Brigadier General (ret.) Iftach Spector, a distinguished former fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, is regarded as one of the leading flying aces in the history of the IAF. He is also an expert on organizational performance and military tactics.
Spector has served, among other roles, as Commander of the Ramat David and Tel Nof Airbases, as Head of the Air Operations department and head of the F-16 induction project. He participated in the 1981 attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak.
Spector invented the “HALO” system, an avionics system for helicopters operating on the battlefield, whose core features have been adopted in many military forces worldwide.
In 2003, Spector was a signatory of the of the “Pilots’ Letter” in which he and 27 other pilots stated their refusal to bomb targets in the West Bank and Gaza when collateral damage would likely be severe.
Spector holds a bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv University, and a master’s degree from UCLA. In 2023, he received a doctoral degree from Bar-Ilan University for his dissertation titled: “The Richthofen Symptom: Task Focus – Contributions, Costs, and the Harms of Excess.”
His 2009 memoir, “Loud and Clear,” is available in English. He is also the author of a prize-winning novela.
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