June 17, 1981, 3:50 PM, Etzion Airbase, Sinai Peninsula.
Delta wings, all-moving horizontal stabilizers, single vertical tail, single engine, a massive ventral intake, and a blended wing-body design—parked on the runway was one of the most advanced fighter jets in Israel and the world: the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Sitting in the spacious bubble canopy, Ze'ev Raz "lay" back in his flight seat and meticulously checked all the instruments.
Raz was the commander of the 117th Squadron. Since transitioning to the F-16, he had immediately fallen in love with the aircraft. Compared to the F-4 Phantom he used to fly, one was like a Mercedes or BMW on the highway, while the other was like a walking tractor on a farm.
Unlike all previous fighters, the F-16 was the first to adopt a side-stick layout; the control stick was not between the legs but on the right side. Combined with a seat reclined at thirty degrees, this ensured easier control even under high G-loads. Its static instability design and quad-redundant fly-by-wire system made the fighter incredibly agile with excellent close-quarters dogfighting capabilities. However, this mission was for bombing, not a dogfight with MiGs.
After completing the checks, Raz released the brakes, gently pushed the throttle with his left hand, and taxied toward the runway.
Once aligned with the runway, Raz checked all instruments one last time, waiting for instructions from the tower.
"Pop, pop, pop." Three red flares streaked through the sky, casting a beautiful light.
The powerful F100-PW-100 turbofan engine spewed pale purple flames. The afterburner engaged, and 111 kilonewtons of massive thrust sent the Fighting Falcon accelerating down the runway.
Raz loved this feeling—the sensation of powerful thrust against his back as the runway blurred past. On the Head-Up Display (HUD), the speed had already reached over three hundred kilometers per hour. Raz pulled back on the control stick with his right hand. Suddenly, the ground vanished from his sight as the fighter soared from the earth, piercing straight into the sky.
Three large external fuel tanks were mounted under the fuselage and wings. Beneath the wings hung two 908-kilogram bombs, and at the wingtips were two Sidewinder missiles.
Following closely behind Raz, seven F-16s and six F-15s took off in sequence, forming up over the airfield before heading east.
The eight F-16s belonged to the 117th and 110th Squadrons. The mission was divided into two groups, codenamed "Cluster" and "Chisel," commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Raz and Lieutenant Colonel Amir Nahumi, respectively. They were responsible for the bombing run. The six F-15s belonged to the 133rd Squadron, led by Colonel Baharav, tasked with providing cover for the bombers to prevent attacks from Iraqi aircraft.
Operation Babylon, which would shock the world, was about to Begin!
Since Iraq had steadfastly pursued its nuclear program, Israel had been unable to eat or sleep in peace.
Due to historical reasons, Israel and the surrounding Arab nations were as incompatible as fire and water. Since the day of its founding, four Middle East wars had broken out. Although Israel had emerged victorious each time and expanded its territory several times over—including the current airbase, which was captured land—it was deemed necessary for the survival of the Jewish people. However, the price Israel paid was immense; countless Jewish sons had fallen on the battlefield one after another.
Their arch-rival, Iraq, had begun developing its nuclear program in the 1970s, importing a weapons-grade plutonium separation plant and the Osirak Research Reactor from Italy and France. The arrogant Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, claimed that the Arab nation would not remain weak forever and would strike back at the Jewish aggressors once and for all at the appropriate time!
Two years ago, the Israeli Air Force began preparing to bomb the Osirak reactor, located 32 kilometers southeast of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, at the right moment!
However, the primary aircraft at the time was the F-4, which had a range too short to reach Baghdad over a thousand kilometers away. Last year, the United States finally sold the newest F-16 fighters to Israel. Overjoyed, Israel immediately sent pilots to receive them. Upon their return, the most critical training they underwent was long-distance flight training.
They had prepared for over a year for this bombing mission, which involved the painstaking efforts of Prime Minister Begin, Air Force Commander General Ivry, and others. All the preparations culminated in today!
Israel does not share a border with Iraq; they are separated by Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. To cross these hostile nations undetected, several F-4 Phantoms had been scanning these regions for months, looking for gaps in their airspace. Finally, they decided to fly at ultra-low altitudes across the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, entering Iraq from the west and heading straight for the Osirak reactor in the southern suburbs of Baghdad.
To deceive the enemy as much as possible, the planes were painted with the standard livery of the Jordanian Air Force. Furthermore, they flew low the entire way upon entering the Jordan-Saudi border area.
After the formation took off, Raz pushed the control stick to the right while stepping on the right rudder pedal. The fly-by-wire system provided moderate force feedback as the fuselage rolled and the plane turned right.
The F-4 Phantoms he used to fly used hydraulic control systems. At low altitudes, where the air density is high and resistance is greater, one needs to apply more stick movement and physical force. At high altitudes where the air is thin, less movement and force are required. This F-16, however, benefited from advanced American electronics and used fly-by-wire. Specifically, the control stick contained sensors that sent commands to the aircraft via a computer. This control method maintained the same stick quality at both high and low altitudes, greatly reducing the difficulty of operation.
The west wind was strong. They were supposed to bypass the Gulf of Aqaba, but before they could react, the formation had already flown over it.
Upon entering Saudi airspace, the formation dropped to an altitude of 60 meters to evade Saudi radar surveillance.
For a fighter jet traveling at Mach 0.7 (Mach 1 being the speed of sound, 340 meters per second), flying at such a low altitude was practically dancing with death. Yet, for a fighter pilot, such training was routine.
