Sdot Micha Airbase (in Hebrew: ) is an

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

(IAF) missile base and depot, whose existence

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

neither confirms nor denies. It is situated in the center of Israel, halfway from

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

and extends nearly 13 km from southeast to northwest. The center of the base is located 1.5 km north of

Moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 ...

Sdot Micha.

Name

The secret airbase has been called many names. It is most commonly called by sources as Sdot Micha Airbase due to its proximity to

Sdot Micha, and less commonly Zechariah Airbase (including different spelling), due to its proximity to Moshav Zechariah. or Kanaf 2 Airbase (literally Air Wing 2 Airbase). In July 2017 the IDF temporarily uncovered the name of the airforce's 11th and secret airforce base called Sdot HaElah, but after the press had picked it up, it disappeared again from their website. Sdot Micha is located in the Valley of Elah, ( ''Emek HaElah'' in Hebrew). A 2005 official Israeli document regarding the Privatization of the Military Industry of Israel Ltd. later renamed IMI Systems (Resolution no. M'Kh/24 of the Ministerial Committee on Privatization Affairs dated 28.08.2005) states: "IMI's rights in part of the land division known as "Area 209" designated for the "Arrow" battery were sold by IMI to the Ministry of Defense under an agreement dated May 10, 2005." In the official documents published at the time of the sale of IMI Systems to Elbit Systems (Resolution No. M'Kh/2 of the Ministerial Committee on Privatization of 23.12.2013) the base is referred to again as ''Area 209'' (in Hebrew שטח אש 209). A restricted airspace and restricted military area covering an area of 12,550 dunams in the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. The area was allocated to the Ministry of Defense by Israel Land Authority.

Missiles

Nuclear missiles, positions

It is believed that the base is a missile launch facility for nuclear-tipped Jericho 2 IRBMs and probably Jericho 3 ICBMs. Likely positions of the launch sites with nearby bunkers are and . Satellite images show these launch areas for mobile missiles very explicitly, which is part of their deterrence. The roads for the mobile missile systems are in between ridges of hills, which has the advantage that the missile bunkers could be dug into the limestone hills around and only need massive doors to protect them from nuclear explosions - direct hits excluded. The missile sites are also hidden there and cannot to be seen from the outside.

Anti-missile system

According to Jane's Defence Weekly, Sdot Micha is also a location for the new Arrow 3 ABM, designed to intercept (nuclear) missiles coming from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

. This is a joint venture of Israel and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and has been deployed there in the beginning of 2017. Satellite photos show the construction of four bunkers capable to withstand nuclear explosions. In each bunker a mobile launcher with six Arrow 3 missiles can be deployed. The US have accidentally published where the exact locations of the bunkers are: .

Related nearby bases

All larger missiles of Israel are built in the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) MLM Division missile plant in Be'er Ya'akov, 20 km northwest to the base (). Northwest near the base is also Tel Nof Airbase where F-15 jets can be equipped with nuclear bombs probably stored in the depot of Sdot Micha ().

Units

*IAF 2nd Wing **150th Squadron Jericho IRBM / ICBM **199th Squadron Jericho IRBM / ICBM **248th Squadron Jericho IRBM / ICBM *4 launchers with six Arrow 3 missiles each Shavit Ofek7a.jpg, Shavit (civilian Jericho 2) missile launching on June 11. 2007 Shavit 3rd stage.JPG, Third stage of a Shavit / Jericho 2 with IAI logo Arrow-3 Feb-25-2013 (a).jpg, Test start of an Arrow 3 on February 25. 2013 Al-Burayj.jpg, Greek Orthodox monastery in Arab Palestinian village of Al-Burayj, 1948 Map Sdot Micha AB.png, Map of the depot and the Sdot Micha Airbase with notable missile sites

History

The base was established in 1962 on the land of the depopulated Palestinian Arab village of Al-Burayj.

References

{{authority control Rocket launch sites Israeli Air Force bases Israeli nuclear development