At the outset of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the Israeli Air Force executed a masterful attack against Arab air forces, destroying approximately 400 aircraft in the first day and shattering Arab airpower capabilities. Israel's air force demonstrated that without appropriately hardened shelters or underground hangars, fragile aircraft are easily subject to damage and destruction by blast, fragment, and fire. The Israeli strike prompted extensive base hardening efforts around the world that have continued at varying levels of effort to this day. Offensive counterair strikes against air bases typically form a key element in efforts to gain control of the air. Hardened air bases make succeeding in that job much more difficult.
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