Nachshon Squadron is the eyes and ears of the entire Israeli Air Force because it knows how to master the capabilities to plan and perform any operations that require air activities.
A moderate ceremony was held Tuesday in one of a hangars of Nakshen 122 Squadron at Nivatim Air Force Base in honor of the squadron’s orders.
Colonel P. would replace Lieutenant Colonel N., who, when he took office, did not think it would be a long-term case.
Starting with the failure on October 7, the massive war continued on seven fronts, a 12-day war as part of Operation Lion’s Rise, when Nachshon squadron led the Israeli Air Force (IAF) throughout Iran attacks and opened the sky at a speed.
When Colonel N. was in the IAF, about a year before he was appointed as the commander of the squadron, he wrote a paper about the Air Force in the Yom Kippur War. One and a half months after taking office, in early September 2023, he gathered all the pilots and personnel of the squadron and gave a detailed introduction to their research and conclusions.
“When we fail, I ask myself that I fail, and in the same breath, what I could have done is different. We need to rise, we can’t focus on the past,” Col N. said.
A female Air Force officer preparing to strike Iran, June 2025.
The Nachshon Squadron is first and foremost a reconnaissance squadron that should monitor Iran, Gaza and other regions.
“How did this happen? There is a general survey and we are learning how to get better,” Colonel N. added. “We are also part of this failure. It may be our failure, even more important than others.”
Nachshon Squadron is the eyes and ears of the entire Air Force. It knows how to deal with a variety of critical capabilities to plan and execute any actions that require air activity, including in attacks in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen or Iran. From landing forces deep in Syria to rescue the wounded from the battlefield.
“We are very important in the air world: operations, control, management and cooperation with fighter jets. If you are in Syria, this is reflected in providing intelligence responses during the operation to maintain air superiority and then on the ground,” he added. “Some things are transferred from information from various elements collected in the past and you need to introduce intelligence in real time.”
Israel’s eyes in the Middle East
The aerospace industry is already working to build many observation satellites that will linger in space and provide 24-hour pictures of the Middle East. Nachshon Squadron learned that the State of Israel would not make the decision to give up on them so quickly.
“What we still bring is unique and other systems don’t. The power structure is changing, even when we are fighting, we are adding and changing the system. ‘Oron’ is a huge project, and war accelerates it, but we know how to deliver intelligence in real time.” “When operating in the air, we bring a relatively effective advantage. We open the sky forward.”
For example, in Operation Ascending Lion, Nachshon Squadron was committed to reflecting and providing operational solutions for the IAF to prepare for various target strikes in various combat stages.
“I am part of those who bring information and capabilities so that we can be as prepared as possible in the troops and in the military,” he explained.
Nachshon Squadron has three aircraft configurations. All of these are executive aircraft designed to meet the requirements and are equipped with radar, optics and unique communication systems. Various aircraft are called: Itam, Shavit, and the last one is an advanced smart aircraft that is fully operational two weeks before the Lion’s rising operation.
Lieutenant T., a 21-year-old air reconnaissance officer, was part of the team that built a new aircraft in the squadron. This role is a new role for the squadron and was created due to the reconnaissance capabilities of the new aircraft.
“During the war we operated day and night to defend the sky of the country. We don’t have military personnel from military scouts, so we had a huge and tough two weeks,” he said.
Lieutenant T. said his ability as an aviation scout in a senior aircraft is to collect tactical targets on the ground and detect threats in the air.
Although he had already flown in most of the Middle East, including the goal of the third lap, the activity in Gaza also touched him at his personal level: “I had a lot of friends there, fighters who I had for protective operations for. Nothing is better than my cavalry friend who started childhood, I told me on my phone that he would feel safe on me at the time, and that was my safety.
According to Lieutenant T., there is a big difference between the squadron’s aircraft and the HTM: “Our aircraft are multi-loss and are able to collect a large number of targets simultaneously on a large area.”
Among the veterans of the squadron, there is the backup waiter of the airborne controller N.. He explained that the role of the airborne controller is to manage air traffic and missions in fierce combat. “It has the potential to be a very complex event, but it becomes easier when you practice it for it and prepare it properly.”
Major N. talked about his participation in the first attack on Iran.
“It’s the moment when we left the briefing and realized that we’ve been waiting for 20 years. It’s a historic, our opportunity to be the body of protecting our family and children. I arrived here 20 years ago and I’m 40 years old and in a few more years I won’t be a part of this historic event.
“From a personal point of view, it feels like we have the ability to go out and perform this task, when I see the lines on the map and see us a little bit after bit… When I thought it would happen tonight, I had a few nights and they would turn it around. Then, this time, it made me feel like we weren’t going to turn around this time.”
He continued: “I put my phone down that morning so I could concentrate as much as possible. When you land on the ground, it may be comforting to see the assessments performed before the surgery and look forward to the battle ahead of us, thinking about the family at home and taking part in the battle with great strength.”
“On October 7, at 6 a.m. I was on a civilian plane on my way to France to pick up my partner for Aliyah. I felt the difficulty of disappearing when I landed that day. I thought of everything we couldn’t do every morning. My partner, I brought here, and I wanted to make sure she was in a safe home in Israel.”
The uniqueness of Nachshon Squadron
Captain A., the squadron pilot, explained the uniqueness of the distinction between Nakshen’s squadron and other IAF squadrons.
“We don’t have a sister squadron. Take any other squadron, whether it’s transport or helicopters, and there’s another squadron that can do the same. Only we have Nakshen aircraft, all their functions are unique to us. Each aircraft brings its own unique capabilities and can’t find anywhere else in the IAF.”
He concluded: “All aircraft are Naxon’s aircraft, but we have three platforms, each with different missions, and people from different units have different aircraft. Due to the diversity, we are involved in different locations of the IAF: protecting the sky of the country, deep missions and patrols.”
