Video of the Israeli Attack on the Iraqi Osirak Reactor

They should've mentioned the Iranian attempts to destroy the reactor. I'm sure Tehran had shared some intel with the Israelis. After all, they received TOW missiles from the Little Satan during the war with Iraq.
 
"Operation Opera" sets the pace for the decision on IAF F-16I

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The first operational sortie and perhaps the most famous in the F-16 legacy, was "Operation Opera", or as it is known to the world - The raid on the Iraqi nuclear reactor.

This sortie has set another F-16 flight record - The IAF F-16 formation broke the official operational radius limits.

By the end of the seventies, Iraq purchased an "Osiris" class nuclear reactor from France. Israel's intelligence agencies assumed this was a step taken by Iraq to produce Plutonium for a future nuclear ability - the production of an atomic bomb.

According to Israeli intelligence, the summer of 1981 would have been the last chance to operate against the reactor, without putting the population of Iraq in danger of nuclear fallout, since by then, the reactor wasn't operational and was not loaded with it's nuclear fuel.


Pilot's breiefing
From Lieutenant-Colonel's Ze'ev Raz - (squadron's leader and leader of the attack) briefing:

The route
"We are about to fly a course over Eilat and Aquaba, and then south of Jordan along Saudi-Arabia's border.
This route was carefully planned to avoid Arab villages and cities where we might be discovered by casual observers - so we would remain undetected just until we get over target.

We would fly over desert area until Baghdad. This is not the shortest path to fly, but it would avoid Radar detection.
On the way to the target we would fly at an altitude of 150 ft. On our way back we would rise to high altitude.

We are short on fuel ! Those who get engaged in dogfights wouldn't make it back !"


The bombing technic
"About 20 km east to the reactor we will ignite the afterburner to full power and start a climb.
At the peak we will roll over, identify the target and dive at the speed of 600 knots at 35 degrees.
Aim at the base of the structure and release the bombs at an altitude of 3500 feet.
Remember to release flares to avoid hits by ground fire.
All pilots will drop their bombs in intervals of 5 seconds - In total - you will drop 16 bombs, While a hit of 8 bombs would be enough to do the job !"

The weapons
"You will be armed with two 1000 kg "iron" bombs, equipped with delay fuses, to ensure explosion deep in the reactors core to maximize the damage."

Target protection and potential thereats

"The reactor has its own air defense system, combined of AAA guns and missiles.
Target is surrounded by high earth ramparts."

Pilot's description
Colonel R. - (Number 4 of the first formation) describes the flight:

"We fly deep within Iraq, It is all desert around us while we pass another marking point on our route. I try to concentrate on flying my F-16, but from time to time I think about the target we are about to attack, and the responsibility we've got.

It's the first time in my life that I really feel responsible for the destiny of a whole nation.

The view changes - a blue river in the middle of the desert. We have been here 2500 years ago... I see buildings and a deserted airfield.

...Somebody calls over the radio: "Watch out for AAA fire !" and the sky gets filled with flashes of exploding rounds.

I light the afterburner and pull up. Just in front of my eyes I see the earth ramparts and behind it - you can't miss - the silver dome of the reactor...

"Eshkol 8" sounds the radio, "Everybody Charlie!" - Charlie was the code name meaning all pilots have dropped their bombs.

It was amazing - I managed to see how the bombs of the pilots in front of me hit the target and the reactor's dome collapsing into the structure ! The hits were excellent, and now we fly at high altitude back to our base.

I hope they didn't start a chase, to run us out of fuel...

We cross the Arava and we are back in Israel. The IAF commander calls on the radio, and says: All you have to do now is land safely"...

The rest is history......
 
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