147 Squadron (Israel)

The IAF formally inaugurated the current 147 Squadron at Palmachim Air Force Base on April 7, 2024.[1] The unit was established as part of a broader wartime plan to double the Kokhav force, alongside wider organizational changes to the IAF's remotely piloted aircraft array.[1] Palmachim already hosted the 166th Squadron, a Hermes 900 unit, as well as a Hermes 450 "Zik" squadron; the 147th's creation made it the second Hermes 900 squadron at the base.[2][1]

At the inauguration ceremony, IAF commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar called the new unit "a tremendous addition of strength" to the Air Force and praised the broader UAV array for demonstrating "extremely high operational effectiveness" over the preceding months.[3][1] Palmachim Base commander Brig. Gen. Omri Dor said the remotely piloted aircraft force conducted intelligence gathering, aerial recording, and strikes in close cooperation with ground forces during maneuver operations.[3][1]

The original 147 Squadron was formed just two weeks before the June 1967 Six-Day War.[4] Its creation addressed a specific operational concern: the IAF General Staff worried that if all aircraft were committed to deep strikes against enemy air bases, no units would remain to provide close air support for advancing armored and infantry formations.[4] The squadron was therefore organized as a dedicated front-line attack unit, intended to hold the line while the rest of the Air Force operated deeper in enemy territory.[4]

To fulfill this role, the squadron flew Fouga Magister jet trainers — aircraft not originally designed for combat.[4] Each aircraft was armed with two 7.62 mm machine guns in the nose and twelve rockets under the wings, enabling accurate fire close to friendly forces.[4] The Fouga's limited fuel range, further compressed by the weight of ammunition and rockets, meant the expectation was always that other aircraft would eventually take over support duties.[4]

On June 5, 1967, the opening day of Operation Moked, the squadron's Fougas attacked targets in the Gaza and Sinai sectors, flying at very low altitude.[4] Ground crews found the aircraft riddled with light-weapons fire at day's end.[4] Four pilots were killed in the fighting.[4] The squadron subsequently operated in the Jordan sector and on the northern border as well.[4]

Veteran pilot Eli Eyal, who served with the squadron as a reservist, recounted to the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies that the Fougas suppressed Egyptian artillery near Sheikh Zuweid in Sinai, helping clear the path for Tal's division to break through.[4] Eyal also said the squadron neutralized Jordanian reinforcement convoys that might have affected the battle for Jerusalem, and delayed an Iraqi brigade moving toward the front.[4]

The squadron operates the Elbit Hermes 900, designated in the Israeli military as the Kokhav (Hebrew for "Star").[1] The aircraft is classified as a large, advanced UAV capable of flying at medium and high altitudes for extended periods.[2] It can remain airborne for approximately 30 hours and carry a payload of up to 350 kg (770 lb).[5]

In terms of size, the Kokhav is smaller than the IAF's Eitan UAV, comparable to the Shoval, and larger than the Zik (Hermes 450).[6] The platform supports both surveillance and attack missions. Reporting on the remotely piloted aircraft force describes such missions across Israel's southern and northern fronts and in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria.[3][1]

The squadron's designated mission set includes targeted airstrikes and intelligence-gathering across Israel's southern and northern borders and in Judea and Samaria.[3] The remotely piloted aircraft force operates at all hours, conducting varied intelligence collection as well as strike missions in coordination with ground forces.[1]

A September 2025 profile identified Lt. Col. K., a non-aircrew officer, as commander of Squadron 147 and described the unit as operating Hermes 900 aircraft on intelligence and strike missions.[7] K. also described squadron operations against launchers in Iran during the June 2025 war.[7]

During those operations, an operator in the control cabin recognized that an incoming Iranian missile was likely to land within meters of his home.[7] He remained at his station until the mission was complete; the home sustained damage, but no one was injured.[7]

Squadron 147 had not yet been inaugurated on October 7, 2023, but its later commander, Lt. Col. K., was then responsible for operating and synchronizing the wider remotely piloted aircraft force.[7] He said two aircraft were airborne over Gaza and a third over Judea and Samaria when the Hamas attack began.[7] The third aircraft was redirected toward the Gaza border, but the force quickly exhausted its available ammunition.[7]

Normal command structures broke down under the scale of the attack. Standard coordination with a divisional headquarters and a control center proved ineffective because those structures lacked an adequate operational picture.[7] Operators improvised, communicating directly with local security coordinators, police officers, and personal contacts in the affected communities.[7] The commander said the remotely piloted aircraft force succeeded in saving at least one community that day.[7]

The modern squadron's creation expanded the IAF's Hermes 900 force at Palmachim, placing a second squadron for the platform alongside the 166th and forming part of a wartime plan to double the Kokhav force.[2][1] Its number also recalls the Fouga-equipped 147 Squadron formed shortly before the Six-Day War, although the available sources do not establish direct organizational continuity between the two units.[4][1]

Several details in the available reporting rest on attributed military statements rather than independent verification. IAF commander Tomer Bar's claim at the squadron's inauguration that the UAV array had killed "thousands of Hamas operatives" over the preceding six months is a wartime military assertion and has not been independently confirmed.[3] Similarly, the squadron commander's account of October 7 events — including the claim that the force saved at least one community — is drawn from a personal interview and reflects his recollection.[7]

Accounts of the historical 147 Squadron's battlefield impact in 1967, including the suppression of Egyptian artillery near Sheikh Zuweid and the interception of Jordanian and Iraqi reinforcement columns, are based on the testimony of veteran pilot Eli Eyal and are not corroborated by independent sources in the available reporting.[4] Whether the modern 2024 squadron represents a formal organizational continuation of the 1967 unit, or simply reuses the number, is not addressed in the sources reviewed.[4][1]