The Air Force bid farewell with a final flight and a salute to the veteran single-seat F-16 Barak 1 fighter jet. These aircraft arrived in the country about 35 years ago. In recent years, these jets have flown with 115 Squadron, the enemy simulation squadron, "The Flying Dragon," also known as the Red Squadron.

Recently, the Air Force bid farewell to the last single-seat Barak 1 jet, tail number 364, which flew for the last time, marking the end of the Barak 1 era upon its landing. The commander of Squadron 115, Lt. Col. A, said: "The final flight of aircraft 364 was part of a workshop we conducted for all of the Air Force's fighter squadrons as preparation and part of improving readiness for war in the northern theater."

Barak 1 number 364 first landed at the Ramat David base in July 1987 and operated in all arenas in attack missions and defending the nation's airspace. In 2006, it downed an Ababil UAV launched by Hezbollah.

The role of 115 Squadron, which flew the last Barak 1 jets, is to simulate enemy aircraft and train aircrews to deal with aerial and ground challenges in the theater. The squadron played a significant part in the training program, according to the Air Force website, despite the increasing use of simulators in the training and preparation processes.

The last Barak 1, number 364, landed last week at its first base, Ramat David in the north, and was transferred to the Air Force's technical school where it will continue to serve as a training aircraft for technicians.

Image - IDF