Because the Earth is curved and radar beams travel in straight lines, the lower one flies to evade radar, the better, as the Earth provides excellent cover. Having already mapped the locations of the enemy's long-range early warning radars and using low altitude as a shield, the probability of being detected was very low.
Flying at ultra-low altitudes to mask one's movements is a common tactic in air forces. There are solutions, the simplest being to take the radar into the sky—the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft.
Simple in theory, but very difficult to implement. Once a radar is in the sky, it stands high and sees far, with the terrain laid bare, but it also receives returns from all the hills and mountains. A plane hidden within the chaotic ground clutter is even harder to detect. Only with advanced electronic technology to filter out the clutter can the stealthily flying aircraft be displayed.
In this regard, American technology was the most advanced. For the formation's surprise attack on the nuclear reactor, an E-2 Hawkeye AEW aircraft imported from the US circled over Israel, providing information support.
The yellow sand on the ground seemed almost close enough to touch, with uniform dunes in every direction. In these conditions, much like flying over the sea, it was easy to suffer from illusions; the slightest mistake would mean a fatal crash. The only way to overcome this was through rigorous training. Those participating in this mission were the elite among pilots, veterans of several aerial combat operations.
The eight F-16s flew in a tight formation. In this state, even if detected by long-range radar, they would be mistaken for a single large aircraft. Flying in a tight formation is a test of piloting skill and a very practical formation for combat.
Lieutenant Colonel Nahumi's wingman was Colonel Iftach Spector, an Israeli ace. To become an ace, one must shoot down five enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Iftach was naturally exceptionally skilled; he didn't actually belong to Nahumi's squadron. As a Colonel, Iftach was the commander of the airbase where the F-16s were stationed, outranking every member of the mission group.
Upon learning that two top squadrons were to carry out the heavy responsibility of bombing the Iraqi nuclear reactor, Iftach was moved and insisted on participating in the airstrike, even if he wasn't the mission commander. To achieve his goal, he even bypassed Raz and Air Force Commander Ivry to go directly to the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, Rafael Eitan. After much persistence, Rafael could not withstand Iftach's repeated requests and replaced one of the originally scheduled pilots with him.
However, quite unfortunately, Iftach had caught the flu yesterday. For a pilot who needs to perform strenuous maneuvers, flying is generally prohibited. To participate in this mission, Iftach had concealed the fact that he had the flu.
Now, Iftach's nose was running. Fortunately, at low altitude, his oxygen mask was off; otherwise, if the mucus flowed into the mask and blocked the intake, he would be in big trouble. He stabilized the control stick with his right hand and nimbly wiped his nose with his left.
For stealth, radio silence was maintained throughout the flight. The pilots flew over Saudi Arabia according to the routes they had already memorized.
The fuel in the two 1,200-liter wing fuel tanks and the single 800-liter ventral tank was soon depleted. Over an uninhabited part of the Nafud Desert, Raz was the first to jettison his external tanks.
The three gleaming external tanks fell into the desert, reflecting the light of the western sun.
Flying at low altitude, the external tanks created significant drag. After jettisoning them, Raz immediately felt the aircraft lighten. Without pushing the throttle, his speed reached Mach 0.8.
Following behind Iftach, Captain Ilan Ramon was surprised to find that the ace pilot ahead had actually forgotten to jettison his tanks. Did he intend to drop the fuel tanks onto the nuclear reactor as well?
Due to the need to maintain radio silence, Ramon did not speak. He pushed the throttle forward with his left hand and gently pushed the control stick to the right with his right hand while stepping on the right rudder. The F-16 was like an obedient child in his hands, turning right and catching up to Iftach.
Inside the bubble canopy, Ramon looked at Iftach flying level with him. He pointed down with his left thumb and then rocked his control stick side to side. The F-16, like a graceful swallow, wagged its wings twice.
Iftach didn't understand Ramon's actions at first. Was the long-distance flight too boring? Why wasn't he maintaining formation? When he looked under Ramon's wings, he suddenly realized: he had actually forgotten to jettison his own tanks!
Iftach reached out and flipped the switches on the left panel. The three external tanks obediently fell away.
Ramon breathed a sigh of relief. For an ace pilot to make such a blunder—if they made it back, he would definitely have to tease him about it.
As the pilot of the eighth attacking aircraft, the eight of them had joked last night that if anyone were to be sacrificed, Ramon was the most likely. Yet, Ramon had still unhesitatingly taken the role of the rearguard. It wasn't because he was the lowest-ranking, but because he was not yet married; he had consciously taken on this mission.
Suddenly, over the international emergency transponder channel, a burst of noisy radio chatter came through: "Airspace Eight, there is an aircraft in Airspace Eight, please report your identity." It was in broken English.
Damn, they had been spotted by Saudi long-range radar.
"Jordanian Air Force, routine training," Raz replied in fluent English.
The Saudi air traffic controller believed him. Saudi Arabia and Jordan had always maintained friendly relations, and it was common for military aircraft from both countries to occasionally enter each other's airspace.
At 5:10 PM, the formation successfully entered Iraqi airspace from the southwestern border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
To remain hidden, the eight F-16s and six F-15s descended again to an ultra-low altitude of thirty meters, heading toward the Osirak reactor south of Baghdad.
Operation Babylon was about to play out over Iraq. The eyes of all Israel were focused on these few fighter jets on their long-range raid.