Ofira Air Battle

The battle took place as Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated attack on October 6, 1973, striking Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.[3] The National Library of Israel characterizes the unexpected siren that afternoon as a turning point for the nation and the state.[5] One INSS history quotes Israeli Air Force pilot Yiftach Spector recalling the uncertainty in the hours before the attack: “we just didn’t know exactly when it would break out.”[4]

Two INSS accounts date the outbreak of the wider war to 1:50 p.m. on October 6, 1973.[4][6] Neither identifies that time as the start of the Ofira engagement. The air battle occurred around the war’s opening that afternoon, but the available reporting does not establish a precise start time.[1][2]

The engagement occurred near Ofir Air Force Base, by Sharm el-Sheikh in the southern Sinai. Sharm el-Sheikh had become the Israeli naval and air base of Ophira after Israel occupied the site in the 1967 Arab–Israel War.[7] On October 6, 1973, two Israeli F-4 Phantom crews at the base were sent to intercept approaching Egyptian aircraft.[1][2]

The two Phantoms were from Squadron 107, and none of the four crew members had been certified as a formation leader; squadron commander Yiftach Spector authorized Amir Nachumi by telephone to lead.[1] Air-control unit 528, on Mount Tzafra about 20 kilometers south of the base, detected 28 Egyptian MiGs at roughly 90 kilometers; its radars had an approximate detection range of 300 kilometers.[1] The crews were relatively inexperienced.[2]

The accounts describe a hurried launch as Egyptian aircraft neared the base. In one recollection, Nachumi said he had not received an order to take off, but scrambled the two Phantoms; the attackers bombed the runway about 30 seconds later.[8] Air-control personnel were unable to obtain authorization from rear headquarters, and Nachumi and navigator Yosef Yavin launched without authorization when the aircraft were about 30 kilometers away. Bombs struck moments after takeoff.[1] Reports differ on the attacking formation’s size: the Jerusalem Post describes 28 MiG-17s with MiG-21 escorts, while mako describes an engagement involving 16 MiG-17s and MiG-21s.[8][2]

The Israeli crews were Nachumi and Yavin, and Daniel Shaki and David Regev.[1][2] Nachumi split the pair: his aircraft remained to defend the base, while Shaki and Regev flew west to protect coastal facilities.[1] The fight took place at extremely low altitude, and Shaki and Regev’s Phantom touched the Red Sea three times.[1] Mako likewise describes a very low-altitude engagement and reports that one Phantom struck the sea several times.[2]

Calcalist reports that Nachumi’s Phantom continued fighting after one engine failed, and that a four-aircraft Mirage reinforcement arrived from inland Israel after six minutes, followed later by another pair of Phantoms.[1] It credits the two Phantoms with downing six MiG-17s and one MiG-21, and reports that the runways were damaged, a nearby Hawk missile battery was destroyed, and casualties were minimal, with no civilians killed.[1] The Jerusalem Post instead reports seven enemy aircraft shot down: four by Nachumi and Yavin, and three by Shaki and Regev.[8] Mako gives a different description of the result, saying seven Egyptian aircraft were counted as wrecked on the ground.[2]

Calcalist also reports that the Egyptian attack resumed in the evening, when a cruise missile struck the air-control unit’s trailers and caused deaths; the damaged runways had been repaired by then.[1] These later events are described as part of the attack on the base and its vicinity, rather than as part of the air-to-air engagement itself.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Nachumi, Yavin, Shaki, and Regev received Israel’s Medal of Distinguished Service for their conduct in the battle.[8] Calcalist says the crews received the medal for this action and other achievements later in the war.[1] The Jerusalem Post further reports that Nachumi had seven confirmed kills in the F-4 Phantom by the end of the war.[8]

The engagement formed part of a much larger air campaign, but war-wide totals should not be attributed to Ofira. INSS reports that the Israeli Air Force flew 11,300 sorties during the war, including 6,730 attack sorties, and lost 102 fighter aircraft; it gives combined Syrian and Egyptian air-force losses as 433 aircraft, of which 277 were lost in air-to-air combat.[4] A Jewish Virtual Library account gives a different broad estimate, saying Israeli fighters destroyed more than 450 enemy aircraft, mostly in dogfights, while roughly 100 Israeli aircraft were lost.[9]

The available accounts provide a localized narrative of the fight, but do not settle all its details. Calcalist reports an Egyptian formation of 28 aircraft, while mako reports 16.[1][2] Descriptions of Egyptian losses also vary. The Jerusalem Post reports seven shootdowns, while Calcalist specifies six MiG-17s and one MiG-21 credited to the Phantoms.[8][1] Mako says seven Egyptian aircraft were counted as wrecked on the ground.[2] These descriptions should not be treated as interchangeable measures of the same outcome without further evidence.

The Jewish Virtual Library’s list of Israeli air victories includes claims dated October 6, 1973, and names pilots associated with some claims, but does not connect them to Ofira or establish their location. The list itself cautions that some attributions are missing and details are sketchy.[10] General histories of the Yom Kippur War describe the Israeli Air Force’s wider defensive and combat operations, but do not specifically identify the Ofira engagement.[3][4]

The available reporting describes an interception and air fight at Ofir or Ophira, but does not establish whether “Ofira Air Battle” was its contemporaneous or standard historical name.[1][2] The sources therefore support describing the reported engagement near Ofir Base while leaving its name and some operational specifics unresolved.