Israeli Air Force Unveils Joint Special-forces Wing For ‘Enhanced Capability’

JERUSALEM (JNS) – The Israeli Air Force on Sunday unveiled a new squadron of joint special forces, united under a single umbrella.

The units that will be part of the “Wing 7” squadron are the Airborne Combat Unit, Search and Rescue Unit 669 (“Shaldag”) and the Frontal Landing Unit. The new wing will include an Intelligence unit and a school for Special Forces.

“We are in times of regional change, with a global pandemic and a battlefield becoming more complex every day,” said IAF commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin during the opening ceremony at the Palmachim Air Force Base, where Wing 7 will be housed. “Our commanders understand that these changes force us to adapt to the challenges that the future holds. There is an enhanced capability that makes our special forces more effective in combat, more influential in building our aerial superiority and a more significant part of every process within the IAF.”

The Israeli Air Force faces a number of challenges, among them the threats posed by Hamas in Gaza, Iranian presence in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.