First Operation of the F-16s: June 7, 1981 Israeli Attack on Osirak Nuclear Reactor

French Construction of a Nuclear Reactor in Iraq

The story of the 1981 Israeli Air Force attack on Iraq began in 1976 when the French government commissioned the construction of an Osiris-class nuclear reactor in Iraq. This French-built reactor, called Osirak, was jointly maintained by both Iraqi and French personnel.

Israel considered this reactor to be an important part of a nuclear weapons program carried out by the Iraqi regime and claimed that it was a threat to it. By the end of the 1970s, Israel's 'nuclear threat' assessments of Iran today and Syria at the time were very much applicable to Iraq. 

By the way, it should be noted parenthetically. Contrary to Israeli claims, the Osirak reactor in Iraq, which was tightly controlled many years later, was not directly involved in a nuclear weapons program. It was simply a reactor used to generate electricity from nuclear power. A great deal of convincing, corroborating evidence has subsequently emerged that this was so. 

Iran Conducts First Airstrikes on Osirak Reactor Before Israel

At the time, Iraq's nuclear program was as troubling to the Khomeini regime that came to power in 1979 as it was to Israel. This concern led to the reactor being among the targets of Iranian warplanes at the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war, which began in 1980 and continued until 1989. Iran launched its first attack on the reactor on September 30, 1980, using F-4 fighters. Iran attacked the facility with McDonnell Douglas F-4E fighter-bombers as part of Operation Scorch Sword. Although this airstrike caused some damage to the reactor, it ultimately failed to destroy the Osirak reactor. With the assistance of French technicians, the damage caused by Iranian aircraft was quickly repaired.

After the attack, Iran took several aerial photographs of the reactor with RF-4Es, which it used as tactical reconnaissance aircraft. It was later claimed that Iranian intelligence services had provided these photographs to Israel. Iran knew that Israel had been making diplomatic efforts to stop the construction and use of this reactor since the late 1970s. But it was also aware that Israel's efforts were in vain. Realizing that it would be difficult to destroy this reactor while fighting Iraq, Iran began to act in a way that would feed Israel's concern about 'nuclear weapons' and enable Israel to strike this reactor.

Israel to adopt a policy of "pre-emptive strikes"

According to rumors circulating at the time, Israeli officials sought to take covert actions, including planting bombs at the facility and threatening and even attempting to assassinate those working in connection with the reactor project. In late 1979, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, assessing that these efforts were not going to get Israel anywhere and arguing for something different, announced that he favored a policy of 'pre-emptive strikes' to eliminate the threat posed by the Iraqi nuclear facility.

Begin tasked the Israeli Air Force to deliver a preemptive strike on Iraq's nuclear reactor. Since the operational radius of the fighter jets it had was not sufficient to attack the reactor from the air to the ground, it waited for the arrival of the F-16 Block 10 Netz fighters, which were still in the procurement phase at the time. The Amrikan-made F-16s were the best platform to strike this target 700 miles away from Israeli territory. In the meantime, the Israeli Air Force calculated that it would need at least eight aircraft for such an attack, but since the procurement program provides for the delivery of a maximum of four F-16s per month, it had to wait until it had the required number of F-16s and until enough pilots were trained on them. In addition, the weapons and ammunition loading equipment and apparatus for these aircraft had to be delivered, and the training of weapons technicians had to be completed. 

The fact that the F-16 Block 10 Netz fighters could carry four 2,000-pound M-84 general purpose bombs was a performance that exceeded the expectations of the Israeli Air Force. This was because M-84 type bombs had to be used to attack this reactor. Moreover, the fire control system of the F-16s enabled precision strikes from high altitudes. These aircraft also had a CCIP system for low-altitude attacks, which allowed for the most precise engagement by continuously calculating the point of impact of the target even under changing conditions. This strike superiority of the F-16s over many other aircraft at the time, and the flexible way they could be used for the mission, made it almost impossible for any other aircraft to be used to attack this reactor.

When the F-16s are ready, it is decided to conduct Operation Osire (called Ofra or Opera)

Once the Israeli Air Force had acquired enough F-16 Block 10 Netz, it began preliminary preparations and training flights to develop methods of attacking the reactor. First, a mock-up of the reactor was built in the Negev desert in the summer of 1980 as a simulated target so that pilots could familiarize themselves with the facility in advance. Once the facility was completed, a simulated air-to-ground strike was conducted against the target in the Negev desert on August 23, 1980, under simulated operational conditions. 

