Nevatim Airbase (, English: sprouts) , also Air Force Base 28, is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base, located 15 km east-southeast of Beersheba, near moshav Nevatim in the northern Negev desert. It is one of the largest in Israel and has three runways of different lengths. Stealth fighter jets, transport aircraft, tanker aircraft and machines for electronic reconnaissance/surveillance, as well as the Wing of Zion, are stationed there (see: Units).
The airbase was long considered for dual use – military and civilian – as an airport for the growing city of Beersheba. But in February 2026, the Israeli government decided to build a new major airport on the opposite side of the city, about 40 km from the base (see: International Airport).
History The beginning As early as 1947, a rough runway was built here in the northern Negev Desert for the Sherut Avir, the air wing of the Haganah. The former airfield was named Malhata after the archaeological site, the mound or tell known as (see photo in the gallery below) northeast of today's northern runway within the airbase (see map on the right and location: ).
In 1958, the site was earmarked for the construction of a future international airport for the city of Beersheba and its surroundings, which would replace the local airport located to the northwest, which was not suitable for development as a modern major airport.
In 1966, an inter-ministerial committee was set up to study the possibility of building an International Airport in the Beersheba region, but in practice this issue was not further promoted.
The today's modern airbase was built from 1980 and opened in October 1983 with initially two runways as the result of joint Israeli and US government funding as part of the IAF's redeployment out of its bases in the Sinai after the peninsula was returned to Egypt following the Camp David Accords (see photo of Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter and Menachem Begin in gallery below). From 1979 to 1982 Ramon Airbase and Ovda Airbase were also built in the Negev – mainly by US companies.
For the construction of the Nevatim Airbase in the early 1980s, some Israeli Bedouins had to be relocated outside the planned area. They were financially compensated for this, and efforts are still being made to maintain a good relationship with them.
In 1986, it was proposed to use the base also for tourist charter flights from Europe to the Dead Sea.
In 1990, a committee again recommended the construction of an International Airport at the location of the base.
In the wake of budget cuts in the mid-1990s, there were considerations of closing the base entirely and relocating its air units to other airbases. Instead, it expanded starting in the early 2000s, and in 2008 it finally took over the military portion of Ben Gurion Airport, known as Lod Airbase (see: transport, refueling, and reconnaissance aircraft).
Gallery
Fighter jet squadrons Three squadrons of fighter jets are stationed at Nevatim. Here is their history in brief:
116 Squadron "Lions/ Defenders Of The South" The 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South" with A-4N Skyhawk Ayit light fighter jets was relocated in 1983 from Tel Nof Airbase to the newly established Nevatim Airbase 70 km further south and was its first fighter jet squadron. The A-4N jets remained in service there until 2002, when the squadron was temporarily disbanded.
In 2003 it was reopened with F-16A/B Netz jets as the "Defenders Of The South", which had been transferred here from the 253 Squadron "Negev" at Ramon Airbase. Three squadrons at Ramon received new F-16I Sufa jets during that time, adapted to Israeli needs. In the summer of 2015, all F-16 jets at Nevatim were decommissioned and the squadron was disbanded again.
Back in the 1960s, the 116 Squadron at Tel Nof Airbase flew the French-made Dassault Mystère IV A. As a reminiscence of this, a Mystère IV jet from that era was placed on a grassy hill near the east gate of Nevatim Airbase, with its nose pointing steeply into the sky (see photo right above). A number of other aircraft from bygone times are also on display in a park there ().
In November 2019, the 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South" was reopened at Nevatim Airbase with new F-35I Adir stealth jets from the US. It is expected to reach its full size with 25 aircraft towards the end of the 2020s, like the other two F-35I squadrons at Nevatim.
117 Squadron "First Jet" The 117 Squadron "First Jet" was established in 1953 at Ramat David Airbase as the first fighter jet squadron of the Israeli Air Force and has participated in all of Israel's wars and combat operations since then. It operated the British-made Gloster Meteor F.8, the French Dassault Mirage IIICJ and the US-made General Dynamics F-16A..D from Ramat David. In 2020 the squadron was temporarily disbanded.
On 1 July 2021, the 117 Squadron was reopened at Nevatim with F-35I Adir stealth jets. It will initially serve as a training squadron for the other two F-35I squadrons until sufficient F-35s have been delivered from the US, and will then become an active operational squadron. This is expected to happen in the second half of the 2020s.
Since its founding, the 117 Squadron "First Jet" has been considered one of the elite squadrons of the Israeli Air Force, always equipped with the latest and most powerful fighter aircraft of its time, such as the F-35I Adir.
140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" The 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle", which operated from 1973 with A-4H/N Skyhawk Ayit, was relocated in 1982 from the abandoned Etzion Airbase in the Sinai to the newly established Ramon Airbase in the Negev and continued as a fighter and training squadron until it was finally closed down in 1985. One year later, in 1986, it was reopened at Nevatim with F-16A/B Netz fighter jets, which were pulled together from other bases here. It was not until 2013 that this squadron was closed again and its remaining F-16A/B jets were handed over to the 116 Squadron "Defenders Of The South" – also at Nevatim.
