Cobra history
The Cobra entered Israeli service back in 1975, with the lessons of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War firmly in mind. The first examples were half a dozen hand-me-downs from the U.S. Marines. These provided valuable experience in the then-emerging helicopter gunship concept.
Israeli forces subsequently sent Cobras against Syrian armor during the 1982 campaign in Lebanon.
Since 1977, the Israeli air force’s First Attack Helicopter Squadron represented the spearhead of the Israeli Cobra community, which soon acquired improved AH-1F models.
As the final front-line AH-1 operator, the First Attack Helicopter Squadron disbanded at Palmachim in August 2013. Prior to this move, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reckoned Israel had 33 Cobras in its possession.
As the threat of a large-scale armored assault gave way to guerrilla and other asymmetric threats, the Cobra fleet kept pace. In its final configuration, the Tzefa was capable of surgical strike using the Machtselet, a version of Israel’s Spike guided missile.
It was niche capabilities like this that compelled Tel Aviv to keep the Cobra in service alongside the Apache in the 1990s and beyond, despite the latter’s overall superior performance and sensors.
Developed by Rafael, Machtselet is a fire-and-forget weapon with an imaging infrared seeker.
Withdrawal from the combat fleet won’t spell the end of the Israeli Cobra, however. The type has long played an important second-line role, training future attack helo crews at the Israeli air force academy.
While the academy’s Cobras have effectively been demilitarized for their training role, those flown by Israel’s dedicated aggressor unit are combat-capable. These, too, can be expected to soldier on, as they play a vital role in mimicking enemy attack helicopter tactics for the benefit of the IDF.
Based at Ovda, the adversary aircraft are flown by the Flying Dragon Squadron, also equipped with early-model F-16 jet fighters.