Banidos IAI Nesher 1.0

Dassault Mirage 5/Nesher in Service with the IDF/AF

Acquizition

The IDF/AF purchased two models of the Mirage 5 – named Nesher in Israeli service – and supposedly “built” by IAI; in fact the aircraft were delivered in crates from France, and then put together by Israeli technicians under US supervision:

- 51 Nesher S single-seat fighters, received between 05/1971 and 02/1974.

- 10 Nesher T two-seat combat trainers, received in 1974 (five of these were later sold to South Africa, for conversion to Cheetah D: these aircraft wore serials 858 thru 862).

Squadrons

The Israeli AF Nesher served in four squadrons during their life:

- 101 Squadron “First Fighter” (05/1971 to 04/1975) alongside Mirage III.

- 144 Squadron “Guards of the Arava” (09/1972 to 12/1978).

- 113 Squadron “Hornet” (12/1972 to 06/1976).

- 253 Squadron “Negev” (11/1976 to 10/1979).

Modifications & Conversions

The Nesher fleet was not significantly modified during its service with the IDF/AF – except that a second UHF-aerial was mounted under the nose after a better radio set was added.

Sales

In 1978, the prospect of war with Chile for the Beagle Channel Islands prompted the purchase from Israel of 24 surplus Nesher S (as Dagger A) and 2 surplus Nesher T (as Dagger B), which were delivered between 26/11/1978 and 23/12/1980. A further batch of 11 Nesher S (as Dagger A) and 2 Nesher T (Dagger B) was supplied between 29/05/1981 and 02/1982. All of them were used in the Falkland/Malvinas War.

Preserved Examples

Today, there is only one Nesher preserved in Israel:

- Nesher S #01: Preserved at the Israeli AF Museum in Hatzerim AB as #501.

Attrition

Given that 35 Nesher S and 4 Nesher T were sold to Argentina, and 5 Nesher T to South Africa (for Cheetah D conversion), and that there is only one Nesher preserved in Israel (Nesher S #01 as #501), it must be considered that the total definitive losses for the 1971-1980 period were:

- Nesher S: 15 aircraft in 1971-1980.

- Nesher T: 1 aircraft in 1974-1980.

Serials of Mirage 5/Nesher in IDF/AF Service

The IDF/AF Nesher had a two-digit serial assigned for all their life:

- Nesher S: were allocated numbers between 01 and 99, evidently not consecutive.

- Nesher T: were allocated number in the same range that Nesher S but, as the third first digit was introduced, no coincidences existed.

In mid-1970s, the Nesher S' received a “5” as first digit, while the Nesher Ts received a “6” as first digit.

Camouflage Colours

There are distintive periods for the colors of the Neshers in IDF/AF service:

- 1971-1973: All the aircraft were camouflaged.

- 1973-1980: All the aircraft were camouflaged and identificative orange triangles with black borders added to diferentiate Arab from Israeli Mirages.

- 1980-1982: All the aircraft were camouflaged with the orange triangles deleted.

Unit Insignia & Special Markings

The IDF/AF Nesher had distinctive markings peculiar to each squadron:

- 101 Squadron: Badge plus red-and-white striped rudder.

- 144 Squadron: Badge without any other markings.

Nesher S "526" as seen at the time or shortly after the Yom Kippour War. Note the hastly applied identification triangle and the slightly oversized insignia of the "Guards of the Arava" Squadron, as well as two kill markings on the nose.

- 113 Squadron: Badge with checkered rudder.

Flying this Nesher S of the "Hornet" Squadron the top Israeli "ace" Giora Epstein scored eight kills during the Yom Kippour War, in 1973.

- 253 Squadron: Badge without any other markings.

This Nesher S of the "Negev" Squadron is shown as in the mid-1970s, already with additional aerials bellow the nose and behind the cockpit, as well as on the fin.