The aerial wing of the Haganah, known as the Sherut Avir, was reorganized as the Israeli Air Force, and Amir was appointed as its first commander by Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion on 16 May. Sherut Avir had until this point only operated a small collection of aged and non-military aircraft, and the procurement of modern military-grade aircraft posed a significant problem for the new air force; Amir immediately secured an order of several Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters from Allied-occupied Germany and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from the United States, which were ferried into Israel through Czechoslovakia.
The Haganah's aerial division, known as the Air Service, was reorganized into the Israeli Air Force. Amir was appointed its first commander by Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion on 16 May. The Air Service had previously used a small number of old and non-military aircraft; acquiring modern military-grade planes became a significant issue for the new air force; Amir secured orders for several Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters from Allied-occupied Germany and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from the United States, which were transported into Israel through Czechoslovakia.