The Israeli Cabinet decision to launch a preemptive strike on the Iraqi reactor was made in October 1980. The button was now pressed. After Air Force cabinet approval, a second simulated attack took place in November. The training up to this point had not only allowed the pilots to be properly prepared for the first operation with F-16s, but had also allowed progress to be made on how to carry out simulated target attacks with new techniques and the appropriate weaponry. Despite this progress, air-to-ground attack training continued uninterrupted until the day before the actual attack. The Air Force did not want to take any chances. Meanwhile, none of the fighter pilots knew the exact timing of the attack on the reactor. The planning and associated preparatory training was carried out in the strictest secrecy. Only the day before the attack, Colonel Iftach Spector, who would personally participate in the raid, would tell the pilots when the attack would take place.

The F-16Viper load configuration in the picture below is the configuration used by the Osirak F-16 Block 10 Netz Attack Package.

Operation Profile

June 7, 1981, Israeli Aircraft Attack on the Osirak Reactor on a Sunday

In fact, the Israeli Cabinet had hoped that the attack on the reactor would take place in November 1980. But for various reasons this could not be realized. Then May 1981 was agreed upon, but that was not possible either. Finally, on Sunday, June 7, 1981, the plan was put into action at Etzion Air Base on the Red Sea coast, 12 miles from Eilat. 

It was decided that 8 F-16 Netz aircraft would carry out air-to-ground strikes, while the F-16 column would be supported by 6 McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle aircraft. The Israeli Air Force's newly acquired Grumman E-2C Hawkeyes and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters would be on standby for combat search and rescue missions in the event that an Israeli pilot was shot down. According to Israeli Air Force calculations, there was a possibility of two aircraft being shot down during the strikes. Each F-16 scheduled for the mission was to carry two Mk-84 2000-pound general purpose bombs. In addition, external fuel tanks were loaded at stations 4 and 6 and the center line (station 5), and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles were loaded on the wing tips.

Within the scope of the mission profile, it was planned that the planes would fly to the reactor with these external fuel tanks, drop bombs and jettison the empty external fuel tanks (2 370 gallon tanks) when starting the return. The empty external fuel tanks caused the planes to waste extra fuel due to drag. At the point in the profile flight when these tanks were no longer needed, it was necessary to get rid of the empty tanks. Thus, the range problem caused by the friction caused by empty fuel tanks was solved by itself. The operational planners wanted to guarantee that the planes could safely reach Israel without any range problems. 

In fact, the external fuel tanks under the wing ran out before reaching the reactor. As soon as the tanks were empty, it was possible to jettison the empty tanks. However, the Mk-84 ammunition carried at stations 3 and 7 and the fuel tanks carried at stations 4 and 6 were too close to each other. It was thought that empty tanks could damage the bombs during jettison. Therefore, it was decided to keep the empty fuel tanks on the aircraft until the bombs were dropped on the target. As a result, when the mission return profile started, 16 empty fuel tanks were dropped somewhere in the desert. By the way, as a footnote. On September 7, 2007, the Israeli Air Force did not hesitate to reveal its planned attack on a nuclear facility in Syria by dropping empty fuel tanks on Turkish soil.

Package Arm Approaches Reactor in Profile Flight from Low Altitude

At 15:00 on June 7, the planes took off. The F-16 Netz aircraft were allocated to Squadron Commands 110 and 117 and were selected from among the pilots serving in these squadrons. It was decided that the task force would use only signals for radio communications within the column. And so it was. All the aircraft in the task force successfully took off from Etzion Air Base.

Even though the F-16s were loaded with AIM-9 missiles, it would not have been possible for the F-16s to defend themselves against Iraqi air defense aircraft on their own with this bomb and fuel load. Therefore, F-15s were also assigned to protect the attack column. Taking off en masse from Etzion, the Package Arm first headed northeast over the territory of Saudi Arabia, and then began a profile flight towards Iraq. On the way to Iraq, an indirect route was preferred. In order to give as late a warning as possible, the column had to fly over empty desert lands. Before reaching the Iraqi border, the package arm performed its profile towards the reactor, flying at low altitude over the desolate deserts in the northern region of Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The dome of the target reactor was about 60 feet in diameter and the walls were about 11 feet (about 4 meters) thick. In order to clear the way for F-16s infiltrating the area from low altitude, the F-15s escorting the package arm left the low altitude IP (initial point) five minutes before the target (around 17.30) and climbed to their patrol points to prevent any Iraqi fighter interceptors that might come into the reactor area from interfering with the attack. Meanwhile, the F-16 pilots, whose external fuel tanks were empty, followed each other in coordinated maneuvers towards the planned hill for air-to-ground attack. The Osirak Nuclear Reactor, which they could not yet see as they approached at low altitude, was now right in front of them, almost waiting for the F-16s. The target was exposed like a 'pumpkin'. It was only a matter of time before it was hit. 

