The Israeli Fight Test Center is the subject of the first in new series of features examining military flight test establishments around the world. Noam Menashe takes a look at this secretive unit.
FLIGHT TEST FOCUS
Before any new airframe or airborne system can be deployed over the battlefield it first has to be rigorously proven to ensure its readiness for engineers and mission-planners on the ground and the pilots who will operate it in combat. On the way to the front line, Israeli Air Force (IAF) equipment is put through its paces by the Flight Test Center.
With considerable allocations of equipment and personnel, the IAF’s flight test unit is designated as a ‘centre’ rather than a squadron. It also differs from most of its counterparts in one key respect: not only does it conduct test work in peacetime, but also during conflict, and at times even under fire.
