran paramedics, exeprienced and with special training in airborne medical treatment. They’re especially proficient in areas where evacuation speed is critical: Traffic accidents, work related incidents, burns, severed limbs, heart attacks, strokes and similar cases. These severe incidents call for especially quick evacuation, which, for the MDA, means sending the helicopters.

Moshe Vaknin noted that the helicopter teams work in shifts, being ready for takeoff in under seven minutes. The helicopters themselves are Eurocopter aircraft especially adapted for airborne medical missions. They include two models – the BO 105 and the larger BK 117. The Lahak company is in charge of piloting and services.

Statistics speak for themselves: A pair of MDA helicopters usually conducts 360 evacuation runs annually.Link

(En - 16 Mar 2014 - News) Man dies on El Al flight from LA to Tel Aviv

A passenger on an El Al flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv died en route.

Passengers said the Thursday flight suffered a three-hour delay and that the man fainted as they waited at the LA terminal, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday. He was examined by medical personnel who advised him to skip the flight, but he insisted on traveling and was allowed to board the plane.

Witnesses said the man fainted several more times throughout the flight but maintained that he was fine, saying he was a doctor. Several hours in, as the plane was crossing over Europe, the man’s situation deteriorated. He lost consciousness and did not respond to resuscitation attempts. He was declared dead shortly thereafter.

“He was moved to the stewards’ cabin, where resuscitation was (attempted), but it was unsuccessful,” one passenger told Yedioth. “It was three-and-a-half hours before we reached Israel. He sat pretty close to me, and there was a woman with him who was with him in the cabin afterwards.”

 

Another woman said passengers behaved in an orderly manner and allowed the crew to do their jobs.

El Al would not comment on the event, saying it does not give statements on issues related to passenger privacy.

Link

(Fr - 16 Mar 2014 - Actu) Obama a bloqué la vente d’hélicoptères de combat Boeing à Israël

 

L’histoire est un éternel recommencement. C’est parce que De Gaulle a bloqué les livraisons de pièces détachées et d’armement à Israël en juin 1967 (même si l’embargo n’a pas été totalement appliqué) que l’Etat hébreu s’est souvenu des enseignements de l’histoire humaine : un juif ne peut compter que sur lui-même pour survivre, et a développé sa propre technologie militaire. L’excellence de l’esprit juif et la liberté d’entreprendre ont fait le reste, et Israël est devenu un des principaux exportateurs mondial d’armement.

L’administration Obama a doublement bloqué Israël : elle a interdit la vente par Boeing d’hélicoptères à l’armée israélienne, et a bloqué les efforts d’Israël de moderniser sa flotte d’hélicoptères Apache.

En réponse, et malgré l’opposition d’Obama, Israël s’est débrouillé pour faire seul une mise à niveau de sa flotte d’hélicoptères d’attaque, et a modernisé ses Apache AH-64D Longbow – qui sont utilisés lors des attaques à Gaza – en les équipant de deux systèmes électroniques de combat développés en Israël.

Les deux nouveaux systèmes ont été évoqués dans la revue de l’IAF, et les palpeurs ont été testés début 2014 et seront installés sur les Apache dans le courant de l’année faisant passer les AH-64A à une configuration « D ». La revue a détaillé les nouvelles capacité avioniques, les nouveaux systèmes de munitions pour la guerre électronique, ainsi que les missiles AGM-114 Hellfire produits aux Etats Unis par Lockheed Martin.

“Les Apache ainsi améliorés pourront également transporter plusieurs nouveaux missiles israéliens » a déclaré une source, qui a précisé que la modernisation a été développée à la base aérienne de Ramon, et consistait également à assurer l’interdépendance entre les Apache, les avions et les équipements terrestres en matière de communication, de cartes digitales et avec les tank de combat Merkava Mk-4.

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(En - 12 Mar 2014 - News) Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza after rocket attacks

The Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday in retaliation for a massive rocket barrage earlier in the day, the largest of its kind since Israeli planes struck at least five strategic points in the coastal enclave, primarily in areas around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

No Palestinian injuries were initially reported.

 

Earlier, Israel warned that it would hit back hard at Gaza terror groups, after more than 50 rockets at southern Israel.

 

Aircraft targeted bases of the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, which had claimed the rocket attacks, Palestinian witnesses said.

