An F-16 fighter crew from the Ramon Airbase was grounded for three weeks following two serious incidents of strikes on incorrect targets in Gaza, Kan Reshet Bet reported on Monday.
According to the report, the Air Force referred to the mishap as a "reference point error" that repeated itself twice in two weeks in the same squadron.
The first strike was carried out after the pilots entered the wrong reference point on the ground into the system. Despite the protocols changing after the first mishap, a few days later, during an air raid on five targets in the Gaza Strip, the crew again mistyped one of the numbers of one of the targets and struck the wrong target once again.
An Air Force report following the investigation attributed the mishap to: "The protocols for validating targets on the ground were not followed, negligence in typing in the reference points, not following the protocols for carrying out additional inspections by the crew, failure to change habits, despite the protocols changing after the first error."
The Air Force emphasized that damage was not caused and no one was hurt in either incident.