Ein Shemer Airfield
The Ein Shemer Airfield (Hebrew: מנחת עין שמר) is an Israeli military airfield and base in northern Israel, located approximately 6 km east of Hadera. Before 1948 it was operated by the British Royal Air Force as RAF Ein Shemer.
Ein Shemer Airport מנחת עין שמר | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
Operator | IDF | ||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 95 ft / 29 m | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
|
Since 2002 the base houses a complete Arrow 2 Theater Anti Ballistic Missile battery which includes around 150-200 Arrow 2 Block 4 missiles, several launchers, the Great Pine Radar (Green Pine 2 Radar) with a 1000 kilometer range and the Yellow Citron & Brown Nut elements of the system.
In 2008 and again in 2012, the Israeli government proposed closing down Sde Dov and Herzlia airports and relocating their general aviation and civilian flight training activities to an expanded Ein Shemer airfield. Nearby residents however expressed strong opposition to the plan. In June 2019 the National Infrastructure Planning Committee voted to approve the plan but the local and regional municipalities vowed to continue opposing it.[1]
RAF Ein Shemer
RAF Ein Shemer was a Royal Air Force station in Palestine between 1942 and 1948. The following Royal Air Force units were based at RAF Ein Shemer between 1945 and 1948:[2]
- No. 6 Squadron RAF (1946) Supermarine Spitfire LF9
- No. 13 Squadron RAF (1946) de Havilland Mosquito PR34
- No. 18 Squadron RAF (1946) Avro Lancaster ASR3
- No. 32 Squadron RAF (1946-1948) Supermarine Spitfire IX and FR18
- No. 37 Squadron RAF (1947) Avro Lancaster MR3
- No. 38 Squadron RAF detachment (1946-1947) Avro Lancaster GR3
- No. 178 Squadron RAF (1945) Consolidated Liberator VI
- No. 208 Squadron RAF (1946-1948) Supermarine Spitfire VII and FR18
- No. 214 Squadron RAF (1945) Consolidated Liberator VIII
- No. 621 Squadron RAF (1946) Avro Lancaster ASR3
- No. 651 Squadron RAF (1946-1947) Auster III and Auster AOP6
- No. 680 Squadron RAF (1946) de Havilland Mosquito PR34
References
- https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001289246
- Lake, Alan. Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
Further reading
- Lake, Alan. "Flying Units of the RAF".Airlife Publishing. Shrewsbury. 1999. ISBN 1-84037-086-6
- Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.