You see them in great numbers at every Israeli air force (IAF) base - female technicians preparing fighter aircraft for missions around the clock.
Young women in dark blue coveralls have become part of the scenery in the reinforced surface shelters housing ready-for-action F-15s, F-16s, Apache helicopters and other types.
They are professionals that after one year in service are trained to release an advanced fighter for a mission - whether for training or a real one - and these in the IAF are almost a daily routine.
This has resulted in the adaption of many tools used in maintenance work for the users - young woman in compulsory service with an average age of 19.
The IAF magazine reveals that a special project has so far resulted in specially designed "female versions" of tools - a lighter aluminium ladder, a special wheeled surface that helps carry heavy fuel pipes and even lighter torches.
The magazine says the adaptation of the tools has been welcomed among the female technicians. They love the lighter tools, which make the long hours on the tarmac, in the hangars or at the surface shelters easier.
Compulsory military service brings many women into all the units of the Israeli defence forces.
You find them in the infantry, armoured units, the navy and in the air force, where they fill many positions, from radar and electronic systems operators, through to line technicians and even aircrews in fighting squadrons.
The new tools are only a "luxury" - the work still gets done with the old ones and under all conditions.
Credit : IAF magazine
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