116 Squadron (Israel)

116 Squadron, known as the "Lions of the South" (Hebrew: אריות הדרום), is an Israeli Air Force F-35I "Adir" unit based at Nevatim Air Base.[1][2] An April 2024 report identified it as one of three F-35 squadrons at the base, alongside Squadrons 117 and 140.[1] An April 2020 profile had described it as the younger of Israel's two F-35 squadrons at that time.[3]

The 116th Squadron was operating North American P-51D Mustangs by 1956.[4] As the IAF shifted to jet fighters in the early 1950s, the Mustang lost its frontline role, and a large number were placed in storage in 1956. No. 116 remained the only operational Mustang squadron, primarily instructing new pilots.[4]

When the Suez Crisis erupted in October 1956, Mustangs were returned to frontline service. On October 29 — the opening day of the campaign — two pairs of P-51Ds were tasked with severing Egyptian telephone lines between army camps and headquarters. A special device using a weighted cable attached to each aircraft's tail had been designed for the mission, but when some aircraft lost the cable before reaching their targets, the pilots improvised: they cut the lines with their wings and propellers instead.[4] After IAF command established air superiority, piston-engined aircraft were cleared to enter the broader fighting zone on October 31, attacking enemy forces, outposts, fortifications, supply routes, and shipping. Mustangs flew 184 sorties during the campaign and seven aircraft were lost, including P-51D No. 19, which went down near Sharm el-Sheikh in southern Sinai.[4] The type was retired from Israeli service on January 15, 1961.[4]

In January 1956, the 101st "First Fighter" Squadron was disbanded and its P-51 Mustangs transferred to the 116th, making it the last Mustang squadron in the IAF.[5] The Dassault Mystère IVA jets arriving that year reconstituted the 101st, and after the Six-Day War all IAF Mystères were concentrated in the 116th Squadron.[5] The squadron operated the Mystère throughout the War of Attrition, with the aircraft routinely taking part in IAF operations against Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Palestinian terrorist groups based in Jordan and Lebanon.[5]

Post-war Mystère missions included intercepting Syrian MiGs, attacking Jordanian artillery, striking Egyptian surface-to-air missile sites, targeting Iraqi forces in Jordan, and hitting Jordanian radar stations.[5] Joint missions with newer American A-4 Skyhawks and F-4 Phantoms were also flown on several occasions.[5] IAF Mystère IVAs were retired on March 18, 1972, after nearly sixteen years of service.[5]

From 2003 until it was disbanded in 2015, the 116th flew F-16s.[6] An April 2020 profile described 116 as the younger of Israel's two F-35 squadrons at that time and said it had been established about half a year earlier.[3] The unit operates the F-35I "Adir" as the "Lions of the South" from Nevatim Air Base.[1]

By September 2021, Israel had received 30 of a contracted 50 F-35s, divided between two squadrons at Nevatim — the 116th "Lions of the South" and the 105th "Golden Eagle."[7] A subsequent report covering January 2023 noted that Israel had received 36 F-35s, then spread across three squadrons: the 116th, the 140th "Golden Eagles," and a 117th Training Squadron, all based at Nevatim.[8] A later ynet report stated that three additional F-35Is landed at Nevatim for absorption by the 116th and 140th squadrons, without specifying how many would join each unit.[2] The IAF's Israeli-designation variant of the F-35, the Adir, combines stealth with advanced sensor fusion; 116's commander described the aircraft as capable of identifying and prioritizing threats, sharing information with other aircraft, and supporting pilot decision-making — while stressing that the pilot retained responsibility for the final call.[3]

On March 15, 2021, F-35s from the 116th and 140th Squadrons intercepted two Iranian drones before they entered Israeli airspace. One drone approached from the south and was shot down at 2:19 a.m.; the other came from the east and was downed at 2:16 a.m. The interceptions were coordinated with neighboring countries, which the military did not publicly identify. The drones were identified as Shahed 197s and reportedly carried pistols described as presumably intended for Palestinian terrorist groups.[9][8]

On October 12, 2020, the 116th Squadron trained alongside the U.S. Air Force's 421st Fighter Squadron in "Enduring Lightning 3," the third joint Israeli-American air force exercise of that year.[10] In late July 2022, the squadron took part in the "Lightning Shield" exercise in Israel together with the IAF's 140th Squadron, Italy's 13th Squadron, and the IAF's Nachshon 122nd Squadron. Four Italian F-35s entered Israeli airspace on July 24, and two Israeli F-35s escorted them to Nevatim. The drill included simulated war scenarios, low-altitude flights, attack sorties, and close air combat, and was designed to strengthen operational readiness and expand capabilities for potential operational scenarios.[11]

During the IAF's 2023 "Crushing Fist" exercise, the squadron commander described the challenge of transitioning between lower-intensity "campaign between wars" missions — aimed at hindering enemy military buildup, especially in Syria — and the demands of high-volume attacks in a full-scale conflict. He noted the squadron practiced fighting across multiple theaters simultaneously rather than concentrating on a single front. "It is indeed a challenge to know whether I am on the first day or the tenth day of the fighting, the difference between the missions, and whether I am over Gaza or Lebanon," he said.[12]

During the Israel-Hamas War, the 116th and 140th Squadrons used Adir aircraft to carry out attacks with externally carried "dumb" (unguided) bombs of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) system.[13] This was described as the first operational use of the arrangement, which allowed the aircraft to carry more weapons and combine several sorties into one mission, with the aim of conducting more attacks in fewer flights.[13]

In the 2020 report on the squadron's reactivation, the commander was identified as Lieutenant Colonel Nadav. Before leading the 116th, he had commanded F-15 Squadron 133, spent the majority of his career in the F-15 formation, and taken part in establishing F-16I "Sufa" squadrons.[3] Both F-35 squadron commanders at the time had been personally selected for their roles by then-IAF commander Major General Amikam Norkin.[3]

In October 2020, Captain S. — then 26 years old — was identified as the first Israeli woman to fly the F-35 and was appointed deputy commander of the 116th Squadron. Her name and face were classified. She had graduated from the pilot course in 2016, flown F-16s, and then joined the 116th. She was described as believed to be only the second woman in the world to fly an F-35 in combat.[14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the squadron maintained operational activity while new health protocols initially reduced training by approximately 30%; the IAF had returned to its standard training tempo by the time of the April 2020 report.[3] Squadron personnel were organized in isolated cohorts, with ground crews assigned to specific aircraft so that another group could take over if one became infected.[3] The squadron's technical officer reported that 70% of his personnel had experienced economic hardship, requiring the Air Force to provide food vouchers, loans, and grants to both conscripts and career personnel.[3]

In January 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an F-35 squadron at Nevatim, where the 116th's squadron commander and the base commander briefed him on the unit's active missions: close air support for maneuvering forces in Gaza, strikes in the northern theater, detection and interception of hostile aerial targets, and intelligence-gathering operations.[1]

The F-35 fleet at Nevatim — of which the 116th is one component — gives Israel significant offensive reach. Without aerial refueling, the aircraft could strike targets in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and most of Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.[8] Open-source reporting cited by the Congressional Research Service suggested Israel may have extended the F-35's range sufficiently to reach targets in Iran without mid-air refueling.[8] Aerial strikes inside Syria have also been attributed to the Israeli F-35 fleet broadly, though not specifically to the 116th.[8]