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Revision as of 06:50, 27 October 2005
Unit 669 is the name of the Israeli Air Force medevac extraction unit. Created primarily in order to extract downed (and possibly injured) pilots beyond enemy lines, the unit later participated in extraction of soldiers of other arms of the Israeli Defense Forces, especially special forces Sayeret fighters in operations beyond enemy lines.
Due to the possibility of having to fight their way to casualties beyond enemy lines, unit fighters are highly trained in special forces tactics, and become highly efficient ground soldiers in addition to their high level of paramedic training.
A famous extraction by the unit is that of Ron Arad's pilot in October 16, 1986. In that case, a mulfunction in a bomb carried by their F-4 Phantom aircraft forced both pilots to eject behind enemy lines in Lebanon. Unit 669 located the pilot being chased by enemy fighters, and rescued him by letting him grab onto the helicopter's landing pod for several miles until they were out of gunfire range. Unluckily for copilot Ron Arad, his extraction helicopter arrived only after he was already captured.
In peacetime, Unit 669 serves as civilian medevac for hikers who have gotten lost or stuck and need extraction from Israel's deserts or canyons. These civilian operations, while expensive, help train the unit fighters for their battle-time roles. There is an ongoing debate for many years in Israel whether extracted hikers should be forced to pay at least a part of the extraction cost, especially in cases of hiker negligence or improper call for extraction. However, as of 2005 no such measures have been taken and the entire cost is still burdened by the public purse.
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