'Ace of aces': Giora Even Epstein, Israel's most decorated fighter pilot, dies aged 87

‘Hawkeye’ Epstein was the world’s top fighter jet pilot of the supersonic era, shot down 17 Egyptian aircraft during his IAF career

By Stav Levaton

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and ToI Staff 19 July 2025, 5:11 pm Edit

Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora Even Epstein, the Israeli Air Force’s most decorated fighter pilot and the world’s top supersonic jet ace, died Saturday at age 87.

Nicknamed “Hawkeye,” Even Epstein was credited with 17 aerial shoot downs —- 16 Egyptian fighter jets and one Egyptian helicopter -— making him a global aviation legend.

With an unmatched combat record, he served in the Israeli Air Force from 1961 until 1997 and later flew for El Al.

Even Epstein was born in 1938 in Kibbutz Negba in British Mandatory Palestine and developed a love for aviation from a young age as he watched Air Force planes fly above the southern community.

When he was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in 1956, he was initially rejected from the Air Force’s flight school for medical reasons and enlisted as a paratrooper.

After his mandatory service, he reapplied for flight school and was accepted, graduating with honors in 1963.

This file photo taken on June 5, 1967, shows Israeli Air Force Dassault Mirage III fighters flying over the Sinai Peninsula at the Israeli-Egyptian border on the first day of the Six-Day War. (AFP)

Four years later, when Israel and its neighbors fought in the Six-Day War, Even Epstein scored his first kill while flying a French-made Dassault Mirage III, shooting down an Egyptian Sukhoi-7 fighter jet over the Sinai.

During the subsequent “War of Attrition” between Israel and Egypt, Even Epstein shot down another four Egyptian jets, earning him the honor of “flying ace,” a title given to pilots who have five or more confirmed aerial kills.

Giora Even Epstein in an undated IAF photograph (IDF spokesman)

When Israel’s neighbors attacked again in 1973, beginning the Yom Kippur War, Even Epstein downed another 12 Egyptian aircraft — one helicopter and 11 fighter jets — making him the “ace of aces,” the most successful fighter pilot of the supersonic jet era.

For his role in Israel’s victory, he was given the Medal of Distinguished Service, one of the country’s highest military honors.

הבוקר פורסם דבר מותו בגיל 87 של תא"ל במילואים גיורא אבן (אפשטיין), אחד מטייסי הקרב המהוללים של חיל האוויר ושיאן ההפלות שלו, שזכה גם בעיטור המופת. אפשטיין הפיל 17 מטוסים, 12 מאלה במהלך מלחמת יום כיפור. הוא שיאן הפלות עולמי של מטוסי קרב סילוניים.

אייס עולמי, אחד מטייסי הקרב הטובים… pic.twitter.com/hEf6T9tcYS

— ????Yair Navot – יאיר נבות ???? (@Navot_Yair) July 19, 2025

After the war, he became commander of the IAF’s 117 Squadron and retired from regular service in 1977.

Over the next several decades, Even Epstein served in the reserves, flying thousands of hours, including in the F-16, finally retiring in full in 1997, over 40 years after he was initially drafted.

After his retirement, he became a commercial pilot for El Al.

Giora Even Epstein (center) is promoted to the rank of brigadier general by then-IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot (left) in 2018. (IDF Spokesman)

In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by then-IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot in recognition of his extensive contribution to Israel’s military.

“This is an expression of immense respect and appreciation,” Eisenkot said at the ceremony. “You belong to the founding generation that built the IDF’s capabilities and passed on a legacy of dedication, victory, and excellence.”