Palmachim Airbase
Palmachim Airbase (Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר פַּלְמַחִים, ICAO: LLPL) is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base and spaceport located near the city of Yavne on the Mediterranean coast, 12 km south of Tel Aviv. It is named after the nearby Kibbutz Palmachim.
| Palmachim Israeli Air Force Base Air Force Base 30 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
בסיס חיל האוויר פלמחים | |||||||||||
| Palmachim, Central District in Israel | |||||||||||
Palmachim AB Shown within Israel Palmachim AB Palmachim AB (Israel) | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 31°53′52″N 34°41′26″E | ||||||||||
| Type | Airbase & Spaceport | ||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Israel Defense Forces | ||||||||||
| Operator | Israeli Air Force Israel Space Agency | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | End of 1960s | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: LLPL | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 10 metres (33 ft) AMSL | ||||||||||
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The base is home to several IAF helicopter and UAV squadrons. It is used to launch the Shavit space launch vehicle into retrograde orbit by launching over the Mediterranean, acting as Israel's primary spaceport. Since the end of the 1960s Palmachim is used to test ballistic missiles, such as the Jericho and later the Arrow.
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.
The first operational Arrow 2 missile battery in Israel was deployed in March 2000 southeast of the airbase (see map in gallery). It was declared operational in October 2000, and reached its full capacity in March 2001.
The Arrow system is operated by the Israeli Air Defense Command, based on Palmachim. This is a division of the Israeli Air and Space Force and supplements the aircraft squadrons at the Air Force bases (see photo in gallery).
In July 2007, it was agreed that once Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv was closed, its military terminal would be transferred to Palmachim. The terminal was transferred when Sde Dov Airport ceased operations in July 2019.
- Test of an Arrow 2 missile at Palmachim launchpad in 1996
- Start of a Shavit 2 missile at the Palmachim Spaceport in 2007
- Newly build UAV hangars at Palmachim Airbase, 2010
- Air Defense Command change of command ceremony at Palmachim, April 2021
- A map of Palmachim Airbase with Spaceport, Heliport, UAVs and the Arrow missile site
Recent launches include:
- 11 June 2007 - Ofeq-7 satellite
- 17 January 2008 - version of the Jericho III missile
- 22 June 2010 - Ofeq-9 satellite
- 2 November 2011 - version of the Jericho III missile
- 9 April 2014 - Ofeq-10 satellite
- 13 September 2016 - Ofeq-11 satellite
- 29 May 2017 - rocket propulsion system test launch
- 6 July 2020 - Ofeq-16 reconnaissance satellite
- 28 March 2023 - Ofeq-13 SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) reconnaissance satellite