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Sdot Micha Airbase

Coordinates: 31°44′19″N 34°55′10″E / 31.73861°N 34.91944°E / 31.73861; 34.91944
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Sdot Micha Israeli Air Force Base
Air Wing 2
שדות מיכה
Sdot Micha, Jerusalem District in Israel
Sdot Micha Airbase is located in Jerusalem
Sdot Micha Airbase
Sdot Micha Airbase
Shown within Israel
Sdot Micha Airbase is located in Israel
Sdot Micha Airbase
Sdot Micha Airbase
Sdot Micha Airbase (Israel)
Coordinates31°44′19″N 34°55′10″E / 31.73861°N 34.91944°E / 31.73861; 34.91944
TypeMilitary missile base
Site information
OwnerIsrael Defense Forces
OperatorIsraeli Air Force
Site history
Built1962 (1962)
In use1962 – present

Sdot Micha Airbase (in Hebrew: שדות מיכה‎, lit. Micha Fields) is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) missile base and depot, whose existence Israel neither confirms nor denies. It is situated in the center of Israel, halfway from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean Sea and extends nearly 13 km from southeast to northwest. The center of the base is located 1.5 km north of moshav Sdot Micha and it has neither a runway nor a visible heliport. Its facilities can now be clearly seen on satellite images. Nuclear warheads are supposed to be stored at the base, which can also be fired by the missiles there.[1]

Name

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The secret airbase has been called many names.[2] It is most commonly called by sources as Sdot Micha Airbase due to its proximity to moshav Sdot Micha,[3] and less commonly Tirosh or Zekharia Airbase (including different spelling), due to other nearby moshavs of these names[4] or Kanaf 2 Airbase (lit. Wing 2 Airbase).[5]

In July 2017 the IDF temporarily uncovered the name of the airforce's 11th and secret base called Sdot HaElah, but after the press had picked it up, it disappeared again from their website. The moshav Sdot Micha is located in the Valley of Elah, (עמק האלה‎ Emek HaElah in Hebrew),[6][7] 4 km northwest of where David and Goliath are believed to have fought. The stream Elah (Nahal HaElah) runs south of the moshav but is dry for most of the year.

A 2005 official Israeli document regarding the Privatization of the Military Industry of Israel Ltd. later renamed IMI Systems (Resolution no. M'Kh/24 of the Ministerial Committee on Privatization Affairs dated 28.08.2005) states: "IMI's rights in part of the land division known as "Area 209" designated for the "Arrow" battery were sold by IMI to the Ministry of Defense under an agreement dated May 10, 2005."[8] In the official documents published at the time of the sale of IMI Systems to Elbit Systems (Resolution No. M'Kh/2 of the Ministerial Committee on Privatization of 23.12.2013) the base is referred to again as Area 209 (in Hebrew שטח אש 209). The restricted airspace and restricted military area covers an area of 12,550 dunams in the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council, and was allocated to the Ministry of Defense by the Israel Land Authority.[9][10][11]

Missiles

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Jericho

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It is believed that the base is a missile launch facility for nuclear-tipped Jericho 2 IRBMs and probably Jericho 3 ICBMs. Satellite images show launch areas for mobile missiles very explicitly, which is part of their deterrence.[12][13][2]

The roads for the mobile missile systems are in between ridges of hills, which has the advantage that the missile bunkers could be dug into the limestone hills around and only need massive doors to protect them from nuclear explosions – direct hits excluded. The missile sites are also hidden there and cannot to be seen from the outside.[14]

Newer and sharper satellite images indicate that there are two gates and two so-called launchers per cave. The northern area has 14 of these caves and the southern area has 9, which offers space for a maximum of 46 launchers. About one and a half kilometers northwest of these positions, there is also a fenced and additionally secured area with four bunkers within the base, probably a storage facility for nuclear warheads.[15][16]

Arrow

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In 2012, an Arrow 2 missile battery – the third in Israel alongside Palmachim and Ein Shemer – has been deployed there, near the moshav Tal Shahar.[17] The Arrow system was developed jointly by Israel and the USA in the 1990s and can shoot down incoming nuclear missiles at high altitudes. For target detection and tracking, it uses the Super Green Pine Radar installed on Ein Shemer with a range of 1,000 kilometers. The Arrow system is operated by the Israeli Air Defense Command, a division of the IAF.

According to Jane's Defence Weekly, Sdot Micha is also a location for the new Arrow 3 ABM, deployed there in the beginning of 2017. Satellite photos show four rectangular bunkers capable to withstand nuclear explosions and nearby sites of mobile launchers with six Arrow 3 missiles each. The US have accidentally published where the exact locations of the bunkers are.[18][19][20]

According to press reports, there is also a test stand for rocket engines on the site, where, among other things, the engine for the new Arrow 4 rocket is being tested. In April 2021, the loud sound of an explosion could be heard from there.[21]

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Northwest of the base is Tel Nof Airbase (see map), where two squadrons of F-15 jets are stationed. Since such aircraft can carry free-falling atomic bombs over long distances, it is assumed that the nuclear weapons for this are stored somewhere on the Tel Nof Airbase or in the northwestern part of Sdot Micha, where many depots and bunkers are located.[22]

All Israel's larger missiles are developed and built at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) MLM Division missile plant south of Be'er Ya'akov, 20 km northwest to the base.[23][24]

Units

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  • Shavit (civilian Jericho 2) missile launching on 11 June 2007
    Shavit (civilian Jericho 2) missile launching on 11 June 2007
  • Third stage of a Shavit / Jericho 2 with IAI logo
    Third stage of a Shavit / Jericho 2 with IAI logo
  • A mobile Arrow 2 launcher, like deployed on the base
    A mobile Arrow 2 launcher, like deployed on the base
  • Test start of an Arrow 3 on 25 February 2013
    Test start of an Arrow 3 on 25 February 2013

