2,000 kilometers from Israel, over 700 aerial refuelling sorties – nearly without sight of the ground: The Israeli Air Force has taken control of Iranian skies over the past two weeks, thanks to dozens of fighter jets relying on mid-air refueling. The veteran “Reem” Squadron did not disappoint, and its Boeing 707 aircraft underwent special maintenance to meet the mission: “We have exactly five seconds to connect to the fighter jet. This was our own ‘Operation Focus*.'”
Nearly two weeks have passed since the launch of Operation Rising Lion (The 12 day war) in Iran, during which Israeli Air Force aircraft have managed to maintain a 24/7 aerial blockade over a country the size of Turkey, Greece, and Italy combined—thanks in large part to the old and heavy “Reem” flying tankers, enabling the IDF’s largest and most distant aerial campaign ever.
“Squadron 120, the ‘Desert Giants,’ has existed for decades solely for this mission – and we’ve been preparing for it,” explained Senior NCO R., who, along with Maj. A., is responsible for what seems like an impossible task: maintaining aircraft that no longer exist in any Western air force, for war against a regional power far beyond Israel’s border. “There are so many dials in the cockpit, and everything is mechanical, with cables and control yokes like they were sixty years ago,” they proudly shared. “Only the electronics and computers are new in these aircraft.”
The Reem aircraft, Israel’s tanker fleet now about 60 years old, look like a museum pieces inside and out. They’re older than the Air Force Commander and the Chief of Staff, yet they still perform reliably. The cockpit has no screens – certainly no touch displays. The cabin is fully mechanical, featuring original 1960s switches and buttons, and the entire experience is retro, from the indicator lights and doors to the smell and even the seats—it feels like stepping back in time.
During the operation so far, the Reem aircraft have refueled millions of liters of fuel in more than 700 aerial refueling connections. Even though the complex process was rehearsed hundreds of times – including with the U.S. Air Force over the past year – under real war conditions with Iran and the risk of being shot down, nerves of steel are required from both the fighter pilots below the boom and the tanker crews, with a level of precision few air forces in the world can match.
“They Can Fly for Years”: Preparation and Route Selection
“No other squadron in the Air Force has an operational purpose so uniquely tied to what we’re experiencing now,” said Senior NCO M. “We’ve practiced this using models and a series of preparations and tests over the past year. Our personnel know every bolt on this aircraft. Despite their age, these planes can keep flying for years on missions like this. No other air force has 707 tankers – our counterparts abroad are amazed at how we use them for missions in Iran.”
Naturally, the Reem aircraft have a large radar signature due to their design, which is similar to passenger aircraft, and they lack the maneuverability to evade surface-to-air missiles. However, they are equipped with self-protection systems against shoulder-launched missiles, similar to the “Sky Shield” system installed on Israeli commercial planes. As such, the squadron must carefully plan flight paths to Iran – far enough to allow continuous hours of strikes by various fighter jets, but safe enough to avoid becoming easy targets.
Responsible for this is Lt. H., a young female navigator in the Reem squadron, who only recently completed flight school. “I entered this role at the peak of battle preparations procedure for the operation, and as the head of navigation in the squadron, I chose the most efficient and safest refueling routes with my team and prepared operational materials for the pilots,” she said.
“So far, we’ve carried out dozens of refueling sorties. These Boeing 707s have proven that nothing is impossible. We have long sorties of 7–8 hours, and critical targets that require rapid destruction depend on aerial refueling.” Among these targets are missile launchers identified in real time, just moments before they were to fire salvos at Israel.
“We Prepared for 15 Years Just for This. The Results Are Historic.”
“It’s very difficult to reach the exact point between two aircraft at the right moment. We have only five seconds to connect with the fighter jet,” explained Maj. (Res.) A., a captain in the Reem squadron. “Everyone here knows the missions – this is exactly what the squadron was built and trained for. I’ve been in the squadron for 15 years, and all of it was preparation for this operation. We grew up on ‘Operation Focus,’ and for weeks we’ve been saying – this is our generation’s Operation Focus. The results are historic.”
He added, “On Thursday morning last week (June 12, 2025), 15 hours before the operation began, I kissed my wife and kids and left my home in the north for the squadron at Nevatim. Of course, different scenarios went through my head. But from the moment I entered the briefing room, my mind focused only on the mission – we go cold, run scenarios and responses in our heads, and operate almost automatically, just like we trained. There are many more fighter jets than tankers, and to maintain continuity all the way to Tehran, we as tankers take risks we never take in training.”
Maj. A., a reservist pilot and a civilian medical start-up founder, confessed his love for the big old Boeing 707: “What we’re doing is a dream, but the risk of being shot down is always present. In this operation, we’re taking our capabilities to the limit.” He shared, “Before every sortie, I tell the fighter pilots: ‘I’ll make sure you reach your targets and come back – and you make sure to protect us.’ Yes, these are old planes, but they have soul and a special kind of charm.”
Navigator Lt. H. added, “There can be many surprises in these operations, such as in-air malfunctions and decisions made by the tanker pilot that impact an entire air fleet in the coming days.”
“Just Imagine This Operation with the New Tankers”
The war with Iran caught the Air Force at a bad time – just a few years before a major generational modernization is scheduled. Most of the manned aircraft in Israel’s strategic fleet are outdated, not just the Reems. The F-16 and F-15 fighter jets are 35–45 years old, and the CH-53 helicopters, also used for deep operations, have been in service since the 1970s.
The Reem aircraft have flown transatlantic missions in the past, for training and also to transport Home Front Command delegations. The fact that the Air Force has achieved such sustained, long-range operations in Iran with these aircraft, despite their age, only emphasizes the accomplishment. “One can only imagine this operation with the new KC-46 tankers -called ‘Gideon’, considered the most advanced in the world, expected to arrive from the U.S. next year. This, alongside the new F-15i already ordered, more F-35 stealth fighters on the way, and of course the ‘Pere’, Super-Yasur CH-53K helicopter, selected as the best in its class globally,” the Air Force noted.
“The immense success so far can be credited not only to the air crews who are getting the most out of each aircraft,” they added, “but first and foremost to the maintenance and munitions personnel of the Air Force, who print parts, work around the clock, and manage to prepare aircraft for missions with professionalism that proves itself nonstop in the skies over Iran.”
*“Operation Focus”, (Moked in Hebrew) was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the Six-Day War in 1967.
