The IAF:
Israeli combat pilots are considered among the best in the world, and hold a large number of shoot-down records. It is rumored that American pilots receive training from their Israeli counterparts as part of their training curriculum. The IAF relies on its Air Intelligence Directorate for intelligence, including analysis of aerial photography. Many of the IAF's electronics and weapons systems are developed and built in Israel by Israeli Military Industries, Israeli Aircraft Industries, Elbit and others.
The IAF holds world records respective to the amounts of enemy warplanes shoot-downs, air combat performance, special operations, and air to ground operations from the jet era onward.
Some of the records and highlight moments are as follows:
Six Day War
June 5, 1967 – the Six Day War: The destruction of the entire Egyptian air-force within 3 hours. By the end of the day the Syrian and Jordanian air forces were wiped out as well. The IAF shoot-down total at the end of the war was a claimed record of 451 enemy aircraft downed versus of its own ten downed. See: Operation Red Sheet.
War of Attrition
March, 1969 until August, 1970 – the War of Attrition: 111 enemy warplanes were shot-down in dogfights by IAF pilots while only four IAF warplanes were shot down in dogfights by enemy pilots (according to Israeli sources). Also, during the Cold War the Soviet Union held close relationships with the Arab nations. On July 30, 1970 the tension peaked: An IAF ambush resulted in a large scale air brawl between IAF planes and MiGs flown by Soviet pilots — five MiGs were shot down, while the IAF suffered no losses.
Yom Kippur War
October 9, 1973 – the Yom Kippur War: The destruction of the Syrian General Staff in Damascus: On October 9, 1973, two F-4 Phantom quartets attacked and destroyed the Syrian General Staff Headquarters in the heart of Damascus. The Syrian Air Force Headquarters was damaged as well.
Also, during the Yom Kippur War, the IAF shot down 277 enemy warplanes accounting for over a third of the IAF's total kills since 1948.
1982 Lebanon War
June 8, 1982 – 1982 Lebanon War: The destruction of the entire Soviet supplied Syrian air-defence system in Lebanon within a few hours without a single warplane lost; Syria with the help of the U.S.S.R built up an overlapping network of surface-to-air missiles. Also the IAF states it achieved in dogfights a total of 80 Syrian planes shoot-downs, without a single Israeli plane being shot down.
Other
The only documented successful emergency landing of an F-15 with one wing, the other torn off after an airborne collision with an A-4 Skyhawk. The Skyhawk exploded and its pilot ejected. McDonnell-Douglas, the F-15 Manufacturer, refused to believe it was possible until photos of the incident were shown. The F-15 was restored to flight status.
"Ace" pilots: 39 IAF pilots shot down at least five jet planes, ten out of them shot down at least eight jet planes.
"Ace of Aces": Aluf Giora Epstein shot down seventeen jet planes, holding the world record of jets shot down after the Korean War.
Obtaining the first shoot-downs for the American fighter jets, the F-15 and the F-16. [2]
126 enemy planes were shot down in dogfights in the years between the wars — most of them in the 1970s. The IAF lost only two planes in dogfights between the wars, in 1959 and in 1964.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Air_Force