Militaryישראל שפיר

Relik Shafir

Relik Shafir is a retired Israeli Air Force brigadier general and fighter pilot who was one of the 8 pilots in the 1981 attack on Iraq's nuclear reactor.

born 1953Operation Opera in 1981Kills in both F-15 and F-16Commanding Tel Nof air base

Occupation: military personnel, military officer
Rank: tat aluf
Wars: Operation Opera, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War

Relik Shafir was born in 1953 in Kiryat Tiv'on

Israel "Relik" Shafir was born in 1953 in Kiryat Tiv'on. He grew up in Israel and in Scotland.

He joined the IDF in 1971 and finished flight course 70 as a fighter pilot in March 1973. He flew Skyhawks, Phantoms, F-15s and F-16s, and shot down a Syrian MiG 21 in 1979. In June 1981 he and Ilan Ramon flew as the last pair in Operation Opera.

In Operation Peace for Galilee he shot down 2 MiG 21s and 2 Sukhoi 22s. He is the only Israeli Air Force pilot credited with kills in both the F-15 and the F-16. He later commanded Squadron 201, the flight school from 1993 to 1995, Hatzerim base, and from July 1998 Tel Nof base.

He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and philosophy from Bar-Ilan University and a master's degree in public administration from Monterey, California.

He retired in 2002 and served in the reserves as an air force spokesperson in emergencies. In 2008 he was appointed chairman of an aviation safety committee, and from 2010 to 2014 he was CEO of IEI. In 2015 he cofounded a startup for detecting turbulence. He is married with 4 children and lives in Beit Uziel.

Milestones in Relik Shafir's life

1953
Born in Kiryat Tiv'on.
1971
Joined the IDF.
1973
Finished flight course as a fighter pilot.
1979
Shot down a Syrian MiG 21 in an F-15.
1981
Took part in Operation Opera.
1993
Became commander of the flight school.
1998
Appointed commander of Tel Nof base.
2002
Retired from the air force.
2008
Appointed chairman of an aviation safety committee.
2015
Cofounded a turbulence mapping startup.

Relik Shafir served in IDF Pilot Course

Shafir served in the Israeli Air Force from 1971 to 2002 as a fighter pilot, flying in Operation Opera and Operation Peace for Galilee. He commanded the flight school and the Hatzerim and Tel Nof bases, retiring as a brigadier general.

IDF Pilot Course