Ein Shemer Airfield (RAF Ein Shemer)

Ein Shemer Airfield is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base located 6 km east of Hadera in the Haifa District. Established in 1942 as RAF Ein Shemer, it functioned as the largest military airfield in the region under British administration until 1948. During this period, the base hosted 1,500 personnel and multiple squadrons, including Nos. 6, 32, 37, 38, 178, 208, 214, 621, 18, 651, 680, and 13. These units operated aircraft including the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Avro Lancaster, Consolidated Liberator, Taylorcraft Auster, and de Havilland Mosquito. The 78 Operational Training Unit was also stationed there to train reconnaissance crews in ASV radar and Leigh light operations.

Following the British withdrawal in 1948, the site functioned as a civilian airfield until the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed military ownership in the early 2000s. Current operations are managed by the IAF. The base does not host fighter jets or helicopters but serves as a center for the Israeli Air Defense Command and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.

The infrastructure includes an Arrow 2 Theater Anti Ballistic Missile battery, established in 2002. This installation consists of several launchers, the Super Green Pine long-range radar, and the Yellow Citron and Brown Nut control elements. Since 2017, the base has also stationed Arrow 3 missile systems. UAV facilities include maintenance hangars and a control station for the IAI Heron. The IAI Malat Division utilizes the airfield for testing newly developed unmanned platforms. Due to local restrictions, runway use is primarily limited to UAVs.

In September 2020, an IAI Heron conducted a flight from Ein Shemer to Ben Gurion International Airport, marking the first time a UAV integrated into commercial flight operations at an international airport. In June 2025, the base conducted an Arrow 3 missile launch during the Iran–Israel war. Since 2008, the Israeli government has proposed expanding the airfield to accommodate general aviation and flight training relocated from Sde Dov and Herzlia airports, a plan approved by the National Infrastructure Planning Committee in 2019.