History

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Palestine War 1948

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Before the 1948 Palestine War, the Palestinian Arab villages of Al-Burayj (Bureij), Sejed, Jilya and Qazaza were located on the site of today's base, but their residents fled or were expelled in the course of the fighting.[25] The taking of the al-Buraij by Israeli soldiers, for example, happened at the beginning of Operation Ha-Har on the night of 19 to 20 October 1948.[26]

  • Greek Orthodox monastery in Arab Palestinian village of Al-Burayj, 1948
    Greek Orthodox monastery in Arab Palestinian village of Al-Burayj, 1948
  • Another photo of the village Al-Burayj after its capture by Israel soldiers in 1948
    Another photo of the village Al-Burayj after its capture by Israel soldiers in 1948
  • Map of the village Al-Burayj (Bureij) and its surroundings in 1947
    Map of the village Al-Burayj (Bureij) and its surroundings in 1947
  • Villages captured by Israel soldiers during Operation Ha-Har in October 1948, Bureij to the left
    Villages captured by Israel soldiers during Operation Ha-Har in October 1948, Bureij to the left

Built in 1962

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The extensive base was established in 1962 under the Hebrew name 2 כנף (Wing 2) by the later commander of the IAF Benjamin "Benny" Peled.[27]

Yom Kippur War 1973

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On 6 October 1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel by surprise on the Yom Kippur holiday. As they initially pushed the IDF back, nuclear bombs were said to have been mounted on fighter jets at Tel Nof Airbase and on Jericho missiles at Sdot Micha, with the intent to strike should the enemy armies have advanced further.[28] If true, this did not occur as Israel was able to repel both armies.

Hamas attack 2023

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On the morning of 7 October 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, a missile fired from the Gaza Strip is said to have hit the base compound, causing a wildfire of 40 hectares, but no military facilities were seriously damaged, as The New York Times claims to have found out based on satellite images. At the same time, it was emphasized that the nuclear warheads presumably stored there in bunkers could never detonate by an accident or external influence.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kristensen, Hans M.; Korda, Matt (2022). "Israeli nuclear weapons, 2021". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 78 (1): 38–50. Bibcode:2022BuAtS..78a..38K. doi:10.1080/00963402.2021.2014239. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  2. ^ a b Kristensen, Hans M.; Norris, Robert S. (2014-11-01). "Israeli nuclear weapons, 2014". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 70 (6): 97–115. Bibcode:2014BuAtS..70f..97K. doi:10.1177/0096340214555409. ISSN 0096-3402. S2CID 145750244.
  3. ^ "Rocket engine test likely caused blast in central Israel, analyst says". Ynet. Associated Press. 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  4. ^ "סכנת חורבן הבית השלישי". News1 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  5. ^ "No More Secrets". sgp.fas.org. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. ^ "Israeli Army Reveals Existence of Previously Undisclosed Air Force Base". Haaretz. 20 July 2017.
  7. ^ "IDF Reveals (Partially) Existence of Secret Nuclear Base Exposed Here Six Years Ago - Tikun Olam תיקון עולם". Tikun Olam תיקון עולם. 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  8. ^ "הפרטת התעשייה הצבאית לישראל בע"מ (תע"ש) | מספר החלטה 0024". GOV.IL (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  9. ^ "Exhibit". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  10. ^ "דיווח: הניסוי הרקטי של תומר בוצע בקרבת בסיס סודי של חיל האוויר". Israel Defense (in Hebrew). 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  11. ^ "הפרטת התעשייה הצבאית לישראל בע"מ (תע"ש) | מספר החלטה 0024". GOV.IL (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  12. ^ "Jericho 2". missilethreat.csis.org. 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  13. ^ "Jericho 3". missilethreat.csis.org. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  14. ^ "Zachariah - Israel - Special Weapons Facilities". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  15. ^ "Israeli nuclear weapons, 2021". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 2022. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  16. ^ "Unprecedented Images of Israel's Top-secret Sites Published Online". Haaretz. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  17. ^ "This Year: A New Arrow Battery Will Become Operative". IAF-Website (in Hebrew). 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  18. ^ "Jane's: U.S.-Built $25-Million Base for Israel's Arrow 3 ABM, Built to Counter Iran - Tikun Olam תיקון עולם". Tikun Olam תיקון עולם. 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  19. ^ "U.S. Exposes Location, Layout of Top-Secret Israeli Arrow 3 Missile Base - Tikun Olam תיקון עולם". Tikun Olam תיקון עולם. 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  20. ^ "Arrow 3 Interceptor". www.iai.co.il. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  21. ^ "Analyst: Rocket engine test likely caused blast in Israel". apnews.com. 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  22. ^ "Zachariah - Israel - Special Weapons Facilities". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  23. ^ "Systems Missiles & Space". www.iai.co.il. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  24. ^ PM Netanyahu at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) MLM Division plant, 2019-01-22, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2019-06-10
  25. ^ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 282. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  26. ^ "Welcome To al-Burayj - البريج (אל-בריג')". palestineremembered.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  27. ^ Shabtai Katz. "Air Maintenance Wings for the State, Page 155". Digital Library of Air Force History and Heritage (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  28. ^ "Did Israel arm its nuclear weapons in 1973 - or not?". Die Welt (in German). 2023-10-07. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  29. ^ "Report: Hamas rocket hit IDF base thought to house nuclear-capable missiles on Oct 7". The Times Of Israel. 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
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