“Unidentified passenger aircraft approaching the shoreline”
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The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is getting ready to handle terror acts involving civilian aircraft. Aerial terrorism is always on the agenda and demands constant attention. The IAF has recently simulated various scenarios as part of a multiplayer training exercise
On 21 February 1973, Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was on a regular scheduled flight from Tripoli to Cairo via Benghazi. The Boeing 727–224 left Tripoli, and became lost because of a combination of bad weather and equipment failure over northern Egypt around 13:44.
Shortly afterwards, the passenger aircraft drifted into the then Israeli-controlled airspace over the Sinai Peninsula, where it was intercepted by two IAF F-4 Phantom fighter jets. After failing to respond to international signals to change its flight path, it was shot down. Of the 113 people on board, there were five survivors, including the Libyan co-pilot.
This tragic incident was followed by many other incidents when commercial aircraft flying to Israel either deviated from the approved flight path, or lost radio communication with the Israeli control. In all these events, IAF fighter jets were scrambled, subsequently escorting the aircraft until making sure the original pilots are indeed in control.
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IAF personnel took part in a multiplayer training exercise, which aimed to simulate a highly sensitive and complicated aerial terrorism scenario. It included a large number of participants, both from the IAF and outside of it. “This is the only training exercise that combines all units that take part in protecting Israel’s skies – the IAF, IDF Operations Division, Department of Transportation and different Intelligence platforms,” Major Ilan from Aerial Defense Department at the IAF Operations Division told the IAF website.
“The definition of aerial terrorism is actually an attempt to perform a terror attack using a civilian aircraft. It can be a small Cessna, an executive jet or a 400-seat airliner, which is defined as an extreme scenario,” the officer explained.
After three months of preparations, the exercise began when senior decision-making officers, including the IAF Commander, the Israeli defense forces (IDF) Chief of Staff, and government officials, are in the loop. The target of the exercise was to identify a real threat and take the series of actions to neutralize it and all that in only a few, very few minutes.
