249 Squadron (Israel)

Unit 249, known as the Elad Squadron, operates within Israel's national aerial firefighting system. The Israel Police holds aerial command and control, while the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority provides professional instructions and requests aircraft deployment. The squadron was transferred to the Police aerial branch in November 2016, and the two organizations work directly with each other during incidents.[1]

The system combines public command with private operation. Elbit Systems won the contract to operate and maintain the aircraft, while Kim-Nir historically supplied civilian pilots, mechanics, and ground crews.[1] In 2015, the aircraft were flown mainly by Kim-Nir employees and Air Force reservists, while military personnel commanded incidents and field officers directed aircraft from helicopters and the ground.[3] By November 2016, seven Fire and Rescue field officers served as liaisons between ground crews and pilots.[2] In 2025, Globes reported that Elbit had selected Electra Target as a subcontractor to operate the ground system and supply pilots.[4]

The 2010 Carmel fire prompted the Israeli government to establish a national aerial firefighting system. In January 2011, the government assigned the Israel Air Force to provide professional guidance to the new civilian squadron and made the Ministry of Defense responsible for implementation.[1]

The implementation contract went to Elbit Systems, with Kim-Nir serving as a subcontractor.[1] Within four months, eight firefighting aircraft were acquired and the squadron was established.[6] It opened in February 2011 and was formally declared operational on May 12, 2011.[3] The squadron was named "Elad" in memory of volunteer firefighter Elad Riven, who died in the Carmel fire.[3]

The core fleet consists of 14 Air Tractor AT-802 firefighting aircraft.[1][4] Each aircraft can carry approximately 2,300–3,000 liters of water or fire-retardant material and fly for about three hours without refueling.[5][4] The aircraft can maneuver at low altitude to release retardant over a fire zone.[7]

The fleet is divided between two primary bases, with seven aircraft at Megiddo in the north and seven at Kedma in the center-south.[1] In 2015, the squadron operated from Sde Dov with additional landing strips in northern and southern Israel.[3] Five secondary sites—Rosh Pina, Sde Teman, Haifa, Pik in the Golan Heights, and Hatzor Airbase—can be staffed for refueling within approximately one to one-and-a-half hours, reducing turnaround times during distant fires.[1]

As of 2023, the broader aerial firefighting system also included six Police helicopters, 41 unmanned aerial vehicles, and two Israel Air Force C-130J "Shimshon" transport aircraft intended as a supplementary resource.[1] A proposed acquisition of four Black Hawk firefighting helicopters had not advanced because of budget constraints. The C-130J capability had not yet been used operationally in a fire, and its effectiveness remained unclear.[1] The number of aircraft in the system was determined by the Ministry of National Security's budget rather than by a standard tied to the Fire and Rescue Authority's operational reference scenario.[1]

Response time is treated as the decisive factor in aerial firefighting capability, rather than the total area that aircraft can extinguish. Operations therefore center on repeated sorties: aircraft drop firefighting material, return to reload, and repeat the cycle to reach fires quickly and maintain suppression efforts.[1]

During high-readiness operations described in 2015, eight aircraft could be held at 15-minute readiness and were expected to be airborne with retardant within 15 minutes of a call. Filling an aircraft with retardant took approximately four minutes.[3] Before each pass, pilots were briefed about antennas, power poles, approach and exit routes, and the planned method of attack.[3]

During the 2016 fire wave, the squadron conducted proactive patrols, with Israel Air Force aircraft helping identify suspected ignition points and attack fires during their earliest stages.[2] At Mitzpe Harashim, where winds reached 30–35 knots, Israeli aircraft laid a fire-retardant barrier around the community. Foreign aircraft carrying seawater supplemented the Israeli planes, and the combined effort prevented the fire from reaching homes.[2]

In its first four years, the Elad Squadron participated in suppressing more than 500 fires, logging 4,600 sorties and 2,500 flight hours.[5] It also provided firefighting assistance to Cyprus and Jordan.[6] During the 2016 fire wave, a Fire and Rescue field officer said the squadron likely spared ground forces many additional hours or even days of fighting to gain control of the fires.[2]

In 2012, an Air Tractor AT-802 crashed just beyond the edge of a runway during takeoff in southern Israel while at a height of approximately two meters. The pilot, Eric Horev, was uninjured.[8] Preliminary findings indicated that the aircraft had unexpectedly entered reverse thrust, causing it to stop in the air and fall, but the investigation was still underway and the explanation was not a final finding.[8] The remaining seven aircraft were grounded pending the investigation, except for emergency flights.[8]

Accounts differ over the timing of the squadron's transfer from Air Force oversight to Police command. A November 2016 report said the squadron had officially moved under Police command at the beginning of that month, and the 2023 Knesset report also places the transfer in November 2016.[1][2] A 2019 report instead dated the transfer to 2017; the sources do not explain whether the dates represent separate stages of the transition.[7]

The number of aircraft in the system is set through Ministry of National Security budget decisions rather than a capability standard derived from the Fire and Rescue Authority's operational planning.[1] A 2025 Globes report questioned whether the squadron's range of capabilities was sufficient for major fires, even as an official summer-readiness assessment stated that its aircraft and air and ground crews were prepared.[4]