“"The Israel Defense Forces Air Force of 1967 was a predomi..."”
The Israel Defense Forces Air Force of 1967 was a predominantly French-equipped force: Mirage IIICJ fighters, Super Mystère B.2 fighter-bombers, Vautour IIN light bombers, and Mystère IVAs. Facing a coalition of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan with a combined aircraft inventory of over 600, the IAF chose not to fight conventionally. Operation Moked ("Focus") was a preemptive strike designed to destroy enemy air power on the ground. At 0745, the first wave—170 aircraft—struck ten Egyptian airfields simultaneously, flying so low that radar coverage failed to detect them until it was too late. The Mirage IIICJs of the 101st, 117th, and 119th Squadrons attacked the most heavily defended targets in the Nile Delta and Sinai. Egyptian aircraft were caught on the ground, many with their protective sandbag revetments still under construction. By the end of the first day, the Egyptian Air Force had lost 286 aircraft—roughly 90 percent of its operational strength. The IAF then turned on Jordan and Syria. By the war's end, the Arab air forces had lost 452 aircraft, while the IAF lost 46 in the Six-Day War—only a handful in air-to-air combat; the 19 figure mostly reflects ground fire and operational causes. The Six-Day War was not won by tanks alone. It was won by an air force that had spent years training for one specific morning, and used it.
The operational principles demonstrated in this moment—The Israel Defense Forces Air Force of 1967 was a predominantly French-equipped —still shape how pilots operate today.