יב"א 511, Military radar station in Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.
יב"א 511 is a former military installation on top of Jebel Umm Marjum on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, comprising radar systems, communication centers, underground bunkers, and administrative buildings. The structures are spread across several elevated positions on the hill, reflecting the different building phases that took place over several decades.
Egyptian forces originally operated radar units on Jebel Umm Marjum until Israeli troops captured the site in 1967 during the Six-Day War and expanded it into a surveillance post. Following the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, the installation was gradually handed back and eventually returned to Egyptian control.
The station shows how two different armies used the same place at different times for the same purpose, which is visible in the layered construction phases. Israeli and Egyptian installations stand side by side here, telling the story of a long contest over control of the airspace above the Sinai Peninsula.
The site sits in a remote desert area and can only be reached with an off-road vehicle, as there are no paved roads leading to it. Because the location carries a military classification, visitors need prior authorization from the relevant Egyptian authorities before making the trip.
The installation used a surveillance balloon fitted with a radar system that was kept at high altitude above the desert to monitor the airspace. This balloon also served as a weather monitoring platform, making it a rare combination of civilian and military functions at a single location.
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