War of Independence
The sole armed aerial unit that stood before the Arab assault during the War of Independence was the Air Service, which was comprised of a few pilots who flew a limited number of light planes. The service dispatched the planes to aid in the various combat sectors.

At the outbreak of the war, Egyptian planes bombarded Tel Aviv. Concurrently, the first delivery of Messerschmidt combat planes from Czechoslovakia was on its way to Akron. The new fighters were immediately put to use against the Egyptians, playing a key role in halting their advance.

On June third, the Air Service chalked up its first victory when two Egyptian bombers who struck Tel Aviv were downed. Since then, the Air Service grew in strength.

During the war, the military embarked on purchase missions of fighter planes, transport aircraft, and bombers, which were brought to the country and quickly integrated into the service for immediate use in various operations. During that same period, volunteers from abroad came to the country to lend a hand in the formation and organization of the force.

As part of the "Avak," "Yoav," and "Hirem" operations, the Negev Brigade, which was worn down from battle, was replaced by the Yiftah Brigade. Providing supplies to the besieged town of the Negev was done by transport planes. The Air Force also aided in purging the Negev of enemy combatants as well as the conquering of the Galilee.

Following the war, the Air Force underwent a reorganization process. It set up its bases, built professional squadrons, absorbed new planes into its fleet, and stocked up its manpower with new enlistees, including native Israelis and new immigrants.

The Air Force recorded 19 Syrian and Egyptian planes which were downed during the course of the War of Independence.

The Sinai Campaign
In 1956, 16 Dakota planes and 495 pilots crossed the international border into the Sinai with the aim of parachuting soldiers, led by Rafael Eitan, into the Mitla Pass to re-supply the Paratroopers operating in the heart of the peninsula. The Air Force assigned two squadrons of combat planes to provide air cover for the brigade of paratroopers.

The squadrons received clear, unequivocal instructions to refrain from acting against ground targets and enemy aircraft. Their task was solely to concentrate on defending the paratroopers.

During the operation, Air Force planes neutralized Egyptian supply convoys, intercepted enemy aircraft, and defended the ground forces from aerial attack. The planes' primary objective was to deceive the Egyptians by appearing on enemy radar, forcing them to divert their attention to the north and thus enable the paratroopers to safely drop into their intended landing spot.

At war's end, the General Staff began to view the Air Force differently, recognizing its great importance as well as the need to augment its capabilities. The Air Force managed to bring down seven Egyptian fighter jets. It did, however, suffer 15 downed aircraft.

Six Day War
On the eve of the war, the Air Force fleet numbered 183 planes based in Ramat David, Akron, Hazor, Lod, and Hatzerim.

Planes took off, on average, at the rapid pace of one every 48 seconds on average.

The objective was to destroy enemy aircraft at bases in the Sinai, including those along the Suez Canal, Jordan, and Syria. The Six Day War was the Air Force's most carefully planned campaign, with strikes scheduled to the minutes and the seconds.

During the campaign, the force dispatched planes to back up the ground forces, attacked enemy convoys, used transport planes and helicopters to move forces, carried out rescue operations of wounded soldiers, and dropped forces behind enemy lines.

As a result of Air Force strikes, hundreds of tanks, vehicles, artillery batteries, army posts, encampments, and bases were destroyed.

In total, the Air Force executed 3,279 sorties of fighter bombers and struck 28 air bases. Sixty enemy planes were downed and 469 were destroyed. Sixty-nine Air Force planes were hit.

War of Attrition
The War of Attrition was the most intense fighting the Air Force has ever taken part of. It represented a 17-month period during which the IDF was forced to change tactics and acquire skills for day-to-day combat. The Egyptian army applied a new form of fighting, including commando raids, artillery strikes, and sniper shootings. The Air Force acted in an effort to force Egypt to cease its attacks. As such, it flew thousands of sorties and dropped many bombs on the enemy. Approximately 118 sorties were flown targeting radar and communications stations, missile batteries, army camps, bases, and command headquarters deep in Egyptian territory.

The Air Force battled Arab armies as well as terrorist organizations, their bases, and forces. In other words, it fought on three fronts. On 30.7.1970, five Soviet planes were downed in a battle against the Air Force, which suffered no losses. On 7.8.1970, both sides agreed to a cease-fire.

Yom Kippur War
On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria initiated an attack on Yom Kippur, launching a full-scale war. The surprise move caught Israel's Air Force unawares, prompting it to immediately organize its fighters and equipment for war.

Egyptian forces crossed the canal and Egyptian planes attacked IDF troops in the Sinai. On the northern front, Syrian planes struck IDF units and artillery batteries pounded civilian towns while hundreds of Syrian tanks began to move westward and took control of expansive areas on the Golan Heights. From the outbreak of the war, it was clear that the Air Force, just as the rest of the IDF, would assume a defensive posture and that the army would begin the campaign in a difficult predicament. Its mission in the first two days of the war was to halt advances by the enemy. Air Force jets attacked Syrian forces under threat of sophisticated surface-to-air missile batteries. On October 7, six Air Force jets were downed by Syrian anti-aircraft fire. On the Suez Canal, Air Force jets managed to significant hamper and eventually destroy Egyptian anti-aircraft batteries. Thirty-two missiles batteries were destroyed and 11 more were damaged.

After the IDF regained its footing on the fronts and began to push back the Egyptian and Syrian advances, Air Force jets took part in attacking Syrian and Egyptian convoys, posts, armored weaponry, airports and air bases. They also hampered the capability of their air forces.

Air Force strikes deep in the heart of enemy territory and the destruction of vital strategic targets, including oil installations, government institutions, refineries, and relay stations, were the main mortal blows against the enemy which served as retaliation for the launching of ground missiles against Israeli civilian targets.

Air Force helicopters and transport aircraft were utilized in evacuating killed and wounded soldiers. The anti-aircraft systems intercepted and brought down 60 enemy aircraft. The Air Force lost 53 crewmen who were killed over the course of the war.

Operation Peace for Galilee
The continuous terrorist operations carried out on Israeli territory and the ceaseless danger which threatened the north prompted Operation Peace for Galilee. During the war, the Air Force destroyed the Syrian arsenal of surface-to-air missile batteries. In addition, Syrian missile batteries were destroyed and 25 Syrian MiGs were downed. As a result, Syrian air defense systems suffered a collapse.

The Air Force also attacked terrorist bases, manning stations, armored vehicles, transported soldiers and supplies to the combat zone, and evacuated the injured and wounded.

The Israeli Air Force succeeded in downing 100 Syrian jets while not even one Israeli jet was lost throughout the battle.