Ramon
30°46'N 34°40'E
In September of 1978 Israeli and Egyptian negotiators met with US President Jimmy Carter at Camp David to negotiate the terms of peace. An agreement was signed in March of 1979 which called for the phased withdrawal of all Israeli troops for the Sinai by 1982. The Camp David Accords were matched by American pledges for security assistance for both Israel and Egypt totaling nearly $3 billion.
Constructed by the United States and opened in 1981, Ramon is located south west of Beer Sheba, in the central Negev region in southern Israel. Formerly known as Matred, it has three runways, all 3,050 meters long. Ramon AFB hosts the Sayeret Moran and Sayeret Meitar long range anti tank units. Facilities include the Sayeret Meitar school and training grounds, as well as the High Explosive Anti Tank (HEAT) missile equipment. Until 1993 the fact of the existence of these units, as well as the facilities at which they are based, were considered a classified national security matter.
In 1972, the decision was made to establish the Air Force's sixth operational base: the "Itam" base in Sinai. The Ramon base is a continuation of the base established in 1976. Following the Camp David agreements and the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, the base was rebuilt by the Americans in 1981 in Ramat Abdat in the central Negev, near the settlement of Mitzpe Ramon. The construction of the base was completed on April 24, 1982 and it was inaugurated on May 19 of the same year. At the base there is a family housing recognized as an official settlement in Israel and its name is Mahana Tali.
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