articles from the IAF site about Ron Arad
today we mark 18 years to his captivity
Operation 'Peace for the Galilee'
October 16th 1986:
A Phantom that had been carrying out attacks
against terrorist targets in south Lebanon suffers
a technical malfunction and is shot down.
Its air crew men bail out. The navigator, Ron Arad, is taken captive.
The pilot, Major Aviram, is rescued on a Cobra's skid to Israel.
A Phantom is hit over Lebanon. Ron Arad is captured
In October 1986, during a routine attack in Lebanon,
an IAF Phantom was damaged as a result of a technical malfunction.
The crew - pilot Maj. Aviram, and the WSO, Maj. Ron Arad, had no choice but to bail out.
Maj. Aviram was rescued in a daring operation by a Cobra helicopter,
in which he hung on to the chopper's landing gear. Ron Arad was taken captive.
Rescue on a Cobra's skids
On Thursday, October 16th 1986, a Phantom carrying
out a routine attack in Lebanon was hit following a technical malfunction,
and the two crew members had to bail out. The pilot had a rough fall and
rolled into a wadi, but crawled into a thicket of raspberry bushes and
camouflaged himself, awaiting rescue. The navigator, Maj. Ron Arad,
fell captive. The terrorist forces who had captured him scoured the
area looking for the pilot, and shot at the two Cobras which came to rescue him.
The Cobras managed to make contact with the pilot. They flew low
in his direction, and directed him to climb as far up the wadi wall as he could.
One of the Cobras managed to sidle up to the Phantom pilot. The plan called for
the weapons drum hatch to be opened, for him to sit on, but instead he took hold of one
of the chopper's skids under one arm, grabbed the radio with the other hand and shouted 'go!'.
He flown thus - hanging in midair from the Cobra's skid - to Israeli territory.
RON ARAD Born for Freedom!