 

Although the rocket fire subsided late in the evening, Israel raised its security alert in the south, and residents were told to stay within 15 seconds of rooms reinforced against rockets, amid indications that the dramatically escalated new round of confrontation was not over.

 

At least two rockets from Gaza fell in residential areas, one of them causing light damage in Sderot. There were no direct injuries, but a Sderot woman, aged 57, was lightly hurt as she ran for cover.

 

“If there is no quiet in our south, no quiet for the residents of Israel, there will be noise, lots of noise in Gaza,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with his British counterpart, David Cameron.

 

The US State Department decried the barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, referring to it as “reprehensible,” and stressing that Israel reserves the right to protect its citizens.

 

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s rocket attacks into Israel by terrorists from the Gaza Strip,” read a statement from spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

 

“There is no justification for such attacks. We call for these terrorist attacks to cease immediately. Israel, like any nation, has a right to defend itself.”

 

The Islamic Jihad terror group took credit for the attacks, saying they were a retaliation for Israel’s killing of three of its operatives on Tuesday and that it signaled the start of an ongoing campaign.

Link

(Fr - 11 Mar 2014 - Actu) Un drone israélien s'écrase à Gaza

 

Le 11 mars un drone israélien de type Sky Rider (ndlr: aussi appelé SkyLark) est tombé et s'est écrasé dans le sud de la bande de Gaza. Un porte-parole de l'armée israélienne a indiqué que le crash s'était produit à la suite d'un incident technique.

Les représentants du mouvement palestinien Hamas à Gaza ont annoncé que le drone était tombé aux environs de la ville de Rafah. Ses débris ont été récupérés par des membres d'un groupe armé palestinien.

Presque simultanément l'aviation israélienne a effectué un raid contre des cibles à Rafah. Le Jihad islamique a fait part de la mort de trois de ses combattants.

Le drone léger Sky Rider est utilisé par les militaires israéliens dans des missions de reconnaissance et d'ordinaire n'a pas d'armes à son bord.

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(En - 10 Mar 2014 - News) Israeli Police Helicopters to Assist Fire Fighters

New in the Israeli Police helicopter wing: Soon the aircraft will also be used to fight fires. The Internal Security Ministry recently published a tender for an upgrade contract for police helicopters, worth hundreds of millions of shekels, with one aim being their adaptation for use during fire fighting operations. These upgraded helicopters will allow both police and fire fighting commanders to conduct joint command flights and direct activities on the ground, this being one of the lessons learned during the Carmel fires.

According to senior fire fighting authority official Eyal Caspi the upgraded helicopters would carry a “water basket”, dropping concentrated loads of up to 1,000 liters of water on one spot. The helicopter would allow fire fighters to quickly reach incident locations all over Israel. Each helicopter would carry six team members, in addition to a rescue basket for saving people trapped high up in burning buildings. According to Caspi fire fighting in open areas involves both planes and helicopters, with planes directly attacking or diverting fires and helicopters dealing with specific spots.

According to the announcement by the Internal Security Ministry the winner of the contract will also provide maintenance services for the helicopters for 15 years, strengthening cooperation between the ministry and the business sector. Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich decided to promote the helicopter upgrades despite budget concerns in order to bring about joint fire fighting and law enforcement operations. The tender is part of the ministry’s efforts to complete the Israeli fire fighting reforms, which include recruiting hundreds of fire fighters and acquiring hundreds of new vehicles.
Link

(En - 10 Mar 2014 - News) US allocates $429 million to Iron Dome program

The United States and Israel signed an agreement last week to “continue support of the production of the Iron Dome weapon system,” according to a statement over the weekend from the Missile Defense Agency of the US Department of Defense.

“The Iron Dome system is capable of intercepting and destroying short-range rockets, and mortar and artillery shells, and is an invaluable component of Israeli missile defense,” the statement reads. “During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, Iron Dome was credited with saving countless Israeli lives, and was called a ‘game-changer’ by many Israeli policy-makers.”

The agreement, concluded last Wednesday, “ensures continued US funding for procurement of Iron Dome systems and interceptors, and provides for significant co-production opportunities for US industry. Under the terms of the agreement, $429 million will be transferred immediately to Israel to support Iron Dome procurement.”

