Unit 555,[2] also known as the Sky Crows, is the airborne electronic warfare unit of the Israeli Air Force. It was established in 1969 at the Lod Airbase. Currently, it is headquartered at the Tel Nof Airbase. It is one of the most classified units in the Israeli Air Force.
| Unit 555 | |
|---|---|
| יחידה 555 | |
 Unit logo | |
| Active | 1969 – present |
| Country |  Israel |
| Branch |  Israeli Air Force |
| Type | electronic warfare unit |
| Role | Electromagnetic Warfare EW[1] |
| Part of | Israeli Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Tel Nof Airbase |
| Nickname(s) | Sky Crows |
| Motto(s) | The most important is hidden from view |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lt.Col Rami Luz |
| Insignia | |
| Shoulder Patch |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion |
| Reconnaissance | Lockheed C-130 Hercules |
History
editThe unit was established in 1969 during the War of Attrition as a counter to the strengthening of Egyptian army air defense systems along the Suez Canal.[3] The unit was a combined force operating both aerial and ground assets.[3]
On July 8, 1971, a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion modified for electronic warfare crashed in the Mediterranean Sea, near El Arish. All ten crew members including six members of the unit were killed in the incident.[4]
On September 17, 1971, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser electronic warfare plane was shot down east of the Suez Canal by two Egyptian SA-2 surface-to-surface missiles. Seven crew members including two unit personnel perished in the incident.[5]
In the Yom Kippur War, the unit also operated modified versions of the Douglas DC-3 with specialized electronic warfare and reconnaissance equipment.[3] During the war, a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion modified for electronic warfare was shot down killing seven crew members including four unit personnel.[6]
On April 19, 1974, two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion electronic warfare helicopters collided while landing at Rosh Pina Airport. Ten crew members including five unit personnel perished in the incident.[7]
The unit operated in the First Lebanon War under the command of Lt.Col Rami Luz.[8]
The unit is known to have utilized the planes of the Naschon Squadron having specially modified them for electronic warfare missions.[9][10]
The unit was initially stationed at the Lod Airbase but was moved to Tel Nof Airbase after the closure of Lod Airbase.[3]
The unit currently serves as an air support team and operates a wide variety of aircraft from various Israeli Air Force squadrons modifying them for electronic warfare. Commonly used aircraft include the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallions.[11]
This unit is one of the most classified units with very little information being released about the unit's operations.[11]
Name and motto
editThe unit is nicknamed as the "sky crows" as the nickname was firstly used by the allied forces in World War II.
The motto of the unit is "The most important is hidden from view" and was taken from "The Little Prince".[4][12]
Equipment
edit
The unit's equipment is highly classified but is known to have been developed by the Defense industry of Israel.[11]
Roles
editThe unit's main mission is to operate various airborne electronic warfare systems to help Israeli aircraft evade oppositional air defense systems as well as to destroy oppositional air defense systems in order to achieve air superiority.[11]
Sources and references
edit- ^ "And they struck them with blindness". The Jerusalem Post. 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
- ^ https://www.iaf.org.il/9327-52855-he/IAF.aspx
- ^ a b c d Amit Drenger (1 April 2008). ""Let's See, Let's Hear"". Israeli Air Force website.
- ^ a b Eli Landau (11 July 1971). "המסוק צלל לפתע לים וירד לתהום". Maariv.
- ^ Meir Halevi Gober (2022). Founding Events in the Air Force 1948-2021. Academia.edu. p. 362.
- ^ Arnon Ben-Dror, האיש שצנח מיסעור הפלת מסוק יסעור 31 עם צוות יחידת LA המוטסת
- ^ Carmel Stern (12 April 2018). "יחידת "עורבי שמיים" זוכרת את אסון מחניים". Israeli Air Force.
- ^ "ספר "מלחמת שלום הגליל מפות ומבצעים" באתר מחלקת היסטוריה" (PDF). Israel Defense Forces (in Hebrew).
- ^ "Naschon Squadron". Israeli Air Force.
- ^ "122 Squadron - The Dakota". Globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ^ a b c d Vared Talala (2 August 2016). "הצצה ליחידה שבה הכל נעשה בסתר". Israeli Air Force.
- ^ Vared Talala (11 July 2016). ""The most important is hidden from view"". Israeli Air Force.
External links
edit- Shlomo Aloni, "555 ינשופי שמיים", Air Force Association, 2013
- Meir Halevi Gover, אירועים-מכוננים בחיל-האוויר 1948-2021, p. 344, 2022, on the Academia.edu
- https://www.iaf.org.il/8411-44793-he/IAF.aspx
- https://www.iaf.org.il/7186-41611-he/IAF.aspx
- https://www.iaf.org.il/4343-28857-he/IAF.aspx
- https://www.iaf.org.il/1740-26221-he/IAF.aspx
- https://www.iaf.org.il/4446-46439-he/IAF.aspx
- https://www.iaf.org.il/4422-45198-he/IAF.aspx
- Sky Crows, טייסת ל"א בבסיס תל נוף