Palmachim Airbase

The Palmachim Airbase (Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר פַּלְמַחִים) is an Israeli military facility and spaceport located near the cities of Rishon LeZion and Yavne on the Mediterranean coast. It is named after nearby Kibbutz Palmachim.

Palmachim Air Force Base

בסיס חיל האוויר פלמחים
Summary
OperatorIsraeli Air Force
Israel Space Agency
LocationCentral District, Israel
Elevation AMSL32 ft / 10 m
Coordinates31°53′52″N 34°41′26″E
Map
Palmachim Air Force Base
Palmachim Air Force Base
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 7,884 2,403 asphalt
13/31 2,636 803 asphalt

The base is home to several IAF helicopter and UAV squadrons, and serves as a rocket launch site for the Arrow missile.[1]

Palmachim is also used to launch the Shavit space launch vehicle into retrograde orbit by launching over the Mediterranean, acting as Israel's primary spaceport. The launchpad is situated at 31°53′04″N 34°40′49″E This ensures that rocket debris falls into water, and that the rocket does not fire over regional neighboring countries near Israel that could use the technology. Palmachim is also used to test ballistic missiles, such as the Jericho.

Recent launches include:

In July 2007, it was agreed that once Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv was closed, its military terminal would be transferred to Palmachim.[9] The terminal was transferred when Sde Dov Airport ceased operations in July 2019.

Units

The current units at Palmachim include:

Orbital launch history
Type of rocket Date of Launch Launch Location Payload Mission Status
Shavit September 19, 1988 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 1 Success, experimental payload
Shavit April 3, 1990 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 2 Success, experimental payload
Shavit September 15, 1994 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq ? Failure, unknown payload[10]
Shavit-1 April 5, 1995 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 3 Success, first Israeli operational satellite in orbit
Shavit-1 January 22, 1998 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 4 Failure
Shavit-1 May 28, 2002 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 5 Success, second Israeli operational satellite in orbit
Shavit-1 September 6, 2004 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 6 Failure
Shavit-2 June 11, 2007 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 7 Success, third Israeli operational satellite in orbit
Shavit-2 June 22, 2010 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 9 Success[11]
Shavit-2 April 9, 2014 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 10 Success
Shavit-2 September 13, 2016 Palmachim Airbase Ofeq 11 Success

On 17 January 2008 Israel test fired a multi-stage ballistic missile believed to be of the Jericho III type, reportedly capable of carrying "conventional or non conventional warheads."[3] On 2 November 2011, Israel successfully test fired a missile believed to be an upgraded version of the Jericho III; the long trail of smoke was seen throughout central Israel.[5]

References
  1. "U.S./Israel Complete Successful Arrow Missile Defense Test". GlobalSecurity.org.
  2. Israel Launches New Spy Satellite, www.spacewar.com, accessed 12 June 2007
  3. Azoulay, Yuval (18 January 2008). "Missile test 'will improve deterrence'". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  4. Israel Launches Ofeq-9 Satellite Archived 2010-06-23 at WebCite
  5. Pfeffer, Anshel (2 November 2011). "IDF test-fires ballistic missile in central Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  6. "Israel launches Ofek 10 radar-based spy satellite". jpost. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  7. "Israel launches Ofek 11 surveillance satellite".
  8. Surkes, Sue (29 May 2017). "Israel launches propulsion rocket in early morning test". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  9. "Tel Aviv airport to make way for luxury project". Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  10. "Shavit (Israel), Space launch vehicles - Orbital". Jane's Information Group. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  11. Greenberg, Hanan (22 June 2010). "Israel launches spy satellite". Ynet.com. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
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