Osirak Reactor is being hit by Israel

The attack on the reactor began at 17.35 hours. On board F-16 Netz fighter 113, Ze'ev Raz was the leader of the first quartet of the package column, next to him were Amos Yadlin and 'Doobi' Yoffe on board F-16 Netz 107, the aircraft that would later become famous, and behind him, on board F-16 Netz 129, was Colonel Relik Shafir, Deputy Commander of the 117th Squadron. They were followed by a column of four F-16s coming from behind. By the time the F-16s were within 5-7 miles of the target, they had also reached the altitude of the hill at which they would begin their dive. Each aircraft then began a 30-35 degree dive towards the target, and when the dive reached 600 knots, the bombs were dropped at a safe altitude. Following the 'bomb drop moment' on the aircraft's heads-up display in the CCIP drop pattern, the pilots pressed the bomb buttons as soon as the target and the CCIP pipper met. 

Ze'ev Raz, the leader of the Package Task Force, later described the incident as follows: "About 15 minutes before we reached the target area, we knew that the Iraqi radars should have seen us, but luckily for us (due to the ongoing Iraq-Iran war), the Iraqis' attention was to the east and not to the west. Therefore, they could not see us. When we saw that no enemy aircraft were engaging us while we were dropping our ammunition on the target, we carried out our mission as if we were on a training flight. After completing our attacks, we quickly climbed to an altitude of 40,000 feet within two minutes to start the return course. And still there were no enemy fighters in sight. We were surprised and even a little disappointed." Indeed, apart from sporadic anti-aircraft fire and surface-to-air missile fire on the second foursome, led by Amir Nachumi, the Iraqi air defenses were very weak in intercepting the attacking column. Thus, encountering virtually no obstacles, 8 F-16 Netz aircraft and 6 F-15s landed safely at Etzion Air Base at the end of this three-hour mission without any casualties.

According to the evaluations made after this important cross-border operation mission, it was revealed that all of the 16 Mk.84 bombs dropped by the F-16s on the target hit the target, but only one of them failed to explode. According to calculations, only two Mk-84 general purpose bombs hitting the target would have been sufficient to destroy the reactor. In this case, 15 bombs had exploded on the target. It was almost impossible for the target to survive. The fact that a packet arm attack was carried out, which remained on the target for only 1.5 minutes in total and hit the target without anyone missing the target, was admirable. Military aviation authorities of the time praised the Israeli Air Force. It continued to be cited by many in the years that followed as an exemplary air-to-ground attack. 

Did Iran Promise Safe Haven for Israeli Aircraft?

During the attack on the reactor, in the event that any Israeli fighter jet was wounded due to possible resistance by Iraqi air defense elements, if it was not possible for the damaged aircraft to return to Israel, the option of landing this aircraft in Iran instead of Israel was included in the plan as per the agreement reached with Iran in advance. Iran had allegedly guaranteed a safe harbor for the strike package. Since there was no need for such a thing in the end, the reality of this situation is not known. On the other hand, there were also allegations at the time that Saddam Hussein had some senior Air Force commanders executed for failing to prevent the attack on the reactor. During the Israeli Air Force attack, 10 Iraqis and one French officer lost their lives. Later in 1981, the Israeli government agreed to pay compensation to the family of Chaussepied, a French engineer who died as a result of the attack.

Israel's attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor apparently drew global outrage. Although some Middle Eastern countries and the Western world seemed to condemn the attack, in fact everyone was somewhat pleased with it. The United States, in particular, was playing the American-style three monkeys. Ronald Reagan, the US president at the time, who generously provided Israel with the intelligence it needed through spy satellites, reacted, "What have they done?", while Secretary of State Alexander Haig whispered in his ear, "Mr. President, before this is over, we will be on our knees thanking God for what Israel has done."

Israeli Air Force F-16A Netz fighter jet with tail number 107 

F-16 107 was one of the aircraft that bombed the reactor in 1981. Also in 1982, it shot down 7 enemy fighter jets (including one jointly with another Israeli fighter jet). The Israeli F-16, tail number 107, achieved a kill rating of 6.5, making it the most downed F-16 fighter in the world. 

Reference:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-16-Netz-107-fighter-and-killmarks-01.jpg

Dario Leone, "Israel Air Force attack against Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor", https://theaviationgeekclub.com/operation-opera-the-story-of-how-israeli-air-force-f-16-netz-fighter-bombers-destroyed-iraqs-osirak-nuclear-reactor/amp/

https://twitter.com/dogutcem/status/1269666580578910209, June 7, 2020

https://twitter.com/hkilichsword/status/872453644922359808, June 7, 2017

TGRTHaber, "Here is Saddam's plan for Israel 33 years ago", October 17, 2014, https://www.tgrthaber.com.tr/dunya/iste-saddamin-33-yil-onceki-israil-plani-39185

Murat Deniz Şenol, "Operation Opera - Osirak Attack", Göklerdeyiz, https://www.goklerdeyiz.net/opera-operasyonu-osirak-saldirisi/