Palmachim Air Force Base is an Israeli military facility and spaceport located near the cities of Rishon LeZion and Yavne on the Mediterranean Sea. It is named after nearby Kibbutz Palmachim on the Mediterranean shore.
The base is home to several IAF helicopter and UAV squadrons, and serves as a rocket launch site for the Arrow missile. Palmachim is also used to launch the Shavit space launch vehicle into retrograde orbit by launching over the Mediterranean, acting as Israel's primary spaceport. This ensures that rocket debris falls into water, and that the rocket does not fire over regional enemy countries near Israel that could use the technology.
Recent launches include:
11 June 2007 - Ofeq 7 satellite
22 June 2010 - Ofeq 9 satellite
In July 2007, it was agreed that once Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv was closed, its military terminal would be transferred to Palmachim although Sde Dov Airport continues to operate.
Units
124th Squadron – operating S-70
151st Squadron (Missile Testing Squadron)
160th Squadron – operating AH-1
166th Squadron – operating Hermes 450 UAVs
200th Squadron – operating Heron UAVs
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