Israel mourns Giora Epstein, air force legend
Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora “Epstein” Even, the most successful fighter pilot in Israeli history and the world’s leading jet ace, died Saturday at the age of 87.
Giora Epstein Photo: Wikipedia
With 17 confirmed aerial kills — 16 jets and a helicopter — Epstein’s unmatched record earned him a reputation as a legend within and beyond the Israel Air Force.
Born in 1938 on Kibbutz Negba to Polish immigrants, Epstein dreamed of becoming a pilot from an early age. He first joined the military during the 1956 Sinai Campaign but was assigned to the Ordnance Corps. Twice rejected from flight school for medical reasons, including an enlarged heart attributed to athleticism, he refused to give up. After completing a stint in the Paratroopers Brigade and briefly returning to civilian life, Epstein re-enlisted in 1962 and was finally admitted to flight school at age 25.
He graduated with honours in 1963, only to be assigned to a helicopter unit. Epstein refused the posting and appealed directly to Air Force Commander Ezer Weizman. “A few days later, I was transferred to a fighter squadron,” he later recalled. From there, he began flying Super Mystère and Mirage jets with the 113th and 101st Squadrons.
His first kill came during the Six-Day War in 1967 when he downed an Egyptian Sukhoi. He scored four more during the War of Attrition. In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he achieved his greatest feat: 12 shootdowns in less than three weeks — seven MiG-21s, four Sukhois, and a helicopter. “I fought until my last bullet and last drop of fuel, only then returning to base,” Epstein said.
His performance under pressure and pinpoint vision earned him the nickname “Eagle Eye.” Epstein himself described his temperament simply, saying “I’m not afraid of anything. I stay calm under pressure and rarely lose my cool.”
Awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his Yom Kippur War actions, Epstein went on to command the 117th Squadron, flying Mirage IIIs. After retiring from active duty in 1977, he flew for El Al and continued in the reserves. At age 50, he retrained on the F-16 and continued flying until 1998, logging 9,000 flight hours—5,000 of them in combat jets.
In 2018, the IDF formally recognised his legacy by promoting him to brigadier general in a ceremony led by then–Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Air Force commander Amikam Norkin. “His record applies not only to the Israeli Air Force but to the entire world,” the IDF said in a tribute.
Reflecting on Epstein’s career, former Air Force commander Avihu Ben-Nun said, “Every day I let him take off, he’d shoot down between three and four MiGs.”
Epstein lived in Ramat Hasharon with his wife Sarah, a former squadron operations officer.
He is survived by three children and several grandchildren.
