TEL AVIV -UNS :Israel’s highly secretive Unit 5700, known officially as the Forward Landing Unit, has emerged as a specialised capability designed to extend the Israeli Air Force’s reach far beyond established military bases and conventional runways.
A recent investigation by Yedioth Ahronoth has disclosed rare details about the unit’s missions and structure, shedding light on a force whose role is to turn remote and undeveloped terrain into temporary military airfields capable of receiving heavy transport aircraft.
Operating under the Israeli Air Force’s Special Forces Wing, Unit 5700 specialises in locating, surveying, preparing and securing improvised landing zones in areas where no permanent aviation infrastructure exists.
The unit’s concept is straightforward but operationally demanding: rather than bringing aircraft to an airbase, it brings the essential functions of an airfield to the aircraft.
A Mobile Airfield in the Middle of Nowhere
According to the report, Unit 5700 personnel can deploy to an isolated area and assess whether the terrain can safely accommodate military transport aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules.
The process involves considerably more than identifying a sufficiently flat stretch of ground. The team reportedly includes specialists responsible for analysing the soil and determining whether the surface can withstand the weight and impact associated with heavy aircraft operations.
It also includes a field air-traffic controller, who effectively becomes a temporary human control tower at the improvised airfield, coordinating aircraft movements without the infrastructure normally associated with an established airport.
A runway commander is responsible for the overall operation of the landing site and assumes command of the temporary airfield.
Together, these specialists allow the Israeli Air Force to establish a functioning forward landing capability in locations where there are no runways, navigation facilities, control towers or conventional military installations.
Covert Night Operations
The investigation describes at least one operation outside Israel in which Unit 5700 personnel spent approximately two weeks preparing a location before carrying out a covert night landing.
The operation illustrates the degree of planning required before a heavy transport aircraft can land on terrain that was never designed for aviation.
Such missions can involve terrain assessment, soil analysis, preparation of the landing surface, marking and securing the area, establishing communications and air-traffic procedures, and coordinating the arrival and departure of aircraft.
The ability to conduct these activities covertly provides the Israeli military with an additional option for moving personnel, equipment and supplies into remote operational theatres without relying exclusively on established airports or military airbases.
Operational History Extends Back Decades
Unit 5700 has reportedly been operating for nearly half a century, with its history linked to some of Israel’s most sensitive military and logistical operations.
During Operation Moses in the 1980s, the clandestine Israeli effort to evacuate Ethiopian Jews through Sudan, the unit reportedly played a role in preparing a secret desert landing strip that enabled aircraft to operate from an otherwise undeveloped location.
During the 1982 Lebanon War, the unit was involved in operating Beirut International Airport on behalf of the Israeli Air Force following Israel’s advance into Lebanon.
The unit was also reportedly activated after the 7 October 2023 attack to support the rapid deployment and landing of reinforcements in areas near the Gaza border communities.
Its role has subsequently expanded in the context of Israel’s regional military operations, including the war with Iran, during which temporary landing sites were reportedly established away from established bases that were themselves exposed to attack.
Possible Role in Secret Desert Bases
The most sensitive aspect of the report concerns claims about secret Israeli military facilities deep inside the Iraqi desert during the war with Iran.
US media reports at the time referred to clandestine Israeli bases or operating locations in remote parts of Iraq. The Israeli military has not publicly confirmed the existence of such facilities or acknowledged Unit 5700’s involvement in establishing them.
However, the capabilities attributed to Unit 5700 provide a potentially relevant operational explanation for how temporary aviation sites could be established in remote areas lacking conventional infrastructure.
That connection remains an assessment rather than a confirmed fact. There is no public Israeli admission establishing that Unit 5700 prepared or operated any particular alleged base in Iraq.
Strategic Significance
The importance of Unit 5700 lies less in the construction of a conventional runway than in its ability to decentralise the Israeli Air Force’s logistical infrastructure.
Modern military air operations normally depend on established bases equipped with runways, fuel facilities, communications systems, navigation equipment, maintenance infrastructure and air-traffic control.
Unit 5700 provides a different model.
Its personnel can establish the minimum infrastructure necessary for aircraft operations at locations where none previously existed, potentially allowing transport aircraft to operate much closer to an active battlefield or isolated operational area.
This capability can reduce dependence on fixed airfields and create additional options when established bases are damaged, threatened or geographically unsuitable.
An Airfield That Moves With the Force
The unit can therefore be viewed as a mobile airfield capability rather than simply a runway-construction team.
Its operational value comes from combining several functions normally distributed across a permanent airbase: terrain assessment, runway preparation, air-traffic control, site command and operational security.
In a rapidly changing conflict, this can give military planners greater flexibility in moving reinforcements and supplies.
The capability is particularly significant for operations conducted far from Israel, where access to friendly airports or established military infrastructure cannot always be guaranteed.
A Rare Window Into a Highly Classified Capability
The details reported by Yedioth Ahronoth provide an unusual glimpse into a specialised Israeli military capability that has largely remained outside public view.
Unit 5700’s reported history—from covert operations in Sudan and the Lebanon War to reinforcement missions following 7 October and temporary aviation sites during the conflict with Iran—illustrates a consistent operational principle:
where there is no airfield, the unit can create the conditions for one.
Its ability to transform remote terrain into a temporary military landing site potentially gives the Israeli Air Force an additional layer of operational reach, particularly in environments where conventional bases are unavailable, vulnerable or deliberately avoided.
At the same time, claims concerning specific clandestine facilities—particularly alleged Israeli bases inside Iraq—remain unconfirmed unless independently verified or acknowledged by Israeli authorities.
The broader capability attributed to Unit 5700, however, demonstrates how a relatively small specialist force can function as a deployable extension of an airbase, allowing military transport aviation to reach locations far beyond the boundaries of Israel’s established aviation infrastructure.