The statement cites the “strategic value” of the agreement for both Israel and the US. “Israel will obtain valuable resources to contribute to its defense and US industry will receive meaningful co-production opportunities for Iron Dome components,” it reads.

US funding for joint US-Israeli missile defense programs came under scrutiny last week amid reports that US President Barack Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2015 gutted funding for the US-Israel missile defense partnership.

But the funding for missile defense was intact, Jewish groups said last Thursday, adding that it was the responsibility of Congress, not the White House, to bring funding up to previous years’ levels.

In the presidential budget proposal submitted for fiscal year 2014, the amount requested for missile defense projects, including the Arrow programs, was $95 million, while this year, the president requested that Congress approve $96.8 million for the same budget item.

An AIPAC source told The Times of Israel that the 2015 budget request is consistent with previous budget submissions and that the organization would work with Congress as the process moves forward to ensure that funding levels continue to support American-Israeli missile defense programs.

In previous years, including 2014, Congress added additional funds beyond those requested by the president.

In 2014, Congress hiked up funding to over $268 million, and one legislative analyst said that this year’s final number would be higher than that.

Unlike the Arrow and David’s Sling programs, Iron Dome is not a joint US-Israeli program, but an Israeli-developed system whose US parts procurement is funded by the American government.

Link

(En - 07 Mar 2014 - News) Israel scrambles jets to Syrian border

Israel scrambled jets to its northern border with Syria on Friday, after Syrian fighter planes and a helicopter were spotted in the area.

The Syrian aircraft were apparently firing on rebel positions near the border, according to Channel 2 News. They came within a few hundred meters of the Israeli border, the TV report said.

Syria’s planes pulled back after spotting the Israelis, reported Haaretz.

There was no direct contact between the two countries’ aircraft.

An Israeli military source said that Syrian activity in the area was not uncommon, but that an alert was raised when multiple planes were detected within a few hours, according to the report. It is very rare for Israel to scramble its jets in this way.

Channel 2 reported that Syrian planes have operated close to the border in the past, during the civil war, but that Syria has warned Israel in advance via the UN that they would be operating in the area. On this occasion, there was no such advance warning.

Link

(Fr - 06 Mar 2014 - Actu) Happy birthday Spitfire, avion qui porte très bien l’étoile de David !

Le 6 mars 1936, l’avion le plus mythique de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale faisait son premier vol.

Héros de la Bataille d’Angleterre, le son typique de son moteur V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin est le son de la résistance anglaise puis de la victoire alliée contre les forces de l’Axe et ce, sur tous les théâtres d’opérations. Il est l’un des rares appareils à avoir servi sur tous les fronts et durant tout le conflit.

Mais le Spitfire porte aussi très bien l’étoile de David!

Le Spitfire en Israël a une histoire rocambolesque, comme toute l’histoire de l’armement juif en 1948.
Le premier « Spit » israélien a été entièrement reconstruit à partir de pièces laissés par les Britanniques lors de leur départ de Palestine, sur lesquelles on rajouté des pièces prélevées sur des épaves de Spitfire égyptiens abattus.

Le premier vol de ce Spitfire Israélien reconstruit a lieu en juillet 1948 et un autre suivra quelque temps plus tard. L’exploit d’ingéniérie et de mécanique est déjà en soi retentissant mais le Spitfire fera l’objet d’exploits d’espionnage et de dissimulation pour contourner l’embargo sur les armes à destination des Juifs.
Ce sont ainsi autour de 20 Spitfire, acquis en Tchécslovaquie, qui vont rallier Israël par les airs, par petits vols de terrain discret en terrain camouflés, sans contrôle ni guidage et sans autre navigation que la carte, le cap et la montre.

Une fois entre les mains des pilotes israéliens et des mercenaires de tout pays qui ont volé sous l’étoile de David, le Spitfire a clairement été le principal instrument de l’acquisition de la supériorité aérienne qui garanti la pérennité d’Israël jusqu’à aujourd’hui.


Le Spitfire israélien, cela dit, n’est qu’un détail dans l’incroyable histoire de la façon dont les juifs ont contourné les obstacles et les embargos, avec un acharnement insensé et un inventivité stupéfiante, pour défendre leur droit à avoir un état sur leur terre d’origine.
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(En - 04 Mar 2014 - News) Flight with 20 Israelis on board makes stop in Iran

A Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Mumbai was forced to land in Tehran on Monday after one of the passengers fell ill. For the Israelis onboard, time ground to a halt.