The F-16A jet #243 (see photo in the gallery below) was involved in Operation Opera on 7 June 1981, the destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak. It was flown by Ilan Ramon (1954–2003) and took off from Etzion Airbase for the operation, and it received a corresponding triangular symbol afterwards. At that time, this F-16A belonged to 110 Squadron "Knights Of The North" at Ramat David Airbase, later to 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" at Nevatim, as can be seen in the photo below.
After being closed for more than three years, the 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" was reopened at Nevatim in December 2016 and was the first squadron in Israel (and outside the USA) to receive the new stealth fighter jet F-35I with the Hebrew designation Adir (אדיר, "The Mighty One").
Today Infrastructure The northern part of Nevatim Airbase, with its two runways, is home to the three squadrons of F-35I stealth fighter jets. Two other runways there dating back to the early days of the base are no longer in operation (see map). The southern runway, with its 3,900 meters, was completed in 2008 and was, at the time, the longest runway in the Middle East. The southern area is primarily home to transport aircraft, tanker aircraft, and reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft.
Stealth aircraft
Since December 2016, F-35I Adir (אדיר, "The Mighty One") stealth fighter jets have been stationed at Nevatim. Israel buys them from a US manufacturer consortium around Lockheed Martin, modified according to its needs. A total of 75 of these stealth jets have been ordered so far, which are to be delivered by the end of the 2020s. This will fill up three squadrons, all of which are already set up at Nevatim and will reach full strength by that time. These are the 116 Squadron "Lions Of The South", the 117 Squadron "First Jet" and the 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle", all of which have a longer history on other bases and with other aircraft (see above and also Units).
In early May 2026, it was announced that the IAF would establish a fourth squadron of F-35I – adding another 25 stealth jets. The location where it will be stationed has not yet been disclosed.
Flight simulator Parallel to the introduction of the F-35I, a flight simulator was also installed at Nevatim, which is intended to familiarize new pilots with the aircraft before they sit in the cockpit for the first time and to familiarize experienced pilots with combat situations without putting themselves in danger.
First combat missions
After a year-long testing and training phase, Israel officially declared the base's first eight F-35Is operational at the beginning of December 2017. On 22 May 2018, Israel's then Air Force commander, Major General Amikam Norkin, reported that Israel became the first country in the world to use the F-35 in combat during recent clashes with Iran in Syria. In July 2019, Nevatim-based F-35Is twice attacked Iranian missile depots located north and northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Gaza war and "Beast Mode" In March 2025, the IAF confirmed that since the outbreak of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, it had flown thousands of sorties in all combat theaters with its F-35I Adir stealth jets, including using "external munitions". In this configuration, known as "Beast Mode," up to four bombs or missiles are mounted directly under the wings. The F-35 normally carries weapons internally, maintaining its stealth capabilities. With external weapons, it isn't stealthy anymore, but this seems less important in the Gaza conflict, since Hamas does not have air defense.
Both the USAF and the IAF are developing external fuel tanks for their F-35 stealth jets, either under the wings and jettisonable, or so-called CFTs (Conformal Fuel Tanks), which are mounted tightly along the fuselage. The latters must be stealthy, as they cannot be jettisoned. The IAF is a pioneer in the development of CFTs on its F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
Transport aircraft
The 103 Squadron "Elephants" was established during the Palestine War in July 1948 at Ramat David Airbase and from then on flew various transport aircraft at several bases. In 2008, it finally moved its C-130H Hercules Karnaf from the former Lod Airbase (military section of the Ben Gurion Airport) to Nevatim Airbase. In 2014, the squadron received the improved C-130J-30 Super Hercules Shimshon, which it continues to fly today.
The 131 Squadron "Knights Of The Yellow Bird" was established in October 1973 during the Yom Kippur War at the former Lod Airbase (Ben Gurion Airport) and flew the C-130E/H Hercules Karnaf from the outset. In 2008, the 131 Squadron finally relocated with its remaining C-130Hs, along with the 103 Squadron, to Nevatim Airbase. After the withdrawal of 103, 131, 120 and 122 Squadron (see below under Units), Lod Airbase was closed and Ben Gurion became a purely civilian airport.
Tanker aircraft
The 120 Squadron "Desert Giants" (former "International Squadron" at Lod Airbase) consists of Boeing 707 Re'em tanker aircraft dating back to the 1970s and stationed at Nevatim since 2008. They will be replaced by newer Boeing KC-46A Gideon aircraft in the coming years. At the beginning of 2021, Israel signed a preliminary contract for initially two tanker aircraft; in the medium term, up to eight examples are planned, which are to be delivered from around 2025.
In November 2024, it was announced that Boeing had begun production of the first of four tanker aircraft for Israel and that there's an option for eight more, so a total of 12. In addition, new large hangars will be built for all Gideon tankers. At the end of August 2025, the number of tanker aircraft ordered by Israel increased to six.