Crowded, dangerous and in two languages: The unprecedented aerial operation over Israel is revealed
Hundreds of Israeli and American aircraft operated simultaneously in the region's skies, while missiles and UAVs from Iran and Lebanon also occupied the airspace. Now, the Air Force reveals the drama in the control system, which was required to synchronize the most crowded airspace it has ever known - and reach a record of 14 seconds from threat detection to interception.
It was the most complex, dangerous, and historic day since the establishment of the Air Traffic Control system in the Israeli Air Force: hundreds of aircraft of every type were returning at once from precision strikes deep inside Iran. Within seconds, Israel's airspace became a challenging traffic jam of fighter jets, helicopters, tankers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and civilian flights, flying at different altitudes and along different routes. In the background, an immediate calibration of the defense systems of the IDF and the US military was required against missiles and suicide drones from Iran and Lebanon.
Now, for the first time, the Air Force reveals the magnitude of the drama that unfolded at the Air Traffic Control system bases: from the responsibility placed on the controllers' shoulders to synchronize unprecedented cooperation between the Air Force pilots and the US military pilots, to the critical decisions that kept the skies safe.
"The most crowded airspace ever"
"Imagine hundreds of aircraft returning from an attack to land across Israel: fighter jets, transport planes, control planes, tankers, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, some of them from a partner army (USA), with which one must coordinate activity in English... Additional aircraft are taking off from Israel for strikes in another round, and the air defense system and naval force are on alert against missiles and UAVs already launched from Iran... This complex task must be synchronized with perfect precision by the soldiers of the Air Traffic Control system, who have trained for this moment for years," explained a senior Air Force officer in an exclusive interview with Walla.
"This is the war of our lives"
The Air Force commander on the day of the operation, Major General Tomer Bar, placed a central emphasis on the element of surprise and preparation for scenarios in which the enemy launches various items from several different centers simultaneously. The order for the zero hour was passed to the command of the Air Traffic Control system, which is responsible for coordinating all layers of aviation in the Israeli space and up to the depth of Iranian territory.
"This is the war of our lives. We have done similar things in the past, but such a thing has never been done in the Air Force," noted the system commander. "You are going to fortify the security of the State of Israel for a long time. For this we trained, for this we fought."
Management in chaotic conditions
During the war, another task was added to the Air Traffic Control system: alerts about aerial threats for civilians and soldiers passed through the decision-making process of the Air Traffic Control units to shorten timelines.
"The word 'controller' is a bit misleading because we don't just control the process, but actually manage it. It's very active. We understand the sky, the planning back and forth from the target areas, and we understand what needs to be done at every step, including unexpected events. We reached a record of 14 seconds from the moment of detection to interception. As a commander, I say: it is incredible that we brought our people to these capabilities. Everything passes through the control system."