After a prolonged wait on the ground, the airplane returned to air and back on the path to the Far East – with all 20 Israelis still onboard.

A terrifying drama ended peacefully, but the young adults on board will have a thrilling story unlike any other to tell their grandchildren.

Flights of foreign commercial airlines from Israel and to it do not fly in Iranian airspace. In addition, IDF prohibits its people to fly with foreign airlines above enemy states such as the Islamic republic.

Six years ago, a similar event took place, as an Israeli from Rehovot, who also flew to Mumbai on a Turkish Airlines flight, had a rushed, unintended visit to Tehran when the plane experienced a technical malfunction.

"At first I was very concerned, I was scared to death," said the Israeli passenger in Iran. "But they were very nice to me and even invited me to visit Tehran again. I told them, 'Let's make peace, I invite you to come to Jerusalem'."
Link

(Fr - 04 Mar 2014 - Actu) Le vol El Al 324 (Paris – Tel-Aviv) de lundi forcé de faire un atterrissage d’urgence

Un vol El Al qui faisait la liaison de Paris à Tel Aviv a été forcé de faire un atterrissage d’urgence dans la capitale française lundi en raison de «problèmes» avec l’un des moteurs de l’avion. C’est la troisième fois cette année qu’un avion d’El Al est forcé de faire un atterrissage d’urgence.

Le vol 324 de lundi est retourné sur Paris quelques minutes  après le décollage, lorsque le défaut technique a été découvert. Le Boeing 767 était sur son chemin vers l’aéroport Ben Gourion de Tel-Aviv.

Il y a deux semaines, le vol 008 d’El Al, un Boeing 747 transportant 340 passagers, a dû rebrousser chemin à l’aéroport John F. Kennedy  New York en raison d’un défaut dans l’un des quatre moteurs de l’avion.

Fin janvier, le vol LY551 en partance d’Israël vers la capitale bulgare Sofia a été forcé de faire un atterrissage d’urgence en raison de la mauvaise visibilité et du manque de carburant dans le Boeing 737-800 .

En Octobre 2013, un Boeing 767 d’El Al a été forcé de faire un atterrissage d’urgence en Erythrée, également en raison de problèmes de moteur.
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(En - 03 Mar 2014 - News) Lufthansa to train Israir in plane maintenance

Lufthansa Technik will help Israir Airlines and Tourism Ltd. establish center for routine plane maintenance. When completed, Israir will stop buying plane maintenance services from El Al Israel Airlines Ltd.

Under the recently signed cooperation agreement, Lufthansa Technik will train Israir technical teams, after which they will maintain the carrier's two Airbus A320s (it will take delivery of a third plane later this year). Israir will continue to carry out maintenance of its own ATR 72 turboprop planes. Aviation sources say that Israir decided to work with Lufthansa Technik, after disputes with El Al.

The sources expressed surprise that the government has allowed a foreign company to grab work from an Israeli company. They compared Israir's maintenance center to a kiosk outside a supermarket. El Al's Bedek maintenance division has 1,300 employees, mostly Israel Air Force veterans.

El Al said in response, "El Al's Bedek Division maintains planes for El Al and other Israeli airlines. It also provides many services for foreign airlines."
Link

(Fr - 01 Mar 14 - Actu) frappe de Tsahal contre une rampe de tirs

L'armée israélienne a mené vendredi soir une frappe aérienne contre un site de lancement de roquettes dans le nord de la bande de Gaza sans faire de victime, ont indiqué des sources israéliennes et palestiniennes concordantes.

"Un avion de l'armée de l'air israélienne a détruit un site de lancement de roquettes dans la bande de Gaza afin d'éliminer une menace imminente contre Israël", a indiqué un porte-parole militaire dans un communiqué.

La frappe aérienne, près de Beit Lahiya, dans le nord de la bande de Gaza, n'a pas fait de victime, a déclaré un responsable du ministère de la Santé du gouvernement du Hamas.

Cette frappe de l'aviation israélienne fait suite au tir de deux roquettes en provenance de la bande de Gaza il y a près de deux semaines. Les roquettes avaient explosé dans le sud d'Israël, sans faire de dégât et de blessé.

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